Mid-Year Service Improvement Plan Monitoring Report ECSPB
Renfrewshire Council · 31 October 2024
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 31 October 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Page 1 of 5 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 31 October 2024 __________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services __________________________________________________________________ Heading: 2024/25 Mid-Year Service Improvement Plan Monitoring Report __________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. The Service Improvement Plan for Children’s Services is a three-year plan covering the period 2023-2026. The purpose of the Plan is to identify the priorities being addressed, the key tasks to be implemented, the implementation timetable and our measures of success. 1.2. The Service Improvement Plan is part of a suite of documents which describe the strategic direction for the service and the Council, that also includes the Council Plan, Community Plan, Risk Management Plan, and the Workforce Plan. The service also makes a major contribution to the delivery of the Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership Plan, the Education Improvement Plan, and Renfrewshire’s Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan. 1.3. This update reflects on the first six months of our Service Improvement Plan where data is available; highlighting areas where we are already making progress and some areas we want to focus on more, perhaps because performance is not moving in the direction we anticipated or because of other pressures or factors that makes this even more of a priority for us. __________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1. It is recommended that the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board note: a) the contents of this report; and b) the achievements of Children’s Services during the first six months of 2024/25 which fall within the remit of this Board. __________________________________________________________________
Page 2
Page 2 of 5 3. Background 3.1. Children’s Services are responsible for the delivery of early learning and childcare, universal services such as primary and secondary education, social work services to children and families, justice social work services, and targeted and specialist services for specific identified needs. These include child protection services, the provision of education to children and young people with additional support needs, mental health and addictions services for children and young people, and management and rehabilitation services for people who have committed offences. 3.2. The Service Improvement Plan (SIP) is a comprehensive statement of the outcomes the service aims to achieve, and the actions it will take to achieve these. It fits within the wider planning framework of the Council by taking account of Community Planning themes and Council priorities. The SIP enables elected members to have oversight of developments within the service and to consider and develop policy options which reflect customer need and resource availability. 3.3. The priority actions and performance indicators set out in the attached Mid- Year Service Improvement update details the specific actions the service has achieved and will continue to progress to support the Council’s priorities and help deliver improved outcomes for Renfrewshire’s children, young people, and their families and communities. Progress towards actions and indicators will be reported in the annual outturn report in Spring 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Performance/data indicators on track 4.1. The service has continued to exceed its target for ensuring that our care experienced children and young people are looked after in a community setting, with 91% cared for in this way. There will be occasions where residential house or school can be more suitable for a children and young people based on their particular needs, but the service will always seek to have a child live in a community setting either with their own family or with an alternative family where appropriate. 4.2. Almost one-third (61%) of young people with an open throughcare involvement were participating in employment, training or educational placements, which represents an increase of 20 percentage-points in comparison to the first quarter of 2023/24. The work of the throughcare team was reflected in a recent Care Inspectorate inspection report that noted clear a positive culture of staff spending time exploring and discussing positive outcomes for young people. 4.3. All Stage 1 complaints received by the service in the first quarter of 2024/25 were responded to within timescales agreed with customers. This highlights the continuous efforts of the service to improve performance in this area. The number of complaints received in this period remained relatively low. Complainants are always kept fully informed of timescales and anything that might impact them. ___________________________________________________________________
Page 3
Page 3 of 5 5. Performance/data indicators which have not met target 5.1. The proportion of pupils staying on to S5 and S6 (based on the S4 school roll in previous year’s) has fallen for the second successive year. In 2023/24, 89.5% of the S5 roll remained from the previous year’s S4, while less than two-thirds of the 2021/22 S4 cohort stayed on for their sixth year (62.6%). 5.2. While the number of Renfrewshire school pupils starting a foundation apprenticeship in 2023/24 increased in comparison to the previous year, the figure of 21 pupils remains short of the target set in previous years. This in part is attributed to a richer curriculum offered by our schools which creates additional opportunities for our young people. 5.3. The percentage of pupils satisfied with establishments, for which data comes from their response to the Education Scotland Survey statement “I enjoy learning at my school”, increased by four percentage points in 2023/24. This equated to 82.6% of pupils that responded to the survey, however we remain committed to our target of 100%. 5.4. The proportion of care leavers with open throughcare involvement that have had a period of homelessness in the past six months has remained at 6% in comparison to the previous reporting period. While this figure equates to less than 10 young people, the service still strives for no care experienced young person to have a period of homelessness. ___________________________________________________________________ 6. Key priorities over the next six months 6.1. The service has a number of priorities for the next six months and beyond. Significant detail is described within a range of planning documents including the Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership Plan and the Education Improvement Plan. These include: • Relentless focus on improving attainment for all children and young while narrowing the poverty-related attainment gap. • Improving engagement with children and young people to ensure their voices are heard, their rights are respected, that the principles of UNCRC are embedded in all future policy and planning decision making, and that children are included in relation to decisions which affect them; • Refreshing our local Equally Safe Strategy, and implementing ‘Equally Safe at School’ in line with the Scottish Government’s Equally Safe Delivery Plan; • Developing the whole family wellbeing model through strong partnership working and community engagement; • Progressing work in relation to the School Estate Management Plan and the Learning Estate Strategy; • Supporting children, young people and their families to prepare for the move into adult services and greater independence;
Page 4
Page 4 of 5 • Continuing to support vulnerable young people to achieve and sustain positive pathways after leaving school; • Strengthening our service planning processes to enable children and young people to thrive, learn and achieve; • Developing, designing and implementing an Early Interventions service within justice social work; and • The design and delivery of a comprehensive programme of staff training and development. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of this report 1. Financial None. 2. HR and Organisational Development None. 3. Community/Council Planning We consider our services performance against a number of strategic outcomes to measure how we are delivering better outcomes for our local communities. 4. Legal None. 5. Property/Assets None. 6. Information Technology Service developments relating to information technology are key enablers of service improvement, modernisation, and support service-level and corporate objectives. 7. Equality and Human Rights (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because for example it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health and Safety None. 9. Procurement None.
