Agenda item

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submits a report to the performance dashboard that will be provided quarterly as means of overseeing performance and identifying areas for further scrutiny.

The Strategic Director for Social Care and Education submitted a report to update the Commission of the Social Care and Education Performance Dashboard that was being produced.

The Strategic Director for Social Care and Education presented the report. It was noted that:

• From April 2025, the Social Care and Education department began producing a new quarterly performance dashboard, which included key data on performance, volumes, and finance across children’s services, education, and adult social care.
• The dashboard was produced approximately two months after the end of each quarter and was presented to the Lead Member and the City Mayor’s Education, Health and Care Board (EHCB).
• It was proposed that a version of the dashboard would be provided to members of the Children, Young People and Education Scrutiny Commission and the Adult Social Care Commission following its presentation at the EHCB. This allowed Scrutiny Commission members the opportunity to scrutinise performance and use the information to generate future work plan items for deeper exploration of areas of interest.
• The dashboard was initially produced in Excel, with plans to move it onto a webpage that would allow users to view trend information, comparisons, and data across different areas in graph form. It included specific content relating to Adult Social Care, as well as data that could help identify placement patterns for children, although a sanitised version was required for official publication due to sensitivities.
• The dashboard contained a much wider range of data and was expected to support the generation of future items for the forward plan, while also reporting on financial data. It was acknowledged that some members might need support in navigating the information, so efforts would be made to ensure it was as accessible as possible. The aim was to focus on both successes and challenges, helping to strengthen the role of scrutiny.

In discussions with Members, the following was noted:

• It was noted that the dashboard had previously been in place for many years and was seen as a valuable tool, providing regular feedback that supported scrutiny in carrying out their role.
• A question was raised about what mechanisms were being put in place to ensure the dashboard’s sustainability and prevent it from being discontinued.
• It was acknowledged that changes in the political cycle could impact such initiatives, but reassurances were given that the dashboard had now been embedded into how data was gathered and used.
• While the format would likely evolve over time, this was expected to be a positive development, with continued focus on transparency and creating a culture of data-informed decision making.
• The aim was to produce the dashboard quarterly, with publication approximately two months after the end of each quarter.
• It was hoped that the dashboard would soon be made available via a website, improving accessibility.
• The next meeting was expected to include a full year’s worth of data from the previous year, including information on the most expensive placements, although it might instead cover either the final quarter of the previous year or the first quarter of the current year.

AGREED:

That the report be noted.