Venue: Online Meeting, 18 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ
Contact: Thomas French
Email: Thomas.French@local.gov.uk
Items
No. |
Item |
1. |
Chair's Welcome, Apologies Declarations of Interest
Minutes:
The Chair welcomed members to
the Board meeting and thanked officers and members for their hard
work during Covid-19.
|
2. |
Coronavirus response PDF 122 KB
Minutes:
Ian Keating updated
the board to the work that lead members and officers have been
doing since Covid-19 became a local government crisis.
Officers gave the
following updates:
Early Years
- Early Providers have
really struggled financially during COVID-19.
- Accessing wrap around
care is an ongoing issue for parents.
Schools
- Concerns about
children catching up on the missed curriculum, while ensuring
teachers are feeling the increased pressure of catching pupils
up.
- School transport will
be a challenge during the easing of the lockdown and older children
using public transport to get to school.
- Free school meals not
continuing over the summer would be a crisis for vulnerable
children.
- Safety in schools is
a concern with teachers and parents raising these issues
nationally.
Children’s
Social Care
- The LGA is
commissioning a piece of work around collecting the voice of
children and their experiences during Covid-19.
- Reducing referrals to
children’s social care, and numbers of children coming into
care of the council, during Covid-19 is a concern.
- Pressures on the
workforce in Social Care the longer the crisis goes on is an
ongoing concern of councils.
Children’s
Health
·
We have managed to secure agreement from the NHS
that health visitors and school nurses should be returned from
redeployment to their original roles. However, we know that some
redeployment remains and are working to support local authorities
with this. In the future all redeployment decisions should be
agreed by Directors of Public Health, as agreed by NHS
England.
·
On this basis local authorities are expected to
start phasing back healthy child programme visits and development
checks. Priority for home visits should still be given to new birth
visits and those families thought to be
‘vulnerable’.
·
NHS E and are leading the childhood immunisation
plan and we know there will be a major catch up programme from
especially for school aged children from September. We are working
to ensure local authorities are consulted in the plans.
CYP Mental
Health
- A successful webinar
on peer power and youth justice was held, highlighting how we hear
the voice of the child. More will be organised as the crisis
continues.
- Understanding the
mental health of the whole family when dealing with mental health
of children.
- There is an increase
in child anxiety and depression, leading to a higher risk of
suicides.
Members had the
following comments:
- Wrap around care
provision is a massive problem with key workers who used to get the
care for their dependents but no longer can access it. While it is
reassuring the LGA is taking up this issue, but the pressure needs
to be kept up.
- Teacher safety in
schools is an issue that needs addressing as the lockdown is
eased.
- Schools ensuring
their pupils can work online during the lockdown has come at a
massive cost to schools and they will need urgent financial
support.
- Outdoor study maybe
critical in the summer months for safety of all staff and
students.
- Student emotional
wellbeing is declining with students who have little outdoor space
...
view the full minutes text for item 2.
|
3. |
LGA submission to the Education Committee inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 on education and children's services PDF 515 KB
|
4. |
Children and Young People Board priorities PDF 234 KB
Minutes:
Officers ran through
the proposed Children and Young People Board priorities and asked
members to reflect on the impact of the
pandemic on schools and children’s services.
Decision
Members approved the Board
Priorities
|
5. |
Employment and skills recovery
Minutes:
Jasbir Jhas
gave an update on employment and skills and
highlighted that the recovery needs to be locally led with greater
funding from national government. The LGA is currently calling
for:
- Devolved powers and
sufficient funding so councils can fulfil their statutory duties to
support all young people, including those at risk of, or who are
NEET, care leavers, disadvantaged groups and those with special
educational needs
- For councils to have
lead role in planning now for a post-16 local offer so young people
have a coherent picture of locally available options (A levels, T
levels, Apprenticeships) and that T level reforms are a
success
- Co-design a locally
relevant careers advice offers for young people and adults with
progressive devolution of national support.
Bushra Jamil gave an
updated on youth participation, highlighting apprentices and
greater funding for the youth sector.
Members made the following comments
- Funding of Further
Education Colleges will be vital during the recovery phase of
COVID-19.
- Careers services need
to provide ongoing support to those who have been helped to start a
job.
Decision
Members noted the
updated
|
6. |
Notes from the Wednesday 22 January 2020 Board Meeting PDF 458 KB
Minutes:
Members approved the
notes from 22 January
2020.
|
7. |
Any other business
|