Agenda

To issue a welcome to those present, and to confirm if there are any apologies for absence.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

The minutes of the meeting of the Children, Young People, and Education Scrutiny Commission held on Tuesday 29^th October 2024 have been circulated, and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

The Chair is invited to make any announcements as they see fit. 

Any questions, representations and statements of case submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures will be reported.

Mr Nizamuddin Patel asks:

Who overlooks children's social services to ensure they are following process/procedures. What internal processes are there to ensure quality is maintained and there are no service failures?

The reports do not include the level of complaints raised by parents/professionals for children socials services. This will be useful to help compared to previous quarters to ensure levels of services are maintained and if any intervention or further scrutiny is required.

How does the children's social services manage to ensure quality and accountability when it comes to agency social workers? If a family who are receiving help from the CIN/CPP team are having constant change in social workers which leads to no continuity and thus a service failure at what point will the council appoint a full time, non-agency employee to ensure no further service failures.

Are there equality reportings conducted for those professionals who are present at Child Protection Conference to ensure there are representatives of different backgrounds, gender, race, culture etc? If not, what plans do they have to start recording this to ensure conferences understand parents and children's background and culture.

Also:

There is a huge disproportion of male social workers in Leicester Children's social services.

1. What plans/incentives do children's social care have to recruit more male social workers?

2. Child Protection conferences memberships should include both male and female participants to ensure an understanding and reflection of cultural and diversity needs. In my own personal experience of 2 Child protection conferences and multiple core group meetings, I have not come across one male in any of those meetings. Does Children's social care have systems in place to ensure at least 1 male is present in child protection conferences? If not, what plans do they have to ensure fair equality and diversity in child protection conferences?

3. I understand there are 5 independent chairs for Child Protection Conferences. how many are males/females? What plans do you have to have more male independent chairs?

4. In the last 3 years how many warnings of the vexatious policy have been given by Children's Social Care to parents who's children are under a child protection plan? Who makes this decision and how is this managed to ensure the vexatious policy is not misused by the council and the parents’ views are able to be shared.

5. According to FOI submitted in Nov 24, Agency social workers are paid on average £5440/month, whereas directly employed staff in the same department are paid £3495/month. This is almost £2000/month/worker extra for agency workers and does not include agency fees etc. Just under 20% of staff in CIN, CASP and LAC are agency workers. What plans do the council have to recruit social workers to ensure public money is not overspent in agency staff?

Any petitions received in accordance with Council procedures will be reported.

The Youth Representatives, together with the Participation and Engagement Manager for Childrens Social Work and Early Help, will give a presentation to provide an overview of the LLR Youth Summit 2024.

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submits a report to provide an overview of children and young people who come to Leicester having arrived from abroad seeking safety, often referred to technically as “Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children”. The report relates specifically to children and young people who are looked after by the council or are eligible for support as care leavers and does not reference all new arrival families entering the city who do not receive support from social care.

The Director of Children’s Social Work and Early Help will give a presentation on costing and appropriateness of placements together with an update on IMPOWER.

The Strategic Director Social Care and Education submits a report to provide an overview of the development and progress of the Children’s Services Cost Mitigation Programme. 

The Director of Finance submits a draft report proposing the General Fund Revenue Budget for 2025/26.

Members of the Commission will be asked to consider and provide any feedback which will be submitted to the Council Budget meeting.

The Director of Finance submits a draft report proposing the Capital Programme for 2025/26.

Members of the Commission will be asked to consider and provide any feedback which will be submitted to the Council Budget meeting.

Members of the Commission will be asked to consider the work programme and make suggestions for additional items as it considers necessary.