Agenda and minutes

13.1     RESOLVED to agree as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 29 July 2022.

14.1    Apologies were received from Councillor Matthew Milligan, Councillor Colin Swansborough and Councillor Johnny Denis.

Disclosure by all members present of personal interests in matters on the agenda, the nature of any interest and whether the member regards the interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct.

15.1     There were none.

Notification of items which the Chair considers to be urgent and proposes to take at the end of the appropriate part of the agenda. Any members who wish to raise urgent items are asked, wherever possible, to notify the Chair before the start of the meeting. In so doing, they must state the special circumstances which they consider justify the matter being considered urgently.

16.1    There were no urgent items.

To consider excluding the public and press from the meeting for the next two agenda items on the grounds that if the public and press were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as specified in Category 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to any individual.

17.1    RESOLVED to exclude the public and press from the meeting for items 6 and 7 on the agenda (see minutes 18 and 19) on the grounds that if the public and press were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as specified in category 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12(A) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to any individual. It was considered that the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

Report by the Director of Children’s Services

18.1     The Panel considered Quarterly Registered Children’s Home reports for the following Children’s Homes:

·         Brodrick House

·         Homefield Cottage

·         Hazel Lodge

·         Lansdowne Secure Children’s Home

·         Acorns

·         The Bungalow

18.2     The Panel considered Ofsted Inspection reports for the following Children’s Homes:

·         Silver Birches

·         Lansdowne Secure Children’s Home

18.3     The Panel welcomed the reports and received a verbal update from the Operational Managers. The Panel were satisfied that the Home Managers had appropriate action plans in place to address the recommendations within the reports.

18.4     The Panel RESOLVED to note the report.

19.1     There were none.

Report by the Director of Children’s Services

20.1     The Panel received the Virtual School Annual Report. Mandy Lewis Head of Virtual School drew the Panel’s attention to the following points:

·         The Service has experienced an increase in numbers, 465 at times, and remains involved with recent care leavers to ensure they have an appropriate placement. The average case load for staff is now 80 – 100.

·         Funding – staffing and training and transport, key to keep the children at their existing school if they move area, working closely with other services to ensure all children are supported.

·         Individual Education Plans (IEPs) twice a year and vital to planning and support of those young people. PEPs should be robust and high quality, auditing work in train to ensure there is a strategy in place to improve the quality.

Data (2019 formal comparison point):

·         KS1 results were very positive and higher that national average

·         KS2 Reading expected levels risen to 44% and are nationally in line for Maths and Writing, the progress score is really high for these children

·         KS4 Level 5 4.2% - 16% 2022 Level 4 from 8.1% 2019 – 27% 2022 with a 9 for PE for one pupil

·         Exclusions and FTEs high but working together to challenge those outcomes to find alternatives to suspension, there have been no permanent exclusions

·         93% attendance so in line with average but persistent absence lower, high profile matter across East Sussex schools

·         75% met all learning targets, all children met at least one target

Further points raised:

·         Developing relationship with main providers of Alternative Provision, mainly children on part time timetables, supporting them to re-engage and build their self-esteem

·         Children in Need review advised focus on outcomes for children with a social worker, better tracking, strategic responsibility, consultation period concluded and action plan devised, advice being provided to social workers alongside this

·         Pilot for post 16 funding project last year, continuing for this year too, enabled offer of teaching to post 16s in college, asylum seekers can access this training

·         The Panel noted the discussion with the Children in Care Council about how they would like to be managed in school, extension of duties and Post 16 pilot

·         The Panel acknowledged the work undertaken in reducing fixed term exclusions

20.2     The Panel RESOLVED to note the report.

Report by the Director of Children’s Services

21.1     The Panel received the Annual Looked After Children Report. Sally Carnie, Head of LAC Services drew the Panel’s attention to the following points:

·         Delays in court have contributed to drop in Adoption levels. There are complex cases for the current LAC group and it can be challenging to place these children as a result. The Service prefer to achieve adoption even if this means there is a delay as it ambitious for the children

·         The Service remains ambitious for the provision of the mental health services for LAC children

·         School attendance and missing students are not necessarily representative of an unsuccessful placement however support to families when child put onto a part time placement can impact the viability of the placement if support is not in place

·         Alternative provision is always sought

·         Structured service to oversee County Lines strategy so as to identify those at risk and then a multi-agency plan implemented to reduce the risk, some children are drawn into it

21.2     The Panel RESOLVED to note the report and requested that the following information is included in future reports:

·         LAC leavers now working at or with East Sussex County Council; and

·         further breakdown of data for unaccompanied children in East Sussex

Report by Director of Children's Services.

22.1     The Panel considered a report by the Director of Children’s Services which provided an update on Looked After Children (LAC) statistics.

22.2     Kathy Marriott, Assistant Director, Early Help and Social Care updated the Panel on the latest position for Looked After Children in East Sussex. During the last quarter, a total of 630 children were living in care, a slight fall from the last quarter. Of this total 352 children are in Foster Care, a slight decrease, with high levels remaining within in house provision; 88 in kinship care (a slight increase), 19 placed for adoption, 70 in supported housing (static) 77 children in homes.

22.3     2 children are in a secure unit with 1 child placed in an external secure unit. There are no children remanded into custody. There are 65 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.  There has been an increase in care leavers (children over 18 years old). Special Guardianship orders have increased to 478.

22.4     It has been a challenging quarter with number a of complex cases and ability to find placements for them. From 2021 it’s illegal to place a child with an unregistered placement, there is1 case therefore an update will be provided to the panel on this in future.

22.5     The Panel RESOLVED to note the report and agreed that an update on changes to the law and data provision will be brought to the next meeting.

23.1     The Panel received a presentation from Kathy Marriot, Assistant Director, Early Help and Social Care outlining the suggested revised approach to the Corporate Parenting Panel

23.2     The Panel discussed the recommendations and was in favour of some revisions to the format of future meetings and for the following options to be considered:

·         Each meeting will have an overriding theme and report authors will draw out key data from the standing reports

·         Officers and key partners will be invited to attend future meetings to ensure the Panel hears directly from relevant stakeholders

·         The Panel will have sight of the report for the national panel

23.3     It was agreed that a revised format and thematic approach will be agreed ahead of the next meeting.

23.4     The Panel RESOLVED to adopt the new approach as recommended from the next meeting on 20 January 2023.

24.1     There were none.