Agenda and draft minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 17^th July, 2013, were considered and approved as a correct record.

Arising from Minute No. 226(B) (CAMHS), John Radford stated that there had been a number of issues regarding its re-organisation particularly around the thresholds for referrals. 

Sarah Whittle stated that it was a Service commissioned by the CCG and they should be informed of any issues so they could be resolved through the contract process; this was not currently happening. 

Any issue with CAMHS should be referred to the CCG for investigation.

·           LAC Council

·           Youth Cabinet

Looked after Children’s Council

-          Currently meeting fortnightly for Voice and Influence training

-          Also meeting weekly and holding additional weekend meetings to prepare presentations and complete high profile work

-          3 days residential at Manchester University Campus at Crewe, theme being ‘Campaign don’t Complain’.

-          3 Chill & Chat days held over the summer holidays

-          Sub-group formed of leaving care young people who received basic peer consultation training and were supported in the design, development, delivery and analysis of feedback from Rotherham young people

-          Involvement in a number of consultations including Health and Wellbeing, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner survey

-          Engagement in the interview process for the new Service Manager, Family Placement and Residential Services

Youth Cabinet

Due to issues regarding suicide and self harm in the Borough, it had been suggested to the Youth Cabinet that it was an important piece of work they may wish to undertake.  They had given it some consideration and agreed that they would be interested in looking at self harm, what it meant for young people and making Services more accessible to them.  They would like support with the work from partner agencies particularly the attendance of a Public Health representative to speak about what self harm meant in Rotherham and its prevalence etc.

David Polkinghorn reported that work had been undertaken between the CCG, RDaSH and CAMHS on the guidance and pathways of care covering the whole spectrum of the Health Services available.  The work was almost finalised and may be appropriate to link the 2 together. 

Young Carers Card

The Card was to be launched at 5.00 p.m. that day at MyPlace.

Child Sexual Exploitation

-          The CSE Sub-Group met on a monthly basis.

-          Action plan has been revised in light of the Home Select Commission and Rochdale Inquiry and would be sent to every named person who had an action in the plan by the end of the week. Colleagues would be invited to submit an update by  the 7^th October for the CSE Sub-Group meeting on the 9^th with a full report to the December  meeting of the Local Safeguarding Board.

-          The Barnardos Review of CSE activity in the Borough.  A report would be produced for the 7^th October.

-          The Chair of the Safeguarding Board was to conduct a diagnostic review of CSE on 17^th and 18^th October.

-          The Authority had announced there was to be an independent inquiry into historical CSE.  The Terms of Reference had now been agreed and would cover 1997-January, 2013.  There was no timescale for completion as yet as the LGA was to commission the work independently of the Council and would agree the timeline with the independent person.  All agencies would be looked at.  The inquiry was to be welcomed and any partner asked to contribute would be urged to do so.

-          HMI would be conducting a National Thematic Review of CSE in Rotherham on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 229.

-        Presentation by Sue Wilson, Performance and Quality Manager

Sue Wilson, Performance and Quality Manager gave the following powerpoint presentation:-

Inspection of Services for Children in need of Help and Protection, Children Looked After and Leaving Care

A Single Inspection Framework encompassing

-          Early Help

-          Child Protection

-          Looked After Children (previously in SLAC)

-          Fostering

-          Adoption

-          Care Leavers

-          LSCB

It would be announced and include 4 judgements

-          Overall effectiveness

-          The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection

-          The experiences and progress of children looked after and achieving permanence (including Adoption and Care Leavers)

-          Leadership, management and governance

-          There would also be a review and grading of the effectiveness of the LSCB

Methodology

-          4 week inspection, 7 Inspectors

-          Week 1 (onsite 3 days)

·           Set up

·           Key documents and full case list supplied within 24 hours

·           Evaluation of ‘Front door’

-          Week 2 (Inspectors off site)

·           Select 30 cases for the Authority to audit to be presented at start of week 3

-          Weeks 3 and 4 (Inspectors onsite)

·           Main inspection activity (interviews, visits, attendance at groups and meetings etc.)

