Agenda item

The Lead Member of the Children’s Services Select Committee, Councillor L Rice, presented the Select Committee’s final report following its review of child protection practices and policies within the Borough’s schools.

The Select Committee has made a total of 30 recommendations which are intended to build on the recent improvements that it recognises have been made in the area of children’s services across the Borough.  The Lead Member added that a key aim which underlies many of the recommendations is to encourage better working and understanding between all of the agencies involved, such as the Council, Police, Governing Bodies and school staff.

In respect of the report’s recommendations the following issues were raised:

·  Recommendations 26 and 27 relating to the risk of knife crime - The Select Committee proposes the random use of knife arches within schools to act as a deterrent to pupils who may think of carrying knives or other metal weapons.  The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor McCarthy, suggested that the installation of knife arches would portray an inaccurate message that the carrying of knives is prevalent within the Borough’s schools and he sought clarification of the evidence on which this recommendation had been based.  The Lead Member confirmed that information provided to her by the Police indicated that there were 15 weapon incidents recorded for the 12 month period to January 2011, although not all necessarily involving knives.  In addition, she had personally visited five of the Borough’s nine secondary schools where she had spoken to teaching staff, Child Protection Co-ordinators and Police Officers based on-site.  The Cabinet Member for Regeneration also sought clarification of the statement in the report that the Lead Member had been “informed by some school staff that not all incidents are reported to the police, so the true figure may be higher” and asked what steps the Lead Member had taken in this regard.  The Lead Member stated that she had been shocked by the allegations but believed them to be true as those that she had spoken to had been very open and honest, and the Select Committee had responded by making the recommendation as a means of promoting a zero tolerance policy.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits expressed the view that the proposal regarding knife arches should not be adopted until consultation had been undertaken with all secondary school governing bodies, in order that consideration can be given to the full and wider implications.

·  Recommendation 8 relating to the investigation of possible cases of child abuse - In response to an enquiry regarding the process that should be followed by school staff including Child Protection Co-ordinators, the Lead Member referred to the Level 2 and Level 3 referral routes and stated that as school staff are not professionally trained in the field of social work, all cases should be directed to the Children’s Safeguarding and Rights division within the Children’s Services department.

·  Recommendation 11 relating to penalty notices - The Chair sought clarification of the effectiveness of issuing penalty notices to parents / carers for failing to ensure children’s attendance at school, particularly in view of the current economic situation and the number that have remained unpaid.  The Lead Member stressed that parents / carers have a statutory duty to ensure their children’s attendance and penalty notices are issued as a last resort and only after considerable contact by the school and, where attendance has not improved, the issuing of warnings to parents / carers of the possible issuing of a penalty notice.  The Lead Member added that she felt it was important for there to be such a deterrent in view of the legal obligation and that similarly it was important for the Council to pursue payment where possible.

·  Recommendation 30 relating to the sharing of good practice - The Cabinet Member for Regeneration stated that he particularly welcomed the Select Committee’s recommendations regarding the sharing of best practice with, and amongst, schools.  The Lead Member gave as an example the need for greater awareness of cultural issues such as female genital mutilation. 

·  Recommendations 13 to 17 - The Lead Member stated that she was concerned that school staff have stated that they experience difficulties in their liaison with Children’s Services social work staff. 

The Council’s Head of Integrated Family Services thanked the Select Committee for its report and advised that Project SAFE, which was initiated in response to recommendations arising from an Ofsted inspection carried out in November 2009, has already resulted in a number of improvements to procedures and practices within the service.  With particular reference to several of the points referred to during this meeting, she confirmed that there is a comprehensive package of training available to all school staff, including Child Protection Co-ordinators, and the Multi-Agency Locality Teams that are now located at school sites across the Borough are proving to be a very effective means of liaison for all those involved in children’s safeguarding.

The Chair placed on record the Cabinet’s appreciation to the Lead Member for her presentation and to the Select Committee for its report and asked that the Director of Children’s Services should produce a response to the Select Committee’s recommendations, to be circulated to the Assembly, and also that officers compile the Cabinet’s response to the recommendations, which will be considered alongside the Select Committee’s report at the meeting of the Assembly on 30 March 2011.