Appendix 1 - Education and Children's Services Annual Performance Report 2022/23
Perth and Kinross Council · 21 June 2023
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 21 June 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Appendix 1
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2 Contents Page Introduction 3 Service Annual Performance Report 2022/23 Performance Summary • Best Start 4 • Learning and Achievement 6 • Health and Wellbeing 9 • Care and Equity 12 • Safe and Protected 16 Key Performance Indicators 19 Glossary 29
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3 INTRODUCTION This report presents a summary of the work we have undertaken over the past year to ensure better outcomes for our children, young people and their families across Perth and Kinross and contribute to the delivery of the Council’s strategic priorities. It provides a high-level overview of progress made in the last year, reports on progress against all priority actions identified in last year’s report, identifies areas where there has been limited or no progress achieved and reports on performance against identified performance indicators. Improving outcomes for children, young people, families and for people in the justice system remains the core business of Education and Children’s Services (ECS). Improving lives together is what we are about. We aim to ensure that the experiences and support we provide best meet the wellbeing and learning needs of those we seek to serve. Early intervention and prevention, raising attainment for all and closing equality gaps, ensuring equity and enabling inclusion, dictate how we plan for improvement. We remain committed to Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) and are currently planning, with our key partners, our approach to implementing the refreshed GIRFEC Guidance. We want children and young people to be safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included and that they and their families receive the help they need, when they need it. Similarly, we remain committed to community justice and building successful support for people who have committed a crime to help break the cycle of reoffending. We will continue to ensure that our services are responsive to the needs of people and communities. We continue to seek the views of the children and people, their parents and carers and other service users to help shape and inform the services that we deliver. Whilst we do well in many areas, our ambition is always to do better. We are confident in our ability and capacity to continue to improve, driven by a workforce committed to delivering better outcomes and continuous improvement. The outstanding commitment, creativity, perseverance, resilience and service shown by teams across ECS is evident for all to see. I extend my sincere thanks to each and every member of our teams for this. Sheena Devlin Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services)
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4 Best Start Our children will have the best start in life, they will be cared for and supported to learn in nurturing environments. We work alongside families to improve children’s wellbeing and encourage early social and emotional development. In partnership with parents and carers, we support children in their early years to ensure all children and young people are given the best start in life. Performance Summary Apr 2022-Mar 2023 The implementation of 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) has continued to deliver high quality, accessible early learning and childcare for children aged 2-5 through provision provided by 49 Local authority settings, 34 private third sector and not for profit settings and 15 childminders. The Care Inspectorate continued to conduct inspections across the ELC sector; during this session 21 inspections were undertaken with 81% evaluated as Good or better in care, play and learning, 90% in setting, 81% in leadership and 86% in staff team, consistently above national results. Update on Priority Actions 2022-23 Further implementation of Language and Communication support from Speech and Language Therapists within targeted ELC settings. The Communication Champions training programme has been offered to 83 settings with childminders offered a bespoke session. 85% of the Communication Champions who attended/viewed training felt supported and motivated by these colleagues. Children are experiencing higher quality interactions and richer literacy environments. Activities including quality planned storytelling and both planned and spontaneous singing are of a high quality. Evidence to date is indicating that children are more motivated and engaged, increasing their vocabulary and have more focussed attention. Continue to implement the use of the new electronic system to track and monitor children’s progress in ELC settings. All 49 local authority settings and almost all funded provider settings have embedded the use of the electronic system to track and monitor children’s progress. Most settings reported that having regular access to the tracker is improving professional judgement and allowing for meaningful assessment. This supports the identification of gaps in learning to determine appropriate interventions and plan for children’s progress. Following the success of the tracker, a trial for 2-year-olds is to be implemented during 2023-24. Ensure all unborn babies at risk of becoming looked after are the subject of the Family Group Decision-Making process to increase perinatal support for mothers and their family. Through Family Group Decision Making, 14 families have been supported to identify their extended network of family and friends, bringing those people together to make a family plan which documents what that extended network can do to support the family. These plans aim to address the concerns outlined by social
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5 work and other professionals. Empowering families to make their own decisions by building on strengths, encouraging wider participation by mobilising resources and alliances to keep children and young people within their family and community. The family plan is agreed between the family and the professionals then reviewed after a three-month period to see if it is working in practice. Explore the opportunities to capture the voice of children and young people. (e.g. Talking Mats training). A Speech and Language Therapist provided Talking Mats training to groups of workers across Services for Children, Young People and Families (SCYPF), with a total of 92 workers taking part. All teams have been provided with the Talking Mats 'kit' and many workers are using this approach to engage with children and young people. An evaluation is underway regarding the effectiveness of the training and to assess the impact of using Talking Mats as a means of gathering children/young people's views. Engage with families who have substance use issues to develop a family plan which will increase their opportunities to be supported in their own home and community. This work has been undertaken in partnership with Barnardo’s Family Mentoring Project. An evaluation has indicated that families have valued the asset-based approach and that this has enabled them to utilise local supports.
