The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Barking and Dagenham Council met on 17 April 2024 to discuss the findings of a Public Health Peer Review and an Ofsted inspection of Children's Services. Key discussions included strategies for improving public health outcomes, addressing childhood obesity, and enhancing the timeliness and quality of children's social care services.

Public Health Peer Review

The committee received an update on the Local Government Association (LGA) led Public Health Peer Review for Barking and Dagenham. The review, conducted in February 2024, focused on partnership working, vision and strategy, and the use of resources to improve residents' health and wellbeing. The LGA provided eight recommendations, including supporting cross-council work on the wider determinants of health through a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, reflecting on executive place leadership, rationalising strategies into a single prioritised delivery plan, agreeing on joint commissioning models, creating a unified team for data intelligence, and designing a joint vision for integrated locality working.

Councillor Warby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Integration, highlighted that HiAP is crucial for addressing wider determinants of health. She noted that while the Council's Corporate Plan Priorities reflect the Marmot Review's six policy areas for tackling health inequalities, translating these into reality remains a challenge. The Council is focusing on three key areas: specific public health issues, key policy areas, and embedding health and equalities into wider council processes. The Committees in Common initiative, which includes GPs and NHS staff, was praised for its collaborative approach to health decisions.

Regarding childhood obesity, Councillor Warby explained that previous programmes had limited impact, and the Council is adopting a new approach. She emphasised that physical activity is as important as calorie intake and that the Council aims to create an environment that promotes play and activity. Proposals include using underutilised green spaces for community growing plots and opening school kitchens to teach families healthy cooking. The Council is also working with 50 convenience stores to offer healthier food options and is exploring partnerships for affordable, healthy food.

The committee also discussed dentistry services, noting that while services are stretched, a new dentistry school is in the final stages of agreement, which is expected to increase access for vulnerable residents.

Ofsted Inspection of Children's Services Improvement Plan

The committee received a report on the Ofsted Inspection of Children's Services Improvement Plan. Following an inspection in July 2023, which judged services as requires improvement to be good with a good rating for care leavers, the Council developed an improvement plan addressing eight key recommendations.

Chris Bush, Commissioning Director for Care and Support, and April Board, Operational Director for Children's Care, presented the progress made. They detailed improvements in:

• Timeliness of strategy meetings: A new performance dashboard has led to a reduction in the average time to complete strategy discussions, with over 70% now meeting timescales.
• Capacity, quality, consistency, and impact of supervision and management oversight: Increased staffing, the development of the CARES Academy, and ongoing training for managers are improving supervision quality. While caseloads remain a challenge for some social workers, progress is being made.
• Assessment and decision-making for children experiencing neglect: A new multi-agency neglect strategy has been developed, and tools like the Graded Care Profile 2 are being embedded. Efforts are underway to improve the identification and response to domestic abuse and substance misuse.
• Timeliness of pre-proceedings pathways: The number of children in pre-proceedings exceeding 16 weeks has decreased, with improved tracking and management oversight.
• Consistency of response to 16- and 17-year-olds presenting as homeless: Protocols and training have been refreshed, ensuring young people receive advocacy and understand their options.
• Oversight of children's placements in unregistered children's homes: New protocols for notifying Ofsted and increased visiting frequencies are in place, with ongoing efforts to find regulated placements.
• Application of threshold in early help: Roadshows and drop-in sessions are embedding the continuum of needs thresholds, leading to improved decision-making in the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).
• Life-story work and permanence planning: Significant progress has been made in timely permanence planning, with 94% of looked-after children having had a permanence planning meeting. A Life Story App is being purchased, and a Lifelong Links mentoring service is being launched.

Concerns were raised about the ongoing national crisis in children's placements and the cost implications. The committee was informed that efficiency plans are in place, focusing on family placements, external placements, and prevention. Regarding family hubs, it was noted that while it is still early days, there is evidence of them working, with a reduction in the need for further support.

The committee also discussed the complexity of long-term child protection plans, which often involve children with complex needs and neglect. Improvements in management oversight and reflective supervision were highlighted, alongside the use of Microsoft Teams for strategy meetings with partners. The measurement of outcomes and improvements is based on a comprehensive set of national indicators and internal audits.

Councillor Ingrid Robinson, a long-serving member of the committee, was thanked for her contributions as she attended her last meeting.