Agenda Document Pack - Education and Children's Services Policy Board - 09/06/2022
Renfrewshire Council · 9 June 2022
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 9 June 2022 and its agenda
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Notice of Meeting and Agenda Education and Children's Services Policy Board Date Time Venue Thursday, 09 June 2022 13:00 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance Membership Ms Mary Jane Bird: Mr Ravinder Singh: Councillor Jennifer Adam: Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson: Provost Lorraine Cameron: Councillor Carolann Davidson: Councillor Audrey Doig: Councillor Edward Grady: Councillor Gillian Graham: Councillor John Gray: Councillor Anne Hannigan: Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes: Councillor Robert Innes: Councillor David McGonigle: Councillor Iain McMillan: Councillor Will Mylet: Councillor Ben Smith: Councillor Emma Rodden (Convener): Councillor Jim Paterson (Depute Convener): Hybrid Meeting Please note that this meeting is scheduled to be held in the Council Chambers. However, it is a hybrid meeting and arrangements have been made for members to join the meeting remotely should they wish. Webcasting of Meeting This meeting will be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site – at the start of the meeting the Convener will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed. To find the webcast please navigate to https://renfrewshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home Members of the Press and Public Members of the press and public wishing to attend the meeting should report to the customer service centre where they will be met and directed to the meeting. Page 1 of 131
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Apologies Apologies from members. Declarations of Interest Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest. 1 Children’s Services Service Improvement Plan 2022- 2025 Report by Director of Children’s Services. 4 - 75 2 Scottish Attainment Challenge Progress and Next Steps Report by Director of Children’s Services. 76 - 81 3 Gaelic Medium Primary Education Provision in Renfrewshire Report by Director of Children’s Services. 82 - 85 4 School Holiday Arrangements School Session 2023/2024 Report by Director of Children’s Services. 86 - 93 5 Children’s Services Health and Safety Policy Update 2022 Report by Director of Children’s Services. 94 - 113 6 Children’s Social Work Covid Recovery Plan Report by Director of Children’s Services. 114 - 118 7 Looked After Children and Child Protection Annual Census 2021 Report by Director of Children’s Services. 119 - 125 8 Duty of Candour – Annual Report Report by Director of Children’s Services. 126 - 131 Page 2 of 131
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1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Children’s Services Service Improvement Plan 2022-2025 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This Service Improvement Plan for Children’s Services covers the period from April 2022 to March 2025. The Plan identifies the priorities being addressed, the key tasks to be implemented, the implementation timetable and our measures of success. The Service Improvement Plan sits beneath the Council Plan, Community Plan, Risk Management Plan, and the Workforce Plan to form a suite of documents which provide the strategic direction for the service. The service also makes a major contribution to the delivery of both the Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership Plan and the Community Justice Renfrewshire plan. The Service Improvement Plan is included as Appendix 1 to this report. 1.2 This report also provides an overview of performance against the actions and measures set out in the Service Delivery Plan 2021/22. Service Delivery Plans were implemented for one year only and focused on what each service would delivery to support residents, businesses and communities through the pandemic and into a recovery phase. A detailed outturn report is included as Appendix 2. 1.3 A mid-year progress update on the Service Improvement Plan will be submitted to the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board in the Autumn of 2022. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board: Item 1 Page 4 of 131
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2 (a) approves the attached Service Improvement Plan; (b) notes the progress made in delivering the Service Delivery Plan 2021/22; (c) notes that mid-year progress with the Service Improvement Plan be reported to this Board in the Autumn of 2022, and; (d) notes that a revised Service Improvement Plan will be presented to this Board in Autumn 2022. 3. Background 3.1 Children’s Services is responsible for the delivery of social work services to children and families, criminal justice social work, and early years, primary and secondary education. Much of what the service does is statutory; that is, there is a legal requirement for the Council to provide that service. Service delivery is a mix of universal provision (such as education), targeted provision (such as children’s houses for accommodated children and young people) and specialist support (for example, criminal justice social work court services). 3.2 The service accounts for over half of the Council’s overall budget and delivers a range of provisions, including: 50 Primary Schools; 11 Secondary Schools; 15 Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Centres and 23 ELC Classes. 2 Schools for children and young people with Additional Support Needs; Social Work Fieldwork Teams; 4 children’s houses; Supported accommodation for young people leaving care; Criminal Justice Social Work (Fieldwork, Unpaid Work service; Throughcare; Women’s Community Justice; Court Services; Drug Treatment and Testing Orders); Fostering and Adoption services; and Kinship Care. 3.3 Children’s Services has an approach which is strongly focused on prevention, early intervention and providing additional support for the most vulnerable. Whilst children’s health services sit within the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), a key priority of both organisations will be the continuation of effective integrated working. 3.4 The Service Improvement Plan provides elected members with an opportunity to review the work of Children’s Services and consider and decide upon policy options as necessary. Service Improvement Plans are refreshed annually to allow each service to consider the context in which they operate, and revise plans where appropriate. Page 5 of 131
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3 3.5 Service Improvement Plans link the Council Plan and Community Plan priorities to strategic and operational activity within the service. These support employees to understand how their role contributes to the Council delivering on its objectives. A new Council Plan is due to be published late summer 2022. The priority actions set out in Section 13 of the attached Service Improvement Plan detail the specific actions the service will progress to support the Council’s priorities and help deliver improved outcomes for Renfrewshire children, young people, and families. 4. Key Achievements 2021/22 4.1 Throughout 2021/22, Children’s Services targeted resources to ensure all statutory obligations were met. Staff adapted their approaches and worked collaboratively to minimise the impact of the challenges stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing support on individuals and families disproportionately impacted by academic disruption, reduced opportunities for socialising and economic stress. In some instances, service actions and improvement activity has been delayed or paused owing to the emergence of priority work. In these situations, the service has worked hard to re-direct its resources and support those areas in greatest need. Actions and improvement activity that did not meet its original target will be reviewed and incorporated into subsequent service planning if aligned to revised priorities. 4.2 Curriculum for Excellence attainment data shows that the Covid 19 pandemic had a negative impact on attainment, not only in Renfrewshire but across Scotland. It is important to note that Renfrewshire remains above the national average across all stages and curricular areas. The service has already made good progress in responding with targeted and evidence-based interventions to support schools in literacy and numeracy. 4.3 Work with key partners continues to ensure our curriculum supports each learner’s journey, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and experience to be successful in school and life beyond school. This session, we developed the Renfrewshire Senior Phase offer, which has broadened the scope and number of courses and opportunities available to this group of young people. Data shows a record number of young people entered a positive destination after leaving school, surpassing the national average for the last two years. This evidences the strength of our curriculum and learning pathways, and the relentless focus on working closely with them their families to provide all necessary advice and support. 4.4 Results from the Alternative Certification Method put in place for 2020/21 show that Renfrewshire performs well in delivering positive outcomes for school leavers. Renfrewshire’s young people have performed well at all qualification levels, with higher attainment at SCQF levels 5 and 6 than the national average. 4.5 A new multi-agency service called Ren10 has been launched to improve families’ access to health and wellbeing support. Ren10 provides appropriate and proportionate help at the right time and focuses on bridging the gap Page 6 of 131
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4 between universal services that deal broadly with wellbeing and the highly special support for more severe mental health conditions. Ren10 is part way through implementation (end year 1). Key activity has included the development of Non-violence Resistance Approaches, Child Psychology Parent Drop Ins, inter-agency training and extensive digital supports have also been established. Interventions are framed within a context of open access to ensure families who believe they will benefit can seek support timeously. Over 1000 children and young people have been directly supported by a Ren10 resource, 125 of whom were care experienced. The added value of the partner collaboration has been critical to Ren10’s success, and previously distinct services and teams are more integrated and benefit from enhanced communication. 4.6 Very good progress has been made in supporting the implementation of The Promise in Renfrewshire and raising its profile throughout the Partnership. A Promise Ambassador was recruited in July 2021 to support the implementation of The Promise across the local authority and drive forward the key recommendations of The Independent Care Review. A large component of this role has been to raise the profile of The Promise through engaging with a wide range of staff teams and partners. Through awareness raising sessions, points of interest and relevance are highlighted to ensure all partners understand what role they play in ensuring that care experienced children and young people are appropriately supported. To support this work further, a set of values have been developed for professionals to #KeepthePromise. Promise Keepers are formally recruited and are responsible for acting as a champion for The Promise, ensuring that the recommendations and priorities remain at the forefront of discussions around service delivery and design. Good progress has been made to establish The Promise Self-Evaluation tool, which will be used to identify areas of best practice that can be shared to encourage partnership learning between staff teams and identify where services require further support to fully implement The Promise. 4.7 The service continues to evidence effective partner collaboration and the added value in terms of children and young people’s outcomes. Work is underway through the Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership to enhance the opportunities for data coordination. This strategic approach will ensure outputs from engagement activity are multi-purpose and are facilitated by the organisations/partners with the most appropriate relationship to the target group(s). Early work has also been progressed to develop a consistent approach to evaluation for those working with children and young people, ensuring evidence of impact is appropriately captured, particularly among third sector and community organisations. 4.8 Good progress has been made in delivering health improvement activity across Renfrewshire’s school establishments. A substantial programme of early intervention and prevention work has complemented support provision around key areas such as emotional literacy, substance misuse, relationships consent and coercive control. Significant work has been progressed through the Mentors in Violence Prevention Programme (MVP) to help young people Page 7 of 131
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5 understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy in their personal relationships. In secondary schools, peer mentoring programmes have supported younger learners to consider and discuss different scenarios such as behaviour online, the use of harmful language, coercive control, gender labelling, alcohol, and consent. In the last year, the MVP programme has been expanded with the development of a whole school approach (including teaching staff and support staff, business support and Active Schools) to maximise impact. Work is underway to offer training to Third sector partners involved in the Early Actions work, community sports clubs and other voluntary organisations such as Renfrewshire Scouts. This is multi-agency approach enables the coordination and targeted deployment of skills and resources across various settings, resulting in consistency of language and message across all stakeholders. 4.9 Justice Social Work services has continued to support court and tribunal services, managing and supporting people with convictions, on community orders and on release from custody, with particular emphasis on those with high levels of need and those who present a risk to the community. 4.10 Working practice has adapted in accordance with safe working requirements to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff and clients. The service has worked hard to overcome challenges in terms of client accommodation and transport, particularly in terms of capacity constraints. The service has also taken steps to meet the increased demand for weekend provision, owing to a higher number of clients in weekday employment. 5. Progress against performance measures 5.1 Children’s Services has 32 performance indicators covering services which fall under the remit of this policy board. Of these, 11 are collected quarterly over a financial year (1 April to 31 March) and 21 are annual indicators measured over an academic year (1 August to 31 July). Almost all the annual indicators measure academic attainment and due to the time lag before figures are published, these are reported one year behind. 5.2 The Alternative Certification Method put in place for 2020/21 mean the assessment undertaken by young people and associated results are not directly comparable with previous years. However, Renfrewshire continues to show robust performance and continuous improvement against many of the measures. The percentage of school leavers achieving SCQF Level 5 in literacy and numeracy has increased, with Renfrewshire ahead of both the national average and virtual comparator. Although the ambitious target for the percentage of leavers attaining SCQF Level 4 in literacy was not met in 2021/22, results show long-term improvement and performance beyond the national average and virtual comparator. Average tariff scores for S4 and S5 pupils also increased in 2021/22, showing improved yearly and longer-term performance. 5.3 Notable improvement was recorded regarding the average total tariff score of care experienced children, with performance significantly exceeding set Page 8 of 131
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6 targets. The percentage gap between the total tariff score of care experienced children (school leavers) against the general leaver’s cohort reduced, showing improved educational outcomes for this priority group. 5.4 Stay-on rates remain high, with most pupils choosing to stay in school until at least S5. There is also evidence of an increase in the number of pupils moving on to further education and employment, with above average national performance and signs of an increase in employment opportunities. 5.5 Wherever possible and appropriate, Children and Families Social Work aim to place Looked After and Accommodated Children within a family setting. The service continues to deliver this for over 89% of accommodated children and is successful in attracting and retaining foster carers. Children and young people who leave care have a right to the Council’s throughcare services. In 2021/22, these services exceeded the target for the percentage who were in education, employment, or training, reflecting the service’s focus in this key activity area. 5.6 Some indicators did not meet the aspirational targets set for them in 2021/22. The 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 has remained the same since 2020/21, with Renfrewshire achieving a figure of 34% against a target on 32%. Over the longer term, Renfrewshire has made progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap, and the service will continue its focus in this while striving to continue to raise attainment for all. 5.7 Children’s Services works closely with colleagues in Communities and Housing to prevent homelessness for young people, particularly our care- experienced young people. The service aspires that no care experienced young people it works with will experience homelessness. In Q4 2021/22, 2% of this group presented as homeless, which equates to fewer than five individuals. By homeless, we mean a person with no tenancy or permanent residence of their own, rather than a rough sleeper. All three young people were either living with family members or provided with temporary accommodation when they contacted services. It remains a priority for both services to ensure that no care leavers find themselves without a home, and this challenging target will remain in place. 5.8 The percentage of new unpaid work orders completed by the required date has continued to show robust performance, with 90% of orders complete over the course of the year, against a target of 75%. This evidences the service’s efforts to target resources to areas of greatest need, with workloads being prioritised to respond to the court system’s efforts to clear their backlogs. Efforts will be made to sustain this performance in the coming months. 5.9 Other justice performance measures have failed to reach their target for the quarter. This is due in part to the changes in some court activity which has disrupted justice service processes, challenging tight timescales for initial activity on orders. More detail is provided in Appendix 2 below. The service Page 9 of 131
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7 continues to adapt to progress high priority work for those individuals most in need. 5.10 The percentage of Stage 1 and 2 complaints responded to within timescales agreed with customers has fallen to 88% and 65% respectively over 2021/22, against targets of 95%. The number of complaints received over the period is low, meaning those not responded to on time have a large bearing on the overall percentage. There were only 4 late responses in the last quarter of 2021/22. Complaints dealt with at Stage 2, particularly those received by social work teams, tend to be complex and require in-depth investigation. The service will always focus on carrying out a full investigation rather than rushing to meet a timescale and this can occasionally result in a longer process for the complainant. In these circumstances, the complainant kept fully informed of progress. 6.1 Service Improvement Plan 2022-2025: What do we want to achieve? 6.1 Children’s Services will contribute to the priorities set out in the forthcoming new Council Plan, which will be presented to Council in September 2022. It will also continue to contribute to the achievement of outcomes set in Our Renfrewshire, our 10-year Community Plan, which is also being refreshed this year. 6.2 The service recognises the importance of working together across and beyond Council services to improve the outcomes for communities. Our service focuses on ensuring children, young people and their families are well, loved, safe, respected, and able to realise their full potential, and providing appropriate support for individuals who have committed offences and are involved in the justice system. 7. Key priorities 7.1 The priorities outlined in the Service Improvement Plan reflect our integrated approach to Children’s Services. Provision for early years, primary and secondary education sits alongside support, protection and care functions, encompassed within one Council service. This approach allows us to respond to the individual needs of children, young people, and families appropriately and proportionately. 7.2 During the lifetime of this plan, specific priorities for the service include: Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities including children and young people who are at risk and individuals involved with the justice system. Work will progress to ensure Renfrewshire keeps the Promise and delivers improved outcomes for individuals who are care experienced. Where possible children will be kept within their families and priority given to securing provision for kinship care. Providing appropriate family supports and focussing on early intervention, by equipping parents and carers with the information, skills and support they need to ensure positive outcomes for children and young Page 10 of 131
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8 people in their care, whilst providing opportunities for parents and carers to shape the services that impact them. Enhancing supports around mental health and wellbeing, including the school-based mental health and wellbeing programme and the Ren10 network of staff and volunteers who provide early help services to those in need. Enhancing learning and teaching, delivering a meaningful, relevant, progressive curriculum that supports a wide range of learner pathways by placing the rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education. Efforts will focus on raising attainment while ensuring equity for all. There will be a sustained focus on delivering a curriculum that equips all children and young people to achieve success in life. Making sure our children and young people have equity of opportunity, by reviewing our provision and ensuring it meets current and future demands. This includes reflecting on the means by which it is accessed, and how this may be shaped through locality planning. 7.3 Greater detail of the specific actions the service will progress can be found in Section 13 of our Service Improvement Plan, included as an appendix to this report. 8. Monitoring progress 8.1 Progress on the implementation of the Service Improvement Plan is regularly monitored by the Extended Senior Leadership Team every quarter and will be reported to the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board on a six- monthly basis. A review of progress will be brought to this Board in the Autumn of 2022. Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The Service Improvement Plan highlights resourcing pressures arising from increasing demand for services and the current financial environment. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – the report details a range of activities which reflect local council and community planning themes. 4. Legal – none 5. Property/Assets – none Page 11 of 131
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9 6. Information Technology – Service developments relating to information technology are key enablers of service improvement and modernisation and support service-level and corporate objectives. 7. Equality & Human Rights - 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. 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 & Safety – none. 9. Procurement – none. 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 - none . 12. COSLA Policy Position – none. 13. Climate Change – none. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers: None ___________________________________________________________________ Author Jamie Gardyne, Acting Service Planning & Policy Development Manager, Email: Jamie.gardyne@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 12 of 131
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1 Appendix 1 Children’s Services Service Improvement Plan 2022-2025 Page 13 of 131
