To receive the Quarterly Performance Monitoring Report. (Report attached)

Contact: Tanya Miles - Executive Director DASS/ Interim Chief Executive.

Tanya Miles, Interim Chief Executive and Executive Director DASS introduced the Performance Monitoring Report Quarter 1 which gave an update on key areas of performance across Care & Wellbeing and Children and Young People services.

John Rowe, Head of Education Quality and Safeguarding outlined key areas of the report in relation to the Designated Schools Grant (DSG).  It was explained that the DSG was made up of several blocks: schools, early years, high needs, and central school services and that Shropshire faced significant pressure in the high needs block, currently running a £41 million deficit.

John Rowe noted that the deficit was not on the Council’s core budget sheet due to a statutory override and was driven by a 70% increase in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) since 2019, more children in independent and special schools, and increased top-up funding for mainstream schools. Strategies to manage the deficit were outlined and it was noted that the Council was working with the Department for Education and the Schools Forum on a management plan, but the future of the statutory override and any government bailout was still uncertain.

In response to questions in relation to the DSG members were advised that:

·       The team was not spending significant time modelling various hypothetical scenarios for the DSG deficit as these were uncertain and efforts were instead focused on managing the current situation and bringing the deficit back to balance using available strategies.

·       The Schools Forum was advisory but also a formal committee which made recommendations on funding formulas and resource allocations. It has a specific subgroup overseeing the DSG management plan and their involvement ensured schools understand the challenges faced by the Council.

·       The increase in children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) was not only in the UK but also seen across Western Europe.

·       The Chairman recommended that a briefing for all Members on the DSG be arranged, as it was a complex topic involving the allocation of funds to local authorities and schools, with various categories and significant financial implications.

Jo Kelly, Virtual School Headteacher, outlined key areas of the report in relation to Elective Home Education (EHE). She explained that safeguarding was a concern since these children were less visible to authorities and that Shropshire’s EHE rate, currently at 791 was slightly above the national average. It was noted that priority visits target those on child protection plans, and Shropshire was proactively preparing for new laws that will generally require children under protection plans to return to school, barring exceptional cases.

In response to questions members were advised that:

·       There was a rise in EHE numbers after COVID, with figures increasing from 539 in 2022-23 to 791 at present.

·       The Council tracks children eligible for free school meals who were electively home educated but does not provide meals as responsibility shifts to parents once a child is home educated. It was added that the team monitored this group in their data and encouraged a return to school if needed, but there was no direct provision or guarantee of nutrition for these children.

·       EHE requests have been previously refused based on safeguarding concerns identified during multi-agency checks.

·       The Council has worked with waste collection services and the postal service to encourage them to use their observations to help identify safeguarding concerns in the community.

·       When mental health was cited as a reason for EHE, education welfare officers work with families and schools to explore if a return to school was appropriate and provide signposting to mental health resources. If parents proceed with EHE, they receive a welcome pack with health information.

Sonya Miller, Service Director Children's & Young People outlined key areas of the report in relation to fostering. She highlighted the national challenge of declining foster carers but noted that Shropshire was bucking the trend with increased recruitment, especially of kinship and connected carers.

In response to questions members were advised that:

·       After age 18, fostering allowances end unless the young person stays under "staying put" arrangements, which provide financial support at a different rate.

·       Care leavers, were supported with accommodation and other services up to age 25, including options like supported lodgings or help with independent tenancies.

·       There was an aging cohort of foster carers in Shropshire, with some fostering well into their 70s. The Council was addressing this by running targeted campaigns to recruit younger families, single carers, and those interested in short breaks, as well as dispelling perceived barriers to fostering.

Michelle Williams, Service Manager Long Term Support outlined key areas of the report in relation to Adult Social Care. It was reported that Shropshire faced high demand from self-funding clients whose assets have dropped below the threshold, often due to expensive care packages. In response to this the Council was working with partners to provide better information and advice to prevent rapid depletion of assets and ensure appropriate care at reasonable rates. Members were also advised that a new policy on deferred payments (supporting people with property assets entering care homes) was being developed and would be reported to scrutiny in due course.

All officers were thanked for their reports.

RECOMMENDED:

The Committee noted the report and agreed the following proposals:

•         That a task and finish group on SEND transport, open to all members be set up and the Audit and Governance Committee be asked to review the cost and procurement processes for SEND transport, especially regarding taxi and minibus contracts.

•         That authority to establish future task and finish groups without needing full committee approval be delegated to the Chairman and Vice-Chairman.