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6 Learning and Achievement Our children, young people and their families will be meaningfully engaged with learning and combined with high quality learning experiences, all children and young people will extend their potential. Through meaningful engagement in learning, high quality learning experiences and skilful staff, all of our children, regardless of their circumstances, will be successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens who contribute to their communities. We have ambitious targets for raising attainment and achievement. Performance Summary Apr 2022 - Mar 2023 There have been improvements in attainment across many areas, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Primary pupils’ achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) levels has improved and are mostly the highest seen in almost all curricular areas and stages over the last 5 years. For secondary pupils in S3, achievement of CfE Levels has improved by 8% on those last recorded in 2019 and is consistently above the national average. Overall leaver’s attainment, as measured by tariff score, has outperformed the virtual comparator for the highest 20% and middle 60%. The lowest attaining 20% of our school leavers remains the area requiring the greatest attention and a continued focus is required to begin to make positive in-roads in this area. The poverty-related attainment gaps show a mixed picture, narrowing for P4 and S3, but some areas widening at P1 and P7, and remaining largely static for school leavers. Update on Priority Actions 2022-23 ELC settings, Primary and Secondary schools will continue implementation of the CIRCLE approach to enhance support for all children and young people, including those with additional support needs An audit of the implementation of CIRCLE in May 2022 confirmed that most schools were implementing it at the universal level in line with expectations. All schools and settings have continued to progress implementation this year, further enhancing support for all children and young people, including those with additional support needs. Parents and carers have had information about this approach shared with them, helping them understand what it is about and the impact it can have. All Secondary Schools will undertake a Validated Self-Evaluation to identify actions to improve achievement and attainment for young people with additional support needs. A two-day validated self-evaluation to identify improvement actions to increase achievement and attainment for young people with additional support needs has taken place in each of our secondary schools this session. Actions have been identified and are being used to inform our improvement planning for session 2023/24. A number of universal themes for improvement have been identified, alongside areas for improvement that are particular to individual schools. Some common themes emerging include: clear and widely understood policies on learning and teaching are supporting
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7 attainment for all; the importance of nurture principles and clear and effective processes to address the range of additional support needs in secondary schools. Implement the recommendations of the PKC BGE Curricular Review and develop PKC Senior Phase curriculum for implementation in session 2022-23. Progress on implementing the recommendations of the PKC Broad General Education Curricular Review and developing a PKC Senior Phase curriculum has been slower than initially envisaged. This is due to delays in recruitment and ongoing national developments. This will be a major focus for development in session 2023/24. Implement the refreshed Scottish Attainment Challenge to meet the needs of our most deprived learners and families. The quality and extent of individual Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) spend has improved, with 90% of the fund spent within planned timescales - a significant increase on previous years. The “Closing the Gap” tool is helping to evidence the impact of the interventions being utilised to improve attainment in schools. Ensure children and young people are better equipped for the world of work through deeper engagement with Career Management Skills and a programme to track and monitor progress in these A supportive framework has been developed to assist schools in engaging with the employability and skills agenda. A particular focus has been on supporting those most at risk in managing the transition from school to the world of work and further learning. We have developed a strategic framework and toolkit to support school senior managers in strategically planning; delivering and evaluating education for employability. A 16-plus framework which is robust and data-focused has been developed with school colleagues; Skills Development Scotland and DYW Tay Cities Board ready for implementation in June 2023. Review the Quality Improvement Framework to include systematic approaches to planning, tracking and measuring improvement outcomes. Education officers and school management teams are trained in the use of Improvement methodology. Two cohorts of schools have undertaken Improving Writing work using Improvement Methodology with early indications of impact on quality of teaching and on individual pupil progress. Almost all senior school leaders have received training in data analysis for improvement. The new framework for planning was implemented in March 2023. Review and update Literacy and Numeracy strategies in line with Raising Attainment Plan The Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been reviewed to create frameworks to raise attainment based on current attainment data. These outline PKC expectations, recommendations, measures and approaches to the delivery of literacy and numeracy from 2-18, they are supported by a professional learning
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8 programme for school staff and will be shared with schools in advance of Session 2023-24. Further develop approaches to learning, teaching and assessment with a focus on inclusive practice and raising attainment. The framework for Learning, Teaching, Moderation and Assessment has been refreshed. It provides teachers with guidance and approaches which ensure effective learning and teaching and sits alongside a professional learning programme for staff. This is designed to improve the quality and consistency of learning and teaching in all schools. It also contains key expectations in assessment and moderation for all schools which will support with improved confidence and accuracy of judgement of pupil attainment and achievement within Curriculum for Excellence. Provide tutoring and mentoring opportunities to care experienced children The Volunteer Tutors Organisation has been commissioned to provide virtual tutoring to 40 Care Experienced children and young people across Perth and Kinross. The approach is relationship- based and aims to improve life chances and outcomes. In the academic year 2021/22, 84 young people were supported by the MCR Pathways (Motivation, Commitment and Resilience) mentoring programme in Perth & Kinross, 40 of these young people have social work involvement and 44 experience continuous instability at home. For the academic year 2022/23 the number engaged is 115 young people, 43 of these young people have social work involvement and 72 experience continuous instability at home. Impact data is available for the 2021/22 cohort and evidence that of the MCR mentored care-experienced young people in the Senior phase, 66.7% (4/6) achieved 3+ qualifications at Level 5+; compared with 43.5% of care-experienced young people nationally and 31.2% of those in the local authority. Post-school destination levels are also positive with 85.7% (6/7) of the mentored of care- experienced young people engaged in the programme, leaving school for an MCR positive destination (college, university or employment). This compares with 63.65% (14/22) of care experienced young people in the local authority as a whole and 72.38% (773/1068) nationally.
