Agenda and minutes

The Committee is asked to approve as a correct record the minutes of the last meeting held on X

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 March 2017 were agreed as a correct record.

The Constitution of the Committee and the appointment of the Chair and Vice Chair as approved by the Council for the current municipal year is as follows:-

Chair                           Councillor B Oliphant

Vice Chair                  Councillor M Hall

Councillors                J Adams

                                    B Clelland

                                    S Craig

                                    A Geddes

                                    E McMaster

                                    C McHatton

                                    C Simcox

Non-Voting Members

                                    Anne Page – Foster Carer

                                    Julie McCartney – The Gateshead Housing Company

                                    Sasha Ban – School Governor

                                    Jeremy Cripps – Voluntary Sector representative

                                    1 vacancy – Care Leaver

                                    1 vacancy – Families OSC representative

Report of Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee received a report providing an update on SEND pupils in care of the local authority.

The report covered provision and activities undertaken to support children and included detailed information on:

·         Progress of SEND LAC

·         Type of support available from the service

·         Current challenges for SEND LAC and REALAC team

The Committee were advised, as of July 2016 there were 244 LAC. In Gateshead there were 97 SEND pupils of whom 53 had Education Health Care (EHC) Plans or Statements. This is 22% of the LAC number of pupils. There were 44 pupils receiving SEND support therefore 18% of the LAC pupils. Overall 97 were SEND LAC which is 40% of pupils.

Of the 53 pupils with Plans for SEND, the largest area is Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) with 23 pupils, with relatively small numbers in other areas.

SEND LAC Progress on Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 were reported to Committee.

The Committee were updated on the challenges currently facing the team:-

There are a significantly increasing number of permanent exclusions from Gateshead schools. This is impacting on the need to intervene with schools to prevent permanent exclusions. This has predominantly taken most of the teams support time over the last three terms. Mostly arrangements are made that maintain pupils in school by managing moves through the Fair Access system, however, in primary and secondary schools there are a growing number of pupils the schools will not accommodate because of their behaviour that are on shared place arrangements with alternative programmes. The pupil BSS was full this year which meant it was extremely difficult to find provision for the LAC SEMH pupils.

Those pupils with SEND EHC plans that are now on the LA complex needs list where special schools out of borough don’t maintain them because of their SEMH and they lose their school place.

Schools that have left it too late to identify a special educational need for SEMH and wish to permanently exclude, particularly younger pupils in KS1 and KS2.

RESOLVED -             that the information be noted.

Report of Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee received the annual report for April 2016 – March 2017 which provided an update on Gateshead’s Fostering Service, highlighting the progress made over the last 12 months and the plan for developing the service.

In April 2011 the Government published new National Minimum Standards and Regulations for Fostering Services in England. Whilst there is no requirement under the regulations for the executive side of the local authority to receive written reports on the performance of its fostering service, it is deemed good practice to produce an annual report in order to monitor the management and outcomes of the Service and ensure that the agency is effective and achieving good outcomes for the children in its care.

RESOLVED – that the information be noted.

Report of Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee received a report outlining the Council’s provision made to support disabled Looked After Children. This includes arrangements made for children accommodated under Care Orders (S31), those placed in voluntary care (S20) or those accommodated for an agreed series of short term breaks (S20).

The Committee were also advised that everything that can be done is being done in order to ensure that Grove House remains open and providing the invaluable service it does.

RESOLVED – that the information be noted.

The Committee may wish to pass a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the grounds indicated:

Item                                         Paragraphs of Schedule 12A to the Local

Government Act 1972

8                                                          1

Report of Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee received a report on the Ofsted inspection outcomes and regulation 44 independent visits carried out in the Council’s children’s homes. The reports written as a result of the visits are circulated to the Service Director, Social Work, Care Wellbeing and Learning, Service Manager for Looked After Children and the Registered Manager of each home.

RESOLVED - that the information be noted.