Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Director of Children’s Services.

The report of the Director of Children’s Services provided the Area Committee with a performance update against priorities within the Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP).  It also provided a summary of performance at Area Committee Level with a broader summary at City level.  Local children’s cluster information was included in appendices to the report.

A further report of the Children’s Services Director presented the Area Committee with an update on the work being undertaken across the City to ensure the authority met its statutory duty to ensure sufficiency of school places in the context of an increasing birth rate.  This included formal consultation on proposals for four schools for which members comments were sought and a more general update on issues directly affecting the outer west area.

The following were in attendance for this item:

• Paul Brennan – Deputy Director, Learning, Skills and Universal Services
• Simon Fowles
• Jancis Andrew – Head of Targeted Services, West North West Leeds

Issues highlighted from the report included the following:

• Launch of the Child Friendly City
• Development of Integrated Services
• The new Common Assessment Framework – this had been simplified and had already had a positive impact.
• Family First Initiative – focus on 100 families
• Reconfiguration of Children’s Social Work teams into areas.
• The new inspection framework – this had come into effect from May 2012 and inspections could be called without notice.
• The numbers of looked after children across the city had dropped but there had been a slight rise in the Outer West area.
• There had been a drop in the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), but not a significant drop.
• There had been significant improvements in school attendance levels.
• Exam results had shown an overall improvement across the City – reference was made to the changes that had affected the GCSE English results and this would be contested.

In response to Members comments and questions, the following issues were discussed:

• Problems regarding the provision of school places – factors affecting this included higher birth rates across the City and the amount of house building in the area.  Concern was also expressed regarding children being allocated school places that were too far away.  Reference was made to future developments including the old Clarion site and the impact this would have on local schools with approximately 1,000 new houses to be built.  It was felt that the movement of families due to welfare reform may also have an impact.
• Concern regarding potential inspections and issues relating to safeguarding that had previously occurred at inspections.
• It was requested that statistical information be provided at a more local level and to individual schools where possible.

Members were also given an overview of Targeted Services.  The following was highlighted:

• Key obsessions – reducing NEETs, reducing the number of looked after children, improving attendance, tackling child obesity and reducing teenage conception.
• Tackling problems with early intervention and using a shared assessment framework.
• Cluster arrangements and multi agency involvement.
• Restructure of Children’s Social Work services.
• Funding arrangements
• Development of locality work.

RESOLVED – That the reports be noted.