Issue - meetings

Richard Hutton, Senior Performance Officer, introduced the report, as set out in the agenda.

Officers responded to questions from the Committee:

• Councillor Weston challenged the PEPs and questioned whether 84% was good enough given the circumstances. In response, it was stated that they wished they could give healthier data, which was a reflection of a number of factors, however officers were confident that they could get the figures back up to where they should be.
• Beverley Hendricks stated that the target the service had set itself was a minimum of 80% during the pandemic, for a number of factors. It was noted that Covid had placed a significant impact on staffing levels in schools, with some having to open during school holidays to ensure that vulnerable children were still receiving a level of education. It was also stated that there had been some challenges around the 16+ age group being able to secure support from the virtual school, where a virtual school officer had been put in place for this age group. It was suggested that further discussions may take place at a future meeting to address the loss of learning and the programme focused on how to recover. ACTION.
• In response to a question from Councillor Palmer regarding resourcing and whether the service felt supported enough, Ann Graham, Director of Children’s Services, stated that this was always a challenging question. She stated that the service wasn’t adequately resourced for speech and language services, which were clear areas that required additional funding.
• Ann Graham stated that she was not concerned about the decrease in the number of looked after children, from 30 to 23. It was noted that as a result of Covid, the patterns of a large number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children had now changed.  It was noted that there was currently a voluntary transfer mechanism in place from Kent.
• Richard Hutton stated that the service was beginning to see an increase in the numbers of looked after children, with more people contacting the service within the last month than in the last 18 months. The service had prepared for this surge in numbers.
• Beverley Hendricks stated that they were introducing a new system called e-PEPS and that she would come back and report on this system in more detail at a future meeting. ACTION. She stated that there were a number of factors that may influence the data received, however she was confident that the service worked hard to ensure that the children’s outcomes were strong enough.

The Committee stated that they were very supportive of the service and didn’t want them to become complacent and continue to improve each year. It was recognised that it had not been an easy year for our children, or the service as a whole.