Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

No Declarations of Interest were made.

No matters had been notified in advance or urgent.

It was confirmed that items marked Part 1 would be heard in public and those marked Part 2 would be heard in private.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2014 be agreed as a correct record.

The Chairman informed the Committee that three small group Witness Sessions had taken place since the previous Committee meeting. Sessions had been held with young people that had been involved in crime and a separate session had been held with parents of children who were currently going through the youth justice system or had done so in the recent past.

A number of comments and suggestions were made by those attending the witness sessions that fell outside the scope of the Major Review. It was noted that, where appropriate, this information would be included in the final report as observations and would be passed on to the appropriate organisations for reference.

The key issues raised during the witness sessions included the suggestion that the majority of youth crime and anti-social behaviour was connected to drugs. Some of the parents had felt intimidated by drug dealers and had been too afraid to involve the authorities. Children had become involved in crime after having been targeted by drug dealers. This targeting had taken place outside schools and it was suggested that a police presence in the vicinity, including the use of plain clothes officers, could be considered. It was suggested that a lack of employment opportunities for young people coupled with an inclination to make money quickly were factors which increased the likelihood of young people turning to crime.

The transition from primary to secondary education was highlightedas a problematic period. The behaviour of some children that had previously been well behaved changed, in part due to the changed environment. This sometimes included asb and crime. It was generally felt that the Youth Offending Service was doing a good job, but that access could be improved and include those at risk of becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour, rather than only being available post conviction. Positive comments were also made about the work of Pupil Referral Units. It was suggested that the National Curriculum was too focused on academic achievements and there were opportunities for schools to do more to provide practical skills.Officers and witnesses confirmed that there was scope to improve to improve the awareness of the activities and facilities available locally for young people. It was also noted that the related issue of Child Sexual Exploitation was worthy of further consideration.

The representative from the Hillingdon Tuition Centre (HTC) welcomed the Chairman's summary and agreed with the concerns raised. The Committee heard there were a number of activities in place to steer young people away from offending post conviction but that more could be done in terms of prevention. It was noted that parents would appreciate being given further advice and guidance on how to steer their children away from becoming involved in anti-social behaviour and crime. The witness acknowledged that there was only so much that parents could do with this regard and felt that the use of parenting orders was not appropriate in every case.

The witness advised that all parents of pupils at HTC  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

Officers provided a presentation on the Council’s budget in which it was noted that:

• Indicative sums published by DCLG indicated that there would be a further 13.8% funding reduction in 2015/16. This followed a total reduction of 37% (£58m) in central government funding since 2010/11.
• The proposed level of Education Services Grant for 2015/16 (£802m) represented a 20% cut compared to 2014/15 (£1.02b).
• An initial 2015/16 budget gap of approximately £20 million had been identified. This had been managed through a drawdown of £5 million from balances, and the full year effect of savings identified in 2014/15 as part of the BID transformation programme reducing the gap to around £10 million.
• The majority of the proposed savings related to changes proposed within the Adoption and Fostering Service, which was aiming to speed up the process of permanency.
• Since February 2014, groups had been developing savings proposals sufficient to manage the overall funding reduction and to manage any increased cost pressure within their services. A comprehensive review of the corporate elements of the budget had been undertaken, including funding inflation and capital financing. A series of budget challenge sessions had been held in the summer and autumn.
• The Children’s and Families Act 2014 came into force in September 2014. This introduced significant changes and required a substantial amount of work to ensure delivery.
• The Service was in the final stages of implementing the Children's Pathway BID Review, which should be completed in 2015. This would enable the Service to have a greater focus on early intervention, which should enable the Council to deliver savings in 2015/16.
• Asylum Seekers were continuing to have an impact on the budget. This was because the proportion of children over 18 was continuing to increase at a higher rate than the number under 18, which attracted less Home Office Grant funding.
• The primary pupil population continued to grow. It had increased by 2.8% between October 2013 and October 2014. This continued increase in the pupil population had required the council to build three new primary schools. The number of children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs had grown at double the rate of the general school population. The secondary school population had previously been stable and was now starting to grow.
• Capital investment was proposed of approximately £150m in primary schools and £80m for secondary schools.

Discussion

Members questioned the basis for some of the figures provided, the inflation rate used and whether the figures would prove to be feasible. Concerns were raised about how difficult it was to recruit social workers. Officers were asked to provide a figure in relation to the number of agency social workers working at the Council.

