(Members Code of Conduct - Part 4A of the Constitution)

To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

Notes:

(1)       Members may remain in the meeting and take part fully in discussion and voting unless the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an interest which the Member feels would call into question their compliance with the wider principles set out in the Code of Conduct.  Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(2)       Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

(3)       Members are also welcome to disclose interests which are not disclosable pecuniary interests but which they consider should be made in the interest of clarity.

(4)       Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

                                                                        (Sheila Farnhill – 01274 432268)

There were no disclosures of interest in matters under consideration.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 March 2017 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Sheila Farnhill – 01274 432268)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 March 2017 be signed as a correct record.

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

(Sheila Farnhill - 01274 432268)

There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents.

Previous reference: Minute 25 (2015/16)

The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) will submit a report    (Document “O”) which updates the Panel in respect of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Psychological Assessment and Therapy Team for Looked After and Adopted Children.

Recommended –

That Document “O” be noted.

                                                                        (Jennifer Robb – 07701 284392)

Previous reference: Minute 25 (2015/16)

The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) submitted a report which updated the Panel in respect of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Psychological Assessment and Therapy Team for Looked After and Adopted Children (LAAC) (Document “O”).

The CAMHS Clinical Lead for the Looked After and Adopted Children Team explained that:

·         All looked after children, adopted children or children being cared for under a Special Guardianship Order now came within the remit of this specialist team.

·         A Consultation Clinic was available to all professionals and carers working with these children and young people. Work was also being undertaken with the Residential Homes and directly with young people and their carers.

·         The level of need meant that resources were stretched but the Team was working closely with partners in Children’s Social Care.

·         There was a wish to work towards there being more service user participation which would help in the future development of the service.

·         Once fully staffed, the next stage was to identify any gaps in the Team’s skill base and to work on individual development plans to address them.

She responded to Members’ questions:

·         Various studies suggested that between 45 and 72% of LAAC were likely to have some sort of emotional or mental wellbeing need.

·         Most available appointments had been allocated and the current waiting time was approximately one month.  If the waiting time increased further the situation would be reviewed.

·         It was likely that the expertise of the various professionals working with LAAC could be augmented through the use of the services provided by the Team.  This could assist them in helping young people with these issues and the evidence suggested that DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy) could work very well. However the individual consultations allowed space for the particular circumstances and specific needs of the child/young person to be considered and assessed which was a very important part of the process.

·         The number of cancellations had been relatively high for the first two months of the clinic being in operation as participants had been getting used to how the service operated; this had now reduced significantly.

·         The Service covered the full age range and was accessed by children of all ages.

·         When working directly with a young person there would usually be a link made with the relevant school/education provider.

·         The aim was to provide the service in the right setting for the individual concerned so that the environment or location was not a barrier to receiving the right support.

The Deputy Director said that it was hoped to recruit two additional clinical psychologists to work with the Residential Homes as part of the Department of Education Innovation Fund Programme. He stressed that the aim was to complement, not duplicate, the service already being provided.

The Children in Care Council (CICC) Co-optee suggested that their members could assist in terms of feedback on the Service; the CICC represented Bradford children from all different backgrounds.

The Chair welcomed the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Previous reference: Minute 21 (2016/17)

A report will be submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in relation to the independent monitoring and quality assurance of the district’s Residential Children’s Homes, in accordance with Regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 (Document “P”).

Recommended -

That the Quality Standards Manager (Regulation 44) identify and circulate dates to better support the planning and scheduling of Elected Member visits to the residential and respite homes. 

                                                                        (Suzanne Lythgow – 07582 100936)

Previous reference: Minute 21 (2016/17)

A report was submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in relation to the independent monitoring and quality assurance of the district’s Residential Children’s Homes, in accordance with Regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 (Document “P”).

He reported that the changes made to the process for inviting Members to participate had been successful in increasing the number of visits undertaken by Members.  Members input to the process was considered to be very effective and was welcomed. In terms of Inspection Outcomes an upward trend had been demonstrated and this would prove a good starting point for the forthcoming year.

In response to Members’ questions he said that, although Ward Councillors were encouraged to visit and establish a relationship with any Residential Homes situated within their ward it was not practicable to invite all ninety Elected Members to participate in Regulation 44 visits and it was important that the monitoring was both meaningful and robust. A number of Ward Councillors had done so in the past and the Regulation 44 Manager would be happy to make the relevant introductions but could not facilitate any visits.

Members commented that:

·         Alternate Members should also be invited to take part; it was considered to be important that they gained an insight into this work.

·         The visits were considered to be very valuable particularly if the children and young people were present.

·         The report, and the results of the Ofsted inspections was welcomed.

The Portfolio Holder reported that a recent Joint Targeted Area Inspection had concluded that the Authority and its partners had high aspirations for all children in Bradford.

Resolved -

(1)       That Document “P” and the outcome of Ofsted’s Inspections of Bradford’s Residential and Respite Homes be noted and welcomed.

(2)       That the conclusion, as part of a recent Joint Targeted Area Inspection, that “Leaders and Partners have high aspirations for all children in Bradford. Across partners, there is commitment to continuous improvement to offer a wide range of high quality services to meet the diverse needs of children and families in the Bradford district” be welcomed.

(3)       That the Quality Standards Manager (Regulation 44) be requested to identify and circulate dates to better support the planning and scheduling of Elected Member visits to the residential and respite homes.

