Meeting documents

Apologies were received from Monique Nowers.

To declare any Personal or Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.

There were none.

Minutes of the meetings held on 14^th October and 4^th November 2014 to be confirmed as a correct record.

The minutes of the meetings held on 14 October and 4 November 2014 were agreed as a correct record.

Public Questions is an opportunity for people who live, work or study in the county to put a question to a Scrutiny Committee about any issue that has an impact on their local community or the county as a whole.

Member of public, who have given prior notice, will be invited to put their question in person.

The Cabinet Member and responsible officers will then be invited to respond. 

Further information and details on how to register can be found through the following link and by then clicking on ‘Public Questions’.

http://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=788

There were none.

For the chairman of the Committee to provide an update to the Committee on recent scrutiny related activity.

The Chairman reported that she had attended a course on Chairing skills at Edgbaston, which had reinforced skills she already had.  The Chairman and some other members of the Committee had also attended The Academy Show.

For members of the Committee to update the Committee on any issue they are investigating on behalf of the Committee.

Committee members had enjoyed their visit to The Academy Show at the NEC.  A member commented that he felt the session on Bullying had been very useful and he admired the Welsh Rugby Player who led the session for speaking out on this subject.  The Pupil Premium session was over-subscribed but a lot of the information shared echoed the work the Committee had done in this area earlier in the year.  Members found it very useful to see the wide variety of companies who offer support to children of all ages.

To receive the Cabinet Response to the Select Committee Chairman’s Letter of Recommendation to the Cabinet 20^th October 2014 on the Draft Children’s Services Improvement Plan and BSCB Improvement Plan.

Contributor

Mr David Johnston, Strategic Director, Children and Young People

Papers

Improving Children’s Social Care introduction

Copy of the Cabinet Member’s letter of response to the Chairman’s letter of recommendation – To follow

Copy of the Chairman’s letter of recommendation to Cabinet

The Chairman welcomed Lin Hazell, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Mr David Johnston, Strategic Director – Children and Young People to the meeting. Lin Hazell was congratulated on her appointment as Cabinet Member and the Chairman thanked Lin and the management team for the revised letter that had been produced in response to the Committee’s letter to Cabinet, with recommendations for the Ofsted Improvement Plan.

The Chairman invited members’ questions as follows:

Please are you able to update us on the current status of the Council and BSCB Improvement Plans?

We have had great support from the Council in terms of the additional resources now being invested for improved outcomes for children.  The new Chair of the BSCB, Fran Gosling-Thomas has been appointed and David Johnston would be meeting her later today to discuss the Improvement Plan.  He was aware that she had already taken action to make the BSCB Improvement Plan more focussed.

The Department of Education have appointed Red Quadrant to support the Improvement Plan – Red Quadrant have worked with BCC previously and they would be within the department for the whole of this week and next.  They would interview a wide range of staff and partners to get the background to where Children’s Services is, how it got there and where improvements have been made so far.  BCC must work closely with Ofsted and the Department of Education to demonstrate improvement and reassure the minister.  The first Improvement Board meeting will be held in January.  The Director of Children’s Services at Cambridgeshire had offered to join the Board and Essex County Council had also offered a Senior Manager to take part. The Director of Children Services at Northamptonshire had also invited BCC to visit after their re-inspection which was due in the New Year. 

Please can you update the Committee on the key workstreams?

We have six workstreams based on the strands from the Ofsted Improvement Plan and five have met to date.  The Improving Leadership, Governance and Partnership workstream had not met yet as there was a need to secure the right membership – this would include the Chairman of Corporate Parenting, Chairman of Health and Wellbeing Board, the Chief Executive and the Chairman of BSCB.  We need to ensure that Looked After Children and vulnerable children generally are kept at the top of everyone’s agenda.

Since the Ofsted Inspection report was published there have already been improvements; the funding arrangements for the BSCB are being firmed up, a Corporate Parenting seminar has been delivered to members and senior officers, the Cabinet Task and Finish Group report has been published and acted upon, an Independent Consultant, Ann Goldsmith had been engaged to offer challenge and a Partnership Workshop was held in November on the new Threshold Document. 

