Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence and notification of any substitutes present.

Apologies were received from Mr D Brunning, Mrs T Dean, Ida Linfield and Mr Q Roper.

Mr R Bird attended as a substitute for Mrs T Dean.

To receive any declarations of interest made by Members in relation to any matter on the agenda. Members are reminded to specify the agenda item number to which it refers and the nature of the interest being declared.

1.    Dr Sullivan made a declaration of interest as her husband worked as an Early Help Worker for Kent County Council.

2.    Mrs Game made a declaration of interest as her relatives were receiving services from CAMHS.

3.    Mr Love made a declaration of interest as his wife worked for CXK.

To consider and approve the minutes as a correct record.

1.    Resolved that the minutes of the meetings of the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee held on 8 March 2018 are correctly recorded and that they be signed by the Chairman.

To note the minutes and to receive a brief update from the Chairman of Corporate Parenting Panel.

1.    Resolved that the minutes of the Corporate Parenting Panel held on 29 January 2018 be noted.

To receive an update from the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education and the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education.

1.    Roger Gough (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education) gave a verbal update on the following issue:

Primary Offer Day – Primary Offer Day took place on 16^th April, overall, just under 90% of children that were going into year R were given their families’ first preference of school. 97.7% of children going into year R secured one of their preferences. As a result, the allocations were at the lowest percentage that Kent had on record (2.2%). Kent were seeing the benefits of school expansions and were focusing on ensuring that as many children as possible secured one of their preferences.

2.    Matt Dunkley (Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education) gave a verbal update on the following issue:

Reforms for children with SEN and disabilities -In Kent, the levels of demand and spend for SEN were rising rapidly and schools in Kent were struggling to manage the intensity of the demand. Matt Dunkley said that the rising levels of demand and spend for SEN were an issue within the DSG within the school’s budgets and affected further education colleges and special schools as well as mainstream schools. Kent were working hard with head teachers and schools to ensure that HNF budgets were sustainably managed and ensuring that processes were in place to prevent further overspend. The new assessment process for EHCP’s was being reviewed internally to ensure that head teachers and parents were satisfied with the plan. The Government had introduced a Select Committee for SEND funding which would cover the assessment and support of children and young people with SEND, the transition from statements to EHCPs, the level and distribution of funding for SEND, the roles and co-operation between Education Health and Social Care sectors, and the provision for 19-25 year olds.

3.    RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted.

To receive a report which provides Members with a summary of the inspection outcomes for Kent Schools.

(Linda Pickles (Principal Adviser for Primary School Improvement) and Celia Buxton (Principal Adviser for Secondary, PRUs and Special Schools) were in attendance for this item)

1.    Mr Gough (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education) and Linda Pickles introduced the report which set out a summary of the inspection outcomes for Kent schools.

a)    In response to a question, Linda Pickles said that the report was solely based on the ofsted outcomes of Kent schools. Celia Buxton said the PRU’s were receiving significant support from the local authority.

b)    In response to a question, Linda Pickles said that she regularly met with the Mr Gough (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education) to ensure that suitable interventions were in place in schools. Mr Gough said that if a school was of concern, it would be scrutinised as its own matter.

c)    In response to a question, Celia Buxton said that the Ofsted structure and performance measures within mainstream schools was the same as those in PRU’s, although Ofsted did have specialist inspectors that looked closely at the journey of young people. She said that Kent’s expectation of young people within PRU’s should be as high as it was in any other schools.

d)    Mr Gough said that he would ensure that all Kent Ofsted reports were available to Members.

e)    In response to a question, Matt Dunkley said that the number of children who were being educated from home was increasing, and Kent provided a comprehensive service for checking and registering home education arrangements.

2.    RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive a report on the proposed policy ahead of a Cabinet Member Decision on the final Post 16 Transport Policy Statement.

