The Children and Families Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 14 May 2024 to discuss progress on the SEND Improvement Plan, the All-Age Carers Strategy, and an update on OFSTED's findings. The committee also reviewed the Action Tracker and Forward Plan, and discussed the Whitefield School historic abuse case.

Whitefield School Historic Abuse Case

The committee discussed the recent media coverage of historic abuse cases at Whitefield School. Mr Christopher Spencer, Interim Strategic Director - Families, clarified that staff involved had been investigated by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, and all staff had returned to school subject to risk assessment and retraining. The police investigation was ongoing, but the investigation into staff had concluded. The Safeguarding Partnership would consider if a retrospective Serious Incident Notice (SIN) was required. Committee members confirmed that the school had recently received a clean bill of health from OFSTED, following an unannounced visit in 2019. The CCTV footage containing evidence of abuse was discovered in 2021, after the previous leadership team had left the school. Some parents were considering legal action against the academy, and officers would investigate this. Councillor Jonathan O'Dea recommended that the issue be referred to the Equality and Human Rights Commission as a matter arising from the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. The committee recommended that the next Committee Chair include a review of the investigation as part of the next municipal year, inviting the school and some of the parents to attend the Committee.

Waltham Forest Special Educational Needs and Disability Services (SEND) Response to DfE SEND Improvement Plan

Consideration was given to the report on Waltham Forest's response to the Department for Education's (DfE) SEND Improvement Plan. Ms Cheryl Eyre, Interim Director of Education, noted that since the implementation of the new Children Families Act, several issues had arisen. A best practice toolkit is being developed by nine local authorities that piloted the act, which includes regulating service providers. Ms Eva Gunkova, Assistant Director of Education, added that the strategy had been co-produced with stakeholders and that officers would continue to measure its success.

The committee raised concerns about the number of children with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans in mainstream schools, which was higher than the national average. Ms Eyre explained that children educated in specialist schools often had to travel outside the community, and data indicated that education within the community was beneficial for integration. Mr Spencer noted that Waltham Forest had a higher proportion of children with EHC plans compared to other boroughs, with some schools accommodating a larger number. Specialist school places were limited, leading to mainstream schools being asked to accommodate more children. Officers would address this as part of the sufficiency strategy.

Questions were raised about sufficiency, with some parents not being offered alternative places. Mr Spencer stated that local authorities no longer had responsibility for building new schools; any new builds would be funded by government grants and managed by trusts as academies. While local authorities could influence the provision of specialist schools, their only power was to direct a school to admit a child, which had cost and relationship implications.

Regarding children awaiting assessments, Ms Gunkova reported delays beyond the twenty-week process due to a shortage of psychologists. Officers are implementing a plan to address throughput and create a priority list for overdue cases.

The committee also discussed the overrepresentation of SEND children in school exclusions. Ms Gunkova explained that when an exclusion was notified, a review was offered. If the exclusion was upheld, SEND officers would meet with parents to plan a return to mainstream education. If alternative provision could not be provided, a referral would be made to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). A disproportionality action plan would operate across all services.

The committee agreed to the following actions and recommendations:

• Officers to provide a written response to two questions posed by Councillor Richard Sweden regarding schools' effectiveness in integrating EHCP students into mainstream education and the effectiveness of Ordinarily Available Provision.
• Officers to provide figures on the number of successful Supported Internships.
• Officers to include a SEND focus on future reports to Scrutiny concerning school exclusions.
• Officers to meet more regularly with schools to ensure reasonable adjustments are in place for permanent exclusions.

All-Age Carers Strategy - Young Carers and Families

Consideration was given to the joint report on the All-Age Carers Strategy, presented by Mr Saddique Ahmed, All-Age Carers Strategic Lead. The committee inquired about the process for identifying children with caring duties when patients are discharged from hospitals. Mr Ahmed confirmed that a bid had been submitted to the Department of Health for funding two projects to identify carers at the point of discharge. Funding was also available for devices to support those with caring duties, and referrals would be made to appropriate services if additional support was needed. Officers would also collaborate with Adult Social Services to offer training for young people with caring duties.

The committee asked if young carers had opportunities for trips and respite activities. Mr Ahmed confirmed this was part of the strategy, offering activities, training, and residentials to provide respite and future life choices. The impact of caring duties on educational attainment was also discussed, with Mr Ahmed acknowledging the impact and mentioning dedicated tuition support and taster courses at local colleges for young carers. He also stated that officers would work with schools to ensure educational needs were met if a young carer was struggling.

Regarding the monitoring of young carers' duties to prevent exploitation, Mr Ahmed explained that children under five were not expected to have caring duties. Assessments would consider the positive impact of caring duties, with the Early Help team reviewing if additional support was required. Mr Daniel Phelps, Director of Wellbeing and Independence, added that any indication of exploitation would be referred to the safeguarding service.

The committee confirmed that young carers with a social worker had access to virtual schools. They also asked how the council was working with schools to help young carers feel understood. Mr Ahmed stated that dedicated officers worked with schools and teachers, but young people often did not recognise themselves as carers until prompted. The committee also explored reaching out to faith communities and cultural spaces to connect with more isolated young carers. Mr Ahmed acknowledged this but noted the priority had been on acute settings and primary care. The committee highlighted the importance of prioritising young carers for any further funding from the Household Support Fund.

The committee agreed to the following actions and recommendations:

• Officers to circulate all short break offers for young carers.
• Officers to investigate the effects of being a young carer on life chances.
• Officers to investigate using virtual schools for young carers who have caring duties but do not have a social worker.
• Officers to consider circulating a survey with young carers to estimate the hours they provide caregiving duties each week.

OFSTED Progress against the Post Focused Visit Action Plan: Quarterly update

Mr Daniel Phelps provided the committee with a brief update on progress, highlighting the improvement infrastructure. The committee noted the update.

Action Tracker and Forward Plan

Consideration was given to the report of the Scrutiny Officer. The Chair noted that the Mission Grove audit meeting had been rearranged. The committee recommended that the next Committee Chair include a review of the investigation into the Whitefield School historic abuse case as part of the next municipal year.

The committee agreed to the following actions:

• Officers to provide a further response to action item 11: 'Officers to provide further information about the findings of exit interviews'.
• Officers to provide a further response to action item 51: 'Officers to provide permanent exclusion data, outlining the reasons for each absence'.

The committee agreed to vary the order of the agenda to discuss the SEND report before the All-Age Carers Strategy.