15 February - Bexley’s Childrenְ’s Care providers are “verging on the criminal”
The Children’s Services Scrutiny meeting Chaired by
Councillor Lisa Moore (Conservative, Longlands) is never wildly exciting but maybe occasionally
interesting to the parents of SEND Children who have to fight Bexley’s
£160,000
barristers at Tribunals and the like because of Bexley Council’s maladministration
habit.
Speaking of which the Chairman began by referring to “the recent Ombudsman’s
report against the Council” but moved straight on and no Committee Member
commented. The Agenda revealed that there were three adverse Ombudsman’s
reports between April and October 2024. Two relating to Social Care and one to Education.
The Committee heard that the Covid inspired rise in referrals of vulnerable
children (Child Protection Plans) has now fallen back to near 2019 levels.
Staffing levels have been adjusted. 54 agency workers in
mid-2023 are now down to 20.
Labour Councillor Asunramu (Thamesmead East) asked a number of questions about
school exclusions but answers were few. The total number had declined
significantly since last year. Exclusions tend to go hand in hand with schools
given poor OFSTED ratings and too often are drug related. Primary schools are
not unaffected by exclusions. The Council offers its support to both Academy and
non-Academy schools.
The new Shenstone School is “progressing really well and very impressive” and will open in September.
Cabinet Member David Leaf was present as “a special guest” and the Chairman
wisely said he was allowed only two minutes to address her Committee. He said
that the new Government had reduced Bexley’s share of “the National Pot” and a
grant relating more directly to Children’s Services had been increased by less
than the rate of inflation. (Two minutes exactly!)
Councillor Nick O’Hare (Conservative, Blendon & Penhill) asked how contractors having to pay thousands if not millions
in additional National Insurance Contributions might impact the Council.
Councillor Leaf said that about £5 million had been set aside for contract
inflation and the Council will have to pay an extra £1 million in NIC for its
own staff, the reduction in the threshold to £5,000 being particularly
impactful. He does not yet know the effect of the 200 different contractors’ NICs on prices.
The Government has provided a £1·6 million compensation package which will
go some way towards covering the costs but the Employment Rights Bill is also
loading significant extra costs on to the Council.
Councillor Leaf said he was concerned that if the Statutory Override [a
temporary change to accounting practices that allows local authorities to
deviate from normal accounting rules] is not
extended beyond March 2026 the Council’s financial position will be at risk but
he “was excited” to hear the Local Government Minister announce on 17th December
that he would be helping Councils to manage their finances and would set out his
future plans for the Statutory Override. However on the following day and ever since
the same Minister has done nothing but “kick it into the long grass”.
David has yet to hear “what strings might be attached” to various grants.
Councillor Asunramu posed a question about
the high cost of some ECH Plans and “the profiteering of care providers”
which led to 27 minutes of Officer and Cabinet Member discussion on “rocketing
costs” and Social Worker pay rates. There was little that stood out apart from
some individual children in care costing half a million pounds per year and
Bexley doing rather well with Foster Parent recruitment. The discussion stirred
a couple of Councillors into expressing their dissatisfaction with the situation.
Councillor Kurtis Christoforides (Conservative, St. Mary’s & St. James) was particularly concerned
about the half million pound children and informed us that the money spent on SEND transport (£9m.) was twice the road
resurfacing and pothole budget. (£4·8m.) “Is it time we made some really hard and unpleasant decisions?”
Councillor James Hunt (Conservative, Blackfen & Lamorbey) said he used to work for one of the care providers and
with their business units. “They take a figure and basically triple it.” He went on to
indicate that a half million pound fee is “ridiculously over-inflated”
by a factor in the region of four. “They have business units, not education units and they are simply designed to
boost profits. They call themselves charities but they have shareholders. It is verging on criminal.”
Note: This report is not in strict chronological sequence
but has combined similar subjects for reasons of presentational simplicity.