Agenda item

To consider the controls being implemented to manage the strategic risk relating to change management.

The Committee considered a progress report on the individual risks identified in the Council’s Strategic Risk Register and considered the controls being implemented to manage the strategic risk relating to change management. Officers attended the Committee to provide updates in respect of their strategic areas.

Ms Pauline Wigglesworth, Head of HeadStart, provided an update on risk 3(a) with regards to preventative/early intervention services and informed the Committee that proactive work was being undertaken to evidence success using robust research, with projects funded sustainably.

In response to questions from Councillors, Ms Wigglesworth clarified that the commitment to long-term funding was dependent on the type of project and that some projects were based on recurrent funding with others sustained on a continual basis. She provided an overview of the funding streams available. In respect of evidence of implementing and embedding learning from the HeadStart project, a robust process of research and evaluation had been carried out. This process provided qualitative and quantitative data to feed into the Annual Report and was underpinned by extensive research. Ms Wigglesworth informed the Committee that the Council had contributed to the Case Study Submission: Addressing the National Syndemic's call for evidence from the Resilience Revolution partnership, Blackpool and this document, along with the 2019/2020 Annual Report would be circulated to members.

Ms Victoria Gent, Director of Children’s Services, provided the Committee with an overview of the risks in respect of Children’s Services and in particular the sustainability of the Troubled Families programme. Funding had been secured for a further three years to develop the programme at the Family Hubs. The NSPCC Better Start initiative continued to be scaled up and integrated into early help and support services. Delivery continued on the Opportunity Area programme to raise attainment and aspirations of young people in Blackpool and Ms Gent noted that the Opportunity Area Partnership Board and its partners had hosted a successful Department for Education Board visit which had included the Secretary of State.

In response to questions from the Committee Ms Gent noted that any barriers to ensuring the sustainability of key services were largely around partners, such as the Police, health services and the voluntary sector, clearly understood what the Troubled Families Programme was and their roles within it. Clarification was also given regarding the implementation of the Better Start initiative and links to the First 1,000 days project, with Special Educational Needs (SEN) encapsulated within Early Help.

In respect of elective home education, Ms Gent provided the Committee with an overview of the Council’s services for parents choosing to school their children at home. Data to outline the numbers of children schooled at home would be submitted to the next meeting.

In response to a question from Ms Gill Brown, Independent Co-opted Member, it was noted that the target dates for completion of the recommended actions of March 2022 were more likely to be extended and some projects would need a longer completion date of up to two years.

Mr Mark Towers, Director of Governance and Partnerships, provided the Committee with an update on the sub-risk identified in respect of the unpredictability of legal rulings requiring an unexpected change/change to the risk environment. The Council’s in-house resources had been strengthened following a restructure and work was ongoing to ensure that more knowledge was retained and expertise was built within the Council’s teams.

In respect of the sub-risk identified as the increasing number of looked after children and child protection cases resulting in a need to change the Council's approach. Ms Kate Aldridge, Head of Corporate Delivery, Performance and Commissioning, provided the Committee with an overview of work being carried out. Work was being undertaken with other local authorities to develop greater commissioning partnerships across the residential and fostering markets.

The Early Help programme was a crucial element in the reduction of the numbers of Looked After Children in a safe and sustainable way and Ms Gent provided an overview of the work being undertaken to meet this target, which had included implementation of a Workforce Strategy to ensure a strong structure and framework.

In response to questions from the Committee it was confirmed that success was measured by ensuring that there was clarity on how providers could add value and growth and the drive to keep those services local. The volume of Looked After Children in Blackpool was an issue that was being mitigated through good local controls and the Council would continue to build capacity to assist other authorities. This was a very complex and unpredictable area and it was difficult to predict whether the downward trajectory would continue, however, steady progress continued to be made.

With regards to monitoring the effectiveness of the Edge of Care Programme and costs, Ms Gent advised the Committee that the programme combined with the Early Help Offer and it was a piece of work that would continue to be developed and evaluated over the year. Barriers to success were similar to those previously identified for Early Help, which were around developing the understanding from the Council’s partners of what the programme entailed, to encourage good partnerships and collaborative working. Consideration was also being given to other challenges such as financial stress and fuel poverty and how the Council could address these through supporting families.

In respect of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on delivery of improvement plans, the Committee was advised that despite challenges faced by the Council, the delivery of improvement work had been carried out exceptionally well. Developing and nurturing a workforce during this time had been a challenge, however the service continued to deliver and make steady progress against the improvement plan.

The Committee agreed:

1.      That data to outline the number of children being schooled at home would be brought to the next meeting of the Audit Committee.

[Ms Wigglesworth, Ms Gent and Ms Aldridge left the meeting on conclusion of this item].