Joint area review

Joint area review of Kingston-upon-Hull Children’s Services Authority Area

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Review of services for children and young people

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Adult Learning Inspectorate Audit Commission Commission for Social Care Inspection Healthcare Commission HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate HM Inspectorate of Constabulary HM Inspectorate of Court Administration HM Inspectorate of Prisons HM Inspectorate of Probation Ofsted

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Audience Published Reference no. All 6 February 2007 810 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the local authority or at www.ofsted.gov.uk Further copies of this report are obtainable from the local authority or at www.ofsted.gov.uk Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 1

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Main report 11

Outcomes for children and young people 11 The impact of local services 13 Being healthy 13 Staying safe 15 Enjoying and achieving 18 Making a positive contribution 20 Achieving economic well-being 22 Service management 24

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assessment report 27

Kingston upon Hull joint area review of children’s services 2

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Introduction

1. This joint area review was conducted using the arrangements required under section 20 of the Children Act 2004. It was carried out by a multi- disciplinary team of seven inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), the Healthcare Commission (CHAI), the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) and the Audit Commission. The review was undertaken according to the requirements of the Framework for the inspection of children’s services.

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Introduction

2. The review was linked to the contemporaneous corporate assessment of the local council by the Audit Commission and its findings are represented in the relevant part of the corporate assessment report.

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Introduction

3. This review describes the outcomes achieved by children and young people growing up in the Kingston-upon-Hull area and evaluates the way local services, taken together, contribute to their well-being. Joint area reviews focus on the extent to which children and young people are healthy, safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and are well prepared to secure economic well-being.

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Introduction

4. The review evaluates the collective contribution made to each outcome for children and young people by relevant services in the area. It also judges the contributions made by the council’s services overall and, specifically, its education and children’s social care services. Particular attention is given to joint action by local services on behalf of those groups of children and young people who are vulnerable to poor outcomes. Two such groups are covered in detail: children and young people who are looked after by the council; and children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Introduction

5. The review took place in two stages consisting in total of three weeks over a four-week period. The first stage reviewed all existing evidence including:

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Introduction

• a self-assessment undertaken by local public service providers • a survey of children and young people • performance data • planning documents • information from the inspection of local settings, such as schools and day-care provision • evidence gathered during the earlier Youth Offending Team inspection • briefings from staff within inspectorates, commissions and other public bodies in contact with local providers.

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Introduction

6. The second stage included inspection fieldwork. This included studies of how far local services have improved outcomes for a small sample of children and young people, some of whom have the most complex needs, and a study of provision in one neighbourhood in Myton. It also included gathering evidence Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 3

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Introduction

on 10 key judgements, selected because of their critical importance to improving outcomes for children and young people in the local area. This included discussions with elected members of the local authority and their equivalents in other public agencies, officers from these agencies, service users, and community representatives. A review of case files for children and young people receiving support from a number of local agencies was also included.

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Context

7. Kingston-upon-Hull is situated on the north side of the Humber estuary at the southern extreme of the Yorkshire and the Humber region. It has a long history as a major port and as such continues to be significant within the local and regional economy.

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Context

8. The city is the ninth most deprived local authority in England. Over half of the wards in the city are amongst the 10% most deprived areas in England and four are amongst the 5% most deprived. Its economy is growing, but the current employment rate is significantly lower than the regional and national averages and Hull is still recovering from the decline of its traditional industries, particularly fishing. Life expectancy is below the national average.

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Context

9. Hull has a population of just under a quarter of a million, almost one quarter of whom are under 18 years old. The population has been declining rapidly in recent years. One third of children and young people live in households with low incomes. Four per cent of the population is from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. The city is experiencing rapid, major social changes as its population becomes increasingly diverse.

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Context

10. No single party has overall control of the city council. The Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) operates as a sub-set of the Local Strategic Partnership. The work of the CYPSP is currently overseen by the Children and Young People’s Delivery Board, which includes a lead person for each of the Every Child Matters outcomes. The Children’s Trust will be established in 2008. The Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) is in place.

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Context

11. Humberside Learning and Skills Council (LSC) works closely with the local authority, colleges, training providers and schools in addressing the 14–19 strategy. Post-16 education and training is provided by two FE colleges, one of which is located just outside the city, two sixth form colleges, one school with a sixth form and 17 work-based training providers. Hull College is a centre of vocational excellence for construction technologies, Humber food manufacturing technology, ports and logistics, and automotive technologies. Bishop Burton College, in nearby Beverley, is a centre of vocational excellence for agricultural and equine studies. Entry to Employment (E2E) provision is managed by four different providers controlling 680 places. Adult and community learning, including family learning, is provided by Hull College and the local authority. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 4

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Context

12. Primary care for children in Hull was provided by the Eastern Hull and West Hull Primary Care Trusts. These merged into one, Hull Primary Care Trust, in October 2006, during the course of this review. Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is the main provider of acute health services. Children's Mental Health Services are provided by the Humber Mental Health (Teaching) NHS Trust which also provides services to the East Riding of Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire. The trusts providing health services for the children of Hull, including the Ambulance Service, fall within the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic NHS Trust.

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Context

13. There are no young offender institutions in the area.

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Context

14. There are 71 primary schools, 15 secondary, six special and five pupil referral units (PRUs) within the city. Children’s services are managed by a Director of Children and Young People’s Services. This is one of seven senior leadership posts within the Corporate Strategy Team reporting to the Chief Executive. Senior responsibilities within children and young people’s services are being restructured to reflect the council’s commitment to Every Child Matters. These posts will form part of the Corporate Implementation Group. An interim management structure is in place. There were 519 children looked after by the council at the time of this review.

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Outcomes for children and young people

15. Outcomes for children and young people in Hull are adequate and improving. Children and young people appear safe and they are generally healthy. The levels of infant and perinatal mortality and obesity in five year olds compare with the national averages, but rates of dental decay and teenage pregnancy are higher than average. The number of child protection cases registered is similar to that in comparable areas. The number of looked after children is high, but similar to that in comparable areas and their educational attainment is better than is the case nationally. Standards of attainment overall are well below the national averages, but the majority of 16 year olds achieve five or more good GCSEs. The level of fixed-term and permanent exclusions from school is higher than that found nationally. The majority of children and young people say they can make a difference to the way things are run at

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Outcomes for children and young people

school and in their local area. Many, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, take part in consultations and activities that influence the development and delivery of services. The level of anti-social behaviour and youth offending remains high. The proportion of young people continuing successfully in education and training beyond age 16 has risen but is still below average. A higher than average proportion of young people leave school without any GCSE or equivalent qualifications. The proportion gaining level 2 and level 3 qualifications at age 19 is low. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 5

