Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Hannah Gray and Councillor Mark Brock attended as her substitute.  Apologies for absence were also received from Tommy Velvick.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Jonathan Andrews.

Report CSD24061

The report asked that Co-opted Member appointments to the Children, Education and Families PDS Committee for the 2024/25 municipal year be confirmed.

RESOLVED: That;

1)  The following Co-opted Membership appointments be made to the Children, Education and Families PDS Committee for 2024/25 with voting rights:

·  Reverend Roger Bristow, as Church (Church of England) Representative.

·  Ms Shamilah Martin, as Parent Governor (Special Schools) Representative.

2)  The following non-voting C-opted Membership appointments be made to the Children, Education and Families PDS Committee for 2024/25:

·  Alice Kirby, as Bromley Youth Council Representative (Part 1 only). 

·  Tommy Velvick, as Bromley Youth Council Representative (Part 1 only).

·  Ms Rosie White, as Early Years Representative.

Councillor Graeme Casey declared that he was employed by a Bromley school.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, members of the public may submit one question each on matters relating to the work of the Committee. Questions must have been received in writing 10 working days before the date of the meeting - by 5.00pm on Tuesday 28 May 2024. 

Questions seeking clarification of the details of a report on the agenda may be accepted within two working days of the normal publication date of the agenda – by 5.00pm on Wednesday 5 June 2024. 

Three questions for written reply were received at the meeting.  A copy of those questions together with the Portfolio Holder’s responses can be viewed as Appendix A to these minutes.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 March 2024 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

Report CSD24072

The report set out progress against outstanding actions from previous meetings and the forward work programme of the Committee.

In considering the forward work programme, the Chairman advised that the Deep Dive later in the meeting would focus on the first destinations of 16- and 18-year-old school leavers, including young people educated at home.  It had originally been intended to include the Local Authority’s role in overseeing home education, but this subject area would now be explored at the next meeting of the Committee on 17 September 2024 to allow more time for discussion.  Members were invited to suggest further areas for Deep Dives during the 2024/25 municipal year and a Member suggested that the Bromley Mentoring Programme be invited to speak at a future meeting of the Committee.

RESOLVED: That:

1)  Progress on matters arising from previous meetings and the forward work programme be noted; and,

2)  The School Place Planning Working Group be reconstituted for the 2024/25 municipal year and its membership be agreed as:

·  Councillor Jonathan Andrews

·  Councillor Graeme Casey

·  Councillor Josh Coldspring-White

·  Councillor Sophie Dunbar

·  Councillor Robert Evans

·  Councillor Alexa Michael

·  Councillor Rebecca Wiffen

The Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Families provided an update to the Committee on her activities.

Work was underway to prepare for Inspections of Adult Education Services and the Youth Justice Service in the coming weeks and the new Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board would also be making an informal visit to the Local Authority shortly.  In the medium-term, a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Inspection of the Local Authority and its partners was expected in Spring/Summer 2025, and Ofsted would also be undertaking a focus visit of a particular aspect of Children’s Services provision in Spring 2025. 

In response to a question from a Member, the Director of Education explained that the inspection of the Bromley Adult Education Service would look at the quality of education including the progress made by learners, observations of teaching and learning, and deep dives into specific subjects.  Bromley Adult Education College consistently performed well in courses with formal assessments and the most recent performance report would be provided to Members following the meeting.  The Chairman asked about work to increase the proportion of Children’s Social Workers directly employed by the Local Authority, and the Portfolio Holder said that existing agency workers were encouraged to transition to become permanent staff and that it was proposed to undertake a further round of overseas recruitment in the short- to medium-term.  Overseas staff were recruited from countries with similar legislation and work practices to the UK and were given a range of support to help them acclimatize to living and working in the UK, including covering visa costs. 

RESOLVED: That the update be noted.