Work was already underway on the Improving Social Work Practice workstream and this week new minimum standards of practice had been published, a copy of which could be made available to the Committee.  With regards to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Concluding evidence for the Children’s Internet Safety Inquiry

This item was deferred to the January 2015 meeting

For the Committee to receive a report and to ask questions on the performance of the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust over its first year of operation.

Contributors

Mr Raza Khan, Chief Executive, Bucks Learning Trust

Kate Rumboll, Director of Standards and Intervention, Bucks Learning Trust

Papers

Annual Education Report

The Chairman advised the Committee that Mr Raza Khan, Chief Executive and Mrs Amanda Taylor-Hopkins, Director of Education at the Bucks Learning Trust (BLT) had given apologies for the meeting.  However the BLT was well-represented by Ms Kate Rumboll, Director of Standards and Intervention, Mr Kevin Burrell, Strategic Intervention Manager and Mr Michael Brent, Director of Finance and Resources, who the Chairman welcomed to the meeting.

Ms Kate Rumboll, Director of Standards and Intervention explained that whilst BLT results for their first year were pleasing, staff were not complacent and remained committed to improving standards and outcomes for children and young people.   Ms Rumboll also highlighted that schools wanted a variety of School Improvement support from a broad range of individuals for example, recent headteachers, experienced school inspectors and experienced classroom practitioners.  BLT had brokered support from specialist experts, introduced school to school support and courses to Improve the Improvers.  Amanda Taylor-Hopkins attended HMCI conferences and South East reference groups where best practice was shared.

BLT had also strengthened relationships with key stakeholders such as the Bucks Association of Secondary Heads (BASH), Primary Liaison Officers, Special Schools, the Federation of Small Schools (FOSS) and local authority officers. 

The Chairman thanked Ms Rumboll for this introduction and invited members’ questions as follows:

How well has the BLT met its performance expectations so far?

We have performed well especially in the Primary sector – there has been an increase in the number of Primary Schools achieving Good or Outstanding – rising from 78% to 85% currently.  Early Years is also an improving picture with 20 providers moving up to a Good rating.  There had also been a significant improvement in the Foundation Stage profile rising from 55% to 64% and the BLT’s focussed work on Narrowing the Gap had reduced the gap from 33% to 29%.  Governance remained a strength with 94% of schools in Bucks taking clerking, advice and support services. 

Secondary schools have not been performing so well and this has been the Cabinet Member’s priority – would you like to comment on this?

The Trust was fully aware that a number of schools still needed to attain a rating of Good or above.  BLT had strengthened its team and was working very closely with schools.  There were a number of schools currently rated as Requiring Improvement which are on a positive trajectory and are likely to achieve Good when they were next inspected.

Aside from Upper Schools’ performance, are there any other areas where you have not met your targets?

Phonics continues to be a priority and also Key Stage 2 Writing.

I think it would be useful to see BCC data for previous years included in the report as currently it only shows 2013 compared to 2014. It would also be useful to see the accounts alongside this report.

I have circulated the accounts for you today and we will return in January to answer questions specifically on the accounts, which have been published according to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

An opportunity for the Committee to ask questions of the Cabinet Members and Senior Management team on the Children and Young People Quarter 2 Performance Monitoring report.

Contributors

Lin Hazell, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

Mr Mike Appleyard, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

Mr David Johnston, Strategic Director, Children and Young People

Mr Chris Munday, Service Director, Learning, Skills and Prevention

Ms Carol Douch, Head of Children’s Quality Standards and Performance

Mr Ed Mallam, Head of Children’s Partnerships

Papers

CYPS Quarter 2 Performance Monitoring Report

The Chairman welcomed Lin Hazell, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Mr David Johnston, Strategic Director – Children and Young People, Ms Carol Douch, Head of Children’s Quality Standards and Performance to the meeting and explained that the Committee would first consider the Children’s Services section of the Quarter 2 Performance Monitoring Report, before moving on to the Education and Skills section.

