Agenda item

David Whittle (Director of Strategy, Policy, Relationships & Corporate Assurance) and Matthew Wagner (Chief Analyst, Strategy, Policy, Relationships & Corporate Assurance) was in attendance for this item

1.    Mr  Wagner outlined the report for Quarter 3 (Q3, 2024/25) which set out the performance data up to the end of December 2024. Mr Wagner noted that of the 38 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) contained within the QPR, 17 achieved target (Green), and 12 achieved or exceeded the floor standard but did not meet target (Amber) and 9 KPIs did not meet the floor standard (Red). With regards to Direction of Travel, 10 indicators showed a positive trend (one fewer than the previous Quarter), 22 were stable or with no clear trend (the same as the previous Quarter), and six were showing a negative trend (the same as the previous Quarter). Following changes in Ofsted’s reporting of inspections of schools and early years’ settings, two KPIs in the Education & Skills section have now been removed. The direction of travel analysis was positive in comparison to quarter three last year, when there were three fewer KPIs on an improving trend and five more KPIs on a worsening trend than in the report presented. Mr Wagner addressed the KPIs assessed as Red.

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

·         Percentage of phone calls to Contact Point which were answered – it was noted that performance had improved since the last quarter and had moved from an Amber rating to Green.

·         FOI requests completed within timescale – the number of requests completed within timescale had improved within Q3 and reached its highest level of performance in over four years. Therefore, whilst it remained rated Red,  the concerted effort from staff and utilisation of technology had seen performance levels improve.

·         Percentage of Early Help cases closed with outcomes achieved that come back to Early Help or Children’s Social Work teams within 3 months – Mrs Chandler commended the teams and staff who continued to deliver the service against a background of increased referral numbers and increased number of complex cases. Mrs Chandler commended the teams for remaining on track with their performance.

·         Percentage of case holding posts filled by permanent qualified social workers -  Mrs Chandler commented on the improved performance under this KPI and highlighted the significant amount of work around the retention and recruitment of new Social Workers.

·         The percentage of Children in Care (excluding UASC) placed in KCC in-house foster care or with family/friends – Mrs Chandler noted that whilst the performance remained below floor standard there remained a number of factors which impacted on KCC’s ability to maintain its percentage of foster carers. However, work continued on the initiatives to increase the number of fostering households. There had also been an increase in children with more complex needs for which foster care was not an option. The implementation of in-house provision aimed to address this.

·         Percentage of Education, Health Care Plans (EHCPs) issued within 20 weeks – rolling 12 months – Mr Love  highlighted that the figure in the report was a 12 month rolling average and it was not until June 2024 that significant improvements started to be made with reducing the backlog and completing EHCPs within the 20 week timescale. Therefore, whilst completion of EHCP assessments in timescale remained below floor standard, there continued to be improved performance quarter on quarter.

·         Mr Baker commented on the lagged impact of KPI reporting and the need to take into account the severity of weather events which impacted on performance. Despite the unprecedented challenges presented to the service due to weather pressures, the directorate managed to only miss performance targets by minimal percentage. Mr baker placed his thanks on record to all the staff who contoured to work at high capacity.

3.    RESOLVED that Cabinet note the Quarter 3 Performance Report and the actions being taken to address areas where performance is not as targeted