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2024 Board meeting summaries

Please click on the plus icon of each header to read the Board meeting summary for the given date.

Update from the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

MS provided an update from the Audit and Risk Committee, which met the previous week, with the following key points:

  • There were positive reviews from internal audit partners with a good trajectory in terms of controls and policies in place.
  • The Treasury Plan was reviewed and is similar to last year and the Committee was comfortable with this. We also looked at the plan for producing the Annual Report and Accounts and this looks good.
  • There are a number of challenging risks across the organisation and the following issues are escalated to the Board.
    • continuing lack of expert procurement advice in RBWM
    • discussion around what is acceptable inspection performance. Given the resource constraints that we have.
    • We are struggling to recover debt from the NHS and thai has been escalated within the NHS with an action plan in place. 

2024/25 budget and medium term financial plan

The detailed budget was discussed including key risks and mitigations and the Board were asked to recommend it for final approval to the councils.

The Board agreed the proposed budget for recommendation to the councils

Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan was discussed and the Board were asked to recommend it for final approval to the councils.

The Board approved the documents and recommended them to the three local authorities for approval.

Kington and Richmond SEND Futures Plans

Lucy Kourpas ran through the three sets of documents included in the pack. 

  • progress update
  • refreshed draft plans
  • inspection preparedness

There was a detailed discussion about all three areas.

Windsor and Maidenhead Director of Children's Services update

Lin Ferguson provided an update on the following key areas:

  • Working on a 5 year extension to the AfC contract, which was agreed at the end of last year. 
  • There are three potential inspections in the near future, ILACS, SEND and IFA so we are doing lots of inspection readiness work at the moment.
  • In-year spend is creeping up due to demand. There have been eleven new placements in the borough since October 2023.
  • In relation to social work recruitment and retention we are in the process of reviewing the benefits package for social workers.
  • There are currently nine transformation projects which we will update on further later in the year.

Kingston and Richmond Director of Children's Services update

Ian Dodds provided an update on the following key areas:

  • Discussions regarding the AfC contract which is due to end in 2026.
  • The next inspections we are due to have are ILACS in Kingston, which is now overdue, and the Youth Offending Service inspection which is due this month. We also need to plan for focus visits and the Joint Targeted Area inspections. 
  • ID noted this has felt like the hardest year ever in terms of budgeting. In terms of placements we are experiencing the same issue as RBWM and we have added a transformation programme to look at how we might better manage placements at both ends of the age range.
  • Work on the new Kingston children's home is on schedule. We have completed residential engagement and are about to go into pre-planning and are on track for this to be completed.
  • The biggest challenges for us at the moment are school place planning, particularly delays in opening new specialist schools.
  • Waiting times for language therapy is particularly long at the moment. There are ongoing conversations with our provider around what they can do.
  • Staffing is stabilising in the Referral and Assessment and Safeguarding teams with more permanent employees being recruited and agency workers are relatively stable. 
  • We are piloting the Early Careers Framework and that is going well.
  • We are developing Family Hubs and the wider family help offer which will encompass our Early Help assessments and child in need work. 
  • We have had an independent review around SEN transport in Richmond from Peopletoo.

Chief Operating and Finance Officer Executive Update, including outturn report

  • App A: Q3 Board Assurance Framework
  • App B: Q3 Dashboard
  • App C: Q3 Finance Update 23/24
  • App D: Draft EDI Plan

Lucy Kourpas gave an update on key areas:

  • Staff awards have been aligned with the three directorates. Nominations have been received, judging has taken place and the Award Ceremonies have been set. We will publish all nominations as well as winners.
  • Our concerns are the budget and strategic plan, there is a huge amount of change and the capacity for this change is a concern in terms of the leadership team and project management.
  • We do now know what the budgets are and this has been discussed and we are managing council expectations around performance. The shared risk model will be very important over the next year. We are investing in working with councils to get the balance between quality of service and affordability.
  • The Health and Safety fire safety training now has attendance of 58% so we still need to continue working on this but it is increasing.
  • We continue to work with the councils regarding maintenance of our buildings.
  • We are seeing an increase in the number of employee relation cases and are undertaking a number of reflections and lessons learned.
  • The draft EDI action plan was circulated for comment.

