Agenda and minutes

There were no Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.

a)  To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 16^th June, 2016

b)  Matters Arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 16^th June, 2016 were agreed as a true record.

Further to Minute 4/16 there were three Members interested in the Task and Finish Group to consider the Recruitment and Retention of Social Work Staff.

RESOLVED that if any other Scrutiny Member would like to join the Task and Finish Group they would contact the Chair

Report of the Independent Chair of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB)

The Scrutiny Board considered a briefing note of the Serious Case Review (SCR) Co-ordinator for Adult and Children’s Safeguarding Boards which updated the Board on the outcome of the SCR published by the Coventry Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) on 11^th July, 2016.

The police commander referred the cases of five young people, who previously or at the time of the abuse had been in receipt of services from agencies in Coventry, to the Independent Chair of Coventry’s LSCB.  It was agreed that this case should be subject to a SCR in March 2015, as it met the criteria identified in the ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015’ government guidance in that there was information that:

(a) abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected; and

(b) either (i) the child has died; or (ii) the child has been seriously harmed and there is cause for concern as to the way in which the authority, their Board partners or other relevant persons have worked together to safeguard the child.

The Police investigation was a result of information that several teenage girls were victims of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) perpetrated by a group of men in Coventry.  Five men were subsequently convicted of a number of criminal offences, including physical assault, witness intimidation and the supply of drugs and were given custodial sentences. The men had also been charged with a number of sexual offences, but these charges did not result in any convictions.

The Serious Case Review Report was appended to the briefing note and detailed background, methodology, summary of experiences, links between the children and those abusing them, an appraisal of practice, current practice and implications for future work.

The review was not required to work to prescriptive Terms of Reference; instead 3 core questions were posed:

i) What can we learn specifically about these cases, as well as more widely around responses to troubled young people?

ii) Why did it happen and could it have been prevented?

iii) Could it happen now? If yes, what do we need to change?

The Review was also specifically asked to consider:

·  the voice of the children, their understanding of their own situations and the implications for what disclosures they make

·  Professionals’ relationships to the children

The recommendations of the SCR were:

1:The LSCB to ensure that assessing the impact of Coventry’s CSE strategy on outcomes for children is identified as a priority including giving consideration to the option of commissioning a research led project to identify the outcomes.

2:That the LSCB and partners consider how to promote and develop a relationship based model of working with children who present as vulnerable and at risk.

3:The Board to co-ordinate a task and finish group to consider the longer term needs of those children and young people who have experienced abuse and how these can be met within Coventry.

4:The LSCB share this SCR with the Adult Safeguarding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Briefing Note of the Director for Children’s Services

Further to Minute 37/15 the Scrutiny Board noted a progress report of the Executive Director for People regarding Early Help.  The Early Help Strategy and Action Plan were appended to the report.

The report outlined the significance of Early Help in supporting families and children at the earliest possible point/transitions in children’s lives, and before problems escalate, needing acute, and costly services.  The Early Help Strategy outlined key strategic objectives which supported and strengthened the collaborative working arrangements and partnership of agencies and organisations across Coventry – to focus on improving outcomes for children and young people with a range of specific measures aimed at evidencing progress.

The report highlighted early help measures that were indicators of the effectiveness of early help and progress against them:

•  Maximise school readiness

•  Maximise School attendance

•  Minimise the numbers of referrals to social care

•  Maximise the numbers of assessments completed to support the family when a need emerges

•  Minimise the number of parents and children involved in crime and Anti-Social Behaviour

•  Minimise the number of Looked After Children

•  Minimise the number Child Protection Plans

The report provided an update on phase 2 of the Strengthening Families programme (formally Troubled Families) which agreed intervention methods (with a holistic approach) to ensure that the ‘root cause’ would be addressed and provide support to sustain change and to ‘break the cycle’ of entrenched family behaviour.  The report outlined the new outcome tool ‘Steps to Change’.  The report noted challenges including high caseloads in Referral and Assessment (RAS) and future proposals under Connecting Communities to introduce ‘family hubs’.

The Scrutiny Board questioned the officers and the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People on aspects of the reports which included:

·  Measuring effectiveness

·  Challenges

·  Definition of ‘school readiness’ and the impacts of changes

·  Risk averseness

·  Funding

·  Family group conferencing

Officers reported that family group conferencing was now part of Early Help.

RESOLVED that

1.  the Board noted the report and requested a briefing note in 6 months to update members on Early Help

2.  the Board requested that officers investigate whether there is a standard definition of ‘school ready’ so that the expectation can be shared with all providers

Briefing Note of the Director for Children’s Services

Further to Minute 3/16 the Scrutiny Board noted a joint briefing note which detailed progress on the Children’s Services Improvement Plan, Reported to the Children’s Services Improvement Board on 22^nd June, 2016, based on data from May, 2016.

The progress report included an update on the six themes aligned to the Department for Education (DfE) Improvement Notice including an update on the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.

The Scrutiny Board questioned officers on the following:

·  The new Chair of the Improvement Board

·  The new Chair of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board

·  Recruitment

·  Child Protection Plan numbers

·  The improvement journey

RESOLVED that the Board requested

a)  The new Chair of the Improvement Board be invited to the Scrutiny Board

b)   A letter of thanks be sent to Mark Rogers for his support to the Improvement Board

Briefing Note of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Scrutiny Board noted a briefing note of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator which detailed the new approach to be taken on progress, outcomes and responses to recommendations and substantial actions made by the Scrutiny Board.  The new template and examples were attached to the briefing note.

When recommendations and actions were made at a Scrutiny Board, following the scrutiny meeting, they would be circulated to the relevant Cabinet Member and officer, and recorded on a recommendations tracker. The tracker would bring to the Boards attention the responses received from Cabinet Members and Officers in regards to recommendations and actions.  Following a response or an action, it would be removed from the report and kept in the full recommendations tracker.  The complete tracker could be viewed by contacting the Scrutiny Team.

Briefing Note of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Scrutiny Board noted the work programme.

Any other items of business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no other items of business.