Agenda and minutes

To agree the procedures for the operation of hybrid meetings.

RESOLVED –

THAT the procedures on hybrid meetings be agreed.

Councillors Julian Fulbrook, Shah Miah and Shiva Tiwari.

Co-opted Members Aya Egool, Sarah Jafri and Dr Rachel Wrangham.

There were no declarations.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes’.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair made the following announcement: “In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.”

Requests to speak at the Committee on a matter within its terms of reference must be made in writing to the clerk named on the front of this agenda by 5pm two working days before the meeting.

There were no deputations.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meetings held on 14 November 2022 and 13 December 2022.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meetings held on 14 November 2022 and 13 December 2022 be agreed as a correct record.

There was no urgent business.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Young People and Culture.

The Cabinet Member for Young People & Culture here provides the Committee with their annual report for discussion. This year’s report includes key timely updates from relevant teams in the portfolio who serve our young people and bring Camden’s cultural offer to all our communities.

Consideration was given to the annual report of the Cabinet Member for Young People and Culture. The report outlined updates in the following areas:

-       Our Camden Integrated Youth Support Service

-       Children’s Commissioning Work Updates

-       Our New in 2022 Camden Culture Service

-       Our Camden Libraries

-       Other Updates and Highlights from the Past Year

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member for the presentation and opened the Committee to comments and questions. The following was discussed:

-       A Member commented that the MET Police was not always observed to work well internally. The Member asked if the right colleagues of the MET Police were in meetings with the Council and other bodies to effectively influence outcomes and follow up actions. In response, Councillor Francis stated that it felt like the right people and that youth safety counted on professional relationships and engagement. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that there were occasionally setbacks in those relationships and working between teams within organisations. 

-       It was highlighted that best and impactful practice from Camden was its work in youth early help and participation. When young people aged out of one programme, there was another programme to follow t continue provisions. Importance and priority was placed on building resilient families and working with organisational partners.

-       In relation to the reduction of the Camden Youth Council (CYC) budget, the Cabinet Member stated that there had been £20,000 allocated to the CYC, however acknowledging the amount had

reduced in response to the financial challenges of the local authority. As a suggestion to mitigate the effect, it was suggested the CYC could join up with other organisations who had similar aims and priorities to pool resources and strengthen campaigns.

-       In relation to the Avalon Project on section 2.35, it was confirmed that the project provided an opportunity to learn a different set of skills with experienced leads. The offer included a motorcycle fixing centre, electrician courses and a roastery.

-       In relation to the Hive Programme in section 3.3-3.5, it was confirmed that it had been co-designed by young people in 2015 as part of the Minding the Gap Programme to meet the mental health needs of young people transitioning between ages 16-24. Previously, adult mental health services were not meeting the needs of young people of those ages, who reported stigmatisation. Hive, a collaboration of Council, NHS and third sector provision, acted as a universal front door for young people for mental and physical health needs. The service was being recommissioned as part of the normal procurement cycle.

-       In relation to the children’s offer in libraries in section 5.5-5.6, the Cabinet Member confirmed that she had been impressed with the early years offers. This included Rhyme Time, Storytelling and many other activities aimed at young age groups to encourage them into libraries, which had seen increases in attendance. In addition, she said that it was sometimes simple provisions that drew in young people into libraries such as plugs, additional tables and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Report of the Director of Children’s Safeguarding and Social Work.

This report sets out the findings, key messages, and recommendations of the Young Inspectors’ inspection of Camden kinship care support services.

This year, the young inspection was in response to the recommendations of the “Independent review of social care” by Josh MacAlister (May 2022).

The conclusions that emerged from the Young Inspectors gave rise to ten key recommendations for Camden’s kinship care service.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Children’s Safeguarding and Social Work.

The Senior Development Officer Participation Officer, accompanied by a young inspector, summarised the report which outlined the findings, key messages, and recommendations of the Young Inspectors’ inspection of Camden kinship care support services. In addition to the report, the young person explained that as well as the producing valuable recommendations to improve the service, how the experience of taking part in the project gave them the opportunity for personal development by making new friends, building confidence to express their views, and realising and progressing new life skills.

The Chair praised the Young Inspectors Report and thanked the young person for attending the meeting. The Chair opened the Committee to comments and questions and the following was discussed:

-       Members praised the practice and methodology use by the inspections and the valuable outcomes produced. It was further stated by officers that the Young Inspectors were shaping the services from a service user and independent approach, which was invaluable feedback and gave a fresh perspective that might not otherwise be captured. Ofsted had recognised the high quality of work the Young Inspectors produced.

