Agenda item

The report sets out the performance data and trends for an agreed set of measures relating to :children and families – Contacts, referrals and assessments and child protection.

The Assistant Director of Children’s services  provided the main highlights of the Performance report.

 The rate of children in care continued to decrease with 92 per 10,000,  although this is still higher than  similar  statistical neighbouring boroughs,  but a significant  reduction on this point last year(101).This was against the current  national trend, where numbers were increasing.  The Independent member commented that there was a real  national debate  emerging on who is cared for by he local authority.

The numbers of contacts and referrals was continuing to  decrease at a good rate .The number of children  subject of child protection plan  increased by 34  and although  this was a reduction in  the number and rate for February , this was an overall still a  higher number than  statistical neighbouring boroughs .   As highlighted at the last meting, there had been a review into the thresholds being applied to place a child on a protection plan against the reasons to take a child off a plan.  This will help ensure that the right discussions are  happening early on about the plans for the child.  There is now a  focus to ensure that the first three months of a referral to a protection plan that the actions taken in this period maximise the  possibilities for the child coming off the plan.  Meetings continued with independent child protection advisors  to ensure that  children remained on protection plans for the right reasons . The introduction of the Haringey 54000 programme will also greatly assist in the  providing early help to families and in turn limiting the need  for authoritative intervention from  Children’s  social care services. There was a need to connect the  increase in the number  children on plans together with the decrease in number of looked after children . Although  it was  recognised that both figures were  higher than statistical neighbouring boroughs.  The independent member  asked the committee to keep in mind that  there should be no right or wrong number of children on plans or in care.  It was  ensuring the right children were on plans and  also being taken of child protection plans at the right time.   Confidence in efforts to  reduce the numbers were that they were a steady decline and not a  sudden decline as this would be more concerning.

 There was a discussion about the number of days it took to adopt a child as although the performance in this area had greatly improved through continual business analysis of data and a relentless pursues to ensure each step of the adoption process was completed on time, there was still a need to improve on timescales. The independent member spoke about conversations on adoption as an option starting at the screening stage.  In response, it was noted that the new Permanency policy does include the need to start considering the option of adoption at   the point of the core assessment.  It was noted that  the  pathway to adoption involved both the children’s Cabinet Advisory Committees and as the Chair was keen  that the committee gain an understanding of  pathway to adoption and  have sight of the care planning. agreed the Director and Assistant Director of Children’s Service s provide a report on the adoption which meets  with the remit of the Children’s Safeguarding committee  and put this paper forward to the next meeting in July.

The Committee noted the difficulty in setting a performance target for    Children that have been on a protection plan for more than two  years . The service have to balance the level of risk that are  being mitigated against and  the number of  families on plans  and having a  target helps ensure they are continually  reviewing the families to ensure that the children are on the plans for the right reasons and that the risk is being effectively managed.  There are currently 26 families in this predicament and the overall sense was that the families are right to be on these plans.

In terms of the percentage of child protection cases which are reviewed within timescales, although the targets had been close to being met they were showing a consistent traffic light of red for the past 6 months and the committee queried if this target should be lower. It was explained that this was an inspirational target which was good for the service to strive to achieve.  In the coming financial year , when the new targets for performance indicators were being set, account would be taken of the new single assessment process.