UPDATE NO 348 19 April 2019

Children’s Commissioner Report on Early Access to Mental Health Support

The Children’s Commissioner undertook a statutory data request to local authorities and clinical commissioning groups to gain an understanding of what is spent on mental health services to support children with emerging or mild conditions which do not meet the thresholds for specialist NHS services. This report outlines the key findings of this research, explores the challenges of conducting this exercise and makes recommendations on what can be done to improve the situation in future.

There is wide variation between areas and agencies in reported spending: the top 25% of local areas spent £1.1 million or more, while the bottom 25% spent £177,000 or less. The overall total spending figure of £226 million includes a small number of very high spending areas masking a larger proportion of low spending areas. This is particularly the case for spending by LAs.

The report identified variation in spending per child across different regions of England.15 In the financial year 2018/19, reported per child spend on low-level mental health services was higher in London and the North East, and lower in the East Midlands, the East and the South East.  The report highlights that in London, local authority spending per child was £17.88 per child, compared to only £5.32 per child in the East of England. CCG spend per child is highest in the North of England (£12.76 per child) and lowest in the Midlands & East (£5.83 per child).

The full report is available here

Children not in school – DfE Consultation

The DfE has launched a 12-week consultation on “Children not in school”.

The earlier consultation report is here, and the revised Elective Home Education guidance for local authorities is here. 

The current consultation document seeks views on a number of proposals for legislation and the way in which those proposals would be implemented:

• the introduction of a duty on local authorities to maintain a register of children of compulsory school age who are not registered at schools of a specified type;
• the introduction of a duty on parents to provide information to their home local authority if their children are within the scope of such a register;
• the introduction of a duty on education settings attended by the children on the register to respond to enquiries from local authorities about the education provided to individual children. The settings in scope would not include those providing supplementary education outside school hours;
• the introduction of a duty on local authorities to provide support to home educating families – if it is requested by such families.

Peer Challenge Triads – Planning for 2019-20

We are now planning Peer Challenge Triad sessions for November 2019; this is a move to late autumn to avoid clashing with Ofsted Annual Conversations which are planned to run from January 2020.

We will be commissioning ADCS to undertake an independent review of the recent round of Triad Peer Challenges, and their report will feed into the detailed planning for 2019-20.

15/19 2019 self-assessments have now been uploaded onto DCS-only area of website. We look forward to receiving Ofsted Annual Conversation letters as when they are available for circulation here.

For access to this page please consult your DCS or Isabelle Gregory (details below).

Triad 1 – East Sussex, Surrey and Wokingham on Monday 25 November 2019

Triad 2 – Kent, West Sussex and Portsmouth tba

Triad 3 – Hampshire, IoW, Milton Keynes and Slough on Monday 11 November 2019

Triad 4 – Medway, Oxfordshire and Windsor and Maidenhead tba

Triad 5 – Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire and West Berkshire on Friday 15 November 2019

Triad 6 – Southampton, Bracknell Forest and Reading on Wednesday 13 November 2019

Please contact Isabelle Gregory (details below) for further information on these events

Help shape the procurement of a new aspiring DCS leaders’ programme

Louisa Ellisdon of DfE writes

Following conversations with a few DCSs and with Rachel Dickinson, we would like to invite you to a workshop to help shape the procurement of a new aspiring DCS leaders programme as well as some tailored support for newly appointed DCSs.  We’re very keen to listen to your views and want to work with you on next steps.  We’d also be keen to talk to some Assistant Directors in this context (do share this invitation with relevant Assistant Directors in your area).   

We are inviting you to a workshop on Friday the 10th May 11:30-14:00 in Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, Westminster, London SW1 3BT . We would like to use this session to listen to your views about DCS leadership and growing the next generation of leaders. We will explore some of the areas below with you – we want your views and experience built into this work.

1. Skills and capacities to develop leaders of the future : What do you consider to be the skills and capacities that are essential /desirable for future DCSs? Where the role is done really well, what does it look like and what needs to be in place to support.  What do you think must be included in a future leadership programme?
2. Support and networks: What do you see as being more/less helpful – particularly when you move roles or corporate /political leaders change in your local authority? What are the core learning and support needs for new DCSs/DCSs that move areas?  Moving beyond this – What else would be helpful as you progress through your career as a DCS and senior leader?
3. Motivations, talent attraction and diversity: What encouraged you to want to be a DCS? What can we do to attract in new talent/encourage existing talent to step up to senior leadership?  and to diversify leadership?  What barriers do you see?
4. Working in partnership: What can central government do to better support collaborative leadership – including through networks, support and collaborative training approaches with other sectors etc?

Please confirm if you’d like to join by emailing holly.ramsey@education.gov.uk.   It would be very helpful if you could confirm your attendance by 1^st May and let us know if you have any dietary requirements (we will serve some light refreshments). Do get in touch with Holly with any other questions you have in the meantime.

We also have a similar workshop happening on Sheffield on Tuesday 23^rd April if that would be more convenient you are very welcome – just let Holly know. 

All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Youth Work

The National Youth Agency (NYA) is delighted to support the All Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Affairs (APPG) to lead a full national inquiry into youth work. The APPG Members of Parliament invited organisations from across England to submit evidence to the inquiry team, led by the NYA, to inform the analysis and findings of the inquiry.

Over 100 pieces of evidence were submitted from youth work projects, young people and practitioners. The NYA is grateful to the cross party group of MP’s who will lead this inquiry and special thanks also to the APPG secretariat British Youth Council and YMCA England & Wales for supporting this endeavour.

Youth work can make a crucial difference to young people’s lives in their personal and social development. It can build their confidence and skills, promote equality, challenge discrimination, and champion the positive place for young people in society.

It makes 6 key recommendations, they are:

• There should be a minister responsible who has a portfolio focussed on young people
• There needs to be greater investment in youth work and commitment to support for youth services in the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
• The Government should introduce a clear statutory duty and guidance that defines a minimum and protected level of youth service.
• There should be a lead role confirmed in each local authority responsible for discharging the statutory duty.
• The Government should develop a workforce strategy including expectations for the ratio of professional youth workers, trainees and volunteers.
• There needs to be a standardised and national system for evaluating the sufficiency and suitability of youth services and quality of youth work provision.

The full report can be found here