Agenda item

Officer report on Early Help attached.

6.1  Pauline Armour, Head of Service, Early Help (interim) and Kerry Crichlow, Director Strategy & Commissioning, presented the paper on Early Help. The chair then invited questions.

6.2  A member asked for comment on ‘transitions’, as nationally these are recognised as problematic times and when things can go wrong. The Head of Early Help responded that there has been a focus on the transition from Early Years to primary school. Officers have been contacting Early Years practitioners and encouraging them to flag up any issues with schools, even if they do not reach a threshold, such as safeguarding, but are just issues and concerns. This has been much more effective. Primary school transition to secondary schools is much more challenging as there are 100s of children going to schools throughout London. The service is particularly looking at young people with mental health issues or social problems, where the needs are not so obvious.

6.3  The Director was asked about cases where a young person in need and has many agencies involved and officers explained that there is usually a lead person, and there also might be a ‘team around a child’.

6.4  Officers were then asked about the ‘step down’ process. The Head of Early Help said that the council is doing work on this. If a social worker wants to do a step down then this would be discussed with the duty social worker and then this would be followed by a team around the child meeting. This would be recorded, and the outcomes and progress monitored. A member asked if schools would be involved and the officer responded that they would; schools are a first port of call.

6.5  A member asked for an explanation on the resources involved and total spend The officer responded that universal services would be easier to cost  and social care know prevention is can save significant sums - for example preventing a child going into the care can save a quarter a million pounds a year . This is exactly the right challenge to invest in prevention, though this is challenging now with less money. Officers explained there is funding to set up pupil development units which are still going and this programme helped the move to zero exclusions at primary schools. It is harder with secondary schools – the council have welfare officers but some academy chains have there own welfare services that the council are seeking to engage more with.

6.6  Officers were asked for more information about primary school exclusions and they explained that there have been no exclusions at primary schools for 6 years, but they were never that high and ranged between about 6, 8 and 12 a year. The council is now working with schools to reduce fixed term exclusions, but that is not always easy.

6.7  The head-teacher representative commented that it cost a secondary school around £20,000 to purchase ‘traded’ services. Officers were asked what their response would be if a young person comes through from a non-trading school and they explained that they are very reluctant to turn a child away and they usually look for siblings, for example, and then Early Help will do family support work. Officers reported that the council is engaging more with schools .The Harris Academy dose not trade, nor does Charter - but we do have a close relationship. Trading is variable, Kingsdale and the Globe are doing more with the council and we are very pleased with that.