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The impact of local services

16. The impact of local services in improving outcomes for children and young people is good. Capacity to improve is adequate. There is a legacy of underperformance, which is now being corrected. Significantly improved leadership and management over the last 12 months have resulted in a shared vision for the future and a very clear sense of where performance still needs to be improved. This is resulting in rapid improvements to performance in key services. Services for looked after children and those with LDD are good. The council and its partners seek out and use external support, enabling them to identify areas for improvement precisely. For example, this has helped with the introduction of the common assessment framework. The council’s track record of improvement is mixed, but improving rapidly. Financial management is now adequate, but improvements have been very recent and have yet to demonstrate impact. Financial planning is not integrated well within many

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The impact of local services

services plans. There is insufficient focus on coordinated preventive work in several areas, including reducing domestic violence, intervening in underperforming secondary schools and reducing anti-social behaviour. Whilst a framework for performance management is in place, the outcomes of monitoring are not yet sufficiently analytical and evaluative across all services, resulting in some plans that do not focus on outcomes.

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Being healthy

17. The combined work of all local services in securing the health of children and young people is good. Agencies work well together, for example the council and Hull Primary Care NHS Trust have jointly appointed a Director of Public Health. There are well considered strategies and plans with appropriate targets to improve the health of children and young people. Access to the community midwifery, health visitor and school nursing services has been improved by locating these services closer to local communities in Sure Start and children’s centres. Agencies provide good information, advice and support on promoting healthy lifestyles to parents and carers as well as children and young people. There is a good range of services that meet the physical and mental health needs of children and young people, including children looked after by the council and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. There

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Being healthy

are good arrangements to provide health services to asylum seekers and homeless people. However, waiting times for specialist mental health services for children and young people are long and arrangements for young people to move from paediatric to adult care are underdeveloped. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 6

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Staying safe

18. The impact of all local services in keeping children and young people safe is good. Social care services operate safely and receive good support from other agencies. The Hull Safeguarding Children Board is operating well and leading the way in improving safety for children across the city. The social care workforce is well qualified with few vacancies and no work is unallocated. Work on child protection and looked after children is allocated to professionally qualified and appropriately experienced social workers. The thresholds for accessing services for children in need are not understood by all agencies, leading to different practices. There are good quality care plans to provide social care services to children. There are examples of good work to support families who are experiencing domestic violence although interventions are not always early enough. Families in need are provided with good support

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Staying safe

in the community to prevent children needing to be looked after by the council. Those who are looked after are supported well with almost all children placed within the council’s area . Whilst most council-run residential homes perform well in terms of meeting national standards there are specific issues in individual homes that do not conform to the required standards. Residential short break services do not sufficiently promote the independence of the young people.

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Enjoying and achieving

19. The work of all local services in helping children and young

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people to enjoy their education and recreation and to achieve well is

good. Parents and carers are provided with satisfactory support and guidance, which is well targeted in the most disadvantaged areas through Sure Start and children’s centres. Support to early years and childcare providers is effective and there are enough places for parents who require one. The council has reduced the number of surplus places in primary and secondary schools and the guidance to parents for admissions to schools is fit for purpose. Almost all parents achieve their first choice of primary and secondary school. The work of school improvement services is adequate. The number of schools causing concern has reduced, particularly in primary schools and special schools, but has increased in secondary schools. Effective use of national strategies is improving pupil performance in targeted schools, but the overall attainment of seven year olds and the proportion of pupils achieving good GCSEs in English

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people to enjoy their education and recreation and to achieve well is

and mathematics remain low. Support to help schools improve pupil attendance and behaviour is targeted appropriately and helping to reduce levels of absence, but these remain high in secondary schools. Exclusions in primary and secondary schools are falling, but remain above the national average. There is good and effective multi-agency support for the most vulnerable pupils, including children looked after by the council and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children and young people access a good and improving range of recreational, arts, sport and leisure opportunities. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 7

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Making a positive contribution

20. The impact of all local services in helping children and young people to contribute to society is good . There are many opportunities for children and young people to take responsibility and participate in decision making in their schools and local communities. They are engaged in school councils and local youth forums and at a strategic level the youth parliament is beginning to influence policy development. Councillors listen and respond to the views of children and young people, making changes to policy and services based upon the results of consultations. Children and young people facing challenges in their lives are supported well by a range of effective specialist services. Vulnerable groups are served well by innovative work, for example by the rights and participation project team and the young witness scheme. Support provided to young carers is adequate, although a relatively small proportion is involved. Initiatives targeted in parts of the city are reducing rates

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Making a positive contribution

of offending and re-offending, but approaches to preventing anti-social behaviour are not consistent across the city and generally levels of anti-social behaviour and youth crime remain high. There are not sufficient education, employment and/or training opportunities for young offenders . Young people who are looked after by the council are supported well by a wide range of good services which regularly seek their views about the quality of the experiences they have had during their care. Children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are included in consultations and school councils as a matter of priority and their views are used to improve the services they use or need.

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Achieving economic well-being

21. The impact of all local services in helping children and young people achieve economic well-being is adequate. Close working between the authority, Humberside LSC, and the education and training providers has adequately improved access to a wider range of provision for most 14–19 young people. Schools, colleges and work-based learning providers collaborate increasingly well and have increased the range of options available to young people, such as young apprenticeships and vocational courses in schools. However, not all aspects of the 14–19 strategy have been implemented. Provision for many young people who leave school without any qualifications is insufficiently planned and coordinated, resulting in too little being available. The proportion of young people who gain level 2 and level 3 qualifications by age 19 has improved, but not sufficiently. Similarly, there are examples of effective work to reduce the numbers of young people whose whereabouts is not known

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Achieving economic well-being

and who are not in education or employment, but these remain high. There is enough provision for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, but support to help them progress to level 2 and 3 courses is insufficiently planned. Support for looked after children and young people to develop their economic well-being is good. Many young people benefit generally from regeneration projects, but there have been insufficient arrangements to ensure young people can participate in the many learning and employment Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 8

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Achieving economic well-being

opportunities these projects offer. Recent action has increased the amount of decent housing for young people.