-       In relation to the recommendation from the 2021 report, that an app was developed, in section 2.2, the Committee was told that this app provided guidance to care leavers on Housing, Financial Support, Benefits, Leaving Care at 18 and Education, Employment and Training. The app, Pocket PA, was created by care leavers in the borough.

-       In response to a Member asking how the work of the Young Inspectors evolved over the 14 years of running, it was stated that the journey was different each year. There was a different topic and set of young people each year, incorporating learning from previous years; ways of working as a group and building on methods of how to organise this type of project. The direction of the topics was influenced the young people and service managers, which may be guided by which services were already trying to make improvements. 

-       It was confirmed that Camden wanted to be an early adopter of the recommendations from the Independent Review of Social Care (2022), in regard to kinship care.

RESOLVED -

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Executive Director of Supporting People.

This report sets out the annual report on corporate parenting and provides an overview of the achievement, progress and challenges in meeting the needs of Camden’s looked after children and care leavers in 2021/22, who are placed both in borough and outside the borough. The report also sets out the priorities for 2022/23.

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director Supporting People.

The Head of Service for Practice Development presented the annual report which provided an overview of the achievement, progress and challenges in meeting the needs of Camden’s looked after children and care leavers in 2021/22. The report also set out the priorities for 2022/23. 

The Chair thanked officers for the report and invited questions and comments from the Committee. The following was discussed:

-       It was clarified that ‘The Houses’, referenced on page 91 of the agenda, related to the ‘Care Compact’,  a thematic pan-London care leavers offer. This addressed a consistent offer relating to housing, health, education and training, transport, finance, and mentoring.  Each local authority was responsible for providing a comprehensive offer to care leavers known as the ‘Local Offer’ and the compact was designed to support consistency .

-       Camden’s Local Offer is currently being refreshed

-       A Member asked what the process was on how to become a foster carer in the borough. It was explained that there had recently been a foster carers consultation event with existing foster careers. Prospective carers may see an advert on a bus or social media, or speak to an existing carer, and then express interest to the Council. Then, an assessment process might take as long as six months – which by the nature of the role had to be thorough. There had been feedback that the process could be off-putting to prospective foster carers and there were discussions on how to make it more straight forward, where possible. It was noted that foster carer allowances were amongst the highest in London, and that Camden provided carers with a high level of social worker support. A lack of in-house  foster carers, which was a national issue, increased the use of agency carers and residential placements resulting i  higher costs and a less local and responsive service for children. The Council was always looking for ideas on how to recruit and retain foster carers and this was a priority in the Corporate Parenting action plan.

-       In response to a question asking what was the demographic of foster carers, in relation to diversity, it was confirmed that Camden foster carers were over 50% black and from a diverse range of ethnic groups. It was not always possible to match the background of foster carers and children, but the Council actively recruited for diversity to fulfil this as far as possible. A commitment of the Corporate Parenting Strategy was to ‘being the best black corporate parent to our black children’. It was important for foster carers to be trained and actively supported to understand the needs of black children in a holistic way, including discussions on racism, culture and connections. Officers stated they would provide further data on the diversity of Camden’s foster carers.

Action by - Director of Children’s Safeguarding and Social Work

-       It was confirmed that housing provision for care leavers was included in Camden’s Housing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living.

Continued reduction in Government funding for the Council, coupled with rising inflation and cost pressures on our services means that the Council is projecting a budget deficit of approximately £40m by 2025/26. This report presents an overview of the Council’s financial position and our plan for providing financial stability and resilience for the local authority in a volatile wider environment.

This report sets out our assumptions and our understanding of how Government policy will impact our funding and spending over the coming years including updates from the Autumn / Winter 2022 spending review and the Local Government Finance Settlement that allocates funding to each local authority.  The recent draft financial settlement for 2023/24 provided an increase in ‘Core Spending Power’ (funding available for local authority services, which is predicated on a combination of government grants and increasing Council Tax and locally retained Business Rates) of 9.2% across England.  In Camden approximately 28% of the increase in ‘Core Spending Power’ relates to an assumed increase in Council Tax of 4.99%. Camden’s specific core spending allocation was lower than the national average and the fourth lowest in London at 8.2%.  This is against general inflation of 10.1% and ongoing demographic pressures in a number of services especially adult and children’s social care.

The report sets out our proposals for how we will change our organisation and our services to operate within our expected budgets in the medium term. These proposals incorporate outcomes-focused change, a focus on long-term change for improvement for the Council, and a continuing drive for the best and most efficient services. These proposals are detailed at Appendix A.

