Agenda and minutes

Please note that 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 Dunstall. Apologies for absence were also received from Cllr Isilar-Gosling. Cllr Connor was in attendance as a substitute for Cllr Isilar-Gosling.

Apologies for lateness were received from Cllr Connor and Abela.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business (late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with as noted below).

There were no items of Urgent Business.

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

None

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, Paragraph 29 of the Council’s Constitution.

None.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

*Clerk’s Note – Cllr Connor arrived at 19:10 and Cllr Abela at 19:11*

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting on 9^th September were agreed as a correct record.

To consider the Haringey Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2023-2024.

The Panel considered the Haringey Safeguarding Children Partnership (HSCP) Annual Report 2023-2024, along with an accompanying presentation that summarised some of the key points relating to the structure, activities and achievements of the partnership. The presentation was introduced by David Archibald, Independent Chair of the HSCP as set out in the agenda pack at pages 14-80. The Director of Children’s services was present for this item, along with the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families. The AD for Safeguarding & Social Care was also present, along with the AD for Early Help, Prevention & SEND. The following arose as part of the discussion of this item:

a.    The Chair welcomed the report and highlighted the good work being done by the partnership.

b.    The Panel sought clarification from the Independent Chair about what were the areas of most concern highlighted in the report. In response, Mr Archibald set out that it was necessary for a Children’s Safeguarding Partnership to ensure that all areas of safeguarding were being managed and addressed to a high standard. Some of the key areas where partnerships had to be effective were around the ability to learn lessons, and put those lessons in to practice, as well as information sharing, which was always highlighted in high-profile reviews as something that went wrong. Mr Archibald advised that the two areas that the partnership would like to do better on were Think Family and Transitional Safeguarding. The Children’s Safeguarding Partnership were working closely with the Adults Safeguarding Board to make improvements in safeguarding for those transitioning from childhood to adulthood, which was identified two or three years ago as an area that the partnerships would like to make early progress on. Child Sexual Exploitation was an area that councils across the country were focused on. It was noted that Haringey was making good progress in this area. It was also commented that the partnership would continue to focus on children and young people with a higher level of need, represented by those on a child protection plan.

c.    The Panel referred to the fact that there were 184 children subject to a child protection plan as of 31^st March 2024 and that this was a decrease of 23% since 2023. The Panel questioned whether there were any concerns about a failure to identify children who should be on a child protection plan. In response, Mr Archibald advised that the number of children on a child protection plan would vary over time and that was normal. The important thing to be assured of was not the overall number, but whether the children who needed to be on a child protection plan were on a plan. The Panel noted that the average time a child spend on a plan was two years and that they would receive targeted support from professionals as a result. Fluctuations in the numbers were monitored closely. Haringey was in-line with it statistical neighbours for the number of children on a child protection plan.

d.    The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

To consider and make recommendations to Cabinet on the draft budget 2025/26 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2025/30.

The Panel received a report which set out the draft 2025/26 budget and 2025-2030 Medium Term Financial Strategy. The report set out the budget setting process for 2025/26 to date and also set out the further steps that would be taken prior to its final sign-off by Full Council in March. The report was introduced by Neil Sinclair, Head of Finance (People) as set out in the agenda pack at pages 82-141. The Cabinet Member for Children, schools and Families was present for this part of this agenda item, along with a number of officers from Children’s Services; the Director of Children & Young People’s Services, the Assistant Director of Safeguarding & Social Care, and the AD Early Help, Prevention and SEND. Cllr Dana Carlin, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services was also present for this item.

The Chair advised that the Panel would be taking sections of the report in turn. The Panel would start with a discussion on the overall budget and its wider financial context (cover report and appended Cabinet report), then they would go through the relevant budget pressures (Appendix 1), then the new savings proposals (Appendix 1a), followed by amendments to the capital budget relevant to Children & Young People’s Services (Appendix 1b), and they would then look at the pre-agreed savings tracker (Appendix 1c). The following arose during the discussion of this agenda item:

1. The Chair sought assurances around how the service was responding to the pressures arising around staff capacity. In response, the Director advised that she monitored the data in Children’s very closely. Sometimes the data points came down, such as child protection plans and sometimes the data points went up such as EHCPs. The Director assured Members that she scrutinised the data forensically in order to make sure there was sufficient capacity in the team. An example given was around the fact that there was a pressure around EHCPs identified in the service and that, following conversations with the Cabinet Member and Director of Finance, a growth bid was submitted as it was recognised that this would have an impact on the deliverability of the service. The Director also set out that she worked closely with her management team to look at how they could address the demand where possible. The Director suggested that she suspected the additional support put into Early Year’s provision was having a positive impact on the number of child protection plans.
2. The Panel commented on a report by the Competition Markets Authority and a subsequent recent statement by the Secretary of State around providers making excess profits from social care placements and queried whether the action proposed by the government around capping care placements would ease the pressure on local authorities. In response, the Director advised that this was something that she recognised and that the problem had been getting worse for some time. The Director advised that in the past she had been asked to approve £18,600 per week placement for one child. The Director commented that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 87.

To agree the Panel’s work programme for 2024-26.

RESOLVED

That the outcomes from the Scrutiny Survey and Scrutiny Café were noted

That the Work Programme for 2024-26 was agreed.

To consider any items admitted at item 3 above.

N/A

·         13 January 2025

·         13 February 2025

·         13 January 2025

·         13 February 2025