Hampshire County Council Children and Young People Select Committee Meeting

Apologies had been received from Cllr Kendall and Cllr Donnelly; Cllr Pankhurst and Cllr Meenaghan was present as the deputy for the Conservative Group.

Apologies had also been received by Cllr Wade; Cllr Irish was present as the deputy for the Liberal Democrat Group.

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

No declarations were made.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2023 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Committee did not receive any deputations.

The Chairman noted that members of the committee had received a report from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board providing the usual written update on Autism Services Commissioning for Children and Young People in Hampshire. As this report was not available in time for the meeting’s publication it did not form part of the agenda. Their Associate Director had apologised for this and assured the Chairman that future updates would be provided in time.

The Chairman also noted that this was to be the last Select Committee for Brian Pope, Assistant Director for Education and Inclusion ahead of his retirement. The Chairman thanked Brian for his dedicated service to the Select Committee, Hampshire County Council and it’s residents and wished him well for the future.

The Committee received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the attainment of children and young people in Hampshire schools and Post-16 settings (see Item 6 in the Minute Book).

Officers reminded the committee of the context surrounding this update, including the impact of the pandemic on attendance and the increase of pupils experiencing disadvantage. Members noted the attainment levels across Primary and Secondary schools, covering Foundation through to Key Stage 4. This included details of the Attainment 8 and Ebacc measures, which both remained above the national average.

The Committee heard that attainment at Post 16 remained strong with all key performance indicators above national measures for both A level and vocational qualifications. Members also received an update on pupils experiencing vulnerabilities and the school improvement work being undertaken in this area. It was noted that there were several research led initiatives to ensure that the right support was provided at the right time through workstreams built to allow capacity across the system.

In response to questions members heard that:

·           School improvement was the responsibility of the individual schools, but Hampshire’s School Improvement Service offered assistance in this area.

·           Following the pandemic, it has been recommended for schools to develop a SEND plan due to the impact on this area. Mental Health Support Teams are available in some areas of the county, alongside SENCO networks and outreach from special schools.

·           That a breakdown by district or borough could be made available, but the data would need to be considered with caution as many families choose to educate their children away from their immediate area.

·           There is a need for a focus on attendance as this has been identified as the key issue to improving attainment.

·           The County Council does well with new teacher recruitment but there are challenges with retention, especially after three to four years’ service.

RESOLVED:

That the Children and Young People Select Committee note the contents of the report.

The Committee received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) (see Item 7 in the Minute Book).

The committee received data on the number of referrals received by month since September 2019, showing the exceptionally high referral numbers for 2021/22 alongside an overview of the impact this has had on the service. This included staffing and capacity pressures due to the level of demand.

Members noted the continuing concerns regarding Traveller children’s engagement and attainment in all key stages but that the EMTAS continued to work with the community to address this. Members heard that many groups who previously have had a pattern of under attainment are now showing more favourable outcomes.

In response to questions members heard that:

·           Due to the war in Ukraine the team was experiencing an unprecedented number of young people with difficulties in relation to trauma, language and culture.

·           The service has provided support for over 160 languages across Hampshire, and that where the language cannot be matched training is provided for staff.

·           Online education is being provided at weekends to provide support for their citizens currently displaced.

·           Some groups are reluctant to identify their ethnicity for several reasons and mask it under another or more general one.

RESOLVED:

That the Children and Young People Select Committee note the work of EMTAS in supporting Hampshire's ethnic minority children, young people and their families and the progress made in addressing both the priorities in the service plan and the long-term sustainability of the Service.

The Committee received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an update on Hampshire’s Youth Offending Team (see Item 8 in the Minute Book).

The committee heard that the service had recently had a review and would be known as Hampshire’s Youth Justice Service moving forwards and received an overview of the governance behind the service’s statutory partnership.

Members noted that the service works with young people who are subject to Court Orders, Cautions, have been diverted away from becoming a ‘First Time Entrant’ or have been referred for Youth Crime Prevention. Members received an overview of the service’s performance and quality, noting that the last inspection in May 2018 was Good and the next was due in 2014 under a new inspection programme.

Officers set out the requirements of the Annual Youth Justice Plan which set out the governance, leadership and funding for the work undertaken. This would be underpinned by the ‘Child First’ vision of the Youth Justice System.

In response to questions members heard that:

·           There continued to be a focus on restorative justice, for which parents would be present for. It was noted that part of the initial assessment is in relation to parents.

·           There are very few gang related incidents in Hampshire.

·           Reparation is voluntary and no longer able to be ordered, so can be difficult to motivate individuals to engage with this.

·           There are many activities available developed including sports and creative endeavours, including many provided by outside bodies.

·           There continues to be a focus on staff education and identifying barriers to ensure that young people are not disproportionately impacted due to their race or ethnicity.

RESOLVED:

That the Children and Young People Select Committee note the positive work of Hampshire's Youth Offending Team during the last 10 months.

The Director of People and Organisation presented the Committee’s work programme (see Item 9 in the Minute Book).

It was noted that the Work Programme was missing an upcoming meeting, and that an amended copy of the Work Programme would be circulated to members of the committee.

RESOLVED:

That the work programme, subject to any amendments made during the meeting, is agreed.