Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Council Chamber - Town Hall, Whitechapel. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services Tel: 020 7364 4854 E-mail: justina.bridgeman@towerhamlets.gov.uk
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Joanna Hannan, Diocese of Westminster Representative and Councillor Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Lifelong Learning (Statutory Deputy Mayor). |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS Members are reminded to consider the categories of interest, identified in the Code of Conduct for Members to determine: whether they have an interest in any agenda item and any action they should take. For further details, see the attached note from the Monitoring Officer.
Members are also reminded to declare the nature of the interest at the earliest opportunity and the agenda item it relates to. Please note that ultimately it is the Members’ responsibility to identify any interests and also update their register of interest form as required by the Code.
If in doubt as to the nature of an interest, you are advised to seek advice prior the meeting by contacting the Monitoring Officer or Democratic Services.
Further Advice contact: Linda Walker, Interim Director of Legal and Monitoring Officer, Tel: 0207 364 4348 Additional documents: Minutes: Hassan Chowdhury, Parent Governor, declared that he is a trustee of Eternal Giving, the Island Advice Centre and a trustee of a care centre. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the meeting of the held on 17 October 2024. Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the Children and Education Scrutiny Sub Committee meeting held On 17 October 2024, were approved and signed as a correct record of proceedings. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: The actions were noted. |
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REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION Additional documents: |
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School Place Planning and Admissions Additional documents: Minutes: Steve Reddy, Corporate Director of Children’s Services, informed Members that the annual report on school place planning has been submitted to Cabinet. This report assesses school placements and discusses the concerns affecting local authorities, such as falling birth rate impacts, housing and placements for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Following questions from the sub-committee, Steve Reddy, Catherine Grace, Service Head- Pupil Access and School Support Education;
· Explained that primary school places within the borough are declining due to decreased birth rates, migration levels prior to school age and a drop in pupil yield from housing developments. Work is ongoing with Headteachers and stakeholders to ensure that the borough is financially secure and provides quality education for children.
· Confirmed that 6th form provision is sufficient within borough schools and additional support will be provided if required. Any further provision will need approval from the Department of Education (DfE).
· Noted that the headteachers and the respective Governing Boards are responsible for determining if 6th form provision will be retained.
· Clarified that school catchment areas are based on particular wards, population numbers and the schools location. All efforts are made to ensure the process is as fair as possible. There are no plans to alter the admission arrangements, and if this occurred, a statutory consultation process would be required.
· Noted that discussions are ongoing with both primary and secondary schools via the school organisation strategy, to ensure they are financially secure. School closures would be the last option.
· According to DfE estimates, Tower Hamlets can accommodate pupils from independent schools who may experience financial difficulties, leading them to attend state maintained schools. Provisions are provided for those students by those schools. Further details on this will be forwarded to Members for review
· Confirmed that staff retention has been included in the Councils organisational strategy. Collaboration with partners is ongoing to ensure staff retention and training opportunities are available where necessary. Schools are encouraged to collaborate and share best practices and the borough schools participate in that.
· Observed that various methods are employed to examine a school's performance, including monitoring the schools' own standards, exam results, and peer reviews. The latest Annual Report on School Performance will be presented to Members for review once published.
· Acknowledged some borough have been forced to close schools, however the Council, schools and partners continue to work together to ensure this will not occur within the borough. School closures are the last option.
· Clarified that the ‘Delivering Better Value’ programme for pupils with SEND, which assists in additional resource provision. Discussions are being held with some schools to implement the programme on school premises.
· Confirmed that Phoenix School conducts outreach activities with state-run schools, as they have staff with specialist training and also have regular meetings with the Council.
The Sub-Committee RESOLVED;
1. That an analysis of the impact of VAT on independent school fees, focusing on sufficiency and implications be forwarded to the sub-committee for review.
2. That Officers contact London Councils and request ... view the full minutes text for item 5.1 |
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Additional documents: Minutes: Steve Reddy, Corporate Director of Children’s Services, informed Members that the OFSTED Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) took place and the report is expected on 07 January 2025. The details of the report will be shared with Members once it has been received. The Council's approach to Corporate parenting was praised by the inspectors.
Susannah Beasley-Murray, Director of Children's Social Care, outlined the progress of the 280 borough children currently in care, compared to neighbouring local authorities. This is due to the early intervention with families through family group conferences, the Edge of Care Service (EoC) for 1-17 year olds, and the CAMHS in Social Care team (CiSC) to name a few.
Members were informed that the service has strong relationships with foster carers, many of them now therapeutically trained to support children in their care, the court system and have also strengthened the approach to keeping children with birth families.
