Agenda Document Pack - Education, Children and Families Committee - 27/02/2024
North Lanarkshire Council · 27 February 2024
Back to Education, Children and Families Committee — 27 February 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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16 February 2024 Members of the Education, Children and Families Committee Chief Executive’s Office Archie Aitken Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell ML1 1AB www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk Notice is given that a Meeting of the Education, Children and Families Committee is to be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1AB on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 at 14:00 PM which you are requested to attend. The agenda of business is attached. Archie Aitken Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Members : Clerk Name: Clare Louise McDonald Clerk Telephone: 01698 302190 Clerk Email: mcdonaldcl@northlan.gov.uk A Campbell, M McBride, D Ashraf, A Ballinger, C Barclay, M Boyd, H Brannan-McVey, B Burgess, T Carragher, C Costello, M Coyle, S Coyle, G Currie, P Di Mascio, H Dunbar, F Fotheringham, W Goldie, T Johnston, J Jones, P Kelly, A Khan, K Larson, G Lennon, H Loughran, A Masterton, B McCluskey, B McCulloch, P McDade, F McKay, R McKendrick, C McManus, M McPake, A McVey, L Mitchell, P Patton, J Reddin, K Stevenson, A Stubbs, J Toner, N Wilson.M Clarkson, G McCormick, M McCrossan, I Scott. Page 1 of 76
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Agenda 1 Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 Operational 2 Getting it Right for Every Child Submit report by the Chief Officer (Education - North) providing an update on the progress of the implementation and development of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) process 4 - 19 3 Community Payback Order Annual Report Submit report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families Justice and Integration) seeking approval of the Annual Community Payback Report for the fiscal year 2022/23 20 - 27 4 Corporate Parenting Strategy Submit report by the Chief Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) seeking approval of the Corporate Parenting Strategy and Improvement Plan 2023-2026 28 - 55 Financial 5 Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period 10 Submit report by the Chief Officer (Education - North) providing a summary of the financial performance of the Education, Children and Families Service for the period 1 April 2023 to 5 January 2024 (Period 10) 56 - 66 Contracts 6 Contract Award - Early Help and Family Support Submit report by the Chief Officer (Children, Families and Justice and Integration) seeking approval to award a contract for Early Help and Family Support 67 - 76 Page 3 of 76
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes No Ref Date 27/02/24 Getting it Right for Every Child From Gerard McLaughlin, Chief Officer (Education – North) E-mail Mclaughling@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Executive Summary This report is intended to update committee on the progress of the implementation and development of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) process, across the Education and Families Service. The report will update members on the development of the Roadmap to Recovery, mental health and wellbeing plan for children in North Lanarkshire and the evidence of its implementation across clusters. The report also outlines intended Service plans for the implementation of LGBT inclusive education curriculum across all schools. As wellbeing sits at the heart of the GIRFEC approach, mental health and wellbeing, attendance and developments impacting on these areas will also be discussed. The report illustrates how resources currently being developed will create an important range of services to improve mental health, taking in counselling, Kooth, School Nursing and services provided by Educational Psychology. National developments around GIRFEC will also be discussed showing the strong position that our GIRFEC developments have put us in to meet the challenges of National Policy Development. The report also shows some positive indicators from across a number of measures, including SDQ and Outcomes Star. Recommendations It is recommended that the (1) endorse the content of this report The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement (7) Enhance collaborative working to maximise support and ensure all our children and young people are included, supported, and safe Programme of Work Resilient People Item 2 Page 4 of 76
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1. Background 1.1 Members will recall that Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is the Scottish Government’s National Policy Framework around Children’s Services. The GIRFEC policy framework is about enhancing the wellbeing of all children and young people as well as building a flexible scaffold of support: where it is needed, for as long as it is needed. 1.2 In September 2023 the Scottish Government published a new practice statement to follow on from Statutory Guidance – Assessment of Wellbeing published in 2022. This will strengthen the assessment process within the GIRFEC national policy and bring it more into line with UNCRC. This Practice Statement is for practitioners and managers to embed GIRFEC into their everyday practice. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Scottish Government’s GIRFEC Policy Statement, which refreshes our GIRFEC Values and Principles, and the Core Components of the approach. 1.3 In North Lanarkshire the GIRFEC pathway is the key process used to provide support to children young people and families, particularly where their needs are beyond what is provided by the universal services. The pathway operates at three levels universal additional and intensive allowing children to receive the level of support that they need when they need it. This path we set out in the planning for children's well-being guidance noted by this committee in February 2023. 1.4 Members may recall the Empowering Clusters approach which sets out the structure around the GIRFEC pathway and allows staff from schools to link with other services to provide joint planning and intervention where required for children with additional or intensive level needs. 1.5 Previous reports approved by the Education and Families Committee, introduced, and updated the Wellbeing quality framework, set around the questions of: • Why we are doing it? - Governance and Policy Drivers • How we are doing it? – Key Systems and Processes • What we are doing? – Our Outputs and Outcome 1.6 This report builds on the above and sets out the current position as regards the GIRFEC pathway including how it is being used to provide support to children and young people following the SDQ survey. It also considers the use of school counselling and other approaches that are available to schools to improve the emotional and mental health of our young people. It sets out our position in North Lanarkshire following recent national developments referred to above . It looks at progress in the delivery of health and well-being approaches linked to the Roadmap to Recovery strategic plan. It also considers attendance and the developing picture around this important issue including updated figures and responses to monitor and improve attendance and takes account of the provision of approaches intended to improve mental health. 1.7 COSLA and Scottish Government jointly accepted the recommendations of the LGBT Inclusive Education working group in 2018, and published a guidance note on LGBT inclusive education in 2019. Many of the recommendations have been implemented since 2018 or work to implement them is underway. In September 2021 a national platform, www.lgbteducation.scot was launched where national guidance, professional learning for teachers and local implementation resources can be freely accessed. A near final version of the proposed joint guidance has been produced and is in final Page 5 of 76
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collaboration with officials from SG to tighten up language and to ensure alignment with wider policy agendas and this is hoped to be available by the end of February 2024. Local Authorities are working to ensure that the national expectation is met, and that LGBT Inclusive Education is embedded into the Scottish Curriculum. To do this, there is a commitment from all Local Authorities to promote the LGBT Inclusive Education professional learning opportunities and resources among their school communities. 2. Report 2.1 This report is intended to update committee on the progress made using the GIRFEC pathway in North Lanarkshire. It draws on the Roadmap to recovery as the strategic plan underpinning our use of GIRFEC processes to improve wellbeing. It also updates on the use of data gathered from the SDQ survey and how this will assist our planning going forward, in line with the new GIRFEC guidance on Children’s Plans. 2.2 Members will recall previous reports that have reported on attendance as a key area for improvement, linked to health and wellbeing. The attendance position is also updated in this report. The related issue of services to improve mental health is also discussed, indicating the need for further promotion of a range of services to meet the range of needs. Roadmap to Recovery 2.3 As previously mentioned the road map to recovery is the strategic plan that will be delivered through the cluster network and the GIRFEC pathway. At this point this plan has been in place for over half its lifespan and consideration has been necessary of its impact within clusters. In order to look at the reflection of the road map to recovery in the work of clusters, cluster improvement and integration leads where asked to look at the cluster improvement plans for indications of improvement actions in the following areas, taken from key elements of the Roadmap to recovery: • Attendance improvements • Improvements in the GIRFEC pathway • Improvement in the use of School Counselling • Improvements in approaches to Trauma, Resilience and Nurture • Improvements in staff support 2.4 All 23 clusters have reflected at least one of these areas of improvement in their cluster or school improvement plans. Attendance featured in all the 23 Cluster Improvement Plans or in other processes used within the cluster. This is not surprising given the focus in this area at the moment and illustrated that attendance is a priority in all clusters. The GIRFEC pathway specifically featured in 9 plans, trauma, resilience and nurture in 8, counselling in 6 and staff support in 3. All of this shows that elements of the Roadmap to Recovery feature in the vast majority of Cluster Improvement Plans. GIRFEC 2.5 Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is the Scottish Government’s policy to provide all children, young people and their families with the right support at the right time so that every child and young person in Scotland can reach their full potential. North Lanarkshire has been working on an ongoing, multi-agency improvement programme related to this since the policy was first launched nationally. Page 6 of 76
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2.6 The Practice Statement on the child’s plan based on wellbeing indicators. published on 30th September 2023, is intended for practitioners and service leads in services that work with children, young people and their families and is issued to support previous guidance under section 96 (3) of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The guidance clarifies how the eight wellbeing indicators (known as SHANARRI) are used in assessing the wellbeing of children and young people and will explain what wellbeing is in the context of the Act assisting the translation of this to practice. 2.7 The refreshed GIRFEC practice statement links to the statutory guidance and reinforces a number of key changes throughout the document: • GIRFEC Values and Principles have been strengthened and are underpinned by UNCRC, ensuring policy and practice protects, respects and fulfils the rights of all children and young people. • The revised National Child Protection Practice Guidance 2021 is reflected creating a continuum of support from GIRFEC plans to Child Protection plans were needed. • Clarity is provided regarding named person and lead professional. These roles are now defined in policy rather than legislation and link with the North Lanarkshire GIRFEC pathway. • Incorporation of The Promise Scotland Plan 2021-24. 2.8 Within North Lanarkshire the Guidance to Staff on Planning for Children’s Wellbeing was refreshed in February 2023 in light of the coming national changes and noted by this committee. This refreshed local guidance already incorporates the messages from the new statutory guidance reinforced by the recent practice statement. SDQ 2.9 Previous reports to this committee have highlighted the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) used across the schools in the authority to gather a picture of wellbeing of children and young people. The statutory guidance on assessment of children’s wellbeing referred to above states that Children’s services and corporate parenting planning may use anonymous, aggregated information from individual children’s wellbeing assessments to support the development of services to meet local needs. This survey provides useful information to support children’s services planning under this part of the guidance, illustrating that our existing processes in North Lanarkshire are in line with the updated national guidance. 2.10 In addition the SDQ information can be used to build a profile of need at cluster, school and individual level. In order to make best use of the information generated, briefing sessions have been held to equip schools and Cluster Improvement and Integration Leads to take forward further analysis of the information, and where necessary provide or review support available to children and young people. This has involved: • 4 information sessions held at the start of November via MS Teams. • in total, 136 users logged in to the SDQ information sessions (188 individuals registered to attend). • 67 evaluation forms were returned, staff reporting a mean confidence level of 4.8/10 prior to training and 7.3/10 after training. Attendees provided an overall rating of 8.1/10 for the training sessions. Page 7 of 76
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• Of the 150 schools which took part in the SDQ survey in 2023, there were 35 (26 primaries, 5 ASN, 4 secondary schools) schools who had not accessed the online sessions according to registration and attendance records. • These remaining schools were contacted directly to offer an additional information session. SDQ National Figures 2.11 A National Health and Wellbeing Census was carried out by some local authorities in partnership with the Scottish Government. This was carried out in 2022 after the initial SDQ survey was carried out in North Lanarkshire a year earlier. This survey was not carried out in North Lanarkshire, following consultation with young people who had already taken part in this authority’s SDQ survey and did not want to take part in another survey having already taken part in SDQ. In the authorities that participated, the Census involved carrying out an SDQ survey with secondary pupils as part of the information gathered. The information published from this gives an element of national comparison between the SDQ survey carried out in North Lanarkshire and those authorities that took part in the National Census. This is limited as the surveys were not carried out at the same time or in the same way, so this should be regarded as one indicator of national comparison and not a definitive position of wellbeing across authorities. Local Authority % SDQ Total Difficulties in Close to Average Range Shetland islands 60% East Renfrewshire 59% North Lanarkshire 59% Stirling 57% Renfrewshire 55% South Ayrshire 55% Edinburgh 55% Morray 53% Perth and Kinross 53% Scottish Average 53% Dundee 52% Scottish Borders 52% Falkirk 51% Glasgow City 51% North Ayrshire 51% Angus 50% Dumfries and Galloway 48% Clackmannanshire 44% 2.12 The table shows that the SDQ results from the survey in North Lanarkshire are broadly favourable by comparison with other authorities and the Scottish average. This is one indication that the health and wellbeing of young people in North Lanarkshire (measured in 2023) compares positively with health and wellbeing in other local authority areas (measured in 2022). Page 8 of 76