Quarterly programme update

The Head of Strategy and Programmes gave an update on the key programmes and there was a detailed discussion.

Updates from Board members and items to escalate

It was agreed to formally write to the CEO of RBWM regarding procurement support.

Any other business

Board members will identify which children and young people groups they could attend. 

Update from the Chair

The Board governance review is ongoing. There have been conversations with the three CEOs and a draft has been produced. There is a further meeting with the three CEOs on 24 June.

Update from Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

Seven audits have been conducted since the previous meeting. The annual data will be available in June so there will be a more detailed update at the July meeting. 

The draft annual report and accounts was reviewed and looked good. 

We have a Risk Workshop coming up on the 11 June where we will review the Risk Register and Board Assurance framework. The Board Assurance Framework is in really good shape and we have done some good work to articulate our assessment of our risks.

Ownership Board - emerging themes

A plan was circulated and members of the Board were asked for their views. 

There is a good level of confidence in both AfC as a company and what they do, as well as in the work that our staff do on the ground.

Provider services - there is a great deal of work going on at the moment but this will need another conversation in July before it goes to Members.

Social care self assessments and inspection readiness

A presentation was shared and there was a discussion regarding the self assessments and inspection readiness. 

Windsor and Maidenhead Director of Children's Service update

Lin Ferguson provided an update on the following key areas: 

  • In relation to recruitment and retention, the number of agency staff has reduced by 10 to 24. 
  • Whilst demand remains very high at the front door, there has been a slight reduction in referrals. The need to buy expensive residential provision continues to be an issue. 
  • We have seen an increase in need for Family Help services which has resulted in 75 families awaiting a service. They do get support in the interim.
  • Last year the Families Together team was brought in as part of the invest to save programme. There have been 37 referrals since they went live last year, with a total cost avoidance and savings of around £2m. We are now carrying out some work on where else they can add value.
  • Overall there has been a reduction in permanent exclusions, however there has been a disproportionate increase in the exclusion of children with EHCPs. We have held a workshop with schools and Overview & Scrutiny are carrying out a deep dive task and finish on this as it is of concern.
  • There was a system error on the School Admissions Capita site on primary national offer which has caused a significant amount of fallout. We have now worked through that and the majority of the children affected have been offered places at other schools. We have requested a health check with Capita, who are the provider of the system, which should be completed this week. We are hoping to move systems to liquid logic very soon.
  • We are monitoring and working with Windsor schools as we are seeing a decline in the numbers of children needing places.
  • We are taking a paper to Cabinet tonight proposing a change to how we support post-16 young people with SEND to travel. The proposal is to introduce personal transport budgets from 1st September 2024 in order to continue to support young people in accessing school or college.
  • We are moving forward with a number of roofing projects in schools over the summer. We are also consulting on a new SEND provision and will be taking a paper to Cabinet in June.
  • We have located a potential property in Windsor for a children’s residential home and the outcome of a feasibility study is positive. We are now moving forward with a business case to take the proposal forward for consideration and hopefully political approval.

Kingston and Richmond Executive Director of Children's Services update

Ian Dodds provided an update with the following highlights:

