An opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Councillor Elin Weston, and the Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Mark Blake, on developments within the parts of their portfolios that relate to the terms of reference of the Panel.
Minutes:
Councillor Weston, the Cabinet Member for Children and Families, reported on key areas within her portfolio as follows:
· It was highly likely that there would be an OFSTED inspection soon, which would be undertaken using the new format for this;
· The budget was a major concern. However, the priority needed to be ensuring that children were safe. Work was taking place to establish the base level of cost of running a childrens’ service so that this could be factored into budget discussions;
· New safeguarding arrangements were due to come into operation next year. The LSCB would cease to exist and responsibility for safeguarding would be shared by the Council with the Police and Health Services;
· She was keen to continue the work that was taking place with care leavers. This was important as care leavers could be vulnerable. Recent legislative changes had changed the age for which the local authority had responsibility for them from 21 to 25;
· There was need to better understand the reason why young people sometimes went missing;
· She was keen to ensure that corporate parenting training was arranged for Members in order to promote greater understanding of their role.
Councillor Davies requested information regarding the SATs results achieved in Haringey schools during the summer and well as details of any school that had had their results annulled. She also requested a copy of the Freshwater report, which had been undertaken on human resource provision and support for schools that had been provided by the Council. In addition, she stated that she felt that the Panel should include the apprenticeship levy within its work plan. In response, Councillor Weston stated that the results of Harris Academy in Tottenham had been annulled. Haringey SATs results could be shared with the Panel. She was not familiar with the report referred to but was happy to look into it.
In answer to a question, she stated that budget savings proposals had not yet been finalised. They would be submitted to the Panel in due course. In respect of support to children from refugee families, she stated that she had recently met with representatives of Refugees Welcome Haringey. It was hoped to arrange a fostering event that focussed on the refugee children. Work was also being undertaken on support to children from families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) and she was happy to provide an update on this in due course.
In answer to another question, Councillor Weston stated that there was an attainment gap which showed a strong correlation with poverty. This generally showed a disparity between the east and west of the borough. However, there was also a disparity between some minority ethnic groups. There could also be specific disparities within individual electoral wards. She was not aware of whether any work had been undertaken on the relationship between housing status and school attainment. She agreed to check to see if anything had been done on this issue. However, it could be an issue that schools looked at as part of the process for identifying children at risk from under achievement. The response to the Panel’s review on support to children from refugee and asylum seeker families had been considered at the Cabinet meeting on 17 July. Most of the recommendations from this had been accepted. She would be happy to update the Panel on progress with this as part of the previously referred update on support to children from families with no recourse to public funds.
Councillor Mark Blake answered question in respect of his portfolio as Cabinet Member for Communities. He wished to ensure that the voice of young people across the borough was central to the Council’s strategic approach to developing youth services. A recent study of the views of young people in Tottenham in respect of knife crime had been undertaken by the Godwin Law foundation and this had reported that there was a sense of being let down by statutory authorities amongst many young people. It was important that services delivered on their promises and listened to the hard messages and not just the easy ones. There were three key strategies that were in development:
· Youth services, including provision from the voluntary sector;
· Serious youth violence strategy, in collaboration with the Community Safety Partnership; and
· Vulnerable children.
Youth services had been decimated across London and it was not possible to turn the clock back. However, the Council was committed to finding additional investment so that there could be some infrastructure. Whilst there was some provision in Tottenham, there was nothing in either Wood Green or Hornsey. Moves were afoot to address this and provide a venue for generic youth work.
In respect of gun violence, there was regular liaison with the Borough Commander and senior Council officers. It was acknowledged that there was a particular problem in Haringey and a lot of this was related to drugs. There were no easy solutions though. The previously referred to report by the Godwin Law Foundation had made reference to the issue and there was a clear need for earlier intervention and education.
In answer to a question, he agreed that schools should have a central role in the provision of youth services and support for young people. School exclusions and alternative provision were big issues. 70% of young people who had come into contact with the youth justice system had been excluded from school. He felt that a system needed to be developed where schools gained a benefit from a better outcome for a young person. The Panel also felt that the College of North East London (CoNEL) could play a role and the Cabinet Member agreed to raise this with the Cabinet Member for Children and Families.
The Panel noted that schools had been used as the sites for neighbourhood learning centres. These were being extensively used by schools for lessons but it was felt that there was a moral obligation for them to be available for wider use. The Cabinet Member stated that he agreed with this view and was happy to take it forward. It was also noted that young people were not just the responsibility of the Police, schools and the Council and that parenting had a major influence.
The Cabinet Member reported that some additional resources had been provided for youth services and a report was being drafted on the outcome of the summer scheme. This could be shared with the Panel when it became available. Feedback on it had been positive. However, consideration needed to be given to provision for older children as most provision had been aimed at those up to the age of 13. As part of this, work could be undertaken with Fusion and Alexandra Palace to see if they were able to offer discounts to Haringey young people for activities.
AGREED:
1. That an update be provided to the Panel on support to children from families with no recourse to public funds and that this includes an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Panel’s review on support to children and young people from refugee and asylum seeker families; and
2. That the Cabinet Member for Communities be requested to explore the potential wider use of school facilities and CoNEL for youth provision.