Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Mrs McArthur for whom Mr Whiting was present as substitute, and Mr Campkin for whom Ms Hawkins was present as substitute.  

Mr Beaney and Ms Ainslie-Malik were present virtually.

Dr Sullivan declared an interest in item 14, Commissioned Youth Service Contracts, and item 17, Kent and Medway Integrated Care Strategy.

Mr Manion declared an interest in item 18, Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education Membership.

1) RESOLVED that the minutes were an accurate record of the meeting held on 12 September 2023.

Karen Stone,Revenue Finance Manager (0 - 25 services), Dave Shipton, Head of Finance (Policy, Planning & Strategy) and Zena Cooke, Corporate Director of Finance were in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Oakford, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded Services, provided a high level overview of the budget position.  He noted that at the midpoint of the current year, there was a total overspend of around £36,000,000.  Around £28,000,000 of this overspend coming from providing Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) services.  Kent County Council’s (KCC) reserves were low and should not be regularly relied upon to balance overspends at the end of the year.

Initially the 2024-25 budget had a £100,000,000 deficit however savings had been identified to reduce this to around £50,000,000.  Work would continue to identify further savings and income opportunities in order to present a balanced budget to Council in February 2024.  

2.    Mrs Chandler, Cabinet Member for Integrated Childrens Services and Mr Love, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, provided the Committee with further details relating specifically to their portfolios.  The following points were noted:

·       The costs relating to children in care (CIC) placements and disabled children’s services continued to rise despite careful management of the demand.  These costs were mainly driven by rises in the market costs of care provision. 

·       KCC was part of two regional initiatives, one for placements and one for foster care, recruitment and retention.  These initiatives could help to stabilise the cost of care.  Further savings had been identified as part of ongoing work to review how services were delivered.

·       The increase in the cost of home to school transport was a challenge to manage.  Action had already been taken around discretionary services, but further action would be required.

·       The increase in the cost of providing special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pupils with home to school transport was a concern.  The costs were partly due to the number of children identified as eligible for the support.  The SEND team were taking action to identify the most urgent cases in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice. 

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

·       Kent had a relatively low number of children in care compared to other counties however, the cost of children’s care placements were high.

·       It was good to have the budget so early, as it allowed questions to be raised before Council in February 2024.

·       When service cuts were proposed to save money, it was important to ensure that the costs were not passed on to other services or delayed until later.  Some issues could become more acute and more expensive to support if they were left unaddressed.  For example, a reduction in the early help offer might lead to more referrals later in life.

·       Early care preventive services helped to reduce the number of children in care.  Some discretionary services provided a cost saving overall by addressing problems at an early stage.

·       The dashboards were a good  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

1.    Mr Love provided his Cabinet Member Verbal Update as follows:

1.1.       Kent Test Results

Results were received on Wednesday 18th October.  17,037 children sat the Test this year.  11,170 of these lived in the Kent and the remainder were from other local authority areas.  5,050 children from Kent were assessed as being suitable for a grammar school place, however this was not a guarantee of a grammar school place.  Congratulations were offered to all those who passed. 

Thanks were offered to all the school and KCC staff who worked hard to ensure the process ran smoothly.  Kent also had many non-grammar schools that offered an excellent standard of education.  The secondary school application deadline was 31 October and school places would be offered on 1 March 2024

1.2.       Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Roadshows

The SEND Information Hub Advice and Guidance Roadshows continued to take place across Kent as part of the commitment to improving SEND services for Kent families.  They included speakers from the SEND Information Hub Team, Kent PACT and healthcare navigators, to help families learn more about the support available to them.  The next session would be on 8 December at the Poppy Children’s Centre in Herne Bay.  Information about all upcoming events would be shared with subscribers to the SEND parent newsletter, and details were available on the KCC website.

1.3.       Elective Home Education

Congratulations were extended to the Elective Home Education Team who were awarded with a Silver Kit Award by the home education charity Education Otherwise.  The award was based on nominations made by families in recognition of excellent practices across the department. 

1.4.       Roseacre / Bearsted Climate Action Network visit

Mr Love attended an exhibition organised by Roseacre Junior School and the Bearsted Climate Action Network on 10 November.  Local councillors and Helen Whately MP were also in attendance.  The children exhibited a range of eco-inspired artwork and held a question and answer session.

