Agenda item

RESOLVED to note the contents of the risk register and the attached risk registers and controls in place.

7.1  The Chair asked about how the Council was adapting to the current circumstances in adjusting risk profiling.

7.2   Anne Canning thanked staff across the council, partners and the community for their work during the crisis, together with the support of members of Council. Anne Canning referred to the increase in risk as a result of the current public health and human rights crisis brought about by covet 19 and highlighted two areas risks, increased because of the current lack of lines of. These were:

-  Safeguarding with the current pressures on families

-  To ensure the continuity of respect and appropriate care to the most vulnerable in the Borough  

Children and Families

Anne Canning told the Committee of the current increase in demand, referring to universal credit and austerity.  Referrals had decreased significantly across all council services. Social Workers were working to maintain contact with the families that were known to them in the Borough, emphasising that those in need should access services. Further, a lot of work was carried out by Children and families and the HLT to ensure that there was engagement with families with constructive conversations. She said that austerity had put a lot of pressure on families with further impact from Covid 19. There was increased demand for 16 and 17 year olds, increasing financial pressure on the Council.

Following the downgrading to ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted a focused implementation plan had been put in place, with Council Member oversight. Work continued on this to address from children’s safeguarding.

Hackney Learning Trust

Anne Canning reported that some issues had been downgraded by the government in the current circumstances, with initiatives around the National Funding Formula put on hold. She reported that the Council had received a three year settlement. SEND funding continued to be an area of concern, with features such as the requirement for demand locally. There was a partitioning out of exclusions to look at SEND as a separate entity.

Risk continued in relation to how the council housed transport vehicles. Work continued on programme delivery with implementation anticipated in September.

Safeguarding considerations for those pupils in unregistered schools continued to be a risk.  The service did all it could to support these children who are home educated and worked to have better processes in place to identify and support these children.

Public Health 

Risk in this demand led area focused on uncontrolled increases in sexual activity spend and uneven access to services. Work was underway to mitigate this, with communication across London.

Adult Services

Anne Canning referred to significant financial risk in the area of Adults Services.  Safe care during the crisis was a much discussed subject in the media.  There were four care homes in the Borough and the Council delivered to fourteen settings. This service had been relied heavily on over the past month. There was Council support in securing PPE and health support to go into settings where issues arise There were concerns that workforce and provision within the provider market would be sufficient to meet growing demand. 

In relation to Covid 19, systems were in place to communicate with high and medium risk families or vulnerable adults. There was a joint endeavour across all services to ensure that the service was provided as efficiently as possible. Children were liaising with teachers and schools and attendance was strong. Work There was much work to support this with liaison with health colleagues to ensure as much joined up work as possible. Much of the service was delivered at length, by phone or video conferencing. The light of experience, consideration would be given to how these services are provided post Covid 19.

Anne Canning told the Committee of the very good working with the health services at all levels and the Community. Some initiatives, such as the integrated health and care programme had accelerated. There had been concerted effort around transfers out of hospital. 

The Council was making all effort to keep staff safe, delivering on PPE as recommended by the Public Health England. 

Work was ongoing on developing access to testing for frontline staff for eligible workers.   

7.3  The Chair referred to the fact that the service was running at a very high risk and asked dangerous risk around resources. He said that the links with the health service had been wanted for some time and asked how these current developments and gains resulting from the crisis could be built into future service provision.

Anne Canning told the Committee that Finance colleagues across London had risen to the financial challenge to moderate this risk and that there had been outreach to services with tight budget models.  In regard to agency staff for care homes, organisations are conscious for the crisis and want a joint endeavour to provide the service safely. She said, so far there had not been a resource issue.

Anne Canning said that it was apparent what could be achieved when partners work together and acknowledged the need to maintain these improvement after the crisis.   

7.4  Councillor Margaret asked about the impact of Covid 19 on SEND children who now had to be educated at home without the same level of educational intervention and what measures would be in place following the crisis in regard to these children’s education.  Anne Canning told the Committee that these children received a high level of support from schools and that in being at home they would not receive the same level of intervention and that work would have to be undertaken to mitigate this, following the current crisis.

7.5  Councillor Spence asked how Public Health’s role in the present circumstances and what involvement they would have in contact tracing.  The Chair asked if the Council was preparing for checking frontline staff. Anne Canning told the Committee that the Public Health Team had completely realigned to assist services across the Council to provide services safely. All Council communication had Public Health involvement.

7.6   Councillor Harvey Odze asked about the availability of PPE for staff and whether it as in line with Public Health England advice or above this.  Anne Canning told the Committee that a Working Group had been set up to look at this issue and confirmed that repositories had been set up to access PPE and the work was ongoing to commission sufficient levels of PPE. Emergency procedures were in place to secure PPE. Spend on this was monitored.  Anne Canning confirmed that the Council adhered to Public Health guidance on PPE and that the Council services that sufficient PPE was available. 

7. 7   Councillor Kennedy confirmed that £900000 had so far been sent on PPE. He further told the Committee that following consultation with the CCG it now appeared that there were doubts in regard to the Stratford testing centre going ahead. The Chair stressed that local involvement in testing and contact tracing was crucial and raised concerns at having a testing centre that required car access.  Anne Canning told the Committee that there were developments in testing through the post    

RESOLVED to note the contents of the risk register and the attached risk registers and controls in place.