Page 5
Page 5 of 5 10. Risk Risks related to the delivery and management of services are regularly monitored and included in Renfrewshire Council’s Corporate and Strategic Risk Registers. 11. Privacy Impact Personal information will only be held as required to deliver the service. This will be done in accordance with data protection legislation. 12. Climate Risk Actions and performance indicators aligned to Strategic Priority 4: Green, of Renfrewshire’s Council Plan, highlights activities across the Council to tackle climate change. 13. Children’s Rights Children’s rights and the articles which underpin them have been considered as part of the preparation of this report. The report highlights many of the activities which partners in Renfrewshire undertake to achieve positive outcomes for children and their families through wider child, adult and community protection work. 14. COSLA Policy Position None. List of Background Papers (a) Children's Services 2024-2027 Service Improvement Plan The foregoing background papers will be retained within children’s services for inspection by the public for the prescribed period of four years from the date of the meeting. The contact officer within the service is Yvonne Farquhar, Policy Manager, yvonne.farquhar@renfrewshire.gov.uk __________________________________________________________________ Author: Alasdair Mann, Policy Officer, alasdair.mann@renfrewshire.gov.uk
Page 6
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Children’s Services Service Improvement Plan 2024 -27 Six-monthly progress update October 2024
Page 7
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Welcome to our six-monthly update • This update reflects on the first six months of this Service Improvement Plan, highlighting areas where we are already making progress and some areas we want to focus on more, perhaps because performance isn’t moving in the direction we anticipated or because of other pressures or factors that makes this even more of a priority for us. • The following pages shine a spotlight on some great projects or practice, and highlight areas where we want to improve or develop further. At a service level, there is a stronger focus on the Council Plan Strategic Outcomes that are closely aligned with Children’s Services. Towards the end of this document, you will find a full update against all the actions and performance indicators we use to measure progress. • We report on 34 performance indicators, 20 which are reported annually and 14 reported quarterly. Some annual indicators are based on data that is one-year behind, owing to having no more recent comparable information. This will be updated as comprehensive data becomes available through subsequent data collections.
Page 8
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan Place: As part of the corporate roll- out of Wi-Fi, installation has been successful in all learning establishments in Renfrewshire. Work has commenced in secondary and ASN schools to deliver our ‘Equally Safe’ Strategy. Economy: Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) co-ordinators are in all Secondary and ASN schools, to ensure all young people are supported into a positive destination, with bespoke placements and pathways available where appropriate.. Green: Learning from local authorities to ensure environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, optimising performance and providing remote connectivity in learning establishments.
Page 9
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Fair: Nurturing bright, happy and healthy futures for all Achievements • The social work re-design has progressed with the Initial Response Team close to being operational, and the introduction of the Independent Decision Maker role commencing in September. • The Promise Keeper network has grown across the Council, HSCP and partner organisations. • Targeted support is in place in our learning establishments to improve outcomes for all children and young people whilst narrowing the poverty- related attainment gap. • Ren10 approaches and interventions are supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. • Senior leaders have been identified to coordinate the development of the Learning and Teaching Strategy, to deliver high quality learning, teaching and assessment. 96% of our school leavers are in positive destinations Attainment gap in numeracy decreased between pupils living in the most and least deprived SIMD areas 90% of our care experienced children and young people are looked after in the community Low number of care leavers presenting as homeless in the past 6 months
Page 10
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Living our Values: making a difference together We are focusing on understanding the impact of trauma and reflecting our learning in how we deliver our services, alongside the language we use to help tackle stigma. 85% of Freedom of Information requests were responded to on time 100% Stage 1 complaints resolved within agreed timescales 86% Stage 2 complaints resolved within agreed timescales More opportunities to learn together, share practice and better inform children and young people and their families who need it.
