Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Page and Harrison Kelly, Gemma Armer, Parent Governor Representative and Michelle Ravey, Arch Diocese.

Members are requested at a meeting where a disclosable pecuniary interest or personal interest arises, which is not already included in their Register of Members' Interests, todeclare any interests that relate to an item on the agenda.

Where a Member discloses a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, he/she must withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest, except where he/she is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of a dispensation.

Where a Member discloses a personal interest he/she must seek advice from the Monitoring Officer or staff member representing the Monitoring Officer to determine whether the Member should withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest or whether the Member can remain in the meeting or remain in the meeting and vote on the relevant decision.

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2025.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2025, be confirmed as a correct record.

The Committee considered a question raised by a Member of the public, together with the response given.

RESOLVED:

That the question and response, be noted.

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer submitting the most recent update from the Cabinet Member – Children, Schools and Families whose portfolio fell within the remit of the Committee.

The Cabinet Member update report which covered Education and Children’s Social Care, was attached to the report at Appendix A, and outlined information on the following:

Children’s Social Care:

·       Workforce

·       Social Care Practice

·       Effective Oversight and Quality of Practice

·       Impact of the Strategic Partnership

·       Areas of Concern

Education:

• Southport Recovery
• School Improvement Post September 2024 Update
• 14-19 Participation
• Delivering Better Value/Inclusion
• Attendance
• SEND and EHCPs
• Alternative Provision

Councillor Roscoe attended the meeting to present her report and to respond to any questions or issues raised by Members of the Committee.

Members of the Committee raised the following questions/issues:

·       The data for EHCP’s.

·       The most recent letter from the Department for Education that was requested to be circulated to the Committee at the last meeting.

·       How Children from Sefton who are in placements across local authority boundaries were being engaged with the support being offered to SEND children.

·       Why the numbers of EHCP’s are increasing in Sefton.

RESOLVED:

That the update report from the Cabinet Member – Children, Schools and Families be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Children’s Services.

The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education which provided an update on the Transformation Work being carried out to improve the Complaints Process within Children’s Services.

The Committee was advised that the Complaints Annual Report was not being presented at this meeting and would be provided at a future meeting.

Sefton Children’s Services had launched a service wide transformation programme in September 2024. Within the Transformation Programme was an area of work focusing on the ‘Voice and Influence of Children and Families’ and a project focusing on improving and enhancing the complaints process within Children Services by prioritising and improving customer experience.

Appendix One contained a full overview of the ‘Voice and Influence of Children and Families Transformation Programme’.

Members of the committee raised the following questions/issues:

·       It would be useful for the Committee to have some data on complaints from previous years to compare how the service was performing prior to the transformation work.

·       An executive summary with a report behind showing the data would be preferred.

RESOLVED: That

(1)          the report be noted; and

(2)          the 2023/24 Complaints Annual Report be provided for a future meeting alongside a further update on the transformation work.    

To receive a verbal update from the Executive Director of Children’s Services.

The Committee received an update from the Executive Director of Children’s Services on progress made on the Improvement Programme.

Following a request from the previous meeting on 28 January 2025, Kerrie France, Associate Director of Quality and Safety Improvement, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside was also in attendance for this item to address queries on partnership working.

Information was provided on the following:

·       The creation of the ‘Our Practice’ model

·       Team Around the School

Members of the Committee raised the following questions/issues:

·       If safeguarding referrals were being made quickly enough by the Police.

·       Partner attendance at multi-agency meetings

·       The role of the Independent Scrutineer for Children’s Services.

RESOLVED: That

(1)          the update on the Children's Services Improvement Programme be noted; and

(2)          the Independent Scrutineer be invited to a future meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services and Safeguarding).

Report of the Assistant Director, Safeguarding, Review and Quality Assurance.

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Director of Children’s Services (Quality Assurance and Safeguarding) that set out the quality assurance and performance headlines for the period

The performance Scorecard was attached to the report and provided data and analysis of the Key Performance Indicators identified as illustrative of ‘system health’.

Members of the Committee raised the following questions/issues:

• The reason for the drop in performance for assessments completed within 45 days.
• The reason for the change in percentage of agency social workers employed by Sefton. It was confirmed the 28% figure was correct.
• Members were pleased to note that the percentage of looked after children having dental checks was high.

RESOLVED:

That the update on Quality Assurance and Practice Improvements be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Education Excellence.

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Director, Education Excellence which provided an overview of the draft SEND Strategy 2025-2028.

The draft Strategy was attached at appendix one to the report and the Committee was informed that the Strategy had been out to formal public consultation between 11 February and 11 March 2025. The Strategy was being presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services and Safeguarding) ahead of it being considered by the Council’s Cabinet on 22 May 2025.

Members of the Committee raised the following questions/issues:

·       The inclusion of quotes that were not positive was good to see.

·       It was not clear from the information what the Strategy was going to achieve.

·       It was good to see the work on specialist provision and transition.

The Committee welcomed the Strategy and was pleased to note that an implementation plan was being prepared.

