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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX. View directions

Contact: Tom Downs  Email: tom.downs@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

10/23

Apologies for absence

To receive any apologies for absence from any members of the Committee.

 

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Eunice O’Dame, for which Councillor Mike Bonello was in attendance as a substitute

11/23

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 271 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held 17th January 2023 as an accurate record.

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 17 January 2023 were approved as an accurate record.

12/23

Disclosures of Interest

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and other registrable and non-registrable interests they may have in relation to any item(s) of business on today’s agenda.

Minutes:

Cllr Henson declared that they were a Council Trustee of the Church Tenements Charity that had provided grant funding to Croydon Drop-In.

13/23

Urgent Business (if any)

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

The Chair asked officers to provide the Sub-Committee with an update on the implications to the Council of the announcement that the Mayor of London would be funding Free School Meals in 2023/24. The Corporate Director Children, Young People & Education informed the Sub-Committee that this meant that there would be guaranteed funding for Free School Meals for Croydon Primary School Children in 2023/24, but it was not known if this would continue into 2024/25. Members heard that an exercise to ascertain a rough estimate of the annual cost to continue this had been undertaken, and that it was thought that this figure would be around £5.6 million a year.

 

The Vice-Chair asked what impact this would have on school budgets, as it was likely to provide a saving. The Corporate Director Children, Young People & Education explained that, as this it was still at a very early stage, it was not yet known, but that in other authorities where universal Free School Meals were being offered the expenditure came from the General Fund. The Sub-Committee heard that the implications of extending the offer would likely be looked at through the Schools Forum. Members asked whether schools had the resources and capacity to deliver the number of Free School Meals required at short notice, and heard that this was not yet known.

14/23

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) Update pdf icon PDF 189 KB

This report provides a summary of the activity of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health (EWMH) services for children and young people residing and receiving education in the London borough of Croydon. The report also provides an update on the position with current waiting times, access and performance.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a paper set out on pages 19 to 80 of the agenda, which provided a summary of the activity of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health (EWMH) services for children and young people residing and receiving education in Croydon. The report also provided an update on the position with current waiting times, access and performance. The Senior Commissioner for Children and Young People’s Mental Health introduced and summarised the report. The following representatives were also present and introduced themselves: Karen Stott, Chief Executive for Off the Record; Gordon Knott, Chief Executive of Croydon Drop-In; Harold Bennison, Service Director of CAMHS, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM); and Rod Booth, Director of Performance and Partnerships, SLaM.

 

The Vice-Chair asked if practitioners felt there were gaps in the current service offer and heard from the Chief Executive for Off the Record that there had been a large increase in demand for services since the pandemic; as a result of this, the length of counselling had been shortened to a standard offer of six. The Sub-Committee heard that young people and practitioners had identified that there were gaps for those in need of more substantial support, but who did not meet the threshold for CAMHS services. The Chief Executive of Croydon Drop-In explained that Off the Record were trialling the ‘First Contact Method’, ‘Waiting List Groups’ and carer helplines, but ultimately these were not substitutes for one-to-one support and did not reduce waiting lists. Members heard that there was good partnership working across the groups to try to identify and mitigate gaps in the offer where possible. The Service Director of CAMHS explained that NHS funding for CAMHS was around 1% of the total NHS budget, and it was known that this was often not sufficient to meet current need; many services had seen a doubling or more in the level of demand since the pandemic. The Sub-Committee heard there were gaps in a lot of the services being offered, but that in-patient care was meeting current demand. It was stated that while the gaps were known, and a national issue, work was being done to target resources where they could do the most good to meet local priorities whilst utilising hotspot and equalities data.

 

Members asked about the Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTS) programme and heard that 45 schools in Croydon were receiving this service, jointly delivered by SLaM, Off the Record and Croydon Drop-In in different waves focussing on different areas. The SlaM wave focussed on School Exclusions, Off the Record and Croydon Drop-In jointly delivered a wave focussed on serious youth violence and a new wave had been introduced focussed on COVID recovery. The Sub-Committee heard that practitioners were based in the schools for a day a week for secondary schools, and for half a day for primary schools. Kooth, an online resource, was available for the schools who were not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14/23

15/23

Police Representation and Multi-Agency Working pdf icon PDF 133 KB

This report is to give an insight into the existing strengths in the partnership between the Children Young People and Education (CYPE) Directorate, specifically Children’s Social Care, and Police colleagues whilst promoting safeguarding and youth safety.  Alongside the strengths, the areas of development are also a focus as the Council adapts and responds to the social changes and presenting needs.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a paper set out on pages 81 to 86 of the agenda, which explained the partnership between the Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Directorate, specifically Children’s Social Care, and Police colleagues. The Director of Children’s Social Care introduced the item and the Head of Service Access, Support and Intervention summarised the report.

 

The Sub-Committee asked about the meaning of ‘low-risk domestic abuse’ referenced in the report, how this escalated, the consequences for children living in these situations, and what was around the perpetrators. The Head of Service Access, Support and Intervention explained that the Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Team received ‘MERLIN’ reports from the police which were graded on risk, and it was then decided whether Social Care intervention was required. Detective Inspector Hart explained that calls to households could take the form of a ‘non-crime domestic situation’ where a report was written and any children at the address spoken too; this would be recorded as a low-risk incident. Members heard that Operation Encompass enabled referrals at low risk to be processed through the MASH Team, and then highlighted to safeguarding leads at schools of children in these households. The Sub-Committee heard that if there were four low-risk calls in a 12 month period then this would increase the associated risk and escalate a case to be discussed at the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) to decide follow up actions with partners. Members highlighted the fear that victims of domestic violence had of taking any action against their perpetrators, and asked what support and resources were provided to victims. The Head of Service Access, Support and Intervention explained that the strength of Operation Encompass was that it engaged the partnership, who were working with families and young people at a universal level, to enable discreet conversations to take place, for example, through designated safeguarding leads in schools who already had established relationships with families.