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Service management

22. The management of services for children and young people is adequate. The council and its partners have developed a shared vision for Hull, including a set of challenging ambitions for children and young people which have been drawn up from a comprehensive analysis of need and are set out in the Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP). All the partners are strongly committed to working together to achieve these ambitions. Children and young people made a constructive contribution to the CYPP and very good arrangements exist to involve children and young people in planning and developing services more generally. The Children and Young People’s Partnership is organised and led well. In common with many other authorities, the development of arrangements for the joint commissioning of services and a joint workforce strategy are at an early stage. Financial management, including budget monitoring, is adequate, but budget information has been unreliable

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Service management

until very recently. Value for money is adequate, though it is only recently that there has been a sufficient focus on it. Major initiatives to reduce surplus primary school places and the use of foster carers employed by independent agencies have improved value for money. Performance management is adequate. Children and young people make an increasing contribution to it. Adequate arrangements are in place to make sure the plans are carried out and the partnership has clearly set out the resource contributed by each of the various partners. Service development plans are adequate overall, but many lack clear targets and details of funding and are insufficiently focused on outcomes. The capacity of the partnership to achieve its aims is adequate. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 9

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For immediate action

ƒ Reduce the high levels of pupil absence in secondary and special schools. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 10

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For immediate action

ƒ Ensure thresholds for children in need, child protection and entry to the looked after system are used consistently.

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For immediate action

ƒ Ensure a consistent city-wide approach to preventing anti-social behaviour and youth offending.

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For action over the next six months

ƒ Ensure prompt access to specialist mental health services for children and young people.

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For action over the next six months

ƒ Improve the transition of children and young people from paediatric to adult health care services.

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For action over the next six months

ƒ Ensure all residential homes for looked after children meet the required national standards in full.

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For action over the next six months

ƒ Ensure the challenge and support to primary schools focuses sufficiently on improving the attainment of pupils aged seven.

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For action over the next six months

ƒ Identify all young carers and ensure that those who wish to can access relevant services.

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For action over the next six months

ƒ Reduce the number of young people whose whereabouts is not known.

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For action in the longer term

ƒ Ensure short break care for disabled children effectively promotes independence.

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For action in the longer term

ƒ Ensure the provision for secondary-age pupils enables more to achieve good GCSEs or equivalent in English and mathematics.

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For action in the longer term

ƒ Reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.

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For action in the longer term

ƒ Improve provision at level 1 and below for young people who leave school without qualifications.

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For action in the longer term

ƒ Establish clear progression routes to level 2 and 3 courses for all young people, including young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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For action in the longer term

ƒ Ensure a sufficient range of education, employment and/or training for young offenders . Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 11

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Outcomes for children and young people

23. Outcomes for children and young people in Kingston-upon-Hull are adequate and improving.

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Outcomes for children and young people

24. Children and young people are generally healthy. Almost all children and young people describe themselves as quite healthy or very healthy. The proportion of babies born with low birth weights is in line with national averages. Levels of infant and perinatal mortality are in line with national averages. The proportion of deaths in childhood is average. Immunisation rates are better than the national average for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Obesity levels in five year olds are in line with national averages. Almost all children looked after by the council receive regular health and dental checks. Young offenders have good access to mental health services. Waiting times for hospital services are average. There is a substantially higher than average proportion of qualified children’s nurses in A&E. Waiting times for non-specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are average but those for

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Outcomes for children and young people

specialist services are worse than the average. The proportion of expectant mothers who smoke is higher than the national average. The number of mothers who breastfeed is below the national average. There are higher than average levels of dental decay and poor oral health. Rates of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, are higher than the national average, especially for those aged 16 to 19 years. For those under 16 the rate is broadly in line with the national average. The teenage conception rate is higher than the national average. Access to specialist assessment and treatment for young people with identified substance misuse needs is lower than the national average.

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Outcomes for children and young people

25. Children and young people appear safe . The numbers of children killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents and fires are low. The level of new child protection registrations and of re-registrations is similar to that found in comparable areas. The number of children looked after by the council is average compared to similar areas. The proportion of these children with stable placements is better than the national average. The percentage of children looked after long-term, who have remained in the same foster home for more than two years, is higher than the national average, which is good. The proportion of looked after children placed in family settings is similarly good. The proportion placed outside the city is commendably low. The reviews for looked after children are carried out within the statutory timescales. Children looked after by the council achieve better in education than similar children do

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Outcomes for children and young people

26. Children and young people achieve adequately . There are sufficient early years and childcare places for those parents who require one. The overall quality of childcare is better than the national average. The quality of nursery education is satisfactory overall and sometimes good. Children enter the Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 12

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Outcomes for children and young people

Foundation Stage with much lower than average abilities in key areas of learning. Pupils’ standards of attainment are generally well below national averages, particularly at age seven. The majority of pupils aged 16 achieve five or more good GCSEs. The proportion of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs including English and mathematics is very low, however, and there are significant differences between schools; in three almost all pupils did not achieve these qualifications. The majority of vulnerable pupils, including those from BME communities, children looked after by the council and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well when compared to their starting points and in comparison to similar groups nationally. The proportion of primary schools causing concern is lower than average, but the proportion of secondary schools inspected recently requiring special measures is above

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Outcomes for children and young people

average. The numbers of permanent and temporary exclusions of pupils is well above average in both primary and secondary schools, but the majority of pupils permanently excluded from school receive the hours of education to which they are entitled and they are often reintegrated into mainstream schools in a timely way.

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Outcomes for children and young people

27. Children and young people have a good range of opportunities to

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make decisions that affect their lives and make an adequate

contribution to their communities. Many children and young people, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make a positive contribution to city-wide consultations, such as the development of the CYPP. Youth forums, such as the youth parliament and school councils, directly influence the development and delivery of services. The proportion of young people in contact with the youth service is above the national average and the proportion taking part in youth service activities is well above average. Young people at risk of offending are supported by an appropriate range of effective and targeted preventative or diversionary activities in parts of the city. However, overall levels of anti-social behaviour and youth crime remain too high, despite significant improvements. The majority of young people believe they have a say and make a difference to the way things are run both at school

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make decisions that affect their lives and make an adequate

and in their local area. Most children and young people, including those who are looked after by the council and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, have the skills and confidence to enable them to participate in a wide range of consultation activities. Mentoring and mediation activities enable many children and young people to maintain positive relationships with their peers and others. Almost all looked after children are routinely involved in their reviews and they are encouraged to give their views on the quality of the services they receive. The level of complaints is low. Young people leaving care are supported well.

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make decisions that affect their lives and make an adequate

28. Children and young people are not sufficiently able to achieve economic well-being and are prepared inadequately for working life. A higher than average proportion of young people leave school without any GCSE or equivalent qualifications. The proportion of young people who gain qualifications before the age of 19 at level 2 and level 3 is low. The participation of young offenders in education, employment and training is well below Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 13

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make decisions that affect their lives and make an adequate

average. Participation rates in higher education are very low. Most pupils at Key Stage 4 gain work-related experience. The proportion of 16–18 year olds participating in education, employment or training is average. The number of young people who are not in education, employment or training is very high. The number of young people whose whereabouts is not known is very high. The proportion participating in work-based learning is high. The progression of young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities into post-16 education is adequate, but low proportions of these young people, and also of those from BME groups, take part in work-based learning. Almost all care leavers are engaged successfully in education or training and most live in decent housing. Access to childcare is adequate for most parents.