1.5.       SEND Accelerated Progress Plan

The Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England carried out a six month review of the SEND Accelerated Progress Plan on 15 November.  Thanks were offered to the partners across Kent who have worked collaboratively to improve the service for parents, carers and children.

1.6.       Kent Association of Leaders in Education Annual Conference

Mr Love attended the Conference on 16 November.  It offered a chance to hear about educational issues from a number of Kent’s headteachers.

1.7.       Sheppey Schools Briefing

A special briefing had been arranged on 24 November.  It would discuss the arrangements for the separation of the school into two smaller academy schools.  The chief executives of both academies would outline their vision for education on Sheppey.  Members were encouraged to attend.

2.    Mrs Chandler provided her Cabinet Member Verbal Update as follows:

2.1.       Foster Carer Awards 2023

Mrs Chandler opened the Kent Fostering Service’s Award Ceremony at Detling Showground on 10 November.  294 nominations for foster carers and staff were received.  Mr Cooke, Chair of KCC, and Mr Ross, Chair  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Katherine Atkinson, Assistant Director, Management Information & Intelligence CYPE and Christine McInnes, Director of Education and SEN were in attendance for this item.

1.    Ms Atkinson introduced the report that detailed performance up to the end of September.

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

·       Childrens 2023 exam results were lower than expected in Kent, this reflected a national trend of lower than expected attainment.  

·       The Education People, a commissioned school improvement service, undertook targeted action to support less able children in order to reduce the attainment gap.

·       There was concern that vulnerable learners were not adequately supported as a number of KPI’s appeared to be trending downwards.

·       The education health and care plan (EHCP) KPI for completed assessments within 20 weeks had changed.  The new target was introduced following work with the DfE and the SEND Improvement and Assurance Board.  It incorporated a three monthly stepped progression of improvement. 

·       From April to September 2023, it appeared that no EHCPs from the Canterbury area had been completed within the 20 week target time.  However, more EHCPs, that were older than 20 weeks, had been completed from the Canterbury area than anywhere else during the period.  The actions underway to improve the service were open and transparent, full co-operation would be offered with any investigation if required. 

·       There was concern that there was a rise in the number of exclusions from schools.  This rise reflected a national trend, however KCC worked with schools to prevent exclusions where possible.

3.    RESOLVED to note the report.

Katherine Atkinson, Assistant Director, Management Information & Intelligence CYPE and Christine McInnes, Director of Education and SEN were in attendance for this item.

1.    Ms Atkinson introduced the Ofsted Update that detailed school inspections up to 30 September 2023.

2.    RESOLVED to note the report.

Carolann James, Interim Director of Operational Integrated Children's Services, Hema Birdi, Assistant Director - Adolescents and Open Access East/South, Danielle Day, Family Hubs Project Manager, Wendy Jefferys, Public Health Specialist, and Anjan Ghosh Director of Public Health were in attendance for this item.

1.    Mrs Chandler introduced the item advising that the report detailed a proposed delivery model to provide a joined up service from birth up to the age of 19, or age of 25 for those with SEND.

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

·       There was no information about the number of hubs or their location.  The consultation responses emphasised the importance of having a somewhere for face to face interaction.

·      Face to face interaction did not necessarily require a designated building, for example home visits offered face to face interaction.

·       Grant funding of £11,000,000 would be used to transform services in to family hubs.  This would include training and development of the workforce.  

·       The Family Hubs model would provide a more consistent offer of services across Kent, and there was the opportunity to provide additional specific services in response to specific local need.

·       The allocation of £500,000 for capital expenditure suggested that there would not be the need too significantly adapt buildings.

·       The core services that had been identified were good however, it could be difficult to deliver them all from a single hub as there were so many. 

·       The dedicated safe space for young people would probably be sited where the delivery of young people’s services took place.

·       The Family Hubs model would enable joined up working with partners by bringing services together. 

·       The test sites had generated qualitative information and the feedback had detailed what was important to young people.  Online services could be good for some situations but were not always suitable.

·       The location of the hubs was very important, consideration should be given to how people who were reliant upon public transport would access them. 

·       In the past, open access to youth services proved a valuable refuge for young people in times of urgent need.  Discussions were taking place with youth groups and young people about the proposals.

·       The consultation coincided with the school holidays which may have reduced the level of engagement.  

·       There was concern that the proposals were heavily reliant upon the voluntary sector and there appeared to be a gap in provision of services for primary school aged children.

·       The division of expenditure was evolving and had not been broken down into age groups at this stage.

