Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 2022 were a correct record and that they be signed by the Chair.

1) Mrs Bell said the heatwave had brought the expected challenges with additional demand on the NHS, traffic queues and concurrent issues across the water network which saw some areas without water and some wildfires caused by or exacerbated by the heat. KCC led the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) response including communications to ensure timely and consistent messages. Dr Anjan Ghosh, Director of Public Health conducted several media interviews to promote advice about staying safe. It was forecast for the temperature to rise again towards the weekend. It was approaching the end of the school term and the start of the ‘summer getaway’ so KCC was working with KRF to manage the expected pressures on the road network as well as making sure people remained safe and well as they travelled through and to Kent.

Bird Flu was circulating in Kent and there was the largest outbreak on record among sea birds. This was of concern as sea birds had more regular interaction with humans and domestic animals. There was evidence that Bird Flu was spreading in other wildlife such as foxes and there were concerns there could be spread to domestic animals such as dogs. The spread was thought to be slowing as migratory birds had died or moved on with their young but the virus could spread to non-migratory flocks so it was important to take precautionary action. Posters and social media content had been circulated to affected areas and while it was important to inform residents and tourists, KCC wanted to reassure and encourage visitors to the Kent coast this summer. People were advised not to handle sick or dead birds or allow dogs near to any dead birds.

KCC was supporting the alcohol awareness campaign, Know Your Score which was running to end of July and the Better Health summer campaign, Shake Up Your Summer aiming to get families with young children more active with 10-minute ‘Shake Up’ games.

2) Mrs Prendergast said that the first Key Stage 2 attainment statistics since 2019 had recently been published, covering the attainment of year 6 pupils.  Sadly but not unexpectedly, 59% of pupils were assessed to be meeting the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths, down from 65% in 2019.

The Schools’ Bill had proved controversial, with a significant number of amendments made as it progressed through the House of Lords.  KCC was submitting an expression of interest in participating in the “test and learn” phase of the government plans to promote Local Authority established Multi Academy Trusts.  Whether KCC were successful or not, officers were to work with the Kent Association of Headteachers to engage the range of providers in the education sector to consider options related to the Schools Bill.

There had been an update on the locally commissioned review of 16-19 provision - Pathways for All. Members were urged to read the summary, if not the document in full.  Mrs Prendergast had recently met with Simon Cook, Chief Executive of Mid Kent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Christine McInnes, Director for Education and Mark Walker, Director for SEND were in attendance for this item.

1) Ms McInnes outlined the presentation (slides attached).

2) Further to comments and questions from Members, it was noted:

·       It was felt that KCC’s ambitions for children with SEND could be fulfilled within mainstream schools in many cases and work was ongoing to support schools.

·       The approach to inclusive education was in line with KCC’s response to the SEND Green Paper Consultation and the Written Statement of Action.

Sarah Hammond, Interim Corporate Director for CYPE and Mark Walker, Director for SEND was in attendance for this item.

1) Mrs Chandler introduced the report.

2) Ms Hammond outlined the report.

3) Further to comments, it was noted:

·       Partnership arrangements were crucial and if the arrangements worked well, opportunities would be a lot greater for children across the county. This was emphasised within KCC’s response to the SEND Green Paper Consultation.

·       The ways of working and building partnerships were important and it had been suggested in KCC’s response that schools be supported with any inspection regimes going forward, helping schools to focus more on SEND within the school environment.

4) RESOLVED to agree the recommendations as outlined in the report.

Sarah Hammond, Interim Corporate Director for CYPE was in attendance for this item.

1) The Leader and Mrs Chandler introduced the report.

2) Ms Hammond outlined the report and presentation regarding the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care undertaken by Josh MacAlister (slides attached).

3) Further to questions and comments from Members, it was noted:

·         A ‘step-up, step-down’ system had been used. ‘Stepped-up’ were cases that needed to legally be held by a Social Worker and ‘stepped-down’ were cases assigned to an Early Help Worker. It had been proposed in Josh MacAlister’s review that this be disposed of and that there be blended teams with both Social Workers and Early Help.

·         A more integrated, partnership approach with Regional Care Cooperatives was welcomed and it was felt that it would be beneficial for KCC to have the freedom to pair up with London boroughs, particularly in south London and not just other authorities in the south east. Much of the challenge in terms of the market was coming from the London boroughs.

·         It was reported there had been insufficient data sharing between agencies when legislation allowed for more data to be shared. Information sharing was working well in Kent but nationally, it had been working less well. It was queried whether it was proposed to resurrect the ‘Contact Point’ database in order to improve data sharing. The information on the database would help to inform professionals safeguarding children. It was suggested that a solution would require a child to be added to a database at birth, with ‘thin’ information held on the majority of children but those with disabilities, health concerns or vulnerabilities would have most information collected.

4) RESOLVED to note the report.

Christine McInnes, Director for Education was in attendance for this item.

1) Mrs Prendergast introduced the report.

2) Ms McInnes outlined the presentation (slides attached).

3) Further to questions from Members, it was noted:

·       Some changes were to be in place by September 2023. There were 2 pilot schemes (in the Gravesham and Dover areas) of joint planning between post-16 education providers to try to get more of a spread within local areas.

4) RESOLVED to note the report.

David Adams, Reconnect Programme Manager, was in attendance for this item.

1) Mrs Chandler introduced the report.

2) Mr Adams outlined the report.

3) Further to comments and questions, it was noted:

·       It was felt there were pressures over the summer on communities and in particular, young people due to the ‘cost of living’ crisis. The continuation of this work was important in making a difference over the coming weeks as well as going into the autumn. It was important that messages were shared widely about the programme so that people were aware of what was available.

·       The countywide Youth Forum mentioned in the report at point 5.4 referred to a forum for providers of services to young people, rather than a forum for young people themselves.

4) RESOLVED to agree the recommendations as outlined in the report.

To follow.

The Leader advised Members that this agenda item had been superseded by notice of two Forthcoming Executive Decisions and therefore, the item would not be discussed at the meeting.