To scrutinise performance at Quarter 2 and identify areas that may require further investigation by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. [Report Attached]

Contact: Tanya Miles, Executive Director for People.

The Committee received the Performance Monitoring Report Quarter 2 which gave an update on key areas of performance across Adult Social Care, Children’s Social Care and Education services under the People’s Directorate.

Natalie McFall, Assistant Director Adult Social Care and Housing outlined key areas of the report in relation to Adult Social Care and outlined the current demand and pressures across the service. It was noted that the current trends show a significant portion of adult social care demand coming from the 75+ age group and that the reduction in waiting lists had continued for several teams, including the community mental health team.

Amanda Allcock, Service Manager Ops South, highlighted the work of the specialist social work teams and in response to a question gave further information on the aim to reduce the use of the Mental Health Act to detain people and minimize hospital admissions. It was explained that the approach involved creating support plans around the individual, liaising with all professionals involved, the nearest relative, and the person themselves.

David Shaw, Assistant Director Education & Achievement, outlined key areas of the report in relation to Education noting the improved performance in parental preferences for school admissions and a slight reduction in permanent school exclusions. David Shaw added that the virtual school continued to perform strongly and outlined the challenges in managing resources to meet the growing demand and complexity of EHCPs.

In response to questions members were advised that:

·       The parenting team work to support for families to ensure children were ready for school and early years education which has been rolled back for children as young as nine months, will also help with this issue.

·       The team work closely with place planning to ensure that there were sufficient school places available in Shrewsbury to meet future demand. It was added that although there was a lot of additional new homes being built in Shrewsbury it did not necessarily mean more school places were required.

·       The rise in EHCPs was attributed to several factors, including increased awareness, identification of complex needs, and the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Sonya Miller, Assistant Director Children’s Social Care & Safeguarding and Donessa Gray, Assistant Director Services to Children & Families outlined key areas of the report in relation to Children’s Social Care noting in particular the Early Help programme transformation which provided targeted support and intervention for families at an earlier stage and Early Help Family Hubs which focus on creating a relationship-based approach with parent carers to deliver services within local communities.

In response to questions members were advised that:

·       The link to the Early Help Family Hubs would be provided to the committee following the meeting.

·       The majority of children in residential care was due to the complexity of their needs. These children often required specialized support that cannot be adequately provided in a family or community setting.

Officers were thanked for their report.

RECOMMENDED:

That a letter of thanks be sent to the teams for their efforts in the early help transformation and the Enable team be invited to attend a future meeting to provide an overview of their work.