Issue - meetings

John Coleman, Director of Children & Families Service gave an overview of the slides as a summary of the performance which is further covered in the report.

The Committee was pleased to note that the majority of performance related to this committee is on track. The following points were highlighted –

•      In relation to Education, the majority of measures are on track and performing well. There has been an increase in good/outstanding performance in primary schools.

•      The number of nursery school places being taken is improving, although still not yet at target. Work is underway to promote free nursery places and make sure that people know that they are there to be taken up.

•      It was confirmed that 94.9% of care leavers are now in education, employment, or training.

•      Health Care Plan performance remains static and is approximately 8% below the national average. Officers acknowledged that this is an area with work to focus on. This will be covered in Item 6 – SEND Analysis.

•      It was confirmed that the Children in Care numbers are not on track. Consideration is being given to a potential review of the target to see if it remains realistic.

•      In relation to some targets showing red, it was confirmed that some data is only provided annually so will not be 100% accurate at certain points throughout the year.

Following a question from Councillor Barbara Brown in relation to the low number of child protection plans in place, and a concern that could potentially mean that some children at risk have not been identified, John Coleman confirmed that the Warwickshire system is extremely robust. There are quarterly thematic reviews undertaken with outside agencies such as the police to ensure that the system remains robust.

Councillor Sue Markham, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, asked if Warwickshire’s performance was better than some other authorities because of the decision taken to keep early help and intervention in place. It was confirmed that other authorities have had to make the difficult decision to stop early help and intervention programmes; mainly due to budget/funding pressures. Warwickshire has been able to maintain a high level of investment.

Following a question from Councillor Justin Kerridge in relation to staffing issues, John Coleman confirmed that there is a national issue concerning social worker recruitment. There is a new strategy underway relating to recruitment and retention. The Committee noted that Warwickshire County Council has its own programme for recruitment including graduate and apprenticeship placements. In addition, there is a wellbeing policy and counselling support for all social workers.  It was confirmed that a new campaign is ready to launch, and a briefing will be circulated to members in the next few weeks.

It was confirmed that of the £15m overspend in the children and families service, £6m is attributed to an overspend in staffing. The Committee noted that the need to employ agency social workers had contributed to the overspend. The investment in Warwickshire children’s homes will ease  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5