The Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission met to review Hackney's action plan following a 'good' Ofsted rating for its children's social care services, and to question Mayor Woodley on key policy areas including SEND provision, childcare entitlements, and the graduated SEND response in schools. The Commission also discussed housing support for care leavers and noted minutes from previous meetings and the council's work programme.

Children's Social Care Inspection - Action Plan

The Commission reviewed the action plan developed in response to the Ofsted inspection of children's social care services, which was rated as 'good'. The action plan addresses areas for development identified by Ofsted, including the timely allocation of accommodation for care leavers, the quality of housing and housing-related support, and the consistency of responses and information provided to care leavers. Improvements are also planned for the recording and oversight of children going missing from care, with additional Children's Rights Officers recruited to improve the consistency and uptake of return home interviews. The service is also focusing on better identification and support for young carers, and has rolled out a digital platform called 'Memory Box' to store life story information for children in care. The cyber-attack's impact on IT systems was discussed, with ongoing work to recover scrambled data. The Commission also heard about efforts to prevent placement breakdowns for children in care, particularly for those over 12, and to ensure sufficient management oversight of cases.

Cabinet Q&A with Mayor Woodley

Mayor Caroline Woodley, Cabinet lead for Families, Early Years, Parks & Play, was questioned on three key policy areas:

Commissioning of Independent and Non-Maintained SEND Provision Mayor Woodley outlined Hackney's commitment to increasing in-borough provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), with a target of 300 additional places by 2026. She noted that 532 pupils currently attend independent and non-maintained SEND settings, with £18.7 million spent on these services in 2023/24, representing 29% of the dedicated schools grant higher needs block. The average cost for out-of-borough placements is significantly higher than in-borough provision, highlighting the financial imperative to develop local capacity. Contract monitoring and quality assurance measures are in place, including annual visits and participation in the Cross Regional Arrangements Group (CRAG). Strategic opportunities for increasing in-borough provision are being explored, including the development of vacant properties.

Roll Out of Free Childcare Entitlement The Mayor provided an update on the uptake of the extended free childcare offer. As of April 2024, 84% of eligible two-year-olds had their 15 hours of free childcare validated by settings. By September 2024, 67% of codes issued for children aged nine months to two years had been validated. While there are no current concerns about a lack of places, there are specific concerns about meeting demand within the Charedi community. The council is supporting local providers through training programmes and exploring the possibility of a bank staff system. Engagement with providers has highlighted challenges around funding rates and recruitment.

Graduated SEND Response in Schools Mayor Woodley explained Hackney's graduated response, known as 'Right Support Right Time', which aims to provide timely support to children with SEND in mainstream schools. An updated version was published in June 2024 following feedback from schools, parents, and carers. While not all schools are fully engaged, efforts are being made to improve consistency through professional development networks and integrated SEND teams. The Mayor acknowledged that the SEND system remains adversarial and underfunded, but stressed the commitment to improving the offer and building trust with parents. The training for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) is robust, and work is underway to embed the graduated response across all schools.

Housing Support for Care Leavers

The Commission noted written responses to outstanding questions regarding housing support for care leavers. Key developments include care leavers being added to the Housing Register, backdated to their 18th birthday, and the establishment of a subgroup of the Corporate Parenting Board to focus on this issue. The Commission agreed to revisit this topic in the next municipal year, potentially including further focus groups with care leavers and site visits to supported housing options.

Minutes of Previous Meetings and Work Programme

The Commission noted and agreed the minutes from its meetings on 22nd May and 11th September 2024. The work programme for the remainder of the municipal year was also noted, with the next meeting on 26th November 2024 focusing on the School Estates Strategy and school closures.