Report CEF23091

The report presented the Children, Education and Families Portfolio Plan Quarter 4 update for the 2023/34 financial year and the draft Portfolio Plan for the 2024/25 financial year.

In response to a question from a Member, the Director of Education advised that whilst quality was a key factor in the SEND Vision and Priorities, it would be difficult to use as a Key Performance Indicator for Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans as it was a qualitative factor.  A rigorous Multi-Agency Auditing process was in place to ensure the quality of EHC Plans and the Member asked that this be reflected in the Portfolio Plan moving forward.  The Member also requested an update on work being undertaken on the future delivery model for Youth Support Services and the Director of Children, Education and Families explained that this formed part of the wider transformation agenda and that updates would be reported to future meetings of the Committee when available.  Another Member underlined the benefits of extra-curricular activities for young people post-16 that were Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and the Director of Children, Education and Families confirmed that this would be considered as part of a wider conversation on how Bromley’s Youth Support Services would operate in the future.

A Member expressed concern that both the 2023/24 Portfolio Plan and the refreshed 2024/25 Portfolio Plan used the same wording around improving waiting times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services when waiting times remained a key issue.  The Director of Children, Education and Families agreed that there was significant scope to improve performance in this critical area but was pleased to confirm that waiting times for Children Looked After and those with a Child Protection Plan had reduced significantly over the past year.  Waiting times also did not preclude young people from receiving support from other sources such as Bromley Y or an allocated Social Worker.  The Chairman asked for a further update on CAMHS waiting times to be reported to the Committee in November 2024, including input from the Bromley Youth Council which had chosen mental health as one of its key topics for the 2024/25 municipal year.

A Member asked for an update on the delivery of the new SEN Free School which was referenced in the Portfolio Plan and was advised that the Local Authority continued to work with the Department for Education to move forward this project. A suitable site had been identified within the Borough and, should the Department for Education agree, it was planned to open the school with temporary accommodation for the 2025/26 academic year while the permanent build was being constructed.  Another Member noted a reference to exploiting the benefits of digitalisation and the Director of Children, Education and Families confirmed that this work would include considering potential applications of AI where appropriate. A Member commented that he had recently completed an excellent AI training course on Domestic Violence and further details  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

The Committee considered the following Part 1 (Public) reports where the Children, Education and Families Portfolio Holder was recommended to take a decision:

Report CEF23087

The report presented the provisional outturn position for the Children, Education and Families Portfolio for the 2023/24 financial year. 

The provisional outturn for the ‘controllable’ element of the Children, Education and Families budget for the 2023/24 financial year showed an overspend of £6,907,000 in the Revenue Support Grant compared to the last reported figure of £7,721,000 which was based on activity at the end of December 2023.  The overspend was due to several factors including an increase in costs and activity in Children’s Social Care, high placement costs and additional staffing costs.  The Chairman asked about the reduction in the deficit and the Head of Children, Education and Families Finance outlined a range of work that was undertaken to scrutinise and challenge the expenditure position including regular reviews of high costs placements, increasing the proportion of permanent Children’s Social Work staff and the Transformation Programme.  The Local Authority also continued to lobby Government for additional funding in light of continued high demand across various service areas. 

A Member queried a reference to the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Reserve within the Portfolio’s budget and the Head of Children, Education and Families Finance clarified that this budget line accounted for the deficit to be met from the Local Authority’s General Reserves if the financial disregard agreed by the Government could no longer be applied.  Officers would be meeting with representatives of the Department for Education to discuss the Local Authority’s DSG Deficit Recovery Plan in the coming weeks and an update on this meeting would be provided to Members at the next meeting of the Committee on 17 September 2024.  A Member asked about areas of staffing underspend during the 2023/24 financial year and Director of Education explained that while there remained recruitment challenges in some specialist areas, the staffing underspend was largely in relation to a major restructure of Education Services which had required a short-term recruitment freeze but had now been successfully completed with the right staff in the right roles.

