Agenda item

The Board received the performance management report for Quarter 1 for 2025-26.

The key priorities for development or improvement in 2023/24 were agreed by Members and included in the Business Plan, for the various functional areas reporting to the Board as detailed below:

· Education, Inclusion, Provision Services

· Children and Families Services

          The report detailed the progress made against objectives and milestones and performance targets and provided information relating to key developments and emerging issues that have arisen during the period. Highlights included permanent exclusions being reduced by 18%, more engagement at family centres, EHCP (education, health and care plan) annual reviews improving to above national average, and over £1.2million in cost avoidance for high-cost residential placements. There were three residential placements in this quarter which was down from 17 in the previous quarter. An ICT commission was underway for the SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) Team to reduce the backlog, and 189 social workers were trained in house.

The following points arose from the discussion:

• The Board noted the amount of progress done in a short amount of time
• Concerns were raised from multiple Board Members over secondary schools permanently excluding pupils for first time drug offences. They felt that these exclusions should only happen if there was a risk to pupil life, for example if a Class A or B drug was being supplied. Schools could be offered support to manage this. 
• In response, officers noted that the Council was limited in how they could influence school drug policies, but they were holding targeted support meetings with schools to look at frequently absent pupils and those who are electively home educated. This was to stop the ‘flow’ out of the school following permanent exclusions for ‘drug use’.
• Officers had ‘reflective challenges’ with schools to get them to reduce permanent exclusions and work with affected families on this alongside multi-agency partners.
• The Council cannot get involved with a school’s decision to permanently exclude a pupil and the final decision would be determined by the Appeals Panel (if applicable).
• Work was being done to try and make the schools as inclusive as possible to ensure that decisions being made are the best for the child. This will reduce the number of permanent exclusions.
• A Board Member praised the new Family Support Days, especially the ‘Dad Matters Days’ as they were a good way for dads to support each other.
• Regarding AI, Officers confirmed that they planned to use it to create guides and take minutes in strategy discussions and for supervision notes.
• Half the secondary schools in Halton had banned mobile phones on their premises. A lot of parents initially objected to this but there were a lot more benefits than issues raised from the bans.
• Children’s Services were expected to overspend by £2.2 million this quarter and it was very difficult for them to not overspend due to them needing to provide SEND transport, pay for agency staff and pay for out of county residential placements for children in care.
• To resolve this, work was being done to slow the growth on the number of children coming into care and recruit more foster carers. Agency staff costs had reduced from £6.5 million to £3.8 million through workforce strategies, recruitment and investment in the services.
• Regarding agency staff, the national average amount of budget spent on them was 18%. As Halton did not have a budget for agency staff, this would always lead to an overspend as social workers were always needed.
• Some funding for services came from Central Government, for example for unaccompanied asylum seekers, but this funding was limited and reduced significantly when a child turned 18.
• Discussions were being had around SEND services and transport to get needs met without a child needing an EHCP.
• Due to the demand in services and agency costs, it was guaranteed that Children’s Services would always be in a budget deficit.
• Alternative housing measures had not been considered yet due to other ongoing work that Officers were doing.

          RESOLVED:

          That the report be noted.