Page 11
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Improving Outcomes for Children and Families Achievements • Having reached the second anniversary of the rollout of The Promise Keeper Network in Renfrewshire, over 100 ‘Promise Keepers’ have been recruited to act as local champions, helping to educate and improve services for care experienced people. • Work is underway to ensure that UNCRC is embedded in all future policy and planning decisions across all Council services. • Through the Children’s Services Partnership, a range of teams across the public and third sector are working together to map out whole family support services that can best support families at the right time. Areas for improvement and development • There has been an increase in the overall poverty-related attainment gap. We will continue to target our work to support all children and young people to achieve the best possible outcome and positive destination. Low number of children moving on and off the Child Protection Register in past 2 years. Across all of our work and all of our efforts, we hope for loving and happy lives for Renfrewshire’s children – working together to get it right for children, families and communities – protecting, learning, achieving and nurturing. Every priority of our Council Plan contributes to improving the lives of Renfrewshire’s children and their families. Social work service redesign is progressing, with ongoing engagement and consultation with stakeholders. We continue to welcome people to Renfrewshire that arrive through government humanitarian schemes.
Page 12
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Action Plan October 2024
Page 13
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Performance Key ACTION STATUS OVERDUE CHECK PROGRESS IN PROGRESS COMPLETED
Page 14
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Place What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Progress development work in relation to the priority schools identified in the School Estate Management Plan - Paisley Grammar School Community Campus 31-Aug-2026 Paisley Grammar School Community Campus construction is on track to be completed by summer 2026. Progress development work in relation to the priority schools identified in the School Estate Management Plan - Thorn Primary School 31-Mar-2026 Thorn Primary School is at the early stages of design, with consultation set to take place with the school community. Undertake an evaluation of the roll out of full Wi-Fi across the school estate 31-Mar-2027 All schools and Early Learning & Child Care (ELCC) establishments have been connected via Comms World. The programme for switch upgrade has been accelerated. On completion of this, the evaluation can begin.
Page 15
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Place What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Implement the priority actions from the National Strategy for Community Justice with our Community Justice partners. 31-Mar-2027 Good progress has been made to enhance early intervention measures and community integration for people eligible for throughcare support. Insight has been gathered to understand the profile of people who currently receive early measures such as diversion from prosecution and those who transition from custody to community. This is being used to identify under-served populations and understand how service demand may change over time in response to national justice population forecasts. Early work has been undertaken with partners to map the services and processes that support the rehabilitation of our justice-experienced population. This includes local provision delivered by our third sector partners. We are working with Community Justice Scotland to promote the Community Interventions and Support Directory, which will improve awareness and confidence in community-based services for people accused or convicted of offences. Refresh Renfrewshire’s Equally Safe Strategy 31-Dec-2024 Work is progressing on updating the strategy in line with the recently published national refresh and Delivery Plan. Continue to implement ‘Equally Safe at School’ policy 31-Mar-2027 Work with secondary schools (including ASN schools) to plan delivery of the actions for schools outlined in the newly published Equally Safe Delivery Plan 2024-2026, is underway. There are currently 3 secondary schools registered with ‘Equally Safe At School’, with learning to be shared. The aim is for all all secondary and ASN schools to be registered with ‘Equally Safe At School’ by Spring 2025.
Page 16
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Economy What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Working in partnership with Skills Development Scotland, West College Scotland, Invest in Renfrewshire and Developing the Young Workforce West, we will ensure planned robust approaches to supporting our most vulnerable learners into positive destinations 31-Mar- 2025 The School Transitions Group continues to meet regularly with a robust focus on supporting vulnerable learners into positive destinations. All secondary schools and our 2 schools for pupils with additional support needs (ASN) have a Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) coordinator. The key priority of these staff is to ensure all young people, particularly the most vulnerable, are provided with opportunities to support them into positive destinations post school including bespoke work placements and alternative pathways as appropriate. Monthly meetings take place to review the progress of these young people and to ensure that the right supports are in place for them. A supportive roadmap has been developed to support strategic planning within and across school teams. The work placement programme continues to provide opportunities for our young people. Employers continue to offer a range of opportunities such as site visits, training and long-term work placements for young people in the senior phase. 'My Futures Pathways' provision now includes an additional class group supporting Flexible Learning Resource (FLR) pupils. A Principal Teacher has been appointed to support partnership working with West College Scotland and to enhance future pathways provision with a particular focus on our care experienced young people. Contribute to the Council’s Workforce Plan and Strategic Recruitment and Talent Management Plan to enable us to meet workforce demands particularly in relation to Teaching and Social Work. 31-Mar- 2027 Robust support continues to be provided to newly qualified teachers (NQT) to support retention and workforce demand.
Page 17
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, families in need of support will be diverted away from social work and offered assessment and time-limited intervention from Barnardo’s. 31-Dec-2024 Barnardo’s Early Help pilot has been rolled out to all four locality teams and will be embedded with the Initial Response Team (IRT) when the Front Door service goes live in November 2024. Implementation of the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy that clearly articulates the vision for planning and delivering high quality learning, teaching and assessment 31-Mar-2027 A working group of senior leaders has been formed and has already met this session. An agreed plan has been made to coordinate the development of the learning and teaching strategy this year. Raise attainment and skills for learning, life, and work to enhance opportunities and choices for all our children and young people 31-Mar-2027 Universal and targeted approaches to professional learning continue to be provided to ensure support to all establishments to improve outcomes for all children and young people whilst narrowing/closing the poverty related attainment gap. Target schools have been identified through scrutiny of intelligence and plans are now in place to provide bespoke support to ten establishments. Establish a dedicated team to support kinship carers in Renfrewshire 31-Dec-2024 The development of this team is in line with the service redesign across Children’s Services Social Work. The team will be formed as a dedicated team to support Kinship Carers in November 2024 with transition of the allocated children to the medium- and long-term teams underway.
