Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Children’s Services providing information on local outcomes for children and young people within the EIAC locality, setting the information in context with a broad summary of city level performance

(Report attached) (Time – 10 minutes)

The Director of Children’s Services submitted a report providing information on local outcomes for children and young people within the EIAC locality, setting the information in context with a broad summary of city level performance.

Mr P Brennan, Deputy Director, Children’s Services and Mrs G Mayfield, Targeted Services Area Lead (ENE), Children’s Services attended the meeting and introduced the report by highlighting the challenges faced in the EIAC locality as being attendance; school improvement and the high number of vulnerable families and the need to ensure the area receives appropriate share of resources.

Members discussed the following key issues:

·  The impact of child poverty on the long term prospects for children and measures taken by the Department to support vulnerable families, noting the comment that this issue should be tackled through a range of services

·  The importance of the partnerships required with other service providers/clusters to create a package of support for the most vulnerable young people

·  The measures employed to encourage attendance, deal with unauthorised absences and the support offered by the Department to School Governors dealing with attendance cases. A case study was tabled to illustrate the holistic approach to service provision for vulnerable families. Members requested a breakdown of figures for non-attendance by ward and by school and information on improving attendance targets for individual clusters, along with contact details for relevant attendance officers.

·  The review and rating for a Childrens Home within the EIAC area. It was agreed that details of the matter should be sent directly to the relevant ward members

·  The need to continue to encourage large city centre developments to make use of the local employment market, noting the model utilised throughout the Trinity Development

·  Measures to identify and encourage practical learning modules and whether there were the resources available to develop that model of learning which could encourage pupils to develop respect between themselves and improve attendance

Officers noted a request to provide statistics on a ward by ward basis in respect of the numbers of looked after children and the number of NEETs on a regular basis. Members felt having detail would assist in determining when and how the additional resources being supplied were having an impact and improving

RESOLVED –

a)  To note the content of the report.

b)  That the feedback and comments made by Members on the contents of the report be noted

c)  That having considered the report, EIAC confirmed support for any future funding request intended to provide financial support to young people wanting to access the National Citizen Service programme who are unable to self-fund.

d)  That the following data be supplied directly to EIAC members within 14 days:

a.  a breakdown of figures for non-attendance by ward and by school

b.  details of the improving attendance targets for the individual clusters, the action being taken with local schools to tackle non-attendance and the contact details for the relevant attendance officers

e)  That the following information be supplied to ward members:

a.  details of the review and rating for a Childrens Home within the EIAC area.

b.  statistics on a ward basis in respect of the numbers of looked after children

c.  statistics on a ward basis in respect of the number of NEETs

f)  That a report on the issues outlined in d) above be included regularly on the agenda for future EIAC meetings