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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED: To note the report.
RESOLVED: To note the presentation outlined in Appendix 1.
RESOLVED: To note the information presented.
RESOLVED: To note the information shared within the update and support the recommended transfer of CPAC management to the Performance and Partnerships team.
RESOLVED: To approve the Forward Work Programme.
RESOLVED: 1. To note the programme of visits as outlined in Appendix 1 and indicate any expressions of interest in attending any of the visits contained within the programme. To identify any other appropriate and relevant services or organisations to be included within the member visit programme that would benefit the committee in carrying out their role.
RESOLVED: To note the information shared within the update as outlined at Appendix 1.
No apologies for absence were received for this meeting.
There were no declarations of interest in accordance with the Members Code of Conduct.
The Chair welcomed Cllr Jayne Cowan to the meeting, and welcomed the return of Cllr Peter Littlechild.
The minutes of the last meeting of the Committee, 24 June 2024, were approved and signed by the Chairperson.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: To note the report.
Becci Ingram, Cardiff and Vale Health Board, Committee Advisor gave a presentation which included an update on the performance of the service, new intervention offers, and other details of the work of the service, in particular how it relates Children Looked After. Members were invited to ask questions and make observations, as summarised below: Members requested an opportunity to visit The Hangout, and this request was met warmly by Becci Ingram. Members sought clarification on the level of interaction with the Youth Service, and it was suggested that there be conversations around interaction between the EWMHS’s Youth Board and the Council’s Youth Service. Members sought clarification on changes to the health visitor and nursing teams around Children Looked After to have dedicated workers for Children Looked After. It was explained that health visitors deal with the under-5’s and nursing teams with 5’s and overs. A 6-month pilot project has recently ended and the Service was looking into providing continuity with health visitors for Children Looked After. Members sought information on the number of children waiting for services and whether there had been any change in that number. Members were advised that the numbers could be provided. Referring to 28-day waiting times for interventions, Ms Ingram advised that the service had gone from almost non-compliance to complete compliance over the last year. Members sought information on how Cardiff was performing in comparison with other local authorities in Wales. The Committee were advised that although the figures were not to hand they could be provided. Cardiff and Vale would compare favourably with other authorities because it was complying with all targets. The average wait for an assessment is 4 weeks and for an intervention 3-4 weeks. Members sought information on the crossover between children who are engaging with the service and the broader population of Children Looked After. Members were advised that this information could be provided. Members were also advised that an update on the Health Visiting Pilot and its outcome could be provided at a later meeting. RESOLVED: To note the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: To note the presentation outlined in Appendix 1.
Matthew Osborne, Operational Manager, Children’s Services, gave a presentation which included an update on the activity programme, information on the numbers of children who engaged with it and their feedback, and next steps. Members were invited to ask questions and make observations, as summarised below: Members sought information on how many children and young people had been contacted in relation to the Summer Activity Programme, and what was the target number for participants both this year and for future years. Officers advised that this year’s programme was treated as a pilot. The future programme needs to be sustainable and numbers and targets can be discussed at future meetings of the committee. 1,200 children and young people were contacted for the participation consultation and the response was 10%. Most were not Children Looked After, although these were over-represented. Non-survey ways of capturing the views of young people will be looked at going forward. Members were concerned about events such as in the Summer Activity Programme could be made more accessible for wider numbers of children and young people. Officers advised that the programme will continue to be grown and developed. Members discussed improving engagement with communities and vulnerable children. Officers advised that Youth Services have engaged closely as part of Bright Sparks with vulnerable groups. Members discussed having a written briefing from Youth Justice and the SAFE Partnership for the committee and the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee explaining the work that is ongoing with vulnerable children and young people. RESOLVED: To note the presentation outlined in Appendix 1.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: To note the information presented.
