Issue - meetings

This report analyses performance by reference to the service plan, the budget and the performance indicators for all of the services funded through the Children’s Services budget.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

(i)                 That the Executive Member be advised to note the performance of services within the directorate funded through the Children’s Services budget.

(ii)               That it be requested that the situation in respect of homeless young people be closely monitored.

(iii)             That schools and officers be congratulated on the many achievements evidenced in the report, including the reduction in the number of exclusions.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:      To ensure appropriate performance management arrangements are in place for the work of the department.

Members received a report that analysed performance by reference to the service plan, the budget and the performance indicators for all of the services funded through the Children’s Services budget.

Members were pleased to note the many achievements that had taken place including the work on integrated services, the opening on schedule of the new premises for York High School and the fifty percent reduction in exclusions.

Attention was drawn to two challenges that the Directorate was facing:

• The economic downturn was having an impact on the target to reduce the proportion of 16-17 year olds who are NEET.  A number of apprentices were losing their jobs and there had been a reduction in the number of employers who were able to offer work-based training.
• There had been an increase in the number of Looked After Children.  The figure now stood at 200, although a number of these children were to be adopted during the next twelve months. 

Officers were asked why there had been an increase in the number of Looked After Children.  They explained that this mirrored the national picture and that one of the factors was that young people were remaining with foster carers beyond the age of 18.   Early intervention to seek to prevent the need for children to be taken into care continued to be a focus for development.

Members were updated on the current financial position. It was anticipated that most budgets would come in at or about the level of the current approved budget.  Details were given of the exceptions to this, including an increase in expenditure in respect of social care and an increase in the projected net overspend on Home to School transport.  There was also a shortfall in Adult Education grant income - this was partly due to a delay in the “Train to Gain” funding, although this was now coming on stream.

Consideration was given to performance against the indicators. Officers were asked about the action that was being taken in respect of the decrease in the percentage of pupils progressing by two levels in Maths between KS3 and KS4 (NI 98).  Details were given of the strategies that had been put in place to support schools and the work that the consultants were carrying out.

Members sought an update on the situation in respect of the Myplace bid.  They were informed that the Big Lottery Fund has announced the results of the first round of bidding and had allocated more funding than had originally been proposed.  There would be a second round of bidding later in the year but further details of the timescale for this and details of the amount of funding available were still awaited.  Phil Bixby, the community architect, continued to work on the project.  The costs of the Railway Institute scheme would be around £7-8m, which was more than the maximum that could be bid for under the present arrangements.  It was therefore important to look at establishing other funding arrangements.  A meeting was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60