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9 Health and Wellbeing Our children and young people will be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. Learning in health and wellbeing is designed to ensure that children and young people develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes which they need for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. Performance Summary Apr 2022 - Mar 2023 As ELC settings and schools recovered from the immediate impact of the pandemic, there was a drive to continue work supporting wellbeing. This includes a focus on Nurturing Relationships which led to the recruitment of a further 18 schools to the whole school programme. The programme, based on six national ‘nurture principles’ supports understanding and practice of attachment within relevant child development stages. Building staff capacity has been a priority with all schools supported to lead staff through the ‘Trauma Informed practice-informed' level training for all staff. Staff reported this increased their understanding of practice relevant to their job. The refreshed Exclusion Strategy for Perth and Kinross ELC settings and schools was launched in August 2022. Work has been on-going to review and revise our approaches to tackling bullying. Work took place with Education Scotland to develop a PKC Nurturing Relationships Framework. There remains much to do in this area and this will remain a priority for development in the coming academic year. Update on Priority Actions 2022-23 Work with practitioners to continue to develop quality experiences across ELC setting with a focus on emotional development and regulation The majority of all ELC settings (both local authority and funded providers) have appointed an ELC Wellbeing Champion. A full day training event in February has resulted in staff being able to better support children’s emotional development. Opportunities for collaborative conversations between staff help ensure best practice is shared and supports ongoing work in this area. Continue with phase 2 of the implementation strategy for Nurturing Relationships During this year 8 Primary schools and 2 Secondary schools implemented phase 2 of the Nurturing Relationships programme. Impact has included the development of a nurture garden as a safe space within school, review of a nurturing approach to form classes and a ‘ready to learn’ nurturing space in school. 18 schools were recruited for phase 3. Develop a programme of social and emotional supports and training to ensure sustainable good practice across schools Consultation was carried out with Headteachers around best evidence-based practice for social and emotional learning with work conducted across this session to analyse interventions and address any gaps. As a result, schools were offered new training opportunities in Circle of Friends and Peer Mediation. This will lead to the development of s social and emotional learning programmes in schools and the development of a PKC programme ‘Connected
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10 Circles’. This has been incorporated into the Relationships Framework to guide all related work on relationships and behaviour. Review and develop alternatives to exclusion and increase support to individuals and school communities for young people at risk of exclusion The Exclusion Guidance, Fostering Inclusion; Reducing Exclusion, was revised and launched in August 2022. This has supported schools to have an increased focus on prevention of exclusions, including delivering alternative to exclusion options as a means of supporting children and young people in schools. Review and update the Health and Wellbeing Strategy in line with the Raising Attainment Plan The findings from the Health and Wellbeing Census have been analysed to identify priorities for the revision and update of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy over 2023/24. Priorities emerging from the Census include mental health, substance use, relationships and sexual health, bullying and food poverty. Further analysis is required to develop a fuller understanding of the variations in the data in relation to poverty and gender, this will enable more effective targeting of interventions moving forward. Continue to support schools to further reduce incidents of distressed, challenging, violent or aggressive behaviour A working group, involving ECS and professional association staff, was set up to identify ways to reduce incidents of distressed, challenging, violent or aggressive behaviour, review information from reports by staff and plan improvement actions to support schools in meeting the needs of children and young people who are involved in incidents. Tracking of data in the first six weeks of Term 3, for children who had had three or more incident reports in Term 1 identified that enhanced planning and support for these individual children reduced incidents for 87.5% of children, with 70% of the children having no incidents reported in this period. Develop and deliver a training programme to improve Trauma Informed Practice All Headteachers were asked to lead a programme of training in Trauma Informed Practice. An additional coaching input was offered and taken up by over 30 schools in February 2023. Most participants who returned evaluations reported that the training increased their understanding of trauma informed practice relevant to their job. There were many positive responses in relation to the training with one team saying they would commit “to open communication with other staff members in the individual cases of children who may be affected by trauma experiences. Review our Anti-Bullying Strategy and develop associated training and resources Work has been underway throughout the year to review the Anti- Bullying Strategy. This includes working with an Anti-Bullying specialist who has led a series of workshops with Headteachers, Secondary Depute Headteachers, Parent Council Chairs and children, young people, parents and staff in Primary and Secondary schools. The outcomes of this engagement activity will shape the new strategy.
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11 Provide additional support to pregnant women with perinatal mental health or substance use issues. Mental health support worker now in place with the CIAM team to support pregnant mums pre and post birth. The appointment of a mental health worker in the Change is a Must (CIAM) Team has proved to be an invaluable addition to supporting pregnant women, pregnant people and expectant parents. As the mental health worker is a trained mental health nurse, she is able to provide a clinical perspective and work directly with the adult to improve their mental health and ensure they are receiving the right care. The Team Leader for CIAM continues to be part of the Infant Mental Health group and to liaise with the Infant Mental Health lead in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This continues to focus attention on the links between parental and infant mental health and the need to attend to both in the postnatal period. Unfortunately, the Drug and Alcohol worker role for CIAM has not been consistently available over the last year due to staff sickness and staff shortages. It is important that a Drug and Alcohol worker is allocated this year to work closely with the CIAM team to support expectant parents who are using substances problematically. Continue to support the development of community mental health and emotional wellbeing resources Significant progress has been made developing the Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) for Children and Young People, based on the two key principles of creating or enhancing community-based services and supports which help reduce distress or promote positive mental wellbeing. With over thirty projects in progress or being developed, the programme is varied from online self-help resources such as Togetherall, to in-person support delivered by professionals with relevant training. The programme’s funding has also enabled The Lighthouse for Perth to offer support for the families of young people who are at risk of suicide or self-injury. From July – December 2022, 258 children and young people accessed a support or service funded via the CMHP.
