Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Rooms, Bromley Civic Centre

Contact: Philippa Gibbs  020 8461 7638

Items
No. Item

51.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND NOTIFICATION OF SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Mrs Joan McConnell.

52.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

Councillor Robert Evans declared that he sat on the Board of Bromley MyTime.

53.

MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION, CHILDREN & FAMILIES PDS COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 26 JANUARY 2021 pdf icon PDF 274 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 January 2021 were agreed, and signed as a correct record.

54.

QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ATTENDING THE MEETING

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions that are not specific to reports on the agenda must have been received in writing 10 working days before the date of the meeting. 

 

Questions specifically on reports on the agenda should be received within two working days of the normal publication date of the agenda.  Please ensure that questions specifically on reports on the agenda are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Thursday 4th March 2021.

 

Minutes:

One written question, for response by the Portfolio Holder, was received and is attached at Appendix A.

55.

MATTERS OUTSTANDING AND WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 597 KB

Minutes:

The report set out the proposed programme for scrutiny of reports relating to the Children, Education and Families Portfolio for the 2021/22 municipal year. 

The Committee noted that the Schools Place Planning Working Group would be meeting in April 2021.  The Chairman asked Members to contact her if they wished to sit on the Working Group.

 

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

 

56.

PORTFOLIO HOLDER UPDATE

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Families, Cllr Peter Fortune, attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Committee.  The Portfolio Holder gave a brief introduction highlighting the following issues:-

 

  • The 5 weeks since the last meeting had been busy as a result of pressures around the pandemic.  Prior to the start of the meeting the Portfolio Holder had circulated an update to elected Members setting out the work that had been undertaken by the Department to support children and families across the Borough.
  • The Portfolio Holder paid tribute to parents, teachers, and staff in education settings who had only just emerged from an “incredibly testing” period over the last three months.  It was highlighted that throughout the period of partial school closure teachers and key worker children had remained in schools.
  • The Portfolio Holder recognised that it had been a very challenging period for the children and students themselves, it was important to note that there was an ongoing collective responsibility to ensure that the gap in education that had been created by the pandemic was filled.
  • Schools fully reopened on Monday 8th March and so far the reports had been very good.  The Director of Education and his Team had remained in contact with schools and the feedback was that there was adherence with all the safety measures that had been put in place and testing was going particularly well.
  • It had been a year of almost insurmountable challenge and it was important that everyone in the community felt protected and supported.  To this end further details would be circulated setting out a suite of measures in respect the support offered to children and families to address the various impacts of the pandemic.  A digital health and wellbeing toolkit had been sent to schools.  Furthermore, a dedicated MASH line for teachers had been opened to facilitate direct contact with the Local Authority in the event that schools identified concerns.  A parenting support booklet had been circulated and there were dedicated single points of contact for all the schools.  The Council was also working very closely with Bromley Y to provide extra wrap around support for mental health consultation.
  • With just over 2 weeks until the Easter Holidays, attention was now turning to the provision of holiday activities in compliance with the restrictions that would still be in place and extending the opportunity for food vouchers to support those families requiring this support.
  • The Department was continuing to support Early Years settings with most of the settings now fully open and operational.
  • A keen eye was being kept on the children for whom the Local Authority had Corporate Parenting responsibility and a number of Members had recently attended the celebration events.
  • In terms of the allocation of secondary school places, figures were now available, and these demonstrated that Bromley remained above the London average in terms of the children allocated their first-place preference.
  • The Portfolio Holder thanked the PDS Committee for its welcome challenge over the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

57.

CHILDREN, EDUCATION AND FAMILIES PORTFOLIO PLAN 2018 to 2022 UPDATE - Quarter 3 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 226 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CEF21009

 

The reort presented the quarter 3 update of the Children, Education and Families Portfolio Plan 2018-2022.

 

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

58.

PRE DECISION SCRUTINY OF DECISIONS FOR THE CHILDREN, EDUCATION & FAMILIES PORTFOLIO HOLDER

Minutes:

The Committee considered the following reports where the Children, Education and Families Portfolio Holder was recommended to take a decision:

 

58a

BUDGET MONITORING 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 320 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CEF21002

 

The report provided the budget monitoring position for 2020/21 based on activity up to the end of December 2020.

 

The Committee noted that the latest projected overspend had reduced to £370,000 although the full year effect remained high.  The majority was contained with 2021/22 growth there would be a continuing need for close monitoring going forward.

 

Members noted that the 2021/22 budget had been predicated on 320 looked after children rising to 327 by the end of the financial year.

