Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Deputy Chief Executive (People)

Further to minute 27/17 the Scrutiny Board considered a briefing note of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) which provided a progress report on the implementation of changes to Home to School Travel Assistance.  The Council introduced a new Home to School Travel Assistance Policy (Statutory School Age) and Post 16 Home to School/College Travel Assistance Policy in September 2017.  On 30th November 2017, the Scrutiny Board examined the process and took evidence from parents on their personal experience of the system.  It was determined that the Board would re-examine the progress and impact of proposed actions to improve the customer experience.

The reflective learning and feedback from parents, identified four key actions that would improve the service and customer experience.  These were implemented in preparation for the 2018/19 academic year.

Action one was that the application deadline for 2018/19 be brought forward to ensure that applicants received a decision before the end of the 2017/18 academic year.  All 600 applications received by the published deadline of the 25th June 2018, were processed before the end of the 2017/18 academic year.  575 were judged eligible, 25 did not meet the criteria on the basis of the information provided.  Schools were consulted on any applicant that did not meet the eligibility criteria, to ascertain if there were any exceptional circumstances that needed to be considered before a decision was communicated to families.  Strategies included personal phone-calls to families that had missed the deadline.  Late applications were typically processed within three days of receipt. Consequently, the decision making process was strengthened by better information, thereby reducing the number of appeals and the inherent stress that placed on families. It was evident that customer satisfaction with the administration process in this area has much improved.

The second action was to revise the application form to assist applicants in providing all necessary information to inform the eligibility decision making process.  This would be tested with the assistance of parents before the launch, to ensure that it was easy to understand and as simple as possible to complete.  The application was revised and two consultation events were held to engage parents in the process of co-production.  The events were promoted through the parent Facebook pages and One Voice.  Whilst attendance at the events attracted minimal interest, the contribution made by parents proved invaluable and their advice was fully incorporated into the revised on-line application form.

The third action was that the application form would enable post 16 applicants to provide evidence of low-income eligibility at the point of application.  This would ensure that contributions towards the cost of transport was assessed accurately at the point of first application, thereby avoiding the need to appeal.  The application form for post 16 to 18 travel assistance had been separated from the statutory school age application process.  The form provided a specific section to declare low-income against the criteria.  The effectiveness of the form was reflected in the significant reduction in appeals from: 25 in 2017, to 4 in 2018 (a reduction of 84%).

The fourth action was the current Travel Assistance policies would be supported with an easy to follow parent/young person guide.  The draft guide would be reviewed with and by parents to ensure that it provided all of the information necessary before publication.  The information provided on the Council’s website had been significantly improved to assist all users.  A booklet had been designed, which incorporated illustrations provided by pupils from Sherbourne Fields School.  This had since been reviewed and was in the process of being published on the website.

The briefing note contained tables which provided evidence of the impact.  A comparison of activity in respect of the 2018/19 academic year and the 2017/18 academic year.  In summary, it was evident that the number of children and young people receiving travel assistance had increased by 10% and the number of appeals had reduced by 37%.

Officers reported that independent travel training was encouraged and noted that the delay in updating the Scrutiny Board was due to legal proceedings. 

The Board congratulated officers on delivering the actions that had improved the service and customer experience and particularly the challenge of responding to families before the schools closed for the summer.

RESOLVED that:

1.  The Scrutiny Board congratulate the team for their commitment to addressing concerns the Board had raised.

2.  The Scrutiny Board and the Cabinet Member agreed at the meeting that a joint statement should be communicated on the service provided.