The Chairman invited member’s questions as follows:

Are these Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) inclusive of the key targets for improvement included in the Ofsted Improvement Plan and if not, why not?

These KPIs were set prior to the Ofsted inspection, but performance will be included in our Improvement Plan.  We are looking at different ways of measuring our activity and more importantly, our outcomes.  The new performance framework will be reported to the Improvement Board and also this Committee.

A member asked for an explanation of the overall budget figures outlined on p72 of the agenda papers. Mr Chris Munday explained that this report was for Quarter 2, so prior to the increased funding which was put into Children’s Social Care following the Ofsted inspection.

It is quite difficult to link up the information in this report with the Improvement Plan and ideally they need to be considered together.

Lin Hazell acknowledged this and advised that this would be looked at to ensure more consistent reporting going forward.

How confident are we that the figures for assessments carried out within 45 days will continue to improve?

We have seen improvements already, largely due to the reconfiguration of the First Response team. We would always expect that a small percentage of assessments will run late as families may not make themselves available.

What are the reasons for a lack of progress with Looked After Children (LAC) achieving permanence?

Previously we have concentrated on securing the legal status of these LAC as the Government reduced the timescale to 26 weeks.  BCC now meet the 26 week court deadlines but the delays are occurring after this stage due to issues with recruiting adopters and matching effectively.  This is an area of focus now and as I mentioned earlier we are looking into working with Corum.

The Chairman thanked Lin Hazell, Mr David Johnston and Ms Carol Douch for their contribution and welcomed Mr Mike Appleyard, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Mr Chris Munday, Service Director, Education, Skills and Prevention and Mr Ed Mallam, Head of Children’s Partnerships to the meeting.

Mr Appleyard highlighted that the Education and Skills section of the report showed all Green Stars meaning that performance was on target, although there was some information missing on page 85 and 86 of the agenda pack, as these figures were not yet available. He conceded that there might be some red results among these figures but it was not appropriate to comment at this stage.

Mr Appleyard was pleased to report that Phonics and Narrowing the Gap work was being undertaken with some energy and he was happy to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Consideration of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision in Buckinghamshire and the delivery of the Children and Families Act has introduced changes to the approach to SEN including provision up to the age of 25.

Contributors

Louise Bartos, SEN Manager, Service Delivery

The Chairman welcomed Ms Louise Bartos, SEN Service Delivery Manager, Mr Chris Munday, Service Director, Education, Skills and Prevention and Mr Andrew Howard who represented FACT Bucks to the meeting.  Louise Bartos gave a PowerPoint presentation on changes being introduced to SEN Provision in Bucks as a result of the Children and Families Act 2014.  The following main points were noted:

·         SEN Statements would be replaced by Education Healthcare Plans (EHC) and Schools would no longer run School Action or School Action Plus.

·         Provision could be in place up to the age of 25 under the new legislation – previously support stopped at 19 years of age.

·         Assessments for an EHC Plan had to be completed within a 20 week timescale. The process was very child focussed and looked at Education, Health and Care needs, although Education had to be identified as the primary need.

·         There were two key decision making points – firstly whether to assess or not and then whether an EHC Plan was appropriate or not.

·         At any point in the process, if the local authority refuse they have to hold a Way Forward meeting to explain to the family why the local authority (LA) are saying no and to sign post them to other support.  The LA would also talk with the child’s educational setting to provide advice on how to support the child.

·         If the decision is to put an EHC Plan into place, then the LA must consult with the education setting to ensure that they can deliver the plan effectively.

·         There had been a 103% increase in requests for assessments in the first six weeks of the new academic year. It was anticipated that it could take up to three and a half years to convert SEN statements to EHC Plans.

The Chairman thanked Louise Bartos for the presentation and invited members’ questions as follows:

How do you account for the 103% increase in requests for assessments?

We believe that some schools had held back their requests until September so that it would be dealt with under the new system.