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2 1. Introduction 1.1 This Service Improvement Plan for Children’s Services covers the period from 2022/23 to 2024/25. The plan outlines what the service intends to achieve over the next three years based on the resources expected to be available. 1.2 In 2021/22, in recognition of the considerable impact of the pandemic, services produced single-year delivery plans. These focused on actions required to manage the response to and recovery from the coronavirus. As restrictions continue to ease and public services can have a greater focus again on business as usual, the Council is once again producing three-year improvement plans. 1.3 Council services continue to operate in a challenging context. The ongoing recovery form the pandemic and its effects continue to be felt by individuals, businesses, communities and the public sector. Councils have a role to play in supporting people through the current cost of living crisis by focusing on tackling inequalities and working to improve wellbeing. There are numerous legislative requirements relating to that work, including duties in relation to child poverty, the public sector equality duty and community empowerment. External events, such as the UK’s departure from the EU and the war in Ukraine, are exacerbating supply chain issues and inflationary pressures and these have an impact on the Council’s key strategic projects. Councils are also navigating an increasingly complex funding landscape resulting from increased demands and increasing costs but also arising from the introduction of new funding streams such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 1.4 The Council Plan clearly articulates the Council’s priorities for Renfrewshire, and along with the Community Plan, sets out an ambitious programme of work. A new Council Plan is developed every five years, aligned with the cycle of local government elections. Renfrewshire’s new Council Plan is currently being developed and will be presented to elected members after the summer recess later this year. It will set out the high-level strategic outcome the Council intends to achieve and detail the steps needed to delivery on these. Future Service Improvement Plans will align to those high-level outcomes; for now, key actions are grouped under four themes: • Place • People • Sustainability • Living Our Values 1.5 The Community Plan is a ten-year plan and the current Renfrewshire Plan runs from 2017 to 2027. It is good practice to review these plans regularly to ensure they Page 14 of 131
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3 remain ambitious and fit for purpose. The Renfrewshire Community Plan is currently being reviewed and this will involve engagement with key stakeholders. A revised Community Plan will also be presented to elected members and the Community Planning Partnership after the summer recess. 1.6 Service Improvement Plans informs each service’s Workforce Plan and Risk Register and are the overarching documents which sets the programme of development and improvement activity within the service as well as providing context for budget decisions. 1.7 A mid-year progress update on the Service Improvement Plan will be presented to board in autumn 2022, and an outturn report in May 2023. Early in 2023, Children’s Services will review this plan and produce a revised version to reflect both progress and any changing priorities. 2. What we do 2.1 Children’s Services are responsible for the delivery of early learning and childcare, primary and secondary education, social work services to children and families, and justice social work. 2.2 The Director of Children’s Services is the Council’s Chief Education Officer, and the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice is the Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) for the Council and the Health and Social Care Partnership. Each local authority is required to designate a senior member of staff to act as CSWO under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. 2.3 Children’s Services provides universal services such as education and targeted and specialist services for specific identified needs. These include child protection services, mental health and addictions services for children and young people, and management and rehabilitation services for people who have committed offences. Some of the key areas of work for Children’s Services are set out in the diagram below. Page 15 of 131
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4 2.4 Children’s Services receives a ring-fenced Scottish Government grant to provide justice social work services. The service has also been successful in attracting other funding for specific work through grants and partnerships with other agencies. 3. Overview of Achievements 2021/22 3.1 As part of the Council’s approach to managing the pandemic response, Council services each produced a one-year Service Delivery Plan in 2021. These focused on the actions necessary to manage the response and the recovery from the pandemic. A full outturn report on that Service Delivery Plan has also been presented to this board. The outturn details the achievements of Children’s Services during 2021/22 and sets out progress against actions and performance targets. Universal •provide children and young people with high quality learning and teaching within nurturing and innovative environments •raise attainment for all whilst reducing the poverty-related attainment gap •deliver high-quality early learning and childcare and expand provision in line with the national agenda •contribute to a holistic model of family and parenting support •support young people to secure sustainable and positive post-school destinations, regardless of their start in life Targeted •provide support to, and protection of, vulnerable children and families •keep children at home with their families where it is safe to do so, and helps families to overcome challenges •develop approaches which support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people Specialist •meet the needs of all children and young people with additional support needs in their local school wherever possible •work with justice social work service users to address behaviours and prevent further offending •reduce barriers to access to generic services for people with convictions Effective and Efficient Working •support all our staff through leadership and professional development opportunities •provide a modern, fit for purpose, school estate • deliver on our statutory commitments in a financially sustainable way. Page 16 of 131
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5 3.2 A summary of key achievements include: • Further evidence of the service’s ability to adapt quickly to support children, young people and their families who experienced significant education, economic and social disruption. Extensive engagement activity helped direct support and resources to vulnerable families and those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. • Positive results from the Alternative Certification Method put in place for 2020/21, with Renfrewshire’s young people performing well at all qualification levels and higher attainment at SCQF levels 5 and 6 than the national average. • A record 97% of Renfrewshire’s school leavers entered a positive destination, surpassing the national average and local comparator authorities. This evidences the strength of our curriculum and learning pathways, and the relentless focus on working closely with them their families to provide all necessary advice and support. • Good progress in the local application of Scotland’s Independent Care Review – represented by The Promise report – with a significant collaborative effort across partnership agencies helping to bolster Renfrewshire’s commitment to improving services for children and young people who have experienced care. 4. OUR STRATEGIC CONTEXT National policy context 4.1 The Council has adapted the way services are delivered over the last two years and will continue to respond to national guidance as the pandemic recovery continues. The impact of the pandemic on Renfrewshire’s communities, residents and businesses has been unprecedented and no Council service was untouched by the lockdown and associated restrictions at that time. The operating environment has changed frequently and often at short notice and the Council has had to be flexible and adaptable to manage this change and adjust services accordingly. As the recovery progresses, the Council will work with staff, residents and partners to identify new ways of working which best meet the needs of our people and our communities, supplementing our enhanced digital offer with in-person services as public health restrictions continue to ease. 4.2 The recovery phase is likely to continue for some time and Council activity will reflect this. This recovery is guided by the national Strategic Framework for Recovery and specifically acknowledges the impact on children and young people. Page 17 of 131
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6 Concentrated efforts are required to address the negative impacts relating to health and wellbeing and respond to the needs of young children who missed important developmental opportunities. Renfrewshire will play its role in a national effort to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap, supporting the children and young people who need it most and who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic owing to challenges in accessing learning and creative experiences in positive environments. Many of these factors were referenced by the 2021 Audit Scotland publication pertaining to young people’s outcomes, which encourages local education authorities take cognisance of local priorities for improvement, focussing on evidence-based approaches which seek to respond to needs arising from inequality and poverty. This approach is and will remain central to Children’s Services’ work to improve outcomes for our children and young people. 4.3 Renfrewshire Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and continues to progress work which aims to have the Council reach Net Zero by 2030. More detailed plans on this will be published over the course of 2022. As well as Council- led projects to help tackle climate issues, a Community Climate Fund allows local groups to bid for up to £3000 for localised initiatives which meet their community’s needs and align to the Council’s drive towards Net Zero. 4.4 The impact of the UK leaving the EU in 2020 is not yet fully apparent, given the impact that the coronavirus has had on the economy and on day-to-day life. A main driver of how Renfrewshire is impacted will be in the operation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is in a ‘pre-launch’ phase. This fund is intended as a replacement for previous EU funding and will be allocated to local authorities according to a funding formula. 4.5 In February 2020 the Independent Care Review published its findings following its review of the care system for children and young people. The findings – called The Promise - are based on five foundations – voice, family, care, people and scaffolding. These refer to the key principles of reflecting the child’s decision making; the importance of families in caring; the services which comprise “the care system”; the workforce; and the legislative and policy framework which governs the system. Corporate parents are expected to deliver on the findings of the Promise over a period of ten years, and Children’s Services will continue to develop its response to ensure it keeps the promise and delivers improved outcomes for individuals who are care experienced. 4.6 In August 2021 the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the establishment of a National Care Service in Scotland. The proposed role and scope of the National Care Service is unknown; however, the Scottish Government is expected to use consultation feedback to develop new legislation and present it to Page 18 of 131
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7 the Scottish Parliament in summer 2022. It is anticipated the National Care Service will be fully function by the end of the current Parliamentary term, and significant changes could be required in Renfrewshire and across the country to respond to the structural changes being proposed to manage the delivery of social care. Emerging legislation and associates proposed will be closely reviewed in the coming months. 4.7 New national guidance on child protection in Scotland was published in September 2021, forming part of the Scottish Government’s Child Protection Improvement Programme. Local areas are expected to have reviewed and updated their own procedures and guidance to reflect the new national guidance for full implementation by October 2022. The guidance emphasises the importance of collaborative approaches which focus on early support and intervention and recognising risk around factors such as ill health and neglect and how these can be exacerbated by poverty and inequality. The approach places children’s rights and voices at the heart of decisions that impact them, complementing the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy and practice model and the principles that drive the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC). 4.8 Justice vision for Scotland 2022 identifies an overarching strategic objective for justice social work services to timeous support for individuals to help them avoid contact with justice services by using custody only where there is no alternative. Duties will emerge for Renfrewshire’s justice social work service to focus resource on reducing the remand population through electronic monitoring, bail supervision, diversion from prosecution and introduce provision to deliver structured deferred sentences. These responsibilities will generate an increase in the volume and complexity of cases managed in the community and will require Renfrewshire’s criminal justice social work service to adapt and align capacity to these changing demands and work closely with partners in community justice planning. Local policy context 4.9 In December 2020, Council approved an Economic Recovery Plan for Renfrewshire. It sets the direction of travel for measures to support the local economy through coronavirus response, recovery and beyond. The plan acknowledges the significant impact of the pandemic on the local and national economy, and what that means for the people, business and communities of Renfrewshire. 4.10 The Council also has a Social Renewal Plan which sets out joint plans (with our partners) to address the inequalities which exist in Renfrewshire, and which were made worse by the pandemic. The plan was developed after consultation with Page 19 of 131
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8 communities, and the Council continues to seek views on these issues through consultation exercises and our Public Services Panel. Rising prices, particularly for food and fuel, may lead to more households experiencing absolute or relative poverty, and lead to increased demand for the supports and services the public and third sectors can offer. 4.11 Renfrewshire’s Alcohol and Drugs Commission made its recommendations in 2020, setting out clear measures that partners across Renfrewshire need to take to reduce drug and alcohol related harms and promote recovery. The projects within the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme are continuing to progress, including the Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire Programme – a partnership programme of work to ensure that recognising and responding to trauma is part of every service we deliver. Work has also progressed on the Stigma/Language Matters project with a marketing and communications activity plan being developed, with objectives including demonstrating leadership by ensuring the Council does not use language that stigmatises people in public and staff communications. 4.12 The Council’s transformation programme continued throughout the pandemic but the launch of subsequent phases was paused. New phases of transformation will start during 2022. Children’s Services is progressing work to identify opportunities to further enhance the delivery of some aspects of social work, and in particular a focus on early intervention and prevention strategies. 4.13 More than 4,000 voices including our staff, local residents, partners, young people and community groups helped identify the values most important to us all that describe our promise to our communities, staff and partners and what people can expect of us. Our Values have been formally adopted by Renfrewshire Council and guide how we deliver services and make decisions every day. Our Values are; • We are fair. We treat each other and everyone we deal with respectfully and work hard to build trust in Renfrewshire Council. • We are helpful. We care about getting things right and are always approachable. • We are great collaborators. We work as one team and with people who care about this place. • We value learning to help us innovate, improve and deliver better services 5. Service Priorities 5.1 National and local policy has shaped the priority areas the service will address over the coming years. Efforts will focus on ensuring children, young people and their families are well, loved, safe, respected, and able to realise their full potential. Page 20 of 131
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9 This work will be underpinned by extensive collaboration, both with other Council services and partners outwith our organisation. The service will draw upon a collective pool of insight, skills and knowledge to help will help target resources in a proportionate manner. Family supports will be better coordinated, and positive outcomes maximised. 5.2 Enhanced collaboration will be sought for the following key priorities: • Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities including children and young people who are at risk and individuals involved with the justice system. Work will progress to ensure Renfrewshire keeps the Promise and delivers improved outcomes for individuals who are care experienced. Where possible children will be kept within their families and priority given to securing provision for kinship care. • Providing appropriate family supports and focussing on early intervention, by equipping parents and carers with the information, skills and support they need to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people in their care, whilst providing opportunities for parents and carers to shape the services that impact them. • Enhancing supports around mental health and wellbeing, including the school-based mental health and wellbeing programme and the Ren10 network of staff and volunteers who provide early help services to those in need. • Enhancing learning and teaching, delivering a meaningful, relevant, progressive curriculum that supports a wide range of learner pathways by placing the rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education. Efforts will focus on raising attainment while ensuring equity for all. There will be a sustained focus on delivering a curriculum that equips all children and young people to achieve success in life. • Making sure our children and young people have equity of opportunity, by reviewing our provision and ensuring it meets current and future demands. This includes reflecting on the means by which it is accessed, and how this may be shaped through locality planning. 5.3 The service is in the initial stages of realigning the management and delivery of service provision in accordance with the above noted priorities. This is a significant body of work and will impact on the actions and performance measures identified in Section 13 of this Plan. Revisions will be communicated to the board in due course. 6. Demographic and Social Change Page 21 of 131
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10 6.1 Children’s Services provides universal services to all children and targeted and specialist supports for groups with more specific needs. Societal and demographic factors influence the planning and delivery of these services to ensure they are accessible to children, young people and their families. Renfrewshire has some of the most deprived and most affluent neighbourhoods in Scotland. Inequalities can result in children from poorer areas not having the same opportunities and life chances as those from more affluent areas. Specific initiatives around educational attainment seek to address this for all children whilst targeted work with specific groups focus on the wider circumstances which can limit life chances for young people. Children’s Services will continue to draw upon relevant insight to target its resources appropriately, with contributions complementing the activity outlined in the Council’s Social Renewal Plan, the Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership Plan and the Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan. 6.2 Children’s Services directs resources towards permanency planning and early intervention to reduce the overall number of looked after children. Issues such as substance misuse and neglect present challenges and mean there will always be some children and young people who need intervention from the local authority. This includes our care experienced young people who choose to take up their entitlement to continued support beyond the age of 18. 6.3 The pattern of demand for school places continues to change in response to new housing population and local population migration. Developments such as the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation District may result in migration to Renfrewshire from elsewhere in the country or further afield and may change the pattern of demand further. This is regularly monitored to ensure resources can accommodate projected demand. Schools also support increasing numbers of children with additional support needs and do so within mainstream provision where this is appropriate. 7. Best Value 7.1 All local authorities in Scotland are subject to a Best Value Audit inspection at least once in every Council term (i.e. every five years). Renfrewshire’s last inspection was in 2017 and resulted in 7 key recommendations being made. These help determine improvement actions within the Council and each year, Audit Scotland publish an overview report detailing progress against the audit as well as scrutiny of Council finances. Audit Scotland will produce an updated approach to these audits later this year, and this is likely to reflect the notable change in the operating environment of Councils. 8. Risk Management Page 22 of 131
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11 8.1 The Council’s risk management arrangements are well established with all strategic, corporate and service risks being reported to the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board. Strategic risks are more outward in nature, whereas corporate ones are more inward and often affect more than one service department. Corporate and strategic risks, where senior officers in Children’s Services are owners or joint owners of the risks are shown below: Risks Evaluations Our strategic risks None N/A Our corporate risks Cyber Attack High Our top service-specific risks Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children Moderate Integrated service arrangements Moderate Early intervention and prevention in Children’s Services Moderate Failure of major providers Moderate Continuous improvement Moderate Property – school estates Moderate Implementation of new case management system for social work Moderate 9. Equalities 9.1 Every area of work within the Council has a role to play in promoting equality and diversity. While this is the right thing to do and has clear advantages for the Council, there are also legal requirements. The Equality Act 2010 protects people from unfair treatment and asks public bodies (including Renfrewshire Council) to show how they make a positive difference to equality groups. The Council also recognises the rights of children identified by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and will ensure compliance with any subsequent incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law. 10. Our Workforce 10.1 The Council launched “Our People, Our Future” people strategy in 2021. This five- year plan has an immediate focus on supporting staff and services within the Page 23 of 131
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12 context of the pandemic and the recovery phase. It identifies three priority areas: health and wellbeing; news ways of working; and staff communication and engagement. The Strategy also integrates the Council’s organisational development vision and workforce planning activities into three strategic outcomes: our approaches improve; our skills strengthen; and our culture evolves. After a period of approximately two years, the Strategy will be realigned with the new Council Plan and focus on supporting staff through service transformation, changing culture norms, embedding our values within decision making and improving staff and service user experiences of the Council. 10.2 Children’s Services will ensure the priorities identified in the Council’s people strategy are reflected in its workforce. High level actions arising from the people strategy are embedded in the Service Improvement Plan and will be monitored through this. 11. Our Partnerships and Providers 11.1 Children’s Services maintains close links to other partners through the Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership, the Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership and Community Justice Renfrewshire. The service also participates in partnership work on a thematic basis, including the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee, the Renfrewshire Gender Based Violence Strategy Group and joint working with Police Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service and health and housing colleagues in relation to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). 11.2 The service has strong links with Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (RHSCP) which provides adult social work and social care services. Children’s Services and RHSCP work collaboratively to address local priorities including the mental health and wellbeing of young people; tackling drug and alcohol use; promoting physical activity; supporting women and children impacted by gender- based violence (including women involved with justice); supporting adults with convictions with their addiction and mental health issue; and improving the transition between children’s and adult services. These activities are reflected in the actions in the strategic plans of both agencies. 11.3 The outcomes for Renfrewshire’s senior stage pupils are bolstered through joint working with economic development, employability and further education partners to ensure our young people have the skills and attributes to support positive destinations when they leave school. Page 24 of 131
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13 11.3 Children’s Services provides several services directly, but also commissions from a range of providers across sectors and works with specific partners on the delivery of specialist services. 12. Our Finances 12.1 All local authorities in Scotland have experienced a hugely challenging and complex set of circumstances over the last two years and it is recognised that the financial impact on Councils from COVID-19 will continue for some time. This includes the impact on service costs, service demands and income streams, and the cost of unavoidable delays to some transformation programmes. Councils are affected by the rising costs of goods and services caused by inflationary pressures and global supply chain issues. Renfrewshire Council actively manages these pressures through its short- and medium-term financial planning and is acknowledged by Audit Scotland to have sound financial arrangements in place. 12.2 The Council’s financial outlook remains subject to significant uncertainty. The most recent analysis reported to Council on 3 March 2022 suggests that Renfrewshire Council will experience a funding deficit in the range of £18m-£50m in the three years following 2022/23, unless mitigating action is taken. 12.3 Budgets are approved each year for both Capital and Revenue purposes. Revenue budgets allow for expenditure and income on day-to-day operational activities, such as employee costs, or supplies. For 2022/23, the Revenue budget approved for General Services on 3 March 2022 was £486m, and for the Housing Revenue Account £55m. 12.4 Capital budgets allow for expenditure on the creation or enhancement of assets. The capital budget approved for General Services on 3 March 2022 was £437m for the period 2022/23 to 2026/27, and for the Housing Revenue Account £267m for the period 2022/23 to 2027/28. 13. Our Strategic Priorities 13.1 As noted in the introduction to this plan, Service Improvement Plans align to the Council and Community Plans. Actions and performance indicators are each grouped according to the strategic outcomes set out in the Council Plan. As that Plan has yet to be approved, actions and indicators in this SIP are set out under four broad themes. • Place: what we do to support our economy, our infrastructure, our assets • People • Sustainability • Living our Values Page 25 of 131
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14 13.2 Children’s Services also makes use of the indicators in the Local Government Benchmarking Framework to monitor performance. These indicators are included with those noted below. 13.3 Strategic Priority 1: Place: what we do to support our economy, our infrastructure, our assets What will we do? What difference will we make? Who is leading this? When will we do it by? Progress development work in relation to the priority schools identified in the School Estate Management Plan. Pupils and staff enjoy a modern, fit for purpose, school estate which supports learning and achievement. Education Manager (Resources) March 2025 Progress plans for the roll out of full Wi-Fi across the school estate, understanding the benefits that can be baselined and measured Funding in place and programme developed and underway. Head of Education (Curriculum and School Infrastructure) March 2023 13.4 Strategic Priority 2: People What will we do? What difference will we make? Who is leading this? When will we do it by? 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 This will provide a coordinated approach to ensuring that all young people, particularly the most vulnerable, are given the best opportunities and supports to move into positive future pathways. Education Manager (Senior Phase) March 2025 Develop and extend bespoke pathways and programmes on literacy and numeracy to support Attainment data will demonstrate improvements in Education Manager (Curriculum) June 2023 Page 26 of 131
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15 all establishments through a differentiated approach literacy and numeracy attainment. Strengthen learning, teaching and assessment in all schools, supported by high quality professional learning. Learners’ experiences are enriched with the use of new and innovative approaches to learning and teaching and are equipped with the skills to support them in their learning in a digital works Digital Learning Manager June 2023 2023 Implement the recommendations of the ASN review Children and young people are supported to remain in mainstream education with their peers Education Manager (ASN) In collaboration with Health partners, the West Partnership and the voluntary sector, continue to develop consistent, effective and preventative approaches to support recovery and improve the mental, social and emotional wellbeing of children, young people, staff and parents across education establishments. Through delivery of high-quality professional learning, almost all practitioners have an enhanced knowledge and understanding of programmes, resources and strategies available to support their own wellbeing and that of CYP. All practitioners have the skills to effectively support CYP. Almost all practitioners across all sectors use evidence-based programmes and preventative approaches in the learning and teaching Education Manager (Health and Wellbeing) June 2023 Page 27 of 131
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16 of mental, emotional and social wellbeing. All CYP requiring specialist HWB services e.g. Counselling, receive timeous support to cope with emotional distress and to build resilience. All CYP are supported to have positive, healthy and mutually respectful relationships. Ensure Renfrewshire is a "child friendly" place where children's rights are at the centre of policy decision making. All children in Renfrewshire rights should be protected and promoted in all areas of their life Head of Education (Inclusion and Quality Improvement) June 2023 Plan for the expansion of early learning and childcare for one-year olds Improved outcomes for targeted children The attainment gap is reduced. Increased family resilience through improved health and wellbeing of children and parents Parents are supported into work, study or training Education Manager (Early Years) June 2023 Support with the development of a rights based, dynamic out of school care offer Improved outcomes for targeted children The attainment gap is reduced. Education Manager (Early Years) June 2023 Page 28 of 131
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17 Increased family resilience through improved health and wellbeing of children and parents Parents are supported into work, study or training Ensure that the Renfrewshire child protection processes and guidance are compliant with the new national guidance on child protection. Child protection practice is further enhanced and strengthened in line with recommendations. Child protection practice is further enhanced and strengthened in line with recommendations. Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice October 2023 Roll out the Safe and Together model across Children’s Services Social Work and embed the Safe and Together principles in practice Reduce risk of significant harm to children affected by domestic abuse. Children and adult survivors of domestic abuse will feel safer. Children and adult survivors of domestic abuse will recover from the impact of domestic abuse Children's Services Manager December 2022 Further develop proposals for a bail supervision service within existing resources i.e. funding, staffing, office accommodation, and the capacity of partners to take forward their requirements The negative impact of remand is reduced, and individuals are supported in the community to achieve good life goals. Criminal Justice Service Manager December 2022 Extend diversionary opportunities, implement Structured Deferred Sentences and electronic Vulnerable individuals are supported to address their Criminal Justice Service Manager March 2023 Page 29 of 131
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18 monitoring to support bail as part of our range of services to minimise involvement with the justice system behaviour and avoid involvement with the justice system. People are supported to remain in their community and the stigma associated with involvement in the justice system can be reduced. Progress office accommodation solutions to facilitate an improved contact for all service users, including groupwork provision. A range of interventions support individuals to address the reasons for offending and promote desistance. Criminal Justice Service Manager March 2023 Page 30 of 131
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19 PI code Performance Indicator Frequency Last Update Current Value Current Target Traffic Light Icon 2022/23 Target CHS/PD/01 % of School leavers in a positive destination Annual 2020/21 97% 95% 98% CHS/ATT/01 % of Leavers attaining literacy SCQF Level 4 Annual 2020/21 97% 98%% 98% CHS/ATT/01b % of Leavers attaining numeracy SCQF Level 4 Annual 2020/21 94% 94% 96% CHS/ATT/01c % of Leavers attaining literacy SCQF Level 5 Annual 2020/21 90% 86% 88% CHS/ATT/01d % of Leavers attaining numeracy SCQF Level 5 Annual 2020/21 80% 75% 77% CHS/ATT/12 Average Complementary Tariff (S4) Annual 2020/21 320 316 320 CHS/ATT/13 Average Complementary Tariff (S5) Annual 2020/21 628 565 565 CHS/PD/02 No of foundation apprenticeships accessed by Renfrewshire school pupils Annual 2020/21 44 No current target Not applicable 45 CHS/LAC/02 Percentage of accommodated Looked After Children placed with families Quarterly Q4 2021/22 89% 85% 85% CHS/LGBF/01 Percentage of Looked After Children cared for in the community Quarterly Q4 2021/22 92% 90% 90% Page 31 of 131
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20 CHS/LAC/CL/01 Percentage of care leavers participating in employment, training or education Quarterly Q4 2021/22 59% 55% 55% CHS/LAC/CL/02 Percentage of care leavers who have had a period of homelessness in the last 6 months Quarterly Q4 2021/22 2% 0% 0% CHS/ATT/07 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. Annual 2020/21 34% 32% 28% CHS/ATT/08 Average Total Tariff Score of Looked After Children (school leavers) Annual 2020/21 471 320 320 CHS/ATT/09 Gap between the Average Total Tariff Score of Looked After Children (school leavers) and that of the total Renfrewshire leavers cohort Annual 2020/21 58% 64% 63% CHS/ATT/14 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) Annual 2018/19 12 7 7 CHS/ATT/15 Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Numeracy between pupils living in 30% Most Deprived areas Annual 2018/19 10 7 7 Page 32 of 131
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21 and those living in 70% Least Deprived Areas (SIMD) CHS/ATT/16 Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Literacy between pupils entitled to Free School Meals and pupils not entitled Annual 2018/19 18 15 15 CHS/ATT/17 Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Numeracy between pupils entitled to Free School Meals and pupils not entitled Annual 2018/19 15 15 15 CHS/SCH/07 % of children attending school (Primary) Annual 2020/21 94.6% 95.5% 95.5% CHS/SCH/08 % of children attending school (Secondary) Annual 2020/21 87.9% 91% 91% CHS/SCH/09 % of young people choosing to stay onto S5 after January (as % of S4 roll at September previous year) Annual 2020/21 94% 92% 93% CHS/SCH/10 % of young people choosing to stay onto S6 (as % of S4 roll at September two years before) Annual 2020/21 74% 70% 71% CHS/CJ/CPO/02 % of NEW unpaid work orders/requirement complete by the required date Quarterly Q4 2021/22 89% 75% 75% CHS/CJ/CPO/01 The percentage of NEW clients subject to a new supervision order Quarterly Q4 2021/22 56% 85% 85% Page 33 of 131
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22 The indicators in the table below are for information only and are not presented as a measure of performance PI code Performance Indicator Frequency Last Update Current Value CHS/CPR/01 Percentage of children registered in this period who have previously been on the Child Protection Register Quarterly Q4 2021/22 30% RCPC/01 Number of children on the Child Protection Register at quarter end date Quarterly Q4 2021/22 61 seen by a supervising officer within 1 week CHS/CJ/CPO/04 Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients seen within 1 working day of the order Quarterly Q4 2021/22 12% 70% 70% CHS/CJ/CPO/05 Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients receiving an induction within 5 working days of the order Quarterly Q4 2021/22 17% 75% 75% CHS/CJ/CPO/06 Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients beginning work placement within 7 working days of the order Quarterly Q4 2021/22 33% 65% 65% Page 34 of 131
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23 13.5 Strategic Priority 3: Sustainability What will we do? What difference will we make? Who is leading this? When will we do it by? 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. Following the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in June 2019, the delivery of this action will make a critical contribution towards Renfrewshire being carbon neutral by 2030. Education Manager (Resources) March 2025 13.6 Strategic Priority 4: Living our Values What will we do? What difference will we make? Who is leading this? When will we do it by? Continue to participate in school, cluster, and regional moderation and pilot engagement with the West Partnership moderation portal. Staff will be skilled and confident in using a differentiated approach to meet learning needs of children and young people. Education Manager (Curriculum) June 2023 Continue to support and strengthen leadership capacity of staff at all levels to support delivery of establishment programmes to promote recovery and accelerated progress Leadership capacity is enhanced enabling fulfilment of establishment recovery programmes. Distributive leadership is increasingly evident across all establishments. Senior school leaders feel valued and supported to carry out their role with Education Manager (Professional Development and Leadership) June 2023 Page 35 of 131
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24 confidence and competence. Progress work to increase the use of digital technology within learning and teaching and to deliver professional development opportunities to support this. Children and young people have the appropriate digital skills required by employers and staff are equipped to keep up to date with the pace of change. Head of Education (Curriculum and School Infrastructure) June 2023 Launch revised Leadership Strategy which promotes distributed leadership at all levels, whilst committing to the ongoing support of those in senior leadership positions. All staff within our establishments feel confident and supported to take on leadership responsibility at their own level Education Manager (Professional Development and Leadership) June 2023 Continue to work on making all aspiring leadership courses deliverable internally using the experience and expertise of our own staff. Delivery of our aspiring leadership programmes becomes fully sustainable Education Manager (Professional Development and Leadership) June 2024 Develop a 3-year Quality Improvement Framework to promote recovery and accelerated progress across education Establishments are supported and challenged to recover and improve through continued implementation of our robust QIF. Senior leaders are empowered to look outwards and collaborate with peers to inform improvement. Self-evaluation gradings across key quality indicators demonstrate maintenance of Education Manager (Quality Improvement) June 2023 Page 36 of 131
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25 ambitious standards or improvement across almost all education establishments. Develop a strategy for CLPL for support staff within Children's Service The council has a workforce confident and capable of delivering its role. Education Manager (Quality Improvement) March 2023 Further embed the recommendations of The Promise in service delivery Care experienced young people have better outcomes and a more positive experience of care; feel listened to and valued; can build and maintain good relationships. Promise Lead March 2025 Deliver an independent evaluation of Women and Children First Reconnections Service user voices and experiences of service will inform and improve practice and future service delivery Children's Services Manager October 2022 Review the management and leadership of social work and identify options for a new service model. The service can efficiently meet current and future demands. Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice March 2023 Develop tools to improve social work staff's access to key data and insight, providing training and support where required. Social work staff are confident in their ability to use data to direct resources and support the most vulnerable within our communities. Quality Assurance and Practice Development Manager March 2023 Implement a new Quality Improvement Framework for Children's Services social work Social work services are child-centred and focussed on the experiences, progress and outcomes in individual children and young people. Policies, procedures and processes are effective and high quality, and Quality Assurance and Practice Development Manager December 2022 Page 37 of 131
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26 protect children at risk and improve their care experiences. Page 38 of 131
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27 PI code Performance Indicator Frequency Last Update Current Value Current Target Traffic Light Icon 2022/23 Target CHS/CORP/01a % of Stage 1 complaints responded to within timescales agreed with customers Quarterly Q4 2021/22 75% 95% 95% CHS/CORP/01b % of Stage 2 complaints responded to within timescales agreed with customers Quarterly Q4 2021/22 60% 95% 95% CHS/CORP/03 % of FOI requests completed within timescale by Children's Services Quarterly Q4 2021/22 100% 100% 100% CHS/SCH/05 Percentage of pupils satisfied with establishments Education Scotland Survey Annual 2019/20 82.40% 85% 85% Page 39 of 131
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1 Appendix 2 Children's Services SDP 2021-22 Report Type: Actions Report Generated on: 04 May 2022 Action Status Cancelled Overdue; Neglected Unassigned; Check Progress Not Started; In Progress; Assigned Completed Rows are sorted by Code, Title Priority Strategic Priority 1: reshaping our place, our economy and our future Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By CS.SDP.21.01a In partnership with SDS, West College Scotland, Invest in This will provide a more coordinated approach to 30-Jun- 2021 Initial work has been completed and ongoing partnership work around Education Manager (Senior Phase) Page 40 of 131
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2 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By Renfrewshire, Developing the Young Workforce and other council services, review supports being offered to the most vulnerable in terms of moving into positive destinations post school ensuring that all young people, particularly the most vulnerable, are given the best opportunities and supports to move into positive future pathways. this takes place through the recently established Renfrewshire Economic Recovery Group, chaired by Steven Quinn and whose membership is made up of the partners named in the action and other officers from Children’s Services. This group has its own actions and timescales relating to ongoing supports to ensure vulnerable young people can move into positive destinations post school. CS.SDP.21.01b Develop and extend bespoke pathways and programmes on literacy and numeracy to support the recovery programme for all establishments through a differentiated approach Attainment data will demonstrate improvements in literacy and numeracy attainment. 30-Jun- 2021 A programme of Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) and supporting resources on ‘Effective Differentiation’ has been shared with all establishments. 215 teachers from 38 schools attended focussed training on raising attainment in reading and writing. Renfrewshire has become the first Scottish local authority to offer Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to all children aged 2-5, providing which free books to age-qualifying children. 60 participants who signed up for our Limitless Learning course completed all twilight sessions and online Education Manager (Curriculum) Page 41 of 131
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3 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By modules. The course equips participants to effectively support children with their educational recovery. 65 practitioners from 9 primary schools undertook Maths Recovery training as part of Education Scotland’s Numeracy Improvement Pilot and have begun planning a practitioner enquiry based on their learning for the coming session. 103 practitioners from Primary and Early Learning Centre’s attended training on using the SEAL maths approach in a play- based setting. Our Numeracy Champions network meeting was attended by Champions from most primary schools. This involved shared planning of professional learning for the 21/22 session which has informed school improvement plans. CS.SDP.21.01c Progress work to increase the use of digital technology within learning and teaching and to deliver professional development opportunities to support this. Children and young people have the appropriate digital skills required by employers and staff are equipped to keep up to date with the pace of change. 31-Mar- 2022 To date, almost all establishments (91%) have engaged in one or more digital professional learning session. All attendees have rated these sessions highly, with “a strong focus on pedagogy”. A survey of digital Head of Education (Curriculum and School Infrastructure) / Digital Learning Manager Page 42 of 131
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4 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By needs was carried out across all sectors in February 2022, with establishments subsequently directed to accessible support content. This survey has informed the professional learning offering to staff next session. Priority Strategic Priority 2: building strong, safe and resilient communities Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By CS.SDP.21.02a Provide high quality professional learning, resources and supports in schools to improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of children, young people, staff and parents during the recovery period and beyond. All practitioners have an enhanced knowledge and understanding of programmes, resources and strategies available to support their own wellbeing and that of CYP. All practitioners have the skills to effectively support CYP. Almost all practitioners use evidence-based programmes and approaches in the learning and teaching of mental, emotional and social wellbeing. 31-Mar- 2022 The service collaborated with Engage Renfrewshire for Children's Mental Health Week in Feb 2022 to promote activities, resources and training associated with this year's theme 'Growing Together'. Throughout the week and beyond, high quality training sessions were offered to all staff across establishments to support their skills, knowledge and wellbeing. Themes included change, loss and grief, self-harm and suicide, child exploitation and online protection, consent and the law and Education Manager (Health and Wellbeing) Page 43 of 131
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5 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By All CYP requiring specialist HWB services e.g. Counselling, receive timeous support to cope with issues and build resilience. mindfulness. 'Signposting Resources' sit within our 'Mental Health Policy' but can also be used as standalone resources to support staff, children, young people and parents. A whole establishment approach has been trialled whereby QR codes of staff lanyards link to resources. This ensures all staff working across establishments can direct any member of the school community to local, national and online supports using the QR code. Initial feedback has been extremely positive. Counselling services continue to provide very good support to children, young people, parents and staff across all of our establishments. They are extremely proactive in supporting the central team to address themes and issues that arise from analysis of counselling data. Very good progress is being made in developing interactive and progressive curricular programmes for Alcohol and Drugs education. Children, young people, health partners and Page 44 of 131
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6 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By those with lived experience are at the heart of all developments. Our monthly newsletters and HWB blog are sources of very helpful supports and resources. CS.SDP.21.02b Reduce the impact of lockdown measures on justice group work interventions and the availability of unpaid work through means including unpaid work working from home projects, maximising the use of other activity and offering interventions on a 2:1 basis. Those subject to unpaid work orders from courts will be supported to complete the hours with community benefits and the statutory obligation to manage community orders will be fulfilled. 31-Mar- 2022 There is increasing demand for weekend unpaid work provision owing to high levels of employment among individuals with orders. The service has responded by recruiting unpaid work staff cover weekends. Working from home projects have continued though there are increasing opportunities for unpaid work to increase in community settings. Criminal Justice Service Manager CS.SDP.21.02c Expand voluntary supervision, where possible, to intervene to reduce reoffending. People leaving custody receive support with rebuilding their lives, reducing the likelihood of reoffending and providing them with opportunities to contribute. 31-Mar- 2022 A process was established in May 2020 to offer support for the early release of prisoners. This has been continued, with support offered to all those being released on no statutory supervision. Take up remains minimal. Criminal Justice Service Manager CS.SDP.21.02d Extend diversionary opportunities, implement Structured Deferred Sentences and electronic monitoring to People with particular vulnerabilities are supported to address their behaviour and avoid involvement with the 31-Mar- 2022 This remains an area of focus. Planning is in place to create a service that can undertake SDS, and a range of wider earlier intervention Criminal Justice Service Manager Page 45 of 131
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7 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By support bail as part of our range of services to minimise involvement with the justice system justice system. People are supported to remain in their community and the stigma associated with involvement in the justice system can be reduced. services, which is also funding dependent. It is anticipated that EM bail assessments will commence in September 2022 and bail supervision by December 2022 based on funding availability in 2022/23. Legislation for EM bail will commence in May 2022, however Scottish Government guidance is still to be finalised. CS.SDP.21.02e Implement new national guidance on child protection. Child protection practice is further enhanced and strengthened in line with recommendations. Child protection practice is further enhanced and strengthened in line with recommendations. 31-Dec- 2021 Changes to the arrangements for child protection meetings including the naming and timing of the meetings has been introduced. Changes have been introduced to update the way Renfrewshire manages Initial Referral Discussions. All changes have been communicated to staff. The Child Protection Network lunches have been re-established and input on National Guidance is on the agenda for each session. Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice CS.SDP.21.02f Undertake a review of current practice against the recommendations of The Promise and identify areas for improvement Looked after children and care experienced young people have better outcomes and a more positive experience of care; feel listened to and valued; are able 31-Mar- 2022 We have concluded the review of practice and identified areas for improvement which will be progressed as part of our ongoing Children's Services Manager Page 46 of 131
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8 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By to build and maintain good relationships. work to deliver on the Promise in Renfrewshire CS.SDP.21.02g Develop an evaluation framework for measuring progress in implementing The Promise Looked after children and care experienced young people have better outcomes and a more positive experience of care; feel listened to and valued; are able to build and maintain good relationships. 31-Mar- 2022 A self-evaluation tool has been developed for use across the Children's Services partnership. This will be launched as part of a wider communications strategy. The timeframe for delivering the changes expected by the Promise was a 10- year plan from 2020. To assist Renfrewshire in delivering the Promise locally recruitment has commenced for a Lead Officer and they will build on the self-evaluation work already underway to develop a framework which will measure the partnership's success in implementing the Promise in Renfrewshire. Children's Services Manager CS.SDP.21.02h Lead on delivery of some of the recommendations of the Alcohol and Drug Commission, specifically related to Personal and Social Education in schools, addressing mental health issues in children and The negative impact of drug and alcohol use on our children and young people is reduced and families can access the right services which will support them to provide healthy environments for their child. The impact of alcohol and 31-Mar- 2022 Ren 10 was formally launched and children, families and schools are able to access appropriate support. Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice Page 47 of 131
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9 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By young people, and reviewing family support provision. drug use in terms of offending behaviour is recognised and appropriate referrals and services are made to support rehabilitation and reduce offending. Priority Strategic Priority 3: tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By CS.SDP.21.03a Implement the recommendations of the ASN review Children and young people are supported to remain in mainstream education with their peers 31-Mar- 2022 A baseline of what has been achieved through the ASN Review will be drafted and presented to all. There have been delays with this due to staffing. However, moving forward we are looking to refresh Getting it Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) and build on ensuring a more equitable allocation of resources to support children and young people with ASN. This will focus on planning, leadership and professional development of staff. Education Manager (ASN) CS.SDP.21.03b Ensure full implementation of 1140 hours of high-quality early High quality early learning and childcare will support children 31-Jul- 2021 Renfrewshire Council has fully implemented the expansion of 1140 Education Manager (Early Years) Page 48 of 131
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10 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By learning and childcare for all eligible children across Renfrewshire from August 2021. to fulfil their potential and contribute to closing the attainment gap. hours of early learning and childcare to eligible children, with all children aged 3 to 5 years and eligible 2-year- olds now receiving this provision. CS.SDP.21.03c Further support schools by adding value to central and school level interventions and approaches in order to close the poverty related attainment gap whilst raising attainment for all Improvement planning is better integrated at both school and central level. The attainment gap between our most deprived children and least deprived children and young people is reduced. Improved health and wellbeing measures for all children and young people. 31-Mar- 2022 A mid-year report was submitted to the Scottish Government providing an evaluation of the Scottish Attainment Challenge programme. In summary, patterns of attainment are similar to previous years. Comparison to winter 2020 data suggests that: • Attainment in P1 has increased across all measures and decreases in overall figures are due to lower P4 figures. • Decreases are largest in SIMD 30% most deprived group. • Decreases are largest in quartile 2 schools. • Listening & talking figures remain consistent across all stages. • Attainment in quartile 4 schools has increased across all measures. • Comparison to June 2021 figures for P1/P2 and P4/P5 cohorts suggests figures are lower than in Attainment Challenge Project Manager Page 49 of 131
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11 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By June. However, variation in type of data collected. • Attendance - there were some improvements in 21-22 but this is not a direct comparison to previous years due to schools closures / periods of home learning. Health and Wellbeing - a range of central data has been collected this year, including the HWB national census data. This data demonstrates that services and interventions are having a positive impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. CS.SDP.21.03d Develop appropriate addiction pathways and interventions for justice service users at all stages of the justice system Individuals at all stages of the justice system will access appropriate addiction support which helps to address some of the causes of offending and promote desistance. 31-Mar- 2022 Funding ended on 7 March 2022 and the postholder reverted to their previous position. The final report was submitted to CORRA in March 2022 Criminal Justice Service Manager CS.SDP.21.03e Ensure Renfrewshire is a ‘Child Friendly’ place where children are nurtured and thrive. All children in Renfrewshire have the best possible start in life. 31-Mar- 2022 With the appointment of the new Principal Educational Psychologist we are revisiting Renfrewshire Nurturing Relationships Approach to ensure that it is refreshed and embedded in the practice of all Head of Education (Inclusion and Quality Improvement) Page 50 of 131
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12 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By education staff within Renfrewshire Council. This has been coupled with a renewed focus on GIRFEC and The Promise. CS.SDP.21.03f Develop the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategic Partnership with Barnardos to address the causes and symptoms of poor mental health in children and young people. Children and young people enjoyed improved mental health and can access appropriate support if and when they need it. 31-Mar- 2022 The mental health strategy has been launched and Ren10 is now operational. Monitoring of services and review of needs now embedded in mental health oversight group. Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice Priority Strategic Priority 4: creating a sustainable Renfrewshire for all to enjoy Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By CS.SDP.21.04a 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. Following the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in June 2019, the delivery of this action will make a critical contribution towards Renfrewshire being carbon neutral by 2030. 31-Mar- 2022 The Energy Management Unit (EMU) continues to implement energy efficiency initiatives to ensure environmental sustainability continues to improve within the education estate. At this time the EMU is also monitoring gas consumption to determine the impact of increased ventilation requirements resulting from Covid mitigations. Education Manager (Resources) Page 51 of 131
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13 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By CS.SDP.21.04b Progress consultation and development work in relation to the priority schools identified in the School Estate Management Plan. Pupils and staff enjoy a modern, fit for purpose, school estate which supports learning and achievement. 31-Mar- 2022 The Council’s extensive £51.850m investment programme is supplemented by a School Improvement Fund (SIF) which has amounted to £4.35m. This fund supports smaller scale projects and a further allocation of £0.65m has been agreed from 2022 / 23 capital resources providing a total additional investment of £5m on school buildings. Paisley Grammar School Community Campus: Space planning consultants have engaged in extensive consultation with stakeholders to develop a strategic brief which has been approved by the PGSCC Governance Board and site visits to benchmark with other projects across the country are being planned and undertaken. Council funding of £10m towards the construction of a new build Thorn Primary School was agreed in February 2022. A formal process of application is required in relation to securing LEIP phase 3 match funding and a project status evaluation document will be developed in due Education Manager (Resources) Page 52 of 131
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14 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By course. Bids are expected to be submitted for phase 3 funding in September / October 2022. Priority Strategic Priority 5: working together to improve outcomes Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By CS.SDP.21.05a Continue to support and strengthen leadership capacity of senior school staff to support delivery of school recovery programmes Leadership capacity is enhanced enabling fulfilment of school recovery programmes. Senior school leaders feel valued and supported to carry out their role with confidence and competence. Distributive leadership is increasingly evident across all establishments. 31-Mar- 2022 Aspiring Primary PT sessions concluded apart from the final Enquiry sharing session scheduled for 25 April 2022. Learning Sets continue and training was delivered to interested senior leaders in the facilitation of Learning Sets. Five PT Learning Sets have been established (two secondary and three primary) and will run from now until Sept 2022. A working group was established to review and update the current Leadership Strategy. A new draft Strategy has been developed pending approval from the Head of Service and then JNC. Corporate training opportunities included Good Complaints Handling, ASN Education Manager (Professional Development and Leadership) Page 53 of 131
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15 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By Legislation and input from the Comms Team. Four applications were received and approved for the Into Headship Qualification 2022-23 CS.SDP.21.05b Using the new Devolved School Management (DSM) Guidelines on school funding decisions for Local Authorities, published in June 2019, resume the collaborative work to update the authority’s Delegated Management of Resources (DMR) Scheme by April 2022 31-Mar- 2022 The revised draft scheme has been further updated thus ensuring stakeholders can use the guide more effectively to understand and implement national guidance and expectations. This is currently being finalised and will be ready to present to the new CS Board in June 2022. Head of Education (Inclusion and Quality Improvement) CS.SDP.21.05c Continue to participate in school, cluster, and regional moderation and pilot engagement with the West Partnership moderation porta Staff will be skilled and confident in using a differentiated approach to meet learning needs of children and young people. 31-Mar- 2022 All schools received the assessment and differentiation materials. A number of schools have already fully implemented the packages and if not fully implemented yet, plan to do so next session. Education Manager (Curriculum) CS.SDP.21.05d Review and adapt the Quality Improvement Framework, to align with recovery planning processes, and to promote empowerment and greater collaboration between establishments. Establishments are supported and challenged to recover and improve through continued implementation of our robust QIF. 31-Mar- 2022 Due to Covid challenges, all school reviews and digital learning thematic visits were postponed. The central team worked with Heads of Service to develop a QI proposal for Term 4 and for session 22-23 to maximise opportunities for collaboration and sharing practice. All establishments Education Manager (Quality Improvement) Page 54 of 131
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16 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By will be visited in May to provide support in improvement planning and discuss attainment data predictions. As another layer of support for Heads, facilitated trios discussions are planned as part of the joint Heads meeting in May with a focus on improvement planning. Training was provided by Education Scotland for all Heads on 'Self- Evaluation for Continuous Improvement'. The feedback from participants was very mixed. Feedback has been used to adapt the programme before it is rolled out to Deputes and middle leaders in May. CS.SDP.21.05e Support schools with the process of determining SQA provisional grades by setting up subject networks of Principal Teachers/Faculty Heads to allow moderation and validation of assessments to take place across schools. Estimate grades for all young people will accurately reflect their learning and progress across all national qualifications. 30-Jun- 2021 This action is complete and young people were advised of their grades in August 2021. Education Manager (Senior Phase) CS.SDP.21.05f Explore capacity to develop a bail supervision service within existing resources i.e. funding, The negative impact of remand is reduced and individuals are 31-Mar- 2022 The Criminal Justice Service manager remains involved in discussions regarding process but Criminal Justice Service Manager Page 55 of 131
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17 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By staffing, office accommodation, and the capacity of partners to take forward their requirements. supported in the community to achieve good life goals. also additional funding required to assist development. The updated national bail supervision guidance remains in progress. In March 2022 notice was obtained on additional funding to support this development. Planning is in process with the aim to commence service delivery by December 2022. CS.SDP.21.05g Build on current CJSW office space usage, increasing face to face office contact for all service users, including groupwork provision. A range of interventions support individuals to address the reasons for offending and promote desistance. 31-Mar- 2022 Capacity remains as previous, however updated building risk assessments are planned to move towards 1m social distancing which will allow increased office usage across a range of services. There is no change to agreements to transport individuals, which continues to impact on unpaid wok provision. Criminal Justice Service Manager CS.SDP.21.05h Undertake a review of ‘lessons learned’ from lockdown and identify where face-to-face meetings in social work can be reduced. Children and young people are required to attend fewer statutory meetings, reducing the impact on education and wellbeing. 31-Mar- 2022 A mixed-mode approach to formal meetings in continuing for work relating child protection and Looked After reviews. Service users tend to prefer to attend in person while professionals from other agencies dial in via video. The approach is working well however there are Quality Assurance and Practice Development Manager Page 56 of 131
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18 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By challenges when particularly sensitive or fraught matters require discussion. Practitioners continue to use their professional judgement about the most appropriate means of conducting meetings, while maintaining Covid safety. It is likely that mixed-mode approaches will continue in the longer term for some meetings. Evaluation continues. CS.SDP.21.05i Review options for retaining some home-based working for social work staff Productivity is improved and staff enjoy improved work-life balance. 31-Mar- 2022 SW staff are working from the office at least three days per week. Many are full-time in the office. Home working is still available via individual agreements with line managers. Quality Assurance and Practice Development Manager CS.SDP.21.05j Work with HR to develop priority actions for Children’s Services to support implementation of the council’s new People Strategy. The council has a workforce confident and capable of delivering its role. 31-Dec- 2021 Lifelong learning is a key component of the requirements for all teaching staff to uphold the standards for the registration (GTCS) and is 100% embedded in the work that we do. For support staff we need to refresh the training around trauma and positive relationships along with nurturing approaches as we begin to move on from the pandemic. Head of Education (Inclusion and Quality Improvement) Page 57 of 131
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19 Status Code Title Description Due Date Status Progress Bar Latest status update Managed By CS.SDP.21.05k Deliver a pilot /proof of concept of WiFi roll out to schools to demonstrate the benefits, and to explore what further opportunities it presents. Pilot will inform the development of the business case for delivery across the whole school estate 31-Mar- 2022 Paisley Grammar School has now been connected to the Comms World connection and switches replaced. They are now able to connect to the wi-fi quicker than before. The 1-2-1 devices which were issued to S1 pupils in PGS from central stock and school stock for the pilot continue to be used daily. The school will undertake an evaluation of this pilot at the end of the session. Head of Education (Curriculum and School Infrastructure) / Digital Learning Manager CS.SDP.21.05l Develop a Business Case for the roll out of full Wi-Fi across the school estate, understanding the benefits that can be baselined and measured Business case agreed, funding in place and programme developed and underway. 31-Mar- 2022 Business case complete. Funding still to be agreed to allow programme to be developed. Head of Education (Curriculum and School Infrastructure) / Digital Learning Manager Page 58 of 131
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20 CS 2021-22 Financial Year Scorecard Report Type: PIs Report Report Author: Jamie Gardyne Generated on: 03 May 2022 PI Status Alert Warning OK Unknown Data Only Long Term Trends Improving No Change Getting Worse Short Term Trends Improving No Change Getting Worse Page 59 of 131
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21 Priority Strategic Priority 2: Building strong, safe and resilient communities Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Current Target Latest Note Value Value Value CHS/L GBF/01 Percentage of Looked After Children cared for in the community 93% 92% 88% 92% 89.9% Performance remains stable with almost all looked after children being cared for in a community setting. Residential settings are more suitable for a small number of children and young people based on their particular needs but the service will always seek to place a child in a family setting where appropriate. CHS/CJ /CPO/0 2 % of NEW unpaid work orders/requirement complete by the required date 86% 89% 90% 89% 75% Court services are recovering and work is underway to address their significant backlog. The number of new orders imposed has increased throughout the year and the service has continued to prioritise workloads and deliver unpaid work activity in accordance with safe working guidelines. CHS/C PR/01 Percentage of children registered in this period who have previously been on the 12% 30% 14% 30% N/A There were 33 new CP registrations between January and March 2022; 10 children from 2 families had previously been registered within the last 2 years. Re-registrations are monitored as part of the Renfrewshire Child Page 60 of 131
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22 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Current Target Latest Note Value Value Value Child Protection Register Protection Committee’s performance management to ensure that there have been no inappropriate de-registrations. Please note previously all re-registrations were reported on regardless of time frame, however from Q1 of 2021/22 this indicator has been changed to report on re-registrations within the last 2 years only, which is in line with the reporting of re-registrations in the RCPC minimum dataset. CHS/LA C/02 Percentage of accommodated Looked After Children placed with families 90% 89% 88% 89% 83% Kinship placements were included in this measure from Q2 onwards, resulting in an increase in this figure. Almost all accommodated children are in a family setting and this will continue to be the preferred option. There are cases where it is more appropriate to support a looked after child in a residential placement, or where a hearing considers this necessary. RCPC/0 1 Number of children on the Child Protection Register at quarter end date 66 61 61 61 N/A There were 61 children on the Child Protection Register as at the reporting period end date in Q4 of 2021/22, compared to 66 children as at the reporting period end date in Q3. During Q4, there were 33 children newly registered and 38 children de-registered. Trends in child Page 61 of 131
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23 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Current Target Latest Note Value Value Value protection activity are monitored by the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee which receives report on a range of performance measures. CHS/CJ /CPO/0 2 % of NEW unpaid work orders/requirement complete by the required date 86% 89% 90% 89% 75% Court services are recovering and work is underway to address their significant backlog. The number of new orders imposed has increased throughout the year and the service has continued to prioritise workloads and deliver unpaid work activity in accordance with safe working guidelines. CHS/CJ /CPO/0 1 The percentage of NEW clients subject to a new supervision order seen by a supervising officer within 1 week 64% 56% 55% 56% 85% All contacts are scheduled within this period where possible based on staff access to accommodation, with dependence on service user compliance. Work is underway to increase accommodation access based on 1m which will increase capacity for contact within required timescales. CHS/CJ /CPO/0 4 Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients seen within 1 working day of the order 18% 12% 16% 12% 70% Performance has declined compared owing to the challenges presented by Covid-related operating procedures. There are fewer opportunities for court contact, with systems, Page 62 of 131
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24 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Current Target Latest Note Value Value Value staffing levels and access to accommodation providing impacting this measure. Work is underway to increase accommodation access based on 1m which will increase capacity for contact within required timescales. CHS/CJ /CPO/0 5 Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients receiving an induction within 5 working days of the order 39% 17% 30% 17% 75% All attempts are made to meet this requirement. A backlog was addressed prior to recommencement, utilising staff overtime. Prior to Covid inductions were delivered as a group activity however this changed to individual sessions due accommodation constraints and social distancing. Work is underway to increase accommodation access based on 1m which will increase capacity for contact within required timescales. CHS/CJ /CPO/0 6 Percentage of NEW unpaid work clients beginning work placement within 7 working days of the order 29% 33% 29% 33% 65% During COVID, the demand for weekend work placements significantly increased. This unprecedented shift, combined with restriction on numbers and transport limitations, presented challenges in the availability and facilitation of work placements, thus delaying start dates. Isolation and COVID absence for staff and service users has also had significant impact. The service has created additional staff Page 63 of 131
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25 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Current Target Latest Note Value Value Value posts to increase weekend capacity, however recruitment challenges have meant these have not yet been filled. Posts are in the process of being readvertised. Priority Strategic Priority 3: Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Curren t Target Latest Note Value Value Value CHS/EY /03 % of entitled 2 year olds accessing 1140 hours of early learning and childcare 100% 100% 100% 100% N/A All eligible 2-year-old children are in receipt of this provision, in accordance with legislation. CHS/EY /04 % of 3 and 4 year olds accessing 1140 hours 100% 100% 100% 100% N/A All 3- and 4-year-old children are in receipt of this provision, in accordance with legislation. Page 64 of 131
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26 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Curren t Target Latest Note Value Value Value of early learning and childcare CHS/LA C/CL/0 1 Percentage of care leavers participating in employment, training or education 56% 59% 59% 59% 55% Performance exceeds the target of 55%. The figure of 59% reflects that 89 out of 152 care leavers are in employment, education or training. These figures are a snapshot taken at the end of each quarter based on young people being supported by Throughcare at that date, so the year end figure is the same as Q4. CHS/LA C/CL/0 2 Percentage of care leavers who have had a period of homelessness in the last 6 months 6% 2% 2% 2% 0% The figure of 2% equates to fewer than 5 young people. All individuals were either living with family members 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. These figures are a snapshot taken at the end of each quarter based on young people being supported by Throughcare at that date, so the year end figure is the same as Q4. Page 65 of 131
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27 Priority Strategic Priority 5: Working together to improve outcomes Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend Q3 2021/22 Q4 2021/22 2021/22 Current Value Curren t Target Latest Note Value Value Value CHS/C ORP/01 a % of Stage 1 complaints responded to within timescales agreed with customers 93% 75% 88% 75% 95% In Q4. Children's Services received 12 complaints, of which 9 were completed within target. In 2021/22, a total of 68 Stage 1 complaints were received, with 60 responded to on time. CHS/C ORP/01 b % of Stage 2 complaints responded to within timescales agreed with customers 63% 60% 65% 60% 95% In Q4 Children's Services received 10 Investigation complaints, of which 6 were completed on time. In 2021/22, a total of 54 Stage 2 complaints were received, with 35 responded to on time. CHS/C ORP/03 % of FOI requests completed within timescale by Children's Services 89% 100% 94% 100% 100% In Q4 Children's Services had 28 FOI responses due in this quarter and all were completed within the required timescale. Over 2021/22, a total of 135 FOIs were received, with 127 responded to on time. Page 66 of 131
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28 PI Status Alert Warning OK Unknown Data Only Long Term Trends Improving No Change Getting Worse Short Term Trends Improving No Change Getting Worse CS 2021-22 Academic Scorecard Report Type: PIs Report Report Author: Jamie Gardyne Generated on: 03 May 2022 Page 67 of 131
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29 Priority Strategic Priority 1: Reshaping our place, our economy and our future Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target CHS/ATT/01 a % of Leavers attaining literacy SCQF Level 4 97% 98% The percentage of leavers in Renfrewshire achieving literacy and SCQF level 4 or above has continued to increase over the past 5 years to 97% and has almost reached the very ambitious target set. This figure is ahead of our virtual comparator, at 96%, and the national figure of 95%. CHS/ATT/01 b % of Leavers attaining numeracy SCQF Level 4 94% 94% The performance of Renfrewshire school leavers in numeracy at SCQF level 4 or above has decreased to 94% since the previous year. This is level with the virtual comparator which is 94%, and ahead of the national figure of 92%. This represents an increasing trend over each of the last 5 years. CHS/ATT/01 c % of Leavers attaining literacy SCQF Level 5 90% 86% Attainment of school leavers in literacy at SCQF level 5 or above has increased since 2019/20. Renfrewshire has consistently been ahead of both the national average (83%) and its virtual comparator (88%) for the previous 3 years. Page 68 of 131
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30 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target CHS/ATT/01 d % of Leavers attaining numeracy SCQF Level 5 80% 75% The percentage of school leavers achieving SCQF level 5 or above in numeracy has increased to 80%. Renfrewshire remains above the virtual comparator, which rose to 78%, and the national figure of 72%. Over 5 years, the percentage achieving level 5 numeracy or above has increased by 4 percentage points. CHS/ATT/12 Average Complementary Tariff (S4) 320 316 The average complementary tariff score of S4 pupils in Renfrewshire has continued to increase over the previous 3 years. Renfrewshire's score is greater than that of the national average and its virtual comparator, for the fifth year in a row. CHS/ATT/13 Average Complementary Tariff (S5) 628 565 The average complementary tariff score of S5 pupils in Renfrewshire has continued to increase over the previous 5 years, with the latest figure showing further improvement compared to the previous year. Renfrewshire's score is above the national average and its virtual comparator for the fifth year in a row. CHS/PD/01 % of School leavers in a positive destination 97% 95% The percentage of 2020/21 leavers entering a positive destination has increased from previous years to 97%. Renfrewshire is ahead of both the Page 69 of 131
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31 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target national figure and the virtual comparator in this measure - both comparators have also increased since the previous year. The majority of our school leavers went into higher education. The figure this year was 49%, above the national average of 44%. A further 23% of leavers went to further education, with 22% went into employment, after a drop to 17% in the previous year; indicating an economic recovery. CHS/PD/02. No of foundation apprenticeships accessed by Renfrewshire school pupils N/A 44 N/A This indicator was introduced in 2020/21 and target will be set following the establishment of baseline data. During 2020/21, 44 young people from Renfrewshire schools began foundation apprenticeships. It is intended to grow this number year on year as part of our wider goal of positive post-school destinations for all our young people Priority Strategic Priority 3: Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all Page 70 of 131
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32 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target CHS/ATT/07 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% The size of the gap between pupils living in most and least deprived areas has remained the same in the 2020/21 cohort. Please note - as SQA exams were cancelled as a result of Covid-19, 2020/21 data should be treated with caution as it is not a direct comparator with previous years CHS/ATT/08 Average Total Tariff Score of Looked After Children (school leavers) 471 320 The average total tariff of care-experienced school leavers increased in 2020/21 to 471. However, due to the small number of looked after pupils in each leavers cohort there can be considerable variation in the average tariff from year to year. CHS/ATT/09 Gap between the Average Total Tariff Score of Looked After Children (school leavers) and that of the total Renfrewshire leavers cohort 58% 64% The percentage gap between the average total tariff between looked after school leavers and the general cohort decreased considerably in 2020/21 to 58%. The number of looked after pupils in each leaver’s cohort is small therefore a high degree of variation is expected in these figures year on year. CHS/ATT/14 Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Literacy between pupils living in 30% Most Deprived areas Cancelled for 2020/21 The 2021 data collection did not include secondary attainment therefore there isn't a comparable figure available. Page 71 of 131
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33 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target and those living in 70% Least Deprived Areas (SIMD) CHS/ATT/15 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) CHS/ATT/16 Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Literacy between pupils entitled to Free School Meals and pupils not entitled CHS/ATT/17 Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Numeracy between pupils entitled to Free School Meals and pupils not entitled CHS/SCH/0 7 % of children attending school (Primary) 94.6% 95.5% This information is collated and published biennially by the Scottish Government. The latest publication gives the figure for Renfrewshire's primary attendance Page 72 of 131
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34 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target to be 94.6%, compared with a Scottish average of 94.0%. However, it should be noted that this figure is only based on the portion of the year that schools were physically open and does not include the lockdown periods due to the Covid-19 pandemic where schools were closed, and children were undertaking home learning. It should also be noted that pupils who were self-isolating when the schools were open are included in the figure if they could be supported to learn at home. CHS/SCH/0 8 % of children attending school (Secondary) 87.9% 91% This information is collated and published biennially by the Scottish Government. The latest publication gives the figure for Renfrewshire's secondary attendance to be 87.9%, compared with a Scottish average of 89.1%. However, it should be noted that this figure is only based on the portion of the year that schools were physically open and does not include the lockdown periods due to the Covid-19 pandemic where schools were closed, and children were undertaking home learning. It should also be noted that pupils who were self-isolating when the schools were open are included in the figure if they could be supported to learn at home. Page 73 of 131
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35 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target CHS/SCH/0 9 % of young people choosing to stay onto S5 after January (as % of S4 roll at September previous year) 94% 92% Stay-on rates remain high and most pupils remain in school until at least S5. Initiatives such as foundation apprenticeships and the provision of vocational education provided by West College Scotland but delivered in-school give pupils a range of options in the senior phase. CHS/SCH/1 0 % of young people choosing to stay onto S6 (as % of S4 roll at September two years before) 74% 70% The number of pupils staying on until S6 has increased since this indicator was introduced in 2017, when the S6 stay on rate was 66%. Education for the senior phase has a strong focus on personal development and employability skills as well as on academic attainment, supporting our goal of positive post-school destinations for all. Priority Strategic Priority 5: Working together to improve outcomes Page 74 of 131
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36 Code Short Name Status Short Term Trend Long Term Trend 2020/21 Latest Note Current Value Current Target CHS/SCH/0 5 Percentage of pupils satisfied with establishments Education Scotland Survey Cancelled for 2020/21 Figures for this indicator are taken from pupil responses to surveys sent out by inspectors. Due to the suspension of inspections during the Covid-19 pandemic, we are unable to report on this indicator for 2020/21. Page 75 of 131
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Page 1 of 6 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Scottish Attainment Challenge Progress and Next Steps ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. This purpose of this report is to inform the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board of the continued progress made in relation to the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) and to provide an update in relation to the refreshed guidance and framework recently launched by the Scottish Government in March 2022. 1.2. Renfrewshire became one of nine challenge authorities in 2016. The overarching aim of the Attainment Challenge is to close the poverty-related attainment gap. 1.3. As part of the grant requirements, a bi-annual report is submitted to Scottish Government which outlines progress towards three long-term outcomes. The outcomes are to improve learning and teaching, improve health and well- being and to close the poverty-related attainment gap. 1.4. A mid-year report was submitted to the Scottish Government in March 2022 providing a progress update on the programme. The programme continues to provide a range of universal and targeted support. Approaches and interventions have been developed to add value to the work of schools ensuring they are having demonstrable impact on children and young people’s attainment, achievements and health and wellbeing. 1.5. In March 2022, the Scottish Government launched a revised framework for SAC recognising the importance of collaborative working with wider local authority partners in order to close the poverty related attainment gap. 1.6. Over the next four years, the funding for the Attainment Challenge in Renfrewshire will reduce and this has significant implications for the overall delivery of the programme. A three-year plan has been developed to support the sustainability and transition of the programme ensuring that projects are embedded in core work, where possible. Item 2 Page 76 of 131
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Page 2 of 6 ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1. The Education and Children’s Services Policy Board is asked to note the contents of the report. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. There are five main work-streams within the Attainment Challenge. These are data analysis, learning and teaching, families and communities, leadership and care experienced children and young people. 3.2. This report will summarise the key messages from the Scottish Government mid-year report and provide an update on the next steps for the Scottish Attainment Challenge. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Progress 4.1. Patterns of attainment are similar to that of previous years and are summarised below: Attainment in P1 has increased across all measures and decreases in overall figures are due to lower P4 figures; Decreases in attainment are largest in SIMD 30% most deprived group and in quartile 2 schools; Listening and talking figures remain consistent across all stages; Attainment in quartile 4 schools has increased across all measures; Comparison to June 2021 figures for P1/P2 and P4/P5 cohorts suggests figures are lower than in June. However, variation in type of data collected and; There were some improvements in 21-22 attendance but this is not a direct comparison to previous years due to schools closures / periods of home learning. 4.2. In response to our local equity audit and attainment data, targeted approaches and interventions were developed to support schools with raising attainment and addressing health and wellbeing needs as a result of the pandemic. Some examples of work detailed in the mid-year report are described in this report. 4.3. Our team of numeracy Modelling and Coaching Officers (MCOs) engaged with 12 target schools, offering bespoke, in-class support and professional learning activities to develop teachers’ knowledge and skills in effective teaching in numeracy and mathematics. The officers are having a direct impact on children as well as staff as described by a Head Teacher: “The MCO has had a noticeable impact on the way numeracy and maths is being taught...Staff confidence has developed as well as skills…staff are more willing to try out some tasks and activities. [Children] talk more positively about numeracy and maths and what they have learned. In the stages the Page 77 of 131
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Page 3 of 6 MCO is focussing on attainment has increased as November results demonstrated.” 4.4. The pandemic meant that many children and young people missed out on vital transition visits to their primary or secondary schools. Transition teachers from primary schools supported 90 children ensuring their move to secondary was as seamless as possible. 86% agreed that their transition teacher had helped them settle into high school learning and gave them curricular support when needed. 4.5. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of children and young people. A digital mental health and wellbeing policy for schools was developed and implemented helping schools set out their aims and approaches as well as identifying training needs to support the outcomes of children and young people. 4.6. Partnership working has allowed us to strengthen and add value to the work of schools. Active Schools are working with 11 schools to support learning through an after-school physical activity programme. 257 children have participated and benefited by engaging in a variety sport and physical activities which include literacy and numeracy content to support learning: "In the Active Schools Reading Club we have been focusing on inciting pleasure of reading though implementing Dive into Reading strategies. We worked on comprehension…we discussed vocabulary and how it fits the purpose of the text; we made connections to what we know about the world. But most importantly, we tried to have fun with the text we have been reading” – Active Schools Coordinator 4.7. The Place2Be service is supporting improvements in the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, staff and families. Since August 2021, Place2Be have supported 314 children and young people in targeted schools through 455 drop-in sessions, 191 one-to-one therapeutic counselling sessions, 35 parent partnership sessions and 178 staff Place2Think sessions. "I like Place2Be because I am able to share my opinions and they don't judge you and they respect it.". – Child "I have been feeling so overwhelmed and felt helpless about how to get help for my son. I am really grateful to Place2Be for supporting him" – Mother 4.8. Through our work with Barnardos, 3 schools and 1 Early Learning and Childcare Centre (ELCC) were awarded ‘SEL Worldwide Model School’ Status for their outstanding commitment to social and emotional learning through their involvement in the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) programme. The programme continues to have a positive impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of primary school children. 4.9. In line with national guidance, schools continued to use their Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) in a flexible way and responded directly to the emerging needs of children and young people. Schools utilised PEF to provide targeted support in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Some effective uses of PEF included supporting enhanced transition of pupils from associated primaries, delivering professional learning for teachers and support staff to support the implementation of effective curriculum interventions and providing Page 78 of 131
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Page 4 of 6 targeted support for groups of young people at risk of disengaging from education through nurturing approaches. 4.10. Cost of the School Day (COSD) was also used flexibly to directly support families. The majority of COSD funding was used to purchase uniforms and winter / outdoor clothing for children. This was particularly important due to increased ventilation and outdoor play requirements in schools throughout the pandemic. Families also received food vouchers and financial support with utility bills to help alleviate food and fuel poverty. 4.11. Through COSD funding, 9 schools took part in a participatory budgeting (PB) pilot. Schools were encouraged to work in collaboration with each other and include wider community partners. Projects focused on gender equality, food poverty, outdoor learning, nurture and family learning. Guidance, advice and support was provided by the Community Empowerment Lead in the Chief Executive’s department to take forward PB approaches. As a result, children have developed a range of skills in decision making, negotiating, planning and leadership. Senior pupils have been able to gain experience of working with younger children which has supported their applications to further and higher education. 4.12. In March 2022, the Scottish Government published a revised mission statement for the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) and all local authorities will receive funding to close the poverty related attainment gap. The refreshed mission is cognisant of the role that partners play in closing the gap ensuring that all children are able to learn, achieve and attain. This also includes an enhanced focus on collaborative working with local poverty action groups and community planning partners. 4.13. To strengthen the collaborative approach to planning, discussion have taken place with other services and colleagues in relation to cross-cutting themes and opportunities for joint working / reporting. There are clear links to the Fairer Renfrewshire portfolio and there is much scope to enhance the impact of similar activity and reduce duplication. 4.14. The SAC 22/23 offer will be responsive to the needs of schools and wider communities. The offer will include a range of targeted and universal support to enhance literacy and numeracy, health and wellbeing, families and communities and leadership. There will be continued funding for care experienced children and young people and this funding will be integrated with planning related to the Promise. The SAC offer will be delivered in partnership with schools and wider partners to ensure that there is no poverty of ambition for children and young people in Renfrewshire. __________________________________________________________________ Implications of this report 1. Financial None. 2. HR and Organisational Development None. 3. Community/Council Planning Page 79 of 131
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Page 5 of 6 Our Renfrewshire is fair - The appendix details a range of activities which reflect local community planning themes Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all - The appendix details a range of activities which reflect local community planning themes Working together to improve outcomes - The appendix details a range of activities which reflect local community planning themes 4. Legal None. 5. Property/Assets None. 6. Information Technology None. 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 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. 10. Risk None. 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. Cosla Policy Position Not applicable. 13. Climate Risk None. Page 80 of 131
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Page 6 of 6 List of Background Papers (a) Background Paper 1: None. 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 Lauren Johnston, Project Manager, 0141 618 4023, lauren.johnstone@renfrewshire.gov.uk. ___________________________________________________________________ Children’s Services LJ/KO 19/05/22 Author: Lauren Johnston, Project Manager, 0141 618 4023. Page 81 of 131
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Page 1 of 4 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Gaelic Medium Primary Education Provision in Renfrewshire ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. On 1st February 2017 Bòrd na Gàidhlig published clear guidelines to education authorities on the Gaelic provisions in the 2016 Education (Scotland) Act and, for the first time, set out what parents can expect for their children in Gaelic education. It details how to proceed with the submission of a request to an education authority to assess the need for Gaelic Medium Primary Education (GMPE) and the regard which local authorities must have for the guidance. Renfrewshire Council received a request, on behalf of several individual children due to enter primary education in August 2022, for GMPE under this Guidance. This paper summarises the progress to date. 1.2. GMPE offers the benefits of early linguistic development along with daily learning. Working with Scottish Government, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and partner authorities, officers have been planning for provision, including staffing and resources. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1. The Education and Children’s Services Policy Board are requested to: a) Note progress to date in relation to Gaelic Medium Primary Education ___________________________________________________________________ Item 3 Page 82 of 131
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Page 2 of 4 3. Background 3.1. Renfrewshire Council does not currently offer Gaelic Medium Primary Education. The Council provides transport for a total of 33 locally resident children and young people who access provision in neighbouring authorities (Glasgow and Inverclyde). 67% of these individuals live centrally within Renfrewshire, and within the envelope of Paisley and Renfrew. 3.2. Gaelic Medium Primary Education (GMPE) gives children an opportunity to learn Gaelic through their normal schoolwork as their classes are delivered in Gaelic and they absorb Gaelic along with their learning. The linguistic benefits of bilingualism are well documented. Currently we support families choosing Gaelic Medium Education and deliver this through partnerships with neighbouring Councils. 3.3. Under the provisions of the Act, local authorities must respond to requests for Gaelic Medium Primary Education with an obligatory assessment, and our process is clearly outlined on the Renfrewshire Council website. Earlier this year, requests were received on behalf of several individual children due to enter primary education in August 2022. Following legal consultation, it was acknowledged that the threshold for assessment had been satisfied under the 2016 Act. Renfrewshire Council will commence delivering GMPE from August 2022. 3.4. Throughout the process parents have been involved and there have been indications, in the form of meetings and telephone calls from parents, that demand for places will increase over time. Currently, there are 6 parents interested in placing their child(ren) in Renfrewshire Council and the provision will grow from Primary 1 stage. The principle is total Gaelic immersion, with only Gaelic spoken. The Gaelic immersion approach is developed within the context of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. It is not possible to have entry points for older children unless they have already been in Gaelic immersion education previously. 3.5. As the catchment area for GMPE will be the whole authority, West Primary School in Paisley has been selected as it has the capacity to house the unit and is centrally placed with good access and transport links. The Leadership team in the school is enthusiastic about this opportunity. 3.6. Environmental and infrastructure team, Scottish Government, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, partner authorities and other Council officers have been working in partnership to advance plans for recruitment, resourcing and support for leadership. 3.7. Recruitment is planned for a fluent Gaelic-speaking Principal Teacher to develop the Unit, supported by the Leadership Team. Proposals to recruit additional staff are in development and external funding through Bòrd na Gàidhlig is being targeted. __________________________________________________________________ Page 83 of 131
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Page 3 of 4 Implications of this report 1. Financial Staffing this unit will create revenue costs which will be off-set by a Scottish Government Specific Grant for Gaelic. 2. HR and Organisational Development Additional posts will be created at West Primary School in the first instance. There will be opportunities for Gaelic language development amongst the school workforce. 3. Community/Council Planning Our Renfrewshire is thriving - Children have the best start in life. Working together to improve outcomes - Consultation with the parents involved has been ongoing throughout the process and Scottish Government and Bòrd na Gàidhlig have been fully engaged in supporting the Council through the development of GMPE in Renfrewshire. 4. Legal Renfrewshire Council is complying with the key legislative provision of the Education (Scotland) Act 2016, Gaelic Language (Scotland) 2005, the Standards in Scotland’s Schools Act 2000 and the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. These Acts together provide a framework for children to be educated in accordance with their parents’ wishes. 5. Property/Assets None. 6. Information Technology None. 7. Equality and Human Rights 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. (Report author to arrange this). 8. Health and Safety None. 9. Procurement None. 10. Risk Page 84 of 131
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Page 4 of 4 None. 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. Cosla Policy Position None. 13. Climate Risk None. List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Children’s Services LMcA/LG 18 May 2022 Author: Laura McAllister, laura.mcallister@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 85 of 131
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Page 1 of 4 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: School Holiday Arrangements School Session 2023/2024 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. The Education and Children’s Services Policy Board is asked to determine the pattern of school holiday arrangements for the school session beginning August 2023. 1.2. In line with consultation arrangements, three possible proposals were circulated to staff, parent councils, pupil councils, teaching and other trade unions for consideration. 1.3. The school holiday proposal preferred by the majority of consultees is detailed in appendix 1 to this report with appendices 2 and 3 showing the holiday patterns less favoured. Appendix 4 is a summary of consultation responses. __________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1. Members of the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board are asked to authorise the director of children’s services to set school holiday arrangements for academic year 2023/2024 in line with appendix 1 to this report. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. Each year the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board is asked to determine a framework for school holiday arrangements for the session beginning in August of the following year. 3.2. Consultation has taken place with staff, parent councils, pupil councils, teaching and other trade unions for consideration on three possible proposals. The preferred proposal is attached as appendix 1 to this report. Item 4 Page 86 of 131
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Page 2 of 4 3.3. The recommended arrangements attached are the best match possible to those being considered by neighbouring councils given the varying fair holiday arrangements. 3.4. The proposed patterns meet, where possible, the majority of the desirable features which are: aligning the dates of major holidays with those of neighbouring councils; providing a two week break at Christmas, including Christmas eve; providing a mid-term break in February; and providing a two week school holiday in spring. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of this report 1. Financial Implications None. 2. HR and Organisational Development Implications None. 3. Community Plan/Council Plan Implications None. 4. Legal Implications None. 5. Property/Assets Implications None. 6. Information Technology Implications None. 7. Equality and Human Rights Implications 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 Implications None. 9. Procurement Implications None. 10. Risk Implications None. Page 87 of 131
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Page 3 of 4 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. Cosla Policy Position None. 13. Climate Risk None List of Background Papers (a) Background Paper 1: Proposed School Holiday Arrangements – 2022/2023 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 (Laura Baillie, Resources Support Manager, 07970876292 laura.baillie@renfrewshire.gov.uk) ___________________________________________________________________ Children’s Services TMcG/LB/KO 19/05/22 Author: Laura Baillie, Resources Support Manager, 07970876292 laura.baillie@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 88 of 131
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Page 1 To: Education and Children Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Children’s Services Health and Safety Policy Update 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. The council’s health and safety policy requires each service to review its health and safety policy every 3 years, or earlier if there have been significant service changes. 1.2. The policy, attached as Appendix 1 has been revised to reflect standard health and safety industry guidance on effective policies which set a clear direction for the service to follow. 1.3. The policy contributes to business performance and shows a demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the education and children policy board approves the Health and Safety Policy for Children’s Services attached at Appendix 1. 3. Background 3.1. The council health and safety policy requires each council service to maintain its own health and safety policy. 3.2. In line with council policy, health and safety policies are required as a minimum, to be reviewed and updated every 3 years or following significant changes in a service. Item 5 Page 94 of 131
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Page 2 3.3. Children’s Services policy has been revised to reflect standard health and safety industry guidance on effective policies which set a clear direction for the service to follow. 3.4. The service health and safety policy sets out the organisation of, and responsibilities for, health and safety within the service and provides details of the arrangements made for the service to meet its legal obligations. Implications of this report 1. Financial Implications None. 2. HR and Organisational Development Implications Improved health, safety and welfare of employees. 3. Community Plan/Council Plan Implications Community Care, Health and Well-being - Improved health, safety and welfare of users. Safer and Stronger - The implementation of the council’s health and safety policy will contribute to improvement of service delivery. 4. Legal Implications This report must allow and assist the department to meet its legal requirement under health and safety legislation. 5. Property/Assets Implications Implementation of the council’s health and safety policy will ensure sustainability in service delivery. 6. Information Technology Implications None. 7. Equality and Human Rights Implications 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 Implications This policy reflects the commitment of the director, heads of service and managers to ensure that the main priorities for action are achieved within an environment, which is safe and is not harmful to the health of employees, clients and other users. Page 95 of 131
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Page 3 9. Procurement Implications None. 10. Risk Implications None. 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. 13. COSLA Policy Position None. Climate Risk None. List of Background Papers Children’s Health and Safety Policy – 18 August 2016 ___________________________________________________________________ Children’s Services JC/LB/KO 18/05/22 Author: Laura Baillie, Resources Support Manager 07970 876 292 (laura.baillie@renfrewshire.gov.uk) Page 96 of 131
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Appendix 1 Renfrewshire Council Children’s Services Health and Safety Policy May 2022 Page 97 of 131
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Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL – CHILDREN’S SERVICES DEPARTMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY STATEMENT 1. Renfrewshire Council’s Department of Children’s Services accepts its responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, as an employer, to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all its employees, pupils and other persons who may be affected by the operations of the department. Employees must likewise accept their responsibilities under the Act. 2. The Director of Children’s Services and those members of staff to whom he/she delegates responsibility will be responsible for implementing the department health and safety policy by creating and maintaining a positive health and safety culture which secures the commitment and participation of all employees, and which ensures so far as is reasonably practicable the provision and maintenance of: • a safe place of work with safe access and egress; • a healthy working environment; • equipment, machinery and systems of work which are safe and without risk to health; • safe arrangements for the use, handling, storage, transportation and disposal of materials; • sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision to enable all employees to avoid hazards and to contribute positively to their own safety and health at work; and • adequate welfare facilities. Directors Directors are, so far as is reasonably practicable, responsible for ensuring the health safety and welfare at work of employees and others who may be affected by the undertakings in their respective Services. They will: a) Prepare and revise, in accordance with legislative requirements, their Service Health and Safety Policy, which identifies the key risks related to Service undertakings; b) Set out the organisational responsibilities within their Service through which the Policy will be implemented; c) Set out the arrangements which will assist to control Service risks, as outlined in the Service Health and Safety Policy; d) Ensure adequate resources are available to enable the Service Health and Safety Policy to be implemented; e) Implement and introduce measures to achieve and continually improve standards of health and safety performance within their Services in order to develop a positive attitude to health and safety amongst employees, contractors and service users; f) Implement and maintain an effective health and safety management system, which will include assessing, planning, organising, monitoring and reviewing the Page 98 of 131
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Appendix 1 measures required to eliminate, reduce or control service risks; g) Monitor and review health and safety performance on a regular basis to ensure that high standards are maintained and compile reports on a quarterly basis to the Corporate Health and Safety Committee (CHSC). h) Prepare a annual report in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety Plan, evaluating the health, safety and welfare at work performance of their Service and setting future objectives and measurable targets including performance indicators; i) Demonstrate a visible commitment to health and safety leadership by setting a good personal example to employees, Services users and others; and j) Bring to the attention of Heads of Service, Managers and Supervisors that health safety and welfare is a shared responsibility, and that they will be accountable for the health safety and well being of employees or others who may be affected by the work of the Service. 3. Although the overall responsibility for applying the departmental safety policy will rest with the Director, the responsibility for the development, implementation and regular review of the policy, will be delegated to the Head of Education. It will then be the duty of this Head of Service and thereafter of senior members of staff to whom specific areas of responsibility have been delegated, to ensure safe conditions of work for all employees and for such other persons who, although not employees, are engaged in lawful business on the premises of the department, and to obtain competent advice on health and safety matters where this is necessary. 4. Specialist advice to the Director, the Head of Education? and other senior staff will be provided by the Council's Corporate Services, Health and Safety Section, senior members of Children’s Services and other professional Education Managers as required, who will be the competent persons providing assistance within the meaning of Regulation 6 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. 5. All employees will have a duty to co-operate in the implementation of the departmental health and safety policy by: • Acting in the course of their employment with due care for their own safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work; • Co-operating so far as is necessary to enable the department to perform any duty or to comply with any requirements as a result of any health and safety legislation which may be in force; and • Using correctly, all work items provided by the department in accordance with the training and the instructions they receive to enable them to use the items safely. 7 The Director will co-operate fully with safety representatives appointed by recognised trade unions and where appropriate with representatives of employee safety. This will include the provision of sufficient facilities, including reasonable time off for training to discharge their duties and for joint consultation on health and safety and welfare at work. Page 99 of 131
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Appendix 1 8 This policy statement will be added to or modified as required and will be reviewed annually. The organisation and arrangements to support this policy will be detailed in other documents, codes of practice and guidelines which will be reviewed as required in the light of experience and/or changes in legislation. Page 100 of 131
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Appendix 1 INDEX 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………… 4 2. Principal Function and Risks…………………………………………… 4 3. Organisation and Responsibilities for Health and Safety…………. 5 4. Management of health and safety within the department………….. 13 5. Organisation for implementing health and safety management….. 13 6. Planning and Setting Standards………………………………………… 14 7. Measuring Performance…………………………………………………… 15 8. Review of Health and Safety Management…………………………….. 16 Appendix A ……………………………………………………………….. 17 Page 101 of 131
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Appendix 1 1. Introduction This health and safety policy is developed in line with the Council’s health and safety policy and plan. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that good practice in health and safety matters is integral to the operation of Children’s Services. This policy reflects the legal obligation upon Children’s Services by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (as amended). The policy reflects the commitment of the Director, Heads of Service and managers to ensure that the main priorities for action are achieved within an environment, which is safe and is not harmful to the health of employees, clients and other users of the service. The organisation and arrangements within this policy will be supported by a number of other policies, codes of practices and guidelines which will be reviewed, as required, in light of experience and/or changes in legislation. 2. Principal Function and Risks Children’s Services is responsible for the delivery of social work services to children and families, criminal justice social work, and early years, primary and secondary education. Much of what the service does is statutory; that is, there is a legal requirement for the Council to provide that service. Service delivery is a mix of universal provision (such as education), targeted provision (such as children’s houses for accommodated children and young people) and specialist support (for example, criminal justice social work court services). The service accounts for over half of the Council’s overall budget and delivers a range of provisions, such as: 50 Primary Schools; 11 Secondary Schools; 12 Early Years Centres and 23 nursery classes; 2 Schools for children and young people with Additional Support Needs; Social Work Fieldwork Teams; 4 children’s houses; Supported accommodation for young people leaving care; Criminal Justice Social Work (Fieldwork, Unpaid Work service; Throughcare; Women’s Community Justice; Court Services; Drug Treatment and Testing Orders); Fostering and Adoption services; and Kinship Care. Children’s Services has an approach which is strongly focused on prevention, early intervention and providing additional support for the most vulnerable. Whilst children’s health services sit within the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), a key priority of both organisations will be the continuation of effective integrated working. Detailed below is a list of risks (not in order of priority and not exhaustive) that, by the very nature of service provision, may be encountered: Page 102 of 131
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Appendix 1 Biohazards including COVID-19 Musculoskeletal disorders Slips, Trips and Falls Working at heights Occupational Illness such as hand arm vibration/noise induced hearing loss /skin conditions/ asbestosis Violence and aggression (including acts relating to a physical or psychological conditions) Contractors working on Council premises Work related stress (this can be influenced by non-work-related stress) Fire safety and management For the department to implement an effective risk control strategy each service is required to identify and eliminate or control all significant risks as appropriate. 3. Organisation and Responsibilities for Health and Safety Children’s Services general statement of health and safety policy is supplemented by a series of advisory documents to assist those responsible for implementation. This document seeks to define the responsibility for the individuals within the department. Further definition is contained within specific codes of practice held in electronic safety files. The requirements in this document apply to all educational establishments and children’s houses. The "Head of Establishment(s)" (or Head) as used in the document means THE person having overall responsibility for the management of the establishment / house. (a) Renfrewshire Council’s Department of Children’s Services recognises its responsibility as an employer for providing a safe and healthy workplace and working environment for all its employees and to such other persons who may legitimately be on its premises. (b) The chart attached as Appendix A shows an example of the delegation of responsibility from the Director of Children’s Services to members of staff. The chart is a broad structure and is not intended to be definitive in terms of describing all categories of staff. The sections which follow specify the health and safety responsibilities/duties of senior management and certain key personnel. (c) Directors are, so far as is reasonably practicable, responsible for ensuring the health safety and welfare at work of employees and others who may be affected by the undertakings in their respective Services. They will: Prepare and revise, in accordance with legislative requirements, their Service Health and Safety Policy, which identifies the key risks related to Service undertakings; Set out the organisational responsibilities within their Service through which the Policy will be implemented; Set out the arrangements which will assist to control Service risks, as outlined in the Service Health and Safety Policy; Page 103 of 131
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Appendix 1 Ensure adequate resources are available to enable the Service Health and Safety Policy to be implemented; Implement and introduce measures to achieve and continually improve standards of health and safety performance within their Services in order to develop a positive attitude to health and safety amongst employees, contractors and service users; Implement and maintain an effective health and safety management system, which will include assessing, planning, organising, monitoring and reviewing the measures required to eliminate, reduce or control service risks; Monitor and review health and safety performance on a regular basis to ensure that high standards are maintained and compile reports on a quarterly basis to the Corporate Health and Safety Committee (CHSC). Prepare a -annual? report in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety Plan, evaluating the health, safety and welfare at work performance of their Service and setting future objectives and measurable targets including performance indicators; Demonstrate a visible commitment to health and safety leadership by setting a good personal example to employees, Services users and others; and Bring to the attention of Heads of Service, Managers and Supervisors that health safety and welfare is a shared responsibility, and that they will be accountable for the health safety and well being of employees or others who may be affected by the work of the Service. (d) The Head of Education will assume the responsibilities of the Director in his absence. (e) The Head of Education is allocated the responsibility for the preparation, the development, the monitoring, the evaluation and the regular updating of the departmental health and safety policy. (f) Within their areas of responsibility, the other heads of service will ensure that adequate and proper consideration is given to the health and safety policies, procedures and practices of the department, and to the resources required for the implementation of strategic developments. (g) The Education Manager (Resources) and Resources Support Manager within Children’s Services and other professional education managers will advise all levels of management in matters of health and safety and will assist the Head of Education in the preparation, implementation, monitoring the review of the departmental safety policy. In addition they will assist with the following: • analysing accident data and statistics and recommending any action indicated by the results of this analysis; Page 104 of 131
