Minutes of Meeting of the Norfolk Safeguarding
Children Board – Board Meeting
25 April 2016
Hethel Engineering Centre, Hethel, Norwich
1.30 - 4.30 pm
Welcome and IntroductionsDA welcomed everyone and thanked members for coming to this postponed date.
List of attendees and apologies attached as Appendix 1
- Matters arising from the previous minutes
Please note that all reports/presentations shared in advance of the meeting were distributed as Board Papers. Copies can be obtained from Helen Stubbs on request.
2.National and local developments
Ofsted Inspection Framework
DA gave an overview of the Ofsted Children’s social care inspections document as members need to be aware of the types of inspections carried out, i.e.
- Single Inspection Framework, including review of LSCB
- Joint Targeted Area Inspections (JTAIs) on themes; currently CSE
- Targeted LA inspections – to be used when Ofsted has a concern about an LA
There are also early indications that CDOP will sit under Public Health in the future. DA will advise when details have been finalised.
LSCG and Advisory Groups
DA and AM have been meeting with LSCG Chairs regularly and are looking at developing pages for each LSCG within our website which will include a calendar of events for each area, lists of members and any local news. AM and HS met with Robert Cole from the West LSCG last week to plan what information will go on the pages. Once the West page is set up, we will add the other localities and populate.
AM and DA will also be working with LSCGs to collate audit activity within the LSCGs.
There is currently a gap with Early Years engagement and AM has met with Jo-Anne Lamb, Senior Adviser for Early Years Learning, and put together aproposal for Board for agreement/endorsement to set up an Early Years Advisory Group. Board members agreed this was a good idea in light of the current SCRs that are dealing with early help and neglect. It would be important to include Health Visitors and the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme in this Advisory Group. Proposal was agreed with the caveat that Community Health is represented.
Action Points:
- AM to set up the initial meeting for this new advisory group
- CCS & NCHC to advise on reps to sit on EYAG
A summary of Serious Incidents (SI) was shared. A challenge was made around definition of a SI as agencies may have different criteria and process for reporting.
AP – CS to provide AM with the definition of a YOT SI
Incidentsraised through the Coroners Court (Regulation 28 reports) are also included in the SI Log.
DA recognised that partners need to exercise professional judgement when deciding if an SI needs to be escalated to Board. AM stated that good progress has been made so far with regard to the Board being notified. / AM
CH/MR
CS
- Performance, Information and QA Group: next steps
AP - AM will review the Terms of Reference for PIQAG.
DA asked if these proposals to reform PIQAG are sufficient. Feedback was:
- NR asked if audit/analysis in each agency will be brought back to Board via the Advisory Groups and PIQAG. AM advised that single agency audits will be included in the forward planning for reporting
- SS queried why Education is not included in the PIQAG membership. AM confirmed that Education data is focused on attainment and there is relatively little information available on safeguarding in schools. Work needs to be carried out on the way schools collect safeguarding performance information and Board needs to be more directive by asking specific questions. This was discussed at EAG last week. JT agreed to be the Education rep for PIQAG to help work on what data can be made available. CB asked for exclusion data to be included and to think about the financial impact on health as psychological help providers. It was noted that Children who are on role but only receiving 1-2 hours of education per week needs to be recorded.
The second part of the paper provided commentary on the neglect dashboard. AM talked through the commentary and groups discussed the 10 performance indicators (PIs) with regard to prevalence, pathways and commissioning.
Comments included:
Prevalence
- There needs to be national comparators.
- Rates would be more relevant rather than absolutes.
- Need to know what Health can tell us.
- Needs to be more correlation between the chart (PI7) and the map (PI10).
- How do we know that what we are doing around neglect is helping?
- Include number of children going into care because of neglect.
- Training: data on cause and effect e.g. GCP trained staff, increased number of champions.
- Drill down into areas of deprivation.
- Breakdown – clarity about areas (not too much detail in charts).
- How can we map services against prevalence?
AM
- Update on Board priorities
GCP Survey results
A question was raised as to why staff are not using GCP tool when it has been agreed as a Board that this should be used. It should not be a choice whether to use it or not and this needs to be enforced by agencies as it clearly states in the Neglect Strategy that the tool has to be used. It would be useful to know which agencies are not using the tool, and why, so that each agency can challenge their staff and address this issue.
DA acknowledged that the survey outcomes raised concerns about staff capacity and buy in. Also acknowledged that for this tool to align better with the SoS framework the scoring tool will need to be adjusted.
5.Section 11 outcomes
NR thanked everyone who participated in the audit. She highlighted some the findings:
- Positive moves forward this year.
- Good practice shown over the eight standards.
- Early Help Hubs have made lots of good progress and created a lot of noise/interest.
- The Board needs to look at levels of training – who, where, why, when?
- Lots of individual improvement around the voice of the child but more work needs to be done as partners.
- Priorities need to be moved forward and sit within LSCGs/Advisory Groups.
- There are several new cross-cutting issues and partners need to work on embedding these.
There is a meeting with the Voluntary Sector on 28.4.16 to walk them through the self-assessment process.