·       There needed to be a clear and reassuring message that Family Hubs would not leave people without services.

3.    RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision to;

a.    Approve the implementation of the Family Hub model in Kent, as per the arrangements set out in the report.

b.    Approve the development and delivery of the workstreams detailed within the Start for Life and Family Hub programme.

c.     Confirm the viability of the Kent Family Hub model within any  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Nick Abrahams, Area Education Officer – West Kent and Christine McInnes Director of Education and SEN were in attendance for this item.

1. Mr Love introduced the Plan noting that it was a rolling five year programme, updated every year, to assess the likely number of school places required.

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

·       The year seven cohort starting in September 2024, was expected to be the largest cohort Kent had ever had.  

·       There was sometimes a miss-match between where children lived and the location of schools.  This was because large scale housing development often took place in more rural areas.

·       The movement of people in and out of Kent did not have a significant impact upon the overall number of school places required.

·       The Dartford area was becoming increasingly populated.  Instead of expanding the existing schools, consideration should be given to the provision of new schools.

·       A review was currently underway to inform where, when and how many additional specialist school places would be needed across Kent in the future.

·       If schools were encouraged to offer additional places, parents would have more choice of schools, however, normally schools could only expand in multiples of around 30 places.

3.    RESOLVED to endorse the Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2024-28 to the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, prior to the final version being considered by Cabinet on 25 January 2024.

Marisa White, Area Education Officer - East Kent and Christine McInnes, Director of Education and SEN were in attendance for this item.

1.    Ms White introduced the Plan noting that this was the first time it had been produced, and that it would feed into the Kent Commissioning Plan for Education Provision.

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

·       Some independent schools that offered SEND services had increased their fees above the rate of inflation.  KCC challenged schools when their fees seemed higher than the national standard, and the long term goal was to reduce the dependency on the independent sector.

·       Work with collages was underway to improve the higher education offer for future SEND students.

·       There had been a detailed review of the early years provision that would feed into the Plan.

·       The Plan would be reviewed annually and was intended to meet the needs of the children coming through the system.

·       The creation of satellite special schools was driven by the need for more capacity as numbers increased, and the benefit to children from social integration with mainstream school peers.

3.    RESOLVED to endorse the Special Education Needs Sufficiency Plan 2024-28 to the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, prior to the final version being considered by Cabinet on 25th January 2024.

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

1. Ms McInnes introduced the report and noted that the Ombudsman had recommended it be brought before the Committee as faults had been found after KCC had advised that improvements had been made.

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

·       The aim was to develop a functional and sustainable system that worked over the long term.  The choice had been made to focus on long term sustainable improvement rather than short term fixes.

·       The Kent SEND Sufficiency Plan 2023 had been developed as part of the drive for the sustainable improvement of the service.  It would ensure the right provision was in place for children to access locally. 

·       There were 116 different projects within the Accelerated Progress Plan which would support the improvement process, alongside 50 projects in the Safety Valve.

·       Working on the longest outstanding EHCP cases first and building a sustainable system was the right approach; however, the Ombudsman was concerned that there still could be SEND children who had been without education provision for a long time.

·       There could be a benefit in holding a private briefing to allow Members to hear which schools were reluctant to accept SEND pupils, and to consider what actions could be taken to support these schools. 

·       The offer of education could be in the home, out of the home or a combination of both.  Parents and carers always had the option to refuse what was offered, and this could sometimes make it difficult for KCC to meet its statutory responsibilities.

·       Following the Ombudsman’s review last year, systems were put in place to provide clear monitoring of children who were in and out of mainstream education.  When children did not attend school they received tutoring much more quickly, and safeguarding processes had been improved.    The staff group was also more stable, and they were required to do mandatory training.  There were clear signs of improvement within the Service.

3. RESOLVED to note the contents of the report and the actions the Council intends to take as a result.

Katherine Atkinson, Assistant Director, Management Information & Intelligence CYPE and Christine McInnes, Director of Education and SEN were in attendance for this item.

1.    Ms Atkinson introduced the report noting that KCC would support local authority maintained schools to contract their own suppliers for management information systems and financial accounting systems.

2.    RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision to:

a.    No longer purchase management information systems and financial accounting systems for maintained schools.

b.    To support schools to contract directly with their supplier of choice with competitive pricing negotiated by Kent (including signing the Facilitation Agreement with ESS to enable this for SIMS).

c.     Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, to take necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into contracts and other legal agreements, as required to implement the decision.

