Agenda item

Report and appendix attached.

The Sub-Committee received the quarter one performance indicators (PIs) update. The PIs were the standards by which performance of services are measured within the Council. The update provided an overview of performance against the eight performance indicators selected for monitoring by the Sub-Committee in 2019/20 as the final meeting of the 2019/20 financial year was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

The Sub-Committee had not had the opportunity to consider which indicators it wanted to receive during 2020/21.

The report outlined that seven of the indicators have been given a Red Amber Green - RAG status; five have a status of Green and two indicators have a Red.

The report provided the following highlights and potential areas for improvement:

The percentage of 16-18 year olds who were not in education, employment or training (NEET), or not known was recorded at 3.1%, which was lower than this time last year (3.3%). It was stated that Havering’s annual performance of 2.9% for last year was also lower than the national figure of 5.5% and the regional performance of 4.2%.

The report detailed that the number of apprentices aged 16-18 recruited in the borough had dropped as at quarter 1 (the academic year up to April 2020) but for the 19+ cohort, performance remained on track to achieve the target of 850 starts. It was clarified that the apprenticeship targets for the year had been reduced in line with national performance for the previous academic year, in light of the challenges presented by Covid-19.

The percentage of Initial Child Protection Conferences held within 15 dayshad increased when compared to both the previous quarter and the same point last year. The report explained that the main contributing factor has been the close working between Safeguarding Support Unitand the social work teams to ensure early notification of a conference needing to be convened and reminding social workers and team managers of the purpose of initial and review strategy meetings in line with London Child Protection procedures. It was stated that remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic and the use of virtual conferences had also had the benefit of increasing the availability of Child Protection Conference Chairs, which also contributed to the improved performance.

The report informed the Sub-Committee that the number of new in-house foster carers successfully approved amounted to four between April and June 2020 and a further 3 to 4 approvals were expected within the next quarter. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic there was a higher volume of enquiries from people who were at home but many of these were discounted by the service or discounted themselves.

It was noted that there had been a lack of marketing options and visibility in the community due to Covid-19 however there have been an on-going presence on Facebook and Instagram and a local radio campaign in August 2020.

The percentage of care leavers (aged 19-21) in education, employment or training at the end of Quarter 1 was above target at 55.7%. The Leaving Care Team had continued to support experienced young people into education, employment and training, with specific actions including:

·      liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Havering Works for courses to upskill, and for funding;

·      continuing to work with foster carers and placement providers in supporting young people to access apprenticeship opportunities;

·      continuing to provide on Future Mentors programme - a group of local volunteers who provide one-to-one coaching a care leaver to assist with job/college course searches, applications, and preparing for interviews (training for mentors would begin in August / September 2020); 

·      encouraging young adults to attend a Zoom event (Uni Connect) hosted by 6 universities to discuss a care leaver’s journey into higher education - covering UCAS applications, lecture tasters, Q&As with undergraduate care leavers and more.

The report outlined the following areas of potential areas for improvement:

·      The average number of children missing from education in quarter 1 was higher than both the previous quarter and the same point last year. The performance in this area had been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown with more Children identified as Missing from Education (CME) due to the situation. Admissions generally closed in all local authorities following the lockdown and therefore children who had moved were not being admitted to new schools, and were therefore counted as CME.

·      The team continues to advise and liaise with schools and parents and was actively working to ensure both the safeguarding of children and the best outcomes for pupils.

·      The report indicated that the number of apprentices aged 16 to 18 recruited in the borough was behind target. The service continue to work with local employers and training providers to promote apprenticeship opportunities, and with Prospects (the commissioned targeted Information, Advice and Guidance  services provider), to maintain high levels of participation. In light of Covid-19, the team was looking to secure external grant funding opportunities and develop a programme which targets 16-24 year olds in Havering seeking education, employment and apprenticeship opportunities.

The Sub-Committee was informed that Prospects had secured GLA funding to deliver a mentoring programme in Havering and would be working with local Alternative Providers and Pupil Referral Unit settings to support Year 11 learners at risk of becoming Not in Education, Employment, or Training.

The percentage of looked-after children who ceased to be looked after as a result of permanency (Adoption and Special Guardianship Order) represented one child who was adopted in Quarter 1, with no children made subject of an Special Guardianship Order. This reflected a downturn in children placed for adoption in 2019/20.

It was stated that adoption orders were delayed as a result of court responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of children with placement orders and matched with adopters had increased in recent months and over time this would be reflected in the percentage of children adopted.

It was agreed that the comprehensive list of indicators relevant to the Sub-Committee would be circulated following the meeting.

The Sub-Committee noted the content of the report.