Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Jason Pritchard.

There were no declarations.

To agree the minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 February 2020.

RESOLVED – that, the public and non-public minutes of the previous meeting held 10 February 2020 be agreed as a correct record.

Matters arising:

1.    An Outstanding Actions list will be included in agendas moving forward;

2.    Advanced safeguarding training for school governors had taken place and was well attended;

3.    Officers were working on a bespoke project focused on reducing impact of trauma, improve quality of sleep, and looking to set up centre for excellence with King’s College.

4.    Final SEND Strategy to be presented to sub-committee in autumn 2020, due to SEND programme board being cancelled as a result of COVID-19.

Report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services relative to the Ofsted Inspection 2020 which took place in February and March, which resulted in an ‘Outstanding’ grade.

Members noted the resulting Action Plan included two recommendations, and officers advised that additional management had been brought in to address the recommendations. The Department of Community & Children’s Services noted it planned to improve services further and the action plan would be sent to OFSTED.

RESOLVED – that the report be received and its contents noted.

Report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services relative to the Children’s Social Care COVID-19 Response. The Director noted that COVID had had an impact on the children and services, and short break criteria had changed to allow funding to be redirected to other resources to allow for home-schooling.

Members requested details on plans in place for recovery and lifting restrictions. Officers advised that new short breaks money regulations were in place until autumn; virtual meetings with children were in place; lessons were being taught virtually; there had been increased mental health offerings and increased early intervention work; families continued to have access to therapy virtually.

With respect to Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children, there had been one new case since the previous meeting, and this individual had access to accommodation and screening services.

With respect to the Black Lives Matter movement, officers noted that all young people in social care, and half of the staff, were black. The movement emphasised the prevalence of racism within the society, and social workers were actively engaged in working with young people to support them, including providing advice to those who planned to attend protests and cautioning where there were risks. For staff, sessions had taken place to discuss racism and how staff could be better supported in their personal and professional lives.

Members expressed concern with regards to domestic violence during lockdown, and requested that a report be brought to the sub-committee at a future meeting.

RESOLVED – that the report be received and its contents noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services relative to the Annual Local Authorities Designated Officer (LADO). Officers informed Members that training programmes had taken place; the City hosted the national LADO conference which increased the City’s profile in this area; and following COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, officers confirmed that the service had been discharged remotely with success.

Members requested assurance that officers were aware of any obstacles to reporting that needed to be overcome, and assurance that police are aware of lines of communication for LADO reporting.

Officers confirmed that there were no systematic obstacles that they were aware of, and that officers were continuing to raise awareness of lines of communication.

Members requested assurance that Safeguarding Lead responded to all licensing reviews. Officers confirmed that all licensing applications were subject to safeguarding reviews. These reports would not be included in LADO report, as it was part of the overarching Safeguarding Lead responsibilities. Members requested a report be brought to the sub-committee at a future meeting. 

RESOLVED – that, the report be received and its contents noted.

Report of the City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group.

Members received a report of the City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group relative to Looked After Children Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The report addressed the duties discharged during the crisis, noted health issues and steps taken to mitigate risks of these health issues.

The CCG highlighted that health assessments were delivered virtually; shielding individuals were contacted individually; and as four young people were reported missing, strategies were in place to mitigate associated risks.

RESOLVED – that, the report be received and its contents noted.

Report of the Director of Children’s and Community Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services relative to the Virtual School for Looked After Children.

It was reported that the Head Teacher was working to ensure that students were engaged and encouraged to participate in online learning. Personal Education Plan review meetings were held virtually to ensure planning was on schedule for September.

Members asked if classes would be offered throughout summer holidays. Officers noted that staff and resources would be assessed to determine if this was possible.

Members asked if all children had access to computers and the internet. Officers advised that as the Department for Education scheme came into effect later than required, the City bridged the gap to ensure that students had adequate computer and internet access for online learning.

RESOLVED – that, the report be received and its contents noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services relative to Education and Early Years Service Safeguarding. It was noted that the report focused on work during the COVID-19 crisis, with the central goal of ensuring young people had access to education and remained engaged in learning.

Officers provided a further update with respect to the Black Lives Matter movement, noting the connection between Sir John Cass and slavery. Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School was therefore carrying out a review in consultation with parents and the community with respect to addressing this (considering, for example, the school name, uniforms and logos, paintings, statues and artifacts).

Members requested information regarding assessing education deficit as a result of COVID. Officers reported that it was difficult to know the full impact at that stage. There was a varied approach amongst schools in how educational deficit had been addressed.

With respect to 4G routers, officers noted that although there had been a delay initially in allocating routers, 9 4G routers had been allocated.

RESOLVED – that, the report be receive and its contents noted.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services relative to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and the work that the City of London SEND service had carried out during the COVID-19 restrictions.

Officers reported on efforts made to ensure SEND students could continue to learn, including: teachers visited students homes to ensure they knew how to use required equipment; 9 students were attending school; special schools had reopened in some capacity; online library resources had been valuable during lockdown.

In light of restrictions lifting, consideration was being made with respect to returning to school and how to adapt practices in school on return. The educational deficit would be assessed on return following student evaluations.

It was further noted that the SEND conference had been cancelled and would be hosted virtually in March 2021.

RESOLVED – that, the report be received and its contents noted.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.

MOTION - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To agree the non-public minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 February 2020.

RESOLVED – that, the non-public summary of the previous meeting held 10 February 2020 be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services relative to the Children and Families Service Performance for Q4 to the end of the year.

RESOLVED – that, the report be received and its contents noted.

There were two non-public questions.

There were two items of other business.