Page 18
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Introduce a new role of Independent Decision Maker within the Social Work Service. 30-Sep-2024 The Independent Decision Maker (IDM) function commenced in September 2024 with an initial focus on Child Protection cases and prioritised Looked After Reviews. Three IDMs were recruited with a further two posts advertised by mid-September. Establish a whole service Social Work duty team with responsibility for all new requests for assistance. 31-Oct-2024 The Front Door Initial Response Team (IRT) is due to launch in November 2024. Managers and staff have been identified and Standard Operating Procedures are being finalised. Introduce whole service teams for cases which require medium- and longer-term allocation for Social Work support. 31-Oct-2024 The service redesign is in progress. Staff have been made aware of where they will be located, with the new teams commencing in November 2024.
Page 19
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair What we will do Due Date Status Progress update The Promise Strategic Oversight Board and workstreams will progress and ensure Renfrewshire ‘Keeps the Promise’ and delivers improved outcomes for individuals who are care experienced, wherever possible keeping children within their families (CF) 31-Mar-2025 Renfrewshire’s Childrens Services response to the implementation of The Promise continues to progress against several priority areas identified in the Promise Plan 21-24. This activity is being closely monitored via the Renfrewshire Promise Mapping Tool. Considerable effort has been made to support Promise Scotland’s work around Plan 24-30 and the implications for Renfrewshire’s Promise Plans and direction as we move forward. Closer working relations have been forged with Promise Scotland Representatives around all aspect of The Promise in particular around supporting greater understanding and awareness of Promise Plan 24-30 and around the role the wider corporate parents to Keep The Promise. We will continue to feedback to Promise Scotland on the 24-30 Plan. There are a couple of high profile Keep The Promise Fund Projects entering their second year and both, in Education, are on track and are progressing well. Early Planning and consideration has begun around any potential future funding for Promise related projects and where the focus/priorities should be. Renfrewshire’s Promise Keeper Network continues to grow and there has been a strong communications plan to promote the network across the RCSP and Community Planning Partners and there has been publicity and marketing produced promoting the Promise Keeper Network, the Promise i-learn module and The Promise itself. This work has been very well received with positive engagement feedback. There is strong linkage and alignment with the work on The Promise and the Whole Family Wellbeing programmes with senior officers involved in both oversight/steering groups ensuring the appropriate cross working.
Page 20
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Build local capacity for transformational whole systems change and to scale up and drive the delivery of holistic whole family support services (CF) 31-Mar-2025 The Whole Family Wellbeing Service continues to make significant progress, the restructure of the service is now complete with positive evaluations from key stakeholders. The FORT referral system is now live. The family launch is planned for November 2024. Progress the design and delivery of the Curriculum, Learning, Teaching and Assessment; the Families and Communities; and the Inclusion Portfolios within Children’s Services (CF) 31-Mar-2025 Portfolio plans are in place for this session and have been developed through robust self-evaluation and engagement with key stakeholders. Plans are reflective of service priorities and include our work to support schools in closing the poverty related attainment gap and raising attainment for all, inclusion and supporting whole family wellbeing. Impact will be reported throughout the session. Deliver mental health and wellbeing support, including Ren10 mental health and wellbeing network to support children, young people and their families (CF) 31-Mar-2025 Work is ongoing to merge Ren10 platforms with the FORT system so there is one request for assistance. This work will be prioritised as FORT becomes live. In terms of impact, Ren10 approaches and interventions are supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. We are seeing improvements in health and wellbeing measures following the Health & Wellbeing Census and this is due to the range of support available through Ren10.
Page 21
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Green What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Continue to work with other council services to deliver improvements to the school estate which offer a high degree of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. 31-Mar-2026 This is embedded in all project structures with key officers representing all services and skillsets. Ongoing discussion with EH&I climate team to determine what sustainability standards to implement as a target for schools moving forward. Also learning from other authorities with recent visits to Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire, and Perth upcoming. Scottish Futures Trust also continue to push national aspiration for carbon reduction plans in schools. Delivering the Council Plan – Living our Values What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Engage and participate in Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire programme 31-Mar-2026 Our Promoting Positive Behaviour programme was rewritten to enshrine the Trauma informed principles and included referencing the materials as part of the programme. Our program is delivered annually to all residential and day care staff in child care and the HSCP. The child care virtual reality training programme deals with challenging materials and this has strong links to the national Trauma programme, which is discussed as part of the learning and the debrief sessions. One of the training team is attempting to be trained as a level 2 trainer to enable us to build more of the materials into existing programmes, first attempt unsuccessful but retrying. The newly qualified first year in practice comes into force in October this year and as part of the mandatory learning provided training on the National Framework will be an essential element of the new social workers evidence based learning journey.
