Agenda and draft minutes

Mr A Khitou

Mr T Britten

Co-Opted Members (Non-Voting)

Ms H Bellamy

Ms M Adams

Before moving on to the formal business of the meeting the Chair, Cllr Cohen, wished all pupils, teachers, support staff and all involved in education the best of luck in the coming academic year.

He also congratulated those who have received exam results in recent weeks and hoped that they had achieved the grades that they hoped for and are able to move on in the next phase of their education or careers.

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 25* of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded).

(* In accordance with Procedure Rule 25, notice of an appeal must be received in writing by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting).

There were no appeals.

1.  To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report.

2.  To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information.

3.  If so, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as follows:

No exempt items have been identified.

There was no exempt information.

To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration.

(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes.)

There were no late items of business.

To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies were received from the following:

Nick Tones, Non-Voting Co-opted Member

Kate Blacker, Non-Voting Co-opted Member

Andrew Graham, Voting Co-opted Member

Shanaz Gul, Non-Voting Co-opted Member

Julie Longworth, Director of Children and Families

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2024.

Resolved - That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 July 2024, be approved as an accurate record. Following a vote, moved by Cllr Edwards and Seconded by Cllr Renshaw, this was carried unanimously.

To consider a report from the Director of Children and Families setting out how recent changes to the asylum system have impacted children in Leeds, this is a follow up item to reports considered in the 2023/24 municipal year.

Before moving on to agenda item 7 the Chair noted that in the pre-meeting of the Board it was agreed that the report on the Impact of Asylum Changes on Children and Young People in Leeds would be considered as the first substantive item. So effectively a swap between items 7 and 8 as published in the agenda pack.

The Board considered a report from the Director of Children and Families setting out how recent changes to the asylum system have impacted children in Leeds, this is a follow up item to reports considered in the 2023/24 municipal year.

In attendance for this item were:

·  Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families

·  Farrah Khan, Deputy Director Social Care

·  Jacinta Kane, Head of Service Corporate Parenting

The Executive Member for Children and Families introduced the report, highlighting concerns around recent far right extremist activity across the country. In addition, the complexity of needs and funding pressures of £1.2m were noted along with national changes that have led to the Rwanda Scheme now being scrapped and  Government plans to process asylum schemes more efficiently.

Responding to comments and questions from board members the following points were covered:

·  On funding the Chair sought clarity on the figures in the report around funding shortfalls and costs to the Council. In response the Board were informed that the figures in the report are projections not final figures and are based on the complexity of some of the cases which could lead to higher costs. By way of follow up, given the shortfall in funding from Government when compared to projected costs, the Chair asked where the funding will be sourced to make the shortfall up, in response the Board were informed that this would be met through the Children and Families directorate budget.

·  The Board asked about the impact of recent far right activity on staff in terms of workloads and in terms of possible safety impacts on them and on any children living in adult accommodation due to incorrect age assessments. In response members were informed that staff are committed to corporate parenting and they have significant experience of carrying out age assessments, when a child or young person is assessed as being under 18 but living in adult hostel accommodation, the Board were assured that wrap around support is delivered as soon as any cases of that nature are determined.

·  Members were also informed about impacts of far right activity on both staff and young people in terms of creating an environment of fear. This is being worked through with young people with an emphasis on safety and vigilance and also promoting diversity and Leeds as a welcoming and diverse city.

·  The Board emphasised concerns about children and young people living in adult accommodation due to incorrect age assessment at Home Office level.

·  The Board asked if the change in Government at national level had led to any developments in terms of a change in approach on asylum, in light  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

To consider a report from the Director of Children and Families that responds to the recommendations made by the Scrutiny Board (Children and Families) through its inquiry report on the Provision of EHCP Support in Leeds in April 2024. 

The Board considered a report from the Director of Children and Families responding to the recommendations made by the Scrutiny Board (Children and Families) through its inquiry report on the Provision of EHCP Support in Leeds in April 2024. 

In attendance for this item were:

·  Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families

·  Dan Barton, Deputy Director – Learning

·  Phil Evans, Chief Officer Resources, Transformation and Partnerships

·  Sandra Pentelow, Projects and Programme Manager

The Executive Member for Children and Families introduced the report and highlighted the work done on service improvement since the scrutiny inquiry report in April 2024. It was acknowledged that there have been some delays to the timescales involved but work is now underway to reduce EHCP backlogs.

Responding to comments and questions from Board members the following discussion took place:

·  In response to a question on how far the authority is behind in dealing with some EHCP cases the board heard that the main concern was around assessments that have not taken place and are out of timescale, it is expected that to catch up on this will take a minimum of 6 months with 100 extra assessments taking place per month following additional staffing resource coming online. It was noted that until the new operating model is in place demand pressures, which are being experienced nationally as well as in Leeds, remain a problem and this is also linked to the review of FFI and transition of children and young people from that funding stream to EHCP assessment, which featured at the July meeting of the Board.