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Attendance 2.13 Members will be aware that school attendance has become a major focus both nationally and within North Lanarkshire. As a result a monthly attendance performance report (MAP) for schools has been put in place in order to promote and inform action at school level to improve attendance. 2.14 Most recent North Lanarkshire figures from the MAP process show that attendance for the month of December was significantly higher than the corresponding month last year. This is encouraging for two reasons. Firstly, December has always been a month with significantly lower attendance tailing off as the holiday approaches and the drop in December has significantly impacted on average figures across the whole year. Secondly comparisons between 2023/4 and the previous year during other months have shown very small changes of less than 1%. The table below shows the attendance rates across all sectors and the average rise of 5.21% compared with last year. Attendance rate by sector (%) Sector Dec-22 Dec-23 Diff ASN 77.45% 83.50% 6.05% Early Years 85.61% 92.91% 7.30% Primary 83.53% 88.83% 5.30% Secondary 71.53% 75.95% 4.42% Grand Total 79.26% 84.47% 5.21% Attendance across 2023/4 compared with 2022/3 shows the following picture: 2.15 Improvement actions have been taken across the service to impact on attendance levels. These include the MAP reporting system which highlights each school’s attendance on a monthly basis. The setting of improvements targets by schools and 88.10% 91.40% 83.10% 79.30% 92.60% 91.70% 87.50% 84.50% 70.00% 75.00% 80.00% 85.00% 90.00% 95.00% September October November December Attendance by Month 2022/3 and 2023/4 Attendance 2022/33 Attendance 2023/4 Page 9 of 76
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the introduction of Family Engagement Support Assistants. In addition the link between mental health and attendance is well established with the issue of anxiety related non- attendance being seen as an important factor in the national issue around attendance. The chart above shows That over the months of September to December attendance rates are higher this year than 2022/23, and although the drop off in attendance normally see in the run up to the Christmas holiday is apparent, it is much lower than seen previously. Family Engagement Support Assistants 2.16 Family Engagement Support Assistants (FESAs) have been in post since December 2022. The role of these posts is to work with families where there is an attendance issue, with a focus on those families living in SIMD 1 and 2 areas as we are aware that attendance, attainment and health and wellbeing issues are disproportionally seen in families from these areas. Recruitment of these posts has been ongoing over the last year, with successful candidates coming from backgrounds in the Voluntary Sector, Social Work, Early Years and ASN Assistant roles. 2.17 Currently there are 15 in post with an additional 3 completing pre-employment checks. It is expected that all 18 will have been appointed by February 2024. They are currently working with 138 families which is expected to increase as new staff increase their workload. The group has grown incrementally since the first started work in January 2023 as shown in the table below: December 2023 May 2023 August 2023 January 2024 Number in Post 7 8 11 15 2.18 Appendix 1 shows the workload and impact of the FESAs. This indicates that 56% of those children worked with are showing increased attendance. A previous review of their work in June 2023 showed a similar picture and these caseload reviews will continue in June and December of each year to build a picture of impact and progress. Counselling and Mental Health 2.19 An important area of development for the service has been the range of services introduced and developed to improve the mental health of our school students. Mental health, particularly anxiety, has a recognised association with attendance issues. It is therefore an important area of intervention within the GIRFEC pathway and takes in: • School Based Counselling • Play and Art Therapy • Kooth • Mental health pathway of school nursing 2.20 An update on the counselling service, for the period July to December 2023, is included in Appendix 2. This shows that 1,050 children and young people have accessed the counselling service in the period, with 75% reporting a positive outcome. Of interest is the rate of missed appointments with 627 appointments missed. Further work is being carried out with counselling providers to understand the reasons for missed Page 10 of 76
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appointments. All of this shows a busy service, with a high rate of positive outcomes, but a large number of appointments missed which requires further action. 2.21 As a result of funding from the Health and Social Care Partnership, play and art therapy has been introduced for children in primary 4 and 5. This is a new and innovative service. The information in Appendix 3 shows the activity within this area of service from July to December 2023. This shows 40 young people access the service over that period with positive outcomes reported by 25 service users. This is a developing service that is showing relatively small numbers as yet but a good level of positive outcomes. Onward referral from counselling services show a drop from 384 in June to 221 in December. This will continue to be monitored. 2.22 Kooth is a mental health support website that offers 10-18year olds (or up to 26 with care experience) access to free and anonymous support. Through the website young people can access counselling, self-help tools and community spaces to safely seek mental health support. The service can be accessed 365 days a year, 24/7 and works in partnership with other services in Education and Families and the NHS. The service was launched in North Lanarkshire in early 2023. Use of Kooth is slowly building in North Lanarkshire and there is capacity to make greater use of this service. The service is currently engaging with schools and other service to promote their approach and it is hoped that greater use of the flexibility of Kooth may be a useful alternative to some who find the structure of counselling appointments difficult. It may be that greater use of Kooth may reduce the missed appointments highlighted by the counselling service. 2.23 In addition the school nursing pathway relaunched in November of 2023 has a specific mental health pathway within it. Although school nursing is not yet at full staffing, NHS Lanarkshire have developed a request for assistance system that allows all schools to request a service from school nursing whether there is a named nurse allocated to the school or not. This provides an additional approach to deal with issues of anxiety and mental health and further reinforces the available range of services through the GIRFEC pathway. In addition the possibility of drop in sessions with school nursing is being explored in two schools as a test of change to allow the development of drop-in sessions on a wider basis. Educational Psychology Input 2.24 The Educational Psychology Service have developed suites of training resources for Restorative Approaches and Solution Oriented Approaches as part of the wider relationship-based approaches training offered to schools and early years establishments. These are now available as part of EPS offers. Pilot schools have also been identified for Restorative Approaches and Solution Oriented Approaches and data will be gathered to help inform effective implementation. This session • Over 600 training evaluations have been returned across over 100 different establishments. • 70% of the training offered was for service offers as illustrated above, 30% was bespoke training tailored to establishments needs. • Confidence before training was rated by participants as 5.7, after training it was 8.4. • Overall rating for quality of training delivered was assessed by participants as 9/10. Page 11 of 76
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Outcomes Star 2.25 Appendix 4 of this report provides an update on the use of outcome star within the service and provides data regarding the outcomes of interventions offered to young people through the stages of the GIRFEC pathway. The update shows that 852 stars have now been completed on young people receiving services, compared with 344 when last reported in May 2023. The use of the star shows that 90% of young people are making progress in at least one area of need compared with 87% in April an increase of 3%. This shows a developing, positive picture through the use of this tool. LGBT Inclusive Education 2.26 The seven LGBT Inclusive Education Learning Themes are: • Understanding the Equality Act (2010), UNCRC and human rights. • Identifying prejudice, discrimination, and bullying (including homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia). • Recognising and challenging gender stereotypes. • Diverse families, including LGBT parents and siblings. • Celebrating diversity and difference. • History of LGBT equality movements. • LGBT past and present figures and role models. 2.27 In line with neighbouring local authorities, the Service proposes that a planned approach over the next 3 academic sessions is undertaken to ensure that all teachers complete the training and all schools have made progress with embedding LGBT Inclusive Education into their curriculum. TIE would deliver a Local Authority event for headteachers (1/2) day which would focus on the broad overview of what the stage 2 training entails, head teachers would be expected to have completed the stage 1 online training prior to this. A further ½ day event for one teacher from each school to attend would then take place which would be an introduction to LGBT Inclusive Education. This would take place by the end of June 2024. The next phase would involve schools making a commitment to including LGBT Inclusive Education in school Annual Improvement Plans with staff undertaking both stage 1 and 2 training. The commitment that all teaching staff would have completed stage 1 and 2 training by the end of academic session 2026/27. Next Steps 2.28 Although the month of December showed a very positive change in attendance trends, the continued gathering of attendance data will continue to inform ongoing improvement in this area. The work of individual schools, FESAs and the mental health approaches should impact on this. 2.29 School counselling continues to be well used, but the high number of missed appointments and the capacity within other services indicates the need to promote a full range of services so that young people can have choices and be matched to the service that best meets their needs. Monitoring across all these services will continue. Page 12 of 76
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2.30 Schools and will continue to be supported around the use of SDQ data to provide the best supports to their population at universal. additional and intensive levels of the GIRFEC pathway. 2.31 The Service will set up a cross sector Short Life Working Party to further develop the roll out of LGBT Inclusive Education and necessary training across all schools. As part of school annual improvement planning from 2024-2027, all schools will have made the commitment to developing a fully inclusive curriculum. Initial awareness raising training for schools will take place before the end of this school session. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success should be seen in terms of the Wellbeing Quality Framework referred to in 1.5 above. 3.2 At the policy level the report shows that North Lanarkshire is already taking forward a planning model for children that meets with national GIRFEC policy developments. In terms of our local policy, the Roadmap to Recovery is clearly now influencing development in the clusters. 3.3 Processes around attendance and family support are showing positive indicators but will continue to be a focus going forward. 3.4 From the SDQ, counselling in schools data, FESA data and Outcome Star there are clear indicators of progress in a range of areas pof work with children, young people and families. These areas of progress will continue to be monitored. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 - FESA Workload and Outcome Analysis Appendix 2 - Counselling in Schools Appendix 3 - Play and Art Therapy Appendix 4 - Outcomes Star Gerard McLaughlin Chief Officer (Education – North) Page 13 of 76
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 14 of 76
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Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? There is a risk in maintaining some of the services and approaches discussed in the report. Some of the work being carried out is funded through temporary funding which raises a risk about long term sustainability. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 15 of 76
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Appendix 1- FESA Workload and Outcome Analysis Page 16 of 76
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Appendix 2 - Counselling in Schools Page 17 of 76
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Appendix 3 – Play and Art Therapy Page 18 of 76
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Appendix 4 – Outcomes Star Page 19 of 76
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref AG/GR Date 27/02/24 Community Payback Order Annual Report 2022/2023 From Alison Gordon, Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integration) E-mail Gordonal@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 332001 Executive Summary This report is to inform the Committee of the Annual Community Payback Report for the fiscal year 2022 – 2023. Section 227ZM of the Criminal (Procedure) Scotland Act 1995 places a duty on local authorities to prepare an annual report outlining the operation of Community Payback Orders (CPOs) which requires to be submitted both to Scottish Government and Community Justice Scotland. The report, attached as Appendix 1, provides an overview of service delivery, key issues and outcomes relating to the delivery of Community Payback during this period and information on the impact in respect to individuals who are subject to CPO orders and our local community. Over this reporting period, significant strategic developments took place, namely the Scottish Governments Vision for Justice Published in February 2022 1 month before the reporting period, and a revised National Community Justice Strategy which was published in June 2022. The strategy sets out 4 national aims for community justice, and 13 priority actions. These developments while welcome have had implications for all local authorities in delivering statutory obligations while trying to navigate a post covid landscape. The Strategy acknowledges this impact, and the supporting documents are attached for reference. The work described within the report is part of the core statutory role of justice social work services and as such is not part of a specific Programme of Work. It does, however, support the wider ambitions of the Plan for North Lanarkshire and aids key areas of the council priorities and service delivery. Recommendations It is recommended the Education and Families Committee: (1) Endorse the ongoing approach to service delivery outlined. Item 3 Page 20 of 76