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12 Care and Equity Our children and young people who experience particular inequalities and disadvantage will achieve health, wellbeing and educational outcomes comparable with all other children and young people. We focus resources on groups of children and young people that are more likely to experience inequalities and poor outcomes in health, wellbeing, education and postschool destinations. We are committed to closing the various 'gaps', increasing accessibility and broadening opportunities. Performance Summary Apr 2022 - Mar 2023 We continue to work in partnership to meet the needs of Looked After children, young people and care leavers. The majority of Looked After children and young people remain within the community, with only 7% requiring some sort of residential or secure placements. The social and emotional impact of COVID-19 has had a major impact on risk taking behaviour amongst young people which has required increased use of residential placements. This situation is being monitored closely with emphasis on enabling the young people to return home. We continue to support and promote the use of Kinship placements with family rather than formal fostering arrangements. Stability is also an important aspect of care arrangements, and performance has improved with only 19% of children and young people having more than one placement during the year. Update on Priority Actions 2022-23 Brothers and sisters will live together. Where living with their parents is not possible, children must live with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so It is a priority within Perth and Kinross to place brothers and sisters who require care, together whenever possible. We are working with the CREST team to develop a tool to be used by children and young people to identify their key relationships, and we are also involved in national work to develop an assessment which will help to identify where placing brothers and sisters together is safe and in their best interest. As of March 2023, 46% of brother and sister groups were all placed together, and a further 32% had two or more brothers and sisters in the same placement. There is recognition at a national level that it will not always be possible to place brothers and sisters in the same foster placement when they are from larger families. There is insufficient housing provision to cater for very large families and this has been highlighted in national discussion regarding the implementation of a key element of the Promise. Develop policy to support and value positive relationships between staff and children they have previously supported, ensuring safety of staff, the young person and their family To extend the use of Lifelong Links, a service to seek and promote meaningful connections for children and young people who are in permanent care in a planned and structured manner, the service has moved to deliver a pro-active engagement process, reaching out directly to young people with the aim of ensuring that all care experienced young people are offered the opportunity to engage with the service. 8 young people have completed the process, with
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13 a further 11 currently engaging. 7 young people are waiting for a co-ordinator to be allocated. Work with practitioners to continue to develop quality experiences across ELC setting with a focus on addressing the gender gap Training was developed and delivered to practitioners and early years teachers which raised awareness and developed understanding of the difference in male and female brains, and the impact this can have on learning and development in the early stages. During this training, strategies were shared that take account of gender differences to support children’s learning and development. Further training opportunities will be offered in the new academic session. Further develop learner participation with young people A strategy for learner participation in schools has been developed with school staff and pupils. This will link to the Children’s Services Youth forum strategy and outlines expectations and recommendations for ensuring that pupils make meaningful contributions to the life and work of the school. Continue to improve transitions for children and young people at key points A review of data in respect of children and young people who will move from nursery to primary school, and from primary school to secondary school led to the development of more advanced planning for transition of a school placement. To support children and young people requiring an enhanced transition for August 2023, from Nursery to P1, and P7 to S1, a range of training and guidance has been developed to support staff in the new settings to enable the transitions to be successful. Develop childcare offer for school age children across PKC, learning from Wrap Around Care pilot project and summer of play initiative, aligning with the Scottish Government plans to extend school age childcare for the most vulnerable Kids Clubs supported 43 free childcare places, with lunch and snacks over holiday periods. The Childcare Strategy Team supported 253 children during holiday periods. This included a range of outdoor play opportunities, trips, forest kindergarten workshops, lunch and snacks. The Parenting and Family learning Team support 279 families during the holiday periods. All activities included a range of activities and a free lunch for the family. In addition, 271 families (562 children) received a Christmas food and activity hamper during the Christmas holidays. Further develop support for Gypsy/Traveller play based approaches at home by connecting with wider range of ELC settings 20 STEP Starter Sacks have been given to families across Perth & Kinross. This has helped develop trust and positive relationships between families and staff. 25% of families that received a Starter Sack now attend an evidenced based family learning programme. 90% of families have found the packs helpful in supporting their child’s development through play. We have started discussions with families about supporting delivery of family learning on site.
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14 Strengthen the child’s voice and protect their rights in all our interactions. We will also create new ways for children, young people and families to be involved; provide feedback, design solutions and shape the future of Services for Children, Young People and Families (SCYPF) Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross has been commissioned to provide an ‘opt-out’ service to all children who are looked after and will offer to represent their views in Child/Young Person’s planning processes. For those under 5 years of age the advocacy service will be offered to their parents. Expand our early help and support services for families when required Developed a weekly Multi Agency Screening Group (MASH-UP) in the Child Protection Duty Team to broaden the range of support for families at the lower end of need. This has ensured improved partnership working with third sector services and earlier intervention for families. Develop our GIRFEC approaches to integrated assessment, planning and delivery of support to children and their families Planning to establish a Multi-Agency GIRFEC Group has been undertaken. An action plan is in development for 2023-2024 to ensure that the PKC GIRFEC guidance and training is updated to reflect the refreshed national guidance. An Outreach Team of support teachers will be established to provide targeted support for children with social, emotional, behavioural or communications needs in Primary Schools An Outreach Team of support teachers has been operational since the start of Term 1 in 2022/23 to provide targeted support for children with social, emotional, behavioural or communications needs in Primary Schools. Each school term, teachers deliver an enhanced level of support to between 35 and 40 schools, supporting between 167 and 206 children individually or in groups. They have also supported 5 schools with the implementation of whole school development of universal approaches in line with CIRCLE. Work with schools and partners to further develop curricular programme for Anti-Racist Education An education officer plus a member of teaching staff were part of Education Scotland’s second cohort of the Building Racial Literacy professional learning programme. As a result, an action plan has been created to deliver a programme of anti-racist education across PKC. A growing network of staff are further developing their skills, confidence and resilience engaging in racial dialogue. This is supporting children and young people to engage in anti-racist learning as well as supporting the development of anti-racist resources and shaping our wider curriculum offer. Continue to support the Child Poverty Delivery Plan as part of the Raising Attainment Strategy Education officers and the Attainment Advisor supported settings with effective planning for allocation of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) through guidance, targeted visits and a range of professional
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15 learning opportunities. Evidence of good practice has been gathered and shared through development of case studies. The Closing the Gap Tool has now been rolled out to all settings with 94% of Primary schools and 100% of Secondary schools now using the tool to plan, record and evaluate the impact of their PEF interventions. Cost of the School Day (COSD) guidance and training was delivered through the Equity Network and National COSD toolkit has been highlighted to all schools. A working group and delivery framework for 2023/24 is being developed.