·           Follow up on key themes from audited cases

·           Look at approximately 200 further files

·           Children’s experiences were key, would include visits to children in and out of Authority placements

·           Would look at the child’s journey as a whole from help given at identification (Early help) through to Leaving Care

Areas covered during the inspection would include

-          1. The experiences and progress of children who needed help and protection

Were children listened to and practice influenced by their wishes and feelings

Did feedback from children and families inform the shape of Service delivery

Was help offered timely

Quality of referrals from partners

Information sharing with partners

Were thresholds understood by partners

Was decision making clearly recorded

Quality of plans (CIN, CPP)

Focus on Children Missing, CSE, Private Fostering, LADO investigations

Advocates for Children, Young People and Families were available

Practice was informed by feedback from Children, Young People and Families

-          2. The experiences and progress of children looked after and achieving permanence

Decision making was timely

Effective use of Public Law Outline, permanent plans were made

Evidence that families would change and it was safe to return

Children and young people were seen alone, knew how to complain and were safe from bullying

Children were in good health, had a range of activities, attended school and made progress, lived in stable, safe and appropriate homes

Care plans addressed the needs of children and were challenged by IROs where necessary

Appropriate supported contact with parents was in place

Family finding strategies informed by assessed need

Well trained Social Workers engaged with partners

-          2a. The quality of an Adoption Services

Adoption was considered for all children who were unable to return home

Recruitment, assessment and training of adopters enabled needs of children to be met

The Panel and agency decision maker ensured effective matching

Adoption support was available for those children,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 230.

Steve Ashley, Independent Chair of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, presented the 2012/13 Annual Report.

Boards were required to produce and publish an annual report on the effectiveness of safeguarding children in the local area as mandated in the Children Act 2004 (S14a) as amended by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.  Under the recently revised statutory guidance, the annual report should:-

-          Provide a rigorous and transparent assessment of the performance and effectiveness of local services.  It should identify areas of weakness, the cause of those weaknesses and the action being taken to address them as well as other proposals for action.  The report should include lessons from reviews undertaken within the reporting period

-          Be published in relation to the preceding financial year and should fit with local agencies’ planning, commissioning and budget cycles. 

-          List the contributions made to the Board by partner agencies and details of what the Board had spent including on Child Death Reviews, Serious Case Reviews and other specific expenditure such as learning events or training.  All Board member organisations had an obligation to provide Boards with reliable resources (including finance) that enabled it to be strong and effective.  Members should share the financial responsibility for the Board in such a way that a disproportionate burden did not fall on a small number of partner agencies

Key priorities for Rotherham’s Board, highlighted in the 2012/13 Annual Report, being progressed through the 2013/16 Business Plan and the work of the Sub-Groups included;-

-          A multi-agency local protocol (framework) for the assessment of children

-          A performance and quality framework to measure the effectiveness of Early Help Services on outcomes for children and their families

-          A Learning and Improvement Framework to enable lessons learned to be translated into improved outcomes for children

-          Revised protocols for effective governance and partnership arrangements within the Borough

-          An updated LSCB constitution and revisions to its Sub-Groups so that they can deliver the work and priorities of the Board

-          Ensure that the Child Sexual Exploitation Service, including other partners, were responsive to the needs of young people involved in or vulnerable to CSE through the implementation of the CSE Strategy and delivery of the CSE Action Plan

-          Continue to develop the importance of understanding the child’s voice and journey through services in particular the Child Protection process

-          Ensure that children subject to a Child Protection Plan received thorough multi-agency assessments of need and risk, effective care plans that addressed these and reviewed them well

It was noted that the report was the work of the former Chair, Alan Hazel, and Phil Morris, Business Manager.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That the former Local Safeguarding Children’s Board Chair, Alan Hazel, be thanked for his work together with Phil Morris, Business Manager, in compiling the report.

(3)  That the report be submitted to the Health and Wellbeing Board and respective partner agencies for information.

Further to Minute No. 214 of 22^nd May, 2013, the revised Action Plan, which considered ways to improve health outcomes for children within Rotherham, was considered.

A sub-group had met and agreed 3 areas where it was felt further work was required as set out on the plan.

A further report would be submitted in January, 2014.

Resolved:-  That the action plan be noted.

Voluntary Action Rotherham

Janet Wheatley reported that VAR had been worked with the British Council for Future Years on international programme working.  There was an opportunity to young people (18-25 years) to participate in an exchange visit to Sri Lanka and was also open to those in employment.

-        20^th November, 2013

-        22^nd January, 2014

-        19^th March

-        21^st May

-        16^th July

All meetings will be held at 2.00 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall

Resolved:-  That meetings be held for the remainder of 2013/14 Municipal year as follows:-

20^th November, 2013

22^nd January, 2014

19^th March

21^st May

16^th July

all commencing at 2.00 p.m. and held in the Rotherham Town Hall.