Agenda and minutes

The Committee is asked to approve as a correct record the minutes of the last meeting held on 21 January 2016.

Report of Interim Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee took part in the fourth evidence gathering session which provided an overview report and  DVD presentations of how multi agency decisions are made regarding whether a child needs to become subject to a child protection plan and under what category.  The session considered decision making during Initial Child Protection Conferences (ICPC) and how these decisions are reviewed at subsequent Review Child Protection Conferences (RCPC).

The Committee were also advised on the purpose of an Initial Child Protection Conference and the conference responsibilities and decision making process.

The Committee received the definitions of categories of significant harm taken from ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2015’ as being:-

Physical Abuse – a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Emotional Abuse – the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or making fun of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.

These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying) causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

Sexual Abuse – involves forcing or enticing as child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the Internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Neglect – the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born neglect  ...  view the full minutes text for item F36

Report of Interim Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee received an update relating to the changes and developments to special school provision. This is following on from last year’s review that an annual conversation be held with special schools.

There are 6 special schools in Gateshead, Dryden and Hill Top ae a hard federation and the Executive Headteacher is Jane Bryant. Furrowfield and Eslington are a soft federation and the Executive Headteacher is Michelle Richards and is an academy.

All of the schools have been rated by Ofsted as at least good with Dryden, Eslington and Gibside schools outstanding schools. This supports the view that Gateshead has high quality special school provision in place.

The SEN Strategy group are currently working on a new vision to give a context to future developments for schools including special schools and the future SEN provision for the local authority. The vision ensures that health and social care providers with other service users are in partnership to deliver high quality provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Comparing the 2015 and 2016 data in relation to special schools shows that:

·         The numbers of pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) has significantly increased in 2016.  This has particularly impacted on Gibside school and is about 60% of the school population. The Cedars also has greater numbers of ASD than previous years.

·         Pupils with Social, Emotional, Mental Health needs (SEMH) is also increasing which is adding pressure to the numbers for both Eslington and Furrowfield schools.

·         Speech, Language and Communications Needs (SLCN) is also increasing on the previous year. While Profund, Multiple, Learning Difficulty (PMLD) has stayed about the same.

The Committee were advised that Gibside school, from early years information, is predicting the need to expand further. It currently has a base of two classrooms in Blaydon Children’s centre to accommodate previously required additional numbers. However, new information will require more classroom space for September 2016. The local authority is checking recent data and the governing body of the school are in discussions with the local authority on how it could increase numbers and find more classroom space to be prepared for September 2016.

Committee were reminded that a report to Cabinet on 24 February 2015 outlined proposed new developments for Eslington Primary school for an extra 30 places to make 68 places in total (including 8 additionally resourced places) and to extend the intake age range from 5-11 to 2 -11 year olds with effect from 1 September 2015. The report also requested that the council convert the Redheugh block at Tyne View Children’s Centre to create a split site school.

This proposal was because it had been identified that the number of children with Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) needs requiring specialist educational support was rising and it is anticipated this will continue to increase in the future. A number of pupils were placed in mainstream schools due to a lack of place in specialist provision like Eslington which was deemed the best  ...  view the full minutes text for item F37