(Scott Bagshaw (Head of Fair Access) was in attendance for this item)

1.    Scott Bagshaw introduced the report which set out the Post 16 Transport Policy for 2018-19.

a)    In response to a question, Scott Bagshaw said that the Leader of Kent County Council, Mr Carter had sent a letter to the Transport Minister regarding subsidised rail travel. However, to his knowledge there had not been a favourable response. The Chairman suggested that more should be done to pursue this, and an update be received by the Committee in 6 months’ time.

b)    In response to a question relating to the post 16 transport policy consultation, Scott Bagshaw said that although the amount of feedback received was lower than expected, Kent County Council wrote to all travel card holders. He said that the consultation strategies used were reviewed frequently to ensure that Kent received as much feedback as possible from users. It relied heavily on schools and colleges for distribution and asked that they use their various contact methods through texts to engage their learners etc.

c)    In response to a question, Scott Bagshaw said that he was not aware of restricted access to some routes at certain times but agreed to investigate this and invited Members to draw any areas of concern to his attention outside of the meeting.

d)    In response a question, Scott Bagshaw said that parents would be able to pay for annual passes in two instalments for 2018/19 academic year.  Schools and Colleges had been invited to assist their low-income learners entitled to bursary funding by paying for their passes directly then seeking to recover contributions through staggered payments. He confirmed that officers were exploring the possibility of staggered payments direct to KCC, but this could not be delivered before the 2019/20 academic year.  

e)    In response to a question, Scott Bagshaw explained that administering staggered payments directly would create a burden on KCC requiring the monitoring of thousands of payments every month. The existing resources were not in place to do this and as an uncapped scheme offering unlimited usage once the card was activated, it would require this level of audit were it to be pursued.  He commented that a payment plan could potentially be put in place for the scheme, but it was unlikely that the plan would be in place before 2019 and would require operational resource to administer this.

f)     In response to a question, Scott Bagshaw said that colleagues in public transport were engaging in a ‘Wheels to Work’ scheme which enabled people living in more rural communities to be able to have discounted access to mopeds if the bus connections meant that they were unable to access schools and colleges.

g)    In response to a question, Scott Bagshaw said that anyone could apply for the pass on behalf of learners and pay for it including schools and colleges provided they had a suitable payment card.  These institutions had been encouraged to develop a mechanism during their open day  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To receive a report which updates Members of the Committee on the propsal to establish a Speicialist Resource Provision at The Judd School.

(Jared Nehra (Area Education Officer – West Kent) was in attendance for this item)

1.    Jared Nehra introduced the report which set out the proposal to establish a Specialist Resource Provision at The Judd School.

a)    In response to questions and comments, Jared Nehra said that currently there was no specialist resource provision in grammar schools for girls in the West Kent area. He said that there was ambition to establish a similar provision at a girls’ selective school, this would be reviewed as part of the Commissioning Plan update.

2.    RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, to

(i)            establish a new Specialist Resource Provision for up to 20 students with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) at The Judd School, Brook Street, Tonbridge TN9 2PN;

(ii)          authorise the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with General Counsel to enter into any necessary contracts/agreements on behalf of the County Council; and

(iii)         authorise the Director of Infrastructure to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts,

be endorsed.

To receive a report which updates Members on the position statement for services within Specialist Children’s Services regarding Looked After Children (LAC) placed in Kent by Other Local Authorities (OLA) and the impact upon schools and Kent’s Children in Care and Youth Justice Services.

1.    Sarah Hammond (Interim Director of Specialist Children’s Services) introduced the report which set out a position statement for services within Specialist Children’s Services regarding Looked After Children placed in Kent by Other Local Authorities and the impact upon schools and Kent’s Children in Care and Youth Justice Services.

2.    Matt Dunkley reported on Kent’s position nationally with regards to LAC, he said that LAC had been a matter of concern in Kent for many years but highlighted the importance of setting realistic targets.

a)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that Kent had a statutory duty to publish a local offer letter for each area of Kent. She added that the placing Local Authority equally had a duty to request the local offer letter and consult with Kent for the needs of their young people.

b)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that the Local Authorities were aware of their own ongoing costs and said that it was the hosting authority’s responsibility to meet the costs of educating and transporting a child.

c)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that the difficulties present throughout the county in relation to LAC were well documented. She said that Kent were always clear about the risks that were associated with OLA LAC and if children were placed somewhere without alerting Kent, Kent would follow up to make the other Local Authorities aware of the challenges.

