Items
No. |
Item |
32. |
Apologies for Absence
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Apologies were received from Councillor
Bossman-Quarshie.
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33. |
Declaration of Substitute Members
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Convery substituted for Councillor
Bossman-Quarshie.
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34. |
Declarations of Interest
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no declarations of interest.
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35. |
Minutes of the previous meeting PDF 88 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Officers noted an error in which the HM Inspectorate of
Probation was referred to as the HM Inspectorate of
Prisons.
Members noted that there was an omission of a question
clarifying whether the data incorporated the borough’s Pupil
Referral Unit (PRU).
Members suggested revised wording to the point concerning
the definition of off-rolling to clarify that it was not a verbatim
citation of the official definition used by the Department for
Education (DfE).
RESOLVED:
That subject to the amendments above, the
minutes of the meeting held on 10th September 2024 can
be confirmed as an accurate record of proceedings and the Chair be
authorised to sign them.
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36. |
Chair's Report
Additional documents:
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37. |
Public Questions
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Questions from members of the public were answered during
the discussion of the item of the agenda that they related
to.
The Chair advised that in recent weeks, the
committee had received several detailed questions from residents
and members of the public that were beyond the scope of what could
be answered at a scrutiny meeting, and that the committee could not
accept questions that were not related to the items for discussion
this evening, but that depending on the scope of the information
being requested, members of the public may be redirected to raise
issues as casework with their local ward councillor or as a
question to the relevant Executive Member at the next meeting of
Full Council.
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38. |
Islington Care Leavers and Housing Protocol PDF 141 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Director of Housing Operations and Executive
Member for Homes & Neighbourhoods were in attendance to present
the item and take questions, in addition to the Executive Member
for Children, Young People & Families and officers from the
Children & Young People service. In the discussion, the
following points were raised:
- The Islington Care
Leavers and Housing Protocol was a joint protocol between the Homes
& Neighbourhoods directorate and the Children & Young
People directorate. The protocol had been put to the Homes and
Communities Scrutiny Committee for comment and was endorsed at
their meeting of 26th September 2024 and had now come to
this committee for comment and endorsement.
- Officers thanked
members for promoting the development of this protocol and
requesting the item come to the committee for comment.
Commendations were also paid to the collaboration of officers
between the Homes & Neighbourhoods and Children & Young
People directorates.
- The Council had
purchased twenty buy back properties specifically for young people
between the ages of 18 and 24.
- Officers had also
utilised revenue funding to bring in Housing First Co-ordinators to
support those children in the accommodation to ensure no one
becomes homeless.
- Consultation on the
protocol had been undertaken with young people, members of the
Homelessness Forum, Ministry of Housing and directorates across the
council.
- The protocol aimed to
ensure that no young person leaving looked after care becomes
homeless and are supported as soon as it is apparent that they are
facing difficulty. Officers stated that the Council could not be
complacent in this regard.
- The protocol was also
stated to ensure that no care-experienced young person is
categorised as having made themselves intentionally homeless, and
that they are not evicted from council properties for rent
arrears.
- Islington was the
first local authority to implement a no local connection
criteria.
- Officers stated that
the protocol was radical and would be constantly reviewed with all
stakeholders.
- The Executive Member
for Children Young People & Families paid tribute to officers
in Housing services, Children & Young People services and the
Executive Member for Homes & Neighbourhoods, and stated that
consideration needed to be given to disabilities when allocating
properties
- Officers stated that
within the last twelve months, only four of the one bed properties
adapted for wheelchairs, had been let. Officers further stated that
the winter months would be challenging, as decreased lettings and
an increase in patients discharged from hospital, add to
constraints. It was stated that generally, there were 18% more on
the housing register than there were available
properties.
- The
Executive Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods stated that
everything will be run jointly with Children’s Services, that
the Council had listened to young people, and encouraged members to
be honest in their feedback also.
- In
response to members questions regarding how Young Person’s
Advisors’ work is set out and monitored, officers advised
that they would work within the Council’s leaving care
service, Independent Futures, and have a manager that can support
and advise them on improving practice. Officers further stated that
goals will be ...
view the full minutes text for item 38.
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39. |
Islington Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report PDF 4 MB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Officers presented the Islington Safeguarding
Partnership Report to the committee. In the presentation and discussion, the following points
were raised:
- The
Independent Chair’s role had changed to become more of a
constructive critical friend that oversees the effectiveness of
Islington safeguarding arrangements.
- The
complexity in cases had seen a notable increase in this reporting
period.
- There was
a challenge in that there was supposed to be joint and equal
funding of child safeguarding practice reviews which falls
disproportionately on the local authority. Other challenges
included obtaining effective data, addressing inequalities and
transitions into adult services.
- The
numbers of private fosters were relatively low in Islington and
across the country. The partnership worked to ensure that through
partner, it was made aware of a child under private
fostering.
- Commendations were paid by officers and members to all that
helped to pull together this report. Members praised the variety of
professionals that were included and
that the Council should be proud of the expertise.
- Members
noted that the number of domestic violence cases had risen
nationally which would pose a risk to children also and in
response, officers stated that legislation had changed to specify
that children present in these instances are recorded as a victim.
