The Scrutiny Children & Young People Sub-Committee met on Tuesday 19 March 2024 to discuss updates on Health Visiting services, education standards, and the Early Help, Children's Social Care and Education Dashboard. The committee also reviewed its work programme for the upcoming year.

Health Visiting

The Sub-Committee received an update on the Antenatal and Health Visiting Service in Croydon. Deborah Kelly, Chief Nurse of Croydon Health Services, and Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive of Croydon Health Services, presented the report. They acknowledged that while there had been initial resistance to some changes, staff were now more on board, evidenced by improved performance, recruitment, and retention. The committee was informed that the service was on an improvement journey and that while more positive feedback was expected, some mixed comments would still be heard.

Regarding the targets for New Birth Visits, it was explained that the minus exceptions on performance data accounted for children still in hospital or who had left the borough. Reaching 100% was considered a significant challenge, with current targets focused on improvement. The service aims to visit every child in the borough, with resources deployed based on a risk-based approach. More detailed information on actions taken for children whose visits were missed was promised.

The School Nursing Service was described as providing a supplementary level of support, prioritised to areas of greatest need due to resource limitations. The 0-19 Transformation programme aims to further integrate School Nursing with Health Visiting. The effectiveness of the service will be measured by developmental milestones in children's school lives.

The move to four localities from six was explained as an effort to create larger teams with broader skills to better respond to needs and allocate resources effectively. The 0-19 Transformation is intended to help the service triage and assess needs more efficiently. The Chief Nurse confirmed that aspirations for the new locality teams had been drawn up and that the change programme was being co-designed with staff.

The Sub-Committee raised concerns about whether prioritising New Birth Visits and 6-8 Week Checks might be at the expense of 12-month and 2-2.5 year reviews. The Chief Nurse stated that vital checks were being prioritised, and once New Birth Visits and 6-8 Week Checks were compliant, efforts would focus on improving the other reviews. The national shortage of Health Visitors was identified as the biggest factor hindering compliance across all areas, though overall performance had improved since June 2023. The Director of Public Health acknowledged the service was on an improvement journey and agreed on the importance of bringing all four checks into compliance. Performance in December 2023 was maintained by focusing resources on high-risk visits and utilising agency staff. The expansion of services to seven days a week was also noted as a factor in improving accessibility.

The Sub-Committee inquired about the funding for the 1200 children placed in Croydon by other boroughs. It was explained that the placing borough should cover the costs of assessments and health checks.

Integration with Family Hubs was discussed, with the Chief Nurse explaining that this was the aim behind the move to four locality teams. While the first Family Hub had launched, a Health Visiting team had not yet been mobilised to work from it. The Sub-Committee heard that Westminster had successfully integrated services with their Family Hubs model, and Croydon's transformation journey over the next 12 months would focus on establishing four integrated 0-19 Health teams. The first Family Hub had been launched at Woodlands Children's Centre, with plans for another at Selhurst and ongoing discussions for two more. A bespoke Croydon model would be developed to meet local needs, and Family Hubs would not be located in schools.

The Sub-Committee was offered a tour of the Woodlands Children's Centre Family Hub, which houses services from Education, Health, and Social Care, following the Department for Education's prescribed model.

The Sub-Committee requested that the Council work with Croydon Health Services to explore incentives for recruitment and retention of public nursing staff.

Education Standards 2023

The Sub-Committee reviewed the summarised performance of children and young people in Croydon schools for the academic year 2022/23. The Director of Education and Interim Head of Education Services introduced the report. It was noted that a section of the report (4.5.5) had been included in error, but current unvalidated data indicated a slight improvement in persistent absence rates.

Concerns were raised about whether unmet Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) were contributing to increased persistent absence rates and what steps were being taken to engage with parents. The Director of Education explained that while schools held responsibility for persistent absences, the Council provided support through attendance improvement advisors and regular meetings. The Council's Link advisers also focused on attendance during their visits. A Department of Education attendance advisor had recently provided positive feedback on Croydon's practices for following up on persistent absences. Schools were implementing various strategies, including direct work with parents to identify reasons for absence and develop bespoke solutions. From September 2024, schools will have a statutory responsibility to share attendance data with the Council, which is currently collected via 'Studybugs', though only about 69% of schools report to this system.

