Agenda and minutes

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

Apologies were received from Councillor Maria Gatland (Cabinet Member for Children & Young People) and Elaine Jones (Voting Diocesan Representative (Catholic Diocese)).

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 October 2023 as an accurate record.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 10 October 2023 were approved as an accurate record.

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.

There were no disclosures of interest.

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.

There were no items of urgent business.

The Children & Young People Sub-Committee is asked to: -

1. Note the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2022-2023

2. Consider whether there are any considerations or concerns it may wish to submit to the Cabinet as to whether the Annual Report provides sufficient reassurance on the performance and effectiveness of the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership. 

3. Consider whether the Sub-Committee has any comments or suggestions on the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2023-2024 ahead of its development in the following year.

The Sub-Committee considered a paper set out on pages 13 to 72 of the agenda, which provided the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2022/23. This report is an annual standing item and was included for the Sub-Committee to consider whether there was sufficient reassurance on the performance and effectiveness of the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership. Members were also asked to provide any comments or suggestions on the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2023-2024 ahead of its development in the following year. It was noted that the report incorrectly listed Sally Innis’s role as the Designated Nurse for Safeguarding; the correct title should have read Associate Director of Safeguarding. The Corporate Director Children, Young People & Education (CYPE) and Independent Scrutineer introduced the report.

Members questioned the funding of the Partnership, highlighting that the Council currently covered 72% of the expenditure; it was asked if this was reflective of the arrangements in other boroughs. The Corporate Director of CYPE explained that it was not unusual for councils to contribute the largest share of funding, but that this amount varied and was often not to such a high level as in Croydon. The Sub-Committee heard that there was ongoing work with the Partnership to secure a more equitable funding arrangement, and that both the Executive Mayor and Chief Executive were supportive of this. The Independent Scrutineer commented that Croydon’s funding arrangement was reflective of other London boroughs.

The Sub-Committee asked how the annual budget of the Partnership was set, and whether the Council topped up the budget to meet spending. The Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) Development Manager explained that the Partnership came in on budget, and stated that Croydon’s funding split was reflective of other London boroughs, with the Police paying a standard share. The Corporate Director of CYPE highlighted the importance of safeguarding children and young people coming first, and the investment needed to ensure Croydon continued to deliver this to a good standard.

Members queried why councils in London funded partnerships at a larger share than those in the rest of the country. The Independent Scrutineer explained that the biggest factor was lower contributions from the Police in London, but that there were also disproportionate funding arrangements for partnerships outside of London. The Detective Superintendent for Public Protection added that the Police contributed the same amount of funding to all 32 borough partnerships, and that this was set centrally; the Police looked to contribute to the Partnership in other ways, such as through offering training.

The Sub-Committee highlighted the Independent Review and knife crime in Croydon, and asked what actions the Partnership were taking in this area. The Detective Superintendent for Public Protection explained that knife crime was a priority for the Police in Croydon, but that the Annual Report was retrospective, and did not account for events in the current year. The Police were currently considering new ways of working with the community around proactive measures to prevent and reduce knife crime. The CSCP Development Manager stated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50/23

To receive the Early Help, Children’s Social Care and Education Dashboard, in addition to some additional ‘Red’ indicators as requested at the meeting of the Sub-Committee on 27 June 2023.

The Sub-Committee considered a report set out on pages 73 to 78 of the agenda, which provided the Early Help, Children’s Social Care and Education Dashboard, Health Visiting Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Data and additional ‘Red’ indicators as requested at the meeting of the Sub-Committee on 27 June 2023.

The Director Quality, Commissioning & Performance introduced the item and stated that there had not been a significant improvement against the Health Visiting KPIs. Members heard that there had been considerable change in the configuration of the Health Visiting services, and that an interim Head of Service had been in post since September 2023. The responsibilities of the service have now been split into two roles with oversight of public health nursing (which includes Health Visiting, School Nursing and the Family Health Partnership) and Community Health Provision (which covered Asylum Seekers, Refugees and unhoused people). The Director Quality, Commissioning & Performance stated that there had been some early signs of improvement since September 2023 against KPIs and in recruitment. It was noted that a full item on Health Visiting was on the Work Programme for March 2024, when it was hoped that there would be more concrete signs of improvement in the service. The Sub-Committee heard that there had been a decision to reconfigure the way in which Health Visitors engage with Child Protection Conferences, to recognise the challenges arising from vacancy rates in the short term and that these changes are being discussed and agreed with the Safeguarding Service.

On Appendix B, Members asked why the target for W1a had been set at 20. The Director of Children’s Social Care explained that this target was set at a number of children it was felt was reasonable for any individual social worker to ‘hold in mind’ and maintain professional curiosity for each case. It was acknowledged that caseloads in the Family Assessment Service were too high, and a deep dive to analyse the duration of high caseloads was underway, to help in developing proposals identifying other resources or other actions that could reduce caseloads. Demand levels in Croydon had increased for a sustained period and options to manage this were being considered, with some short-term pilots likely to be trialled. The Director of Children’s Social Care explained that, if demand continued to increase, then there would need to be an increase in capacity to ensure service levels did not fall. In response to questions about what other things could be done to reduce caseloads, the Director of Children’s Social Care explained that Service Managers would review cases to see where these could be held in other services, or to help social workers close cases where they needed some assistance. In some cases, Early Help could be asked to provide interventions while assessments were happening.

The Sub-Committee commended the commitment to keeping caseloads at manageable levels. Members asked if W1a indicated individual children or families, and heard it represented individual children. On W1a, the Chair asked if April 2023 had been an outlier, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51/23

The Sub-Committee is asked to:

a)    Note the draft work programme for 2023-24, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report.

b)    Consider whether there are any changes to the work programme that should be considered.

The Chair commented on the Budget Scrutiny item planned for January 2024, and highlighted the cost of care packages as something that the Sub-Committee should scrutinise.

Members highlighted the ‘Future Options for Maintained Nursery Schools – Consultation outcomes report’ planned for decision at Cabinet on the 6^th December 2024 and listed on the Sub-Committee Work Programme. The Sub-Committee commented that they would like to consider the paper before Cabinet and agreed that the Chair and Vice-Chair would discuss this with the Chair of Scrutiny to decide the best way forward.

The Sub-Committee suggested the inclusion of the following two items on its Work Programme:

• Use of the private education system for Children in Care to deliver savings.
• Including consideration of the Holiday Activities & Food Programme alongside the Free School Meals programme item.

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.

The Chair commented that they hoped the Sub-Committee had been helpful in the process of refining the content for the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2023/24 and in encouraging the Partners to continue to develop the ‘voice of the child’ in their work. The Chair thanked all of those involved in delivering good safeguarding to children and young people in Croydon.