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Being healthy

29. The combined work of all local services in securing the health of children and young people is good. Almost all children and young people see themselves as being healthy. Children’s health is a priority for both the council and health services. There are many examples of good work that is improving the health of children and young people. Services work well together, for example, Hull Primary Care NHS Trust and the council have jointly appointed a Director of Public Health. Universal health screening is provided and a good prevention strategy is in place using immunisations. Access to general practice and primary care services is good. The effectiveness of programmes to oversee children’s health in GP practices is in line with the national averages. A major reorganisation of primary care trusts was completed during the course of this review. Health visitor and school nurse services have recently relocated to the seven area teams, which has enabled them to respond

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Being healthy

better to local needs. Parents are very satisfied with these services.

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Being healthy

30. Support and advice for parents to keep their children healthy is good. Parents and carers have access to a comprehensive range of health information and advice, particularly through Sure Start and children’s centres. Parents rate these services very highly. The relocation of the community midwifery service to local Sure Start and children’s centres provides women with good access to these services. The local maternity unit, the Bransholme area and The Lemon Tree Children’s Centre have all achieved the certificate of commitment for the UNICEF Baby Friendly accreditation. Breastfeeding is promoted well through a variety of initiatives such as infant feeding advisors and a peer support programme. The rate is improving slowly. Very good support and advice to women through pregnancy and during birth is provided by 21 volunteers through the ‘Doula’ project. The rate of smoking amongst pregnant women is

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Being healthy

not decreasing, however, despite the good range of support available. The injury minimisation project (IMPS) is well established and well used, teaching first aid to children and providing advice on keeping safe from injury. Support is also provided to parents. The rate of deaths in childhood has reduced and is now average. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 14

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Being healthy

31. Health services and the council work effectively together to promote healthy lifestyles for children and young people. Good support is generally available and targeted support is provided for children and young people at risk of poor health. Dedicated teams provide services for children and young people who are looked after by the council, asylum seekers and those who are homeless. Hull’s plan to tackle obesity has been recognised nationally as a model of good practice and most schools have achieved the Healthy Schools Standard. Children are enabled and encouraged to take regular exercise, and participation in sports in schools is very good.

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Being healthy

32. The creation of drop-in dental centres has improved access to dentists and there is, unusually, a paediatric consultant dentist. Generally, however, access to a dentist remains a problem and worry for parents.

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Being healthy

33. There is good work in schools to discourage children and young people from substance misuse, particularly through school nurses. Treatment services enable the majority of children and young people who use them to stop misusing substances, but they have had limited impact on levels of substance misuse overall. Services have correctly identified the need to work more on early intervention and prevention as well as treatment.

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Being healthy

34. There is a good multi-agency approach to sex and relationships education. Almost all schools use the service providing peer education workers for sexual health. Services have been very effective in identifying and treating cases of chlamydia, but unable to prevent the higher than average number. The number of teenage conceptions has decreased due to a clear strategy, good quality planning and actions, but the rate of improvement has slowed recently. The Teenage Pregnancy Support Service offers very good help and advice and is very highly valued by teenage parents.

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Being healthy

35. Children’s hospital services are adequate overall. Access to hospital services and waiting times are similar to national averages. A very good accident and emergency (A&E) service is provided for children during the day and includes a very good proportion of qualified children’s nurses. These services are not available 24 hours, however, services at night being provided by the adult A&E. Whilst there is access to specialist paediatric advice and support, the night time A&E does not provide an environment best suited to meeting children’s needs. Modifications are being made to improve the environment for children and young people.

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Being healthy

36. The CAMHS provides a good range of services. Young offenders have very good access to specialist services and a primary mental health worker ensures looked after children can access more specialist CAMHS if required. Waiting times for non-specialist services are adequate but, despite improvements, there are problems with waiting times for specialist services, with young people referred by special schools or from A&E experiencing long delays. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 15

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Being healthy

37. There is very good provision for looked after children’s health needs, with a significant improvement in the number receiving regular health checks. Most children get the general and specialist support they need. A multi-disciplinary team, including a designated doctor and nurse, has good links with health visitors, school nurses, social care and the Youth Offending Team. A designated doctor brings paediatric expertise to the team and sees all children for their initial medical assessment. Children who are looked after by the council have good access to dental checks. The young people’s support service ensures the health needs of young people leaving care are met.

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Being healthy

38. Health services for children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are good. There is a dedicated team. More services have been based within Sure Start and children’s centres, which has improved access. Specialist services are available for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who have mental health needs and there is good support for school pupils. Parents are involved in monitoring services for these children through the core disabilities team. Arrangements to support the transition from paediatric to adult care are underdeveloped, but comprehensive plans are in place to improve this.

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Staying safe

39. The work of all local services in keeping children and young people safe is good. There are clear procedures for making decisions and planning for the care of children and young people, which are applied rigorously in all types of cases, including children in need, children on the child protection register and looked after children. Care planning is good, supported by the CareFirst system, which helps social workers and managers to manage cases and track progress of work. Joint investigations into child protection cases are managed well because there are good relationships between the police family protection unit and social care teams in family resource centres.

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Staying safe

40. There is a well qualified and experienced social care workforce that is managed well. Workers have good access to support and training. There are very few vacancies and all work is allocated, with all child protection cases and looked after children allocated to professionally qualified and appropriately experienced social workers. This is very good. The team of independent conference and reviewing officers (ICRO) ensures good quality planning, decision making and monitoring of cases. A dedicated ICRO for disabled children has provided a strong focus on ensuring that the wishes and feelings of these children are taken into account in decisions about their future care. There is good multi-agency working for children with complex additional needs.

