Agenda and minutes

Apologies for non-attendance were received from Councillors Philip Irwin and Geoff Shacklock.

The Chair invited those who wished to do so to declare any interests in respect of items on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

There had been no requests to address the meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed.

There had been no requests for call-in.

The Scrutiny Commission considered the Ofsted Inspection report of North Northamptonshire Local Authority Children’s Services following an inspection held in October 2022.

This was the first inspection of North Northamptonshire local authority children’s services and the outcome of overall effectiveness was requires improvement to be good.  Children’s services in the predecessor authority of Northamptonshire County Council were judged inadequate in 2019.

During discussion on the report, the following key points were made:

i.        In response to a question from a member as to how the Children’s Trust would describe what good looked like, the Chief Executive said it would include good leadership and management, including the Trust and also the Executive Director and Executive Member of Children’s Services at NNC.  There needed to be cohesion on leadership and consistent, high quality practice with good outcomes for children.  It was acknowledged that early help was not as yet developed as how the Trust would want it to be, but staff were working hard to ensure the right support at the right time.

ii.       A question was asked on how good practice was fed back to staff.  In response, it was advised that a plan was being put together with the child at the centre.  This would be a multi-agency plan and the Trust would be looking for consistency in practice.  Work was happening with other professionals and the Trust were learning from what did not go well. 

iii.      In response to a question as to how weaker members of staff would be carried through and supported, the Chief Executive advised that the Trust needed experienced leaders and a stable leadership team.  Quality assurance was taking place at a case file level and monthly supervision meetings would appropriately challenge poor performance and drive good practice.  The Executive Member advised that it was about ensuring all staff were on board with what was trying to be achieved.  There had been success in changing staff attitudes.

iv.      Some care leavers had told the inspector that some temporary accommodation was of poor quality, who inspected accommodation and what was defined as ‘poor’ quality?  In response, officers advised that there had been work on the provision available and it was around ensuring that there was more choice available.

v.       A large number of homeless people were likely to be care leavers and if poor accommodation was offered, they may choose not to stay.  It was accepted that accommodation was not good in the county for post-16 and work was ongoing to improve accommodation, with housing now sitting on the Corporate Parenting Board.

vi.      The report stated that access to one-to-one intervention by mental health practitioners had been limited by short-term funding decisions.  It was clarified that funding had ended at a point but during the inspection funding had been secured.

vii.     There was a risk of exploitation for some care leavers and there was a need to bring in meaningful access to services for young people.  It was acknowledged that exploitation was a major concern  ...  view the full minutes text for item SC/65

The Scrutiny Commission received a presentation from the Executive Director of Children’s Services on the North Northamptonshire SEND Improvement Programme.

The challenges for SEND in North Northamptonshire were:

•      Special school provision was unable to meet the increased number of children and young people referred

•      The budget was under pressure as local special school demand and use of external independent providers increased

•      Lack of strategic and operational oversight for the allocation and quality of specialist provision and resources

•      SEND early help offer was not joined up with gaps in parts of the specialist support services

•      Processes for statutory assessment were wieldy and not working and performance variable

•      A backlog of over 140 out of time assessments and 900 annual reviews that had not been processed in July 2022

•      No specific allocation of specialist teams for children with an EHCP or with identified complex needs – all SEN case officer led

•      Tribunal cases were at a critical level with 37 cases, the majority having missed the deadline for submission

•      Broken relationships between the LA and with families and schools

The key priorities of the SEND Commissioning Delivery Programme were:

•      To support schools in developing local provision by strengthening an early help offer of SEND advisory teams around mainstream schools

•      Working closely with the SEND team to review and develop responsive, flexible and effective local specialist provision

•      Ensuring the special educational needs of children were responded to quickly and effectively through development of a brokerage service

•      Supporting schools to improve their offer to children through robust quality assurance programmes

•      Ensuring value for money through contract monitoring, reviewing and evaluation of our commissioned services

•      Robust accountability and governance of both spending and quality assurance through comprehensive reporting mechanisms

•      Transition for children and young people is improved across all areas of operation

During discussion on the presentation, the following key points were made:

i.        In response to a question on EHCPs and how long they should take, the Executive Director advised that they should be undertaken within 20 weeks.  This included undertaking the assessment and consulting with schools.

ii.       The Executive Director advised that a number of historic arrangements had been made with some settings which either had no units or a child was not at the setting.  Funding should follow the child.

iii.      In response to how the LA dealt with parental choice around SEND, the Executive Director clarified that it was parental preference and not choice.  If a preferred school could not meet a child’s needs, conversations needed to be had and decisions made based on the evidence available.

iv.      A number of vulnerable children may be taken out of school if their preferences could not be met, which could lead to safeguarding issues.  It was accepted that this was a risk, but children could be home educated, and the LA worked closely with the Children’s Trust.

v.       If a child was being educated in a  ...  view the full minutes text for item SC/66

Members are requested, where possible, to identify those areas they wish to understand in further detail with the report author at least three working days prior to the meeting.

The Scrutiny Commission considered a report of the Assistant Chief Executive which provided an update on the Council’s performance across a wide range of services, as measured by performance indicators.  The report provided a summary of the performance of Council services and further detail including trend lines and exception reports. 

Comments on several specific indicators were made, including:

•      % of complaints answered within the Service Level Agreement (20 working days or agreed extension) (MPS34) – performance was not improving.  Was there a need for a different complaints system or was more staff needed to process complaints?  In response, the Executive Director of Customer and  Governance acknowledged that performance was disappointing, and it had been highlighted with managers about the importance of a response within the SLA.  Following a restructure in Customer Services, one of the managers now had responsibility for complaints.  Complaints data should come to scrutiny, along with budget and performance information to provide full information.

•      Number of voids (STP36) – there were 80 voids in Corby, and it needed to be acknowledged that when a property was void it was lost rental income. It was suggested that the median time taken for turnaround may be a better indicator.

•      Total number of non-emergency repairs completed (STP10) – a member stated that he did not believe that these types of repairs were being completed efficiently within the Corby area and that the performance of the repairs service should be scrutinised. The Interim Head of Performance, Intelligence and Partnerships advised that some of the longer repairs may be legacy ones, but he would provide a fuller response.

•      % occupancy of East Northamptonshire Enterprise Centre (MPS28) – it was noted that there were issues with the roof at the Enterprise Centre.  It was questioned who would be paying for the faulty roof as it was only completed recently.  It was noted that occupancy was low and had always been low.  Was there an agency running the Centre and what impact could we have to improve occupancy?  The Interim Head of Performance, Intelligence and Partnerships advised that management agents did run the Centre and they were looking to develop a new marketing plan.

•      Total active applicants on the Keyways Housing Register (STP04) – was it possible to provide a breakdown of applicants in each of the areas and how long people were waiting to be housed?

•      Number of E-Scooter trips (GSE01) – was there any data on the number of accidents reported to the Police?  The Interim Head of Performance, Intelligence and Partnerships undertook to see if this information was available.

•      Number of rough sleepers (single night snapshot figure) (AFL12) – the number of rough sleepers was increasing, and Wellingborough was seeing an increase.  Where was the refuge accommodation?  The Interim Head of Performance, Intelligence and Partnerships advised that he would provide a fuller response.

•      Determination of planning applications (STP15 – STP17) – there had been low performance for quite a while.  There were a  ...  view the full minutes text for item SC/67

The Chair thanked members and officers for their attendance and closed the meeting.

The meeting closed at 9.47pm.