Agenda and minutes

CO-OPTED MEMBER (VOTING)

Mr E A Britten - Church Representative (Catholic)

Mr A Graham – Church Representative (Church of England)

CO-OPTED MEMBERS (NON-VOTING)

Mr N Tones – School Staff Representative

Ms H Bellamy – School Staff Representative

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 considered by the Board.

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.

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.

The Board received the following apologies:

Ms K Blacker – Co-opted Member

Ms J Ward – Co-opted Member

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th September 2023

The Board noted that the minutes from the meeting held on 6 September did not reference attendance from the Board’s co-opted members and therefore need to be amended to reflect those that attended.

The Board also raised a query in respect of an item considered at the September meeting on the Impact of Asylum changes on children in Leeds, with a view to potentially bringing back a further update item once the impact of the recent Illegal Immigration  Act (2023) was being felt in Leeds. It was agreed that this would be picked up under the Work Programme item.

RESOLVED:

That subject to the amendment to the attendance at the meeting, the minutes of the meeting held on 6th September 2023 be agreed as an accurate record.

To receive a report from the Head of Democratic Services which provides an update on Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) activity. This follows discussion at the Board’s 8 March 2023 meeting where it was resolved that a further update would be brough to the Board in the Autumn.

The report of the Head of Democratic Services set out to the context and background of the Board’s past interest in the work of the Leeds Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (LSCP).

In 2022/23 the Board considered a number of work items in relation to the Notification of Serious Child Safeguarding Incidents. The board requested and received updates from the LSCP Executive throughout this period the last of which was during the meeting on 8 March 2023.

Following discussion, and recorded in the minutes from the meeting held on 8 March 2023, agreed actions that formed the basis of the latest update report and presented to the Board were:

•  The findings from the LSCP Executive’s twelve-month review of its revised notification processes, which will be undertaken in July 2023.

•  Progress on the work being undertaken around practitioner escalation and resolution of concerns.

•  Capturing the voice of the child and evidencing how the learning stemming from reviews is being disseminated and is improving outcomes for children and young people.

•  Addressing the use of language and jargon and understanding the use of definitions used in the sector.

•  The work being undertaken to ensure the use of accurate and timely risk assessments and improving awareness and understanding amongst practitioners around differing risk assessment processes.

•  The Leeds input into the review of the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 guidance, with an update on progress dependent upon the timing of the national review process.

•  Clarification of the levels of oversight, including democratic oversight, that surrounds those Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews that are notified to the National Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.

The following were in attendance for this item:

•  Julie Longworth, Director of Children and Families

•  Jo Harding, Director of Nursing and Quality, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

•  Councillor Pryor Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education

•  Phil Coneron, Interim Business Unit Manager for the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership

•  Rebecca Roberts, Section Head of Social Care Legal and legal adviser to the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership

Responding to question from members the following discussion points were raised:

•  Members were interested in hearing more detail about how the child’s voice is captured by the partnership as discussed under section 3 of the submitted report and specifically around how feedback from children and young people has impacted the findings of reviews and the wider work of the LSCP. The Board were informed that feedback can vary depending on the age of the child involved but through the independent authors that are commissioned to conduct Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPRs) meetings with the child or young person do take place and also feedback is provided to them on learning that has resulted from their case. It was acknowledged that when recommendations are made during CSPRs there is more work to do in terms of ensuring that reviews impact practice and make a difference on the frontline and outcomes for children and young people. Further work is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

To receive a report from the Director of Children and Families setting out information on school attendance in Leeds. This follows Board requests for more information on reduced attendance rates compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The Board received the report from the Director of Children and Families providing an overview of school attendance in Leeds. This included relevant Leeds data, an overview of actions the LA has taken to support schools in their work to improve attendance and a summary of planned actions the LA will take to support schools in their work to improve attendance and reduce absence.

The following were in attendance for this item:

·  Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education

·  Julie Longworth, Director of Children and Families

·  Rebecca McCormack, Head of Service Vulnerable Learners

·  Jancis Andrew, Headteacher Virtual School Looked After Children

In opening remarks both the Chair and Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Learning stressed the importance of school attendance and the importance it plays in effective learning and attainment and ensuring that children and young people reach their potential.

The Executive Member provided a summary of the attendance position highlighting the national trends that have seen an increase in persistent absence since the pandemic from approximately just over 10% to now being slightly over 20%, that position is also reflected in Leeds.

