The Scrutiny Children & Young People Sub-Committee meeting on 12 March 2019 focused on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy, the Statutory Children's Complaints Report, and an update on the Early Help and Children's Social Care Improvement Programme. Key decisions included the agreement to extend the work of the Task and Finish Group on Exclusions and Off Rolling of Pupils and a commitment to improving the handling of children's complaints.

Special Educational Needs and Strategy

The committee reviewed the outcomes of a consultation on the Council's SEND Strategy, which took place between 3 December 2018 and 31 January 2019. The consultation received 99 online survey responses and feedback from 120 individuals at face-to-face meetings. The findings have informed revisions to the strategy, with four key areas for development confirmed and a fifth area added. Representatives from Parents in Partnership and young people with SEND were present to share their experiences. Young people highlighted the importance of being recognised as individuals, the desire to achieve the same outcomes as those without disabilities, and the need for safety when travelling independently. They also spoke about the value of youth clubs like Waddon Youth Club in fostering a sense of belonging and resilience, and the need for more patient and supportive teachers in schools. Concerns were raised about the availability of services for those over 25 and the need for localised, accessible provision within the borough, as well as improvements to the Local Offer and support during the transition to adulthood.

The Cabinet Member for Children Young People and Learning, Councillor Alisa Flemming, noted that work was underway to develop the Local Offer, with Parents in Partnership collaborating with the Council. A guest suggested that the Council should incentivise businesses to offer employment opportunities to young people and work with the third sector to promote a sense of belonging. The importance of improved multi-agency and joint partnerships was stressed as crucial for achieving the strategy's intended outcomes. Officers acknowledged that post-16 services and transitions were key areas of feedback and would be a focus for the department, with joint working between health, education, families, and young people being vital. The short breaks policy and transitions policy are also being reviewed and drawn up, respectively. The Sub-Committee concluded that the update report was informative, the consultation process was encouraging, and the planned actions were clear. They looked forward to updates on the Local Offer and welcomed the opportunity to hear directly from young people. A key conclusion was the encouragement for the Council to utilise its contracts to secure commitments from businesses for youth employment.

Statutory Children's Complaints Report: Quarter 3

The Complaints Manager presented the report on statutory children's complaints for Quarter 3, highlighting that communication and delays were the most common reasons for complaints across Council services. For Children's Social Care, complaints also centred on the content of assessments and social worker availability. To address these issues, regular updates and discussions are held to devise strategies for improvement. A single point of contact for all Children's Social Care complaints is to be designated, mirroring the process in Adult's services. A key priority is to ensure complaints are resolved before progressing to stages 2 or 3.

Councillor Robert Ward, Chair of the Sub-Committee, expressed disappointment at the lack of infrastructure to respond to issues, noting that communication remained a significant factor in complaints. He emphasised the need for a cultural change, prioritisation of complaints, and promotion of early resolution. Councillor Jerry Fitzpatrick challenged the report, stating that quarterly reports had shown a distinct lack of pace and progress. Officers acknowledged that complaints had not been a past focus but are now being addressed through performance clinics. A high number of complaints were noted in the Looked After Children (LAC) service, which officers attributed to the approximately 800 LAC children, including unaccompanied minors, in the borough. An error was identified in the comparison complaints table, and a revised version was to be circulated. The Sub-Committee concluded that there was a distinct lack of progress in resolving complaints, that addressing root causes must be a priority, and that clear principles and challenge are needed to improve outcomes. They also noted inconsistencies in the figures presented in the comparison table and a lack of key indicators and trends in the report. The Sub-Committee recommended that the annual complaint report include data and trends in complaints received.

Update on the Early Help and Children's Social Care Improvement Programme

The Programme Director for the Children's Improvement Plan provided an update on the progress of the plan, feedback from a monitoring visit, areas for improvement, staffing and vacancy rates, and workforce development. Officers expressed concern about the number of staff leaving the organisation, with exit interviews being conducted to identify underlying reasons. A request was made for a detailed breakdown of workforce churn from 2017 to date at the next meeting.

The Executive Director for Children Families and Education, Robert Henderson, shared that the Ofsted letter following the monitoring visit was expected to be published soon and was anticipated to be positive about the changes made, noting an improvement in leadership visibility. This was hoped to boost staff morale and provide reassurance. Members noted that this monitoring visit was the most positive since the Ofsted judgement. The introduction of a dedicated brief intervention team for child in need cases was discussed, with caseloads envisaged to be around 15, and a review of caseloads for the Care Planning team to reduce them from 15 to 12 due to case complexity. Concerns were raised that the focus had been on quantitative issues, with a need for more emphasis on qualitative issues such as good practice sharing. Officers stated that Ofsted had alluded to good practice in social work teams and commended the quality of work. A new learning and development programme, launched in October 2018, aims to address workforce competency and confidence. The service is also working with parents and young people to improve their experience. The Sub-Committee was informed about ongoing work with the digital team to improve the Case Recording Systems and the development of a new recording form for the Early Help Service. The Sub-Committee concluded that they were encouraged by Ofsted's comments on improvements but acknowledged that recruitment and retention remain areas of concern. They stressed the importance of increasing pace as an inspection approaches later in the year.

Task and Finish Group: Exclusions and Off Rolling of Pupils

Councillor Jerry Fitzpatrick, Chair of the Task and Finish group, introduced the report. The Sub-Committee agreed that clarity was needed on the six themes for further exploration and that the selected themes were appropriate. Councillor Alisa Flemming, Cabinet Member for Children Young People and Learning, agreed that feedback from Scrutiny on these themes would inform commissioning work for Key Stage 4 children. The Sub-Committee agreed to extend the work of the Task and Finish group to September 2019 and authorised the addition of Councillor Callton Young and one further member to the group.

What Difference has this meeting made to Croydon's Children

Members expressed that the meeting had been the most proactive of the municipal year, with notable improvements in meeting structure and responses. They highlighted that the voice of the child was evident in the reports and that the attendance of young people and parents added value by providing their perspectives on services. Increased interface with young people and families was seen as beneficial for future meetings.

Work Programme 2018/19

An informal meeting was scheduled for 23 April 2019 to discuss potential themes and items for the 2019/20 work programme.