Matthew Osborne, Operational Manager, Children’s Services, presented an outline of the information in the Performance Dashboard. Members were invited to ask questions and make observations, as summarised below: Members wished to know what could be done to reduce disruption around transition. Officers advised that work was being done to ensure placement sufficiency. Children’s Services is undertaking a training needs analysis with staff and moving towards a trauma recovery model, training staff to understand more about the needs of the child or young person, as well as parents and caregivers. Members discussed the transfer from Statements of SEN to IDP’s. Officers advised that by the end of 2024-2025 academic year the Council would be 100% compliant. Members discussed exclusions. Officers advised that there were conversations with schools and Education to ensure that all options short of permanent exclusion were explored. Work is being done at a national level in Wales on exclusions. Officers agreed that working with schools out of county was not as easy as with schools in county, but were hopeful an increase in team numbers would facilitate this. Members sought information on how the ethnicity profile of Children Looked After compared to the wider population. Officers advised that children and young people other than White British are over-represented in the Looked After population. Children’s Services are working through an Equality Action Plan aimed at understanding the reasons for this. The figures are skewed to some extent by the number of Unaccompanied Child Asylum Seekers. Children’s Services is trying to recruit carers from a wide range of ethnicities and match them as appropriate. Members discussed the number of Children Looked After who are waiting for an assessment for an IDP. Committee were advised by the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Lister, that Welsh Government had written to the Council stating that a review of the assessment framework and how the number of referrals is dealt with was necessary, as the number is expected to increase. The Council is discussing with Cardiff and Vale Health Board how quicker assessments can lead to treatment in plans being put in place earlier. Changes at the national level will probably be required to ensure children and young people get support as quickly as they can. Officers advised that children and young people waiting for an assessment can get an ALN Notification which allows an IDP to be put in place. Members expressed concern at the number of children being placed out of county and sought information on whether the number was increasing or declining. Officers advised that children are placed out of county for a range of reasons, but mostly to do with placement sufficiency. Eliminating profit from care will create more placements in Cardiff. Some profit-making providers are no longer looking to continue in this area, and that will create opportunities to develop more local placements. Members sought information on strategies to reduce the risk of Children Looked After reoffending. Officers advised that those cases are in high risk panels and are being closely monitored. Members expressed concern about the lack of Personal Education Plans and asked whether officers could provide data about provision over the last 5 years at the next meeting of Committee. Officers advised that there had been improvements in recent times. A target of 90% was suggested as reasonable to be working towards. It was for the Committee to decide whether they wanted the additional data included in the dashboard. Members sought an explanation for the over-representation of minority ethnic young people among Children Looked After. Officers advised that children and young people become Looked After following a legal process. Children’s Services are trying to develop different solutions, which include wider family options. A further breakdown of data regarding ethnicities and types of placement might be useful for the Committee. Officers advised that the Fostering teams were working hard to increase the number of foster carers from minority communities. RESOLVED: To note the information presented.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: To note the information shared within the update and support the recommended transfer of CPAC management to the Performance and Partnerships team.
Matthew Osborne, Operational Manager, Children’s Services, and Sian Sanders, Head of Community Safety and Cohesion, presented the report, which outlined the changes being made in regard to the Corporate Parenting Strategy and Corporate Parenting Operational Plan, and the transfer of responsibility for Corporate Parenting support from Children’s Services to the Performance and Partnerships Management Team, with the alignment of the Committee with that team. RESOLVED: To note the information shared within the update and support the recommended transfer of CPAC management to the Performance and Partnerships team.
Part of an issue followed across 6 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: To approve the Forward Work Programme.
Matthew Osborne, Operational Manager, Children’s Services, presented the report. Members were informed that the theme for the next committee in January 2025 would be Educational Achievement, and for the following one in March 2025 Better Connections and Improved Relationships. RESOLVED: To approve the Forward Work Programme.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: 1. To note the programme of visits as outlined in Appendix 1 and indicate any expressions of interest in attending any of the visits contained within the programme. To identify any other appropriate and relevant services or organisations to be included within the member visit programme that would benefit the committee in carrying out their role.
Matthew Osborne, Operational Manager, Children’s Services, presented the report. Members were advised about various opportunities for them to meet children and young people in various settings and observe the support services around them. The Chairperson suggested that the list of opportunities be circulated among members to allow them to select those they wished to take advantage of. RESOLVED: 1. To note the programme of visits as outlined in Appendix 1 and indicate any expressions of interest in attending any of the visits contained within the programme. To identify any other appropriate and relevant services or organisations to be included within the member visit programme that would benefit the committee in carrying out their role.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: To note the information shared within the update as outlined at Appendix 1.
Matthew Osborne, Operational Manager, Children’s Services, introduced the item which was for Members to update the Committee on visits they had undertaken since the last meeting. Members discussed visits they had undertaken and some of the lessons they had drawn from them. RESOLVED: To note the information shared within the update as outlined at Appendix 1.
None were received.
The next meeting of the Committee will be on Monday, 27 January, 2025.
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