The Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Durham County Council met on Tuesday 7 January 2025 to discuss several key areas impacting children and young people in the county. The committee noted the findings of a recent SEND inspection, reviewed progress on the Sufficiency Strategy for Children in Care and Care Leavers, and examined the Q2 forecast for Children and Young People's Services revenue and capital outturn. Discussions also covered child poverty initiatives and waiting times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Area SEND Inspection of County Durham's Local Area Partnership

The committee received an update on the findings of a joint inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Ofsted into County Durham's Local Area Partnership for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The inspection, conducted in June 2024, concluded that current arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. While acknowledging strengths such as collaborative leadership and children feeling valued, the report identified four key areas for improvement: enhancing the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans; reducing delays in accessing CAMHS and neurodevelopmental pathways; ensuring easier access to needs-led services; and strengthening the monitoring of strategic plans to ensure resources are targeted effectively. An action plan has been co-produced with stakeholders to address these areas.

Child Poverty in County Durham

Lindsey Davidson, Child Poverty Operations Manager, presented an update on the work of the Child Poverty Working Group (CPWG). The report highlighted that 19.3% of children in County Durham live in relative poverty, with 31.9% eligible for free school meals. The CPWG is focusing on four key priorities: co-production activities with families, equipping professionals with the skills to identify and support families affected by poverty, promoting social inclusion through health, education, and wellbeing activities, and raising aspirations and resilience. Initiatives such as the Financial Inclusion Support Officer (FISO) programme, the Fun and Food programme, and the Start for Life Fund were detailed, alongside the successful pilot of Free School Meal Auto Enrolment, which led to a 9.6% increase in uptake. Future developments include mitigating child poverty through the North East Combined Authority Child Poverty Prevention Programme and expanding the Advice in County Durham Portal.

Sufficiency Strategy for Children in Care and Care Leavers 2022 - 2024 Update

Lindsey Herring, Project Manager CYPS Accommodation, provided an update on the Sufficiency Strategy for Children in Care and Care Leavers. The strategy aims to ensure sufficient accommodation for looked-after children and care leavers, as required by the Children Act 1989. The presentation outlined the challenges faced, including an increase in the number of children in care (now 1,192), a rise in older teenagers with complex needs entering care, and increased use of external residential provision. Significant progress has been made in strengthening governance through the Durham Care Board and developing thematic workstreams. Achievements include recruiting new foster carer households, developing the Mockingbird Model for foster carer support, and establishing new smaller children's homes. The report also detailed work on supported accommodation, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), and short breaks for disabled children. A review by Newton Europe highlighted a 143% increase in children in care expenditure, driven by caseload growth, placement mix, and rising unit costs. Plans are underway to mitigate future expenditure increases, including investment in edge-of-care provision and increasing in-house capacity.

Quarter 2 Forecast of Revenue and Capital Outturn 2024/2025

The committee reviewed the Q2 forecast for Children and Young People's Services (CYPS), presented by Finance Manager David Watchman. The report indicated a projected cash limit overspend of £9.517 million, a 5% increase on the revised budget. The majority of this overspend is attributed to Social Care, particularly within Children in Care (CiC) placements, with a forecast overspend of £7.475 million. This is largely due to an increase in crisis intervention and intensive support placements, running at a higher number and cost than budgeted. While Education and Skills and Early Help, Inclusion and Vulnerable Children services are forecasting underspends, the overall position for CYPS requires corporate funding from the General Reserve. The report also detailed the forecast position for maintained schools and the significant overspend within the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant, which is a cause for concern.

TEWV CAMHS Waiting Times - Report of the General Manager County Durham and Tees Valley CAMHS

This report was presented for information, detailing the waiting times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in County Durham. As of 11 December 2024, there were 201 patients waiting for a mental health assessment, with the majority waiting less than three months. The report noted that these waiting times compare favourably with national benchmarks. However, a significant concern was raised regarding neurodevelopmental assessments, with 5,389 young people waiting post-referral, an average wait time of 544 days, and a maximum wait of 1,366 days. This is attributed to demand far exceeding commissioned capacity. Work is ongoing locally and regionally to address these delays, including a new clinical protocol to improve efficiency and exploring collaboration with accredited providers to spread demand.

Councillor Stacey Deinali declared an interest in Agenda Item 7, Child Poverty in County Durham, due to her involvement with a company that benefits from the Child Poverty Fund.

The committee noted the contents of the reports and presentations, and agreed to receive further information on specific points raised during the meeting.