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Agenda item

Agenda item

Children & Education Directorate Risk Register

Meeting of Audit Committee, Wednesday 21 June 2023 6.30 pm (Item 6.)

Decision:

RESOLVED: The Audit Committee to note the contents of the report, the attached risk registers and controls in place.

Minutes:

6.1 The Group Director Children and Education introduced the report and began by highlighting that further to the publication of the Local Safeguarding Practice Review relating to Child Q, a new directorate-wide risk had been added under the title “management of partnership agencies in ensuring the well-being of children”.

6.2 In addition the following risks were also highlighted:

· Delays responding to Subject Access Requests: this reflected the impact the cyberattack in October 2020 had on care leavers experiencing delays in receiving their records, but highlighted the additional processes that had been put in place and the support that had been made available.

· Reduction of the use of residential placements: this reflected the impact of the cost of living and fuel price crises, but highlighted both the robust review that was underway and the “foster first” approach to ensure that provision remained suitable and children’s needs were being fully met.

6.3 The Group Director Children and Education also discussed the risks in relation to Special Educational Needs (SEND) and disabilities, including:

· The meeting of the statutory 20 week deadline: highlighting that performance had improved following the restructure of the SEND service.

· Budget pressures: the overspend remained a concern, but the statutory override allowing the Directorate to carry over the deficit in accounts had been extended to March 2026, and the Council had been working with the Department of Education’s ‘Better Value Programme’.

6.4 In relation to School Place Planning, the Committee were asked to note the impact of falling school rolls across Hackney, in line with other local authorities in London, which had resulted in there being 22% excess places in the Primary sector. The impact on the projected surplus secondary school places was also discussed.

6.5 Members of the committee asked whether there was any cross-London work that could be done in relation to ensuring an increase in local authority SEND facilities; about Hackney’s risk profile in comparison to other local authorities; whether the level of risk was manageable; whether in relation to falling school rolls, the number of SEND places had been falling proportionally; about the result of the external finance consultant’s review of special school expenditure; for assurances in relation to the tracking of unaccompanied asylum seeking children; and, whether the pilot scheme related to families with No Recourse to Public Funding (NPRF) would continue;

6.6 The Group Director Children and Education, responded and confirmed that;

· there was a Directors of Children Services group, co-ordinated by London Councils, developing initiatives focused on Looked After Children and secure facilities, and there had been some local sub-regional commissioning of residential placements;

· The impact of the cyberattack had meant that Hackney’s risk register was different to other local authorities;

· The Directorate had highly evolved quality assurance and performance management systems;

· Service areas worked hard to mitigate risk;

· Recent analysis had indicated that, despite rolls falling overall, SEND place demand had had not decreased;

· The review of special school expenditure had resulted in an uplift in special school budgets;

· Safeguards with partners were in place to ensure the safety of unaccompanied asylum seeking children;

· The commitment was provided that the service supporting NPRF would remain in place.

RESOLVED: The Audit Committee to note the contents of the report, the risk register, and controls in place.

Supporting documents: