Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Rita Judge with Councillor Tony Burles substituting.

Apologies were also received from Councillor Tony Gill.

None.

Members thanked officers for the minutes and asked that the evidence from the witnesses be used when compiling the final review report.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed.

Officers introduced the Hillingdon Youth Justice Services’ draft five-year strategy.

The strategy contained five priorities:

• Priority One – Prevention and Early Intervention: This sought to build on the provision currently in place and the aim was to intervene at the earliest possible stage to prevent escalation and children entering the criminal justice system. This meant exploring and understanding the root causes of offending by exploring the wider determinants of social inequality. The number of first-time entrants had decreased over the COVID pandemic. It had now started to rise but had remained below pre-pandemic levels. The rate remained below both national and London averages. Officers wanted to build on successes in the rate of engagement in children consenting to accessing support and intervention at an earlier stage. This meant continuing to develop the AXIS service and ensuring children were identified and supported at the earliest opportunity.
• Priority Two – Over-representation and Disproportionality: The goal was to address disparities and create a system that treated all children equally. Data showed that black and mixed heritage children were over-represented in the criminal justice system. A disproportionality action plan would be produced to support this priority and provide increased provisions for children with protected characteristics. Officers also wanted to increase the trust in the justice system among children, families and the wider community by listening to their experiences and providing opportunities for active participation.
• Priority Three – Child-Centred Practice: The focus was on the holistic needs of children to promote health, well-being, and development to promote positive outcomes. A lot of work had been done to ensure practitioners used an interpersonal approach when working with children and understand their life experiences and how this forms part of their identity. The aim was to increase active participation and co-production with children so that they were actively involved in decisions about how services were delivered.
• Priority Four – Reducing Re-offending: The aim was to use a trauma-informed approach to prevent re-offending. The re-offending rate for the period 2021-2022 had decreased, with a true re-offending rate of 32.8%, which was slightly above the national average and below the London average. It was noted that as there was a small cohort of children entering the criminal justice system in Hillingdon, it only took a small increase in offending to impact the percentage change.  There had been a reduction in children being remanded in youth detention, which was very positive. There had been zero children receiving a custodial sentence for three consecutive quarters. Work with partners continued to ensure that children were not experiencing a cliff-edge when they reached the age of 18.
• Priority Five – Victims and Restorative Justice: The focus was on the needs of victims, giving them a voice and an active role in the justice system. A lot of work had been done to increase the offer to victims and to be innovative and creative in the opportunities for children to repair the harm that they had caused. The restorative justice offer had also extended  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

The Chair outlined that the Committee was undertaking a review into persistent absenteeism. The purpose of this session was to discover how young people were protected and safeguarded, especially if they were not attending school regularly.

Officers started the discussion by emphasising the importance of education as a safeguarding element, as school was likely the safest place to be for young people. This was because as well as education there would be the child’s support network, friends, tutors and teachers. Officers highlighted the importance of consistent relationships in schools and the role of teachers and mentors. They also noted the importance of giving children a voice in their child protection plans, reviews and conferences. The child’s input formed part of the plan. There were various mechanisms of engagement, for example if a child was non-verbal. Children were also offered the opportunity to speak to the conference Chair and have the opportunity for an advocate to speak at the conference on their behalf. This applied to children with child protection plans and those with looked after plans.

Officers worked very closely with their colleagues from the Virtual School, which provided intensive support for children who were looked after and enhanced support for every child who had a social worker. They also worked closely with the child protection advisors who Chair the conferences. There was a focus on the safeguarding element of school attendance and how this can strengthen a child’s support network.

Officers discussed the collaboration with Designated Safeguarding Leads in schools and officers who managed and arranged the cluster groups. They have attended two cluster group sessions so far and would be attending one in September with a focus on addressing absenteeism among children on a child protection plan. The cluster groups had been positive and had helped implement strategies and understand the different perspectives between children’s social care and schools. There was good collaboration between social care and schools and the Virtual School played an important role in bridging the gap between the two.

Officers emphasised the importance of education as a safeguarding element and the role of consistent relationships in schools. During school holidays a designated lead would be available for child protection conferences in order to contribute to the education plan. This ensured consistency in approach.

Members noted the close work with Designated Safeguarding Leads in schools and asked about their receptiveness and involvement. Officers noted that the safeguarding leads had been appreciative and receptive. They asked questions about addressing school attendance and what they needed to be aware of when attending conferences. They also discussed the incentives provided to children for good attendance. Presentations were also uploaded to the LEAP website. Officers added that the child protection forums and cluster groups had been well established and run by the local authority. They provided training and address recurring issues like school exclusion and absenteeism.

The role of safeguarding in schools was recognised by the Safeguarding Children’s Partnership Board.

Members noted that this review may be the most  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Members considered the Forward Plan.

RESOLVED: That the Children, Families and Education Select Committee noted the Cabinet Forward Plan.

Members considered the Work Programme.

Officers advised that the SEND Sufficiency Strategy had been rescheduled from September to November 2024.

The witness session with young people would take place on 15 August 2024 from 17:30-18:30.

Members noted the provisional date of November 2024 for an update on the Youth Offer Delivery Model. This would be confirmed.

RESOLVED: That the Children, Families and Education Select Committee considered the report and agrees any amendments.