Agenda item

To receive a verbal update on the number of children and young people who are re-referred back into the social care system following discharge.

Ms Victoria Gent, Director of Children’s Services, provided a verbal update on the number of children and young people who had been re-referred back into the social care system following discharge. She reported that an analysis of these cases had shown that between January 2020 and June 2022 fewer than one in ten had been re-referred back into Children’s Social Care (CSC). This represented four hundred and twenty-two children of which two hundred and thirty-three had subsequently been closed. Overall one hundred and ten of those re-referred were care leavers and a further forty-two remained open at the end of the care period. Ms Gent explained that those cases left open were in cases where children were the subject of a care order but in a care home or with a parent. Leaving the case open allowed a more gradual exit for the child from care and allowed services to monitor their progress.

Mr Chris Coyle, Assistant Director of Children’s Services (Children’s Social Care and Tis), informed the Committee that Blackpool had a re-referral rate of 27.3% within six months, which was comparable with other similar authorities but above the North West average of 21.6%. He added however that the most recent four week average was 20% which demonstrated an improvement. It was also noted that Blackpool’s average was affected by the significant number of children assessed and larger than average families, as children were admitted individually to CSC.

The Committee queried what services were accessed by those re-referred into CSC and what the likely reasons for a re-referral were. Ms Gent explained in response that most of those re-referred were under Children In Need and the re-referral was usually as a support package was needed for the child rather than them being at risk of harm. It was noted that in many cases parents had complex needs. This meant that it was difficult to determine how long ongoing support was needed and would be assessed on a basis of individual need in each case.

The pathways available to care leavers to access ongoing support was raised by the Committee, asking if social workers shared this information. Ms Gent replied that the information provided to care leavers was based on an individual assessment of their needs and ongoing review to identify the key events in their lives so that support could be tailored to their circumstances. She also recognised that there were varying levels of experience among social workers but that the Children’s Services Management Team had been stabilised and was able to provide an overview of the work taking place and ensure consistency.

In response to a query, Ms Gent agreed to provide details of the number of excluded children who had been re-referred into CSC in writing following the meeting.

The rate of re-referral being above the North West average was raised as an area of concern by the Committee. Mr Coyle explained that it was recognised that over six months this had been the case but that the rolling four week average was lower. He added that CSC was seeking to assess more children going forward with a focus on ensuring their quality. Ms Gent added that the higher rate of re–referral had been identified as part of an internal audit and that the Early Help Strategy launched in November 2021 would play a part in reducing the number of re-referrals.

The Early Help strategy would allow earlier intervention and prevent cases being escalated too quickly. Ms Gent added that Ofsted would also be focussing on the rate of re-referral as part of the strategy and that it was part of its implementation plan.

Non-Council support for children as part of care packages was discussed by members. Mr Paul Turner, Assistant Director of Children’s Services (Education, SEND and Early Years), informed the Committee that schools offered an increased level of support through extended opening hours and after-school activities. Challenges to ensure this support included ensuring the quality of the schools offer and maintaining high levels of staff training.

The possibility of an increase in the re-referral rate during the summer holidays was queried with Mr Coyle stating that although a slight increase was expected, it was not believed this would significantly impact the overall average rate. Activities offered during the summer holidays would also be supported by the Holiday Activity Fund which the Council had increased investment in for 2022. Councillor Jim Hobson, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care and Schools added that the key period to determine the future re-referral rate would be October 2022 to March 2023 during which time the impact of the cost of living crisis would become known and CSC could experience increasing pressure.

Work to embed the learning and support offered by Head Start and Better Start was discussed by the Committee with Ms Gent informing members that the last meeting of the Head Start Board had been held on 4 July 2022. At this meeting the role of co-producing services was highlighted as key to the future of supporting children going forward. She noted that such co-production had made an important contribution to the development of Blackpool Families Rock. In recognition of this the Head Start co-production team would be brought into Children’s Service to ensure that their skills were retained.

The Committee raised the outcome of the details of the independent review into Council-run children’s services released in 2021. It was noted that the Government expected the number of children in care to increase and the Committee recognised that this would increase the pressure on services in Blackpool. Councillor Hobson agreed that the report had made the challenges for Children’s Services clear but added it had also highlighted opportunities for reducing the cost of services. He noted that the possibility of councils forming co-operatives to commission services was an area that was under consideration by the Council. Ms Gent added that the Council was aware of the pressures that an increased number of children in care presented to services. She advised that Children’s Services collected a large amount of data in this area but that greater understanding of how this could be used was needed.

The Committee agreed:

1.      That the update be noted; and

2.      That details of the number of excluded children who had been re-referred to CSC be provided in writing following the meeting to the Committee.