Agenda item

Report attached.

The Sub-Committee received the quarter three performance indicators (PIs) update. The PIs are the standards by which performance of services are measured within the Council.

The update provided an overview of performance against the six performance indicators currently monitored by the Sub-Committee in 2020/21.

The report outlined that all six of the indicators have been given a Red Amber Green status; RAG status - two rated Green, one rated Amber and three indicators rated Red.

The report provided the following highlights:

It was stated that the percentage of contacts progressing to Early Help is down compared with the same point in the previous year but has risen compared to the previous quarter, which coincided with pupils returning to classroom based learning in September.  An Early Help worker was now based in the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) to support and improve the identification of cases that would benefit from Early Help intervention.

The Sub-Committee was informed that the most prevalent reason for contacts remains as  domestic abuse but during COVID-19 the service have seen an increase in contacts regarding mental health (both child and parental) and a decrease in contacts concerning neglect. It was noted that this trend was being explored further through the local safeguarding partnership.

The Sub-Committee was informed that data on the percentage of Looked After Children (LAC) with an up to date pathway plan in place is reviewed weekly. It was mentioned that this, coupled with the role of the Independent Review Officer in ensuring that a pathway assessment has been completed by 15 years and 9 months, has led to sustained improvement against this indicator. It was noted that in addition to the timeliness of plans, there remains a focus on ensuring that young people are engaged with the pathway planning process and that their voice is evident.

The service reported that during the quarter, there was a reduction in the percentage of care leavers (aged 18+) with an up to date pathway plan was recorded. This is attributed to a combination of challenges associated with remote working, virtual visits and some of the young adults experiencing a level of disengagement due to lockdown restrictions. However, every care leaver does have a pathway plan and a clear strategy is in place for the review of post 18 pathway plans. Leaving Care Team managers are also being more robust in reviewing pathway plans.

The Sub-Committee was informed that the percentage of LAC cases with supervision in the last three months hasremained above target throughout the quarter. It was explained that performance in this area is closely monitored by the Head of Service and Group Managers and discussed at weekly performance meetings. The service's supervision policy was reviewed during 2020 and the expectation is now that case supervision on LAC cases should take place at a minimum every two months. From April 2021, performance will be reported against this new standard.

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

The report informed that percentage of LAC aged under 16 who have been looked after continuously for at least 2.5 years and living in the same placement for at least 2 years has increased compared with the previous quarter but remains lower than the same point last year and below our locally set target. It was stated that the London average at the end of Quarter 2, based on informal benchmarking, was 65%. The Sub-Committee was informed that in addition to the Systemic training offer that has been developed for carers with adolescents, fortnightly placement stability meetings are taking place to consider all children/young people who are moving to their second placement. This was to identify individual triggers and patterns at an early stage and provide a robust approach to support, before challenges are experienced.

It was explained that the percentage of former relevant young people at age 18-21 who are in education, employment or training (EET) has reduced compared to the previous quarter. The Sub-Committee was informed that Havering’s performance in 2019/20 was better or similar to all comparator groups (statistical neighbours, London and England) for both the 17-18 year old and 19-21 year old cohorts. It was noted that the Covid pandemic has had an adverse effect on many of the young adults, especially those working in retail, hospitality, health and hair and beauty. In addition, a number of young adults in higher education are struggling to maintain course work and college engagement remotely. Most young people in education have been provided with a laptop and the service has ensured that a keyworker within the unit is available to offer support, which is evidenced through progress reports and conversations with the young people.

It was explained that the new Future Mentors Scheme would provide another layer of support to help care leavers to engage in EET and offer continued support to those young people already on a course or in employment. It was stated that the Mentors have now completed their training and the matching of mentors with young people began in November 2020. The Leaving Care service also continues to liaise with the Virtual School in order to target support to sustain EET, prior to the young people turning 18 years.

The Sub-Committee was informed that the percentage of EHC assessments completed within 20 weeks was below target at the end of the December 2020. There was a reduction in new applications for education, health and care assessments initially in the quarter but volumes increased again as the schools settled back into the new academic year. Three new officers have been trained on the new assessment process, which has contributed to performance increasing from 48% in Quarter 2 to 53% in Quarter 3.

The Sub-Committee noted the content of the report.