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Appendix 1 • establishing and maintaining information on statutory and legislative requirements, codes of practice etc., and recommending appropriate changes in departmental policy and procedures; • monitoring in general, and assisting in the provision of an annual report on the health and safety performance of the department; • carrying out appropriate administrative duties within the department; • liaising with other departments and organisations; • attending the Children’s Services health and safety committee, and working parties as appropriate; • processing of reports from the health and safety executive and monitoring subsequent action; • assisting with accident investigation in liaison with senior officers as appropriate; • co-ordinating and reviewing training programmes for employees as appropriate; and • advising on the provision of safety equipment and clothing. Renfrewshire Council, Finance and Corporate Services, Health and Safety Officers will provide advice and assistance on such matters as appropriate. (h) The Head of Education/Chief Social Work Officer? will be responsible for the implementation and operation of the departmental safety policy, will ensure that all employees are aware of the policy and the procedures for ensuring their implementation, and in so far as is reasonably practicable shall be responsible for: • detailing the organisation through which the policy will be implemented and where necessary allocating specific health and safety responsibilities to key personnel; • monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the policy; • providing machinery and equipment which are safe and without risk to health and ensuring that all such machinery and equipment are properly maintained; • ensuring that prompt and appropriate action is taken to remedy any defects and/or deficiencies reported to him or his staff, and where the matter cannot be dealt with at his level ensuring that it is referred to the. Director of Children’s Services for action; • ensuring that systems of work operated are safe and without risk to health; • arranging the safe use, handling, storage, conveyance and disposal of articles and substances; Page 105 of 131
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Appendix 1 • ensuring that information on all relevant health and safety matters is supplied to employees and, in particular, information about hazards which may be encountered in the course of their duties and precautions which must be taken to avoid them; • ensuring that employees receive sufficient instruction, supervision and training to enable them to undertake their duties in a safe and competent manner; • ensuring that all places of work are safe, without risk to health and are regularly inspected to ensure that safe conditions are maintained; • ensuring a working environment which is safe and without risk to health; • ensuring the provision and use of protective clothing and, where necessary, control measures in accordance with departmental policy; • provision of adequate welfare facilities; • ensuring that all statutory requirements affecting the operations under his control are met. That such tests, examinations and inspections as are required are carried out and that the relevant registers, records and reports are maintained and kept in order. • co-operating fully and developing a system of joint consultation with safety representatives appointed by recognised trade unions and where appropriate with representatives of employee safety, and providing such representatives with sufficient facilities as necessary to enable them to carry out their statutory functions; • co-operating fully in establishing a health and safety committee in accordance with the general policy of the authority; • ensuring the investigation of all accidents and the reporting of such accidents; • ensuring the reporting of all major injury accidents, dangerous occurrences and the instances of industrial disease involving personnel under his control to the Health and Safety Executive and the Council's Health and Safety Officer; • developing a positive attitude to health and safety among staff by visibly demonstrating his commitment to continuous improvement in the health and safety performance of the department; and • arranging for the assessment of risks identified within his area of control; the action to be taken to eliminate or control the risks so far as is reasonably practicable; and the establishment of procedures, identified as being required by risk assessment, to deal with situations presenting serious and imminent danger. (i) The Head of Establishment/Service/House Manager will be responsible to the Director for the day-to-day running of the establishment or service and for the health and safety of the employees, pupils, authorised visitors and other users of the premises or service. Exceptions to the above relate to the use of school buildings outwith normal hours. The head will also ensure that information and instructions issued by the department are made known to all members of staff and other users as appropriate e.g. visiting teachers and will designate a senior member of staff to assume his/her responsibilities in his/her absence. The head so far as is reasonably practicable shall be responsible for: Page 106 of 131
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Appendix 1 • developing a safety policy for the establishment in accordance with the guidance given in the electronic safety file; • monitoring the effectiveness of the policy within his/her area of control; • ensuring a positive and systematic approach to fire precautions in accordance with the guidance given in standard circular 24; • providing machinery and equipment which are safe and without risk to health and ensuring that all such machinery and equipment are properly maintained; • ensuring that prompt and appropriate action is taken to remedy any defects and/or deficiencies reported to him/her or his/her staff, and where the matter cannot be dealt with at establishment level ensuring that it is referred to the Head of Education; • ensuring that systems of work operated in his/her area of control are safe and without risk to health; • arranging the safe use, handling, storage, conveyance and disposal of articles and substances; • ensuring that information on all relevant health and safety matters is supplied to employees under his/her control, in particular, information about hazards which may be encountered in the course of their duties and precautions which must be taken to avoid them; • ensuring that employees under his/her control receive sufficient instruction, supervision and training to enable them to undertake their duties in a safe and competent manner; • ensuring that all places of work under his/her control are safe, without risk to health and are regularly inspected to ensure that safe conditions are maintained; • ensuring a working environment which is safe and without risk to health; • ensuring the provision and use of protective clothing and, where necessary, control measures in accordance with departmental policy; • provision of adequate welfare facilities; • ensuring that all statutory requirements affecting the operations under his/her control are met; • co-operating with employees of other Council Departments, for example, janitors and catering staff, to assist them in discharging the responsibility placed on them by the safety policy statements of their own services; • ensuring that written emergency procedures are displayed in every work area and are regularly practiced and recorded; • ensuring that there is a formal visitor approval and recording system in place and is consistently used; Page 107 of 131
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Appendix 1 • prepare Business Continuity Plan specific for establishment to include an emergency contingency plan for temporary accommodation if return to establishment is not possible; • co-operating and consulting with safety representatives appointed by recognised trade unions and where appropriate with representatives of employee safety; • investigating all accidents to persons under his/her control and acting as the responsible person defined in the code of practice, for the reporting of accidents, dangerous occurrences and instances of industrial disease to the Head of Education; • developing a positive attitude to health and safety among staff by visibly demonstrating his/her commitment to continuous improvement in the health and safety performance of this establishment; and • arranging for the assessment of risks identified within his/her area of control; the action to be taken to eliminate or control the risk, so far as is reasonably practicable; and the establishment or procedures, identified as being required by risk assessment, to deal with situations presenting serious and imminent danger. The discharge of these responsibilities will be partly by direct action and also by delegation of duties as set out below. It is emphasised, however, that overall responsibility still rests with the head of the establishment or service. (j) Other staff in promoted posts, for example, principal teachers, senior technicians, promoted members of the non-teaching staff and section managers will be responsible to the head of establishment or manager of service, and in so far as is reasonably practicable shall be responsible for: • monitoring the effectiveness of the policy within their area of control; • ensuring through budget and requisition procedures that equipment necessary for the service or activity is maintained in a safe condition; • ensuring that statutory documents relevant to the service or activity are displayed in the appropriate locations; • ensuring that any relevant guidelines are issued to staff concerned and that such staff are aware of the contents; • ensuring that all members of staff attached to a section or department are conversant with the relevant safety procedures and comply with them; • the provision and use of appropriate protective equipment and clothing; • ensuring that prompt and appropriate action is taken to remedy any defects and/or deficiencies reported to them or their staff and where the matter cannot be dealt with at their level ensuring that it is referred to the head of establishment or department or manager of service for action; • ensuring that systems of work operated in their area of control are safe and without risk to health; Page 108 of 131
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Appendix 1 • arranging the safe use, handling, storage, conveyance and disposal of articles and substances; • ensuring that all places of work under their control are safe, without risk to health and regularly inspected to ensure that safe conditions are maintained; • ensuring a working environment which is safe and without risk to health; • communicating to the head of department or manager of service the details of accidents which occur within the section or department, including an initial investigation report and the making of any recommendations designed to prevent recurrence; and • developing a positive attitude to health and safety among staff by visibly demonstrating their commitment to continuous improvement in the health and safety performance of the department or section. (k) Teaching and instructional staff will be responsible to their designated senior member of staff, and in so far is reasonably practicable shall be responsible for: • ensuring a healthy working environment and safety of pupils in their care; • ensuring that pupils make use of safety equipment and protective clothing where provided and that instructions are given in their use; • ensuring that pupils are instructed in safety procedures; • taking reasonable steps to ensure that no pupil uses any machine or process or takes part in any activity, which is prohibited or unsafe; • report any known defect in any machine or process; and • informing their designated senior member of staff and initiating appropriate action in the event of an accident / incident. 1. Although particular responsibilities have been allocated to particular categories of staff it is incumbent upon every employee of the department to take all reasonable steps to ensure health and safety at work. It is the duty of all members of staff, whether mentioned above or not, to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of others, and to co-operate with their employer so far as is necessary to enable any duty or requirement imposed on the employer by any relevant statutory provisions, to be performed or complied with. In particular they should become familiar with documentation, routines and procedures related to safety, should make proper use of protective clothing and equipment provided for health and safety purposes and should report any defect or hazard they discover to an appropriate person. (n) Pupils, volunteers, visitors to and other users of the establishment or service are expected to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others. They should endeavour to observe the routines and procedures related to safety which are in force on the premises Page 109 of 131
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Appendix 1 4. Management of Health and Safety within the Department Responsibility for the delivery and monitoring of the policy is devolved by the Director of Children’s Services to the departmental health and safety committee. This group has the responsibility for setting and publicising the expected standards for health and safety within Council headquarters and in individual establishments. Heads of service, managers and heads of establishments are responsible for ensuring compliance with health and safety standards. To ensure that these standards are met, each establishment is expected to engage the support and commitment of employees to safe working practices. 5. Organisation for implementing health and safety management Children’s Services Health and Safety Committee The Children’s Services Health and Safety Committee meets quarterly. The group is chaired by the Head of Education? and includes representation from management, other departments and trade unions. The group will progress the implementation of the health and safety policy and action plan by: • establishing procedures to create and maintain a positive health and safety culture; • monitoring and evaluating the arrangements made for the implementation of the policy; • ensuring that employees, clients and all other users are well informed on matters relating to their health, safety and welfare; and • acting on the advice of the corporate health and safety section, ensuring adherence to current legislation and that all related statutory procedures for compliance are established. The department utilises the services of a variety of specialists including medical practitioners, occupational health specialists, welfare officers and occupational therapists, to support and advise on the implementation of the action plan. Consultation Arrangements The Children’s Services Health and Safety Committee is the principle mechanism for consultation. Its purpose is to identify specific issues and to report on progress. Information Electronic health and safety file is published on Renfo and available in all educational establishments. This serves as the main source of information and guidance on matters relating to health and safety. It is updated as required with advice from council headquarters. Managers and heads of establishment ensure that all relevant information is brought to the attention of staff, clients, contractors and others affected by the service. Communication Employees and clients are actively encouraged to co-operate with the department, not only by stating their concerns but also by highlighting good practice to be shared with others. Page 110 of 131
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Appendix 1 6. Planning and Setting Standards Risk Assessment It is important that where risks have been identified, risk assessments are carried out and adequate controls are established. Heads of establishments are required to carry out or arrange for risk assessments to be carried out as and when appropriate. Generic risk assessments, curricular and non-curricular, have been issued to education establishments (through Renfo). It is the responsibility of the head of each establishment to customise the risk assessment for their own establishment. Violence and Aggression Children’s Services supports a zero tolerance approach to violence and aggression towards staff and the council’s statement on violence and aggression to staff will be displayed in all educational establishments / children’s houses. Challenging Behaviour The development of individual risk assessments for pupils/young people who exhibit challenging behaviour is ongoing. It is important that members of staff are protected and equally, that the specific needs of children are addressed allowing them to access a full curriculum. Manual Handing Where required individual manual handling risk assessments will be put in place for those young people with mobility problems who are educated within mainstream education. Local Groups Health and safety should be discussed at local management team meetings and discussed with union representatives to examine working practices to ensure that safe working environments are maintained. Work Related Stress As part of the department’s commitment to employees' health and wellbeing, management will provide advice and support, where appropriate it is recognised that more specialist assistance from occupational health service or the employee counselling service may be required. 7. Measuring Performance Active Monitoring It is the responsibility of each head of establishment to liaise with Hard FM via CAMIS to ensure that all applicable statutory inspections are carried out within the required timescales. Joint management/trade union health and safety inspections of premises will be carried out by the head teacher, head of establishment or nominated representative with the local trade union Page 111 of 131
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Appendix 1 representative. This should also be extended to all sections with the person in charge of the establishment carrying out inspections. To support establishments in meeting requirements the corporate health and safety section will carry out health and safety audits on behalf of Children’s Services. Health and safety monitoring groups continue to assess the programmes of work in the school estate management plan to ensure a safe working environment for all occupants. Head teachers / Heads of Centre in an AMEY operated school should link regularly with the AMEY facilities management team to ensure all statutory inspections are being carried out. All property repairs and faults should be notified to the AMEY facilities helpdesk. Reactive Monitoring The performance of the department is measured centrally by recording, collating and reporting the number of accidents/incidents within the department. Statistics are issued quarterly by Children’s Services. Reports on violence and aggression to staff are forwarded directly to Children’s Services where the information is collated and subsequent action taken as required. This includes: • the department emphasises the importance of reporting all incidents, accidents, acts of violence and/or aggression to staff so that specific issues are highlighted and any particular trends are identified and appropriate action taken; • should an incident occur which could have immediate serious health and safety implications for others, establishment heads are duly notified by email in the form of a ‘Safety Flash’; • where monitoring identifies good practice the department will respond by bringing such practice to the attention of all concerned; and • the department takes responsibility for ensuring that all information relating to health and safety is disseminated to employees and clients. • Statistics on violence and aggression are issued and discussed quarterly at the Children’s Services Health and Safety Committee. 9. Review of Health and Safety Management The health and safety management systems are monitored through a variety of system as identified in 5 above. While there continues to be progress in this area we are aware that there is a continued need to monitor the implementation of the policy and ensure that all relevant staff undertake appropriate staff training. This policy and documentation produced in relation to it will be added to or modified as required and formally reviewed every 3 years unless an earlier review is prompted by significant changes in legislation, procedures or best practice. Any subsequent revisions will be circulated to all Children’s Services establishments in order that all staff can be made aware of policy revisions. Central to the improvement and revision of our health and safety procedures will be the robust implementation of the departmental health and safety. Page 112 of 131
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Page 1 of 5 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Children’s Social Work Covid Recovery Plan ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Covid 19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the delivery of most front line Council services. As we enter the latest phase of the pandemic, services should be clear about how the pandemic has impacted on them and prepare a plan to recover and return to pre pandemic standards of practice. 1.2 Social Work services in Renfrewshire have operated throughout the pandemic. We have attempted to deliver almost business as usual level of service delivery albeit with some changes to accommodate Government guidance. 1.3 In recent months, the social work management team has been assessing the impact the pandemic has had on the delivery of the service and has prepared a Covid recovery plan. 1.4 The issues which have impacted most significantly on the service relate to what can best be described as professional isolation due to limited access to office accommodation. Social Work is not a job which should be done without wider connections. We have tried very hard to promote these connections during the pandemic but believe it is best addressed by our teams spending time together face to face in our offices. 1.5 Additionally, supporting newer more inexperienced colleagues, inducting new employees, and familiarising them with policies / procedures/ who to connect with has been challenging. We have also experienced staff pressure for the past year with higher vacancies due to turnover and a national shortage of social workers which are unlikely to be resolved in the short to medium term as this situation is replicated across the country. 1.6 Our Covid recovery plan focuses on tangible actions which will be undertaken in the short and medium term. The actions will be regularly reviewed and progress against them assessed. Item 6 Page 114 of 131
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Page 2 of 5 ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Elected members are asked to: a) Note the work being undertaken by Children’s Services Social Work to recover from the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Front line services across the Council and in other organisations had to adapt extremely quickly at the beginning of the pandemic in order to be able to continue to deliver critical and key functions like social work and education. Our Children’s residential houses and Charleston Square, our independent living accommodation, continued to operate as normal. Our front-line social work teams were operating completely from home in those first weeks of the pandemic but continued to visit children and families throughout the first period of lockdown. Within a month we had opened one of our buildings with staff providing a duty response on a rota basis. The remainder of our main offices in Johnstone, Paisley and Renfrew re-opened on a phased basis from July 2020 but with significantly reduced numbers of staff being able to access this office accommodation. 3.2 This meant that most of our staff only had access to an office and in person contact with their colleagues one day a week, with contact with their supervisors being even less than this due to the rota system that was in place. Some employees joined us in the pandemic with their induction being undertaken remotely. Many of these new social workers had a very limited experience in terms of their final social work placement. 3.3 Social Work is a challenging profession with complex, relationship based tasks associated with the role. Reflection and critiquing of practice from supervisors and peers is central to effective performance. This is particularly true for newly qualified or inexperienced staff as like many other professional roles the consolidation of your learning is done “on the job” from shadowing more experienced colleagues and being guided by your manager. 3.4 Experienced social workers also require to connect with colleagues regarding their practice and to be supported by their team when undertaking complex work which often involves making life changing decisions for children and their families. Furthermore, we should not underestimate the impact on all our staff of having to undertake highly sensitive work from their home rather than an office environment. 3.5 Like occupations such as the Police, Nurses and Teachers, the demands of the job for social work staff are often mitigated by close bonds with colleagues / supervisors and the wider service. The absence of this on a day to day basis with the other issues highlighted above has made the job feel quite overwhelming at times for even our most experienced and robust employees. Page 115 of 131