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16 Safe and Protected Our children and young people will be safe and protected from harm at home, school and in the community. Our communities will be safe and we will act to prevent and reduce crime and anti- social behaviour. Our approaches to protecting vulnerable children and young people are integrated and focused on early identification, and immediate and effective intervention to remove and reduce the risk of significant harm. Through our Criminal Justice Social Work Service, we will work with partners to minimise the potential risks posed by the most serious offenders to keep communities safe, help reduce re- offending and support effective interventions for people in the justice system. Performance Summary Apr 2022 - Mar 2023 Protecting children and young people from harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation and keeping them safe, is a core function of our service, and the pressure to deliver high quality services continues to rise, with increasing numbers of children and young people being reported as requiring support. Along with staffing pressures, this has resulted in some delays in meeting timelines for Case Conferences. However, children and young people continue to receive high quality support and care, and increasingly remain on the Child Protection Register for shorter periods, evidence of sustained progress and a greater likelihood that the changes made will lead to positive longer-term outcomes. We continue to monitor the volume of Court reporting work in Criminal Justice Social Work, maintaining appropriate staffing levels through the extension of fixed term posts. The complexity of reporting has increased, along with new reporting for recently introduced Caledonian programme for domestic abuse offences. We are aware that a Court backlog remains and there is uncertainty around the projected volume and how this will be processed. Update on Priority Actions 2022-23 Continue ECS wide suicide prevention and mental health audit and intervention planning A suicide prevention survey was conducted with schools in April and May 2022 and has led to a ‘Mental Health Delivery Group’ being developed to drive improvements actions. As a result, guidance with a risk management framework has been created, a professional learning offer has been devised and two Secondary schools have been working with intensive support in this area. Continue to train staff in Safe and Together which is designed to improve our practice and how we work together with families where there is domestic abuse and concerns about children Multi-agency overview Safe and Together training was delivered to around 130 partners in November 2022 with a wide range of staff in attendance from across the partnership. The final cohort of 40 staff are due to undertake the Core Assessment Module in 2023. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to fill all 40 spaces from social work teams due to staff shortages and the time commitment required so the offer was widened, with spaces offered to School Health Nursing and Health Visiting to increase awareness of the model and
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17 a deeper understanding within their teams. The remaining unallocated places were given to Perthshire Women's Aid, Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre (RASAC) and Education Services, which will improve the quality of multi-agency working. Train all staff to be trauma informed All staff in the Public Protection Team and the majority of prison- based staff have undertaken Enhanced Trauma Training. This training has also been completed by the Complex Needs Co- ordinator. A new Trauma Approach Co-ordinator is now in post within the Health and Social Care Partnership. A new confidential clinical supervision service was made available to staff. Around 15 members of staff in the public protection and business support teams have benefitted, with 6 staff continuing to access this external service on a regular basis. The training was well received by attendees and has also recently been made available to prison-based social work staff. Four members of staff also completed the ‘Safe and Together’ training which is envisaged to help create more opportunities for collaborative working as it is now an integral part of the Violence Against Women Partnership (VAWP) framework supporting families to remain as a unit. Managers intend to continue offering the provision of these training services into next year. Four members of staff participated in a new pilot relevant to male client supervision work (Connecture) and this programme will be evaluated with the aim of being introduced next year. In addition, to deliver this programme and cognisant of costs, over and above the purchase of the license, it may require staff to be trained in the programme delivery which will reduce ongoing costs. Further development work to standardise bail supervision across all Local authorities All Local Authorities continue to be advised on the standardisation of Bail Supervision and a senior PKC staff representative maintains regular contact with a national working group on the completion of the new amalgamated Bail Supervision/Electronic Monitoring assessments. The process is proving to be lengthy and has been subject to change, with the Scottish Government continuing to review this at a national level. Monitor and review the increased use of bail supervision and review the requirement to extend the fixed term post We continue to monitor and review the increased use of Bail Supervision. During the year ended March 2023, 63 Bail Supervision cases commenced at PKC (a significant increase from 16 cases during the prior year). The Scottish Government will be looking to review Electronic Bail Assessments and how funding is to be allocated across Local Authorities. To date, PKC has had 1 imposed and 3 assessments have been carried out. It is anticipated that we may see a further increases in Bail Supervision being given in a Court to reduce levels of those on remand. This is in recognition of the recent consultation exercise in respect of the Bail and Release Bill. Monitor diversion from prosecution referrals and resources; required if significant increases in numbers Volumes of Diversion from Prosecution (DfP) referrals are also being closely monitored and we observed a 40% increase in these (68 referrals in 2021/22, and 95 in 2022/23). There has also been
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18 an increase in the number of complex referrals; sexual offences were 8.5% of total DfP referrals in 2022/23 compared to 1.5% of total referrals in 2021/22, and Schedule One offences went up from 0% to 9.6%. A joint Diversion from Prosecution and Families Outside training session was delivered to Police and Community Justice Social Work staff in January 2023, following the completion of a Diversion from Prosecution Strategic Needs and Strengths Assessment. The training was inter-agency and well received, which resulted in further sessions Redesign of Drug and Alcohol Treatment options being made available to the Courts, in partnership with Drug and Alcohol Services. Redesign Drug and Alcohol Treatment options available to the Court, in partnership with Drug and Alcohol Services A two-year Test of Change commenced in January 2023, whereby two “Specified Workers” were employed by Criminal Justice Social Work (CJSW) and are based within the Integrated Drug & Alcohol Recovery Team (IDART). The workers assess a persons’ suitability for a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Requirement and work directly with those who are subject to such a requirement when it is imposed and will be arranged for 2023-24.