A Member asked about the possibility of delivering an in-house SEND Transport service to realise cost savings and was advised that the business case would be considered as part of the Transformation Programme but that in-house services tended to be more expensive than commissioned services due to the costs associated with employing staff directly.  The Member asked about work being undertaken to establish an in-Borough children’s home for children with more complex needs.  The Head of Children, Education and Families Finance confirmed that the feasibility of this proposal was being explored as part of the Transformation Programme.  Additionally, the Embrace Programme would shortly be introduced to provide more in-Borough care placements for children who were currently in high-cost residential or Independent Foster Care placements out-of-borough by providing the additional support needed to sustain a foster placement via two foster carer hubs.  The Chairman observed that in-house foster care was far more cost effective than Independent Fostering Agencies and emphasised the importance of making best use of Bromley’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8a

Report CEF23085

The report set out the Education Planning Maintenance Programme for 2024/25.

The Local Authority received an annual School Conditions Allocation from the Department for Education to undertake capital maintenance works at Local Authority Maintained Schools.  The allocation of £407k for 2024/25 was made on the basis of five remaining Local Authority Maintained Schools, of which Riverside SEND School operated out of four satellite sites and would be distributed with reference to each school’s development plan as well as condition surveys and the Department for Education’s Condition Data Collection reports.  In response to questions from Members, the Head of Sufficiency advised that Marjorie McClure School was due to convert to academy status as part of the NEST Multi-Academy Trust from 1 September 2024 so would no longer be part of the Education Planning Maintenance Programme.  It was possible that Southborough Primary School could also seek academization in future, but this was a matter for the School’s Interim Executive Board.

RESOLVED: That the recommendations in the report be supported.

Report CEF23086

The report provided an annual update on the work of Early Intervention and Family Support Services.

Early Intervention and Family Support Services encompassed both statutory and non-statutory services and acted as the Local Authority’s lead for Bromley’s Support Families work.  A wide range of services were delivered including Children and Family Centres, Bromley Children Project Family Support and Parenting Practitioner team, the Parenting Offer and the Information, Advice and Support Service.  In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Service: Early Intervention and Family Support Services advised that although Healthy Start Vitamins were now available in supermarkets and via online ordering, the service remained an issuer to ensure that all families were able to access this offer.  Healthy eating was promoted by the service in a number of ways including the Healthy You and Baby initiative, family-learning cookery courses and sessions to help those on low incomes to manage their budgets.

RESOLVED: That the recommendations in the report be supported.

The Committee considered the following report on the Part 1 (Public) agenda for the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 10 July 2024:

Report CEF23093

The report requested the Council’s Executive agree to continue the existing joint funding arrangement for Children’s Community Health Services with the South East London Integrated Care Board (SELICB) for a further two years and that these funds and services be included within the Section 75 agreement between the Local Authority and SELICB.

The Local Authority had a longstanding and formal agreement with SELICB for the joint funding and commissioning of services supporting children and young people within the existing Bromley community health contract. This was further enabled by the Section 75 Health and Social Care Act 2006 agreement which allowed SELICB to commission services on behalf of the Local Authority.  In recent years there had been a growing number of jointly funded and commissioned services sitting outside of the formal agreement and the two-year direct award provided an opportunity to draw together all jointly funded and commissioned children and young people’s services currently delivered by Bromley Healthcare in a formalised arrangement via the Section 75 agreement between the Local Authority and SELICB.

In response to a question from a Member, the Associate Director: Children and Young People’s Commissioning (SELICB) explained that there was a statutory requirement for the provision of both Short Breaks and Speech and Language Therapy services which the Local Authority met through the joint funding arrangement.  Although the Local Authority’s contribution to these services was relatively modest, should this be withdrawn, it was likely that a full review would need to be undertaken on the future delivery of these services.  Another Member asked about governance and the Associate Director for Children and Young People’s Commissioning (SELICB) confirmed that the Local Authority worked closely with SELICB on the commissioning of joint services and undertook robust contract monitoring.