 

In respect of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), the Committee noted that the DfE expected any deficit to be managed as part of the overall funding envelope.  There had been surpluses in the past and significantly more funding had been received for 2021/22 and Officers hoped that it would be possible to manage and contain the deficit within 2021/22 funding.  If this was not possible there would need to be a report back to the DfE who would then consider what further action was required.  The Director of Education confirmed that a number of transformation projects were in place to mitigate the pressures within the DSG including work around Alternative Provision.  Another key area of focus was the spend in relation to SEN places and it was believed that the approved opening of a Special Free School would have a significant impact.

 

Members noted that there were some sold services to schools including  Education Psychologists, Finance and Workforce Development, and whilst there were currently no plans to extend the offer of sold services the Department would continue to look at new ways to generate income where appropriate.

 

In respect of pressures on school places, the Portfolio Holder reported that plans were in place for the expansion of some settings.  There were pressures but robust plans were in place to manage the pressures.

 

RESOLVED: That the Portfolio Holder be recommended to note the latest projected overspend of £370,000 on the controllable budget, based on information as at December 2020.

 

58b

CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2021/21 Q.3 pdf icon PDF 320 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report FSD21015

 

On 10th February 2021, the Executive received a report summarising the current position on capital expenditure and receipts following the 3rd quarter of 2020/21 and presenting for approval the new capital schemes in the annual capital review process.  The Executive agreed a revised capital programme for the five-year period 2020/21 to 2024/25. The report before the Committee highlighted changes agreed by the Executive in respect of the Capital Programme for the Children, Education and Families Portfolio.

 

RESOLVED: That the Portfolio Holder be recommended to note and acknowledge the changes agreed by the Executive on 10th February 2021.

 

58c

PROCEEDING TO PROCUREMENT (GATEWAY 0)FAMILY DRUG AND ALCOHOL COURT SERVICE (FDAC) pdf icon PDF 280 KB

Minutes:

Report CEF21012

 

The London Borough of Bromley had been a member of the Pan London Family Drug and Alcohol Court Service (FDAC) consortium since January 2018.  The consortium was made up of 9 London Boroughs; the London Boroughs of Wandsworth, Camden, Bromley, Croydon, Sutton, Lambeth, Southwark and the Royal Boroughs of Kingston and Richmond. The service was available to all participating boroughs with the London Borough of Wandsworth acting as the lead commissioning borough.  The current contract arrangements would be coming to an end on 31 December 2021, however due to the pandemic and other delays in decisions made by member organisations, the report sought authorisation from the Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Families to: a)  proceed to procurement to re-tender the FDAC service with LB Wandsworth as the lead commissioner, for a two year period with an option to extend for a further 1 + 1 years,  following the agreement of the Assistant Director of Governance, the Director of Finance, and the Director of Corporate Services; and b) extend the existing contract by up to 1 year, to mitigate against the adverse impact on the current contract, if member authorities have delayed internal approval which results in a delay to the commencement of the tender.  The proposed cost of the new contracts following the tender would be £165k per annum, with a whole life value of £660k.  The value of the extension (should it be required) would be £165k full year effect, or pro rata depending on the additional time that might be required to support the preparation for the new tender.  Consequently the maximum cost of the proposal (tender plus the extension) was £825k.

 

The Committee noted that packages cost approximately £16,500 and whilst the contract was based on 10 packages a year for each consortium member there was flexibility to meet need through buying and selling packages within the Consortium.

 

Members discussed the costs of assessments that may be required, noting that the FDAC contract provided significant cumulative savings and the service was well respected and outcomes for children positive.

 

RESOLVED: That the Portfolio Holder be recommended to

 

(a)  approve the proposal for LB Bromley to remain in the Pan-London Consortium and proceed to tender the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) service, with the LB Wandsworth as the procurement lead authority. The proposed duration for the new arrangement is for a period of two years (with the option to extend the arrangement for up to a further two years) at an estimated annual contract value of £165k (whole life value £660k); and

 

(b)  approve an extension to the contract from 1 January 2022, should it be required for a period of up to 12 months, at an estimated annual value of £165k.

 

59.

PRE DECISION SCRUTINY OF EXECUTIVE REPORTS

Minutes:

The Committee considered the following reports on the Part 1 agenda for the meeting of the Executive on 31 March 2021:

 

59a

BASIC NEED/CAPITAL PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 566 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CEF21013

 

The report provided an update on the capital schemes within the Council’s Basic Need Programme.