d)    In response to a question, Matt Dunkley explained the current position in Thanet with relation to LAC and said that it was important to recognise that many of the LAC were victims of their circumstances.

e)    The Chairman said that a progress report on OLA LAC would be added to the work programme.

f)     In response to a question, Matt Dunkley discussed the percentages of children living within each of the London boroughs and the effects that the population differences in each area had had on the statistics. Sarah Hammond said that she would try to find out the exact number of LAC in each area as opposed to percentages.

g)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that the figures within the report did not include care leavers, the duties to care leavers in relation to personal advisors and ongoing support remained with the placing authority. However, the housing duties did fall on the local borough and district councils.

h)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that Kent were in discussion with providers about the different views on the district-based data presented within the report. She expressed the importance of continuing to have conversations with providers and the placing authorities.

i)     In response to a question, Matt Dunkley said that residential homes were subject to the regulatory Ofsted inspection. If they were becoming inadequate, Ofsted would automatically warn the post Local Authority and the Local Authority who had children placed there of the fact they were becoming inadequate and what the implications were.

j)     In response  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive a report which updates Members on the performance of the Early Help and Preventative Commissioned Services in line with the contracts.

(Stuart Collins (Interim Director of Early Help and Preventative Services) was in attendance for this item)

1.    Mr Gough (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education) and Stuart Collins introduced the report which set out the performance of the Early Help and Preventative Services Commissioned Services.

a)    In response to a question relating to the KPI’s for Dartford, Helen Cook said the figures and targets for Dartford were being monitored closely. She added that it was difficult to reach out to needy young people unless the numbers were present.

b)    In response to a question, the Chairman said that a further, more detailed report would be added to the work programme.

c)    In response to a question, Helen Cook discussed the Sk8side and West Kent YMCA figures within the report and said that the figures differed due to the reports being prepared at different times.

d)    In response to a question, Helen Cook said that for those providers who had been on an improvement plan due to red indicators, the improvement plans had progressed well.

e)    In response to a question, Stuart Collins said that staff within the current underperforming organisations would have TUPE rights, He said that an in-house offer had not been considered as the services were set up as commissioned services and an in-house offer would affect the balance of Commissioned Services across the county.

f)     In response to a question, Helen Cook referred to the average number of caseloads per worker and said that some caseloads lasted longer than others.

g)    In response to a question, Helen Cook said that she would incorporate information relating to the youth centre’s targets, achievements and outcomes in a further report, the Chairman and Members of the Committee supported this.

2.    RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive a report which updates Members on the role of the Youth Advisory Groups and the governance arrangements at a district level.

(Stuart Collins (Interim Director of Early Help and Preventative Services) was in attendance for this item)

1.    Mr Gough (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education) and Stuart Collins introduced the report which provided an update on the role of the Youth Advisory Group and other district governance structures in place for 0-19 (and up to 25) services.

2.    The Chairman suggested that a further report be received by the Committee in September 2018 which would highlight the views and voice of the child.

3.    RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive a report which updates Members on the Local Offer for Care Leavers and the steps that are being taken to ensure that this is developed in close collaboration with care leavers, partner organisations and key providers.

1.    Sarah Hammond introduced the report which provided an overview as to why Kent County Council are required to produce a Local Offer for Care Leavers and the steps being taken to ensure that the Local Offer was developed in close collaboration with care leavers, partner organisations and key providers.

a)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that care leavers were able to contact Kent’s Children’s Services at any time for further support up until they reached their 25^th birthday.

b)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that Kent were hoping to expand the range of accommodation that was available to care leavers under housing related support, which previously was not available for care leavers.

c)    Ann Allen, Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel commented on the helpful input that the young people had given at the last meeting of the Panel. She added that the Corporate Parenting Panel continue to work with the young people to ensure that they are supported.

2.    The Chairman suggested that a further report be received by the Committee in January 2019, Members of the Committee supported this.

3.    RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive a report which updates Members on the strategicrisks relatingto the Children, Young People and Educationdirectorate.