The Director of Education outlined that once complete attendance data is available from September 2024, support for schools will be better targeted, aligning with national efforts to improve attendance. The importance of schools working directly with families to increase attendance was reiterated.

The Head of SEND Transformation & Delivery acknowledged that unmet SEND needs at Key Stage 1 could lead to later attendance issues. Innovative early intervention work was being undertaken through services like the Croydon Localities SEND Support service, psychology services, HENRY, and Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs).

The voice of the child in relation to persistent absences was discussed, with the Director of Education explaining that children's views are sought in schools, and looked-after children have a dedicated section in their Personal Education Plans (PEPs). The SEND Strategy also incorporates the perspectives of children and young people, and school councils in SEND schools have been visited. Student panels are part of quality assurance visits to schools.

The Sub-Committee acknowledged the report data reflected the hard work of children and schools, and the Director of Education praised teachers and schools in Croydon, highlighting the importance of celebrating successes. The Council's support and challenge role as a local education authority, based on open conversations, partnership working, and sharing best practices, was described as the foundation for establishing the Schools Partnership.

Regarding the provision of BTECs and T Levels, it was explained that these choices are school-led, based on finances and teacher recruitment. Ongoing work with the Head of Employment, Skills & Economic Development aims to promote these qualifications, and discussions with colleges and schools are underway to ensure appropriate pathways are available.

The disproportionate exclusion of Black Caribbean pupils was raised, with the Director of Education stating this is a focus for the access to education team and is discussed with individual schools. While schools are responsible for exclusions, the Council intervenes to review processes and highlight issues with non-diverse exclusion panels and behaviour policies. The Council has influenced the overturning of exclusions before panel stages and works with governors on the appropriateness of exclusion decisions. The Sub-Committee requested that future reports explicitly reference this work in their action plans.

The increase in suspensions in 2022/23 was attributed to the previous years likely reflecting periods when children were not in schools due to COVID-19. The Croydon Education Partnership is working to mitigate the pandemic's effects, with additional support provided for behavioural issues and wellbeing.

The Sub-Committee discussed the impact of school structure disruption, strikes, and virtual teaching on young people's mental health. Early intervention for SEND needs is supported by the Croydon Locality SEND Support service, and schools are focusing on children's needs and inclusion.

Elective home education is a family decision. Concerns were raised about whether long wait times for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) referrals were deterring parents and contributing to NEET levels and suspensions. The Head of SEND Transformation & Delivery confirmed that EHCP issuance within 20 weeks was performing at a high level, and not all EHCP assessments require a CAMHS assessment.

The Sub-Committee asked about engaging families unhappy with SEND provision, particularly when children refuse to attend school. Parent and carer views are sought through 'Croydon Active Voices' and SENDIASS. The Council aims to be accessible and open communication channels.

The Director of Education was unaware of schools discouraging EHCP applications due to wait times but would advertise the Council's early intervention work. The sufficiency of NEET support was discussed, with NEET indicators currently showing as 'green'. A briefing note on NEET and its inclusion in the 2024-25 work programme were suggested. Support for care-experienced young people is being developed through the 'Virtual College' and the Corporate Parenting Panel Education, Employment and Training Sub-Group. Poor KS4 performance was identified as a contributing factor to rising NEET referrals, alongside the withdrawal of lower-level qualifications and the Council's inability to access ESFA funding.

The Sub-Committee concluded that they would like to include EHCPs and SEND provision in the borough on the Work Programme for 2024/25 and that the Council should ensure the voice of the child is embedded in attendance data collection, particularly where children refuse school due to dissatisfaction with SEND provision.

Early Help, Children's Social Care and Education Dashboard

The Sub-Committee reviewed the Early Help, Children’s Social Care and Education Dashboard. It was acknowledged that a dip in performance on indicator M33 was seasonal and had improved in February 2024. Concerns were raised about high caseloads on indicator W1a, which is being closely monitored, with factors such as agency staff and Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) social workers noted as potential influences.

Scrutiny Work Programme 2023-24

The Sub-Committee noted the draft work programme for 2023-24 and discussed potential items for the 2024-25 Work Programme. It was concluded that EHCPs and SEND provision in the borough would be included in the 2024/25 Work Programme. The Chair acknowledged the departure of Josephine Copeland, Non-voting Teacher representative, and thanked her for her contributions.