·  On a similar theme the Board asked about how many new staff are in place and how the new staffing approach is being communicated to young people and their parents and carers. The Board were informed that there are approximately 20 to 25 educational psychologists (EPs) who have been procured through a private company with the assurance that the staffing resource can process 100 EHCP assessments per month. The staffing mix may vary and also includes plan writers.

·  In terms of how this will look to families accessing the service this will look the same as it would in normal circumstances, with an officer conducting a piece of work through observation of a child in an education setting. The service does have a communication plan in place to set out timescales to families and explain that there are delays and the reasons for them.

·  The Board were informed that the additional 20 to 25 staff are not solely utilised by Leeds but are procured through a private company and an individual staff member could be working for a number of different authorities. So, in effect the service has ‘out-sourced’ 100 EHCP plans per month with around 25 EPs working on this. A full time EP would be able to add wider value as well as doing more EHCP assessments per month. The Board acknowledged that the shortage of EPs nationally and the presence of private companies can  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

Following consideration of the Youth Justice Plan 2024-27 and the outcome from the Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) on Youth Violence the Board is asked to consider the follow up Action Plan on the JTAI.

Following previous consideration of the Youth Justice Plan 2024-27 and the outcome from the Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) on Youth Violence in June 2024, the Board considered the Action Plan responding to the JTAI.

In attendance for this item were:

·  Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families

·  Farrah Khan, Deputy Director Social Care

·  Gill Marchant, Leads Health and Care Partnership

·  Hannah Beal, Deputy Director Leeds Community Healthcare

·  Sara Clarke, Head of Service (CAMHS) Leeds Community Healthcare

·  Mark Charlton, Head of Community Safeguarding

The Executive Member for Children and Families introduced the item focussing on the positive outcome from the JTAI that took place in March 2024 which emphasised the strength of the partnership that addresses youth violence and those affected by it in Leeds. The Executive Member noted the aim of the action plan to tackle the issues raised by the inspection and the multi-agency response to it, particularly aimed at the three areas for improvement.

In response to question and comments rom members the following issues were discussed:

·  The Board discussed CAMHS services in the city in more detail and heard that there is a priority service targeted at ADHD and autism referrals and this applies to the cohort in the youth justice system. The Board were informed about waiting times for CAMHS and also referrals and how they are dealt with. CAMHS will account for around 35-40% of referrals with other referrals being dealt with through school clusters where funding is being used to provide full coverage across Leeds for Mental Health services for young people. Waiting times for CAMHS are challenging and the service is subject to service re-design with work ongoing to clarify the offer and to who the offer is made. The Board noted the service re-design plans and asked that an update is provided to scrutiny when the service re-design is complete.

·  Members were informed that CAMHS is a relatively small, or focussed, element of mental health provision for young people in the city. School clusters, schools themselves and the third sector provide key services and work is ongoing to identify the services offered and communicate that clearly to families. CAMHS are not the only agency involved in these services.

·  The Board acknowledged the national nature of the challenge on access and availability of mental health services for young people. Pastoral support in schools has reduced as funding has reduced and there has also been increase in demand linked to the impact of Covid. The Board also noted on demand issues that societal changes and the ‘pathologising of growing up’ are also issues to be considered with anxiety in some cases being part of adolescence that doesn’t necessarily require service interventions.

·  The Board noted that school counsellors are not statutorily required although some schools do have the budget to support that role. Wider budget reductions have meant that over time school counsellors have reduced, and pastoral support often passes to teachers and existing school support staff.

·  The Board asked about  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year.

The Board considered the Scrutiny Board’s work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year.

The Principal Scrutiny Adviser introduced the report setting out the Work Programme at Appendix 1 and July Executive Board minutes at Appendix 2.

The following issues were raised under this item:

·  Board Members wanted to look in more detail at Further Education provision in the city following media reports about pressure on places in the sector. The Board also asked that appropriate witnesses from the sector should be invited and clarity on which level the pressure is focused on should also feature. This suggestion was agreed to and will be built into the 2024/25 Work Programme subject to discussion on timescales.

·  The Board noted that FE responsibility is shared, sufficiency sits with the Council, the DfE funds/commissions the places and the FE sector delivers the provision. The Board were assured that system meetings do take place regularly and that the Council has done work on sufficiency suggesting that there are problems with availability of places for young people.

·  The Board also highlighted potential issues with recruitment and retention of staff as being an important factor in future work.

·  As a further future work item potentially in 2025/26 work on the scrapping of single word Ofsted inspections was suggested. It was noted that this would be better when further details on the ‘report card’ are announced by Government. When this does come forward the aim of the scrutiny work should be focussed on trying to influence the new approach if possible.

Resolved - Members noted the Board’s work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year, and an item on Further Education will be added to it.

(Proposed by Cllr Edwards and seconded by Cllr Cohen and agreed unanimously)

Meeting concluded at 12.50PM

The next public meeting of the Board is scheduled for 9 October 2024 at 10.00AM with a pre-meeting for all board members at 9.45AM.

The next meeting of the Children and Families Scrutiny Board is scheduled for Wednesday 9 October at 10.00AM with a pre-meeting for all Board Members at 9.45am.