To summarise the proposals for assessing children’s services under the Comprehensive Area Assessment and to present the Performance Digest for Children’s Services for the third quarter, October to December 2008.

The Committee received a summary of the proposals for assessing Children’s Services under the Comprehensive Area Assessment and considered the Performance Digest for Children’s Services for the third quarter, October to December 2008.

The Performance Improvement Manager reported that from 1st April 2009, the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will replace the current Comprehensive Performance Assessment.  The CAA will assess those outcomes delivered by councils working alone or in partnership.  The starting point will be the locally agreed priorities in the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the Herefordshire Sustainable Community Strategy.  The CAA will assess the prospects for the future achievement of these priorities by the Council and its partners.  The area of children and young people will be a key focus within the CAA and will have a rigorous inspection regime, summarised in the agenda report.

She also reported that Ofsted had now published its proposals for assessing Children’s Services under the CAA and these were set out in the report.  She further reported that there are six children related indicators in the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the agenda report indicated the current position regarding those indicators.  She highlighted concerns about meeting the target NI 117 for the reasons set out in the report. 

During the course of scrutinising the report the following principal comments were noted

• Questioned on NI 117 (% of 16-18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)) the Committee were informed that some post 16 provision was now on stream, however, pre 16 provision was still to be developed.
• Referring to Digest HCS28 the Committee noted that the survey, which had arisen from the Committee’s scrutiny review of Behaviour and Discipline, had been undertaken with the resultant data now being analysed. The results were expected towards the end of April.
• Questioned on the recruitment and retention of social workers the Director of Children’s Services reported that following the ‘Haringey Baby P’ case, nationally there had been a down turn in social care recruitment.  In Herefordshire a number of approaches had been taken to recruitment and efforts would continue to attract suitable staff at all levels.  She was pleased to announce that a new Head of Safeguarding and Vulnerable had been appointed.  While it was reported that there were 55 social workers in post, the Committee requested a briefing note on the exact number and type (full time, part time or agency) of employment of Social Workers in the Directorate.
• Referring to Digest NI 117 – Substance misuse – it was questioned whether there was any correlation between alcohol and drug misuse and whether the statistics for each, when available, could be disaggregated.  The Committee noted that in a number of cases alcohol had led to drug misuse.  The Performance Improvement Manager undertook to look into how these statistics could be best presented.
• Commenting that 18 weeks was along time to wait for a referral (Digest BH02) the Committee noted that a lot of work had been done by the CAMHS team and there were currently no children on the waiting list.  A grant bid had been made and, if successful, further work would be done through a number of high schools to target children earlier.
• The Director of Children’s Services confirmed that exit interviews were offered to staff (Digest HR04).
• While noting that ‘the number of families occupying bed and breakfast accommodation had achieved the target of zero for quarter 3’, the Committee questioned where the families were being housed if, as had also been stated, ‘this is despite the increase in the number of families accepted as homeless?.  The Director of Children’s Services responded that more permanent accommodation had been found, however, she undertook to provide further information.
• Responding to whether a briefing note had been provided on children’s dental waiting lists, as requested at a previous meeting, the Democratic Services Officer undertook to investigate.
• Referring to Digest indicator 6014SC, the Performance Improvement Manager reported that difficulties had arisen in recruiting foster carers.  Questioned further the Committee were informed that this had related to attracting foster carers for all ages but particularly caring for young people.   The Cabinet Member (Children’s Services) reported that part of the problem had been the level of remuneration to the foster carer, however, following review Herefordshire was now inline with its neighbouring counties in this respect.

RESOLVED: That

a)        The performance achieved for the third quarter of 2008/09 be noted;

b)        Clarification be provided on the exact number and employment type of Social Workers in the directorate;

c)        A Committee briefing note be produced outlining the range and type of provision offered to homelessness families;

and;

d)        The provision of a briefing note on Children’s dental waiting lists be investigated.