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1. Background 1.1 Community Payback Orders were initially introduced in 2011 and provide an alternative to custody with the intention of ensuring that people who are convicted of offences make restitution to the community and engage in services which support their rehabilitation and social inclusion. 1.2 The attached report provides detailed information about the scale and scope of the activities and development in place for those made subject by the Court to a Community Payback Order. It also outlines the range of opportunities for unpaid work within North Lanarkshire Council. The role of unpaid work is to support reparation, rehabilitation reintegration and restriction. It supports individuals to be held accountable for their actions and engage in activities which benefit the communities who have been impacted by harm. 2. Report 2.1 During the reporting period 2022/2023,127,057 unpaid work hours were imposed by Courts. This constitutes a 64% increase from the previous year. In the previous year 2021/2022, 77,441 hours were imposed. 2.2 Prior to 1st October 2022, individuals were made subject to Court mandated unpaid work requirements were given 12 months to complete these hours. This was implemented by the Scottish Government under the auspices of The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 in a bid to aid Local Authorities manage the unpaid work backlog of hours created by the Covid 19 pandemic. However, as of 1st October 2022 the extended period to completed unpaid work and reverted to 6 months. 2.3 Despite the reduction in timescales during this reporting period, a total of 75,465 unpaid work hours have been completed. 2.4 The work completed has taken the form of workshop, squad, single placement, home working and individual litter picking. The continued adoption of this hybrid operational approach has resulted in a 34% increase in activity from last year’s figure of 53,464 and marks a return to pre pandemic levels of service delivery. 2.5 The following paragraphs provide an overview of some unpaid work activities, more detail on specific activities is provided in the attached report: 2.5.1 The bike recycling workshop refurbishes bikes which are donated by individuals or have been discarded in local recycling centres. The bikes are refurbished to a gold standard and are distributed to local community groups, school, and individuals to maximise health, well-being, and transportation. In September 2022, a new initiative was launched to offer bike maintenance and repair for individuals who cannot afford the financial cost involved. This service has greatly assisted families, young people and children who are unable to afford to the cost of a bike, maintenance, or a repair. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (14) Ensure the highest standards of public protection Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Page 21 of 76
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In total 6,213 hours of unpaid work were completed in this area during 2022/2023. This is a significant increase from the 1,075 hours completed the previous year. 2.5.2 The woodwork workshop teaches word work and joinery skills which enables bespoke items to be created from reclaimed wood pallets which were destined for landfill. Outdoor classrooms, outdoor activity play equipment for schools in the form of trucks, trains, and cars as well as mud kitchens which have aided outdoor play for children within schools. 2.5.3 The activity groups use recycled materials to make draught excluders, rugs for dogs, hand warmers and positive mental health signs which are distributed to the communities. In total 137 rags to rugs were donated to the SSPCA, local foodbanks and the Dogs Trust. The local food banks received 204 draught excluders for distribution. 2.5.4 Squad placements have benefited the local communities by undertaking landscaping and groundwork projects as well as cleaning up areas and constructing small building projects. The yearly replenishment of grit bins and snow clearance are all undertaken. 2.6 Offence Focused Work Interventions and activities are undertaken on an individual and groupwork settings. As part of the Community Payback Order Unpaid work requirement 30% of the hours imposed or a maximum of 30 hours can be completed through ‘Other Activity’. Examples of structured work include managing strong feelings, handling conflict, improving relationships, and tackling impulsive behaviour. In addition to approved risk assessments, the Justice Outcome Star is utilised collaboratively with individuals to identify their priority areas of need and to measure progress and outcomes. More specialised individual and groupwork interventions are targeted at those convicted of sexual offending or intimate partner violence through the provision of MFMF (Moving Forward Making Changes) and UP2U (Creating Health Relationships) though the Supervision, Conduct and Groupwork requirements of a Community Payback Order. 2.7 Continued use of Scottish Government funding has also enabled the service to work in conjunction with third sector organisations to support the ‘other activity element of unpaid work. The commissioned third sector organisations and their interventions are detailed below: 2.7.1 CPO Connect – The Wise Group delivered an online programme on a group basis which provided information and awareness raising on topics such as, emotional regulation, mental health, and wellbeing. 2.7.2 Love Learning – Love Learning provided one to one support to address issues, such as registering with a GP, attending professional appointments, learning basic online skills, literacy and numeracy, and constructive use of time. 2.7.3 Creative Change Collective – The Creative Change Collective used the creative arts to support people to explore and address a variety of current societal issues affecting their lives. Participants devised songs, poems and scripts and performed them live to an audience. 2.8 Ongoing engagement with third sector and creative arts has led to positive feedback from individuals. People have reported an increase in self-esteem and confidence, as well as a reduction in social isolation. Page 22 of 76
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2.9 Ongoing service improvement activity is undertaken to ensure service delivery of community payback is effective in supporting our communities and supporting and reintegrating those who are subject to CPOs. Consultation has taken place with individuals who are subject to a Community Payback Order has helped shape the hybrid service delivery model development for unpaid work and two development workers within Restorative Justice who have lived experience of the justice system, continue to play a key role in the ongoing improvement of service delivery, it’s culture and practice. 2.10 Progress has also been made in the area of community consultation and evaluation of services. A digitised beneficiary questionnaire has been produced. This has increased the availability of customer feedback and provides greater visibility of the benefits of unpaid work within the communities. 2.11 Justice services have continued to promote training and employability and general life skills for individuals subject to Community Payback Orders. Accreditation in first aid, food safety and hygiene certificates have been developed. 2.12 Whilst going forward and building on the success of the bike recycling initiative, Justice Services intends to purchase a bespoke trailer in 2024 to undertake outreach bike repairs in the communities. This will expand the reach of the benefits of the bike recycling initiative. 2.13 Wider service developments including through the North Lanarkshire Community Justice Partnership are also strengthening our approach and placing more emphasis on holistic service provision and community benefits. Examples include: 2.13.1 The establishment of the Pan Lanarkshire Victim Support Partnership - Staff from Victim Support attended an awareness raising session within restorative Justice where information was provided on the range of interventions provided by justice social work across North Lanarkshire. This has resulted in the agreement for a future work plan and will provide a Pan Lanarkshire Victim Strategy alongside the development of learning modules with a specific focus on victim issues. 2.13.2 Improved partnership working between the Justice Team and the local judiciary, including participation in our staff conference and a visit to the Restorative Justice Service. This demonstrates the commitment to continue to strengthen the effective partnership relationships and ensure sentencers are aware of the range of Community Payback options that North Lanarkshire Council provides. 2.13.3 Produce that is grown on our allotments in Wishaw and Coatbridge has been given to people in need across the authority. The provision of fresh fruit and vegetables, although small in scale, is intended to contribute to health, nourishment and well being of people who might not otherwise have access to fresh produce. Management of Risk 2.14 As the report seeks to demonstrate Justice Services working in partnership with others. It continues to be committed to building safer and more inclusive communities. In addition to trying to address the underlying issues that impact offending behaviours and ensure visible and appropriate payback to the community. The approach also involved contributing to victim support and public protection. This requires ongoing adherence to legislative and procedural requirements such as child and adult support and protection, the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) as well as multi Page 23 of 76
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agency risk assessment conferences (MARAC) for those who meet the criteria to be managed under those process. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Reduction in re offending 3.2 Community Benefits from unpaid work 3.3 Individuals are supported to improve life outcomes and reintegrate into the community (change measured through outcome star) 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 The Vision for Justice in Scotland 2022 4.2 Appendix 2 Revised National Strategy Community Justice 2022 4.3 Appendix 3 Revised National Strategy Community Justice Plan Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integration) Page 24 of 76
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? In broad terms the service supports the council in these duties through it’s contribution to public protection and community safety and its impact on the life chance of those within the justice system who are disproportionately impacted by a range of issues including, poverty, mental health and addiction. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? There is no direct impact as the service is fully funded through Scottish Government Grant Funding. This has included additional temporary Scottish Government monies to support system recovery and service delivery following the COVID 19 pandemic. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Page 25 of 76
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Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Elements of the service such as the bike, wood workshops as well as the activity group have a positive impact on the environmental/carbon targets. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? The service supports the overall management of public protection and community safety. Recruitment challenges and an increase in the imposition of Community Payback Orders currently present the most risk around service recovery. These issues remain under review with staff and resources being moved to the most critical area of need. A full implementation of the Home Office Information system (VISOR) is a further challenge, and this is fully referenced in the Corporate Risk Register. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Page 26 of 76
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Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The unpaid work service positively impacts the child’s rights regarding Article 31 development by enhancing the right to play through the donation of the imaginative play items created by the wood workshop and by the donation of bicycles. The offence focused work interventions seek to reduce risk associated with harm which supports the freedom from violence, abuse and neglect of Article 19. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 27 of 76
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref AG Date 27/02/24 Corporate Parenting Strategy: 2023-2026 From Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice, and Integrated Practice) E-mail gordonal@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698-332001 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide an update and seek endorsement of the Corporate Parenting Strategy and Improvement Plan: 2023-2026. The Promise and Me Partnership: Corporate Parenting in North Lanarkshire which has led on the development of this strategy, is the multi-agency corporate parenting group. The governance for the group sits with the Children’s Services Partnership (CSP), as a sub-group of the Improving Children’s Services Group (ICSG). The council has made a strong commitment to the Promise since its publication in 2020 following the Independent Care Review and the significant progress made during the period of our previous corporate parenting strategy has been regularly reported to Committee through the umbrella of the Keeping the Promise – Care strand of the Council’s previous Programme of Work. There is significant overlap and close alignment between the new strategy and our current Children’s Services Plan (CSP) 2023-26, which was endorsed by committee in September 2023 and which in common with our previous CSP 2021-23 is built around the foundations of the Promise including Care. Our continuing commitment is also reflected within the current Resilient People Programme of Work however there remains a statutory duty on corporate parents arising from the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 to publish a corporate parenting strategy/plan and preparation has provided an opportunity for further engagement with our young people on key priorities and improvement planning. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: (1) Consider the contents of this report, and (2) Endorse the Corporate Parenting Strategy and Improvement Plan for 2023-26 The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement (10) Engage with children, young people, parents, carers, and families to help all children and young people reach their full potential Item 4 Page 28 of 76
