Items which in the opinion of the Chair should be considered at the meeting as matters of urgency.
Minutes:
1. Support for Ukrainian Children in Devon
(An item taken under Section 100B (4) of the Local Government Act 1972)
The Chair had decided that the Committee should be appraised of any arrangements with regard to the number of Ukrainian refugee due to enter the UK as a result of the war, and what provision Devon County Council may provide as part of this ongoing situation.
The Chief Officer for Children’s Services advised Members that detailed plans from government were not yet know, however Devon would ensure that any refugees be settled in Devon would be provided with provisions such as health checks. Long term provisions would include understanding the experiences of refugee children, what they may have witnessed and what support would therefore be required. Universal Early Help assessments would be offered which would identify areas of further concern. The Council would also look to model how many children may arrive with parents or carers and how many would be unaccompanied and therefore require care placements. Children’s Services would work closely with the Foreign Office and Home Office to provide resources and provisions.
The Head of Education and Learning advised that the Service had previous experience of working with schools in Exeter to provide school places for Afghan families and experience of supporting unaccompanied children. The Service would work to keep refugee children together and place them in one locality, whilst providing support to schools. This would include additional language support and social workers.
Members acknowledged the current position and update from officers.
2. Ofsted Monitoring Visit Letter
(An item taken under Section 100B (4) of the Local Government Act 1972)
The Chair had decided that the Committee should be updated following the publication of the Ofsted Monitoring Visit letter on 9 March.
The Chief Officer for Children’s Services provided an overview of the Ofsted Letter, which focussed on the Front Door process in the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub, how children were being assessed and the decision-making processes. The Letter acknowledged that Devon had experienced a significant increase in demand for assessments both before and during the Covid pandemic, along with staff shortages and high caseload numbers; this had contributed to children not receiving care in a timely manner. Other areas highlighted included the number of repeat child protection investigations, where some families were subject to more than one investigation in the course of 6 months; and positive comments around increased permanent senior leadership team posts and improved communication channels.
Members discussed the importance of understanding what was happening and how the points raised by Ofsted were being addressed, as well as how this had affected staff morale. Members were advised that there was significant pressure in being able to recruit and retain staff, which had increased the number of caseloads for all staff, and often resulted in them leaving the Council. Nationally there was pressure in recruiting social workers and therefore many Councils relied more on agency staff. Further to this, there was a lack of training opportunities for social workers and Members noted that courses were not provided by Exeter University, as well as reduced availability of suitable accommodation; all of which compounded the issues of recruiting social workers.
It was MOVED by Councillor Hannaford, SECONDED by Councillor Sanders, and
RESOLVED that there be a special meeting of Children’s Scrutiny Committee to discuss the Ofsted Monitoring Visit Letter as a matter of urgency.