The Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board met to discuss exploitation and children missing from education, the Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report, and absence and exclusion rates in schools. They were also scheduled to review the action tracker from previous meetings.

Exploitation and Children Missing Update

The Sub-Board were scheduled to receive an update on exploitation and children missing from education. The report, Exploitation and Children Missing Update, provided an overview of the current situation in Torbay, and highlighted key areas of concern.

The report covered:

• Context and definitions of child exploitation, including sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and modern slavery.
• Data on children missing from education, including reasons for going missing, demographics, and return rates.
• Information about the work of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) ¹ in identifying and responding to cases of exploitation and children missing.
• Details of the support available to children and families affected by exploitation and children missing.
• Information on contextual safeguarding ².

Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report

The Sub-Board were scheduled to discuss the Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2024 25. The Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership (TSCP) ³ is responsible for coordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of safeguarding efforts across the local authority.

The annual report provided an overview of the TSCP's work over the past year, including:

• Key achievements and challenges
• Performance data on safeguarding indicators
• Findings from serious case reviews and learning lessons
• Priorities for the coming year

The report also included an action plan for addressing areas where improvements were needed.

Absence and Exclusion Rates

The Sub-Board were scheduled to discuss absence and exclusion rates in Torbay schools. Absence from Education 2024 2025 provided data on absence rates, including persistent absence ⁴, and reasons for absence. It also provided data on exclusion rates, including fixed-term and permanent exclusions, and reasons for exclusion.

The report highlighted any trends or patterns in absence and exclusion rates, and identified schools or groups of pupils with particularly high rates. It also outlined the strategies and interventions being used to address absence and exclusion, and assessed their effectiveness.

Action Tracker

The Sub-Board were scheduled to review the Children and Young Peoples Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board Action Tracker. This document tracks the progress of actions agreed upon at previous meetings of the Sub-Board.