Is there any appeal process available to parents under the new system?

Yes, the SEN Tribunal can still be used for appeal but you can only request an appeal on the Education aspect of the EHC Plan.

If parents can present additional information then a reassessment could take place, but it is hoped that recommendations made at the Way Forward meeting should be implemented first before any further assessment is requested.

Andrew Howard commented that parents are happier with the new process as the child is at the centre and the questions now are not geared to what the child cannot do but what they ultimately want to achieve by the time they turn 18.

What will replace School Action and School Action Plus?

There will be graduated SEN support provided by the LA.

Do the powers in the 2014 Act replace previous legislation?

We cannot now process any referrals under the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To consider the changes required to the delivery of children’s health commissioning next year. 

Contributors

Dr Jane O’Grady, Director of Public Health

Papers

Transfer of 0-5 year Children’s Public Health Commissioning to Local Authorities

The Chairman welcomed Mrs Jane O’Grady, Director of Public Health and Ms April Brett, Public Health Principal to the meeting.  The Committee had received the Director’s report on Children’s Health Commissioning and the Chairman invited member’s questions as follows:

Is it anticipated that the capacity will be in place to meet demand for this service under the new structures?

A national formula has been applied which shows how many health visitors are needed to meet demand.  Bucks already had enough health visitors to meet this demand. 

Will Children and Young People be better represented at the Health and Wellbeing Board going forward?

Early Years and Young People is now a focus. Public Health have presented a report on Children and Young People to the Health and Wellbeing Board and a Children and Young People’s strategy was being developed.

Nutrition in Schools has been a key issue and with more people using food banks, are we doing enough to monitor the nutrition levels of our children?

A week ago we held a Health Eating Strategy Workshop with partners, schools and foodbanks covering the whole range from Birth through to Older People. This workshop will now inform further strands of work for the Public Health team.  All children entering Reception have their height and weight measured, which allows overweight or underweight children to be identified and referred to the School Nurse.  Health Visitors have contact with children from Birth to the age of five, so they are able to consider the wellbeing of the child and their family and advise on food, finances, mental health issues etc.

April Brett reported that Child Poverty work was being undertaken and Public Health feed into this.  She also reminded members that Health Visitors are a universal service available to all.

What is BCC responsible for and what is the Healthcare Trust responsible for – I understand that the Health Visitors are still employed by Health.

This is representative of the direction of travel of BCC – we are commissioning services rather than providing them ourselves.  Currently NHS England commission health visiting services but now we have a better opportunity by becoming the commissioner – for example this will improve links with School Nurses which we also commission.  Health Visitors and School Nurses remain employed by Bucks NHS.  We will also promote joint working with Children’s Services and Children Centres.

I represent a deprived and diverse area of Bucks but malnutrition in children can also be seen in middle class families too. 

As I said Health Visitors are a universal service.  They will intensify their approach where needed and can signpost parents on to other services. There is also a Family Nurse Partnership programme which can offer more intense support. Poor maternal mental health will be identified by Health Visitors too.  Health Visitor support will be proportionate to an individual’s needs.

How can you help to educate older children on nutrition and taking responsibility for making their own healthier choices?

Children and Young People’s public health  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To consider the Select Committee Work Programme update

The Chairman reminded members that the Committee needed to identify two or three areas to investigate in depth for their Improving Children’s Social Care Inquiry and proposed the following – Foster Carers, Recruitment and Retention of Social Workers and Out of County Placements.

RESOLVED

That the Improving Children’s Social Care Inquiry should look in depth at Foster Carers, Recruitment and Retention of Social Workers and Out of County Placements.

To note the next meeting of the Education, Skills and Children’s Services Select Committee on Tuesday 27^th January 2015 at 10am in Mezzanine Room 2, County Hall, Aylesbury.

To note the next meeting of the Education, Skills and Children’s Services Select Committee on Tuesday 27^th January 2015 at 10am in Mezzanine Room 2, County Hall, Aylesbury.