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Staying safe

41. Recruitment practices are safe. Criminal Records Bureau checks are carried out thoroughly. The Hull Safeguarding Children Board (HSCB) is making good progress to introduce consistent systems across the partnership, but these are not yet in place. Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) are good and there is good commitment from all agencies to partnership working. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 16

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Staying safe

The HSCB has introduced comprehensive child protection guidance and procedures of excellent quality. A programme of work to improve safeguarding children arrangements is being led by the Staying Safe Outcome Group, which links together the work of the board and the operational work of the partnership. Child protection training is targeted well to meet the needs of different staff groups, is well regarded by those receiving it and prepares them well to carry out their safeguarding duties.

p.18

Staying safe

42. There is close scrutiny at a senior level of families at high risk of breakdown. Decisions to look after children are made at an appropriate senior level. The council has built capacity to prevent children needing to be looked after through short break services, outreach support and family group conferencing. The number of children looked after by the council is reducing, which compares very well with the national trend. Good multi-agency working has improved outcomes for individual children. The council has made good progress and is ahead of where it is expected to be in implementing the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), which helps frontline staff from key agencies to work together more closely and provide assistance to families in difficulty.

p.18

Staying safe

43. The social services’ duty services, based in family resource centres (FRCs), operate safely. Initial enquiries are dealt with thoroughly and good use is made of a variety of community and voluntary family support agencies. In those centres where there is a dedicated duty social worker, duty services provide a very good initial response, referring enquirers to other agencies as needed, providing advice and information and prioritising cases for initial assessment very well. There has been a good reduction in the number of referrals and re- referrals of families who need help from the social care service. This has enabled social workers to undertake more effective preventative work. Most initial and core assessments are completed within the required timescales. However, the thresholds for accessing services for children in need are not understood by all agencies, leading to different practices.

p.18

Staying safe

44. Generally case records of families receiving help from social care are adequate with some examples of good practice. Serious case reviews are carried out in accordance with national requirements and monitoring by the HSCB ensures that recommendations are carried out promptly. There is good involvement of families in the safeguarding process so they are more likely to be able to participate actively in drawing up and acting upon child protection plans.

p.18

Staying safe

45. Fostering and adoption services perform well against national minimum standards. There are, however, insufficient foster carers to meet local needs, which means some children are not placed with suitable carers, despite efforts to improve recruitment. Whilst most council-run residential homes perform well in terms of meeting national standards there are specific issues in individual homes that do not conform to the required standards. Homes managed directly are diversifying to provide outreach support to families in the community and to Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 17

p.18

Staying safe

family placements at risk of breakdown. Complaints from children and young people are investigated thoroughly and generally resolved to the satisfaction of the young person concerned. Delays in the progress of adoption cases through the local court have made it more difficult for the council to reduce the number of looked after children.

p.19

Staying safe

46. The council has increased its provision of short break and other family support services to disabled children although the proportion of families receiving these services is too low, because there are still not enough. The fostering short-break service is of excellent quality. The multi-agency plan to integrate the delivery of services to disabled children across the partnership and to improve the range of services available is well advanced and families reported that services are now better coordinated. Foster carers are able to change registration to become adult placement carers and this has provided continuity of care.

p.19

Staying safe

47. There is excellent work at the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS trust to keep children safe. Due care and attention is given by key agencies to recording and sharing of information about children at risk of harm. Individual services have good systems for tracking missing children but there is not a consistent approach across services. The Barnardo’s Safe Choices project provides an excellent service to children and young people who have a record of going missing, with the result that all of this very small number stop running away.

p.19

Staying safe

48. Work to enable disabled young people to raise concerns about their care and treatment has been effective. The rights and participation project (RAPP) provides a dedicated worker to support and advocate for disabled children. The HSCB provides good guidance to all staff on keeping disabled children safe. Residential units do not develop the independence of disabled children sufficiently. The needs of some adult carers of disabled children are not met adequately.

p.19

Staying safe

49. There are good working arrangements between agencies, especially the family protection unit, FRCs and the Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership to tackle domestic violence, and these are reducing the associated risk of harm to children. Good work has been done in schools to help children understand and report domestic violence. Work with local magistrates to raise awareness of the impact of domestic violence on children has resulted in safer contact arrangements for children involved in separation and divorce proceedings. However, there is insufficient early intervention to prevent cases of domestic violence.

p.19

Staying safe

50. There has been a good reduction in the incidence of bullying, particularly in schools and residential children’s homes where staff have received comprehensive training. Children say they feel bullying is dealt with well in these places. The RAPP and the children’s complaints service advocate well for children who have been bullied and are well regarded by the children who use Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 18

p.19

Staying safe

them as a result. There has been sustained reduction in the numbers of children killed or injured in accidents in the home, road traffic accidents and fires. The IMPS programme, led by the health care staff, which aims to prevent accidents, and the ‘FACES’ project are examples of how good inter-agency work in this area helps protect children. The ‘FACES’ project, aimed at children who have been involved in setting fires, is led by the fire service, not often a lead organisation in work to safeguard children, working with the police and social services.

p.20

Enjoying and achieving

51. The impact of local services to help children and young people enjoy and achieve is good. Information is available to parents and carers in brochures, through the children’s information service and the council website. Good information and guidance is available to parents of children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities about the services provided, including how the annual statutory review process works. Information on the parent partnership service provided by ‘KIDS’ is useful and the service is valued by parents who use it.

p.20

Enjoying and achieving

52. The strategy for early years and childcare is effective and improving. The range of early years and childcare provision is increasing and targeted appropriately at areas in most need. There are sufficient childcare places for those parents who require one. However, not all parents believe this to be the case. This is because information provided by the council has not reached all who need it. The quality of provision is improving as a result of changes to the early years service 18 months ago. The quality of childcare has improved due to more effective quality assurance and good support and training. This has included appropriate guidance and support following Ofsted inspections, improved training on the Foundation Stage and support to help meet the needs of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Early years and childcare providers value the good range and quality of advice, training and support.

p.20

Enjoying and achieving

53. There have been improvements in the attainment of pupils aged 11 and 14 at a rate faster than average. Exam results for 16 year olds have improved significantly in the last three years and the gap to the national average is reducing quickly. However, the attainment of pupils aged seven and the percentage of 16 year olds pupils achieving five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics, remain too low compared to the national averages.

p.20

Enjoying and achieving

54. The work of school improvement services is adequate. The council’s strategy to support schools and intervene when necessary has improved and is now good. It is based on a thorough analysis of need and good use of data. Partnership working with schools is effective and well planned, targeted support and intervention is reducing the numbers of schools causing concern. The quality of leadership and management and educational provision has improved across the city, particularly in primary and some special schools. In secondary schools the quality is much more variable. The work of the service has not Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 19

p.20

Enjoying and achieving

prevented the percentage of secondary schools requiring special measures since 2003 from being much higher than the national average and that of similar areas, including two schools since September 2005. The council has taken robust action with these schools since they became subject to special measures. Experienced headteachers and local teachers have been used to give effective support to other schools facing challenges and this is valued by the schools receiving it. The council has made effective use of the national strategies for primary and secondary education. Pupils’ attainment has improved in schools receiving targeted support. The council has a thorough and accurate view of the achievement of pupils across the city. This information is used effectively with schools to target support and has resulted in increased attainment at Key Stages 2 and 3, and significant improvements in the percentage of pupils achieving five good GCSEs.

