Agenda item

To discuss key issues in relation to performance and budget.

The Assistant Director, Education and Inclusion and the Area Director, Children’s Services presented a report on Children’s Services Performance Quarter Four 2021/2022.

It was stated that demand across social care and early help remained high and that the social care services sustained a good performance. This was highlighted by the fact that a written letter following an Ofsted focused visit in July 2021 stated that the senior leadership team had continued at a pace with their transformation project since the previous inspection in November 2018, when they were judged as good.

The challenge remained the recruitment of social workers which was not only hampered by the trend of a national shortage of social workers, but also by the ‘Island factor’ and the difficulties to recruit new staff due to poor transport links with the mainland and a shortage of housing.

It was explained that the Council relied on agency staff, but it needed to also recruit more social workers. A new marketing and recruitment strategy was being introduced and pay scales were being reviewed to make jobs in social care more attractive. This was being done with adult social care where similar problems were being experienced. It was hoped that a further campaign to cite the Island as an attractive place to live and work would reap benefits of more people wanting to seek employment with the Council.

The impact of Covid, successive lockdowns, rising fuel and energy prices, as well as an increase in food prices, had led to a spike in referrals and the trend was continuing. There was a greater reliance on food banks and community pantries as the cost-of-living crisis continued to effect families.

The Council had been consistently strong in its assessment of children but there were many more new families coming into the system.

It was deemed essential that the integral work with the schools continue.

When looking at education and inclusion, it was pointed out that the Isle of Wight had a higher proportion of 16 and 17year olds given an offer of education, employment and training (98.2% compared with the national average of 94.3%.)

It was stated that 29% of Education, Health and Care Plans were produced within 20 weeks for the last quarter, though the national average was around 55%. It was felt that recent new appointments and staff changes were now resulting in a much higher number of plans being produced within 20 weeks and April 2022 had seen 75% of plans being produced within the recommended time frame.

The number of children being electively home educated was 531 which was higher than the same point last year (508 children), of which the local authority had contact with 80% of the families.

Permanent exclusions in 2021/22 were 5, after 2 terms, compared to 17 in total for 20/2021. It was hoped that this trend would continue and that there would be a much lower number of exclusions in total for 2021/22.

The number of fixed period exclusions in 2021/22 was 869 after two terms (1092 in total in 2020/21). It was surmised that one of the reasons for this high figure was likely to be the fact that children who might have previously been permanently excluded were now in this bracket.

Attendance statistics which had been recently produced for the 2020/21 academic year showed that the attendance rate on the Isle of Wight was 95.3% which mirrored the national average of 95.4%.  

RESOLVED:

THAT the contents of the report be noted