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19 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Best Start – Learning and Families Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 The proportion of children starting P1 who meet all expected development milestones 77% 82% 82% 84% Over 4 out of 5 children completing Early Learning & Childcare and moving into P1 in 2022 met all of their developmental milestones; measures of development covering cognitive, physical, social and emotional skills. There has been a steady increase in the number of children meeting all developmental milestones since the first data collection in 2016, with maintenance over the last year. This information is based on developmental milestone information developed for use in PKC. This is consistent with national data for early child development, which shows an impact from Covid-19 over the last two years, particularly in the 27–30 month assessment. To mitigate against the ongoing impacts of Covid, all settings now have Language and Communication champions trained in approaches to develop children’s vocabulary. New training and resources to support emotional and social development started in February. We continue to support the development of outdoor learning and will introduce an outdoor Nursery site for North Perth in the Summer term. Learning and Achievement – Learning and Families Committee Note that indicators in this section are based on the academic year from August to July and so are only available up to 2021/22. Indicator Performance Target 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2021/22 Percentage of pupils (P1, P4 & P7) achieving expected levels in: Literacy * 74% 78% 77% Numeracy * 72% 76% 75% The Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels for primary aged children has improved by 4 percentage points in both Literacy and Numeracy, with improvements particularly in the P7 cohort. It is now largely the highest seen in almost all curricular areas and stages, and above the average of our comparator authorities (Literacy: 77%, Numeracy: 75%) though it remains just below the national averages (Literacy: 79%, Numeracy: 78%). * Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels was not measured in 2019/20 due to Covid-19
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20 Learning and Achievement – Learning and Families Committee Note that indicators in this section are based on the academic year from August to July and so are only available up to 2021/22. Indicator Performance Target 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2021/22 Percentage gap between pupils (P1, P4 & P7) achieving expected levels between ACORN 1 and ACORN 4/5: Literacy * 19% 20% Annual decrease Numeracy * 19% 20% Annual decrease The poverty-related attainment gaps for Literacy and Numeracy in Broad General Education remain. Whilst children from more disadvantaged backgrounds have performed more strongly than ever, those from less disadvantaged families have improved slightly more, essentially bouncing back more readily after the disruption from COVID-19. However, at P4 there has been improvement (reduction) in the equity gap across all areas. * Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels was not measured in 2019/20 due to Covid-19 School leavers achieving 5 or more Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) subjects: at SCQF level 5 69% 71% 68% 69% (VC) at SCQF level 6 43% 43% 40% 40% (VC) Comparison with recent years results is problematic due to significant changes in assessment during the Covid-19 period. Performance for these breadth and depth measures remains close to our virtual comparator, and in line with the national averages of 68% at level 5 and 39% at level 6. These measures remain a focus of term visits by ECS officers to schools and schools closely monitor the proportion of young people achieving these measures, and act to intervene to support young people, where necessary. Tariff scores: Lowest 20% 154 160 150 162 (VC) Middle 60% 968 1005 941 910 (VC) Highest 20% 1974 2014 2055 1995 (VC) Our middle 60% and highest 20 % of learners (80% of learners in total) are outperforming our virtual comparator. However, the attainment of our lowest 20% is static. Important lessons are being learned as part of the Validated Self-Evaluation process in respect of curriculum and learning and teaching for this cohort. Some of our schools have been successful in delivering skills academies and undertaking outreach work which has widened the curriculum offer and benefited the lowest 20% in particular. This practice is being shared and upscaled across all of our settings. The Virtual Campus offer has also been widened to include qualifications at Level 3 to further widen and support our lowest 20%.
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21 Learning and Achievement – Learning and Families Committee Note that indicators in this section are based on the academic year from August to July and so are only available up to 2021/22. Indicator Performance Target 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2021/22 School leavers achieving Literacy and Numeracy at SCQF Level 4 88% 88% 89% 90% (VC) Our literacy and numeracy levels have improved for school leavers at level 4 as a result of an increased tracking and monitoring focus as well as improved moderation. This enabled improved earlier intervention strategies. In literacy, school leavers’ attainment is slightly below the virtual comparator (the short- term target) and approaching the stretch aim. In numeracy, further improvement is required to meet both of these aspirations. Comparison is difficult because of the alternative approaches in 2020 and 2021. Looked After school leavers achieving Literacy and Numeracy at SCQF Level 4 (3 year rolling average) 61% 45% 50% 71% (VC) Our literacy and numeracy levels have improved and are now comparable to our virtual comparator and national figures after a targeted programme of intervention approaches. Care should be taken when interpreting measures for Looked After Children, as even with a 3-year average these figures are sensitive to the variation present in a small cohort (approximately 20 per year).This cohort of young people will be a focus of specific interventions overseen by the Raising Attainment Board to effect sustained improvement in this measure. % Attendance for Primary School pupils 94% 95% 92% 95.5% % Attendance for Secondary School pupils 90% 91% 88% 91.5% Exclusion incidents per 1,000 Primary pupils 6.7* 6 3 4 Exclusion incidents per 1,000 Secondary pupils 41* 23 35 22 School attendance was impacted by COVID-19 in academic session 2021/2022 across primary and secondary sectors, and this area remains a focus for further, sustained improvement. There continues to be an overall long-term trajectory of reducing exclusion, although more were recorded at Secondary level last year than the previous year, the 2021/22 level was particularly low as a result of Covid. The rate of exclusions from school continues to reduce in primary and has now reached the stretch aim of 3 per 1000. In secondary, the rate dipped significantly in the COVID-19 impacted year of 20/21 but has increased to 35 in 21/22. However, the long-term trend is of reducing exclusion. *Exclusion rates for 2019/20 are a pro-rata estimate based on the shortened academic year due to Covid-19 % of school leavers moving onto positive destinations 94.2% 96.6% 94.9% 98% We are aware of inconsistency across our schools and as a result we have refreshed our 16+ framework which will positively impact our partnership working. We are creating this framework in conjunction with Skill Development Scotland and Youth Services. Additional funding has been allocated through the Strategic Equity Fund to support and ensure consistency in settings through the provision of additional personnel allocated to each school to support those most at risk of not entering a positive destination.