p.21

Enjoying and achieving

55. The council has made good progress in reducing surplus places in schools, which was an issue at the last inspection. Admissions procedures give appropriate attention to children looked after by the council and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Most parents get a place for their children at their first choice school.

p.21

Enjoying and achieving

56. Attendance in primary schools has remained close to the national average and that of similar areas. Absence levels remain high in secondary schools, compared both to the national average and that of similar areas. Targeted and coordinated work by the education welfare service, behaviour support programme and national strategy behaviour consultant, including the use of statutory powers, is beginning to improve attendance in secondary schools. The use of the national ‘SEAL’ programme, adapted to local needs, is also improving the attendance and behaviour of pupils in those primary schools who use it. No pupils have been permanently excluded from special schools since 2005, which is good. However, the percentage of pupils either temporarily or permanently excluded from primary and secondary schools while falling, remains too high. The reintegration of pupils permanently excluded from one school back into

p.21

Enjoying and achieving

mainstream education is good, and almost all permanently excluded pupils get full-time education. Despite this, some headteachers expressed concerns about access to pupil referral units (PRUs) and the reintegration of pupils particularly when they move from the primary PRU into secondary schools and are provided automatically with places.

p.21

Enjoying and achieving

57. The range of provision to support pupils who are unable to attend school is mainly effective. The hospital tuition service is good and the ‘schoolgirl mums unit’ is outstanding, and the monitoring of provision for children educated at home is appropriate. Records for children and young people missing from education are now satisfactory and appropriate action has been taken recently to improve the systems.

p.21

Enjoying and achieving

58. There is a good and improving range of recreational, arts, sport and leisure opportunities for children and young people, including those looked after by the council and with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Arrangements to Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 20

p.21

Enjoying and achieving

enable children and young people to access the opportunities are adequate overall. Looked after children and their carers benefit from free admission to many venues. Schools provide a satisfactory and increasing range of extended school activities. The community and voluntary sector makes a valuable contribution to improving the enjoyment and achievement of young people. Good examples include sporting, creative and educational facilities at the KC Stadium Learning Zone and the ‘Pooh Bear’ group, which helps children and young people develop literacy skills, confidence and self-esteem.

p.22

Enjoying and achieving

59. Looked after children are supported well in their education and, although their attainment is low, they achieve better than looked after children do nationally. Their attendance at school remains too low but is improving and few are permanently excluded. The children and their carers are involved in setting and reviewing the targets in their personal education plans and individual education plans.

p.22

Enjoying and achieving

60. There is good support to enable pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to enjoy their education and achieve. Statements of special educational need are mainly fit for purpose and initiated at the right time, and parents and pupils are encouraged to be involved in developing and reviewing them. The quality of information, advice, challenge and support from special educational needs services to early years and childcare settings and schools is very good. Early action to identify needs is increasingly ensuring support is targeted to young children who require it. Schools are challenged appropriately about the quality of provision for, and the achievement of, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The majority are educated in mainstream schools. Those who are not are educated in local special schools which meet their individual needs effectively. Very few pupils are educated out of the city.

p.22

Making a positive contribution

61. The work of all local services in helping children and young people to contribute to society is good . Support for children and young people in their social and emotional development is good. Effective work by schools, the youth service and voluntary sector partners enables children and young people to form positive relationships with adults and each other. Children and young people value the good mentoring and playground buddy schemes found in many schools. Young people experiencing significant social and emotional difficulties in their lives receive effective advocacy, counselling and support from services such as the Warren Centre.

p.22

Making a positive contribution

62. Children and young people who face changes and challenges in their lives are generally provided with good support to cope with difficulties. The rights and participation project team, and an innovative child witness scheme, give very effective support to vulnerable groups, enabling them to cope better with difficulties. Anti-bullying strategies reassure children and young people that their concerns are listened to and acted upon even if they are not always resolved. Arrangements to support young carers are adequate. A voluntary Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 21

p.22

Making a positive contribution

sector organisation, commissioned by the council, gives good support currently to 35 young carers whose parents have a disability, and a further 60 children and young people whose siblings have a disability are supported by a second organisation. The council rightly recognises that procedures for identifying accurately the level of need are not yet sufficient and a revised strategy is being implemented following a good consultation exercise with young people.

p.23

Making a positive contribution

63. The effectiveness of arrangements to transfer children between schools varies. Where it is managed well, schools involve pupils in induction events before they transfer at the end of Year 6. Most children reported the arrangements were helpful and supportive. A summer school for children from BME heritage and asylum seekers operated by one high school has been successful in assisting their transition and allaying worries and concerns. Transition arrangements for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is managed well at age 14, particularly because of the support of attached social workers in the special schools.

p.23

Making a positive contribution

64. The council and its partners’ commitment to involving all groups of children and young people in consultations and decision making processes is very good. Most children are encouraged to participate in decision making at a local level through good use of school councils and access to area youth forums. School councils engage children and young people of all ages and enable them to contribute effectively to decision making in school and the local community. Many of the young people interviewed had a well-developed sense of their democratic role as school councillors and they take their responsibilities very seriously. A smaller but substantial group of young people are involved at a more strategic level through the youth parliament in recruitment and selection interviews for council staff, the management of some voluntary sector provision and the development of the CYPP. There was an infectious sense of fun and

p.23

Making a positive contribution

enthusiasm among the young people at a meeting of the youth parliament. Their contribution to proceedings was impressive, taking responsibility for discussion groups and determining the priorities for action. The youth parliament gives young people very good access to key decision makers and leaders of the city. Ambitious plans are being made to include young people in the scrutiny of political decisions and policy. Increasingly, services within the city are finding imaginative ways to engage young people in the design and evaluation of services, particularly in shaping universal services, for example the history centre consultation to redesign the museum education service.

p.23

Making a positive contribution

65. There has been a good reduction in the number of first time entrants to the youth justice system. The number of looked after children receiving final warnings and convictions has been reduced significantly. Targeted initiatives to reduce anti-social behaviour are effective, with some noticeable improvements in particular areas, although levels of anti-social behaviour remain generally too high. Racist behaviour, and fear of assault, remain nevertheless a very real concern for many young people in their daily life outside school. Relationships and ways of working across agencies, such as the Youth Offending Team, the youth service, police and voluntary organisations are improving. This has Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 22

p.23

Making a positive contribution

resulted in an increase in the range of activities available to prevent young people at risk of offending becoming offenders. The community wardens and junior wardens schemes have been extended and are now making a significant contribution in all local areas, but, generally, approaches to preventing anti- social behaviour are not consistent across the city. This is now being addressed through the revitalised Crime and Disorder Partnership, improving collaborative arrangements with the Youth Offending Team and a commitment by a wider group of agencies, such as the fire service, to greater investment in preventive work. An agreement is in place to ensure that young offenders remain on the roll of their secondary school to help their reintegration when they are released.