DA formally recorded his thanks for all the work that NR has done to complete this review and advised that the findings will provide strong evidence for the Annual Report this year. / NR/DA
6.Threshold Update
AM gave an overview of the paper and the final draft of the guide was handed out. Once approved this will be sent to print and the full illustrated version and a text only version will be uploaded to our website.
The illustrator has also been commissioned to create a 3 minute animation of the guide which will be ready for the workshops to launch the guide at the end of June; the animation will also be uploaded to our website.
AM advised of the dates of the locality based threshold workshops as below:
Wednesday 22nd June / 1.00pm-4.30pm / Great YarmouthRacecourse
Thursday 23rd June / 9.30am-1.00pm / The Links Hotel,West Runton
Monday 27thJune / 1.00pm-4.30pm / Park Hotel, Diss
Tuesday 28thJune / 9.30am-1.00pm / Green Britain Centre,
Swaffham
Wednesday 29thJune / 9.30am-1.00pm / Abbey Conference
Centre, Norwich
Thursday 30thJune / 9.30am-1.00pm / West Norfolk PDC,
Kings Lynn
DA invited comments and requested endorsement from the Board. EM advised that the document was very appealing and family friendly; the illustrations made her want to pick it up and read it and were a useful visual aid to explaining the content: “it looks brilliant and is very easy to read”. Board endorsed the final illustrated version of the Threshold Guide.
AM asked that all Board members support with the next steps for the Threshold Guide in terms of promoting locality workshops, modelling behaviours, and measuring the difference within their own organisations. Possible measures/targeted audits discussed at Leadership Group around measuring difference were:
- Assessments that were closed under NFA
- Re-referral rates
- Needs met, i.e. confirming that child/ren got the right service as a result of the referral
- Agenciesto disseminate the final document to their staff.
- Agencies to feedback at the next meeting in June on what measures they will be taking on how the guide will be used and report to each meeting the outcomes/impact once in use.
- AM to ensure that measures agreed will be included in the PIQAG surveillance dashboard
Other comments from partners
- Final version needs to be taken to MASH to ensure they are clear on how it should be used.
ALL
AM
AM
7.Improvement Plan and Looked After Children
Improvement Plan
CM gave an update on the Improvement Plan advising that Children’s Services are in dialogue with the DfE about their improvement and next steps. Ofsted are now offering monthly improvement meetings and the first of these meeting will happen mid-May. The form of these meetings will probably focus on intensive activity within Children Services teams and dip sampling cases. CM will advise partners if they will be required to participate in these meetings.
Improvements noted to date include:
CARE LEAVERS:
- Clear Keeping In Touch procedures and the leaving care offer is much clearer
- 90% of care leavers now have a leaving care plan.
- Weekly Pathway plan audits undertaken by QA Team
- Pathway plans briefing and training for care leaver staff
- IRO capacity has improved.
- Now measuring the quality of PEPs on termly basis: 79% completed at end of spring term which represents significant improvement
- e-PEP is now live.
- Linked with Essex and Leeds to develop best practice
- Monitoring groups are now scrutinising permanence plans and a Permanence Panel started on 31.3.16 and they will have looked at all the plans by the end of June.
- Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly is supporting the development ofthe Norfolk Social Care Academy, as recommended by Dave Hill, to establish a systematic approach to recruitment, retention and staff development
LAC and Leaving Care Strategy
CM talked through her PowerPoint on the LAC and Leaving Care Strategy. CB wanted it noted that Children’s Services had not discussed/consulted with Health prior to publication of the strategy; CB raised this with Children’s Services and waited 2 months for a response. DA stated that he had asked in December for partnership working to be carried out on this strategy, including setting the vision, and is very disappointed that this has not happened. He has made it clear that the process for improvement needs to be multi-agency and will continue challenging on this point.
Comments on the PowerPoint included:
- Need to develop a strategy action plan and this needs to be multi-agency not just Children’s Services.
- Need to look at accessibility, particularly for children with disability
- Need to look at out of county LAC children who are placed in Norfolk as their care needs are dealt with by Norfolk agencies.
LAC Statutory Health Assessments
ABg gave an overview of the paper. The situation now is that CCG’s have jointly commissioned a project officer to look at LAC health assessments, including quantity and quality. NCH&C have worked very hard to ensure that all outstanding health assessments are up-to-date.
AP – Children’s Services and Health to report back on LAC, with a specific focus on health assessments, including performance information on:
- Quantity
- Quality and
- Drilldown on LAC placed out of county
8.Innovations Project
Mark Osborn gave an overview of the project and the final report.
There will be an audit carried out in September across the 3 LSCBs involved to measure the impact which will be reported back to Board once it has been completed.
DA congratulated Mark Osborn and Jurate Trumpickiene in pulling together the report and completing the project in a relatively short space of time.
MO handed out some leaflets on Cultural Competency (attached); he highlighted the training information on the back page and asked for partners to disseminate to their agencies.
Comments
- What we are doing with the report now? DA asked for partners to embed into their agencies and Advisory Groups. Noted that Mark had presented to the West LSCG and InTran and the information had also been shared with the Eastern Region Sector Led Improvement task & finish group working on cultural competence. AM continues to work with Peterborough and Cambridgeshire to ensure meaningful legacy through ongoing training.