  • Recruitment is fairly positive, we are back up to establishment and have reduced agency workers from 21% to 17%. We have turned off the additional team provided by Equinox and some social workers have moved across to AfC which is positive. 
  • There has been a spike in referrals over the last two months, which is causing significant pressure on the team. Caseloads are improving in Richmond but there still needs to be a reduction going forward. In Kingston caseloads are still high. Demand pressures are on the front end of the system and the restructure of Early Help will hopefully help this as the process is working well. 
  • Family Hhb at the White House is opening in June. We have engaged with children and young people around the design of the building. We are taking a committee paper proposing two further hubs, one in Heatham House and one in Ham Youth and Community Centre, both will have spokes in other areas.
  • Building work on a new family hub has started in the Old Malden Centre in Kingston. We are hoping to open in August/September. A further proposal is going to the People Committee to open a second hub at Dickerage with spokes out to other areas.
  • The SEND Futures plan has been refreshed and we have consolidated the workstreams to three. We are focusing on work that needs to happen at the end of the Safety Valve agreement to maintain the quality of the work that we do within the financial envelope. 
  • In terms of school admissions primary school places are challenging with in year applications high across both boroughs, including overseas applications. There is pressure in some areas in Kingston but also falling rolls in others. There was a reduction of 300 live births in Richmond and 100 in Kingston which will be challenging in the future. In secondary schools we have a shortage of places.
  • We have a delay at the new school in Kingsmeadow due to a slow worm issue and the DfE are in the process of appointing a contractor. It is likely to be 2028 before it opens. 
  • The DfE have chosen a new contractor at Spring School but are still in the process of appointing them. 
  • The SEMH provision in Barnes is on track to be completed by 2025.
  • There is a potential development with the Auriga Trust but this is very early days and in discussion with the DfE.

Chief Operating Officer and Finance Officer executive update,  including outturn report

  • App A: Q4 Board Assurance Framework
  • App B: Q4 Dashboard
  • App C: Q4 Finance Update 2023/24
  • App D: Wellbeing Offer
  • App E: Strategic Plan

Placements continue to be one of the main pressures. Availability of placements isn't improving. We are also struggling with recruiting foster carers. There is a national push to encourage appropriate kinship placements and this should have positive outcomes as well as support financial sustainability. We are looking at our benefits offer for both kinship and foster care to see if we can make it more appealing.

Inflation seems to be settling but continues to be a really big issue. Most of our placements are not following the retail/consumer price index and we are still seeing requests over the RPI. Some growth has been built into the budget but we need to monitor this closely. Transport remains a risk area as well as the cost of living crisis.

Recruitment and retention is  improving but there are still challenges so requires a continued focus.

The staff wellbeing offer has launched and we are hoping this will be really positive in supporting and motivating our workforce.  The staff survey results are in the process of being analysed but look positive so far.

A soft launch has started for the Strategic Plan and comms will be going out during May / June.

Q4 quarterly programme update

We are currently tracking progress against 51 key projects. In this quarter, three projects have had a positive direction of travel. These included:

  • Activity to  increase in the number of foster carers which has moved from Red to Amber. 
  • Key activities have included the recruitment campaigns, Foster Carer Fortnight, the appointment of a recruitment officer, taking part in the sub-regional recruitment hub and incentive packages for potential foster carers.
  • Reviewing and strengthening commissioning arrangements (amber to green). This piece of work is now on track. The team is at full complement and have already made an impact on value for money commissions and working on legacy contracts.
  • Strategic Plan (green to complete) as the plan is now signed off and published. 

In terms of projects which remain RAG rated as red:

  • The review of social care delivery models including staffing structures is part of the social care and early help transformation work and the savings have been profiled into late 2024/25.  Following the two pilots which includes:
  • A child and family help model: which will look at alternatively-qualified, highly skilled workers working with child in need cases providing earlier intervention to avoid step up into child protection. 
  • Introduction of social work assistant role to remove administrative burden from social workers.
  • Reduction in reliance on external legal services in RBWM. 
  • Improving the provision of occupational therapy, speech and language and physiotherapy. Work continues to review the model of delivery, funding, and provision of SaLT and OT.  Spot commissioning budgets are being reviewed. This is being tracked through the SEND Partnership Boards.

Finance update

The savings target for 2023/24 across the three boroughs was £5.8m. Of that we have achieved £4.3m which leaves a variance of £1.5m. 