Details of the Diamond Project, an initiative helping children who have been repeatedly removed into care to stay with birth parents, health assessments, learning and development for unaccompanied children were noted. As were the details regarding recruiting more foster carers and working across boroughs as part of the Local Community Fostering initiative and the Access to Fostering course, to promote the service to interested families. 14 perspective foster carers are currently on the course.
Details on children leaving care and areas of improvement were noted, which included further work on children transitioning to adulthood, the IRO post 18 age group, promotion of community awareness and assisting care leavers to become mentors.
Following questions from the sub-committee, Steve Reddy, Susannah Beasley-Murray and Shelena Powtoo, Improvement Delivery Lead;
· Explained that there is a pre proceedings panel that assesses all cases going to court, which can involve complex assessments with families that can exceed the 12 week period. Further work is required to reduce the timescale.
· Confirmed that the Access to Fostering programme began in September and involves work experience with children. There is a national shortage of foster carers.
· Acknowledged that there are issues with housing in the borough and the Corporate Parenting Board and the Housing department are working together to resolve the shortage. Care leavers receive three housing offers, more than most local authorities.
· Clarified that the Mockingbird Hubs are available to for children in foster care who were placed out of the borough. A breakdown on the average age of children entering care will be brought to the sub-committee for review.
· Noted that consideration will be given to promoting the ‘Access to Fostering’ programme on the Council’s WhatsApp page.
· Confirmed that all care leavers have a personal advisor and an Education and Training Officer to assist them in decisions regarding further education, training, employment and community integration. All efforts are made to ensure family relationships are kept intact if possible.
· Explained that the CAMHS service is available for young people with mental health concerns and an Independent Reviewing Officer is available after the age of 18 ... view the full minutes text for item 5.2 |
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Children and Young People’s Mental Health Additional documents: Minutes: Sarah Wilson, Director of Children and Specialist Services, East London Foundation Trust (ELFT), requested the sub-committee take the presentation on the integrated work on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing be taken as read and go straight to questions.
Ms Wilson was joined by Ruksana Ahmed, Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Psychological Therapist Lead, CAMHS, Cathy Lavelle, Clinical Psychologist, ELFT, Grace Walker, Interim Head of Integrated Commissioning and Jordan Oliver, Senior Programme Manager Integrated Commissioning.
Following questions from the sub-committee, Sarah Wilson, Ruksana Ahmed, Grace Walker, Jordan Oliver and Cathy Lavelle;
· Confirmed that psychologists work in conjunction with Children’s Services, CAMHS and commissioned service providers and the ‘Edge of Care’ service to assist the young people with mental health challenges. Consultations with practitioners also takes place.
· Observed that all offers use the reflective practice methodology, to ensure children and young people receive the best psychological care possible. All staff who work with children can attend a community of practice trauma informed session, so they can discuss and embed trauma informed methods to support children and young people.
· Noted that although there is no variation in prevalence rates amongst ADHD or Autism, related to race or gender, the service has noted an underrepresentation of young girls in Adult Social Care diagnostic and boys overrepresented. Children and young people who use the service reflect the racial makeup of the borough.
· Confirmed that the prevalence of ADHD assessments across all ethnic groups is increasing, which raises awareness and reduces the stigma of mental health issues, but simultaneously increases demand and complexity of those needs.
· Reiterated that Phoenix School undertakes outreach work in state maintained schools to identify children who may require specialist care. This includes the early diagnosis of neurodiversity, the ‘Stay and Play’ programmes within the Family Hubs and the use of appropriate methods to support both families and children.
· Acknowledged the waiting times for autism assessments and diagnosis, however, there are no waiting times for children and young people who require crisis support.
· Observed that children with complex mental health issues are frequently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as it may not be evident until adolescence.
· Observed that neighbouring boroughs are also experiencing delays for neurodivergent assessments.
· Noted that a considerable amount of early intervention work is undertaken by Community health services and various initiatives led by Public Health. Details of these will be presented to the sub-committee for review.
· Explained that in relation to perinatal mental health, a needs led approach is given to both parents and child. Additional offers are available, including parent group offers, throughout the pre-diagnosis and assessment stages.
· Confirmed that ELFT has a mother and baby unit for women with severe psychological issues who can receive any additional assistance. Both parent and child are evaluated and the perinatal services regularly collaborate with voluntary sector, GPS other health providers to identify women who are at risk of perinatal mental health issues.
The Sub-Committee RESOLVED;
1. That an overview of the initiatives led by Public Health to ... view the full minutes text for item 5.3 |
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ANY OTHER UNRESTRICTED BUSINESS CONSIDERED TO BE URGENT Additional documents: Minutes: None. |