 

Members asked if anyone in Croydon had been charged with domestic abuse with a child as a victim from witnessing domestic abuse in their household. The Detective Inspector responded that it was unlikely that this had happened specifically, but the impact on children in a household would be used to form part of the larger picture around domestic abuse cases. The Sub-Committee asked if there were any cases where the police would discourage domestic abuse victims from pressing criminal charges. The Detective Inspector stated that this was not the case, and that the police were working in close partnership with the Family Justice Service and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVA) to provide support to victims. It was acknowledged that with very historic cases, or cases with very little evidence, that the police might not be able to take cases any further even with best efforts. The Head of Service Access, Support and Intervention explained that domestic abuse had been included in the report as it could be a contributing factor to presenting youth safety needs.

 

Members asked about the Youth Integrated Offender  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15/23

16/23

Exclusions Update pdf icon PDF 193 KB

For the Sub-Committee to receive a presentation and update on Exclusions and Suspensions in Croydon, including Behavioural Isolation Units, Pupil Referral Units and Off-siting. (To Follow)

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the Sub-Committee defer this item to the next meeting.

17/23

Update on Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children in Education pdf icon PDF 134 KB

This report follows a recommendation from the Scrutiny and Overview Committee that the Sub-Committee be provided information on the support available for children arriving in the borough on asylum schemes, particularly for those who are not in full-time education; information on access to education;  and information to demonstrate that schools are being properly funded for taking in Ukrainian refugees as per national government support schemes.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a paper set out on pages 87 to 92 of the agenda, which provided information on the support available for children arriving in the borough on asylum schemes; information on access to education; and information to demonstrate that schools were being properly funded for taking in Ukrainian refugees as per national government support schemes. The Early Help Service Manager introduced and summarised the report.

 

Members asked how concerns that children could be behind, due to missing years of schooling, could be addressed and noted that this could present a barrier to integration,. The Director of Education explained that children who came to the country at a young age picked up English much more quickly than older children did. The Sub-Committee heard that the interim provision had been provided to develop English-speaking skills to aid in the transition to mainstream schools, and it was being looked at whether this would be reintroduced. The Sub-Committee heard that, whilst this was challenging, schools in Croydon were very open and welcoming, and it was more likely that children’s experiences and trauma would create barriers; because of this it was important that support for children’s mental health and wellbeing was in place. Members heard that it was a school’s decision whether to support an application for a child to enter education at a year below their curriculum age, and this could be very challenging for older children, with a number of factors needing to be considered. The Director of Education explained that it was most important to support children in reaching their full potential in light of whatever decision was made.

 

The Sub-Committee asked how confident the Council was that all the available funding was being received to support Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children. The Director of Education confirmed that this was the case, and work was being done to pass this funding on to schools directly. Members heard from Co-optee Josephine Copeland that integration had been successful at their school, but it was important that ‘English as a Second Language’ was a focus to ensure that lessons accounted for all of the children. Members heard that funding could be an issue as it did stretch resources with the example given of increased mental health needs. The Director of Education explained that the per-pupil funding was lagged, and that children arriving and leaving between census days could lead to a situation where funding was not received for these children. Members heard that this could create challenges but that support was provided wherever possible, however, school funding was complicated and sometimes did not account for pupil movement. The Director of Education stated that the Department for Education notified Local Authorities of available funding streams. The Early Help Service Manager explained that there had been a small grants funding process in late 2022 for voluntary sector organisations to provide additional services to, and activities for, the asylum-seeking community to provide opportunities outside of their accommodation.

 

Members asked about families who had their accommodation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17/23

18/23

Early Help, Children's Social Care and Education Dashboard & Health Visiting KPI Data pdf icon PDF 78 KB

To receive the Early Help, Children’s Social Care and Education Dashboard and Health Visiting KPI Data for Quarter 3 2022/23.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report set out on pages 93 to 100 of the agenda, which provided the Early Help, Children’s Social Care and Education Dashboard and Health Visiting KPI Data for Quarter 3 2022/23.

 

Members asked about the inclusion of Care Experienced Young People data on the Dashboard, including pathway plans and caseloads. The Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education agreed that this could be reviewed, but that overlap with the work of the Corporate Parenting Panel should be considered.

 

On CYPE 24, the Sub-Committee heard that a detailed explanation of these figures had been given at the last meeting of the Sub-Committee.

 

On CYPE 01, Members commended the improvement on this indicator.

 

Members commented on using the Dashboards to help develop the work programme. The Corporate Director for Children, Young People and Education explained that they received weekly performance information on all of the indicators to track the trends; in conjunction with this, a monthly performance meeting also took place to scrutinise this information. Members thanked officers for the Health Visiting Data and heard that this would be provided on a quarterly basis.

19/23

Work Programme 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 80 KB

To consider any additions, amendments or changes to the agreed work programme for the Sub-Committee in 2022/23.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee noted the report.