RESOLVED: That the recommendations in the report be supported.

Report CEF23088

The report set out the Children, Education and Families Risk Register update for Quarter 4 of the 2023/24 financial year.

A Member underline the need to review risk relating to school places in light of the upcoming General Election as the Labour Party’s policy regarding proposed VAT changes for Independent Schools could increase the number of pupils seeking entry to Bromley mainstream schools for the 2024/25 academic year and beyond.  The Portfolio Holder noted that there were approximately 4k pupils attending Independent Schools in Bromley which represented 10% of the school-age population.  Another Member asked about vacant school places at Bromley schools and the Director of Education advised that while there were falling rolls at primary-level, this had not yet fed through to secondary schools and that the School Place Planning Working Group would consider all matters relating to school place demand at its next meeting in Summer 2024.

RESOLVED: That the current Children, Education and Families Risk Register and the existing controls in place to mitigate the risks be noted.

Report CEF23089A

The report presented a regular update on the performance of services for children across a suite of performance measures.

The Vice-Chairman welcomed the improvements in Performance Indicator 31/32: Percentage of Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans Issued within the statutory 20-week timescale following a sustained period of focused work with partners.  The backlog of older cases had been cleared in January 2024 and the Local Authority was now meeting statutory timescales for 62% of EHC Plans which was higher than both the England and London averages.  With regard to Performance Indicator 11: Percentage of Reviews Completed within Timescale for Children with Child Protection Plans, a Member was concerned at a slight deterioration in performance in recent years.  The Assistant Director: Specialist Services advised that this was due to a change in the way that referrals were made following the introduction of a single referral route, but that performance would continue to be closely monitored going forward. 

Another Member asked about Performance Indicator 13: Average Number of Weeks taken to Complete Care Proceedings against a National Target for 26 weeks which Bromley was performing significantly below.  The Assistant Director: Children's Social Care explained that this target had been set many years previously and did not take account of a subsequent escalation of demand, particularly following the COVID-19 period.  Furthermore, the Local Authority reported into the East London Family Court which was the busiest court in London, and it was not uncommon for significant delays to be caused when repeat or new assessments were required.  The Local Authority worked as effectively as possible within the regional arrangements and would continue to lobby for change as part of the Court Service Users Group. 

RESOLVED: That the March 2024 outturn of key performance indicators and associated management commentary be noted.

Report CEF23090A

The Committee considered a report setting out the Contracts Register for the Children, Education and Families Portfolio.

In response to a question from a Member, the Director of Children, Education and Families confirmed that work was in hand to extend three contracts that were nearing their contract expiry date.  Another Member was concerned that a contract for ‘Participation in West London Alliance for Children’s Care and Support Services’ had expired on 30 April 2024 and was advised that a new contract for this service was now live and would run until 30 April 2028.

RESOLVED: That Members’ comments on the Contracts Register as at 22 April 2024 be noted.

Report CEF23092

The Committee welcomed the Youth Support Programme Manager who shared her expertise on the first destinations of 16- and 18-year-old school leavers, including young people educated at home.

In considering the report, a Member queried whether there was any way to identify the impact of early intervention on the first destinations of 16- and 18-year-old school leavers and further information on the first destinations of young people who had received early intervention specifically through the Youth Support Service would be provided to the Committee following the meeting.  Another Member asked for details of the first destinations of young people with SEND and work would be undertaken to see if this data was available.

The Chairman led the Committee in thanking the Youth Support Programme Manager for her excellent presentation.

RESOLVED: That the thematic session be noted.

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.

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

The Committee considered a report setting out Part 2 (Exempt) aspects of performance reporting against the Children’s Scrutiny Dataset.

The Committee considered a report setting out Part 2 (Exempt) aspects of the Contracts Register for the Children, Education and Families Portfolio.