It is worth noting that the overall savings target and that achieved was over double to the previous year and demonstrates the hard work and input to the many teams contributing towards the activities. 

The finance team are working with the boroughs to identify alternative savings and agreeing with each local authority how the pressure can be managed, this includes an element of re-phasing to future years.

We now have our updated Strategic Plan with strategic priorities. This has been timely as has aligned with some of our Council’s strategic documents being refreshed and we have tried to streamline priorities where possible.

We’ve introduced Operational Programme Boards in each operational area which will help to provide oversight and scrutiny of projects, managing resource across the operational area (including new projects), ensuring the project is in line with AfC’s Strategic Plan, and seeing where there’s opportunity to join up areas of work across children’s services. 

The Operational Board meetings are still in their early phases and we are developing a reporting dashboard to accompany the information which we hope to replicate for the Board reports going forward - a more visual way of presenting the information. 

Health services

A presentation was given and there was discussion around challenges and successes, including benchmarking, recruitment, the impact of the pandemic, and future planning.

An options appraisal is being prepared and further feedback will be available once we have a way forward.

We have strong links with the voluntary sector and work closely with colleagues in all teams. 

Training opportunities are shared and we have a very skilled staff base.

Report from the Chair

The chair (Sian Wicks) announced this was her last board meeting. The current structure of the Board is under review and may be changed. Discussions are ongoing with legal advisors to ensure we have robust governance.

It was noted that Nathan Nagaiah is also standing down from his role on the Board.

Challenges with funding and demand were acknowledged. 

Feedback from ARAC (Audit and Risk Committee): 

The main item at the last ARAC was the independent report from external auditors Crowe. There were no major issues and the Board agreed for the chair to sign off on the accounts and audit.

Real living wage pledge

The board discussed a potential commitment to the real living wage and London living wage, considering financial implications and implications for different boroughs. It was agreed that this is a decision for the owning councils. The decision was deferred to the Ownership Board in October. 

Paternity proposal

A paternity leave proposal (4 weeks leave, with a maximum of two weeks at once) was also discussed and will go to leadership teams for consideration and a decision on where the policy will need to go for approval.

Provider services

The board discussed the challenges in the provider market, including increasing costs and a shortage of complex placements. The Ownership Board is looking for a clear steer around provider services and direction of travel. The Board agreed the proposed principles for provider services.

Approval of reports

The Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, Impact Report, and Annual Equalities Report were all approved.

Windsor and Maidenhead Director of Children's Service update

Updates were provided on financial challenges, placements, Liquidlogic implementation, school transport, and recruitment.

  • A proposal is being taken to Cabinet regarding opening a children’s home.
  • Cabinet has agreed school transport for over 16s and we feel it is a better offer for young people and their families.
  • A stand alone spending control panel has been implemented.
  • Performance overall is good.
  • Care experience characteristic motion was passed last week.

Kingston and Richmond Executive Director of Children's Services update

An update was provided on two recent inspections, Hope House and the JTAI Inspection for Richmond.

There is currently a review of CAMHS.

Workforce update

Employee relations cases have reduced. 

A detailed staff survey discussion was deferred to a future meeting.

Chief Operating Officer and Finance Officer executive update

  • Audits, finances, and the Board Assurance Framework were reviewed.
  • 100% of early help casework audits have been assessed as good.
  • Working with councils around affordability in an attempt to reduce spend.
  • The Board Assurance Framework has been updated.
  • Some really good value for money services noted in the financial report.

Quarterly programme update

A brief update was provided and noted.

Board member updates

Feedback from young people regarding the "buddy system" was discussed, and actions were identified.

Report from the Chair including update on Board governance

The Governance Review of the Board is still ongoing. Sian Wicks will remain in her position of chair of the Board.