 

The Committee noted that there was no underspent Section 106 monies in respect of Education, funding had been allocated and was waiting to be spent.  The Director of Education confirmed that there was no risk of losing any Section 106 funding allocated to Education.

 

The Chairman suggested that it may be helpful to share the appendix with the Vice-Chairman of the Executive and Resources PDS Committee who had led that Committee’s Section 106 Task and Finish Group.

 

RESOLVED: That the Executive be recommended to:

 

a)  Agree the updated Basic Need Programme as set out in Appendix 3. subject to Full Council approval.

 

b)  agree the allocation of an additional £4,128k of S106 allocations to projects within the Basic Need Capital Programme as outline in Appendix 2.

 

c)  agree that the schemes at Marian Vian Primary School and Red Hill Primary School be brought forward to the Projects in Delivery (Funded) Programme and that an allocation be included to fund requirements secondary bulge classes or temporary accommodation, should it be needed for the Council to meet its statutory duty.

 

d)  Agree that, where required, funding be delegated to schools for local delivery subject to there being sufficient mechanisms in place to control expenditure and ensure delivery of outcomes.

 

e)  note that schools will be submitting planning applications in association with these works.

 

 

59b

AWARD OF CONTRACT TO BLOOM PROCUREMENT LTD FOR THE PROVISION OF SPECIALIST RESOURCES pdf icon PDF 172 KB

Minutes:

The report sought authorisation to engage specialist resources to support the implementation of a new Social Care Information Management System.  The Council was currently making use of Bloom Procurement Services Ltd. via the NEPRO Framework with the report seeking to make further use of that arrangement to conclude the implementation of the new Social Care Information Management System.  Funding to enable this award of contract had been approved by the Executive in a business case to replace Bromley’s Social Care Information Management System (September 2018, Gateway 1 Report ED10868).

 

Members noted that Bloom Procurement Services Ltd had been providing support with the implementation of Liquid Logic, the replacement for the social care management system.  To date, the implementation of the programme had gone well and the children’s social care system was due to go live this summer with the adults system going live in the autumn.  Support following ‘go live’ would be in place for a further 12 weeks.

 

In response to a question, the Assistant Director for Strategy, Performance and Corporate Transformation confirmed that at the point the system went live there would be some integration with the systems used by health partners and the system would continue to evolve over time.

 

RESOLVED: That the Executive be recommended to

 

a)  Approve the continued use of Bloom Procurement Services Ltd via a direct award on the NEPRO Framework for a further £450k of specialist resources to continue the implementation of a new Social Care Management Information System.

b)  Delegate to the Chief Officer the approval of the award from the framework of individual contracts following further competition as/if required.

c)  Delegate to the Chief Officer the approval of the award from the framework of individual contracts without further competition, subject to the agreement of the Assistant Director Governance & Contracts, Director Corporate Services, and Director of Finance.

 

 

60.

LOCAL AUTHORITY DESIGNATED OFFICER ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 855 KB

Minutes:

Report CEF21004A

 

The report updated Members on the activity and performance of the Local Authority Designated Officer role (LADO) for 2019/20 and provided evidence of the effectiveness of the LADO service provided to and on behalf of Bromley’s children between April 2019 and March 2020.

 

The Director of Children’ Services reported that going forward the LADO would be reaching out to a number of organisations in order to assist with wider understanding of the work of the LADO.

 

RESOLVED: that the report be noted.

 

61.

INDEPENDENT REVIEWING OFFICER ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20 pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Minutes:

Report CEF21005

 

The report provided an account of the activity of the Independent Reviewing Service between 1 April 2019 and the 31 March 2020 analysing and evaluating practice, plans and arrangements for looked after children and the effectiveness of the Independent Reviewing Officer service in ensuring the local authority, as a corporate parent, discharges its statutory responsibilities towards looked after children.  Appendix A to the report provided an evaluation of the services response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) were nationally introduced to represent the interests of looked after children. Their role was strengthened through the introduction of statutory guidance in April 2011. The Independent Review Officers (IRO) service was set within the framework of the updated IRO Handbook, Department for Children, Schools and Families (2010) and linked to revised Care Planning Regulations and Guidance which were introduced in April 2011.

 

The report identified good practice as well as highlighting areas for development in relation to the IRO function. The IRO had a key and statutory role in relation to the improvement of care planning for looked after children. The responsibility of the IRO was to have an overview of the child’s care planning arrangements in respect of the child’s wellbeing in placement and plans for the future.