Page 22
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Living our Values What we will do Due Date Status Progress update Actively promote health and wellbeing support for staff 31-Mar-2027 A presentation to CMT in July informed of some of the interventions that are in place to support staff wellbeing including, the launch of the updated Violence and Aggression Policy and the processes that are in place to support staff with this, ensuring staff are fully aware of updates to local government attendance management policy and confirming that senior leaders are fully aware of processes for occupational health referrals and the supports that can be accessed by all staff. Place the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the heart of service planning and delivery (UNCRC) 31-Mar-2027 A workshop was delivered to all head teachers in August to ensure full awareness of duties and legal obligations in relation to UNCRC. Through engagement and participation, we will ensure the collective views, needs and aspirations of children, young people and families are met. 31-Mar-2027 Ensuring the views of all children and young people are recognised and recorded continues to be an ongoing part of the delivery of the GIRFEC refresh training. This training continues to support quality planning for single and multi-agency purposes to ensure the needs of children and young people and families are met. In partnership with the HSCP, closely collaborate with young people and their families to ensure a smooth transition to adult services. 31-Mar-2027 Initial meeting has taken place between Adult Services, Renfrewshire Learning Disability Service (RLDS) and Children’s Services and a plan is developing to widen this group to steer this development to include education and health. We will then develop a plan and action to ensure that we closely collaborate with young people and their families to ensure a smooth transition to adult services.
Page 23
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Performance Indicators October 2024
Page 24
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Performance Key PERFORMANCE INDICATOR STATUS BELOW TARGET WARNING (within 10% of Target) ON TARGET NOT COMPARABLE DATA ONLY PERFORMANCE IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN RANGE PERFORMANCE GETTING WORSE
Page 25
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Current Status Short term trend Long term trend Q2 2023/24 Q3 2023/24 Q4 2023/24 Q1 2024/25 Q2 2024/25 Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value Value Target Percentage of Looked After Children cared for in the community 90.8% 90.5% 90.9% 90.2% 90.8% 89.9% The percentage of looked after children in the community has increased by 0.6 percentage points (pp) compared with Q1 of 2024/25, although this has remained between 90% and 91% throughout the past 12 months. The majority of all looked after children continue to live in a community setting either with their own family or with an alternative family. A residential house or school can be more suitable for a small number of children and young people based on their particular needs, but the service will always seek to have a child live in a family setting where appropriate. Please note, this indicator is also reported annually, and the figure is derived from the Local Government Benchmarking Framework indicator CHN9 'Balance of care for 'looked after children': % of children being looked after in the community'. The last data published for this indicator is for 2022/23; the percentage of looked after children living with families in the community in Renfrewshire was 91.7%, greater than the Scotland average of 89.2%. Percentage of accommodated Looked After Children placed with families 89.3% 89.7% 90.3% 89.5% 82.6% 83% The majority of accommodated children live in a family setting and this will continue to be the preferred option; however, between July and September 2024, there has been a drop of almost 7 percentage points (pp) in the proportion of children accommodated in a family setting. There are times when it is more appropriate to support a looked after and accommodated child in a residential house or school, or times when a children’s hearing considers this necessary.
Page 26
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Current Status Short term trend Long term trend Q2 2023/24 Q3 2023/24 Q4 2023/24 Q1 2024/25 Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value Target Percentage of care leavers participating in employment, training or education 54% 54% 56% 61% 55% The proportion of care leavers with open throughcare involvement and in employment, education or training has increased by 5 percentage-points (pp) since the end of the 2023/24 period. The figure of 61% reflects that 87 care leavers with an open throughcare involvement were in employment, education or training at the end of Q1 of 2024/25. This represents an increase of 20pp in employment, education or training in comparison to the same period of time in the previous reporting year. Percentage of care leavers who have had a period of homelessness in the last 6 months 5% 2% 6% 6% 0% The proportion of care leavers with open throughcare involvement that have had a period of homelessness in the past six months has remained at 6%. The figure equates to 8 young people of the 143 care leavers with an open throughcare involvement. This represents double the proportion with a period of homelessness compared to the same period in the previous year - however with the numbers remaining less than 10 this explains the fluctuations in the proportion of care leavers. All individuals were either living with family members/friends or provided with temporary homeless accommodation either in Renfrewshire or in other local authority areas. Throughcare and Housing continue to work together to prevent homelessness and to support young people in sustaining tenancies.