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1. Background 1.1 The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 defines corporate parenting as "The formal and local partnerships between all services responsible for working together to meet the needs of looked after children, young people and care leavers". • https://www.gov.scot/publications/statutory-guidance-part-9-corporate-parenting- children-young-people-scotland/ 1.2 The 2014 Act introduced new duties and responsibilities for Scottish public bodies defined as corporate parents, effective from April 2015. Statutory guidance on Part 9 (Corporate Parenting) of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 was published to provide corporate parents with information and advice. 1.3 There remains a statutory duty on corporate parents arising from the 2014 Act to publish a corporate parenting plan which details how they will exercise their corporate parenting responsibilities. 1.4 Every corporate parent is expected to fulfil the duties contained in the 2014 Act. These include: • Being alert to matters which adversely affect the wellbeing of care experienced children, young people and care leavers. • Assessing the needs of those children and young people for the services and support they provide. • Promoting the interests of those children and young people. • Seeking to provide opportunities which will promote the wellbeing of care experienced children, young people and care leavers. • Taking action to help children and young people access such opportunities and make use of the services and support provided. 1.5 Going beyond these statutory duties the Promise, published in 2020 following the Independent Care Review set a roadmap to transform care and family support and is clear to Scotland’s care experienced children and young people: that they will grow up loved, safe and respected. The Promise introduced the language of care experience which includes children and young people who are living at home and subject to a Compulsory Supervision Order (the children’s hearing system) as well as those in foster care, kinship care, supported care and care leavers. The Corporate Parenting Strategy and Improvement Plan reflects this continuum of care including extended support to care experienced young people up to the age of 26. 1.6 Aligned to the Promise the North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan and the council’s programme of work, the strategy and improvement plan is the driver to take forward the priorities to support the Council and its Partners with their continued commitment to improving the lives of care experienced children, young people and their parents and carers. Work undertaken under our previous strategy (2019-23x) has been regularly reported to Education, Children and Families Committee as a strand of the council’s previous programme of work Keeping the Promise-Care. 1.7 The improvement plan and strategy builds on previous work . It provides an overview of our care experienced children and young people, and it outlines our commitment to Programme of Work Resilient People Page 29 of 76
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corporate parenting and the vision and values which are underpinned by a complex legislative and policy landscape that includes: • Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 • The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 • UNCRC • Getting it right for every child • The Promise • The Care Leavers Covenant 1.8 The strategy also takes account of local policy including: The Plan for North Lanarkshire, The Programme of Work 2023-28: Resilient People, towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire: The Tackling Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026, The Partnership Agreement (which underpins our work with all children and young people), The Community Mental Health and Supports Framework and the delivery of Whole Family Support. 1.9 The Improvement Plan focusses on key areas which have been identified by children and young people as being important to them: • Voice • Home • Positive Destinations • Health and Well -being. 1.10 Embedded within these priorities is a commitment to supporting care experienced children and young people and care leavers develop and maintain meaningful relationships with those who are important to them, this includes keeping connected to family and significant individuals for those who are care experienced away from home. 1.11 The voice of care experienced children and young people is central to the strategy and improvement plan. Members of Today not Tomorrow (TNT) and the Promise Development Team were involved in updating the strategy, aligning it to the current North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan and the Promise Plan for 2024-2030. 2. Report 2.1 The implementation of the strategy and the delivery of the improvement plan will support North Lanarkshire corporate parents in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities. These responsibilities are significant to improving the life chances and opportunities for our care experienced children and young people. Appendix 1 Corporate Parenting Strategy and Improvement Plan. 2.2 The format for the implementation plan includes actions, identified lead, the task and timescale. The final section is ‘How we will know it has made a difference’ the measurements of success which will be reported into the ICSG on a six-monthly basis. TNT have requested they are provided with regular updates on the progress and impact of the plan. 2.3 Support to parents of care experienced children and to parents who themselves have been care experienced is one of the identified priorities within ‘Home’. This is aligned to the Promise and to our approach for Whole Family Support. The Promise asks that ‘we hold the hands of those caring for care experienced children and young people’ and as well as parents, support to further develop, foster carers and kinship carers as well as our residential practitioners is included in the improvement plan. Page 30 of 76
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2.4 The impact of the delivery of the plan will be captured in data analysis linked to the measurements of success for each of the priorities. Activities will include audit, surveys and focus groups for parents, carers, children, young people and the workforce, self- evaluation and data captured from across the partnership. Oversight of this will sit with the Continuous Improvement and Performance Group which is a partnership sub-group of the ICSG and the Child Protection Committee. A Quality Improvement and Performance Framework (QIF) has been agreed to provide consistency of activity and reporting across the children’s services partnership. 2.5 Supporting care experienced children and young people to reach their Positive Destination is a key element of the improvement plan. The actions whether they relate to further education, employment, or support to enable older children to take advantage of opportunities which will lead them to more positive outcomes into adult hood, takes account of support being offered when it is needed up to the age of 26. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The council fulfils its corporate parenting responsibilities. 3.2 The lives of care experienced children, young people and their families are improved by the implementation of the strategy and the delivery of the improvement plan. 3.3 There is evidence which supports how the strategy and improvement plan is progressing and impacting in areas identified as priorities. 3.4 Corporate parents across the council and its partners are aware of their responsibilities and are accountable for these through the delivery of the strategy and monitoring of the progress of the improvement plan.. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 – Corporate Parenting Strategy and Improvement Plan Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integration) Page 31 of 76
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? There are no new legal considerations however Corporate Parenting is a statutory responsibility for the Council and its partners. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 32 of 76
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If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The implementation of the strategy and improvement plan includes a Communication Strategy for the Council and its partners. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The detail in this report will have an impact on care experienced children and young people. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 33 of 76
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Corporate parenting strategy The Promise and Me Partnership – Corporate parenting In North Lanarkshire Families and Professionals Together 2023-2026 Page 34 of 76
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Our children, our promise We promise the following to all children and young people who are or who have been care experienced in North Lanarkshire • Voice - we promise to listen to the voice of children, young people, and their families and to take their views and experiences seriously. • Home - we promise to help children and young people stay with their own families if possible but if this is not possible, to provide good quality, stable care where children and young people feel safe, valued, cared for, and loved by excellent carers and where they can be supported into young adulthood and beyond. • Positive Destinations - we promise to ensure that children and young people are given as much support as they need to do well at school and to move successfully into positive destinations which might be the world of work or further education or other opportunities that are available to ensure successful transition into the adult world. • Health and Wellbeing - we promise to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people by providing them with accessible, timely and effective health interventions and wider support for their wellbeing. • Leisure - we promise to support and encourage children and young people to enjoy as wide a range as possible of leisure, cultural, social and sport activities to enable them to reach their full potential. Page 35 of 76
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Scottish Care Leavers Covenant.Org Introduction Welcome to the North Lanarkshire Corporate Parenting Strategy which outlines our vision and commitment to improving the lives of our care experienced children and young people. This strategy builds on the progress of the 2019- 2023 strategy. It has been co-produced by the North Lanarkshire Promise and Me Partnership and the Today not Tomorrow (TNT) Group. The Promise and Me Partnership leads on corporate parenting and is a task group within the North Lanarkshire children’s services planning structure. TNT is the young people’s group which supports our Champion’s Board. The improvement plan which supports the strategy identifies key priorities and actions and how we intend to deliver these. We want the best for all our children and young people, we want them to thrive and reach their potential in all areas of their lives. As corporate parents we must approach this parenting role with as much passion and commitment as any family would and ensure that our care experienced children and young people have every opportunity to reach their full potential. All organisations and services within North Lanarkshire with corporate parenting responsibilities are essential contributors to ensuring that this strategy is successful and that the outcomes for children who are, or who have been, care experienced are as good as those for all children. In support of this, members of the North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Partnership Board, the strategic planning group for children’s services, previously signed the Promise detailed on page 1, and will recommit to this in June 2023 to mark the launch of our updated strategy and improvement plan. This pledge outlines our commitments in the key areas of home, education and work, health, leisure and most significantly listening and engaging. The views and experiences of our care experienced children and young people will be central to our approach to improving outcomes in line with our broader partnership agreement with children and young people in North Lanarkshire. North Lanarkshire is also a signatory to the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant which provides a benchmark to us as corporate parents, carers, practitioners, managers, and decision makers in fulfilling our duties to improve the life chances of all of our care experienced population. Delivering positive outcomes for our care experienced population is a key priority for the Council and its partners. We must now make sure that this is put into practice and that our commitment to this group of children and young people is delivered through the implementation of this strategy, delivery of The Promise and progressed through our improvement plan. 3 Page 36 of 76
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Our vision Our children and young people will be safe, healthy, nurtured, responsible, respected, achieving and included so that they can realise their potential and grow to be successful, learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens. We want Scotland to be the best place for children and young people to grow up. As corporate parents* we have a central part to play in making sure we achieve the vison for our care experienced children and young people. We are also committed to tackling the stigma some children and young people experience because of their care experience. *Some of our young people have told us they find the language of ‘corporate parenting’ bureaucratic. Whilst this language remains in our strategy and plan as its now widely understood and reflects our legislative responsibilities, we have adopted the subtitle for our strategy of ‘Co-Parenting –The Promise and me. A suggestion which came from our young people, and which reflects the spirit of co-production we hope will be embedded in our approach to delivering a better future for our care experienced children and young people. Our values • Children, young people, and their families are stakeholders and partners in the planning and delivery of children’s services. • Children and young people of all genders, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, economic circumstances, disability, neurodiversity, religion or belief are included in our planning. • We promote and safeguard the rights of children and young people and make sure everybody is aware of these rights and understand what they are, as expressed in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Chil 4 Page 37 of 76
