Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from County Councillor Joe Cooney and Co-opted Member Councillor Stella Brunskill.

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 were disclosed.

Resolved: That the minutes from the meeting held on the 16 January 2019 be confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

The report presented stated that in December 2018, the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee published a task and finish group report on Supporting Pupils at Special Schools with Medical Conditions.

In accordance with agreed protocols, the Cabinet Members for 'Children, Young People and Schools' and 'Health and Wellbeing' along with the relevant NHS bodies had been asked to provide a response to the task and finish group's report.

Members of the committee were invited to ask questions to the officers in attendance on any of the responses received to the task and finish group report.

In terms of Recommendation 1, from the review it was identified that special schools did provide and commission themselves to meet the health needs of their populations. A number of surveys had been undertaken to find out what these schools provided for themselves in addition to what the Integrated Care System (ICS) and Lancashire County Council provided. The surveys had gone out to special schools, health providers and commissioners. They had now been completed and collected and would be reviewed in March. Once reviewed, the findings from the survey would be presented in September and new models would be tested with special schools. The collated data from the surveys would be made available to members of the task and finish group.

Regarding Recommendation 2 and the Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), members enquired what reassurances there were for head teachers that there would be a commitment from health. The SEND partnership had given a commitment to review advice from all providers. Health providers were invited to the EHCP planning and review meetings but attendance was a challenge.

In terms of Recommendation 3, members were informed that the work done by the Designated Clinical Officers on a process to review assessment tools and ensure consistency across the areas, was still in its early stages. The information had not yet been shared with CCGs and schools.

The committee was informed that regarding Recommendation 7, the CCGs were working with Public Health Commissioners to ensure all relevant health professionals received the appropriate training to work at special schools on the same site as mainstream schools.

Regarding Recommendation 8, Partnership Groups were being developed in every area. This would give an opportunity to parents, carers, young people and professionals to have interactive dialogue at a local level and this would feed into the SEND Partnership Board.

The committee was informed that there were a number of workstreams set up as part of the SEND Improvement Plan. One of these was looking at transition and having a consistent approach across Lancashire.

There was concern over the transportation of children and the equipment that had to go with them. The ICS was working to develop more robust integrated services closer to home. There should be limited impact to children within special schools.

Transition and preparation for adulthood started in Year 9. From Year 9 there was an ongoing dialogue with the young person's family. There was a transition team who identified  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chair welcomed Chris Lee, Public Health Specialist: Behaviour Change, and Louise Slater, from the Breathing Space Project, to the meeting.

The report presented, provided an update on the action undertaken by Lancashire County Council to address teenage suicide.

The committee was informed that the new updated data on figures for suicides in young people for 2018/19 would be available from the Office of National Statistics around August / September 2019 and this is when we would be able to see a proper benchmark. Alongside the national data there was real time surveillance which would look at potential suicide, groupings, clusters and trends.

LCC was working with ICS colleagues in trying to develop a Contagion Protocol to support young people in the event of a young person's suicide. The Contagion Protocol was being finalised and implemented.

The question of what support was available for parents of suicide victims was raised. There was a gap in support and this gap had to be addressed. Suicide prevention had to be made everyone's business. There had to be more training for staff and agencies. Regarding the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICS Suicide Prevention Logic Model, all those bereaved by suicide would be offered timely and appropriate information and offered support by specialist bereavement services within 72 hours. The committee was informed that there was very little of this available in Lancashire at the moment but it was in the pipeline.

Members stated that it was vital to work with schools. They were informed that there was an Emotional Health and Wellbeing Schools and Colleges Contract especially for this. This service provided training and assessment skills to staff working in educational establishments in Lancashire to enable them to better identify and support young people with emerging mental health issues, better understand relevant services and to support their own wellbeing.

The committee was informed that one of the projects being rolled out for suicide prevention was the Orange badge scheme in Lancaster. This was a simple training and identification project enabling individuals to approach trained people for support.

Resolved:

  i.  Suicide Prevention bite size briefing including Orange Badge training be considered for members.

  ii.  Briefing note be provided to the committee in September to include data update at district level and work undertaken on bereavement support.

  iii.  Consideration be given to developing a poster with key contacts that can be used in schools/residential homes across.

The work plan for the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee for the 2018/19 municipal year was presented. The topics included were identified at the work planning workshop held on 10 July 2018.

Sally Allen, Acting Director of Children Social Care provided two updates relating to the minutes from the meeting held on 16 January 2019.

The committee had previously requested a breakdown of the children looked after who are placed outside of Lancashire County Council's area.

It was noted that LCC currently have 433 children looked after that are currently placed outside of LCC boundaries. It was pointed out that this was LCC boundaries and not Lancashire's boundaries.

Out of those, 298 (69%) are placed in neighbouring Local Authorities. Out of the 433, LCC currently have 368 (85%) that are placed within the North West.

The committee requested that a further breakdown of the children looked after and who are placed outside of the North West, should be provided at a future meeting with a reason as to why they have been placed outside of the North West.

The second update was in relation to Secure Accommodation. It was noted that a Cabinet Report had previously been produced, in relation to a previous recommendation from an earlier meeting of the committee to explore the possibility of LCC developing its own Secure Accommodation Unit.

From that Cabinet report, a scoping exercise was undertaken which concluded that it wouldn't be appropriate to do this due to several different factors. One factor being that it would be a highly complex and costly area in order to develop a Secure Accommodation Unit but that it would also require significant compliance to a wide range of regulations. In addition, itwould also require a considerable upfront investment to develop it.

Members were informed that future meetings of the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee would now commence at 10:30am.

On the 10 April there would be a Bite Size Briefing at 10:00am on CAMHS prior to the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee meeting at 10:30am.

Resolved:

  i.  The report presented and comments be noted.

  ii.  A Bite Size Briefing on CAMHS be arranged prior the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee on 10 April 2019.

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.

Wednesday 10 April, Cabinet Room C, County Hall, Preston.

The next meeting of the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee will take place on Wednesday 10 April 2019 at 10:30am in Cabinet Room 'C' (The Duke of Lancaster Room) at the County Hall, Preston.