 

Members noted that during 2019-20, the Reviewing Service had undergone a big change.  The roles of IRO and Child Protection Chair had been combined and the role was now called ‘Reviewing Officer’. The new role was necessary in supporting the development of a service that was able to listen and respond to young people’s wishes all the way through their relationship with Children’s Social Care.  The goal was to now put in place a stable group of Reviewing Officers who would help make this important role have real purpose and make a difference for children and young people.

 

The change to the role saw some fluctuations in staffing and the introduction of a new management team.  The Service maintained the number of reviews held in timescale (91%).

 

The Director of Children’s Services highlighted that there had been a focus of capturing the voice of the children. One of the biggest issues for young people was around dispute resolution which was not viewed as a complaint but viewed more as young people being able to discuss issues with their Reviewing Officer as someone independent from the service. 

 

Members noted that the service had been realigned to ensure that Reviewing Officers followed a young person’s journey leading to better continuity.  In response to a question concerning the high turnover of staff, the Committee received reassurance that the changes that had been made to the Service had been right for the children and young people.  The Head of Quality Improvement confirmed that there was now stability within the Service and confidence that the right staff were in place to take the service forward.

 

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

 

 

62.

CORPORATE PARENTING ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20 pdf icon PDF 213 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CEF21008

 

The report captured the activity of the Council and corporate partners in supporting children in care and care leavers.

 

The Committee noted that within the last 12-months there had been a complete change in the landscape which had required the Service to grow and expand.  The active involvement offer had been developed and grown.  Over the summer a full programme of events had been run for young people and the events were well attended.  The website had also been developed as part of the exploration of the different ways in which the service could reach out to its young people. 

 

Progress had been made in identifying and matching suitable placements leading to increased stability for young people.  Work continued with different providers to ensure that the right support was in place for young people when they experienced difficulties to ensure that they achieved a sense of permanence.

 

Education, Employment and Training (EET) remained a key issue for the service as work and training opportunities not only provided financial stability for young people but also delivered huge wellbeing benefits.  As a result of the pandemic, some of the first jobs to be lost had been in the retail and hospitality sectors and this had a disproportionate impact on young people, particularly those for whom the local authority had corporate parenting responsibility.  In response to this the EET Strategy had been re-written over the Summer 2020 and the EET Officer now sat within the Active Involvement Team so that wrap around services could be put in place.  NEET (Not in Education, Employment and Training) Data was closely monitored and all the young people in the NEET cohort were involved with the EET Officer.  Whilst recognising that it was a difficult landscape, Officers believed that the right strategy was in place and time was now needed for the strategy to bed in and for the opportunities available to young people to be developed.  There were lots of avenues to be explored to enable the Service to be as ambitious as possible for young people.

 

In relation to concerns around the support for young people leaving care, attempts had been made to increase the frequency of support.  Links had also been made with Adult Services in order to ensure sufficient support at the point of transition.  A Transitions Panel, which brought together a number of the agencies working with young people had been established to assist with the management of the transition process.  The Portfolio Holder explained that a lot of work was done to reach out to care leavers to ensure that they had the support they needed going forward.  Through this process a number of the concerns of care leavers could be identified and addressed.

 

In response to a question concerning the impact of the Covid pandemic on the number of children coming to the attention of children’s social care, Members noted that there had been more pressure and more complexity in families, particularly around adolescent mental health.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

63.

CHILDREN EDUCATION AND FAMILIES CONTRACTS REPORT AND DATABASE pdf icon PDF 773 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CEF21007A

 

The report presented an extract from February 2021’s Contract Register for detailed scrutiny.  The Part 2 report provided a detailed commentary on each contract to inform Members of any issues or developments.

 

The Committee noted that there were currently no contracts flagged for concern.

 

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

 

 

64.

SCRUTINY OF THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Minutes:

The Director of Children’s Services provided an update to the Committee which is attached to the minutes at Appendix B. 

 

The Director of Education reported that:

 