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22 Learning and Achievement – Learning and Families Committee Note that indicators in this section are based on the academic year from August to July and so are only available up to 2021/22. Indicator Performance Target 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2021/22 Participation measure for 16-19 year olds (NOTE: FINANCIAL YEAR, NOT ACADEMIC) 95% 94% 94% 95% This measure reports on participation in education, training or employment for all 16–19-year-olds from across the population rather than focusing specifically on school leavers and is therefore a broader measure of positive outcomes. The measure shows a gradual improvement in the proportion of young people in education, training or employment. We are implementing a much more rigorous 16 plus framework in partnership with Skills Development Scotland to effect further improvement in this measure. Overall results remain higher than the national average (92%). Learning and Achievement – Learning and Families Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 Number of young people achieving awards 324 657 810 600 For the Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme, 1249 participants achieved 426 full awards. (275 bronze, 102 silver and 49 gold) and a further 267 certificates of achievement were gained. (140 bronze, 79 silver and 42 gold). Included in this number are young people who required additional supports to complete their achievements - 214 young people were supported to complete 99 bronze certificates, 43 silver certificates, and 5 gold certificates along with 12 full bronze, 1 full silver and 5 full gold awards. Through our partnership working with our Universal Youthwork providers there also successful achievements of 4 Youth Achievement awards, 63 Dynamic Youth awards, 49 Saltire awards and 1 John Muir Award.
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23 Care and Equity – Learning and Families Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 % Looked After Children with more than 1 placement in the last year (LGBF) 26% 20% 19% (Mar 2023) 20% There were 276 Looked After Children on 31 Mar 2023, of whom 52 had more than one placement in the last year. A significant number of these moves are positive, with children and young people moving to be with their parents, with family members, or to permanent alternative care. % of looked after reviews (accommodated children) which are held within statutory timescales 84% 83% 87% 95% During the 2022/2023 reporting year, 585 looked after children reviews took place. Most reviews took place on time (87%) however, 76 reviews were delayed. Balance of care for looked after children (LGBF) 96% 96% 93% (Mar 2023) 90% Foster Care 39% 37% 36% - Kinship Care 32% 34% 34% - There were 276 Looked After Children on 31 Mar 2023, of whom 257 were in community placements, and 19 were in residential or secure care placements. Proportion of Activity Agreement participants progressing onto positive destinations 85% 82% 82% 88% 33 young people left Activity Agreements during the year, with 27 of them moving on to positive destinations including further education, employment or training. We are just below the target and have had some good outcomes for many young people, however, some young people left due to non- engagement. To improve outcomes, we are going to work more closely with schools through an early intervention model so that young people at risk of not having a positive destination are given the right support at the right time. % of Young People eligible for Aftercare in receipt of Aftercare services 52% 54% 64% 60% As of 31 March 2023, 147 out of 231 young people who were eligible for Aftercare services were receiving services. The national level from 2021/22 was 51%. The remaining 36% (84) are those young people between the ages of 19 and 26 years who are still eligible for aftercare support but have chosen to leave the service and do not have an active worker. % of children/ young people in community placement beyond the age of 16 64% 45% 92% Annual improvement
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24 Care and Equity – Learning and Families Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 26 young people reached the age of 16 in a community placement during the reporting period. 2 of these young people ceased to be looked after, while the remaining 24 remained in care, either as Looked After or in a Continuing Care placement. There are currently 22 young people in Continuing Care. Safe and Protected – Learning and Families Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 % of initial child protection case conferences (ICPCCs) within timescales 78% 75% 64% 92% % of Unborn Baby Initial Case Conferences held within timescales 79% 68% 35% 92% % of child protection review case conferences within agreed timescales 94% 88% 86% 95% During the year, there were 36 ICPCCs for a total of 61 children and young people. The percentage of ICPCCs taking place within timescales has decreased slightly from last year. This is linked to recruitment issues; staff workload and increased complexity of the cases being referred into the Service. Out of a total of 31 Unborn Baby Case Conferences, 11 were completed on time. This is again linked with staff workloads, late notifications of pregnancies and increased referrals into the Change is a Must Team. The team’s case load has doubled over the last 4 years. Out of a total of 111 review case conferences, 95 were completed on time. To alleviate the pressures from an increased number of Initial and Unborn Baby Case Conferences required, Review CPCCs were rescheduled to allow more Initial and Unborn Baby CPCCs to take place, ensuring that immediate risk was addressed. % of children on child protection register over 12 months 21% 8% 4% 13% There were 51 children and young people on the register on 31 March 2023. Of these children and young people, only 2 (4%) have been on the register for over 12 months. Proportion of Young Carers with a completed Young Carers Statement 65% 20% 95% 90% Changes to the referral process now ensure that all Young Carers have a Young Carers Statement (YCS) when they begin receiving support. All 649 young carers registered with Perth & Kinross Association of Voluntary Service (PKAVS) have been offered a YCS, with almost all now having been completed.
