Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair will draw attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out under Note 5.

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Councillor Bharat Pankhania had sent his apologies to the Panel, Councillor Michael Auton was present as his substitute for the duration of the meeting.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest, (as defined in Part 4.4 Appendix B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

The Chair informed the Panel that the first meeting of the Early Help Task Group had been held and that they would be updated as work progresses.

Naomi Trentham, Mitos Global addressed the Panel on the subject of the benefits of collaborative working, whole life approach and early intervention for vulnerable children and families. A copy of the statement can be found as an online appendix to these minutes and a summary is set out below.

‘Mitos Global is an organisation that provides training, coaching and intervention for all ages and stages, though at the moment our provision is mainly given to children between years five to eleven.

Our offering includes Emotion Coaching, speech & language therapy, sensory assessments & profiling, vocational support, neurodiversity support, and currently 12 hours per week of Alternative Education for three vulnerable students.

We operate privately direct to families, as a service through schools and as a direct provider to the Local Authority. We serve over sixty children and young people every week, from group work in schools to 1:1 therapeutic coaching for children with complex needs. We have a number on our current caseload who are either adopted or in foster care.

Where possible, we work with the whole family.’

She gave a number of examples of the complicated caseloads they have and how these have benefited from being looked at from a viewpoint of the whole family, and not solely through education based solutions.

She highlighted the need for support to be also provided for parents and carers.

She asked the Panel to ‘Imagine if all the professionals involved could work together and look at the whole family, instead of each child? If the funding was pooled and the provision broadened?

She added that ‘We recognise there are many excellent providers in B&NES and incredible LA staff on the ground – how are we different?

We work collaboratively with families, schools and other agencies, taking a whole child/whole life approach, and then we stay for as long as we can or a long as we are needed, we don’t stop when a goal has been reached, we stop when we’re no longer needed. We seek to build healthy relationships with our clients, fostering trust and connection, which we believe lies at the heart of any long term success.

Early intervention for children is better than intervention when in crisis, of course, but we believe meaningful and sustainable impact will only come when there is a focus on the whole family.’

Councillor Liz Hardman asked what funding the organisation receives.

Naomi Trentham replied that this was through a number of different means, privately, via schools and the Local Authority. She said that any revenue that is achieved through the training and development they deliver to schools and organisations is fed straight back into overall provision for clients. 

Councillor Hardman asked who should lead on helping to ensure that there are more joined up services.

Naomi Trentham replied that she did not have a direct view on that, but acknowledged that it was important for children to be attending school and a focus on their wellbeing. She stated that she  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113.

The Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record and they were duly signed by the Chair.

The Panel will receive an update from the B&NES, Swindon & Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB) on current issues.

Laura Ambler, Director of Place for Bath and North East Somerset, BSW ICB addressed the Panel and highlighted the following areas from within the update.

Update on Covid-19 spring booster vaccinations

All adults aged 75 and over, as well as those over the age of six months and living with a weakened immune system, are eligible for the free vaccination.

So far, since the vaccination drive began at the beginning of April, approximately 45 per cent of people eligible for a booster and living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire have received their top-up vaccine.

For Bath and North East Somerset alone, the uptake currently stands at around 46 per cent, which is similar to what is being seen in Swindon and Wiltshire, and above the national average, which is approximately 36 per cent.

Vaccination appointments are still available and can be arranged either over the phone by calling 119 or online at www.nhs.uk/bookcovid .

Update on responses to the ICB’s Big A&E Survey

The Big A&E Survey went live in April and has, to date, been completed by 822 people.

The ICB is now working with Healthwatch to complete face-to-face surveys in each of the A&E departments throughout May, June and July.

Results will be used to develop a better understanding of what has driven walk-in visits to A&Es, and why people are visiting hospital rather than using other NHS services, such as GP surgeries, minor injury units or NHS 111.

The survey will run until the end of July, and a further update will be offered once results have been analysed.

Early data from the online survey has shown:

·  81 per cent agreed that they didn’t have any other choice of where to seek treatment but A&E, while 65 per cent said they went to A&E as they felt their condition was serious or life threatening

·  79 per cent of respondents did not think they should have attended somewhere else other than A&E

·  Most people visiting A&E travelled from within a five-mile radius

Drop-in sessions planned for people to find out more about new Trowbridge Integrated Care Centre

Opportunities to find out more about the new and exciting Trowbridge Integrated Care Centre will be happening at community locations throughout the spring and summer months.

