To receive apologies for absence and notification of any substitute members

24.1    Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Boddington.

24.2    Councillor Evans substituted for Councillor Boddington.

Members are reminded they must not participate in the discussion or vote on any matter in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

25.1    None were disclosed.

The minutes of the last meeting, held on 16 July 2014, are attached for confirmation.

26.1    RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting of the Young People’s Scrutiny Committee held on the 16 July 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any questions, statements or petitions of which members of the public have given notice.

Deadline for notification is: 5.00pm on Friday 5 September 2014

27.1    There were no questions from members of the public.

To receive any questions of which Members of the Council have given notice.

Deadline for notification: 5.00pm on Friday 5 September 2014

28.1    There were no questions from Members.

This report summarises the latest performance indicators in relation tosocial care (appendix 1) and education (appendix 2)for children and young people as at the end of the financial year 2013/14. 

29.1    The meeting received the report of the Director of Children’s Services which summarised the latest performance indicators in relation toSocial Care and Education for Children and Young People as at the end of the financial year 2013/14.

29.2    A Member commented on the seemingly low performance at key stage 2 for higher level students and asked for the reasons for this.  The Head of Education Improvement and Efficiency advised that work on the identification of the issues around the higher level performance was being undertaken.  She went on to say that there had been some improvement but this would be hard to quantify until the next tranche of data was received, but that there was clear improvement in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

29.3    A Member asked whether there were any statistics for children educated at home.  The Head of Education Improvement and Efficiency advised him that these would be included in a future report to the Committee.

29.4    A Member commented that there had been a 57% increase in referrals to Children’s Social Care and asked for the reason for this.  The Head of Safeguarding commented that the increase was in line with increases in other councils, and that referrals resulted in a number of outcomes. She went on to say that part of the early help work was aimed at reducing the number of referrals.

29.5    A Member asked why the percentage of referrals within 12 months of a previous referral had doubled in the 12 month period.  The Head of Safeguarding explained that this rise was partially due to changes in the way that data was recorded.  The Director of Children’s Services commented that when compared with the Council’s statistical neighbours the figures were in line with the national picture.

29.6    A Member commented that the majority of assessments seemed to be completed at the end of the 45 day target period. The Director of Children’s Services commented that the length of time taken to do assessments depended on the complexity of the case especially where several agencies were involved.

29.7    A Member remarked that the number of looked after children (LAC) per 10,000 was still rising.  The Head of Safeguarding stated that, although there was still a rise in the numbers, the county was still well below the figures for both the statistical neighbours and the national figures.  She informed Members that the largest increase was in the 15 years and over age group and that there was also a rise in the 0 to 2 years age group which reflected our earlier recognition of cases of neglect.  The Director of Children’s Services commented that the decision to take a child into care was a difficult one and was always taken to ensure the best long term outcome for the child

29.8    A Member asked whether the data covered the Telford and Wrekin area as well as Shropshire.  The Director of Children’s Services advised that it covered the Shropshire Council area and that Telford and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

The Committee will receive an update

30.1    The meeting received a presentation from the Service Specialist – Safeguarding and Review (copy attached to signed minutes) which provided an update on work being done in Shropshire to raise awareness of and to prevent child sexual exploitation (CSE).

30.2    A Member expressed concern that 7 out of the 20 cases considered were or became looked after children (LAC).  The Service Specialist explained that the majority of the young people concerned became LAC as a result of concerns raised and that only one had been a LAC prior to the concerns being raised.

30.3    A Member commended the fact that the number of referrals by schools had increased and asked what training was provided for teachers and governors. The Head of Education Improvement and Efficiency informed the meeting that all schools had to have a child protection lead and that they received full training on CSE.  It was noted that schools could also buy in training for other teachers and governors.  A Member commented that she had received training as a governor and that it had been very worthwhile.  The Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services commented that elected members had received safeguarding training as part of their induction training and that it may be an opportune time to repeat this training.  Members agreed and requested that the co-opted members of the committee also be invited to this training.

30.4    A Member commented that the opportunities for people to become involved in the recognition of CSE were encouraging but was concerned that some of the information was not available.  The Service Specialist commented that the Council should not be complacent regarding the need to continually raise awareness.  The Director of Children’s Services commented on the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to raise awareness.  She drew attention to the Shropshire Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB) website that contained a lot of useful information on this subject. It was noted that a media campaign was planned.

30.5    A Member suggested that Parish and Town Councils could be used to raise awareness and that training could be offered through the SALC training programme.  The Portfolio Holder commented that she felt that this would be a good way of raising awareness and that she would take this forward. It was also agreed to undertake Member briefings

30.6    A Member asked what work was being done to raise awareness within other youth and sporting groups.  The Director of Children’s Services stated that groups affiliated to the Shropshire Youth Association received training and guidance, and that sporting clubs were usually affiliated to county or national associations with clear safeguarding policies.

30.7    A Member commented that there were a number of out of county looked after children resident within the county and asked what provision was made for them.  The Director of Children’s Services responded that, whilst responsibility for these children remained with the home authority, Shropshire Council had a duty of care towards them and was working closely with the private care providers to agree processes and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

To receive a presentation on corporate parenting

31.1    It was agreed that due to time constraints the presentation on Corporate Parenting would be deferred to a future meeting.

To receive a presentation

32.1    The meeting received a presentation from the Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG) & Transition Manager on work being done to reduce the number of young people in Shropshire not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).

32.2    A Member asked what the current trends were with regards to the number of NEETS in the County.  The IAG & Transition Manager agreed to circulate current data after the meeting.

32.3    Members congratulated the Officers on the good work they were doing and the Chairman thanks Officers for their presentation.

The current Scrutiny Work Programme and Cabinet Forward Plan are attached

33.1    The meeting received copies of the current Scrutiny Work Programme and the Cabinet Forward Plan.

33.2    The Chairman asked Members to let her know of any other topics they would like added to the Committee’s Work Programme.

Members are reminded that the next scheduled meeting will take place on Wednesday 22 October 2014 at 10.00am at The Shirehall

34.1    Members were reminded that the next meeting of the Committee would be held at 10.00am on 22 October 2014  at The Shirehall