- What is happening with difficulties around communication with Eastern European families? CC advised that Momentum Norfolk has started on improving this within agencies and MO advised that a further leaflet will be produced for families. JW advised that there is already a leaflet called ‘Welcome to Norfolk’ and it would be good to use this when creating a new families leaflet: this is a 2-sided issue because we need to work with families to ensure they have a better understanding of safeguarding as well as the practitioners.
9.Information Sharing
Nick Davison submitted the Information Sharing Report Executive Summary for information only.
10. Private Fostering Annual Report
The Private Fostering Annual Report was circulated with Board papers. DA confirmed that Board endorsed the findings and recommendations.
Meeting finish time: 4.35pm
Date, time and venue of next meetings:
Monday 20th June 2016 – 1.00 pm for 1.30 pm start
Venue:Hethel Engineering Centre, Chapman Way,
Hethel, Norwich NR14 8FB
Minute taker’s contact details:
Helen Stubbs, Business Support Lead, NSCB, Room 60,
County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DH
Tel 01603 228966 Email
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Appendix 1
ATTENDEES:
NSCB
David Ashcroft (DA)NSCB Independent Chair
Abigail McGarry (AM)NSCB Board Manager
Helen Stubbs (HS) (Minutes)Business Support Lead, NSCB
Norfolk County Council
James Joyce (JJ)Cabinet Member, Children’s Services
Cathy Mouser (CM)AD: Children’s Social Work
Andrea Brown (AB)Principal Social Worker, Children’s Services
Carol Manning (CMa)Head of Partnerships & LSCG Chair, Kings Lynn
Suzanne Meredith (SM)Public Health Rep
Health
Cath Byford (CB)Great Yarmouth & Waveney CCG
Anita Bagge (ABg)Designated Nurse, Great Yarmouth & Waveney CCG
Catherine Knox (CK)Designated Nurse for Safeguarding, NHS
Norfolk & Waveney
Sarah Steel (SS)Designated Doctor, Norfolk & Waveney NHS
Saranna Burgess (SB)Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust
Emma McKay (EM)Norfolk & Norwich NHS Foundation Trust
Caroline Halls (CH)Cambridgeshire Community Services Rep
Maria Richardson (MR)Norfolk Community Health & Care Rep
Debbie Beresford (DB)Deputy Director of Quality & Nursing, NCH&C
Simon Chase (SC)East of England Ambulance Service NHS
Education
Susan Booth (SBo)Norfolk Specials Schools Association rep &
Headteacher, Parkside School
Helen Richardson-Hulme (HRH)FE Rep, City College Norwich
Jonathan Taylor (JT)Secondary School rep, & Principal, Wymondham College
District Councils
Bob Cronk (BC)Norwich CityCouncil Rep
Mike Pursehouse (MP)South Norfolk DC Rep
Richard Block (RB)Broadland DC Rep& Chair DC Advisory Group
Agencies reporting to MoJ
Julie Wvendth (JWv)Norfolk Constabulary
Chris Small (CS)Service Manager, Youth Justice, Children’s Services
Jackie Foden (JF)National Probation Service Rep
Voluntary Sector
Sandra Wilson-Low (SWL)Stonham Home Group & LSCG Chair, West
Lay Member
Natasha Rennolds (NR)Independent Lay Member
APOLOGIES:
NCCMichael Rosen
Don Evans
Gordon Boyd
Tracy Whittaker
Paul Corina
Lorna Bright
Louise Smith / Director of Children’s Services
AD of Children’s Services, Performance, Planning & Quality Assurance
AD of Children’s Services, Education
Head of Social Care & LSCG Chair, East
Head of Social Care & LSCG Chair, City
AD of Adults Social Carre
Director, Public Health
Education
Becky Quinn
Jane Worsdale / Head, St John Community Primary & Nursery & LSCG Chair, North
Chair Education Advisory Group & Headteacher,
Dussindale Primary School
Health
Mavis Spencer
Mandy Renton
Anna Morgan
Catherine Morgan
Lucy Parsons
Rebecca Hulme / NHS England
Cambridgeshire Community Services
Norfolk Community Health & Care
QEH Rep
Deputy Designated Nurse, NHS Norfolk & Waveney
Great Yarmouth & Waveney CCG
District Councils
Laura McGillivray
Ray Harding
David Neville
Sheila Oxtoby / CEX, Norwich City Council
CEX, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council
South Norfolk DC Rep & LSCG Chair, South
CEX, North Norfolk DC
Agencies linked to the MoJ
Nick Davison
Vincent Callaghan
Judith Blackman
Julia Sharp
Charlotte Belham / Norfolk Constabulary
CAFCASS
National Probation Service
The Norfolk & Suffolk Community Rehabilitation
Company Limited (CRC)
The Norfolk & Suffolk CRC
Voluntary Sector
Cindee Crehan
Tim Sweeting / CEO, Momentum Norfolk
Chair, Voluntary Sector Forum
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