(Mark Scrivener (Corporate Risk Manager and Interim Corporate Assurance Manager) was in attendance for this item)

1.    Mark Scrivener introduced the report which set out the strategicrisks relatingto the Children, Young People and Educationdirectorate.

a)    In response to a question, Mark Scrivener said that the NEET indicator had been removed as although it was still a risk, it was not as significant as it once was and could be managed through day-to-day business. Matt Dunkley said that when NEET was first identified as a risk it was 7%, and it had reduced to 2.3%, Kent’s performance was in the top quarter nationally. Mr Gough (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education) said that whilst NEET would always be a risk, the figures had improved significantly and a lot of progress had been made.

2.    RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, Specialist Children’s Services and Community Services; and the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education that sets out the targets and milestones for each year up to 2020, the Strategic Priority Statement, Vision and Priorities for Improvement, and service business plans.

(Stuart Collins (Interim Director of Early Help and Preventative Services) was in attendance for this item)

1.    The Chairman introduced the report which set out the Children, Young People and Education performance management framework and the milestones for each year up to 2020, set out in the Strategic Priority Statement, Vision and Priorities for Improvement, and service business plans.

a)    In response to a question, Matt Dunkley said that the take-up for two-year olds had decreased and was below the target of 80%. He said many parents did not wish to make use of the free childcare scheme. Mr Gough (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education) added to Matt Dunkley’s comments and talked about the localised pressures relating to the free childcare scheme.

b)    In response to a question, Stuart Collins mentioned the high volume of Domestic Abuse notifications and said that the Domestic Abuse notifications were sent straight to Children’s Social Services or to Early Help dependant on the severity of the case, and each notification was dealt with separately.

c)    In response to a question, Matt Dunkley talked about the percentage of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and the application process of an EHCP. He said that whilst the majority of EHCP requests came directly from parents, schools could also make a request/referral for an EHCP. He discussed the current EHCP pattern and said that the majority of EHCP’s were maintained on review, and not ceased. Mr Gough said that despite the EHCP not being a requirement, the demand for EHCP’s was ever-increasing.

d)    In response to a question, Sarah Hammond said that 55 Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) had been appointed recently and Kent had secured with Medway Council a significant funding stream under a teaching partnership for 2 years to be able to employ additional Senior Social Work Consultants to work alongside the NQSW’s. She said that this would lead to an overall reduction in workloads. She confirmed that there were approximately 1,600 care leavers, and approximately 900 previous Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children care leavers.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive the report from General Counsel that gives details of the proposed Work Programme for the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee.

1.    RESOLVED that the Work Programme be noted, subject to the inclusion of the items discussed in the meeting, and that the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee meeting dates be amended to reflect the revised meeting dates.

To receive a report which summarises the scope and activity of the Young Carers Service, commissioned on behalf of the Early Help and Preventative service directorate.

This will be accompanied by a film of young carers which will not be able to be shown in the open part of the meeting.

(Stuart Collins (Interim Director of Early Help and Preventative Services) and Helen Cook (Commissioning Manager – (Children’s) Early Help and Preventative Services) were in attendance for this item)

1.    A brief film relating to the work of young carers and the social action organisation, ‘Imago’ was shown to the Committee.

a)    In response to a question, Helen Cook said that Imago supported children and young carers if somebody close to them was seriously ill or had passed away.

b)    In response to a question, Helen Cook said that Imago’s aim was to contribute to the education of young people. Imago were focusing on workforce development and had were ensuring that all schools within Kent were aware of the service and raising awareness to support young carers.

c)    In response to a question relating to safeguarding, Helen Cook said that Imago would treat any safeguarding issue very seriously and ensure that the issue was dealt with at a county level.

d)    Ann Allen, the Chairman of Corporate Parenting Panel, referred to the work of the Corporate Parenting Panel and pointed out that most young people have smart phones, and therefore creating an app that connected them to other young carers would allow them to feel a sense of normality.

2.    On behalf of the Committee, the Chairman asked officers to register thanks to Imago for the support that had been provided to young carers and to the young carers themselves.

3.    RESOLVED that the report be noted.