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5 Bigger ‘Picture’ This strategy takes account of the priorities identified for children, young people, and their families in wider planning and improvement programmes which include: • The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an important agreement by countries who have promised to protect children’s rights. The UNCRC explains who children are, all their rights and the responsibilities of governments. All rights are connected, they are equally important, and they cannot be taken away from children. The UNCRC underpins this strategy and the work of all corporate parents in improving outcomes for care experienced and care experienced children and young people. • The Plan for North Lanarkshire sets the vision for North Lanarkshire and is the vehicle for delivering shared priorities and improving outcomes, supporting shared accountability and the delivery of agreed priorities across all partner agencies. This ensures employees and stakeholders work towards a shared ambition and that challenges are addressed through integrated solutions. Contained within the Plan is the key priority to ‘support all children and young people to realise their full potential.’ • Key to delivery of The Plan for North Lanarkshire is the new programme of work 2023-2028. This will have the biggest possible impact where it is most needed while building evidence that projects and activities are having desired effects on the people of north Lanarkshire and their prospects. Resilient people will deliver whole family support locally when families need it and in a way that addresses the impact of poverty and reduces inequality. Whole family support includes all families including care experienced parents, kinship, fostering and care experienced at home. • In support of ambitions contained in The Plan for North Lanarkshire, The North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan 2023-2026, is the local partnership driver for children’s services improvement across North Lanarkshire. This includes improving outcomes for care experienced children and young people as one of its four key priorities. • The Care Leavers Covenant to which North Lanarkshire is a signatory builds on the principles of Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) by taking a holistic, young person-centred approach. It focuses on the long- term wellbeing needs of care leavers; highlighting the need for early intervention and support that is appropriate, proportionate, and timely. • The Promise was made to Scotland’s care experienced population in 2020. This is a ten-year plan for whole systems change in the care system. North Lanarkshire is committed to keeping The Promise and this will underpin the design and delivery of all children’s services in North Lanarkshire. • These National Drivers fully inform multi-agency partnership planning for children, young people, and families, fully aligned to the Promise. The Whole Family Wellbeing Fund and Community Mental Health Supports and Services Framework. These promote a vision for family support and mental health supports and services for children, young people and families that are preventative, community based, needs- led and accessible at the right time. The objective of these is for children and young people in Scotland to “experience care, love and compassion”. National and Local planning is central to driving forward change in line with the corporate parenting strategy and improvement plan. Page 38 of 76
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6 This strategy also takes account of a range of improvement programmes being taken forward by the Children’s Services Partnership including: • Realigning Children’s Services • Scottish Attainment Challenge • Children and Young People’s Improvement Collaborative • National Third Sector GIRFEC Project • Permanence and Care Excellence (PACE) • Transforming Pathways • Better Hearings • Implementation of Contextual Safeguarding Other ‘national drivers’ including legislation, key policies and programmes which have informed our work with children, young people and their families and the development of this strategy include; • ‘Care experienced Children: We Can and Must Do Better’ (2007; 2013) • Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 • Carers (Scotland) Act 2015 • Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 • The Promise • Secure Care Standards • Mental Health strategy for Scotland 2017-2027 • Tackling poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026 • Community Mental Health Supports and Services Framework • Whole Family Wellbeing Fund Page 39 of 76
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7 What does corporate parenting mean? The Children (Scotland) Act, 1995 sets out specific duties for corporate parents to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their care. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 expanded on this, defining agencies with corporate parenting duties and describing corporate parenting as: formal and local partnerships between all services responsible for working together to meet the needs of care experienced children, young people, and care leavers. This means that agencies and services working across North Lanarkshire, including the local authority, NHS Lanarkshire, Police Scotland (Lanarkshire Division), the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) and Community and Voluntary organisations to work together and alongside families and communities to make sure our care experienced children and young people’s experiences are positive, and their life chances are improved. Every corporate parent is expected to fulfil the duties contained in the 2014 Act. These duties include: • Being alert to matters which adversely affect the wellbeing of care experienced children, young people and care leavers; • Assessing the needs of those children and young people for the services and support they provide; • Promoting the interests of those children and young people; • Seeking to provide opportunities which will promote the wellbeing of care experienced children, young people and care leavers; • Taking action to help children and young people access such opportunities and make use of the services and support provided. Collaboration and Co-production with children and young people Some care experienced young people have co-produced this strategy and improvement plan. We have a partnership agreement for working with all children and young people. The agreement which was produced in partnership with North Lanarkshire’s children and young people identifies our values of trust, honesty, and respect. We have agreed to: • Show commitment. • Set realistic goals. • Communicate clearly. • Hold ourselves accountable. • Work as a team (for the purpose of this strategy and plan this is with our care experienced children and care experienced young people) • Agree a shared vision. • Be understanding. • Be prepared to compromise. • Evaluate our work. • Make an effort to spend time getting to know our young people. The agreement underpins this strategy and our work to progress the improvement plan. Page 40 of 76
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8 Who are our care experienced children? Care experienced children are children who may have been or are currently being ‘looked after at home’ - living with their parent(s) or ‘children looked after away from home’ - living with foster carers, in residential children’s houses or with people who are part of their wider family network/ kinship carers. Collectively these groups along with care leavers are often referred to as our care experienced population. The following tables provide an overview of children and young people who are care experienced or in continuing or supported care in North Lanarkshire by placement type and age: Care experienced children and young people (as of 01.04.23) • 506 (i.e., 64%) of all care experienced children, as of the 1st of April 2023, reside in placements out-with the family home, either in foster care, residential care, or kinship care. Care experienced children and young people (as of 01.04.23) Age Total Male Female 0 to 4 171 91 80 5 to 10 243 137 105 11 to 15 315 180 135 16 to 17 64 33 31 TOTAL 793 442 350 * Gender was not identified for one of the children/young person but has been included in the total. Total number of care leavers (18 to 21yrs) in continuing care or supported care (as of 01.04.23) Placement type Total Male Female Supported care 18 6 12 Independent foster placement 2 2 NLC foster placement 14 8 6 Kinship Care 32 20 12 Residential 2 2 Total 68 38 30 In line with the aspirations underlying the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, The Promise and our own commitments there has been a significant growth in the number of care leavers in continuing and supported care placements suggesting those young people to benefit from a higher level of continuing support and relationships and more gradual transitions to independence. Placement type Total % (OF TOTAL) Home Supervision 196 24% Foster Care (including those on permanence orders) 162 20.5% Kinship Care 316 41% Residential Care (children’s house/residential schools) 42 5% Secure Accommodation 3 0.5% Continuing care 74 9% TOTAL 793 100% Page 41 of 76
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Our priorities for care experienced children and young people and care leavers our improvement plan Our improvement plan focusses on key areas which have been identified by children and young people as being important to them: • Voice, • Home, • Positive Destinations, • Health and Well-being • Leisure Embedded within these is also a commitment to supporting care experienced children, young people and care leavers develop and maintain meaningful relationships with those who are important to them. Under Section 59 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, corporate parents must prepare, publish, and review a Corporate Parenting Plan, we are calling this our improvement plan which is high level and aspirational because the focus is on improving the lives of our care experienced population. We have set out high level priorities for the period 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2026 and identified the actions we will undertake to achieve these and the measures we will use to make sure they have made a difference to children and young people’s lives. The improvement plan will be reviewed on a six-monthly basis and updated annually. The responsibility for making sure that there is progress lies with the Children’s Services Partnership Board and it’s ‘working arm’ the Improving Children’s Services Group (ICSG) who will receive six monthly reports. The Today not Tomorrow (TNT) Group will also receive six monthly progress reports. 9 Page 42 of 76
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Action: Voice: We will listen to your views about what is important to you and make sure you are involved in decisions that affect your life What actions will we take Who is the lead Our task Our timescale How will we know this has made a difference Support Today Not Tomorrow (TNT) to further develop both the TNT group and the Champions’ Board TNT, Who Cares Manager, EFM Corporate parenting (Social Work) Produce and implement annual development plan for TNT Create a Champs board action plan April 2023 June 2023 Plans are updated and progressed. Champs board members to continue to advocate change for YP. Engage on a regular basis with corporate parents at both strategic and operational level to make sure they are aware of their corporate parenting responsibilities including the delivery of this improvement plan Promise and Me partnership and TNT Maximise engagement opportunities. Promise Team to complete mapping work around corporate parenting. August 2023 All corporate parents are aware of their responsibilities and that they have progressed actions to deliver this improvement plan. Increase awareness of corporate parenting role. TNT video on corporate parenting produced. Work with TNT to address the stigma which many children and young people experience at times as associated with their care journey. Ensure all corporate parents are aware of the importance of Voice. Promise and Me partnership, Promise Team, TNT, social work, virtual school, Voice task group. Continue to support embedding of promise across NL. Continue to highlight the profile of our care experienced population. September 2023 CECYP have a more positive profile. Partners actively collaborate with children, young people, and their families. Reports and case recordings are accessible to young people and easy for them to understand and recognize their journey. Impact of services measured by those who use them. 10 Work with young people and their families in a collaborative approach. Continue Promise Team work on language to ensure recording is strengths based and child centred. Input around Voice to Promise and Me partnership and Champs board. Keep children/young people at centre in service design and delivery. August 2023 Page 43 of 76
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11 Involve children and their families in audit and self- evaluation activity. Creation of young inspectors’ programme in NL. October 2023 Strengthen how we engage with care experienced children and young people throughout their care journey. SW led on behalf of multi- agency partnership. Promise Team Focus groups of YP supported by TNT Work of the Promise Team March 2024 Children and YP are involved in their plans and their views have been taken into account when decisions are being made that affect them. Review the mechanisms and tools used to support children’s views to be heard and recorded. SW led in collaboration with Promise team and focus groups of C&YP Increased use of advocacy and tools to gather views of children and young people. A range of mechanisms are in place for ease of use by C&YP to record their views/opinions about plans and Who Cares? Updated tools and mechanisms in place August 2024 decisions which affect them. Increased participation of young people in meetings. Page 44 of 76
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12 What actions will we take Who is the lead Our task Our timescale How will we know this has made a difference We will review our practice in relation to meetings about children and young people to identify what is working and what needs to change. By listening to children and young people about how we can improve, we will make sure meetings centre on the child/young person, that the language used is clear and jargon free, that we explain clearly why the meeting is taking place, what decisions are being made and why and that timescales are achieved. The Promise and me Partnership AII Corporate Parents with support from Who Cares? AII Corporate Parents with support from Who Cares The Promise development team Review our meeting processes, identify best practice, and agree flexible options to meet the needs of individual. children and their families. Make sure we use plain English in our reports, jargon free and that decisions are clearly explained to children and their families. Encourage children and young people’s participation in meetings. Creation of trauma informed space for meeting with children and young people and their families. January 2024 All meetings involving children and YP have been reviewed. We have identified areas for improvement and with children and YP co-produced an improvement plan with agreement for implementation to improve children’s experience Continue to share information from the Children’s Hearings’ Improvement Plan and ask children for their views on what actions are making it better for them and what other developments are needed SCRA and Multi-agency ‘Better Hearings’ Steering Group Promise Development Team Further develop the Improvement Plan for engagement with children and young people and families Use of local feedback forms. Local training and networking with panel members and reporters. January 2024 onwards Children and Young People’s experience of being involved in children’s hearings has been improved Page 45 of 76
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13 Action: Home: Your corporate parents will work together to make sure that we find the best place for you to live, giving you what you need to be safe and cared for and whenever possible keeping you in your community and in touch with people who are important to you What actions will we take Who is the lead Our task Our timescale How will we know this has made a difference Support parents to care for their children and work in partnership with them to help improve outcomes for the family. We will link this with the GIRFEC refresh, the review of our corporate parenting strategy, empowering clusters, and our whole family support. Family support task group Whole family support lead Using the Empowering Clusters Approach and the GIRFEC pathway provide the right support to children and their families when they need it including before a care experience becomes necessary and after any period of experiencing care. We have worked in partnership with parents to identify improved outcomes which are achievable and realistic and there is evidence that these have been achieved and have made a difference to the lives of families. Refresh our GIRFEC Strategy and processes March 2023 Strategy Complete Implement and pilot new models of whole family support April 2024 onwards Consider how we use the approach of Self-Directed Support (SDS) to provide more tailored supports and improve the lives of a wider group of children including those experiencing care at home. Social Work in collaboration with care experienced population and when appropriate their families and other corporate parents Agree and implement practice changes to SDS Raise awareness of SDS process across the partnership. January 2024 SDS is implemented as an approach with a wider group of children and families and there is evidence that this has supported improved outcomes. Ensure carers supported appropriately and are offered carers assessment/budget. Page 46 of 76