It was also stated that in addition to monthly MARAC meetings, a
daily safeguarding meeting was held to address these risks.
Officers further stated that domestic violence and abuse had been
the primary reason for referrals from police into social care and
that in terms of child protection plans, it usually fell under the
category of neglect. Officers further stated that they were seeking
to have a more personable and integrated response to safeguarding
and that increased number of reports could be positive in that it
could be taken to mean that victims that previously would have not
reported instances, are now coming forward.
- Officers
shared the concerns of members that no one should live in fear of
abuse or forced marriage and had audited how global majority groups
engaged with safeguarding services, stating further that everyone
had a duty to refer cases of this happening. It was also stated
that a skilled workforce can identify that victims could be anyone,
including children that were overachieving academically and/or
thriving in school. Officers further informed members that the full
training for staff, covered female genital mutilation (FGM), forced
marriage and harmful practices, but stated that they were open to
suggestions for improvement from members.
- Officers
were addressing the need for more trained foster carers, and were
looking at reviewing promotional campaigns, but acknowledged the
impact of private fostering agencies on being able to recruit
foster carers.
- Officer
stated that in regard to the electively
home educated children open to children’s social care, there
were complexities to these cases and the partnership was working
with education colleagues to address this.
- Members
noted that there were disparities, particularly in CAMHS, and
requested further information on the ethnicity breakdown of the
workforce across the safeguarding partners. In response, officers
confirmed ...
view the full minutes text for item 39.
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40. |
Child Protection Annual Report PDF 229 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Officers presented the Child Protection Annual
Report to the committee. In the presentation and discussion, the
following points were raised:
- Officers informed members that at
the end of the reporting period in March 2024, there had been 913
children in need being supported by the Islington Safeguarding and
Family Support Service; 298 children who are looked after, of which
37 were disabled children and 44 were Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking
Children (UASC), 765 active care leavers and 181 children with
child protection plans. It was stated that were also eight children
were living in a Private Fostering arrangement at some point during
the year 2023/24.
- Addressing members concerns
regarding the section of the report highlighting the higher
proportion of contacts from Police for children from a Black ethnic
group, compared to contacts from other agencies, officers expressed
concern regarding the figures, also, stating that they are holding
the police to account and that it would be good for the Police to
answer for the numbers, to members.
- Officers had taken on members
concern around context, and including comparative data for the
previous year in brackets to highlight the impact, graphs and/or
other appropriate formats.
- In response to questions from
members of the public, officers clarified that the data showing
that children from global majority groups took on average longer to
be adopted, specifically in Black ethnic groups, was for this
reporting period (2023-24) and stated that initiatives to address
this included the North London Adoption Agency, the Black Adoption
Project, and generally identifying more black and mixed heritage
carers and dispelling misconceptions about what is required to
adopt a child.
ACTION:
Officers to invite the police and health
safeguarding partners in addition to the local authority
safeguarding partners at the next annual presentation of this
report.
RESOLVED:
That the Child Protection Annual Report is
noted.
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41. |
Youth Justice Service Inspection Report PDF 540 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Officers presented the Youth Justice
Service Inspection Report to the committee. In the presentation and
discussion, the following points were raised:
- Officers
told members that previous inspections in 2014 and 2015 had
resulted in very poor outcomes for the authority and led to
Islington being placed on high priority status.
- Officers
and members were pleased with this year’s outcome. It was
notedthat this inspection was more
comprehensive than the social care inspection and was a dramatic
transformation from the outcome of the previous inspections.
Members commended the direction the service was headed towards and
paid tribute to the young people, the staff of the Youth Justice
Service and also to the service Director, Curtis Ashton, for each
of their roles in securing this outcome.
- Islington
had scored 34 out of 36, the highest recorded by a London borough.
Officers stated that the only other London boroughs to be rated
outstanding were Camden and Hammersmith, and the only other local
authorities to be rated 36 or higher were Brighton & Hove and
East Riding of Yorkshire.
- Officers
were pleased that Inspector had accepted the borough’s vision
and strategy and that Islington remained child focused, and trauma
informed.
- Young
people were engaged with as part of the inspection process and were
spoken to about the quality of service they receive.
- Officers
were pleased with the performance regarding court disposals,
interventions which had also been rated highly by parents/carers
rated highly and resettlements. Only four recommendations had been
made and officers committed to reviewing the actions.
- Members
noted that the average school attendance of those in the Youth
Justice Service was under 45%. In response, officers stated that
they recognised that they needed to do more in relation to those
children and that the inspectors had noted this also, that although
there were low levels of attendance there was a strong wraparound
for these young people. Officers stated that they were underlying
complexities to this cohort and that they were committed to
addressing this and preventing young people being out of school and
coming into the remit of the Youth Justice Service to begin with.
It was also stated by officers that youth justice workers would
work with the schools required and where a young person was
excluded from alternative provision would ensure there was
education provision in place for them.
ACTION
Officers to update the committee as to whether
there is an up-to-date version of the Alternative Provision
brochure and advise how families would be able to access
this.
RESOLVED:
That the Youth
Justice Service Inspection Report is noted.
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