Agenda and minutes

The Chair expressed his thanks to Cllr Roy Perry and Cllr Gillian Ford for their work as Vice Chair and Deputy Chair for the last political cycle, and for the coming year. The Chair also welcomed Cllr Lucy Nethsingha as Deputy Chair.

There were no declarations of interest.

Edwina Grant, LGA National Children’s Improvement Adviser, and Alison Michalska, President of ADCS, will be attending the CYP Board to lead a discussion focussed on Children’s Social Improvement.

Alison Michalska, President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services(ADCS), attended to provide a verbal update to the Board regarding children’s social care improvement. During the verbal update, Alison raised the following points;

·         That ADCS would be working towards improving the offer from Councils by better connecting children’s services, including skills and children’s social care.

·         Three regions had offered to pilot a new offer from Councils, each pilot would be operated differently and in particular would pilot a self-evaluation phase which would begin in October, and be complete by April.

·         Alison emphasised that this process would focus on honest self-evaluation and that Ofsted see concrete actions from local authorities who self-evaluate.

·         She raised the importance of a Council’s political leadership in improving children’s services and the need for sector led peer support.

·         She also emphasised Ofsted’s willingness to work with Councils was of great importance.

·         Alison informed the Board that going forwards she anticipated Ofsted inspections would be more regular and focused on preventing local authorities requiring intervention.

·         Alison expressed a view that in future the Department of Education should look to work with us in providing resourcing around packages and programs of support.

In response to a question raised as to how ADCS would be working with politicians Alison explained they would be ensuring lead members are well supported, well trained and provided with peer support.

Edwina Grant, LGA National Children’s Improvement Adviser, also provided an update on children’s social care improvement. Edwina also raised the importance of the role of a Council’s lead member in children’s services. Edwina informed the Board that the sector was not used to the current methods of assessment, in particular as Ofsted has four different ways they can assess a Council. Regarding future innovation Edwina explained that the Department of Education would have a particular interest in funding control.  

The Chair gave thanks to Alison and Edwina for updating the Board. He raised the importance of recent ISOS work as a definitive piece in identifying good practice in children’s social care. He also informed the Board that there is a range of local authority functions that could also be tied into improving children’s social care through wider public sector partnerships.

Decision

Members noted the verbal updates.

The Chair expressed his gratitude to the Children's Social Care Task Group and welcomed the offer suggested in the report.

Cllr Dick Madden, Chair of the Children's Social Care Task Group, explained the purpose of the Task Group and introduced the report sharing the evidence based vision for the future of children’s social care services the task group had developed. Cllr Madden informed members that there had been a lot of debate and research put into the work of the Task Group, as well as helpful feedback from ADCS. The Board was also informed that the formal launch of the Task Group’s proposal would be at the National Children and Adult Services (NCAS) conference in October.

Cllr Nethsingha raised concerns that calling for a greater focus on the wider funding context during inspections could be misconstrued as excusing poor practice on financial grounds. Task group members were clear that this was not their intention, and agreed to amend this point accordingly.

Members agreed that the report was of great value and would be useful in raising standards in the sector.

Decision

Members provided comment and approved the report.

Action

Officers to incorporate Members comments and launch the Task Group’s proposal at the NCAS Conference in October.

The Chair gave a verbal update to members regarding the relationship between the department of education, the LGA and local councils. In particular around the ongoing work of the LGA to reset this relationship.

The Chair informed members that recent discussions with the department of education regarding the new school funding scheme and core schools projects had been both valuable and pragmatic. He expressed a view there had been an increasing willingness to work closely with the LGA from the Department of Education. He also raised that there was much wider work that still needed addressing, such as regarding unregistered and illegal school exclusions.

Following comments from members the Chair informed the Board that these discussions had been held primarily with senior civil servants. The Chair emphasised the importance of developing the relationship with the department of education, in particular in addressing issues around schools, the role local authorities play in education and in academies.

Decision

Members noted the verbal update.

Action

Officers to circulate the minute for the discussion as requested.

The Chair welcomed Lucy Capron, Lucy Belcher and Carly Adams who had attended from the Children’s Society to give a presentation outlining the work that they are engaged in on ‘county lines’. In the presentation the following points were raised:

·         It was explained that the county lines issue is where young people are trafficked out of cities, along ‘county lines’, for the purpose of criminal exploitation.

·         It was raised that young people targeted are often vulnerable, and often taken from Pupil Referral Unitsor Special Education Need (SEN) schools.

·         Members were informed of the many risks to a young person who is being internally trafficked, in particular the risk of child sexual abuse.

·         It was raised that the scale of the county lines issue was extensive and largely unreported.

·         The Children’s Society raised the importance of information sharing arrangements in responding to the county lines issue.  

·         The Children’s Society also raised the importance of local authority staff recognising victims and referring them via the National Referral Mechanism.

Cllr Joe Caluori, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families at Islington Council, was also in attendance to update members on recent work on county lines across London as well as ongoing efforts to develop a more co-ordinated approach nationally. He raised the following points;

·         Members were informed that in responding to the county lines issue Islington Council had been a part of a cross party group of 22 London Boroughs trying to pull together a more coherent understanding.

·         He informed members that the Home Office saw responding to the county lines issue as a part of their wider work on vulnerabilities.

·         He also expressed a view that a national strategy addressing county lines was needed and that the LGA should take the lead on lobbying on this.

·         He explained that in Islington the council is starting to map county lines by comparing  data on arrests of young people from Islington with local gang affiliation.

·         Cllr Calouri raised a concern that police forces in Counties may not be resourced to tackle county lines.

Decision

Members agreed that the Board shall take forward work on county lines jointly with the Safer and Stronger Communities Board, and that officers would prepare a joint paper summarising discussions and recommendations from both meetings with suggested actions for both Boards to agree.

Members considered the report and noted the presentation from the Children’s Society.

Actions

Officers to prepare a joint paper summarising discussions and recommendations from both meetings with suggested actions for both Boards to agree.

Officers to circulate the presentation from the Children’s Society to Board members.

Members noted the terms of reference and membership for the LGA’s Children & Young People Board and the list of Board dates for 2017/18. Members also formally re-appointed those members already in post, and agreed the political groups would appoint members to the remaining outside bodies.

Ian Keating, Principal Policy Adviser, introduced the report presenting the Board with a list of priorities for discussion so that the Board can consider their priorities for the new political cycle. He explained the list of priorities was based on the priorities identified last year, and adapted to reflect work that had been completed, recent developments in Government policy and issues raised by member councils. Ian gave particular emphasis to school funding as a live issue that would require the Boards attention over the course of the year.

In the discussion that followed, members raised the following points;

·         A view was expressed that the issue of SEN funding should be indicated clearly in the priorities listed in the report.

·         Members expressed the view that county lines needs to also be included among Board priorities.

Decision

Members discussed and agreed the Board’s priorities and work programme for 2017-18.

Actions

Officers to incorporate Members feedback into priorities for the year.

Members agreed the minutes.