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Agenda and minutes

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

Items
No. Item

26/22

Apologies for absence

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

 

Minutes:

Apologies for absences were received from Elaine Jones (Voting Diocesan Representative (Catholic Diocese)) and Josephine Copeland (Non-voting Teacher representative).

27/22

Minutes of Previous Sub-Committee Meetings pdf icon PDF 411 KB

To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 18th January 2022, 9th March 2022 and 22nd March 2022 as an accurate record.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meetings held on the 18th January 2022, 9th March 2022 and 22nd March 2022 were approved as an accurate record.

28/22

Disclosures of Interest

Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that, in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, they are required to consider in advance of each meeting whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI), another registrable interest (ORI) or a non-registrable interest (NRI) in relation to any matter on the agenda.  If advice is needed, Members should contact the Monitoring Officer in good time before the meeting.  

If any Member or co-opted Member of the Council identifies a DPI or ORI which they have not already registered on the Council’s register of interests or which requires updating, they should complete the disclosure form which can be obtained from Democratic Services at any time, copies of which will be available at the meeting for return to the Monitoring Officer.

 Members and co-opted Members are required to disclose any DPIs and ORIs at the meeting.  

·             Where the matter relates to a DPI they may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  

·             Where the matter relates to an ORI they may not vote on the matter unless granted a dispensation.   

·             Where a Member or co-opted Member has an NRI which directly relates to their financial interest or wellbeing, or that of a relative or close associate, they must disclose the interest at the meeting, may not take part in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  Where a matter affects the NRI of a Member or co-opted Member, section 9 of Appendix B of the Code of Conduct sets out the test which must be applied by the Member to decide whether disclosure is required.

The Chair will invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3, to be recorded in the minutes.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Henson stated that they had previously held the role of Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People.

29/22

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:

There was none.

30/22

Children, Young People and Education Directorate Overview pdf icon PDF 172 KB

This report provides an overview of the Children, Young People and Education Directorate to inform the development of the Committee’s work programme including key priorities for the year; budget; performance; key risks and mitigations.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report set out on pages 29 to 50 of the agenda along with a supplement, which provided an overview of the Children, Young People and Education Directorate to inform the development of the Committee’s work programme for the coming year. The report was introduced by the Corporate Director Children, Young People & Education by way of a short presentation. The Cabinet Member addressed the Committee and praised the work of the directorate in the context of tough conditions and welcomed questions from the Committee.

 

The Sub-Committee queried what officers were doing to identify ‘hidden harm’ and the Corporate Director Children, Young People & Education commented that ‘hidden harm’ was a term that had been coined early in the pandemic to address issues that had not been identified when face to face contact had been reduced which were only now being discovered. Manifestations of hidden harm could include school refusal, struggling at school and mental health difficulties; there was a wide-ranging Community based offer covering early intervention for mental health and a higher-level offer was being developed for those presenting at A&E departments. There was a focus on the early points of identification such as through health, community service and educational routes and there needed to be better understanding of other external factors such as the cost-of-living crisis and the end of the furlough scheme and how these increased pressures on families.

 

The Multi Agency Safeguarding hub (MASH) was increasingly being used to interpret data which helped to inform what services would be needed following a referral. A review of the ‘Front Door’ and of MASH activity was included in the directorate plan.

 

The Sub-Committee asked whether children in education settings had contact with services and had not stayed at home, and it was confirmed that this was the case with increased monitoring of children in elective home education; it was stated that it was important that families were not choosing elective home education to avoid difficult issues with schools. The Council would not support elective home education for children on Child Protection Plans (CPP).

 

Responding to questions on vacancies, the Sub-Committee heard that work had been done to reinvigorate the recruitment campaign with a specific recruitment officer for the directorate working on advertising campaigns and the use of social media. A round of recruitment of qualified and experienced social workers from Zimbabwe and South Africa had taken place with 17 offers for posts accepted. This number may be increased to 22 and was supported by transformation funding to cover the additional costs of using a bespoke recruitment agency and sponsorship of VISAs. The assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) recruitment campaign had been reviewed which had led to seven newly qualified social workers accepting positions and 13 frontline trainees. Additional recruitment for AYSE social workers would take place in June 2022 through partner colleges and universities. The aim was to have three waves of AYSE recruitment each year, supplemented by additional international and domestic recruitment. Welcome  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30/22

31/22

What Difference has this Meeting made to Croydon's Children

This item is an opportunity for the Children & Young People Sub-Committee, at the conclusion of the meeting, to review the difference made to Croydon’s children from the meeting.

Minutes:

The Vice-Chair commented that the Sub-Committee’s commitment to hearing the voice of Croydon’s children would be of benefit to future meetings and to guiding the ongoing work of Members.