p.24

Making a positive contribution

66. Children and young people who are looked after are enabled to make a positive contribution as a result of some very innovative approaches by the council. The rights and participation project enables young people to have their views heard. There are strong links with children living in children’s homes and the fostering service has well developed consultation arrangements in place. Young people who are looked after give regular feedback on their experience of services and their involvement in wider community activities. Councillors meet regularly with young people to listen and respond to their views about how services can be improved, including their own role as corporate parent. A good range of activities and social settings is available to children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who are looked after, including targeted youth work sessions at the Kingston Youth Centre, and good support

p.24

Making a positive contribution

67. The council and its partners ensure that young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are included in all consultations involving children and young people. Listening to these young people has brought about real changes in some services such as health, enabling them to participate in gymnasium fitness sessions along with able bodied young people and reducing absence from school by modifying procedures for health appointments.

p.24

Making a positive contribution

68. Support for parenting is currently inconsistent, although the recently developed parenting strategy provides an appropriate focus to extend existing good practice more consistently across the city. Parents receive good support through the network of Sure Start and children’s centres, and as a result many comment positively about the parenting skills courses on offer.

p.24

Achieving economic well-being

69. The overall contribution of services to helping children and young people achieve economic well-being is adequate.

p.24

Achieving economic well-being

70. Childcare provision has been developed well to provide convenient opportunities for parents and carers to develop their economic well-being through employment and training, although a few parents said there is insufficient after-school provision. Sure Start and children’s centres offer good advice to parents in the most deprived parts of the city on health, legal and financial matters and information on childcare, including some in different Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 23

p.24

Achieving economic well-being

community languages. Adequate arrangements are in place for childcare for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Schools and providers of family learning report that parents who take courses in English for speakers of other languages are more effective in supporting their children in their education.

p.25

Achieving economic well-being

71. Many young people benefit from the taster courses and young apprenticeships offered by Hull College and work-based providers, and vocational courses in most schools. Connexions provides adequate guidance for almost all young people, with some good support for more vulnerable groups. Almost all Key Stage 4 pupils gain work-related experience, however in a few schools too many pupils do not participate. The provision for too many young people who leave school without any qualifications is insufficiently planned and coordinated. The prior attainments of many of these young people are not high enough to access the basic employability provision and there is only a small amount of appropriate provision at level 1 and below. All providers expressed concern about the way in which the educational maintenance allowance is used. It discourages young people from taking up work-based provision by offering financial support to join other types of courses. As a result, these young people

p.25

Achieving economic well-being

72. A satisfactory range of courses and training at levels 2 and 3 is available to 14–19 year olds. The range has been made wider as a result of close working between the council, Humberside LSC, and the education and training providers. Since 2004, the participation rates of 16–18 year olds in education, training and employment have improved towards the national averages and the proportion of young people entering higher education has increased significantly. The quality of education and training has improved and most courses and training are of adequate quality or better. There has not been sufficient attention paid to implementing the 14–19 strategy. Significant aspects of the strategy have not been implemented. For example, there is too little provision at level 1 or below for those young people who leave school without nationally recognised qualifications. The council and its partners have established very recently new arrangements for partnership working to improve

p.25

Achieving economic well-being

the monitoring of progress with the 14–19 strategy, but these have not yet had sufficient impact and the roles, responsibilities and reporting arrangements of the new structures are insufficiently clear. As a result, key outcomes remain low.

p.25

Achieving economic well-being

73. Regeneration projects, such as the development of the colleges’ sites, children’s centres and museums have benefited young people. For example, 3,000 young people from more deprived communities have enjoyed free visits to The Deep.

p.25

Achieving economic well-being

74. The availability of supported accommodation for young parents has increased and helped these young people to concentrate on their education and training. The work of the young people’s support services is good in assessing and supporting various needs, including housing needs, for vulnerable young Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 24

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Achieving economic well-being

people, especially those who leave care, are new arrivals, refugees or asylum seekers. The average length of stay in bed and breakfast accommodation is generally decreasing and is now similar to the national average. However, the information about the housing situation for young people is maintained within several different departments, which does not enable services overall to know how many young people are in poor or weak housing and take effective action quickly. The council, social housing providers and voluntary organisations are now collaborating adequately to improve the amount of decent homes for young people, but, despite recent improvements, the levels of decent housing for young people are insufficient.

p.26

Achieving economic well-being

75. Support for the transition of looked after children and young people to develop their economic well-being is good. Many who engage in education or training after age 16 progress and achieve well, and a few progress to higher education. The council has improved arrangements to enhance the employability skills of looked after children aged 14–16 by reserving work placements for these young people. The young people’s support service provides good support for children who are looked after by the council, who have substance dependencies, who are involved with the justice system, or have behaviour difficulties and lack finances. It offers emergency support payments, emergency housing and help with travel to young people when needed.

p.26

Achieving economic well-being

76. The support for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is adequate. Almost all of these young people have satisfactory transition plans to move into post-16 education and training, although a few say that they do not find their plans accurately reflect their needs. There is enough provision for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, but support to help them progress to level 2 and 3 courses is insufficient. The council recognises the problem and is working adequately with its partners to improve this. Some headteachers and a small number of parents expressed concerns about the quality of support and information when young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities transferred to adult services at age 19. The level of direct payments to the families and carers of these young people is comparatively low, but has improved significantly and is now adequate. Careers advice and

p.26

Achieving economic well-being

guidance for these young people is generally adequate overall.

p.26

Service management

77. The management of services for children and young people is adequate. The council and its partners have high ambitions for the children and young people in the city, which are set out clearly in the CYPP. Councillors and senior officers make it very clear that children and young people are a priority in their plans for improving services.

p.26

Service management

78. The vision set out in the CYPP is challenging. It is the result of a comprehensive analysis of need and reflects the formidable problems the city faces. There is a high level of commitment to the vision from the council and all Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 25

p.26

Service management

its partners. There are very good arrangements for involving children and young people in planning and developing services. They took part in drawing up the CYPP and their contribution made a difference, including the separation of ‘enjoying’ and ‘achieving’ to create six outcomes for the plan rather than the five specified nationally. Generally, staff at all levels understand the vision and were closely involved in agreeing it, although some headteachers have not felt involved enough, despite several consultation events and opportunities organised by the council.

p.27

Service management

79. Prioritisation to improve outcomes for children and young people is adequate. All partners have been involved in drawing up the priorities. Adequate arrangements are in place to make sure that plans are carried out and that service providers explain how well they are doing. However, service development plans currently vary in quality. Sometimes targets and details of funding are missing and plans do not always focus enough on outcomes. The connection between service planning and financial planning has not been close enough until this year.