In response, Officers advised in relation to the inflation rate used and confirmed that work was in progress to reduce the number of children placed in private foster care and increase permanency. It was anticipated that these measures would help to ensure that the budgetary targets were realised. Around one third of workers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

Officers introduced a Draft Scoping Report on Hillingdon's Implementation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Reforms as a single meeting review. It was noted that the implementation of the reforms was a work in progress and was not yet finalised. The Committee heard that a number of the required activities had a deadline of 1 September 2014 for implementation and this deadline had been met.

As the next meeting coincided with the School holiday period and Head teachers would not be available, Officers suggested a separate witness session could be held to overcome this. The Committee discussed the evidence gathering for the review and it was suggested that the Chairman of the Parents’ Forum be invited to the next meeting of the Committee on 18 February 2015.

A brief discussion followed about the reasons for the variation in the number of young people across Hillingdon with special educational needs and the impact that implementation of the SEND reforms was having on council services. Officers advised that delivery of the changes had impacted significantly on the team but that there were ongoing plans in place to manage this. It was agreed that a note to explain the variations would be brought to the next meeting of the Committee.

RESOLVED: THAT:

1.  The Chairman of the Parents’ Forum be invited to attend a Witness Session at the February meeting of the Committee.

2.  A separate witness session be held with headteachers of local schools in advance of the next Committee meeting. The Committee would be represented by Councillors. Hensley (Chairman), Sweeting (Labour Lead) and Palmer, with Tony Little available as a substitute.

3.  Information to explain the variation in numbers across Hillingdon of those with special educational needs be brought to the next Committee meeting.

Officers advised that significant progress had been made in the read across from the Ofsted Improvement Plan into the Service Improvement Plan. Delivery was in progress and the Annual Report for the Local Safeguarding Children Board had been considered. The courts had reduced Public Law Outline (PLO) timescales. This set a target of resolving relevant public law family proceedings within 26 weeks. This compared with a previous average of 27 weeks. Senior managers had met with schools and safeguarding leads. There had been some complaints about responsiveness, but it was recognised that it was important to get processes embedded correctly before ensuring quality.

Approximately four fifths of the review of the safeguarding report had been completed and a peer review had been undertaken in November 2014. The current review primarily dealt with adults, but a more strategic positioning of the Board and broader membership would be required. The Action Plans were due to be signed off in March 2015.

RESOLVED: THAT:

1)    The Committee note the verbal update provided.

2)    A written report on progress against the Ofsted Action Plans be brought to the March meeting of the Committee.

Officers introduced the 2013-14 Annual Report. This highlighted the main achievements, as well as the current and future priorities. The report also set out the Board’s priorities and plans for the following year.

It was noted that, as well as ensuring that the Board was fully representative of stakeholder organisations, the number of Sub Committees had been reduced from 13 to 4. Since the end of 2013/14, work undertaken had focused on delivery and ensuring that the voices of young people were listened to.

At present, the Board was developing quality assurance mechanisms and had used audit work carried out within the Council. The identification of domestic violence was important from an audit perspective. It was noted that Hillingdon CAMHS required improvement.

Two Serious Case Reviews were being commenced and it was anticipated that these would place significant pressure on existing resources.

The Committee raised concerns about the level of funding available and about the number of children living in poverty. This was noted to be 43% in one ward within the Borough. Concerns were also raised in relation to CAMHS timescales and it was suggested that there was an over reliance on tier 3 and 4 services. Officers advised that this would be considered in 2-3 months time and that the entirety of resources would be considered, rather than just those locked into tiers 3 and 4.

In relation to membership of the LCSB, the Committee asked how attendance at meetings compared to the membership list provided in Appendix 1 of the Officer's report. It was agreed that a details would be provided.

The Committee requested that clarification be provided in relation to missing persons figures provided on page 81 on the accompanying Officer reports. The report stated that there were 736 missing children in Hillingdon the year 1st April 2013 - 31st March 2014 and clarification was sought as to whether this was 736 individuals or 736 cases of missing persons.

It was noted that that there was a discrepancy in some of the figures provided in the accompanying report and it was requested that more care be taken to provide correct figures in the future.

Officers advised that a shorter, more focused report would be produced for 2015/16 and that it was anticipated that this would be completed by Summer 2015.

RESOLVED: That:

1.    Officers provide the Committee with clarification in relation to figures provided regarding the number of missing young persons in 2013/14.

2.    Officers provide the Committee with details of attendance at LCSB meetings.

3.    The report be noted

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Forward Plan be noted.

RESOLVED: That:

1.    That the Work Programme be noted.