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14 We will do all we can to keep children and their brothers and sisters living together and if this is not possible ensure that we have a plan for regular family time which can be direct or indirect, in line with the needs of all the children/young people involved. We will ensure that our children and young people are supported to maintain those relationships which are important to them. Promise and Me partnership in collaboration with children/young people supported by Who Cares Promise development team. All corporate parents Implement new Care Experienced Procedures Raise awareness amongst staff and implement mechanisms to monitor the quality of plans in relation to brothers and sisters and family time. More robust scrutiny of plans to separate brothers and sisters. Individual plans for children will take account of relationships with brothers and sisters and family time arrangements when children are separated. February 2023 June 2023 Children and young people remain living with their brothers and sisters when a child/sibling group is experiencing care away from home. If not possible for brothers and sisters to live together then there will be every effort made to sustain positive relationships through regular family time. Children and young people maintain relationships with those people who they deem as being important to them. Page 47 of 76
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15 Mo What actions will we take Who is the lead Our task Our timescale How will we know this has made a difference For children care experienced away from home, we will do all we can to minimise disruption in placements, so reducing the number of care placements they experience. Using the information from the current review of disrupted placements, we will look at what supports are provided to carers including those from the third sector and review what works and what we need to do better. SW Children’s Carers’ Team in collaboration with Education and Families Subgroup, to lead a multi- agency approach and report to Promise and me partnership. Disruption meetings to be centrally managed to ensure learning is shared and acted upon. April 2023 There is a reduction in the number of disrupted placements. If/when a disruption happens, we have strengthened how we take forward improvements and there is evidence that this is informing our practice. Further evaluation of disruptions to take place. April – June 2023 Evaluation report will identify and agree next steps August 2024 (Report) We will utilize findings from recent audits to ensure we design services that will provide support to children and young people to stay at home. Family support task group, family support lead. Establish community hub model as the place-based point of delivery for the Empowering Clusters Model and the GIRFEC pathway to ensure families get the level of support they need, in their own community, when they need it, for as long as they need it. August 2023 onwards LMore children, young people and families receiving support via universal services within their community. Reduced numbers of care experienced children and young people looked after away from home, Young people leaving care will have appropriate choices for where they want to live and in accommodation that best meets their needs NLC Housing in their role as Corporate Parents Care experienced young people’s operational group Youth Housing Champions Develop a package of accommodation choices. Ensure Housing aware of care experienced young people at earliest opportunity Continue to improve housing advice and assistance via the Youth Housing Champions March 2023 Ongoing Care Leavers are living in accommodation that best meets their needs. Page 48 of 76
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16 We will ensure children and young people are supported to make and keep relationships that are important and not harmful to them All Corporate Parents Work with all agencies to raise awareness and improve support in this area, April 2024 Children and young people’s plans evidence we are supporting them to maintain relationships. Care experienced young people are supported to understand their care journey in an appropriate way. All Corporate Parents Promise Team SW record keeping group Improved recording practice across all partners March 2024 Young people will have access to their records which are written in a way which is child centred and relates to their own narrative. Page 49 of 76
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17 Action: Positive Destinations: We will support you to make the most of learning opportunities in education, school, college, university. We will help you to find work experience and employment opportunities and make sure you are supported into adulthood, supporting you to meet your goals and achieve your aspirations. What actions will we take Who is the lead Our task Our timescale How will we know this has made a difference We will ensure children and young people who need additional support receive this, including bespoke packages which help them achieve their potential. Virtual School Lead and support team Head teachers Cluster Improvement and Inclusion Leads Education and Families - Inclusion team Support development of Roots programme. Ongoing Attainment outcomes are improved, and children benefit from the additional resources and supports available to meet their needs. Increased uptake of Future Friday programmes Ongoing development of Pathways Programme Future Fridays Ongoing Curriculum Pathways Team Developing the young workforce delivery plan More young people sustain training and employment post school. Virtual School Model to continue to provide intensive level support. Ongoing We will ensure care experienced children have an educational placement to meet their needs and that supports are available to maintain the placement. Care experienced young people will have information about the choices available at the time of transitions including from school into work and be offered support to take up and sustain opportunities for employment and training. Education and Families Headteachers CIILs Inclusion Team We Aspire College Virtual School Educational Psychology Service Reduce and remove school exclusions for our care experienced population. Ongoing Care experienced children have an educational placement and support package to meet their needs. Exclusions of care experienced children and young people are significantly reduced, and they and their families/carers are more engaged with education. Ongoing support for planning for additional support needs through the needs Based Pathway Review Process. Ongoing Use the Empowering Clusters model and GIRFEC pathway to support engagement in the educational placement that care Page 50 of 76
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18 experienced children are using. Care experienced young people will have information about the choices available at the time of transitions including from school into work and be offered support to take up and sustain opportunities for employment and training. Partners will maximise opportunities for care experienced young people to secure employment. Roots Steering Group Review and Update information annually August 2023- March 2025 Care experienced young people will Further development of Roots programme. NHSL /Who cares? NHSL Next Scotland/Promise team Generation Employment Event April 2023-March 2025 September 2023. have improved information about what is available to them at times of transitions. Increase in sustained positive destinations. Enhanced employability options for care experienced young people. Page 51 of 76
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19 Action: Health and Wellbeing: We will look after your wellbeing to make sure that you are healthy and active, we will do this in partnership with you What actions will we take Who is the lead Our task Our timescale How will we know this has made a difference We will make sure that the health needs of children and young people are assessed and actioned, when they first become care experienced and for as long as they are care experienced. We will measure improvement in health outcomes and monitor this through Health Needs Assessment review/follow up of assessment NHSL/HSCP and NLC Education and Families Increase the numbers of timely and high-quality health needs assessments, make sure health needs are met Throughout the timescale of this plan Increased numbers of Health needs assessments complete. Children and young people have improved outcomes by having their health needs met. We will make sure that within 4 weeks of becoming care experienced children have a full health needs assessment including their emotional wellbeing and that interventions are actioned. We will continue to monitor and review the process for health needs assessment and make sure the quality of assessments are of a high standard and that interventions taken forward without delay NHSL and NLC Education and Families Health needs assessments are completed within 4 weeks of children and young people becoming care experienced and action taken to meet identified health needs. Children’s and young people’s health needs will be reviewed within the care experienced reviewing framework. 2023 - 2027 Outcomes are improved for children and young people whose health needs have been identified and interventions progressed while recognising that it may not always be possible to meet timescales if we work in a relationship- based approach. Monitor the percentage of care experienced children/young people referred onto additional services following Health Needs Assessment Listening to care experienced young people, we have identified that we need to improve how we support their mental health, we must agree a strategy and improvement plan in this area of work ICSG Mental Health Wellbeing and Resilience Task Group in collaboration with Education & Families National Improvement Framework (NIF) Task Group Continued development of mental health supports available as early intervention approaches including: - School Based Counselling - KOOTH - DBI -LIAM March 2023 Evidence of improvement in outcomes for children and young people who need support for their mental health Page 52 of 76
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20 Following consultation May 2023 Uptake of services by young people with young people we have identified the need for specific counselling for care experienced children and young people. This now needs to be implemented. Promote use of the Kooth March 2023 onwards App for children and young people Page 53 of 76
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21 What actions will we take Who is the lead Our task Our timescale How will we know this has made a difference We will make sure that children and young people and parents can access affordable leisure activities and provided necessary supports to do this, review our current mechanisms and availability of activities The promise and me partnership in collaboration with the promise team, NL Leisure and Community and Voluntary sector partners. Continued provision of passes for NL leisure for care experienced young people. March 2023 Children, young people, and parents have improved wellbeing through participation in leisure activities including sport, art, and drama. Figures to be attained from cultureNL and VANL. We will make sure that there is a range of opportunities available to encourage children and young people to be active The promise and me partnership in collaboration with the promise team, NL Leisure and Community and Voluntary sector partners. Access to leisure activities during school holidays via Virtual School and Club 365 March 2023 There is a range of opportunities available to children and young people and evidence that they are improving outcomes for them. Figures to be attained from cultureNL and VANL. Page 54 of 76
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NHNORTH LANARKSHIRE \i...,,.v, ...... 1 ··f·ih··t New College [1, COUNCIL f } ♦ .'/i'l/!1W1. Keepmg people safe Lanarkshire Lanarkshire f. SPCOIOLETALSANALDBA 22 Page 55 of 76
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref: GMcL / TO’H Date 27/02/24 Revenue Budget Monitoring Report From Gerard McLaughlin – Chief Officer (Education – North) E-mail McLaughlinG@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07793 599 269 Executive Summary This report provides a summary of the financial performance of the Education, Children and Families Service for the period 1 April 2023 to 5 January 2024 (Period 10). The report highlights the projected outturn position as at 31 March 2024, including explanations of major variances in accordance with North Lanarkshire Council’s approved Financial Regulations. The Education, Children and Families Service has a net revenue budget of £508.418m for the 2023/24 financial year. Incorporated within the revenue budget are approved savings totalling £1.226m. It is anticipated that £1.226m (100%) of these savings will be realised during the current financial year. The Service is forecasting a balanced budget position for the current financial year. Recommendations It is recommended that the Education, Children and Families Committee: 1) Review the financial position of the Education, Children and Families Service revenue budget. 2) Review the contents of the report. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (25) Ensure intelligent use of data and information to support fully evidence based decision making and future planning Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 5 Page 56 of 76