p.27

Service management

80. The CYPP sets out the resources to be contributed by the different organisations clearly. The council allocates resources in accordance with the priority given to children’s services. For example, it has moved resources to particular projects, such as the ‘Transforming Our Primary Schools’ programme, which has resulted in fewer surplus places, and to improve provision for children looked after by the council. The council made it a priority to improve educational standards in secondary schools, the key recommendation at the last inspection of the local education authority, and results have improved significantly.

p.27

Service management

81. The capacity of the council and its partners to achieve their wide ranging programme for change is adequate. The Children and Young People’s Partnership is well established, with suitable membership and governance. The Director of Children’s Services provides strong and inspiring leadership, which is bringing rapid improvements. As a result of recent restructuring, the council’s children’s services are now focused well on meeting the priorities in the CYPP. Performance appraisal is well established for all council staff. The commitment to partnership is demonstrated well by the funding of two senior posts jointly by the council, the health service and voluntary organisations. Other partners have adopted the same geographical areas as the council on which to base services and some benefits are already evident, for example in the location of midwifery services.

p.27

Service management

82. The partnership has set out how it will approach the commissioning of services and the development of the workforce, but, as in many authorities, the implementation of these new approaches is at an early stage. An outline joint commissioning strategy helpfully sets out key principles. A draft joint workforce strategy has identified priorities for action, based on an analysis of data and core skills. The council manages its workforce well, for example the record on Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 26

p.27

Service management

recruiting and keeping social workers is good, and the effectiveness of the human resources section has improved significantly over the last year.

p.28

Service management

83. Financial management is adequate. Budget monitoring procedures are now adequate, but information has been unreliable until very recently. The council has tackled these problems systematically so that procedures are now adequate. Spending on children’s services is significantly over budget in 2006/07, because anticipated savings have not been achieved. While this has not been the case in previous years, there have often been significant variations within individual budgets. However, support for schools in managing their budgets is effective and well regarded. The council introduced a scheme to deal with excessive surpluses in school budgets and these are now well below average in primary schools. Only one secondary school has had a significant deficit and this has reduced substantially.

p.28

Service management

84. Value for money is adequate. The council has taken deliberate action to improve value for money, for example by reducing the number of surplus primary school places and the number of placements with foster carers employed by independent agencies, but there has not been sufficient focus on value for money in all services. The council has recently started to look more carefully at value for money, using some helpful techniques including ‘value for money scorecards’, which provide for systematic analysis.

p.28

Service management

85. Performance management is adequate. Performance information is used to support improvements in services, but it is not always analysed or evaluated rigorously enough or linked clearly with financial monitoring. Where it is done well, it is based on comparing performance with other areas and has resulted in improvements, for example a decrease in the number of looked after children, a drop in the rate of new registrations on the child protection register and improvements in attainment of pupils at the ages of 14 and 16. Productive links with two universities are helping the council to develop performance management and to understand better when it is appropriate to intervene in the lives of children and young people. Children and young people are effectively involved in performance management. For example, the youth parliament receives regular performance reports and there are good procedures for dealing with and learning from children’s complaints. The council’s scrutiny

p.28

Service management

process is also making use of the views of children and young people. Scrutiny makes an adequate contribution to the performance management of children’s services. The partnership has produced a framework for performance management which provides a good foundation for embedding a common approach, but it is recent and not yet widely understood. Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 27

p.28

section of the corporate assessment report

1. The council is performing adequately in the provision of services for children and young people. Outcomes for children and young people are adequate and improving. The degree of ambition shown by the council and its partners for children and young people is good. All partners are committed fully to jointly agreed aims for young people. The council’s track record of improvement is mixed but improving rapidly. There is a very clear awareness of what still needs to be done. There are good examples of the council working with voluntary and community organisations to increase opportunities for young people. An integrated strategy for commissioning children’s services has been developed but not yet had sufficient time to have an impact. Value for money is adequate.

p.29

section of the corporate assessment report

2. The management of services for children and young people is adequate. The Director of Children’s Services provides strong and inspiring leadership, which is bringing rapid improvements. Priorities in the Children and Young People’s Plan have been drawn up from a comprehensive analysis of need. Financial management, including budget monitoring, is adequate. Service development plans are adequate overall, but some are insufficiently focused on outcomes and lack details of funding. There are adequate arrangements for managing performance and children and young people contribute increasingly to it.

p.29

section of the corporate assessment report

3. Overall, children and young people are generally healthy. Agencies are working together well to improve the health of children and young people. They, along with their parents and carers, have access to good information on healthy lifestyles. A good range of services meets the physical and mental health needs of children and young people, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and looked after children, asylum seekers and those who are homeless.

p.29

section of the corporate assessment report

4. The work of all local services in keeping children and young people safe is good. Children and young people appear safe. Social care services work effectively and there is no work unallocated. Good work is done to support families in the community and prevent children needing to be looked after. The number of children looked after by the council remains high, but is reducing.

p.29

section of the corporate assessment report

5. The work of all local services in helping children and young people to enjoy their education and recreation and to achieve well is good. Children and young people achieve adequately. Standards of attainment are lower than average but improving and the majority of 16 year olds achieve five or more good GCSEs. Almost all parents achieve their first choice of primary and secondary school. The work of school improvement services in schools causing concern is improving the quality of provision, particularly in primary and special schools. Attendance in primary schools is average, but pupil absence in Kingston-upon-Hull joint area review of children’s services 28

p.29

section of the corporate assessment report

secondary and special schools is high, though reducing. Pupil exclusions in primary and secondary schools are well above average, but also reducing. There is good support for the education of the most vulnerable pupils, including children looked after by the council and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children and young people have access to a good and improving range of recreational, sport and leisure opportunities.

p.30

section of the corporate assessment report

6. The impact of all local services in helping children and young people to contribute to society is good. There are many opportunities for children and young people, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, to take responsibility and participate in decision making in their schools and local communities. Their views are being used to improve services. Vulnerable children and young people are well served by innovative work, for example by the rights and participation project team and the young witness scheme. Levels of anti-social behaviour and youth crime remain high but targeted initiatives in parts of the city are reducing rates of offending and re-offending.

p.30

section of the corporate assessment report

7. Children and young people are provided with adequate support to achieve economic well-being. Schools, colleges and work-based learning providers collaborate increasingly well and have increased the range of options for young people, such as young apprenticeships and vocational courses in schools. The provision for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is adequate. However, too many young people leave school without nationally recognised qualifications. The numbers of young people not in education, employment or training and those whose whereabouts is not known are too high.

p.30