Report from the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

Feedback was provided on the following areas discussed at the last ARAC meeting:

  • Risk tolerance. 
  • Issues around transitions. 
  • Ownership of Risk at the Ownership Board. 
  • Board member representation for cyber security.
  • Safeguarding processes and joint legal services review. 
  • The Audit and Risk Committee will need a chair to be nominated as Martin Spencer has now stepped down.

Board engagement with young people

There was a discussion around engagement with young people. A meeting will be arranged with participation officers to discuss how we take this forward in line with the ongoing Board review.

Budget setting 2025/26

There are significant financial challenges.

There will be a dedicated discussion in more detail at the December Board meeting.

Safeguarding annual report: Richmond and Kingston

The report was shared and progress was discussed.

  • All schools now have access to the Mental Health Support Team.
  • Contextual safeguarding is an area of strength and we have been working on areas identified as high risk.
  • We are working to strengthen processes for young people with disabilities at age 25 when they leave our service.
  • It was noted that the Training Partnership is very effective and independent scrutiny is very valuable.

Windsor and Maidenhead Director of Children's Service update

An update was given on the recent ILACS Inspection. Recommendations will be around recruitment and retention and placement sufficiency which is a national problem. The report will be published in November, and our provisional grading is good.

Kingston and Richmond Executive Director of Children's Services update

  • The report has now been published on the JTAI inspection held in Richmond at the end of July which is very positive.
  • There has been a significant power outage in Guildhall 2 which has caused the building to be closed.
  • There continue to be delays with the opening of the two new special schools.
  • The CAMHS review is going through various governance boards and there are five recommendations.
  • A Family Hub is due to open at Old Malden in November. There will be community dentistry, health appointments, job advice, and benefits advice. The official launch is likely to be January 2025.

Chief Operating Officer and Finance Officer executive update, including outturn report

The power outage at Guildhall 2 has caused a lack of full access to the finance system. Workarounds have been established in terms of making payments but we will need to closely monitor the situation.

A review is being carried out on some of the reports as they have become quite lengthy.

The overall position is similar to previously reported. Performance is solid but recruitment continues to be a challenge.

There was a discussion around risk and reassurance was given that this is monitored and discussed at length at the ARAC meeting.

Q1 quarterly programme update

There was a discussion around the projects noted in the shared report.

  • Five projects are being led by the Department for Education (DfE), so we are only able to monitor these.
  • A review of the foster carer benefits package is taking place, and we are part of regional recruitment working on some targeted campaigns.
  • Social care delivery models are being reviewed.

Board membership

The appointment of Lilian Brett as a Kingston nominated Director was noted. Due to the Board not being quorate, the decision to appoint Rachel Howard as an interim Executive Director was deferred.

Report from the Chair including update on Board governance

A governance review update was given, with plans for CEOs and DCSs to become board members, starting in March 2025. 

Annual health and safety review

  • An overview was provided, noting the retirement of Debbie Taylor (Head of Safety and Premises Management) early 2025 and the potential risk this presents. 
  • Business continuity plans and contract responsibilities were discussed. 

Budget setting 2025/26

A budget presentation was given, with the final position to be presented at the January Board meeting. This will then be presented to the council committees around February andMarch 2025 for final sign off. The following topics were discussed:

  • National Insurance
  • Demand and growth
  • Training cuts and staff morale

Windsor and Maidenhead Director of Children's Service update

Updates were given regarding the following:

  • ILACS Ofsted inspection (graded “good”)
  • Budget
  • Staffing changes
  • New residential home opening in July 2025

Kingston and Richmond Executive Director of Children's Services update

Updates were given on the following topics:

  • Kingston ILACS Ofsted inspection concluded on 6 December 2024 (provisional grading is outstanding across all five areas.
  • Family hub programme which is progressing well.
  • School place planning
  • Developing a Family Poverty Strategy

Updates from Board members including safeguarding update (verbal) and items for escalation to CEOs

Discussions took place regarding engagement work with young people and it was agreed to review this in line with the new Board structure. Engagement officers will attend the March Board meeting to consider how we take this forward.