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25 Safe and Protected – Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 Percentage of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports (CJSWR) submitted to court on time 98% 96% 95% 99% During 2022-23, 639 of 675 Criminal Justice Social Work reports were submitted to court on time. The target of 99% reports submitted to Court on time has not been met consistently during the year due to many factors including a higher-than-normal demand for reports during periods of high annual leave and vacant posts, and delays in receiving third party information which are out with our control. Delays also arise when clients have shown up late to be interviewed. Whilst this impacts these figures negatively, it is of benefit to the Court and our clients that we still can submit late reports as opposed to nil reports. However, we endeavour to address these issues as far as possible although acknowledge that some may be beyond our influence and control. Unpaid Work hours completed - - 16,701 20,000 This indicator was introduced in 2022/23 to measure the efficiency of the Unpaid Work Team. Hours completed is an indicator of productivity; it reflects directly on the services provided for communities, clients and the court. During 2022-23, 16,701 hours of UPW have been completed, against the annual target of 20,000 hrs. This measure will continue to be closely monitored in the next reporting period against other management performance indicators such as the number of hours imposed, the volume of clients and the backlog of UPW hours to ensure the staffing model remains appropriate. Unpaid Work backlog (hours) - - 8,699 14,000 This indicator was introduced in 2022/23 to measure the performance of the Unpaid Work (UPW) Team in managing the backlog. The data was a national requirement to help Scottish Government understand the impact of COVID-19 on Justice. Local Managers recognise the value of this Indicator in managing their performance. The backlog is effectively a measure of capacity within Unpaid Work. If it gets too big, capacity is likely to overwhelm the Team’s ability to manage it, too small and the Team will not be able to service its workload or plan its business. The target therefore should not be considered exact as it is the centre of a band with a reasonable tolerance on either side. We continue to receive a steady flow of referrals from the court, and the backlog is considered manageable currently by the UPW team. The UPW Team will continue to develop its performance analysis in the next reporting period to ensure it is aligned with the business needs and to support business planning. The backlog is an important indicator of capacity. The ‘target’ of 14,000 remains relevant – If it was reached, the team would cope. However, if it was exceeded significantly and consistently, the business would need to consider increasing its staffing.
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26 Safe and Protected – Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 Percentage of Parole reports submitted on time: HMP Castle Huntly - - 93% 99% HMP Perth - - 88% 99% New indicators introduced in 2022/23 to measure social work performance in the Parole process more clearly. Late report submission can arise for a number of reasons including staff vacancies, sickness absence and increased demand for reports. During the months of August and September the Perth team had high levels of absence and social workers from other parts of the service helpfully stepped in to assist with report writing during those months. The team continues to be affected by staffing issues and are actively recruiting but remains committed to meeting our statutory responsibilities. Performance will continue to be monitored in 2023-24.
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27 Organised to Deliver – Learning and Families Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 Uptake of Free School Meals (FSM) Primary - - 65% Baselining Secondary - - 43% Baselining The number of Primary Pupils entitled to a Free School Meal, including Universal entitlement in P1-P5) was 7,614 and the average annual uptake was 65%. The number of Secondary pupils entitled to a Free School Meal was 870 and the average uptake was 43%. Secondary Free School Meal uptake continues to be lower than anticipated although we see steady increases in meal uptake in all areas. Pupils who are not entitled to FSM also purchase paid meals, with uptake being 28% in Primary and 36% in Secondary. In total, approximately 7,700 meals are provided each day. Action plans are in place to improve all areas of meal uptake. Proportion of pupils successfully accepted into school of choice outside of their catchment area Primary 62% 71% 84% 77% Secondary 65% 85% 94% 87% For families who wished their child to attend outside their catchment area, 269 placing requests were made for P1 places in primary schools, and 97 S1 placing requests were submitted, with 227 (84%) and 91 (94%) of these requests being granted. Overall, 96% of the P1 intake and 94% of the S1 intake were granted a place in their first choice of school. Placing requests are considered and determined based on a number of factors including; capacity within schools, individual class sizes and class structures, intake levels of catchment pupils, staffing allocations and reserved places for catchment pupils. Some or all of these factors vary on an annual basis which directly impacts on the numbers of placing requests which can be granted each year in primary and secondary schools. Proportion of schools with a Condition of Good or Satisfactory 90% 90% - 90% (2021/22) Condition is concerned with the current state of the fabric of the school and with safety and security. Condition has a direct impact on what goes on in the school. Appropriate forward planning and prudent, timely decisions on ongoing maintenance will best enable authorities to sustain the quality and asset value of their school buildings over the long term. Schools in good condition – irrespective of age or design – signal to all users (pupils, teachers, staff and the community) that learning is a valued activity, that the learning environment is a priority and often gives that all important ‘feel-good factor’.
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28 Organised to Deliver – Learning and Families Committee Indicator Performance Target 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2022/23 Proportion of contracts with an annual value in excess of £200k performing at a Satisfactory level or above. 100% 100% 95% 100% A number of providers covered under the Early Years Partner Provider Contracts have under-performed during the reporting period, this has resulted in two providers being placed on Services Improvement Plans, two providers being placed on Support Plans and two providers have had their agreements terminated for poor performance and failing to meet the requirements of their Services Improvement Plans. The School Catering contract did not meet its anticipated budget projections due to increased costs (pay award and inflation levels higher than budgeted) and lower than anticipated uptake post COVID-19. Uptake assumptions have been adjusted for 2023-24 to mitigate this and action plans have been put in place to improve uptake.
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29 GLOSSARY BGE Broad General Education CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services CIAM Change Is A Must (link) CIRCLE Child Inclusion Research into Curriculum Learning Education (link) CJSW Criminal Justice Social Work CLPL Career Long Professional Learning CMHP Community Mental Health Programme CPDT Child Protection Duty Team COSD Cost Of the School Day CREST Connecting Relationships Empowering Supporting Together (link) DfP Diversion from Prosecution ECS Education and Children’s Services ELC Early Learning and Childcare FGDM Family Group Decision Making FSM Free School Meals GIRFEC Getting It Right For Every Child (link) IDART Integrated Drug & Alcohol Recovery Team PKC Perth and Kinross Council QIO Quality Improvement Officer RASAC Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre SCYPF Services for Children, Young People and Families VAWP Violence Against Women Partnership YCS Young Carers Statement