Agenda item

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services which updates the Board on the key developments across Children’s Services and outlines progress against specific priorities contained within the Children and Young People’s Plan.

As part of its process of receiving regular progress reports on the Council’s Children and Young People’s Plan, the Board considered a report submitted by the Director of Children’s Services which included updates on two particular aspects of the Plan, the anti-bullying strategy and services for children and young people with mental and emotional health needs.

In attendance at the meeting were Rosemary Archer, Director of Children’s Services, Hilary Farmery of Education Leeds and Ashley Wyatt, from CAHMS, who responded to Members’ queries and comments.  In brief summary, the main areas of discussion were:-

• The next steps for the Children’s Trust arrangements (Paras. 2.7 and 2.8 of report refer);
• The current consultation exercise in respect of the updated Children and Young People’s Plan 2009-2014 (Para. 4.5 refers);
• Current anti-bullying strategy and initiatives (Para. 5.2 onwards);
• Current services and proposed improvements to services aimed at children and young people with mental and emotional health difficulties (Para. 5.15 onwards);
• Due to the increased measures put in place to tackle bullying, and the growing confidence of young people to report bullying, it was anticipated that initially there would be an increase in the number of instances being reported, but this should show a reduction as policies and strategies came into play and issues were addressed.  A fairer assessment of how effectively the strategy was working would be gained in 18 months time, when detailed information would be available to the Board;
• Whilst acknowledging bullying as a very real problem and welcoming initiatives to tackle it, concern was raised regarding the effect this would, and was, having on school-based staff, in terms of increased workload in tackling bullying, and often shortened break times in an attempt to reduce the opportunities for bullying;
• Comment was made that the initiatives also concentrated on in-school bullying, rather than out of school bullying, or on so-called cyber-bullying. Was any work done with the families of children who were either being bullied, or were doing the bullying?
• The problems of special needs pupils was discussed, both in terms of being bullied and whether they were sufficiently equipped to take advantage of the reporting avenues, but also cases of bullying carried out by special needs pupils, particularly at primary school, and whether these were appropriately addressed.
• Concern was expressed regarding the use of valuable Educational Psychologist time in assessing the anti-bullying pilot project within Ralph Thoresby High School, and whether this was having a detrimental effect on the Education Authority’s ability to complete timely SEN statements.

The officers responded to the issues raised.  In terms of the possible effect on school-based staff of the anti-bullying strategy, an assurance was given that this issue would be picked up as part of the JCC process.  Out of school bullying was more difficult to directly address, but there were currently 20 Safer Schools Partnerships across Leeds, with a police presence on site at least 3 days a week, and plans to roll-out this initiative across Leeds.  Work was done with families of bullied pupils and families where bullying was identified as a problem.  Self-esteem workshops, skilling youngsters to cope with bullying, as well as the peer mentors for children identified as vulnerable were other initiatives.  All Children’s Services staff were being issued with guidance relating to bullying, and this would include reference to special needs children.  Only two psychologists were involved, for a limited time, in evaluating the pilot project at Ralph Thoresby High School.

Reference was also made to the national CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services) review, and the fact that Leeds was taking part in a pilot on ‘Targeted mental health in Schools’, which would encompass not just the specialist staff in schools, but the more generic staff as well.  This was in addition to all the other work identified in the report, and that recently reported to the Board at a previous meeting.

In conclusion, the Board felt it was important that the initiatives were co-ordinated, to provide a wrap-around service for young people both in school and out of school, as an integral part of the Safeguarding agenda.  There also needed to be more work done on establishing improvement targets against which future progress could be measured. 

RESOLVED – That subject to the above comments, the update report be received and noted.

(N.B. Councillor Townsley declared a personal interest in this item, in relation to his daughter, who is a teacher at Ralph Thoresby High School).