Agenda and minutes

Please note this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method.  Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting.  Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual, or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Gunes; Cllr Bull substituted.

The Chair will consider the admission of late items of urgent business. Late items will be considered under the agenda item they appear. New items will be dealt with at item 11 below.

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no declarations of interest. 

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 2^nd July 2018.

The minutes of the 2^nd July 2018 were agreed as a correct record.

In addition, the Committee:

• Noted a report on unemployment and how LAC and care leavers are supported into employment, education and training would be discussed at January 2019 meeting of CPAC. In that report, requested an update be provided on what measures the Council had in place to promote apprenticeships within the borough and how those opportunities were made available to our LAC and care leavers (Action: Sarah Alexander/Emma Cummergen).  
• Noted regular updates on Ofsted would be provided at CPAC meetings.
• Requested an explanation of ‘suitable’ and ‘unsuitable’ housing (as discussed in the Performance Report at July 2018 CPAC meeting) to be circulated before next CPAC meeting (Action: Ann Graham/Clerk).
• Noted the update on the regionalisation of adoption provided by the Chair. A report had intended to be presented at September 2018 Cabinet, however, regional arrangements were still in development and it was anticipated the report would be presented to Cabinet in early 2019. It was highlighted that working with neighbouring authorities was crucial in securing arrangements that would work for Haringey Council (Action: Chair/ongoing).

This report provides an analysis of the performance data and trends for an agreed set of measures relating to looked after children on behalf of the Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee.

Sarah Alexander introduced this report to the Committee and highlighted the following:

• The proportion of fostered children in Haringey Council's provision had increased to 41% from 36% in the previous quarter.
• The number of looked-after children had generally remained at the same level.
• The percentage of up-to-date dental checks for looked-after children was increasing. As part of LAC reviews, social workers were encouraged to question when dental check had last taken place.
• There had been a slight increase in the caseload of certain teams within the service. This was being monitored to ensure caseloads remained at a manageable level.

The Committee queried the performance of Pathway plans (a plan to provide for a young person’s road to independence, detailing a range of issues such as their health, goals and ambitions), noting the target of 90% was being underachieved by 10%. Officers informed they were closely monitoring this but highlighted there were challenges such as where those on Pathway plans were in prison, which created difficulties in meeting with them in a timely manner. Management were tracking Pathway plans every two weeks. 

The Committee was informed that 14 care leavers, who were unaccompanied asylum seeking children, were missing. Officers confirmed they checked in with the police and Home Office every 3 months for potential updates but acknowledged they could have been removed or deported without their knowing as the Home Office was not obliged to inform the CYPS if this had been the case.

Regarding paragraph 2.4 of the report, Officers clarified that children could cease to be looked after by discharging themselves from care between 16 and 18, but they are dissuaded from doing so. 

To consider a presentation showing Haringey’s performance against the Mayor’s (MOPAC) Police and Crime Plan (PCP) key priorities, including knife crime and firearms discharges

Clerk notes – to assist Officers, this Item was held after Item 5 and before Item 6.

Jennifer Sergeant and Eubert Malcolm outlined this report and presentation which detailed the knife crime situation in Haringey and set out certain initiatives and strategic actions in place to address the issue. Officers confirmed the statistics contained within the report were a year-on-year comparison from the two previous years.

Officers highlighted the following:

• There had been an increase in moped-enabled crime within the borough which the Council was monitoring.
• Community knife sweep had been a successful initiative in working with residents to remove knives off the streets of Haringey.
• Street doctors (who educated young people to change their attitude towards violence) had been successful in deterring young people from carrying weapons. Officers confirmed this initiative was a group led programme where young people were shown the impact of knife crime, which involved graphic material of real life knife injuries. They were also given the skills on how to treat injuries caused by weapons.
• Where a school approached the Council to raise concern about a particular issue they faced, the Council arranged for a team to go to that school to help tackle that issue.
• A Young People at Risk Strategy was being led by the Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety and Engagement, which focussed on earlier intervention to reduce knife crime. The strategy involved listening directly to young people and incorporating their ideas.
• There was an Integrated Gang Unit which had gang workers operating within communities.
• A project in place involved staff across the service working with young people at HM Prison Pentonville to identify issues such as how best to help them reintegrate in the community or how to prevent them from reoffending once released.
• A Godwin Lawson Foundation report had been significant in capturing the viewpoints of young people in the borough on the issue of knife crime.