This report also sets out how we will invest our resources and direct our services to support our ambitions for Camden set out in We Make Camden – our community vision for Camden as a fairer, more equal, more just and more sustainable Borough. This includes how we are investing resources to support families and households through the cost of living crisis, to address the harm of poverty and to support families to have economic security. It shows how we are continuing to play our part in climate justice and supporting Camden’s transition to be a low-carbon community. It shows how we are continuing to invest to give children and families the best start, and how we are investing to provide person-centred care for people with health and complex needs – and how we are working in our neighbourhoods to keep people healthy and well.

Some of our proposals for achieving financial stability will have an impact on staff, on residents and on the way that services are delivered. All proposals have been considered individually for their potential impact on residents as part of our commitment to equity. There is an overarching equalities impact assessment for this financial strategy included in this report. For those proposals that require consultation and/or equality impact assessments to be considered, whilst the associated budget  ...  view the full agenda text for item 11.

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living.

The Executive Director Supporting People summarised the key points of the paper relating to the Committee’s remit, such as investing resources to households during the cost of living crisis and the continuing work on prevention and early intervention arrangements. There was a projected Council budget deficit of £40 million by 2024/25, and difficult decisions would need to be taken over that period. The Committee should note the proposed changes to the Camden Learning budget, a significant but manageable reduction of 10%, which was within the business plan. Camden Learning were already exploring ways to supplement their income. Secondly, any reduction in children’s social care and early help services would be made cautiously and systematically to areas of excess capacity. The Council would maintain strong investment in early intervention and prevention.

The Chair thanked officers for the report and invited questions and comments from the Committee. The following was discussed:

-       It was explained that the number of delegations of decision to officers was due to the approach needed on the children’s services budgets of carefully reviewing the interdependencies of services before making any significant changes. It was further confirmed that officers would be reviewing each part of the system and looking for savings where there was an excessive reliance on external care and agency staff.  There were aspects of this process to see where efficiencies could be made within departments in relation to recruitment and retention, while considering the continuing lowering number of children in the borough. They would continue to be looking to attract investment into Camden’s children’s services from central government.

-       A Committee Member stated that schools in the borough were entering partnerships to share expertise across schools. It was confirmed that this approach was within Camden’s Education Strategy, Building Back Stronger, in working towards greater collaborate working. It was recognised there were immense pressures in the system and collaboration and partnership would be crucial to mitigate and buffer external challenges, where possible.

-       A Member noted that many schools were experiencing huge financial challenges, particularly due to the wider economic context, and asked how Camden’s children were being affected and how that was being monitored. In response, it was stated there were significant stresses on the system, additionally noting the number of one form entry primary schools in the borough. There were signs to monitor the effects; including monitoring budget deficits, where schools had to make decisions to reduce their capacity which may lead to lowering of provisions and standards, and measuring the impact on children with higher levels of challenges. Challenges were felt mostly by the least resilient families.

-       The Committee was told that through the implementation of the Education Strategy of using system federating, pooling resources and working alongside communities and families and to focus on things were important to Camden, that ambition would be preserved. Camden would continue lobbying central government for more resourcing for education,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Report of Executive Directors Supporting People, Supporting Communities and Corporate Services.

This report provides an update on service performance in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2022/23 drawn from a broad range of measures from across each directorate and division in the organisation. Individual services have provided a narrative covering key performance challenges and areas of positive improvement.  

This report is divided into three sections: the individual service data and narrative that seeks to identify key challenges and emerging issues over the next 6 months (i.e. looking ahead to Q3 and Q4) that could have negative impacts on service delivery and performance; the ongoing cost of living crisis; and new emerging issues and organisational health issues i.e. cross-cutting challenges in which corporate services play a key role HR, communications, strategy, finance, legal etc.  

Within the report in Supporting People sections 4.1 – 4.3, progress is set out against targets for those performance indicators that fall within the Children, Schools and Families outcome area and within the remit of the Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee.

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Directors Supporting People, Supporting Communities and Corporate Services.

The Executive Director Supporting People drew attention to the aspects of the report which related to the remit of the Committee, outlined in sections 4.1-4.3.

RESOLVED -

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Executive Director Supporting People 

This report sets out the work programme for the municipal year 2022/23 for the Committee’s consideration. The Committee will continue to be provided with an updated report on their future work programme at each meeting, for their consideration.

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director Supporting People. The Executive Director Supporting People outlined the work programme for the remainder of the municipal year.

RESOLVED -

THAT that the report be noted.

The Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee is asked to note the final meeting date for the 2022-23 municipal year: 20 February 2023.

The final scheduled meeting date for municipal year 2022-23, 20 February 2023, was noted.

There was no urgent business.