RESOLVED: That

(1)          the Committee considered the draft SEND Strategy 2025-2028 and noted that views would be considered by the Council’s Cabinet in May 2025; and

(2)          the SEND Strategy implementation plan be submitted to the next meeting of the Committee on 3 June 2025.

Report of the Assistant Director, Education Excellence.

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Director of Children’s Services (Education) updating on recent Ofsted Inspection Reports, the work of the School Improvement Team and the Education Scorecard.

The following schools had been inspected and reports received during the Autumn Term 2024:

·       Rowan Park Special School

·       Kings Meadow Primary School

·       Deyes High School

·       Holy Family High School

·       5.Green Park Primary School

·       Sacred Heart Catholic Academy

·       English Martyr’s Catholic Primary School

·       Holy Spirit Catholic Academy

A Summary of Ofsted Outcomes and Support during Autumn 2024 was attached to the report.

The Education Scorecard was attached to the report and set out statistics on:

• Pupil absence rate
• Persistent absence rate
• Pupil exclusions
• Education, Health and Care Plans
• Not in Employment, Education or Training
• National and Sefton Language Data
• Ofsted breakdown by schools
• Early Years Foundations Profile
• Phonics
• Key Stage 1 (no longer submitted to the DfE)
• Key Stage 2
• Key Stage 4

RESOLVED:

That the data contained in the Ofsted Inspections report and the Education Scorecard be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Education Excellence.

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Director of Children’s Services (Education) that set out data on performance in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following matters:

·       What is done to get children with SEND who are excluded from school, back in to school.

·       If there was any data to show how many children who are permanently excluded, are later identified as having SEND.

RESOLVED:

That update on SEND be noted.

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer that sought to:

• seek the views of the Committee on the Work Programme for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2024/25;
• note that there was one item for pre-scrutiny by the Committee from the latest Key Decision Forward Plan;
• note that the topics of ASD/ADHD Services, Child Poverty and Health Inequalities in Care Experienced Children were being considered for in-depth scrutiny by Members of the Committee during 2024/25 and relevant activities are included in the schedule of the informal meetings of Committee Members and site visits to be undertaken during 2024/25, as set out at Appendix B;
• note the informal meetings of Committee Members and site visits to be undertaken during 2024/25;
• receive an update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
• Provide an update on Domestic Abuse training for Councillors following a recommendation made at the last meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services and Safeguarding) on 28 January 2025.

RESOLVED: That

(1)          the Work Programme for 2024/25, as set out at Appendix A to the report, be noted, along with any additional items to be included and agreed;

(2)          the item for pre-scrutiny from the Key Decision Forward Plan that falls under the remit of the Committee, on this occasion, be noted;

(3)          note the topics of Child Poverty, ADHD/ASD services and Health Inequalities in Care Experienced Children for in-depth review;

(4)          the informal meetings of Committee Members and site visits to be undertaken during 2023/24, as set out at Appendix B to the report be noted; and

(5)          the update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted;

(6)          the update on Domestic Abuse training for Councillors be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director - Strategic Support

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Director – Strategic Support that provided information on the Public Engagement and Consultation Panel’s (the Panel) 2024 Annual Report.

The report indicated that the main purpose of the Panel was to coordinate and ensure that the quality of public engagement and consultation, was in accordance with the standards for engagement and consultation; that during 2024, there had been six meetings of the Panel, and the Panel had appraised:

• 23 proposals for consultation
• 8 Feedback and Evaluation Reports
• 4 information presentations from the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, the coproduction for the Short-Term Assessment Unit, Digital Technology update and Have Your Say Sefton engagement activity.
• 3 updates from the Strategic Youth Voice Steering group

and that in addition, 2 proposals for consultation had been shared virtually for feedback during the year, both in connection to the Short Breaks consultation.

The report also indicated that recently, the Panel and Council had agreed a refresh of the Public Engagement and Consultation Framework (the Framework) which included the use of a scorecard to check whether the Framework was having an effect and to identify areas in need of development, and areas where good practice was identified.

The report also provided information on the “You Said, We Did” summary for the Your Sefton Your Say Consultation Hub; advised that the Your Sefton Your Say Consultation Hub homepage had had a redesign to use new design templates that were more engaging for the user; and that it was the intention to review the functionality of the system so that it could also become an engagement tool, as well as a consultation tool.

The report concluded that the standards for consultation and engagement and the Panel, as set out in the Framework helped to quality assure the consultation and engagement that was taking place in Sefton; that the Scorecard adopted by the Panel was helping to monitor whether the plans for consultation and engagement included accessible information in different formats, involving people with lived experience (coproduction) and the use of equality monitoring (as part of our Public Sector Equality Duty) and working in partnership; and that following each meeting of the Panel, key messages were recorded and uploaded to the Consultation and Engagement Intranet Page and shared with the Improving Information Group. 

Attached as Appendix 1 to the report was the Public Engagement and Consultation Panel Comparison Table.

RESOLVED:

That the report on the Public Engagement and Consultation Panel’s 2024 Annual Report be noted.