To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-
The deadline for the submission of public questions is 3 clear working days before the meeting.
The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting.
The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.
Minutes:
The following questions were heard by the Committee with responses provided at the meeting by the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People and the Chair:
The following questions were received from Mr Sofianos:
Q1
The paper rightly highlights concerns around childcare staffing levels. But there’s another logistical issue: the vulnerability of nursery and preschool venues.
In my parish, the Mudeford Wood Playgroup is under threat, because the operators of the building unexpectedly gave notice to the group. Officers and local councillors have been working hard to support a resolution, but it’s still very possible the Playgroup will disappear in July. This would be disastrous for local families.
Has the council analysed the overall provision across BCP, to identify similar vulnerabilities elsewhere? And what future support will it offer to providers who rent their spaces, to ensure they have long-term security, fair contract terms, and are charged reasonable commercial rates?
Answer from the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People:
Thank you, Mr Sofianos, for your question.
I am also worried about the plight of Mudeford Playgroup and I thank him for highlighting the hard work from officers and local councillors to try and find a solution.
The Council has a diverse range of childcare providers, including those who rent privately, those who lease space from a church or other organisation, and those who rent directly from us. While we do not have the power or authority to ensure fair rental rates for privately leased spaces, we do have the ability to influence rents for the providers who lease directly from the council. In these cases, we fully recognise the financial pressures childcare providers face and actively engage with them to understand their income and expenses on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to set fair and sustainable rent that reflects both their financial situation and the essential role they play in our community. The Council works closely with the sector and is on hand to provide advice and guidance on a range of issues including financial sustainability.
Q2
The Scorecard at Appendix 1 doesn’t share data regarding the Council’s SEND workforce. However, delayed workforce data is now available on the Local Offer website.
This data suggests some volatility. In October 2024, 87% of plans saw a change of case officer. The proportion of agency workers was 21%. The staff vacancy rate was 21%. And the number of permanent Educational Psychologists had dropped from 12.4 in March to 8.6 in October.
This is a challenge for staff, and above all for the ultimate stakeholders: the families who depend on the service.
What is the current data for these staffing and vacancy numbers? And what reassurances can the Council provide that the improved service seen leading up to the recent OFSTED review will be retained afterwards?
Answer from the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People:
Thank you, Mr Sofianos, for your second question.
October 2024 was the period of time when the SEND Restructure was being implemented and there was a significant amount of reorganisation within the SEND Service as a result. This unfortunately did mean a high number of families will have experienced a change in EHC Co-Ordinator whilst this was implemented. The current data is now:
Monthly percentage of EHCPs that have had a change of worker:
The percentage of agency workers
The staff vacancy rate
Number of permanent Educational Psychologists (FTE)
The SEND restructure has produced a long-term permanent service structure that will remain in place beyond any Ofsted Inspection. The Service and the Council as a whole is committed to continued improvement in this area. Whilst we are in a stronger position than we were 12 months ago, we are fully aware that we are only part through our improvement journey, and the resources and level of service will need to remain in order to continue to support out progress.
Q3
During January’s Work Plan discussion, a question was raised around Permanent Exclusions & Suspensions. This had been scheduled for November 2024, but disappeared. It was suggested this was partly covered under Alternative Provision – but there’s much more to this subject, and critically, the data wasn’t made available.
I’d encourage the Committee to review this item in the autumn, after publication of the Government’s annual data-drop. There’s a growing crisis in the use of these sanctions, which disproportionately affect the most vulnerable children, especially those in poverty and with SEND. It deserves fuller analysis, and ideally, contributions from head teachers.
This and other discussions in that session hinted at a struggle to deliver strong scrutiny within the time and resources allotted. Doesn’t this show that the group needs more meetings than currently scheduled, and will the Council support more sessions for this vital committee?
Answer from the Chair of Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee:
Thank you for your question, Adam. I am going to reply to that as Chair of the Committee.
In November 2024, Children’s Services officers confirmed that the item request regarding School Permanent Exclusions and Suspensions would be covered in the wider update on Alternative Provision. As a result, the committee proceeded with scrutiny of the matter on this basis, following the usual arrangements of consultation with the Chair.
I acknowledge the suggestion to review this item further at a later date, and as Chair I am minded to support this request. I will ask for the committee’s view on this later in today’s meeting when we discuss our work programme. A scrutiny request form has also been supplied to Mr Sofianos to allow him to provide further detail on his suggestion if he should wish to.
Meeting schedules for the Committee are determined by Council, along with all other public meetings. It is Council’s responsibility to decide whether to allocate more meeting dates for the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee and any increase in meetings must be considered against the resources available to support all meetings of the council.
In terms of the total scrutiny time dedicated to this important area of the council’s work, I would also like to highlight other work that takes place outside of formal scrutiny committee meetings. In the last year the committee has introduced informal briefings, in line with best practice, to share information to the committee which will enhance our scrutiny. These briefings are timetabled to take place on a regular basis throughout the year and are in addition to any working groups established by the committee which also take place outside of formal committee meetings but form an important part of the committee’s work.