Venue: Committee Suite, County Hall, Exeter
Contact: Email: charlie.fisher@devon.gov.uk
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Declarations of Interest Members of the Council will declare any interests they may have in any item to be considered at this meeting, prior to any discussion taking place on that item.
The other registrable interests
of Councillors of Devon County Council, arising from membership of
City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will
automatically be recorded in the minutes:
Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair reminded Members they should declare
any interests they may have in any item to be considered, prior to
any discussion taking place on that item.
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Minutes Minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2024 (previously circulated). Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2024 be signed as a correct record. |
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Items Requiring Urgent Attention Items which in the opinion of the Chair should be considered at the meeting as matters of urgency. Additional documents: Minutes: There was no matter raised as a matter of urgency. |
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Public Participation Members of the public may make representations/presentations on any substantive matter listed in the published agenda for this meeting, as set out hereunder, relating to a specific matter or an examination of services or facilities provided or to be provided. Additional documents: Minutes: There were no oral representations from members of the public. |
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Responses of the Cabinet to Reports of the Committee Verbal reports of the Cabinet Members. Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Schools stated that the main item discussed in the Cabinet meeting was the Foster Carers report, which was commended; the issues faced by foster carers was highlighted and an acknowledgment and appreciation of their work; and that some recommendations had already been implemented, including changes to the Egress system. There was a commitment to further improve support for foster carers in the coming year.
The Chief Executive reported that Ofsted had returned for additional evidence gathering with a report expected in March; and that constructive work with Ofsted continued |
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Scrutiny Committee Work Programme In accordance with previous practice, Scrutiny Committees are requested to review the list of forthcoming business and determine which items are to be included in the Work Programme.
The Committee may also wish to review the content of the Cabinet Forward Plan and the Children’s Services Risk Register to see if there are any specific items therein it might wish to explore further.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Scrutiny Officer updated the Committee as to the work programme, including an additional item: Monitoring progress on the Young Carers Covenant, as recommended by full Council in December.
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Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Transformation Programme update Report of the Interim Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/25/04). Additional documents:
Minutes: (Councillors Leadbetter and Samuel attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(1) and spoke to this item at the invitation of the Committee.)
The Committee considered the report and presentation of the Director of Children & Young People’s Futures (CS/25/04) which set out the progress made since the last meeting on the SEND Transformation Programme, including the Safety Valve programme, update on EHCPs, and timeliness and communication with families.
The Committee considered the report and presentation of the Director of Children & Young People’s Futures (CS/25/04) which set out the progress made since the last meeting on the SEND Transformation Programme, including the Safety Valve programme, update on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), and timeliness and communication with families.
The report stated that at the heart of current challenges remained ongoing pressures around High Needs Block/Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Before any contributions from the Department for Education (DfE), the increase in the accumulated DSG deficit was forecast to be £51.6 million compared to the DfE Safety Valve planned position of £31.2 million, an increase of £20.4 million in Month 8.
In view of the demand pressures outlined in the report, and the ongoing requirement from DfE to address backlogs, the Council had resolved to seek further engagement with Government on SEND provision due to increasing national demand and costs, as well as the impact on Devon.
The Cabinet Member for Children’s SEND Improvement Services welcomed: - Government's additional £1 billion SEND funding and £740 million for new specialist places in mainstream schools; - the Select Committee’s call for evidence on the national SEND crisis and encouraged partners and parents to respond by 6 February. - Ofsted's commitment to accountability in SEND support.
Discussion points with Members and Officers followed and included: - It was explained that the RAG status reflected the level of risk in delivering improvements. Some areas remained the same due to ongoing risks, such as decisions pending from the DfE. - Progress was being tracked through the SEND strategy, focusing on family experience; and an oversight committee with parents and practitioners was being set up to measure impact more effectively. - The Emotionally Based School Avoidance project was led by the educational psychology service with resources provided online, and widely communicated via newsletters; and the Early Years Transitions Offer was being mainstreamed, with children identified through various channels for additional support. - The need for additional funding to address the backlog of EHCP assessments and support for families; the current Government allocation of funding was insufficient; and the need to re-engage with Government for better funding was crucial. - Concerns were raised around the effectiveness of the EHCP plans and the need for quality assurance; additionally, some parents opted for home education due to unmet needs in schools, which highlighted the importance of early identification of unmet needs. - The importance of Outreach models and adequate funding for SEN was emphasised; and the challenges faced by staff in managing behaviour at school was highlighted. - Emphasised was the need ... view the full minutes text for item 196. |
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Education Annual Report Report of the Interim Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/25/05).
Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee considered the Report of the Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/25/05) which noted the proposed strategic direction of the service and the key analytical questions for evaluation purposes.
The Annual Performance Report for Autumn 2024 (based on published data to 25 October 2024) highlighted key statistics and trends in Devon’s education system, including school types, pupil numbers, free school meal eligibility, special educational needs, phonics and Key Stage 2 attainment, absence and exclusion rates, NEET (Not in Education, Employment and Training) figures, Ofsted ratings, and school complaints.
The Inclusion and Learning Update outlined the proposed Inclusion and Learning Strategy for Devon, focussing on building inclusive learning communities, improving universal provision, promoting engagement, fostering partnerships, and enhancing accountability, alongside the redesign of the Inclusion and Learning team and the implementation of free school meals auto-enrolment.
Discussion points with Members and Officers followed and included: - Concern at the data showing underperformance nationally, regionally, and compared with statistical neighbours; and emphasis on the need to measure the impact of strategies and improve the quality of education. - Concern at the increasing numbers of elective home education due to mental health issues and rising primary school exclusions; and emphasis on the collective commitment needed from all partners for improvement; together with the importance of developing young people’s skills for the future. - Emphasis on the need for additional metrics for schools to understand broader issues, including pupil wellbeing. - Reminder that a forthcoming Standing Overview Group would review the proposed Inclusion and Learning Strategy, and allow further discussion.
It was MOVED by Councillor Adams, SECONDED by Councillor Dewhirst and
RESOLVED that the Committee supports the formulation of an Inclusion and Learning Strategy and welcomes further engagement with the Children's Scrutiny Committee on the development of the strategy through a Standing Overview Group, including exploring ways the Committee can be assured and work with partners to deliver the strategy.
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Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report Report of the Interim Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/25/06). Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee considered the Report of the Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/25/06) on the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership (DSCP) Annual Report 2023-24. The Annual Report had been published on the DSCP website.
The Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership was not a Devon County Council service, but rather a statutory partnership arrangement consisting of children social care, education, health and police, as well as other agencies in both the statutory and voluntary sectors working with children and families across Devon.
Discussion points with Members and Officers followed and included: - The designated safeguarding partners met quarterly, with two meetings including wider regional partners from Torbay and Plymouth. - The Partnership’s recent efforts included addressing children who were electively home educated, missing education, or not receiving full-time education. - Safeguarding priorities included suicide prevention, child sexual abuse, harmful sexual behaviours and child exploitation. - A data dashboard was in development to monitor performance across agencies. - The need for improved engagement with children and young people in the safeguarding partnership.
The Committee wished to note the importance of inviting safeguarding lead agencies and representatives to future Scrutiny meetings to enhance discussion.
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Children's Social Care Governance Transformation Programme Report of the Interim Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/25/14). Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee received the Report of the Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/25/14), which provided an overview of the Children’s Social Care Governance Transformation Project.
The report outlined various reforms in Children’s Social Care from central Government, aiming to consolidate activities for better oversight. Key challenges included providing more preventative services, working in multi-agency teams, and developing family help. There were concerns about funding and capacity. Other reforms included extending the role of the virtual school head, implementing a unique identifier for each child, expanding kinship care, managing care placements, and new powers for Ofsted. The scale of these reforms however raised concerns about the ability to deliver them alongside other Government initiatives.
Discussion points with Members and Officers followed and included:
A progress report would be presented to a future meeting of the Committee.
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Children's Scrutiny Standing Overview Group Report of the Director of Legal and Democratic Services (LDS/25/2). Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee received the Report of the Director of Legal and Democratic Services (LDS/25/2), which provided a record of the Standing Overview Group meeting held on 21 October 2024.
It was MOVED by Councillor Sanders, SECONDED by Councillor Hellyer and
RESOLVED that the report be accepted as an accurate record of the issues explored in the Standing Overview Group meeting on 21 October 2024.
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