Page 27
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Current Status Short term trend Long term trend Q2 2023/24 Q3 2023/24 Q4 2023/24 Q1 2024/25 Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value Target The percentage of NEW clients subject to a new supervision order seen by a supervising officer within 1 week 61% 76% 65% 56% 85% Of the 87 orders commenced in this period, 50 were seen by a supervising officer within 1 week. Where the justice social worker recommends the court imposes a supervision order the criminal justice social work report details the first contact. Achieving this target is therefore dependent on the compliance of the person made the subject of the order attending as directed. Where the court defers sentence further before imposing the supervision order has a negative impact on performance. The justice team reviews performance regularly to identify issues. We continue to refine the data recording and reporting from the new ECLIPSE case management system, should there be any amendments these will be reported to the Policy Board. % of NEW unpaid work orders/requirement complete by the required date 94% 91% 95% 79% 75% Target has been exceeded, but has fallen considerably in comparison to the previous three reporting periods. There were 24 new unpaid work orders in the first quarter of 2024/25, 19 of which were completed by the required date. Court services recovering and the number of new orders imposed has continued to increase over recent months. The service continues to prioritise workloads and deliver unpaid work activity in accordance with safe working guidelines. We continue to refine the data recording and reporting from the new ECLIPSE case management system, should there be any amendments these will be reported to the Policy Board.
Page 28
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Current Status Short term trend Long term trend Q2 2023/24 Q3 2023/24 Q4 2023/24 Q1 2024/25 Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value Target Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients seen within 1 working day of the order 69% 73% 68% 68% 70% Those made the subject of unpaid work orders should be seen at court on the day of sentence and directed to an appointment with unpaid work staff to allow this target to be achieved. In the first quarter of 2024/25, 67 of the 99 orders were met within one working day, which is just below the 70% target. We continue to refine the data recording and reporting from the new ECLIPSE case management system, should there be any amendments these will be reported to the Policy Board. Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients receiving an induction within 5 working days of the order 68% 72% 64% 67% 75% Performance in Q1 of 2024/25 has remained around the same level with the previous reporting period. There have been efforts to prioritise health and safety inductions to ensure that service users are ready for available work placements. The impact on the timing of a clients' first appointment then impacts on all later timescales. In the first quarter of 2024/25, 66 of the 99 clients with an order received their induction within the five working days target, which falls short of the target of 75%. We continue to refine the data recording and reporting from the new ECLIPSE case management system, should there be any amendments these will be reported to the Policy Board.
Page 29
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Current Status Short term trend Long term trend Q2 2023/24 Q3 2023/24 Q4 2023/24 Q1 2024/25 Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value Target Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients beginning work placement within 7 working days of the order 61% 69% 77% 70% 65% Performance has declined after steady improvement throughout 2023/24, but has met the target in Q1. During this period, 69 clients began their work placement within 7 working days of the order being imposed, out of 99. The demand for weekend work placements remains high, and the service continues to adapt in response to this shift. Staff sickness and vacancies continue to impact workforce capacity and the impact on first appointments, then impacts on all later timescales. We continue to refine the data recording and reporting from the new ECLIPSE case management system, should there be any amendments these will be reported to the Policy Board.
Page 30
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value % of Leavers attaining literacy SCQF Level 4 96.9% 96.1% 95.7% N/A 98% Renfrewshire remains ahead of the national figures and in line with the virtual comparator in this measure. In the 2022/23 leavers cohort 96% of Renfrewshire pupils achieved this literacy at SCQF level 4, compared with 94% nationally and 95% for the virtual comparator. The percentage of leavers in Renfrewshire achieving literacy at SCQF level 4 or above has remained relatively constant over the past 5 years. Targets for this measure were set before the pandemic. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025. % of Leavers attaining numeracy SCQF Level 4 94.5% 93.4% 93.0% N/A 94% Renfrewshire is consistently ahead of national figures over 5 years and remains in line with the virtual comparator. In the 2022/23 leavers cohort 93% of Renfrewshire pupils achieved SCQF level 4 numeracy, compared with 91% nationally and 92% for the virtual comparator. At SCQF level 4, numeracy attainment above national and virtual comparator is a consistent trend over the previous 5 years. Targets for this measure were set before the pandemic. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025.
Page 31
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value % of Leavers attaining literacy SCQF Level 5 90.2% 87.1% 85.3% N/A 88% It is not possible to make a like for like comparison to previous years within this measure due to the cancellation of exam diets in 2020 and 2021. Renfrewshire is consistently in line with the virtual comparator and ahead of national figures in this measure. In the 2022/23 leavers cohort 85% of Renfrewshire pupils achieved this measure, compared with 81% nationally and 85% for the virtual comparator. Targets for this measure were set before the pandemic. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025. % of Leavers attaining numeracy SCQF Level 5 80.1% 76.9% 75.3% N/A 77% It is not possible to make a like for like comparison to previous years within this measure due to the cancellation of exam diets in 2020 and 2021. Renfrewshire remains ahead of the virtual comparator and national figures in this measure. In the 2022/23 leavers cohort 75% of Renfrewshire pupils achieved this measure, compared with 74% nationally and 71% for the virtual comparator. Renfrewshire remains in line with pre-pandemic levels, which is the most credible like for like comparison. Targets for this measure were set before the pandemic. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025.