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1. Background 1.1. North Lanarkshire Council’s approved Financial Regulations require Deputy Chief Executives and Chief Officers to remain within their approved budgetary provision, and to report all significant deviations - defined as the higher of £100,000 or 5% - within their budget monitoring reports. Where significant deviations are identified, officers must provide explanatory commentary, outline the action required to rectify such deviations and where relevant, must also highlight the impact this has on other budget headings. 2. Report 2.1. Summary of Financial Position 2.1.1. At the Council meeting on 23 February 2023, North Lanarkshire Council approved its General Fund Revenue Budget of £978.624m for the 2023/24 Financial Year, of which, £503.341m (51.4%) represented the approved net revenue budget for the Education, Children & Families Service. During 2023/24 there has been a net budget increase of £5.077m to £508.418m. These movements include incorporation of 2023/24 redeterminations of £5.077m including Teachers Induction Scheme (TIS), National Recommended Allowance (Kinship), ‘No One Left Behind (NLOB)’, and Summer Activity Funding. 2.1.2. The Service is forecasting a balanced budget position for the financial year. Further analysis of major variances is provided within Section 2.2 of this report. 2.1.3. On 12 September 2023, an initial inspection at Motherwell Concrete Hall and Theatre found that Reinforced Autoclaved Aerate Concrete (RAAC) was present within the roofing structure of this venue. Following this discovery, the venue was closed for operations with immediate effect. The financial consequences of this disruption, from a revenue budget monitoring perspective, have not yet been fully substantiated, however, initial projected impacts have been reflected in the current reported position at Period 10. Future monitoring reports will provide updates on the financial impact of this closure through to the end of the financial year. 2.1.4. The current 2023/24 budget incorporates £1.226m of savings previously approved by the Council on 23 February 2023. Further information regarding the composition and status of approved savings are included within this report at Appendix 5. 2.2. Analysis of Significant Variances 2.2.1. The Service has a total employee budget of £400.838m and currently anticipates a projected underspend of £4.158m. The underspend reflects actual and projected vacancies across the Service, along with the roll out of finalised HQ, cluster and school staffing structures. 2.2.2. Service employee budgets are partly devolved to establishments per the Devolved School Management (DSM) scheme, with the remaining budgets held at HQ level. Under the DSM scheme devolved staffing budgets for teaching and non-teaching posts are delegated to Head Teacher management. Establishments receive budgetary allocations based on agreed formulas and distribution methods. Page 57 of 76
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2.2.3. The Service is anticipating an overspend of £0.689m within Property Costs which reflects ongoing pressures within utilities (£0.772m) partially offset by cumulative minor underspends across the Service (£0.082m). 2.2.4. The Service is anticipating a minor underspend of £0.011m within Supplies and Services. 2.2.5. The Service is anticipating an overspend of £1.048m within Transport & Plant which reflects ongoing costs pressures within ASN transport (£0.816m) and mainstream transport contracts including Gaelic provision (£0.300m) along with minor underspends across the Service (£0.068m). 2.2.6. The Service is anticipating an underspend of £0.441m within Administration Costs due to a number of minor underspends across the Service and curtailment of non-essential expenditure (£0.350m), coupled with reduced in-year costs (£0.091m) following the closure of Motherwell Concert Hall. 2.2.7. The Service is anticipating an underspend of £0.066m within Payments to Other Bodies primarily due to underspends in relation to fostering / adoption fees and allowances (£0.671m) and other minor underspends across the Service (£0.156m) partially offset by overspends for external placements within the ASN sector (£0.626m) and payments aligned to Gaelic provision (£0.100m) as outlined in Appendix 3. 2.2.8. The Service is anticipating an underspend of £0.122m within Transfer Payments following the introduction of new operating models within Children & Families. 2.2.9. The Service is anticipating an underspend of £0.356m within Other Expenditure linked to the roll out of the Music Service in the current academic year (£0.300m) and other minor underspends across the Service (£0.057m). 2.2.10. The Service is anticipating an under-recovery in income of £3.417m. The main reasons are shortfalls in membership fees and site admissions within the Active & Creative Communities estate (£2.068m), projected lost income as a result of the closure of Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre (£0.524m), reduced cross-boundary ASN placements within NLC educational settings (£0.296m), falling income from Leadership Courses (£0.300m) and other income under recoveries across the Service (£0.441m) partly offset by additional funding aligned to NHS vaccination programmes (£0.211m). 2.3. Earmarked Reserves 2.3.1. In finalising North Lanarkshire Council’s annual accounts to 31 March 2023, the Education, Children and Families Service was given approval to earmark £101.760m of resources to fund key projects and initiatives. The largest reserve (£56.684m) was earmarked for existing school building contractual commitments. The school building reserve was transferred to the Finance Service (Treasury & Capital) on 1 April 2023. In addition, £1.518m has been redistributed to the Chief Executives Service in relation to tackling poverty initiatives aligned to the Scottish Welfare Fund. Other specific reserves include Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) carry forwards, Devolved School Management (DSM) carry forwards, resettlement initiatives, and ring-fenced 1140 Hours grant. 2.3.2. The Service anticipates utilising £31.207m of allocated earmarked reserves in the current financial year. This planned phasing assumes £12.351m will be carried forward to future years with a final determination to be confirmed during the finalisation of the Page 58 of 76
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2023/24 year end accounts. Future monitoring reports will continue to provide updates on the use of these reserves during 2023/24, and future financial years as outlined in Appendix 4. 2.4. 2023/24 Budget Savings 2.4.1. The Council previously approved total savings of £7.486m to be applied during the 2023/24 financial year. Incorporating base budget adjustments and Service savings proposals, the initial Education, Children and Families Service savings target for 2023/24 was £1.226m (16%). 2.4.2. The Service uses a variety of information, records, and processes to monitor achievement of its approved budget savings. As at Period 10, it is anticipated that £1.226m (100%) of the approved savings target will be realised in the current financial year as outlined in Appendix 5. 2.5. Management Actions 2.5.1. The Service will continue to review and implement actions, through to financial year end, to minimise and mitigate in-year burdens and cost pressures. These actions include the following: 1) Vacancy management 2) Creating efficiencies through use of grant / external funding 3) Curtailment of non-essential expenditure 4) Application and utilisation of earmarked reserves to offset in-year cost pressures 3. Measures of success 3.1. The service operates within approved budget resources and requirements of the Council’s approved Financial Regulations. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1. Appendix 1: Objective Analysis Appendix 2: Subject Analysis Appendix 3: Payments to Other Bodies Appendix 4: Status of Earmarked Reserves Appendix 5: Savings Gerard McLaughlin Chief Officer (Education – North) Page 59 of 76
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? As stated within the main body of the report. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 60 of 76
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If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? The approach outlined in this report supports the Council’s actions in managing financial sustainability and financial management risks. Financial pressures and risks are reviewed on a regular basis by the Service Management Team (SMT), Business Management Team (BMT), Corporate Management Team (CMT) and Committee. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 61 of 76
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APPENDIX 1 [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] Early Years 34,899,606 34,899,606 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Primary Schools 152,045,935 152,045,935 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Secondary Schools 139,230,338 139,230,338 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Special Schools 22,825,400 22,825,400 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Education Service Delivery 76,686,359 77,150,939 (464,580) ADV (0.6%) 1,028,014 Overspends within transportation costs linked to ASN and Gaelic service delivery; external placements within the ASN sector; cost pressures aligned to utilities within the education estate; partially offset by Divisional vacancies and other various underspends. Children & Families 42,394,915 40,852,032 1,542,883 FAV 3.6% (189,685) Underspends within employee costs due to establishment vacancies; and fostering / adoption fees and allowances Justice Services 92,400 (60,139) 152,539 FAV 165.1% (121,894) Underspend within employee costs aligned to grant synergies Active & Creative Communities 28,502,848 30,389,049 (1,886,201) ADV (6.6%) (814,956) Income under-recovery in membership fees and site admissions partially offset by underspends within employee costs across Leisure and Culture venues along with the net impact of the closure of Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre following the discovery of RAAC Employability 4,944,425 4,411,570 532,855 FAV 10.8% (46,593) Underspends within employee costs due to establishment vacancies Community Learning 4,838,115 4,592,056 246,059 FAV 5.1% 138,626 Underspends within employee costs due to establishment vacancies Tackling Poverty 1,958,037 2,081,592 (123,555) ADV (6.3%) 6,488 Overspends within employee costs and external payments to third parties NET EXPENDITURE 508,418,378 508,418,378 0 0.0% 0 As stated above [4] NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Objective Analysis Period 10 (01 April 2023 - 05 January 2024) Education, Children & Families DIVISION OF SERVICE ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % PERIOD MOVEMENT ANALYSIS Page 62 of 76
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APPENDIX 2 [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] EMPLOYEE COSTS 400,838,400 396,680,100 4,158,300 FAV 1.0% 902,509 Underspend primarily due to phasing of external funding; recruitment reflecting the academic session rather than the financial year; and Service vacancy management PROPERTY COSTS 78,503,121 79,192,971 (689,850) ADV (0.9%) (775,471) Overspends within utilities across the Service partially offset by various minor underspends across service areas SUPPLIES & SERVICES 20,151,200 20,140,391 10,809 FAV 0.1% (936,418) Various minor underspends across service areas TRANSPORT & PLANT 21,581,321 22,628,915 (1,047,594) ADV (4.9%) (22,660) Overspend in relation to ongoing cost pressures linked to ASN and Gaelic service delivery and market increase for aligned transport contracts ADMINISTRATION COSTS 6,196,644 5,755,589 441,055 FAV 7.1% 41,566 Underspend includes projected reduced expenditure as a result of the closure of Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre along with curtailment of non-essential expenditure across the Service PAYMENTS TO OTHER BODIES 44,485,822 44,419,725 66,097 FAV 0.2% (28,386) Underspends within fostering / adoption fees and allowances and other minor underspends partially offset by overspends in relation to external ASN placements and Gaelic provision TRANSFER PAYMENTS 4,351,277 4,229,430 121,847 FAV 2.8% 71,847 Underspend as a result of the introduction of new operating models within Children & Families CAPITAL FINANCING COSTS 45,136,335 45,136,335 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget REVENUE FINANCING COSTS 0 0 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget OTHER EXPENDITURE 37,979,494 37,623,238 356,256 FAV 0.9% 356,256 Underspends within Music provision and various minor underspends across the Service. TOTAL EXPENDITURE 659,223,614 655,806,694 3,416,920 FAV 0.5% (390,757) As stated above INCOME (150,805,236) (147,388,316) (3,416,920) ADV 2.3% 390,757 Under-recovery of income in relation to Active & Creative Communities membership fees and site admissions along with the impact of the closure of Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre following the discovery of RAAC; fewer cross-boundary ASN placements within NLC settings; and various other under-recoveries of income across the Service. NET EXPENDITURE 508,418,378 508,418,378 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget [4] NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Subjective Analysis Period 10 (01 April 2023 - 05 January 2024) Education, Children & Families CATEGORY ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % PERIOD MOVEMENT ANALYSIS Page 63 of 76
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APPENDIX 3 [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] General PTOBs 8,175,816 8,309,552 (133,736) ADV (1.6%) (59,803) Payments in relation to Gaelic provision partially offset by minor compensatory variances across service areas Additional Support Needs 8,495,910 9,122,236 (626,326) ADV (7.4%) 72,864 Net overspend in relation to external ASN placements Early Years 13,667,357 13,667,357 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Voluntary Organisations 1,352,870 1,348,472 4,398 FAV 0.3% (30) Minor underspend Family Placements 12,571,583 11,900,934 670,649 FAV 5.3% (121,976) Underspend in relation to fostering / adoption fees and allowances Children's Services - General 222,286 71,174 151,112 FAV 68.0% 80,559 Minor underspends within sectional payments and assessment and planning TOTAL EXPENDITURE 44,485,822 44,419,725 66,097 FAV 0.2% (28,386) As stated above [4] NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Payments to Other Bodies Period 10 (01 April 2023 - 05 January 2024) Education, Children & Families CATEGORY ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % PERIOD MOVEMENT ANALYSIS Page 64 of 76
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APPENDIX 4 Value % Service Specific Earmarked Reserves: School Carry Forward (DSM) 3,724,000 0 3,724,000 3,724,000 3,724,000 100.0% 3,724,000 Full spend projected Supporting Education Service Delivery (including temp. teacher recruitment) 15,970,000 (1,852,588) 14,117,412 14,092,316 14,117,412 100.0% 14,117,412 Multiple-year EMR approval. Phasing reflective of utilisation of EMR. Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) Carry Forward 3,851,000 0 3,851,000 3,847,960 3,851,000 100.0% 3,851,000 Full spend projected Early Learning & Childcare 7,312,000 (4,212,783) 3,099,217 2,757,559 3,099,217 100.0% 3,099,217 Multiple-year EMR approval. Phasing reflective of utilisation of EMR. Children & Young People Mental Health Wellbeing (CYPMHW) Framework 302,000 0 302,000 302,000 302,000 100.0% 302,000 Full spend projected Shotts Prison SLA 92,000 (92,000) 0 0 0 0.0% 0 Full spend projected Whole Family Wellbeing Fund 2,584,000 (2,000,000) 584,000 359,098 584,000 100.0% 584,000 Multiple-year EMR approval. Phasing reflective of utilisation of EMR. Employability Initiatives 1,191,000 (554,682) 636,318 227,980 636,318 100.0% 636,318 Full spend projected Operating Delivery Model 225,000 0 225,000 121,903 225,000 100.0% 225,000 Full spend projected Developing the Young Workforce 593,000 (129,000) 464,000 37,089 464,000 100.0% 464,000 Multiple-year EMR approval. Phasing reflective of utilisation of EMR. Supporting Children & Families Service Delivery 236,000 0 236,000 163,956 236,000 100.0% 236,000 Full spend projected Scottish Equity Fund (SEF) Carry Forward 695,000 0 695,000 695,000 695,000 100.0% 695,000 Full spend projected Resettlement and Unaccompanied Minors 5,699,000 (3,103,438) 2,595,562 1,182,116 2,595,562 100.0% 2,595,562 Multiple-year resettlement team and aligned service provision. Phasing reflective of utilisation of EMR. CLD and Voluntary Organisations Youth Work Initiatives 301,000 (57,000) 244,000 138,191 244,000 100.0% 244,000 Multiple-year EMR approval. Phasing reflective of utilisation of EMR. Tackling Poverty Initiatives 250,000 (100,000) 150,000 23,445 150,000 100.0% 150,000 Full spend projected Active & Creative Communities (External Grants & Funding) 533,000 (250,000) 283,000 225,000 283,000 100.0% 283,000 Multiple-year EMR approval. Phasing reflective of utilisation of EMR. TOTAL 43,558,000 (12,351,491) 31,206,509 27,897,613 31,206,509 100.0% 0 0 31,206,509 Spend to Date NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Status of Earmarked Reserves Period 10 (01 April 2023 - 05 January 2024) Education, Children & Families FINANCIAL YEAR - 2023/24 DESCRIPTION OF EARMARKED RESOURCE Reserve Allocation Profiled in Future Years Approved Reserve Total Projected Spend Reprofile to Future Years No Longer Required Reserves Required In Year Commentary Regards Usage Page 65 of 76
