The Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting on 17 December 2024 has reports on its agenda about children missing education, and the role of the Valuing Care approach and foster carer remuneration in addressing the lack of fostering placements in Worcestershire. The meeting will also consider the Panel's work programme.

Children Missing Education

The meeting will consider a report on the issue of Children Missing Education (CME). The report will provide the Department for Education's definition of CME:

‘Children missing education are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.’

The report notes that there are approximately 81,000 statutory school aged children and young people in Worcestershire and that, at any one time, there will be children who are deemed as CME. The report goes on to present the findings of an investigation into the scale of CME in Worcestershire, looking at the number of children known to be missing education in the county each year and the outcomes of the investigations into those cases.

The report will also discuss the reasons why children and young people become CME and the work that Worcestershire County Council is doing to address the issue. It highlights the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman's report ‘Out of School, Out of Sight’ which was published in August 2023 following a national increase in CME.

The report will also look at the role of the ‘Missing Mondays Panel’, the ‘Children who Cannot Attend School’ (CCAS) process and panel, and the West Midlands Alternative Provision Network in supporting children missing education.

Valuing Care and Foster Carer Renumeration

The panel will also receive a report on the Valuing Care Approach and the renumeration of foster carers. The report will note that Worcestershire has been facing significant challenges in relation to placement sufficiency within its fostering service. It will explain that:

Like many other local authorities across the country, Worcestershire has been facing significant challenges in relation to placement sufficiency within our fostering service.

It will go on to describe how the number of mainstream foster care placements is currently declining and the impact that is having on children in the county.

The report will discuss the work that is being done to address the issue, including the implementation of the Valuing Care Approach and the appointment of IMPOWER to support Worcestershire Fostering.

Work Programme

The meeting will consider the Panel's work programme for 2024/25. The report will provide details of the topics that the panel has already agreed to scrutinise over the coming year and the dates of future meetings.

The report will also provide a list of possible future items for scrutiny, including Home to School Transport, SEND Sufficiency of School Places, Early Years, and the Multi Agency Approach. The report will note that the panel will wish to retain the flexibility to take into account any urgent issues that may arise.