With regard to addressing particular crimes in the borough, the Committee queried who set the local priorities, namely robbery and Non-domestic Violence with Injury. Officers confirmed the local priorities were issues that the borough statistically had struggled to address and became priorities as a result. 

With regard to the ‘Knife Crime by LAC Status’ table on page 30, Officers clarified that those 10 children who were listed as looked-after children, were already looked-after. Officers would confirm whether those children were perpetrators or victims. (Action: Jennifer Sergeant)

The Chair questioned Officers on what measures were in place to assist those looked-after children involved with crime or at risk of becoming involved. Officers informed social workers and youth justice workers worked in collaboration where a child was identified as being looked-after child. Where a child was remanded to Youth Detention Accommodation (YDA), they were encouraged to contact their youth justice worker at any time via telephone, mobile or email, about any issue or concern they had. The Council checked up to ensure they had been provided with that opportunity by the YDA. Officers also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

The reports detail the educational performance of Haringey’s looked-after children,  Children and Young People for 2017 and 2018,  and the Virtual School Annual Report. 

Fiona Smith, Headteacher Virtual Head of School, introduced this report to the Committee. It was highlighted the year-on-year analysis was an important indicator of overall performance but the Virtual School was primarily focussed on tracking and monitoring the progress of individual children and responding to their needs.

The Chair praised the achievements of Haringey Virtual School and noted the positive statistic that the educational performance of Haringey’s looked-after children at the end of Key Stage 4 was within the top 10% of the country.

Where there was statistical evidence that an ethnic group was being outperformed by other ethnic groups, the Committee queried whether any strategies existed to respond to those disparities. Officers confirmed the Virtual School did not have any such strategies but that each child was individually assessed using the data provided by schools and the Virtual School would hold the school to account over how it was providing for that child. The Virtual School focussed on ensuring that looked-after children were at either good or outstanding rated schools and had the support they individually required. 

The Committee noted that 75% of 219 pupils in care for one year or longer between 1st April 2016 and 31st March 2017 in reception to year 11 attended education provision outside Haringey and sought Officers comments on this. Officers informed that Department for Education guidelines recommended education provision be within 20 miles of the children’s home address, and this was the case for approximately 90% of Haringey’s looked-after children. Officers further clarified that the data informing the statistics of the report were only for those looked-after children who had been looked-after for one year or more, to prevent a misrepresentation of the statistics. 

The Committee queried how confident Officers were that premiums provided to schools were being used appropriately in spending on the pupils it was provided for. Officers admitted there had been reservations about the premium spending but a more efficient strategy was in place to monitor the spending and better hold schools to account. This included closely monitoring Personal Education Plans (PEP) meetings and signing every PEP off. 

The Committee suggested removing the word ‘slightly’ from the report at paragraph 34 of Appendix 1, as they felt it did not reflect the statistical comparison between the ethnicity of look-after children and ethnicity of Haringey Borough as a whole.  

A verbal update will be provided with regard to Member training.

The Committee was informed 20^th November 2018 was the first scheduled training date. A representative from Local Government Association would be present.

Further details of future training would be sent to CPAC members. There would also be training for all councillors to recognise that all, as corporate parents, had a collective responsibility towards looked after children and care leavers. (Action: Sarah Alexander/ Chair)

This report describes the new Ofsted inspection regime - Inspection of Local Authorities’ Children’s Services, known as ILACS - the content, length and possible outcomes of such an inspection for Haringey, progress since the previous inspection and preparation for the new arrangements.

The Committee requested an update on the Ofsted inspection be included in the January 2019 CPAC agenda. (Action: Ann Graham/ Clerk)

Dates of next meeting:

17^th January 2019

21^st March 2019

None.