  • From the start of the pandemic, the focus had been on the most vulnerable and this had resulted in the development of the Vulnerable Children and Young People Project, through which professionals across multiple agencies identified the 1,900 children they were most concerned about, below statutory social care involvement.  A seconded team ensured regular contact and signposting to support or referrals as appropriate. The line of sight provided, together with the efforts of schools and settings to ensure regular contact, was a significant reassurance to the senior leadership team and Portfolio Holder.
  • Rapidly changing Government guidance had been a feature of the pandemic and a key challenge had been keeping up with sometimes twice daily DfE updates containing multiple detailed policy guidance documents. To assist school and setting leaders with this, the Director of Education wrote to leaders every evening for more than four months, to set out the key updates and local advice and support available. Through weekly meetings with the DfE, Regional Schools Commissioner and Ofsted, the Local Authority was able to provide feedback and challenge to emerging guidance, which was acted upon on several occasions.
  • The launch of the Bromley Safer Schools App, a team of named professionals around every Bromley school and regular updating of the Bromley Education Matters website for all education professionals in the Borough was a key achievement.
  • To ensure support for Bromley children more than 800 laptops were distributed to disadvantaged children and through schools the Department ensured that eligible children received supermarket vouchers in the school holiday periods.  This was now being extended to cover Easter.
  • Attention had now turned to the full return of all children to schools and settings, although it was important to remember that schools and settings had continued to support critical worker and vulnerable children throughout the past year.
  • A comprehensive package of support and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Toolkit had been put in place and had been very well received by professionals and was already in wide usage.  Mental Health and Wellbeing had been a priority throughout Covid, for staff, fellow professionals and children and young people.
  • Working with Public Health colleagues, the Department had supported schools to implement a robust system of control measures to prevent transmission of the virus, in line with the latest guidance.
  • There was naturally concern around the impact of the lockdowns on children’s education and the Department would continue to work closely with schools to support them in the recovery programmes, with a particular focus on narrowing progress gaps for vulnerable groups. This would remain a priority for the Department for the foreseeable future.
  • The performance of the Directorate had continued to improve, during what had been an immensely challenging year. This was reflected in the increased timeliness of EHCPs and reduction in exclusions.
  • Key projects had continued in spite of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

65.

CHILDREN EDUCATION AND FAMILIES PERFORMANCE REPORT pdf icon PDF 298 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CEF21011A

 

The report provided the Committee with the regular update in the performance of services for the children up to the end of December 2020.

 

The Committee noted the improvements in performance reflected in the report, noting in particular that the target for Education, Care and Health Plans had now moved to amber.

 

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

 

66.

ANNUAL SCRUTINY REPORT pdf icon PDF 338 KB

Minutes:

The Committee noted the submission for the Annual Scrutiny Report which had been circulated prior to the meeting and would be submitted to the Executive, Resources and Contracts PDS Committee on 24th March 2021.

 

67.

EDUCATION INFORMATION ITEMS pdf icon PDF 240 KB

The items comprise:

 

  • Risk Register Update

 

Members and Co-opted Members have been provided with advance copies of the briefing via e-mail.  The briefing is also available on the Council's Website at the following link: http://cds.bromley.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=559&Year=0

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Children, Education & Families PDS Information Briefing comprised one item:

 

·  Children’s Services Risk Register

 

RESOLVED: that the Information Briefing be noted.

 

68.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 AS AMENDED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) (VARIATION) ORDER 2006, AND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

The Chairman to move that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed below as it was likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

 

The following summaries

refer to matters involving exempt information

69.

PRE DECISION SCRUTINY OF PART 2 DECISIONS FOR THE CHILDREN, EDUCATION & FAMILIES PORTFOLIO HOLDER

Minutes:

The Committee considered the following Part 2 reports where the Children, Education and Families Portfolio Holder was recommended to take a decision:

 

69a

POST COMPLETION REVIEW REPORT - EDUCATION CAPITAL SCHEMES

Minutes:

As part of the Capital Programme Procedures it was a requirement that schemes be formally reviewed within one year of completion and the outcome of the review presented to the Portfolio Holder for endorsement.

 

RESOLVED: That the Portfolio Holder be recommended to endorse the findings of the Post Completion Reviews that have been carried out in respect of:

 

·  Beacon House Refurbishment

·  Crofton Infant School Additional SEN Class

·  Langley Park Schools for Boys (BSF)

·  Riverside School – 1FE Secondary ASD Specific Provision

·  The Highway Primary School

·  Tubbenden Primary School SEN Expansion

·  Universal Infant Free School Meals

70.

PART 2 POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER ITEMS

70a

PART 2 CHILDREN EDUCATION AND FAMILIES CONTRACTS REPORT AND DATABASE

Minutes:

Report CEF21007B

 

The Committee considered and noted the Part 2 commentary relating to the Contracts Register. 

 

70b

PART 2 CHILDREN EDUCATION AND FAMILIES PERFORMANCE REPORT

Minutes:

Report CEF21011B

 

The Committee noted the Part 2 information contained within the report.

70c

PART 2 LOCAL AUTHORITY DESIGNATED OFFICER REPORT

Minutes:

Report CEF21004B

 

The Committee noted the Part 2 information contained in the report.

Appendix A pdf icon PDF 258 KB

Appendix B pdf icon PDF 352 KB