ACTION:       Quality Standards Manager (Regulation 44)

Previous reference: Minute 19 (2016/17)

A report will be presented by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in relation to the performance  of looked after children in Bradford schools in 2016 (Document “Q”).

Recommended –

That Document “Q” be noted.

                                                                        (Ken Poucher – 01274 439623)

Previous reference: Minute 19 (2016/17)

A report was presented by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in relation to the performance of looked after children (LAC) in Bradford schools in 2016 (Document “Q”).

The Virtual School Head highlighted the following points:

·         In terms of Phonics the position of Bradford LAC above the national average had been maintained; there was a slight fall on the 2015 figures but a positive trend overall for the last three years.

·         The Key Stage 1 outcomes were very encouraging; Bradford children were above the national average for LAC particularly in reading.

·         Key Stage 2 results were not as strong overall with only 1 in 5 children in Bradford achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined against 1 in 4 nationally. However when the value added progress calculation was taken into account then Bradford children had made better progress than their peers in terms of writing and maths but not reading.

·         Key Stage 4 had shown a very significant improvement when compared with the figures using the previous assessment method and using the latest dataset Bradford ranked 29^th in the country.

·         The Virtual School had a Management Committee and if any Member wished to become involved or knew anyone else who might be interested they should get in touch with him.  The Committee met once a term.

He also explained the Attainment 8 and Progress 8 performance scoring system which was now used to record achievement and progress between the end of Key Stage 2 and the end of Key Stage 4.

The Portfolio Holder said that these results reinforced the comments made as part of the Joint Targeted Area Inspection in respect of the Authority’s high aspirations for its children and should be celebrated.

The Virtual School Head said that it was believed that, to some extent, the results had been influenced by the Virtual School Associate programme, which had now been in operation for a full twelve month period.  A number of case studies had indicated that some young people would not have achieved any GCSEs had the support that they had received not been available.

He answered Members’ questions:

·         In terms of comparison with the performance of all Bradford children against the national figures, the results depended on the key stage.

·         It was difficult to compare the results from year to year due to the difference in sizes of cohorts.

·         Every LAC should have an individual Personal Education Plan (PEP) and 96% currently had one in place.  The quality of these plans was monitored and challenged as necessary by the Virtual School.

·         The gap between LAC and their peers was closer in Bradford than nationally.

The Chair thanked the Virtual School Head for the report and said that the results were encouraging.

Resolved –

That the content of Document “Q” be noted and welcomed and that further updates be submitted to the Panel in due course.

ACTION:       Virtual School Head

Previous reference: Minute 19 (2015/16)

The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) will submit a report in relation to the Exit Interview process for young people who are due to leave care (Document “R”).

Recommended –

That Document “R” be noted.

                                                                        (Carly Turpin – 01274 437123)

Previous reference: Minute 19 (2015/16)

The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) submitted a report in relation to the Exit Interview process for young people who were due to leave care (Document “R”). The process aimed to gather their views about their time in care and this information was then used to guide future service improvements.

He was explained that:

·         The Exit Interview Questionnaire had been reviewed in consultation with the Children in Care Council.

·         The majority were now completed by electronic means although the option to do it manually was available if this was preferred.

·         The aim was to allow the young people more independence in completing the form rather than going through the process with a Leaving Care worker.

·         35 surveys had been completed during 2016 which equated to approximately half of the young people leaving care.

·         The information had been collated and would give the Service an idea of where improvements might be necessary or areas for future consideration.

·         The results of the surveys had already influenced the service for the future; the use of bed and breakfast accommodation had been highlighted by young people and, as a result, had thus not been used for the last 18 months.  The commissioning standards for accommodation had changed significantly in recent years.

·         Another initiative that had arisen as a result of feedback was the use of purchase cards which would facilitate young people being more independent in terms of buying necessary items.

·         The majority of young people had stated that they did not think that there was anything they would change about the service they had received.

·         Post 16 more young people were in Education, Employment or Training (EET) than not. The Authority was in the top third nationally in this regard.

·         The importance of stability was recognised and a young person should now have the same social worker throughout their time in care, subject to that worker leaving their post.

In response to questions it was explained that:

·         A significant majority of those who had completed the questionnaire had given their name rather than remain anonymous.

·         In terms of the numbers described as being homeless; a vulnerable young person’s case would be kept open beyond the age of 18.  These figures included a number of young people for whom the Authority had a statutory duty of care but who had not been looked after.  Changes had been made in respect of the commissioning of accommodation and a lot more supported accommodation was now provided which gave a young person a more stepped process.

·         Young people who were parents were recorded as being unemployed even if this was a positive choice on their part.

·         Attempts would be made to facilitate young people in accessing any activities that they may have expressed an interest in and a specific group had been established to help young people to get access to activities that they might not otherwise be able to do .  Work was also being undertaken with Leisure Services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

Members are asked to give consideration to the matters that they would wish to see included in the Panel’s Work Plan for 2017/18.

Members were asked to give consideration to the matters that they would wish to see included in the Panel’s Work Plan for 2017/18 and the Chair requested that if any Member had an item that they wished to be considered for inclusion on the Work Programme for the forthcoming year that they contact her.

She also thanked Members and officers for their input to the work of the Panel over the preceding twelve months.

No resolution was passed on this item.