Agenda and minutes

No Declarations of Interest were made. 

There were no members of the public or the press in attendance. 

The Senior Scrutiny Adviser: Member Development (Scrutiny Services, Legal and Democratic Services, Resources Directorate) informed the Improving Lives Select Commission that an email invitation had been circulated to all members about a speaking and contributing to meetings training event that was taking place on 17^th July, 2014. 

The minutes from the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select commission held on 11^th June, 2014, were considered.

Resolved: -  That the minutes be agreed as an accurate record. 

·         Recycling Group. 

The Democratic Services Officer (Committee Services, Legal and Democratic Services, Resources Directorate) informed the Improving Lives Select Commission that a representative from the Select Commission was required for the Council’s Recycling Group for the 2014/2015 Municipal Year.

Resolved: -  That the dates of the 2014/2015 Recycling Group meetings be circulated to the full membership of the Improving Lives Select Commission and expressions of interest be requested for the role of the Improving Lives Select Commission’s representative to the Recycling Group. 

Councillor Russell, Chairperson of the Improving Lives Select Commission, welcomed the Director for Safeguarding Children and Families (Children and Young People’s Services Directorate), and the Performance and Quality Manager (Performance and Quality, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) to the meeting.  They had prepared a presentation on the impact of childhood neglect and Rotherham’s Peer Review on neglect that would take place in September, 2014. 

The Officers gave a presentation, which included the following: -

·         The Department for Education’s definition of Neglect (2013): –

… 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.

Neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: -

Provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);

Protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;

Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment;

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. 

·         Peer Review in Rotherham: –

o   There was an expectation that local authorities would provide a level of challenge and support to one another to enable sector-led improvement;

o   Rotherham’s peer review into childhood neglect would take place during the week commencing 8^th September, 2014, for three days;

o   It would be led by Doncaster’s Director for Children’s Services, with colleagues from North Lincolnshire and York local authorities;

o   There were no direct costs relating to the peer review; costs relating to expenses and IT set-up would be incurred. It was noted that the cost of peer reviews was significantly less than the costs of an LGA review;

o   The July 2012 inspection of child protection services in Rotherham made a number of findings in relation to neglect in the Borough.  The actions of the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board to address them included the use of SMART planning, the roll-out of a challenge procedure and tool-kits, improved legal gatekeeping and early intensive intervention. 

·         Ofsted had published a national report entitled In the Child’s Time – Professional Responses to Neglect: -

o   One third of neglect cases where social care had been involved for a long time had evidence of delay and /or drift;

o   Assessments did not always take account of family history or the impact that neglect had on a child;

o   Engaging parents in child protection work was often difficult as they were likely to have complex issues of their own;

o   Non-compliance and the disguised compliance of parents.

·         This document was being used to inform Rotherham’s ‘Neglect Strategy’.

·         Rotherham statistics: -

o   2013/2014 – 43% of Child Protection Plans had a referral reason of neglect;

o   Child in Need – 34% had a reason of neglect;

o   LAC – 61% had a reason of abuse or neglect.

·           Impact of neglect and what it looked like: -

o    There were implications across all age-ranges but neglect was more damaging to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Councillor Russell welcomed the Service Manager - Family Placements and Residential, and the Provider Services Manager (Safeguarding Children and Families Services, Children and Young People’s Services Directorate) who had been invited to the meeting to update the Improving Lives Select Commission on the procedures, legislation and working practices around young people who went missing from their home or from care. 

This issue was regularly considered by the Corporate Parenting Panel in respect of looked after children and young people who went missing or who ran away. 

The Department for Education had published statutory guidance in January, 2014, relating to children who ran away.  The guidance made it clear that local authorities continued to be responsible for protecting children when they went missing, whether this be from their family home or from local authority care.  It was recognised that when Looked After Children went missing they were at risk of exploitation, including sexual exploitation.  Department for Education guidance had always been that local authorities should agree with the local police and other agencies and, potentially, other local authorities, a protocol for dealing with children who ran away or who went missing in their area.  Local protocols should be agreed and reviewed by all agencies/partners and scrutinised by the Local Safeguarding Children Board. 

The report outlined Rotherham’s local protocol, as scrutinised by the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board, and that of the South Yorkshire sub-region.  The South Yorkshire protocol was due to be reviewed in the summer of 2014.  A sub-regional meeting was held every two months, which covered structures for managing the local and regional protocols, forums and panels.  Rotherham’s Silver Group met monthly and missing people formed part of the Terms of Reference; early support and strategy meetings were arranged at the Silver Group.

The report showed the numbers of children who had gone missing between January – May, 2014, and a commentary on the patterns and trends and some of the reasons why a child may choose to go missing/run away. 

A recent change in the Department for Education’s guidance introduced new definitions.  The guidelines had been implemented across South Yorkshire in 2014, and this had led to an increase in the number of cases being recorded.

The new definitions that were now in place: -

Missing: -

Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established and where the circumstances are out of character, or the context suggests the person may be subject of crime or at risk of harm to themselves of another. 

Absent: -

A person not at a place where they are expected or required to be. 

The Police considered and decided whether the incident was ‘out of character’ for the the child/young person who had gone missing.  If this happened routinely, they would be classed as absent, as it was in character.  When the child or young person returned, the Police conducted a ‘safe and well check’.  This was followed up with an independent interview conducted by ‘Safe@Last’, who shared the messages from the interview  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

Councillor Russell informed the Improving Lives Select Commission that this meeting would be Clair Pyper’s (interim Director of Safeguarding Children and Families, Children and Young People’s Services Directorate) last meeting before she left her role to take up another post.  Councillor Russell thanked Clair for the fantastic way that she had performed her role and for her efforts and contributions to Rotherham. 

All wished Clair well for the future.

·         Wednesday 17^th September, 2014, to start at 2.00 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall.  (Pre-meeting/briefing for all Members of the Improving Lives Select Commission to start at 1.15 p.m..)

Resolved: -  That the next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on Wednesday 17^th September, 2014, to start at 2.00 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall.