Agenda item

The Lead Scrutiny Directors of the Commission to outline the service areas that form part of the commission. 

The Assistant City Mayor for Education introduced the item welcoming old and new members. She noted it was good to relook at where the commission was and what officers bring to the commission.

The Strategic Director for Social Care and Education welcomed members and stated that it was good to see the work within each department and a breakdown across the Children, Young People and Education portfolio. He advised that he was the Joint Strategic Director for Social Care and Education with the ability to think across line supports, to maximise support across the areas.

The Strategic Director also covered the area for the Director of Children’s Social Care, Early Help and Prevention. There were seven service areas under Children’s Social Care and Early help as set out in the slides attached to the agenda. He outlined the Vision for Children and Families:

­   Building strong future ready systems

­   Delivering creative forward thinking solutions

­   Empowering people through connection and care

­   Driving high standards and meaningful outcomes

He gave a snapshot of the Children across the city, with data up to 15^th May 2026:

• Children in the City – 91,000
• Children receiving early help - 892
• Children “In Need” (all) – 2305
• Children on a Child Protection Plan – 446
• Children “Looked After” – 630
• Care leavers aged under 21 - 444
• Care leavers aged 21-25 – 234

Changes had been made to expand the Senior Management Team and provide proper oversite of capacity. The number of service managers supporting care leavers had increased, providing greater management oversight and helping to raise standards

The Director of Education and SEND gave an overview of what her services cover and the role of scrutiny in these areas using the slides as attached with the agenda.

The service covered a broad range of statutory responsibilities relating to education and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including access to education from birth to 25 years of age for children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). It was noted that the service was operating within a period of significant national reform, with changes across education, social care and the NHS all having a direct impact on local provision. It was noted that these changes represented the most significant transformation within the sector for a generation

The Director advised that education settings were responsible for much more than educating children and young people. Key responsibilities included school admissions, ensuring sufficient nursery, school and post 16 places, school organisation and expansion, governance arrangements, attendance and education welfare, support for children requiring additional assistance, and a range of licensing and regulatory functions.

A key focus of the service was ensuring children and young people could access the right support at the right time, whilst also preparing them for adulthood and supporting successful transitions into adult services. Close working arrangements were in place with Adult Social Care, particularly for young people with EHCPs where statutory responsibilities could continue until the age of 25.

The service was responsible for home to school transport and related transport services, ensuring children and young people were able to access education settings safely and appropriately.

The division covered a wide range of complex statutory functions and was supported by a senior management structure consisting of 6 direct reports and a further 2 members of the senior management team.

In discussion with Members and Young People Representatives, the following was noted:

• In response to a question, members were advised that the figures relating to children in the city covered those aged 0 to 18 years, reflecting the legal definition of a child.
• Members requested clarification on some of the acronyms used within the presentation. It was explained that IRUs referred to Independent Reviewing Units and that the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) had responsibility for managing concerns relating to volunteers or professionals working with children. Officers advised that they would seek to avoid the use of abbreviations where possible.
• In response to a question regarding how the figures compared with other local authorities, members heard that comparative data was generally published annually around September. It was noted that the figures were not considered unusual and that comparisons with authorities of a similar size and level of deprivation would provide a more meaningful comparison than neighbouring authorities.

AGREED:

1)    That the Commission note the report.

2)    Definitions of the age groups used and acronyms within the presentation to be circulated to members.