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APPENDIX 5 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Base Budget Adjustments: Reduction in Non-Staffing Education HQ Budgets 181 181 0 0 Reduction in Children's Services HQ Employee Cost Budgets 69 69 0 0 Total Base Budget Adjustments 250 250 0 0 0 Approved Savings: Secondary Management Structures 176 176 0 0 Review of Devolved School Management (DSM) 800 800 0 0 Total Approved Savings 976 976 0 0 0 TOTAL 1,226 1,226 0 0 0 100.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Delivered Gap Replacement Revised-Gap Period 10 (01 April 2023 - 05 January 2024) Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Savings NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Education, Children & Families DESCRIPTION OF APPROVED SAVING Target Value Value Deliverable Savings Gap APPROVED SAVINGS REPLACEMENT SAVING / FUNDING Reasons for Savings Gap DESCRIPTION Value Revised Savings Gap Commentary Page 66 of 76
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref: AG/AG Date: 27 February 2024 Contract Award for Early Help and Family Support From Alison Gordon, Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integration) E-mail GordonAl@northlan.gov.uk Telephone: 01698 332001 Executive Summary Committee is asked to approve the award of a contract for Early Help and Family Support (the ‘Agreement’) to Barnardo’s. The Agreement is for an initial period of 24 months anticipated to commence on 1 April 2024. The council reserves the right to extend the Agreement for up to a maximum of 12 months. The value of the Agreement is up to four million and eighty thousand Pounds Sterling (£4,080,000) exclusive of VAT. Support to be delivered through this contract will be a key part of our ambitions to deliver accessible and high quality whole family support with an increased focus on early and preventative supports. This in turn is a core strand of the Council’s Resilient People programme of work. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: (1) approves the award of the Agreement to Barnardo’s at a value up to four million and eighty thousand Pounds Sterling (£4,080,000) exclusive of VAT. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition Statement (9) Invest in early interventions, positive transitions, and preventative approaches to improve outcomes for children and young people Programme of Work Resilient People Item 6 Page 67 of 76
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1. Background 1.1. Our approach to continuing to improve family support and specifically proposals for use of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (“WFWF”) were outlined and approved at Education, Children and Families Committee on 12th September 2023. The aim of WFWF is to provide additional resource to Children’s Services Planning Partnerships to support whole system change with the aim of reducing the need for crisis intervention and meeting the ambitions of the Promise to provide flexible family support, enabling more children to remain loved and supported within their own families. 1.2. This report focuses and updates on the plan to use part of WFWF allocation to enhance local early help and flexible and preventative support and to align the provision of family support with the council’s operating model and hub programmes. Plans reported previously to Committee reflected the intention for this strand of support to be delivered through the commissioning of a third-party Contractor extending the reach of supports. This will extend reach and complement supports provided through statutory services to meet the objectives of the North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan, and the Resilient People Programme of Work, which is overseeing the transformation of whole family support across council services. 1.3. The requirements of the tender were developed through engagement with partners within the planning arrangements of the Children’s Services Planning Partnership and a survey conducted with over 2,000 families across North Lanarkshire. 1.4. Co-production and co-design of services is a key requirement of funding, and consultation with partners, communities, and families was undertaken to inform each stage of the design process and will continue into implementation of the service. 1.5. The requirements of the Agreement have never been contracted before by the council therefore historical information, data etc. is not available. 2. Report 2.1. A group of technical and procurement representatives was formed to develop and agree the procurement strategy for the Agreement to enable the council to achieve maximum benefit for the requirements. 2.2. The initial estimated value of the Agreement dictated that the procurement procedure be undertaken in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. An advert for the procurement opportunity was published on the Public Contracts Scotland and the UK Find a Tender (FTS) website. 2.3. The procurement procedure was undertaken in the style of an “Open Procedure” following the Regulations for contracting social and other specific services. Invitation to Tender documentation published by the council received a total interest from 19 companies with the council receiving 3 tender submissions. 2.4. Based on the evaluation criteria and scoring methodology set out in the invitation to tender package within the procurement procedure, an evaluation of tender responses received was completed by the appointed evaluation team. Selection stage responses were assessed first and compliant tenderers that satisfied / declared that they met the published minimum selection stage criteria progressed to the award stage evaluation. Following identification of the recommended tenderer, their selection stage response was assessed in more detail to ensure they satisfied the minimum selection stage criteria applied. Page 68 of 76
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2.5. This recommendation to award the Agreement follows the completion of a procurement procedure where Barnardo’s has been evaluated as demonstrating Best Value for the council. 2.6. Appendix 1 confirms the scoring achieved by each tenderer, further details of the procurement procedure is provided in Appendix 2 and the SME status and location of all tenderers is located within Appendix 3. Financial / Budget Consideration 2.7. The value of the Agreement is up to four million and eighty thousand Pounds Sterling (£4,080,000) exclusive of VAT. 2.8. The costs associated with delivery of the Agreement will be contained within the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund. Price Stability 2.9. Pricing is fixed for the duration of the Agreement. Community Benefits 2.10. The council is committed to maximising the delivery of community benefits. The procurement included a community benefit requirement, this approach is designed to deliver local community benefits where possible. 2.11. Within their tender, Barnardo’s committed to deliver the following community benefits within the Agreement: Community Benefit Type Quantity Committed Educational Visits 6 Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 6 2.12. The community benefits delivered as part of the Agreement do not include the creation of jobs or apprenticeships. Fair Work First 2.13. Within their tender submission, Barnardo’s demonstrated commitment to the Scottish Governments “Fair Work First” initiative, such as rates of pay above national minimum wage, employee benefits, an environment where staff voice is sought, represented and responded to. Barnardo’s are committed to comprehensive staff training, continuous professional development and an environment of empowerment, health and wellbeing. Barnardo’s commit to flexible working, effective work-life balance, are committed to fair work practices and actively promote equality and diversity. Contract Management 2.14. Officers from Education and Families and Quality Assurance will be responsible for managing the Agreement which will be undertaken in accordance with the contract and supplier management conditions applied within the Agreement. Page 69 of 76
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3. Measures of success The Agreement will deliver key outcomes including: • early and accessible help and support for whole families; • access to community based peer mentors and volunteering opportunities; and • sustainable delivery model based on co-production with families and communities. 3.1 Best Value has been considered to be demonstrated by fulfilment of a competitive tender process, considering both price and technical aspects. 4. Supporting documents Appendix 1 Summary of Tender Evaluation Process Appendix 2 Summary of Procurement Process Appendix 3 SME Status and Location of All Tenderers Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice and Integrated Practices) Page 70 of 76
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Whole family support and ambitions to reduce the inequalities caused by socio- economic disadvantage align with the requirements of the Fairer Scotland Duty. Family support is also a key part of promoting good mental health, wellbeing and resilience and is a priority in North Lanarkshire’s Childrens Services Plan 23-26 and is captured within the EQIA for this. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality-and-fairer- scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☒ No ☒ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The Children’s Services Partnership Board has responsibility for the governance of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund and how it is used. As the grant is given to the council for distribution on behalf of the partnership, governance of the procurement process falls within the remit of the Education, Children and Families Committee in line with procurement rules. The council has already received £4,702,000 of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund for years 22/23 and 23/24. Scottish Government is committed to continue the funding up to the end of this parliamentary term. There may be a review of the formula for distributing the funds, but North Lanarkshire’s share should remain broadly similar. The funding is allowed to be carried forward which will allow the service to upscale activities after the initial development phase. In a letter dated 26 April 2023, Scottish Government confirmed that WFWF can be carried over to allow for planning. The Procurement team is providing significant support to the service to help ensure the service commissioned delivers the aims and objectives of Children’s Services Plan and Resilient People Programme of Work. Concurrently there will be an exercise undertaken in the interests of sustainability and future proofing, using Human Economic Cost Modelling to establish current spend on services, how effective services are and measure best impact to inform how we influence and use future funding, both external and within the Council. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 71 of 76
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5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? In accordance with the council’s procedures, the data screening has been completed for which a DPIA will be finalised in full in the progression of contract award and prior to the commencement of the contract. Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e-mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The purpose of whole family support being available within communities is to bring services closer to home. This will undoubtedly have a positive environmental/ carbon impact. Equally, people’s health and wellbeing outcomes will be improved. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Successful delivery of this project will require a significant work by the successful provider to involve children and their families in codesign of services and ensure effective engagement and communication with local community and voluntary sector services, and other partners. A communication and engagement plan will be developed, in partnership with the Contractor, with a key focus on engaging with children, young people, families and wider communities. Communications will promote equality and diversity and avoid digital exclusion. Page 72 of 76
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The Whole Family Support lead within the council is working with partners and the Resilient People Programme of Work to mitigate risks around duplication of effort towards codesign given the level of transformational change underway. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? The main risk identified is that the support and services created through WFWF will not create the necessary transformational change to reduce demand at an intensive level (which would be necessary to allow a reallocation of resource to sustain preventative family in the longer term). If that risk materialised it could result in services ceasing when funding ends without clear pathways for sustainable support. A risk register has developed to address the risk as part of the Resilient People Programme of Work where all risks will be managed. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex-Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This project is not yet subject to a Child Welfare Impact Assessment on its own, Family Support is however covered in the CWIA for Integrated Childrens Services Planning If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☒ No ☐ Page 73 of 76
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Appendix 1 – Summary of Tender Evaluation Process Final Rank Tenderer Name Total Tender Score (%) Recommended for Award (Yes / No) 1 Barnardo’s 85.38 Yes 2 Includem 74.95 No 3 Right There 56.74 No Page 74 of 76
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Appendix 2 – Summary of Procurement Process Response CPT Contract Reference Allocated: NLC-CPT-23-041 Procurement Procedure Utilised: Competitive tender in the style of an “Open Procedure” following the Regulations for contracting social and other specific services Governing Legislation / Regulations: Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 Tender Platform Utilised: PCS-Tender (PCST) Date Contract Notice Published: 26 October 2023 Total Expressions of Interest Received: 19 Tender Return Deadline: 23 November 2023 Number of Tenders Received: 3 Tenders from SME’s: 2 Tenders from Supported Businesses: 0 Number of Non−compliant Tenders: 0 Number of Compliant Tenders: 3 Number of Recommended Tenderers: 1 Basis of Award: Quality: 70% Price: 30% Evaluation Team: Education & Families Staff Multi Agency Partners Parents/Carers Anticipated Start Date of the Agreement: 01 April 2024 Total Agreement Period (Months): 24 months with option to extend by 12 months Awarded Value of the Agreement: Up to £4,080,000 Page 75 of 76
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Appendix 3 – SME Status and location of all Tenderers Name of Tenderer Size of Tendering Organisation (Micro, Small, Medium or Large) Location (Local Authority / Council Area) Does the Tenderer have a base within North Lanarkshire? Barnardo’s Large Ilford, Essex Yes Includem Medium Glasgow & Strathclyde No Right There Medium Glasgow & Strathclyde Yes Page 76 of 76