Page 32
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value Average total tariff score of all school leavers in Renfrewshire 1,115 984 933 N/A 960 It is not possible to make a like for like comparison to previous years within this measure due to the cancellation of exam diets in 2020 and 2021. Renfrewshire’s data follows national trends with an increase during this period which is now returning to post-pandemic levels. Renfrewshire is consistently ahead of the national figure in this measure but remains marginally below the virtual comparator. The latest data is marginally ahead of 2018/19 leavers cohort, which was 923. Targets for this measure were set before the pandemic. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025. Average total tariff score of leavers living in SIMD 30% most deprived areas 826 745 681 N/A 700 It is not possible to make a like for like comparison to previous years within this measure due to the cancellation of exam diets in 2020 and 2021. Renfrewshire’s data follows national trends with an increase during this period which is now returning to post-pandemic levels. Renfrewshire is consistently ahead of the national figure in this measure but remains marginally below the virtual comparator. The latest data is marginally below 2018/19 leavers cohort, which was 674. Targets for this measure were set before the pandemic. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025.
Page 33
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value Percentage gap in average total tariff score of school leavers resident in SIMD 30% most deprived and those from the 70% least SIMD deprived Renfrewshire areas. 34% 32% 36% N/A 28% The size of the gap between pupils living in most and least deprived areas has increased in comparison to 2020/21 and 2021/22, and is in line with the 2018/19 gap. This is because the average total tariff score of leavers from the 30% most deprived SIMD areas increased more than those from the 70% least deprived SIMD areas. Please note - leavers in the 2020, 2021 and 2021 cohorts experienced alternative assessment methods to pre-pandemic cohorts and therefore data should be treated with caution as it is not a direct comparator with previous years. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025. Average Total Tariff Score of Looked After Children (school leavers) 471 328 320 N/A 330 It is not possible to make a like for like comparison to previous years within this measure due to the cancellation of exam diets in 2020 and 2021. There is a high degree of variability in this data due to small cohorts. The 2022/23 data is ahead of pre- pandemic levels. In 2018/19, this figure was 280. Targets for this measure were set pre-pandemic. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025.
Page 34
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value Gap between the Average Total Tariff Score of Looked After Children (school leavers) and that of the total Renfrewshire leavers cohort 58% 67% 66% N/A 63% It is not possible to make a like for like comparison to previous years within this measure due to the cancellation of exam diets in 2020 and 2021. Attainment of both care experience pupils and the general cohort have followed similar patterns over this period. The percentage gap between the average total tariff score of care experienced school leavers and the general leavers cohort has reduced by 1 percentage-point. This indicator outperforms the target set. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025. Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Literacy between pupils living in 30% Most Deprived areas and those living in 70% Least Deprived Areas (SIMD) 12 15.4 16 N/A 10 The percentage point gap between the attainment in literacy of pupils living in the most and least deprived areas has increased to 16 percentage points, in comparison to 15.4 percentage points in 2021/22. Data for the 2023/24 school term will be available in December 2024. Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Numeracy between pupils living in 30% Most Deprived areas and those living in 70% Least Deprived Areas (SIMD) 10 13.4 11 N/A 9 The percentage point gap between the attainment in numeracy of pupils living in the most and least deprived areas has decreased to 11 percentage points, after a slight increase between 2021 and 2022. Data for the 2023/24 school term will be available in December 2024.
Page 35
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Literacy between pupils entitled to Free School Meals and pupils not entitled 18 21 22 N/A 15 The percentage point gap between the attainment in literacy of pupils entitled to free meals and those not entitled has increased for a second consecutive year, having remained at approximately 18 percentage points between 2019 and 2021. However, due to the expansion of universal entitlement to P4 and P5, these figures are not directly comparable to previous years. Data for the 2023/24 school term will be available in December 2024. Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Numeracy between pupils entitled to Free School Meals and pupils not entitled 14 17 18 N/A 14 The percentage point gap between the attainment in numeracy of pupils entitled to free meals and those not entitled has increased for a second consecutive year, having remained at approximately 14 percentage points between 2019 and 2021. However, due to the expansion of universal entitlement to P4 and P5, these figures are not directly comparable to previous years. Data for the 2023/24 school term will be available in December 2024.
Page 36
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value % of School leavers in a positive destination 96.5% 96.6% 96.4% N/A 98% The percentage of leavers entering a positive destination is in line with the previous year at 96.4%. This is an increase over 5 years and Renfrewshire remains in line with the virtual comparator and marginally ahead of the national figure. In the 2022/23 leavers cohort, 41.6% of Renfrewshire’s leavers entered higher education, 24.9% went into further education and 26.1% were employed. Compared with national figures, Renfrewshire has a higher proportion of pupils entering higher education and employment. The proportion of Renfrewshire leavers entering higher education is behind the virtual comparator however Renfrewshire is above the virtual figure in employment and in line within further education. Data for the 2023/24 leavers cohort will be available in Spring 2025.
