Agenda item

RECEIVED the report on Performance for the Year to the end of February 2017. Report included in the agenda pack (pages 13 to 20). 

NOTED in response to discussion:

• An overall improving trajectory in relation to the majority of performance indicators.

• 437 children were in care on the last day of February 2016 or 72 per 10,000 population including 36 unaccompanied asylum seeker children. There has been a gradual increase in the level of children in care in comparison to the position at the end of March 2016 - 30 more children in care. Haringey’s rate of looked after children in 2015/16 was within the inter-quartile range and close to the rate of its statistical neighbours (69 per 10,000 population), although the current rate remained above the London (51) and national average (60).

• At the end of February, 95% of looked after children had an up to date Care Plan.

• The latest published data shows Haringey’s position as second in the country for achievement in both Maths and English A*-C at GCSE (45.2%) and top in Attainment 8. On the Progress 8 measure Haringey ranks 6^th nationally but also had more Children looked After pupils (25) than any of the top 5 Local authorities.

• The Committee commended the excellent GCSE results and formally congratulated the work of all involved including the virtual school

• The average duration of care proceedings for concluded cases was 26 weeks during the period September to December 2016 which represented a further improvement from the 32.5 weeks in Q2 and 37 weeks in Q1. It was the first time the authority had achieved the target figure of a 26 week average case duration.

• Haringey’s latest 3 year rolling average position for timeliness of children placed for adoption, published in the Adoption Scorecard in April 2017 was 683 days for the period 2013-16, against a target figure of 426.  The Committee noted that whilst significantly above the government target, Haringey’s performance was similar to the average of its statistical neighbours at 696 days.

• 83 or 22% of Looked After Children at the end of February were placed 20 miles or more from Haringey compared to a 16% target and 19% at the end of March 2016. However, there were good reasons for those placements outside the borough, with many linked to complex care requirements or long term foster care arrangements. Although higher than national levels this proportion remained just slightly above the average for London.

• The Chair advised the Committee that performance related to care leavers notably around the number in suitable accommodation, those in education employment and training and the number in touch with the local authority; were being picked up through the care leaver group and that a full update on this work would be provided to the Committee at a future meeting, likely to be the autumn.

•  82% of Children in Care visits were recorded as completed in the relevant timescales in February. 76 children were recorded as having an overdue visit at the 28^th February, most of these within the young people in care team. Performance in this area has remained below target since October 2014.

• The Chair commented that performance around children in care visits had continued to lag behind improvements in other areas and sought assurances around what was being done to improve performance. In response, officers advised that monthly performance panels were undertaken with representatives from the virtual school and the performance team to review individual cases where visits were late, and to hold team managers and individual social workers to account.  

• The Committee requested that an adoption paper be brought to the next committee outlining the reasons behind the fall in adoptions and also setting out the local, regional and national picture. (Action: Sarah Alexander).

• The Committee requested that the full adoption scorecard also be shared at a future performance update, once it was published. (Action: Margaret Gallagher).

• In response to a query around the reasons behind worsening performance on the percentage of dental visits; the Committee was advised that in most cases where a 6 monthly visit was missed, the visit did occur but was perhaps a month or two late. This was particularly the case with older children. It was also noted that there was likely some issues with the inputting of data. The Committee requested further qualitative information was provided on the extent of dental health within the LAC, as appose to just the number that received a dental visit within 6 months for the October meeting. (Action: Lynn Carrington).

• The Committee requested that a short report for noting be brought to the next committee which outlined some of the key issues and examined whether the performance measure used for dental visits was the most appropriate. (Action: Margaret Gallagher).

• The Committee was advised that the some of the main reasons behind care leavers who were not in touch with the Council included those who were asylum seekers who had gone underground and young people who were in the prison system and probation services had failed to pass on their whereabouts. The Committee requested a briefing outlining the reasons behind Haringey having a higher proportion where care leavers no longer required services (13% compared to 3% nationally). (Action: Dominic Porter Moore & Margaret Gallagher).

AGREED to note the report.