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Page 3 of 5 3.6 We are also experiencing staff shortages at the highest level in the past decade. This position is not unique to Renfrewshire and is in fact replicated across Scotland and indeed the United Kingdom. The pandemic has made many people consider their future career path with the consequence being that the sector is under extreme pressure and is struggling even to fill gaps with agency social workers. Vacancy levels are being closely monitored and appropriate action taken when necessary to mitigate associated risks. 3.7 In addition to a number of vacancies, increasingly we have a workforce which is relatively inexperienced as candidates applying for posts have only recently left university. New qualified and inexperienced staff require a higher level of support and cannot be allocated the same complexity of work that a more experienced social worker can hold. 3.8 Our Covid recovery plan focuses on the following: Return to office accommodation. Launch a revised Social Work Policy and Procedure Manual followed by programme of learning events. ‘Reconnecting with practice’ training and development programme. Identify and mitigate service pressure points to increase capacity forservice recovery. Pilot an ‘Early Help’ approach to divert families from SW referral. Improve recruitment process. 3.9 We have implemented a return to our offices over the course of the past few months as we believe that the return to the office for most of our staff is essential to the service’s recovery from Covid. Staff need to re-connect with their teams and take advantage of the professional development opportunities best provided in a face-to-face setting. We have been working towards this since the beginning of March whilst remaining fully compliant with Government guidance. Employees will continue to be able to work from home, but this will be by arrangement instead of the situation as it has been that coming into the office was by arrangement. Our staff are fully on board with this and as restrictions ease, we will aim to have at least 80% of the workforce office based on any given day. 3.10 We have revised our Social Work Policies and Procedures. The new manual encompasses all core social work tasks within a child’s journey through care services. The manual is necessary to ensure practice expectations are clear and accessible to staff, and it forms the basis of all our quality improvement activity. These will be launched formally in the coming weeks and linked closely to the training and development programme. 3.11 The long period of home-based working and reliance on virtual training methods has undermined our capacity to support ongoing professional development. Our Newly Qualified Social Worders and staff who are new to Renfrewshire have not had the opportunity to be fully inducted, and they have had limited opportunities to learn from their peers. This programme of training Page 116 of 131
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Page 4 of 5 / development opportunities will ensure that staff are equipped to undertake their core responsibilities going forward. 3.12 There are currently significant demands on social work teams. The challenges related to staffing shortages and newly qualified workers are being monitored closely to minimise impact across the system. Work is underway to understand if there is scope to use our resources differently to relieve pressures and highlight options for better use of resources in the medium term. 3.13 An example of this is a pilot we are currently developing in partnership with Barnardos. This will be a pilot in the Paisley South Social Work Locality team which will look to support families on the edge of Social Work involvement in the hope that this reduces the need for them to be allocated a social worker. This community-based model of time-limited assessment and intervention works well in other areas to reduce Social Work referrals, most notably in Dundee City. 3.14 We have a high number of Social Work vacancies and there is a national shortage of applicants for Social Work posts. Work is being undertaken in partnership with colleagues in HR to ensure that critical front-line posts are filled as quickly as possible. A new process has been agreed on a trial basis with a named officer to support each SW recruitment. Weekly progress reports on recruitment are being provided to the relevant senior manager responsible for the recruitment. 3.15 The actions outlined above will be progressed and regularly reviewed. We will continue to assess if our recovery plan is addressing the impact the Covid 19 pandemic has had on Children’s Social Work in Renfrewshire. Implications of this report 1. Financial None. 2. HR and Organisational Development None. 3. Community/Council Planning None 4. Legal None. 5. Property/Assets None. 6. Information Technology None. 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. Page 117 of 131
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Page 5 of 5 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. (Report author to arrange this). 8. Health and Safety None. 9. Procurement None. 10. Risk None. 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. Cosla Policy Position None. 13. Climate Risk None. List of Background Papers ___________________________________________________________________ Children’s Services MMcC/JT/KO 23/05/22 Author: Michelle McCargo Children’s Services Manager michelle.mccargo@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 118 of 131
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Page 1 of 7 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Looked After Children and Child Protection Annual Census 2021 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Each year on 31 July, the Scottish Government carries out a census in relation to looked after children and children on the child protection register. The results of the census are published in the annual Children’s Social Work Statistics Report. The report provides information on the overall Scottish position and a breakdown of information by each of the 32 local authority areas. 1.2 The most recent Children’s Social Work Statistics Report was published by the Scottish Government on 29 March 2022 and provides information as at 31 July 2021. 1.3 This report contains an analysis of the data in respect of looked after children and child protection in Renfrewshire on 31 July 2021. The report provides comparison of the Renfrewshire information with the national position and with local authorities in Clyde Valley area. 1.4 In 2012 Renfrewshire set a strategic objective to reduce the number of children who are looked after. In addition, Renfrewshire set a strategic objective to support to support children who couldn’t be cared for by their parent to remain with their extended family under kinship care arrangements as an alternative to foster care. The final strategic objective set in 2012 was to reduce the use of external foster care and increase the internal Renfrewshire foster care provision. 1.5 The report provides trend analysis over the last three census periods and offers comments on the long-term trends in relation to looked after children and child protection in Renfrewshire since 2012. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 7 Page 119 of 131
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Page 2 of 7 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board notes: [a] The publication of the annual census in relation to looked after children and child protection dated 29 March 2022. [b] The reduction in the number of looked after children in Renfrewshire over the period 2012 to 2022. [c] The information in relation to children on the Renfrewshire child protection register on 31 July 2021. and [b] requests that the information relating to Renfrewshire’s looked after children and child protection is presented to the board on a six-monthly basis. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 A child is looked after if: they are provided with accommodation by a local authority under section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995; or subject to a compulsory supervision order or an interim compulsory supervision order made by a children’s hearing; or subject to a Permanence Order under Section 80 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007. 3.2 Children who are looked after can be looked after at home with their parent(s) or looked after in kinship, foster or residential care. 3.3 Each year the Scottish Government conducts a census in relation to the number of children who are looked after by local authorities and children involved in child protection processes. The information for the census is gathered from individual local authorities and aggregated to a national level. The Scottish Government publishes a summary report and associated tables in respect of the data gathered. 3.4 The census is conducted on 31 July each year and the Scottish Government publishes its report around March the following year. The most recent annual census was conducted on 31 July 2021 and the report published on 28 March 2022. 3.5 Throughout this report the terms “child” and “children” are used to describe someone who has not yet attained the age of 16 or is over the age of 16 but under the age of 18 and is still subject to a statutory supervision order. Page 120 of 131
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Page 3 of 7 3.6 In 2012 Renfrewshire set a strategic objective to reduce the number of children who are looked after. In addition, Renfrewshire set a strategic objective to support to support children who couldn’t be cared for by their parent to remain with their extended family under kinship care arrangements as an alternative to foster care. The final strategic objective set in 2012 was to reduce the use of external foster care and increase the internal Renfrewshire foster care provision. 3.7 In this report the data in relation to Renfrewshire’s looked after children and child protection is presented alongside the Scottish data and with the data for the local authorities in the Clyde Valley. Annual Census 2021 – Looked After Children 3.8 13,255 children were looked after across Scotland on 31 July 2021. This means that 1.3% of the population of 0 -17 were looked after. In Renfrewshire, 587 children were looked after (1.7% of the 0 – 17 population). Table 1 contains details of the number and percentage of children looked after for the last three years and the position at 2012 when the current strategy to reduce the number of looked after children was adopted. Table 1 31/07/2012 31/07/2019 31/07/2020 31/07/2021 Scotland 16,248 (1.5%) 14,262 (1.4%) 14,458 (1.4%) 13,255 (1.3%) Renfrewshire 786 (2.2%) 629 (1.9%) 642 (1.9%) 587 (1.7%) Glasgow 3,740 (3.2%) 2,523 (2.3%) 2,544 (2.3%) 2,303 (2.1%) North Lanarkshire 730 (1.0%) 850 (1.2%) 832 (1.2%) 733 (1.0%) South Lanarkshire 617 (0.9%) 725 (1.2%) 786 (1.3%) 752 (1.2%) West Dunbartonshire 369 (1.9%) 505 (2.9%) 506 (2.9%) 465 (2.7%) Inverclyde 299 (1.8%) 205 (1.5%) 223 (1.6%) 222 (1.6%) East Dunbartonshire 162 (0.7%) 149 (0.7%) 155 (0.7%) 164 (0.7%) East Renfrewshire 174 (0.8%) 102 (0.5%) 117 (0.5%) 90 (0.4%) Page 121 of 131
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Page 4 of 7 3.9 Renfrewshire had the 6th highest number of looked after children in Scotland at the 2021 census. In 2014, Renfrewshire had the 4th highest number of looked after children in Scotland. At that time only Glasgow, Edinburgh City and Fife had higher numbers of looked after children. At the 2021 census these three areas continued to have higher numbers of looked after children than Renfrewshire. North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire also had higher number of looked after children than Renfrewshire in the 2021 census. 3.10 Table 2 shows where Renfrewshire’s looked after children were living at each of the census points over the last three years and at the census point in 2014 when the strategic aims referred to in paragraph 1.4 were agreed. Table 2 31/07/2012 31/07/2019 31/07/2020 31/07/2021 At home with parents 269 190 197 160 Kinship care 193 190 212 218 Local authority foster care 140 127 125 110 Independent sector foster care 110 61 60 48 Internal residential children’s houses 46 29 16 17 Independent residential children’s houses 24 19 20 27 Other 4 13 12 7 Total 786 629 642 587 3.11 Renfrewshire is making progress in reducing the number of looked after children. The service has reduced the number of children looked after in foster care and in residential provision. Whilst the total number of children in residential children’s houses over the 10-year period has reduced the pandemic has mean that more children are placed in external houses. There has been an increase in children who can’t be cared for by their birth parent(s) being cared for in kinship care. Page 122 of 131
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Page 5 of 7 3.12 Overall, the number of looked after children in Renfrewshire who are cared for in kinship, foster or residential care has reduced from 517 in 2012 to 427. The most significant reduction has been in children placed in independent sector foster care. The number of children in independent sector foster care has reduced by 56.3% over the ten-year period. Internal foster care numbers have reduced by 21.4% over the same time period. Kinship care has increased by 12.9% over the ten-year period. Annual Census 2021 – Child Protection 3.13 Each local authority maintains a child protection register. The child protection register is used to record the names of those children in each authority area who are deemed to be in need of protection. The total number of children on the 32 local authority child protection registers in Scotland on 31 July 2021 was 2,104. This equates to 2.3 children per 1000 in the age range 0 – 15. 3.14 On 31 July 2021 there were 71 children on the Renfrewshire child protection register. This equates to 2.4 per 1000 children, just slightly higher than the national rate. 3.15 Table 3 provides information on the number of children on the child protection register at the census date on 31 July 2012, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The table also shows the rate per 1000 children for the same periods. Table 3 31/07/2012 Number (rate per 1000) 31/07/2019 Number (rate per 1000) 31/07/2020 Number (rate per 1000) 31/07/2021 Number (rate per 1000) Scotland 2,706 (3.0) 2,580 (2.8) 2,654 (2.9) 2,104 (2.3) Renfrewshire 86 (2.8) 83 (2.7) 98 (3.2) 71 (2.4) Glasgow 436 (4.4) 415 (4.1) 420 (4.2) 282 (2.8) North Lanarkshire 79 (1.3) 162 (2.6) 118 (1.9) 117 (1.9) South Lanarkshire 165 (2.9) 116 (2.1) 160 (2.9) 116 (2.1) West Dunbartonshire 35 (2.2) 44 (2.8) 66 (4.2) 57 (3.7) Inverclyde 33 (2.4) 47 (3.7) 61 (4.8) 31 (2.5) East Dunbartonshire 23 (1.2) 55 (2.8) 37 (1.9) 23 (1.2) East Renfrewshire 34 (1.9) 15 (0.8) 9 (0.5) 8 (0.4) Page 123 of 131
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Page 6 of 7 3.16 The number of children on the Renfrewshire child protection register at the census dates is broadly in line with the national rate. ________________________________________________________________ Implications of this report 1. Financial None. 2. HR and Organisational Development None. 3. Community/Council Planning None. 4. Legal None. 5. Property/Assets None. 6. Information Technology None. 7. Equality and Human Rights 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. 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. 10. Risk Risks related to the delivery and management of services are regularly monitored and included in Renfrewshire Council’s Corporate and Strategic Page 124 of 131
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Page 7 of 7 Risk Registers. 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. Cosla Policy Position None. 13. Climate Risk None. List of Background Papers ___________________________________________________________________ Children’s Services JT/KO 19/05/22 Author: John Trainer, Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice 0141 618 6860 john.trainer@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 125 of 131
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Page 1 of 6 To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Duty of Candour – Annual Report ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 All local authorities are required by the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 and related Regulations local authorities to have in place a Duty of Candour Policy. The Duty of Candour Policy ensures that local authorities are open, honest, and supportive where there is an unexpected or unintended incident resulting in harm or death to an individual using services which are registered with the Care Inspectorate or delivered by social work services. 1.2 For Renfrewshire Children’s Services the Duty of Candour extends to those services which are registered with and regulated by the Care Inspectorate and locality social work services. As a consequence, the local authority internal provision of early learning and child-care services, children’s residential houses, the registered services in fostering and adoption services, the registered throughcare service and the locality social work services. 1.3 Each local authority is required to publish an annual report on the Duty of Candour. The annual report sets out details on the number of incidents or events where the duty of candour is triggered, how the policy was followed in these incidents and any learning from the incidents. Local authorities are required to publish an annual duty of candour report even if there have been no adverse events which triggered the reporting. The annual report for 2021- 22 is attached at appendix 1 for information. Renfrewshire had no reportable duty of candour incidents during the period covered by this report. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board: [a] note that the annual duty of candour report. Item 8 Page 126 of 131
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Page 2 of 6 ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Care services registered with the Care Inspectorate and social work services in localities are covered by legislation in respect of the duty of candour. This duty is defined in the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 and related Regulations. In children’s services the following areas are required to report incidents under duty of candour: early learning and childcare services (including these services based in schools); residential children’s houses; fostering and adoption service; throughcare service; and social work locality services in children and justice. 3.2 The Duty of Candour provisions set out a range of things that need to happen when unexpected or unintended harm has occurred to someone using the services detailed in paragraph 3.1. The duty places a legal requirement on care services to inform people when they have been harmed as a result of an unintended or unexpected event from their care and which his unrelated to their illness or condition. The duty of candour policy sets out how the local authority should respond to such incidents in an open and transparent manner. It includes the process for making an “apology”, a statement of sorrow or regret in respect of the unintended or unexpected incident. 3.3 The unexpected incidents which are required to be reported under duty of candour include where someone using the service has died in the service, has sustained an injury which results in the permanent loss of bodily, sensory, motor, physiologic or intellectual functioning or these functions have been impaired for a period of more than 28 days. 3.4 Each local authority as an organisation is identified as a “responsible person” in terms of the legislation. Within Renfrewshire the “responsible person” function is discharged jointly by the Head of Service (Curriculum and Quality) and the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice. 3.5 The local authority is required to publish a report on the duty of candour as it applies to their services on annual basis. The annual report should include information on the number of incidents raised under duty of candour and the learning from these as well as information on apologies issued. Local authorities are required to publish a “null” annual report if there have been no reported incidents under the duty of candour. 3.6 There have been no reportable incidents in Renfrewshire Children’s Services in the period April 2021 to March 2022. As such the annual report (attached at appendix 1 is a “null” report. ________________________________________________________________ Page 127 of 131
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Page 3 of 6 Implications of this report 1. Financial None. 2. HR and Organisational Development None. 3. Community/Council Planning None. 4. Legal The publication of the duty of candour annual report is required under the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016. 5. Property/Assets None. 6. Information Technology None. 7. Equality and Human Rights 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. 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. 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. Page 128 of 131
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Page 4 of 6 11. Privacy Impact None. 12. Cosla Policy Position None. 13. Climate Risk None. List of Background Papers ___________________________________________________________________ Children’s Services JT/KO 18/05/22 Author: John Trainer, Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice 0141 618 6860 john.trainer@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 129 of 131
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Page 5 of 6 Appendix 1 Renfrewshire Council - Children’s Services Duty of Candour Report 1 April 2021 – 31 March 2022 All health and social care services in Scotland have a duty of candour. This is a legal requirement which means that when things go wrong and mistakes happen, the people affected understand what has happened, receive an apology, and that organisations learn how to improve for the future. An important part of this duty is that we provide an annual report about the duty of candour in our services. This short report describes how our care service has operated the duty of candour during the time between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. We hope you find this report useful. Renfrewshire Council Children’s Services directly provides a number of services which are registered with the Care Inspectorate children which are covered by the Duty of Candour. These services are: early learning and childcare; residential children’s houses: fostering and adoption service; throughcare service; and social work locality services in children and justice. Renfrewshire Council Children’s Services operates 15 early learning and childcare centres and 22 early learning and childcare classes which are all registered with and regulated by the Care Inspectorate. Renfrewshire Council Children’s Services operates 4 children’s houses which are registered with and regulated by the Care Inspectorate. Renfrewshire’s fostering and adoption service and throughcare service are registered and regulated by the Care Inspectorate. 1. How many incidents happened to which the duty of candour applies? In the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, there have been no incidents to which the duty of candour applied in any of the early learning and childcare services. In the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, there have been no incidents to which the duty of candour applied in any of our children’s houses. 2. Information about our policies and procedures Children’s Services has a duty of candour policy which was reviewed and updated in December 2020. The policy details that where something has happened that triggers the duty of candour, our staff report this to their manager who has responsibility for ensuring that the duty of candour procedure is followed. When a member of staff raises a concern under the duty of candour, the manager records the incident and reports as necessary to the Care Inspectorate. When an incident has happened, the manager and staff set up a learning review. This allows everyone involved to review what happened and identify changes for the future. Page 130 of 131
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Page 6 of 6 Where a duty of candour report is required for an individual event, the local manager reports this to the Head of Service (Curriculum and Quality) for early years services or the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice for children’s houses. As the duty of candour policy was reviewed in 2020 the next review will be undertaken before the end of December 2023. Over the period June 2022 to September 2022, a training needs audit will be carried out in respect of staff understanding of the policy. The findings from the training needs audit will inform the training programme required for the period September 2022 to March 2023. Julie Calder John Trainer Head of Service (Curriculum and Quality) Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice Chief Social Work Officer Page 131 of 131