Page 37
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value No of foundation apprenticeships accessed by Renfrewshire school pupils 44 55 14 21 45 We have a higher number starting Foundation Apprenticeships this year, so hopefully we will see greater figures completing moving forward. During 2023/24, 21 young people from Renfrewshire schools began Foundation Apprenticeships. More frameworks have been established in the area, but had to be cancelled due to no uptake. A richer curriculum is currently offered at school that includes a wide range of new courses, and creates additional opportunities for young people. We will continue to work with West College Scotland to provide attractive options for young people and intend to grow this number year after year as part of the wider goal of positive post-school destinations for all young people. Percentage of pupils satisfied with establishments Education Scotland Survey N/A N/A 77.3% 82.6% 100% Figures for this indicator are taken from pupil responses to surveys sent out by inspectors; in this case, it is the proportion responding positively to the statement “I enjoy learning at my school”. As such, they relate to a proportion of pupils in a small number of schools. Schools inspected in 2023/24 were Bishopton and Brediland Primary Schools, Ralston Primary School and ELC, St Margaret's Primary School and ELC, Williamsburgh Primary School and ELC, and Trinity High School. This measure does not take into account other statements which cover the broader aspects of school life, such as pastoral care, extracurricular activities, and the relationships between pupils and staff.
Page 38
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of Performance Value Value Value Value % of children attending school (Primary) 94.6% 92.6% 92.8% N/A 95.5% Renfrewshire primary schools have worked hard to maintain a strong level of attendance, with a slight increase from 2021/22. By comparison, the rate of children attending primary school across Scotland has fallen for the fourth collection in a row. Attendance in Renfrewshire is above the national rate by 0.6 percentage points. Data for the 2023/24 school term will be available in December 2024. % of children attending school (Secondary) 87.9% 87.1% 86.9% N/A 91% Renfrewshire secondary schools have worked hard to maintain attendance. However, challenges for some families has resulted in pockets of attendance falling. This is a picture which is being replicated across the country. The National comparator data for attendance shows that Renfrewshire is below the national rate by 0.8 percentage points. Data for the 2023/24 school term will be available in December 2024.
Page 39
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Fair Indicator Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Target Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value % of young people choosing to stay onto S5 (as % of S4 roll at September previous year) 93.3% 94.5% 92.1% 89.5% 92% The percentage of pupils staying on to 5th year has fallen in comparison to 2022/23. This year's figure represents a fall to below 90% for the first time since the collection began in 2017/18. Analysis of national school rolls shows that there has been decreases in stay on rates nationally. Renfrewshire remains above the national figure. % of young people choosing to stay onto S6 (as % of S4 roll at September two years before) 69% 72.4% 66.4% 62.6% 71% Stay on rates for young people choosing to stay on to S6 have fallen below target, having been above 70% in the previous two years. National figures have also decreased and in 2023/24 were 59%, the lowest in the previous decade. Education for the senior phase has a strong focus on personal development and employability skills as well as on academic attainment, and support is offered to ensure positive post-school positive destinations for all.
Page 40
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Delivering the Council Plan – Living our Values Indicator Current Status Short term trend Long term trend Q2 2023/24 Q3 2023/24 Q4 2023/24 Q1 2024/25 Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value Target % of Stage 1 complaints responded to within timescales agreed with customers 100% 92% 100% 100% 95% Children's Services received 7 Front Line (Stage 1) complaints; 2 Education and 5 Social Work. All 7 were completed within target. % of Stage 2 complaints responded to within timescales agreed with customers 80% 84% 91% 86% 95% Children's Services received 22 Investigation (Stage 2) complaints; 12 Education and 10 Social Work. 19 were completed within target; 9 Education and 10 Social Work, with 3 Education complaints completed outwith target. % of FOI requests completed within timescale by Children's Services 88% 83% 85% 85% 100% 85% of FOIs were completed within timescales for Q1 of 24/25, mirroring the % reported in the previous quarter. A larger number of FOI requests were received by the service in the same reporting period in 2023/24, while there has been 10 fewer requests received by CS-SW this quarter compared to Q4 of 2023/24. For Q1, Children's Services had 47 FOI responses due; 39 Education and 8 Social Work. 40 were completed within the required timescale; 32 Education and 8 Social Work. 7 Education FOIs were completed outwith timescales.
Page 41
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Management Information Indicator Q2 2023/24 Q3 2023/24 Q4 2023/24 Q1 2024/25 Q2 2024/25 Explanation of performance Value Value Value Value Value Percentage of children registered in this period who have previously been on the Child Protection Register 2.3% 13.6% 11.1% 22.0% 4.0% There were 25 new CP registrations between July and September 2024. 6 children had previously been registered, 1 of which was within the last 2 years. Re-registrations are monitored as part of the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee’s performance management to ensure that there have been no inappropriate de- registrations. Number of children on the Child Protection Register at quarter end date 91 68 61 76 76 There were 76 children on the Child Protection Register (CPR) as at the reporting period end date in Q2. During Q2, there were 25 children newly registered and 25 children de-registered. Trends in child protection activity are monitored by the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee which receives a report on a range of performance measures. Please note that there are no targets for these indicators
Page 42
Title can go here • Click to edit Master text styles • Second level • Third level • Fourth level • Fifth level Children’s Services Service Improvement Plan 2024 - 27 Six-monthly progress update October 2024 For more information, please contact: csdatapolicy@renfrewshire.gov.uk