Christy Holden, Head of Commissioning and Carolann James, Interim Director of Operational Integrated Children’s Services were in attendance for this item.

1.    Mrs Chandler introduced the report noting that the contracts were due to expire and that the services were discretionary.  There was an in-house KCC youth service that would continue, and it would be delivered through the family hubs.

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

·       There was no intention to stop youth services.  KCC would work with the providers impacted by the proposals, to help them find alternative funding.

·       There was concern that discontinuing the contracts could lead to additional support costs elsewhere. 

·       The Family Hubs model offered the opportunity to develop what was offered to those aged from 0 to 19.  The services to support young people would be face to face, via outreach projects and on digital platforms.

·       Since the Covid 19 Pandemic there had been a rise in anxiety and other mental health issues. 

·       Local clubs and activity centres were concerned that competition for funding and grants could make it difficult for them to continue providing services once KCC funding ceased.

·       There had been lots of studies that demonstrated the importance of diversionary activity for young people and how this activity enhanced community life.

·       External legal advice was often sought when significant decisions were to be made.  Mrs Chandler was satisfied that the decision would be legally sound.

3.    RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision to;

a.    Agree to cease the delivery of service provision through the commissioned Youth Service contracts from 1 April 2024 when existing contracts come to an end.

b.    Delegate authority to the Corporate Director for Children, Young People and Education to take necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into any relevant contracts and other legal agreements, as required to implement this decision.

4.    In accordance with paragraph 16.31 of the Constitution, Dr Sullivan, Mr Brady, Mrs Dean, Mr Stepto and Ms Hawkins wished for it to be recorded in the minutes that they voted against the endorsement of the proposed decision.

Kevin Kasaven,Director of Children's Countywide Services was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Kasaven introduced the report that detailed an application to the DfE which, if successful, would extend the existing programme from 50 looked after children to 100.

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

·       There was an existing process in place to identify those eligible that could easily be expanded to identify the additional children.

3.    RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision to;

a.    Accept the funding from the Department for Education to enable the delivery of the Family finding, befriending and mentoring programmes.

b.    Delegate decisions on the implementation to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, or other Officer, as appropriate.

Anjan Ghosh,Director of Public Health and Jenny Dixon-Sherreard, Policy Advisor were in attendance for this item.

1. Mr Ghosh and Ms Dixon-Sherreard introduced the Strategy that had been developed through extensive consultation and workshops with stakeholders. 

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

·       The section regarding prevention was welcome. 

·       The indicators needed consider how hard to reach communities were helped.  There was often a correlation between hard to reach areas of deprivation, and rates of smoking and obesity.

·       Decision making would be driven by the senior leadership of KCC, Medway Council and NHS Kent and Medway who were the three statutory bodies.

·       The Strategy was a partnership document that would help to get best value from public funds.

3. RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision that Cabinet approve the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Strategy on behalf of KCC, attached as appendix A to the report.

Joel Cook, Democratic Services Manager was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Cook introduced the report that reviewed the membership of Kent SACRE following the 2021 Census and recent legal proceedings regarding Humanist representation.

2.    RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision that the Leader of the Council:

a.    Approve the new Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) membership arrangements as shown in appendix 1 of the report.

b.     Delegate authority to the Democratic Services Manager, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to take relevant actions including but not limited to entering into contracts or other legal agreements, as needed to implement this decision.

1.    RESOLVED to agree the work programme, and consider at the next agenda setting meeting the addition of an item about the provisions available for post 16 year olds who were vulnerable learners, not in education or employment, and unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Christy Holden, Head of Commissioning, Steve Lusk, Senior Commissioner and Kevin Kasaven, Director of Children's Countywide Services, were in attendance for this item.

1.    The Committee went into private session to consider the item, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

2.    Ms Holden introduced the report that proposed to extend the existing contract to allow time to fully explore options for the future of the service.

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

·       Any decision regarding the future of the service would be brought to the Committee for consideration. 

·       Unspent payments could indicate that there had been a change in the needs of the child or young person.  This could trigger a review of their needs.

·       About a fifth of the payments were unspent and returned to KCC each year.  It was important that parents and carers were given advice on how to spend the payments in a way that effectively supported their children and young people. 

4.    RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision that the Cabinet Member authorise additional expenditure to extend the Direct Payment Support Service contract for 12 months from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.