Agenda and minutes

County Councillor Eddie Pope replaced County Councillor Paul Rigby for this meeting.

Apologies were received from County Councillors John Potter and Loraine Cox.

Members are asked to consider any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the agenda.

None.

To be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 September 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Jayne Rear, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Paul Turner, Director of Education, Culture and Skills, Aby Hardy, Head of Education Improvement, and Cerys Townsend, Head of Inclusion, to the meeting.

The report presented provided an update on the development of the SEND Strategy 2025-2028. It was noted that at the last meeting of the committee, it was agreed that the SEND Strategy 2025-2028 would be provided to the next meeting of the committee and members would be given the opportunity to contribute and agree the proposed timescales, including what further scrutiny or wider member engagement of the strategy could be undertaken.

Comments and queries raised from the committee were as follows:

• It was suggested that a benchmarking exercise be conducted to review the actions of other local authorities and to examine the county council’s own past SEND inspections to identify potential areas for improvement.
• It was further suggested that a task and finish group be established to review emerging themes and provide feedback as the strategy developed, ensuring nothing was overlooked. It was also proposed to hold a Deep Dive Day to conduct a deep dive into the strategy as an alternative to forming a task and finish group.
• The priorities that the council must, should, and could achieve, as outlined in the report, were highlighted as a potential topic for discussion during the proposed Deep Dive Day to reassess their order. It was noted that the priority “Improve communication with families, provide impartial information, and enhance co-production,” although listed under the priorities the council must achieve, should be moved to the top of the list. It was also noted that "Enhance teacher confidence and support inclusive practices" was listed as a priority of what the council could achieve, when the committee felt this should be moved to what the council must achieve. The committee also questioned the realism of the priorities the council must achieve, considering previous reports that highlighted challenges such as the difficulty in recruiting qualified practitioners.
• The committee expressed concerns about the varying SEND strategies among different authorities and suggested that increased collaboration with other local authorities was needed to develop a unified, central strategy, especially for children who may be moved into neighbouring authorities. This would ensure the same systems were in place for those children, rather than being supported under different systems.
• The committee praised the visual appeal and layout of the North Yorkshire report, as set out at Appendix ‘C’ of the report, noting that it was both visually engaging and well-organised.

• Following a question raised on what the co-production model was referring to in the report, it was suggested that a briefing note on the co-production model be circulated to members of the committee.
• The committee emphasised the need for a summary within the strategy that outlined what had been provided, what was working well, and what was not. It was suggested that this could be addressed through an inquiry day or a task and finish  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Cosima Towneley, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, County Councillor Michael Green, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Aby Hardy, Head of Education Improvement, and Nighat Parveen, Senior Manager Early Help, to the meeting.

The report provided an overview of the role and contribution of Family Hubs in supporting children aged 0-3 years. It also reviewed how Family Hub services had evolved to meet the needs of this age group and highlighted the early impact of those efforts on improving outcomes for young children. A presentation was also given, a copy of which is attached to the minutes. 

Comments and queries raised from the committee were as follows:

• Work had been done to engage hard-to-reach families by recruiting volunteers from the community, including oral health champions and male mental health supporters, to promote health messages. Additionally, communication with volunteer, community, and faith sectors helped disseminate information.
• Concerns had been raised about villages lacking public transport and, therefore, being unable to access services. It was noted that various bus services were free, but members were encouraged to contact officers if they were aware of any areas where this was not the case, to ensure no one was left behind.
• Concerns had also been raised about the overall take-up of services compared with the number of children being born, and whether this information could be collated and shared with the committee to identify any hard-to-reach families. It was noted that Family Hubs had strong connections with GPs, midwives, and other health services, ensuring families were referred to appropriate support networks at an early stage.
• There were plans to integrate registrar services within family hubs to increase accessibility and provide more information to the community. It was noted that positive feedback had been received from the Family Hubs where this service had already been implemented.
• The committee highlighted the need of ensuring information on nutrition and weight management was being provided by Family Hubs and it was noted that Family Hubs distributed a lot of information on this topic and that partner organisations would come in to deliver some of that content, depending on the nature and age of the children and young people they were working with. Additionally, a program called “Big Cook, Little Cook,” which focused on cooking healthy meals on a budget for families with limited disposable income, was highlighted as one of the services being offered.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Members and officers for the report and for answering the committees' questions.

Resolved: That the following recommendation be shared with the Cabinet Member for Children and Families:

(i)  That further figures relating to the take up of Family Hubs as well as the most recent Family Hubs Dashboard be circulated to the committee.

The Chair welcomed Tonya Harrison, Principal Social Worker, Louise Anderson, Director of Children's Social Care, Amy Ingham, Senior Family Support Worker/Apprentice Social Worker, and Briony Carter, Social Worker, to the meeting. County Councillor Cosima Towneley, Cabinet Member for Childrens and Families also supported the presentation of this item.

The report set out the progress made against the annual plan of the Principal Social Worker, as well as the progress made with regards to developing a highly skilled and stable workforce that could safeguard the children of Lancashire. A presentation was also given, a copy of which is attached to the minutes.

Comments and queries raised from the committee were as follows:

• The achievement of reducing social worker vacancies from 153 in 2022 to just 12 in 2024 was highlighted by the committee.
• The two social workers in attendance at the meeting, Amy Ingham and Briony Carter, were asked to share their hands-on experiences working as a social worker at the county council, and it was noted that they felt valued and supported during their training, which motivated them to continue supporting vulnerable families.
• The significance of creating a supportive and valued workforce was highlighted and it was noted that coffee and cake sessions were introduced to gather direct feedback from social workers, which in turn helped shape strategic approaches and workforce development.
• The committee inquired on the gender distribution among social workers, and it was noted that while the number of male social workers had increased over the years, the profession remained predominantly female. However, specific data could be shared with members of the committee, following the meeting.
• A career pathway had been developed to outline training and development opportunities. It was designed to be an interactive tool for practitioners to assess their performance and identify future career opportunities.
• The benefits of both face-to-face and online training were highlighted, and it was noted that while online training offered flexibility, especially post-pandemic, face-to-face training was crucial for social work due to the need for in-person interaction and shared learning.
• The number of social workers proficient in British Sign Language (BSL) was not known but could be provided to the committee at a later date.
• 49 social workers were recruited from overseas in the previous year and although their adjustment period took longer than expected, the county council remained open to international recruitment. However, it was noted that there were no immediate plans for further international recruitment at this time.

• It was noted that a glossary of acronyms for the report had been circulated to the committee, a copy of which is attached to the minutes.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Members and officers for the report and for answering the committees' questions.

Resolved: That the following recommendation be shared with the Cabinet Member for Children and Families:

(i)  That the committee supported the ongoing work of the Principal Social Worker and invited them to return to give an update to the committee on an annual basis.

The committee considered the work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year, and an update on actions and assurances.

Resolved: That

1. The work programme for 2024/24 at Appendix 'A' of the repot be noted;
2. The information included in the reports for the 18 December 2024 meeting of the Committee be confirmed; and
3. The information provided as part of the actions and assurances to the Committee at Appendix 'B' of the report, be noted.

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the minutes, the chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency. Wherever possible, the chief executive should be given advance warning of any member's intention to raise a matter under this heading.

There were no items of Urgent Business.

The next meeting of the Children, Families and Skills Scrutiny Committee will be held on Wednesday 18 December 2024at 10.30 am in Committee Room 'C' – The Duke of Lancaster Room, County Hall, Preston.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Children, Families and Skills Scrutiny Committee will be held on Wednesday 18 December 2024 at 10.30am in Committee Room 'C' – The Duke of Lancaster Room, County Hall, Preston.