Leeds ranks 74^th out of 152 local authorities overall and attendance is a key element of the 3As strategy at priority 2. Cllr Pryor also noted that the data does not identify underlying causes of the increases in absence and further highlighted the need for additional resources within schools to tackle the problem and welcomed the comments of Board members on the issues faced in relation to school attendance in the city as part of this report.

Responding to questions from members the following discussion points were raised:

·  Board members highlighted the issues with children and young people who are unable to attend mainstream secondary school settings for a variety of reasons but a key reason being the size of schools and also problems in diagnosing children and young people due to backlogs both nationally and locally in identifying conditions that children and young people might have. Members believed that there was a need for a different kind of provision between mainstream and SILC settings to provide appropriate places of learning for this cohort of children and young people. Members suggested a piece of work at a national and local level to understand the barriers and reasons for this cohort not attending school. It was believed that mental health is a key issue much of which has been evident post pandemic.

·  Members further noted that EHCPs are not always the answer to the issues that have been identified with many pupils who are persistently absent often needing short term support that the model offered by EHCPs does not fit and this links into some of the demand issues being felt by the SENSAP team. The Board noted that waiting lists for diagnosis of conditions for children and young people is a priority for the Integrated Care Board in terms of speeding assessments up through services such as CAMHS, it was further noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

To consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services that provides an update on the planned work on the impact of vaping on children and young people in the city, following news that the government intends to make disposable vapes illegal.

The Board considered a report from the Head of Democratic Services setting out an update on the Board’s interest in youth vaping following consideration at its meeting in July 2023.

The following were in attendance for this item:

·  Rob Clayton, Principal Scrutiny  Advisor

·  Helen Goddard, Advance Health Improvement Specialist

By way of introduction the Chair set out recent context linked to this issue. The Government and media coverage has been suggesting that disposable vapes are to be made illegal in the near future. This resulted in the postponement of a planned Scrutiny Working Group on 27 September as it was thought that many of the key aims established for the Board’s work were likely to be met through disposable vapes being made illegal.

The following issues were raised in discussion:

·  Responding to a question from the Board on how definitive the suggestions from Government and media coverage on disposable vapes had been, the Scrutiny Advisor and Chair noted that it had been covered by a number of different media outlets and that the main risk of progressing with the working group as had been planned was the possibility of duplication and the recommendations being superseded by Government announcements.

·  The Chair added that if an announcement on vaping had not been made by the next Board meeting on 29 November the plan to hold a working group would be re-established. The Chair emphasised that the Board is adopting a watching brief on the issue would revisit it if no further announcements were made.

Resolved:

The Board:

a)  Noted the potential for a government announcement that would make disposable vapes illegal

b)  Agreed to adopt a ‘watching brief’ on this issue to ensure that if no further announcements are made the issue will be revisited through a working group.

To consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services that provides a summary note from the Provision of EHCP Support Working Group held on 22 September 2023

The Board considered a report from the Head of Democratic Services which provided a summary of the Working Group on the Provision of EHCP support that took place on 22 September 2023.

The Board agreed Terms of Reference for the inquiry at the 6 September Board meeting and the working group considered further details from the children and families directorate in terms of the latest position on EHCP performance and other related matters set out in the Terms of Reference. In addition, the working group also featured input from PWC as they conduct their independent review of EHCP processes in Leeds.

The Chair set out the planned next steps in the inquiry work. The Board has identified stakeholder consultation as an important element of this work and whilst also noting the engagement work being carried out by PWC there remained a desire to meet directly with stakeholders to understand the lived experiences of those who are dealing with EHCP related services.

As a result, it was agreed that a Working Group to facilitate stakeholder engagement will be set up in November 2023.

Resolved

The Board:

a)  Noted the Working Group summary into the Provision of EHCP support in Leeds which was held on 22 September 2023.

b)  Agreed to carry out direct stakeholder engagement through a further Working Group to be set up in November 2023.

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work schedule for the 2023/24 municipal year.

The Board considered the latest position on the Board’s Work Programme for 2023/24 through the submitted report from the Head of Democratic Services.

The Scrutiny Advisor noted the comments made under the Minutes from the 6 September meeting referring to the Impact of Asylum Changes on Children and Young People in Leeds and suggested that the future programming of that will be picked up through consultation with the Chair.

The Chair also noted that the pre-meetings for the remainder of the municipal year will commence at 9.45AM.

Resolved:

The Board:

a)  Noted the contents of the submitted work programme report.

The next public meeting of the Board will take place on 29 November 2023 at 10.00am. There will be a pre-meeting for all board members at 9.30am

The next public meeting of the Board will take place on 29 November 2023 at 10.00am. There will be a pre-meeting for all board members at 9.45am