Representatives from the local NHS will be on hand at drop-in sessions taking place in and around Trowbridge to provide residents with information about the new centre, which is currently being built on land opposite the town’s existing community hospital.

The first drop-in session will be held on Friday 9 May at the Asda supermarket in the Shires shopping centre on Bythesea Road between 11am and 3pm.

Members of the public will be able to see images of the new centre, learn more about what services will be moving to the site and how the new facility will benefit Trowbridge and the surrounding areas.

There will also be opportunities to ask questions and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115.

The Cabinet Member(s) will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions on the update provided.

Councillor Paul May, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services addressed the Panel and highlighted the following points from his update.

He began by complimenting Councillor Joanna Wright for her work on the ‘Tree of Hope’ which was soon to be planted in Alice Park. He explained that children / young people were going to be asked to help name the tree.

Senior Manager changes in Children's Services

He thanked Chris Wilford for continuing to act as Interim Director of Children's Services following the retirement of Mary Kearney-Knowles last month.

He informed the Panel that Leigh Zywek, our Assistant Director of Children and Young People's Services had been successful in applying for a role in a neighbouring authority and would leave the Council in the middle of June. He said that Leigh has been a fantastic leader and thanked her for all her work.

Councillor Lesley Mansell referred to the Safety Valve update and asked how the delay is affecting the SEND work within the Council. She added that section 3.5 of the SEND Collaboration for BaNES (Safety Valve) – Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) had no actions listed against it.

The Interim Director of Children's Services replied that work continues, especially with regard to Early Help and the SEND & AP Advice Service. He said that fewer complaints were being received as a result of improvement of their timeliness of handling enquiries.

He said that a significant grant was still expected for the new Free Schools and that a full report would be shared with the Panel when available. He added that he would look into the point raised regarding the EIA.

The Chair asked if there was any indication of a timescale for a decision from the DfE.

Councillor May replied that they have been contacted both regionally and nationally and that there was no update at the present time. He said that the delay had the potential to cost the Council £4m a year.

Councillor Liz Hardman referred to subject of Families First and asked how much more funding was required if the £400k provided by the Department of Education to the local authority to implement these reforms falls short of the resources needed to implement all of the changes. 

The Interim Director of Children's Services replied that there was no exact figure being sought and that work was ongoing through the children's transformation programme to ensure multi-disciplinary teams will be in place. He added that he expected the design phase of the work to begin in the next 3 – 6 months.

Councillor Hardman asked for any further information in relation to Early Years Entitlement.

Councillor May replied that the team were experiencing an enormous amount of pressure relating to this work at the present time.

The Strategic Planning & Performance Manager added that each provider will have its own separate running costs and that there was a range of discrepancies as to how they are funded. He added that the Local Government Ombudsman had made a decision to say  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116.

This report provides an update to the Panel regarding placement of young people at Fosse Way House residential provision at Fosse Way Special School in Radstock.

The Head of SEND introduced the report to the Panel and highlighted the following areas from within it.

·  The Partnership Trust were informed earlier in the academic year that the Council were unlikely to need to commission places at Fosse Way House for the following year, starting in September 2025. She added that this was not due to budget pressures but because no new B&NES children have been identified whose Education Health and Care Plans indicate that they have specific educational needs requiring a curriculum outside of school hours, also known as a 24-hour curriculum or waking day curriculum.

·  The Statutory SEND team reviewed the Education elements of plans (section F) for children and young people at Fosse Way house, and consideration was given as to whether this provision could be offered during the school day. In all cases, the provision could be incorporated into a day curriculum and so the residential element of the placement was not required to meet this educational need. It is that Council’s view that independence skills can usually be taught during the school day, and through extracurricular activities, as they are at other special schools.

·  Only pupils on roll at Fosse Way School are eligible to attend its residential provision and when a child is placed in Fosse Way House, it is with the clear understanding that it is for one academic year. The children currently placed there will be able to complete this year-long placement. The Local Authority have not received any requests for mediation to resolve disagreement or dispute, or requests for tribunal resolution from families following this decision.

Councillor Liz Hardman said that she found it difficult to understand why the service had to close and asked if the criteria for a placement had changed and how this would affect those pupils in lower age settings at Fosse Way School.

The Head of SEND replied that having reviewed the EHCPs, no child had been identified as needing this type of provision and that additional skills could be taught to pupils during the day. She added she was confident that the needs of the children and young people of B&NES could still be met.

