Agenda, decisions and minutes

RESOLVED

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2023 be agreed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2023 be agreed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

That the following declaration be noted:

·       In relation to Item 4, Cllr Moore declared that she was a governor at Lewisham College and the Assistant Principal of The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, which was part of the Capital City College Group. Cllr Moore received remuneration for her role as Assistant Principal.

RESOLVED

That the following declaration be noted:

·       In relation to Item 4, Cllr Moore declared that she was a governor at Lewisham College and the Assistant Principal of The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, which was part of the Capital City College Group. Cllr Moore received remuneration for her role as Assistant Principal.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

Witnesses

Councillor Chris Barnham, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

Pinaki Ghoshal, Executive Director for Children and Young People
Sara Rahman, Director of Families, Quality and Commissioning
James Lee, Director of Communities, Partnerships and Leisure
Patricia Garner, Interim Head of Integrated Adolescent Safeguarding Service

Key points from discussion

3.1.    The Director of Families Quality and Commissioning introduced the report.

3.2.    The Director of Communities, Partnerships and Leisure explained that the Council and Safer Lewisham Partnership’s recommitment to their existing public health approach to tackling youth violence had been somewhat delayed while they awaited regulations implementing the Serious Violence Duty, although it seemed the approach was aligned with the Duty.

The Committee and its guests put questions to the witnesses. Key points raised in response included:

3.3.    The core tenets of the public health approach were providing safe home and external environments, reducing exclusions from school, promoting good attainment, delivering targeted support where required, and reducing childhood trauma.

3.4.    Existing resources were being used to develop improved data insight, including demand modelling, drawing on data on young people in the pre-MACE (Multi-Agency Child Safeguarding) process, in care or on Child in Need or Child Protection plans, engaged with Youth Justice or accessing Turnaround.

3.5.    Forty-four young people had entered the criminal justice system in the previous year. No more than five had been in custody at any one time.

3.6.    Wherever they were detained, young residents were tracked and supported by the Council.

3.7.    Between January 2019 and September 2020, the young people at highest risk of exploitation were aged 13-17 and over 55% of young people referred for multi-agency support were Black, over 75% of whom were male. As of December 2020, 31% of the borough’s population were from a Black or mixed-ethnicity background.

3.8.    Between April and November 2020, 209 people were identified as victims of county line exploitation in Lewisham, Bexley and Greenwich. 84% of those young people were Lewisham residents, 64% of whom were aged 18-25.

3.9.    One in five young people identified as being at risk of childhood exploitation was a looked after child, while one in three had mental health concerns or learning difficulties. Such young people had often suffered Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as domestic abuse. 

3.10. The Council had successfully accessed funding from the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit.

3.11. The Integrated Adolescent Safeguarding Service had been created to provide a simplified pathway for at-risk young people, where previously there had been a number of separate services with overlapping roles. The former Youth Justice Board had been largely focused on youth justice partners. The new Service would be more preventative and involve a broader range of partners, including substance misuse, primary health, schools and mental health services.

3.12. Children and Young People’s Services had very helpful, supportive conversations with the Mayor of London’s Office and was having increasingly helpful ones with the Police. As a result of the former, the possibility of a mentoring programme for at-risk young people was being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Witnesses

Councillor Chris Barnham, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

Pinaki Ghoshal, Executive Director for Children and Young People
Ruth Griffiths, Head of Access, Inclusion and Participation
Spike van der Vleit-Firth, Programme Lead for Jobs & Skills

Simon Spearman, Deputy Principal Vocational and Quality – CTK Acquinas Sixth Form

Susan Rowe, Lewisham Education Group and Lewisham Black Parent Forum

Key points from discussion

4.1.    A Youtube video entitled Post 16 options in Lewisham, in which Lewisham students gave an overview of A Levels, BTECs, Apprenticeships and NVQS, and T Levels, was shown.

4.2.    The Head of Access, Inclusion and Participation highlighted Lewisham’s low NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training figures). About 40 per cent of young residents stayed in the borough for Sixth Form.

4.3.    Simon Spearman noted CTK Acquinas was in its second year of delivering T Levels. It had expanded its offer that year and was to expand it further in the next year.

4.4.    It was important to promote T Levels as BTECS were to be phased out.

4.5.    The Lewisham T Level Forum enabled collaboration between providers to collectively offer a good range of subjects. The Council had facilitated meetings with employers such as the NHS, which had been helpful as employers were not yet sufficiently familiar with T Levels and the required 45-day placement.

4.6.    The Programme Lead for Jobs and Skills noted the Council received a lot of referrals for employment support. Lewisham Works was to promote options to 18-25 year olds in the Autumn and aimed to support 100 young people into EET by the end of the year. There were no formal eligibility criteria for support.

4.7.    The Council’s apprenticeship programme was performing well. Sixty-seven of the four-year 250 apprenticeships target had been delivered to date.

4.8.    The Council was to invest in Care Leaver internships and commission specialist Care Leaver employment support.

The Committee and its guests put questions to the witnesses. Key points raised included:

4.9.    The Council was to invest in Care Leaver internships and commission specialist Care Leaver employment support.

4.10. The NEET figures were accurate. The Access, Inclusion and Participation Service tracked the 6,500-person cohort throughout the academic year. Year 8 to 10 census data were monitored and attendance was tracked at Year 11. The Service had a good relationship with local providers to ensure it was familiar with those who were at risk of dropping out. Providers were good at providing data and information was shared between local authorities and out-of-borough colleges. The data were cleansed regularly ahead of submissions to the Department for Education. The Council usually met its annual targets in respect of the number of young people whose EET status was unknown.

4.11. Ten 16-17 year olds were receiving universal credit.

4.12. As the Council was expanding pre-16 educational provision for young people with additional needs, there was a need to expand post-16 provision. There was also specific provision for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder in non-specialist settings and out-of-borough  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

This item contains recent publications identified by the Committee as relevant to Item 4. All reports are for information only.

RESOLVED

That the reports be noted.

RESOLVED

That the reports be noted.

For information only.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

For information only.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

6.1.       The Chair noted that Committee members could send written questions regarding information items to the Children and Young People Directorate via the Scrutiny Manager. Members requested comparator data on managed transfers if available; and that the data in the three for information reports be provided in graphical format where possible.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

For information only.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

RESOLVED

That the budget proposals item scheduled for November 2023 be replaced with an item regarding holistic school improvement.

8.1.    The Chair suggested an item on Family Hubs be taken at a future meeting.

RESOLVED

That the budget proposals item scheduled for November 2023 be replaced with an item regarding holistic school improvement.