Councillor Hardman said that the provision had been in place for over ten years and asked what support was in place to provide learning opportunities regarding independence and social skills.

The Head of SEND replied that they expect schools to deliver on the needs set out in Section F of the EHCP. She added that a more robust process had been put in place as part of the Safety Valve work and that decisions regarding the EHCPs are made through a multi-agency panel.

The Chair asked for confirmation that it had been the decision of The Partnership Trust to cease the provision at Fosse Way House.

The Head of SEND replied that it was.

Kevin Burnett informed the Panel that he had been sent an email from The Partnership Trust that said that they were still  ...  view the full minutes text for item 117.

The Local Authority has a statutory duty, in partnership with Health, Police and Probation, to produce a Youth Justice Plan. The Plan sets out how services are to be organised and funded and what functions will be carried out to prevent youth offending and re-offending across Bath and North East Somerset.

Councillor Paul May introduced the report to the Panel. He explained that the current two-year Plan had been presented to the Panel, Cabinet and Council in July 2024 for approval. He said that the Panel were now receiving a progress report on the two-year plan ahead of a refreshed version of the Plan being presented to Cabinet and Council in July.

He added that the service recognises the issue of over-represented groups in B&NES who are in the Youth Justice System and informed the Panel that these were groups of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and children from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The Head of Young People's Prevention Services addressed the Panel. She stated that it had been a successful year overall and highlighted the following areas.

Inspection Outcome – HMI Probation

·  Overall ‘Good’ Rating

·  3 areas = Outstanding, 9 areas = Good, 1 area = Requires Improvement

Performance Indicators

·  Rate of Custody Jan 2024 to Dec 2024

o  There was one custodial sentence in this reporting period. Our rate has reduced to 0.00 per 1,000 in the population.

o  The B&NES custodial rate is better than all Comparators. The rates for Comparators are: South West Region (0.07), PCC Area (0.08) and England and Wales (0.10).

·  First Time Entrants Jan 2024 to Dec 2024

o  The rate of First Time Entrants has increased in this period from 108 to 137(46.6%) per 100,000 in the population. This equates to 24 individual children compared with 16 in the previous reporting period (Jan to Dec 2023).

o  The rates for our comparators are: South West (135), PCC Area (122) and England and Wales (161).

·  Re-offending Binary rate April 2022 to March 2023

o  The B&NES binary percentage of re-offending has reduced by 5% for the period April 2022 to March 2023. There were 20 children in the previous cohort, 6 re-offended, compared with 20 in the current cohort of which 5 have re-offended.

o  The binary percentage of re-offending is showing as 25%, which is lower than all of our Comparators.

o  The percentages for our Comparators are: South West Region (31.3%), PCC Area (28.9%) and England and Wales (32.5%).

• Re-offending Frequency April 2022 to March 2023

o  The rate of re-offending for this period is 2.00. This is a reduction from 3.67 (-45.5%).

o  This is due to there being fewer children in the cohort and fewer children re-offending. There were 6 re-offenders in the previous reporting period committing 22 further offences and 5 re-offenders in the current period committing 10 further offences.

B&NES Youth Justice Service Priorities

·  1.Reduce Disproportionality – over-represented groups in B&NES include children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and children from minority ethnic backgrounds.

·  2.Strengthen Participation – youth justice work is most effective when it consults children, parents and carers and those harmed by children’s offending and works with them to co-create and develop the service.

·  3.Embed Child First Principles – This principle is the corner stone of our approach moving forward, so  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel. Any suggestions for further items or amendments to the current programme will be logged and scheduled in consultation with the Panel’s Chair and supporting officers.

The Chair introduced the item and asked for suggestions for future reports to the Panel. She said that she would welcome the Panel receiving information relating to Youth Services.

Chris Batten asked for the Panel to be updated on the work of the Music Service.

Councillor Ruth Malloy asked for the workplan to be updated with items that have been previously suggested and if any longstanding items could be progressed to come to the Panel.

The Chair and Councillor Hardman agreed and gave examples of Child Sexual Exploitation / Modern Slavery and Community Services Transformation.

Kevin Burnett asked if the Panel could see the results of the School Wellbeing Survey.

The Interim Director of Children's Services replied that he would check when those results are due to be released.

Councillor Joanna Wright raised the issue of Online Safety.

Councillor Lesley Mansell asked if the Panel could be updated on the progress of Adult Social Care Services returning in house.

The Chair said she believed that such a report was due in September.

The Panel RESOLVED to note their current workplan and these proposals for future reports.