North Yorkshire Council

Children and Families Overview & Scrutiny Committee

17 September 2025

Performance Report for Quarter 1 2025/26

Report of the Assistant Director (Legal and Democratic Services)

1.0 PURPOSE OF REPORT

1.1 For the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review a summary of the

            relevant thematic performance data that forms part of the quarterly reports to the Executive.

1.2 For the committee to consider whether there are any lines of enquiry arising from the information provided to follow up on, for example issues to request further information on or to be put forward for the future work programme.

2.0       BACKGROUND

2.1       North Yorkshire Council is ambitious to provide the best possible services to residents, communities and businesses. Understanding how we are performing is a critical step in identifying how we can continue to improve and achieve the best outcomes. As noted in the North Yorkshire Council Performance Management Framework 2025-26: “As an organisation going through a huge amount of change, monitoring performance, understanding it and learning from that insight is crucial to keep us on track.”

2.2       A key part of the corporate performance management arrangements is the ‘Quarterly Performance and Budget Monitoring Report’, considered by the Executive to show progress against the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) identified against the Council Plan. The report is organised under the five Council Plan themes: Place and Environment, Economy, Health and Wellbeing, People and Organisation, to aid in the monitoring of the overall Council Plan.

2.3       As part of the consideration of this report at the quarterly Performance Monitoring Executive meetings, members of the Scrutiny Board, made up of the Chairs of each of the six Overview and Scrutiny committees, are invited to ask questions to hold Executive members to account, based on the data, trends and narrative presented in the report of any performance challenges or opportunities.

2.4       As part of ensuring that this Overview and Scrutiny committee plays its role in analysing the performance of the relevant directorate within the Council, a summary of the performance information is presented as an appendix to this report for consideration at this meeting. It is intended that performance information is presented to the committee on a bi-annual basis.

2.5       The appendix provides all committee members an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments, as well as to identify and interrogate trends in the data presented and identify key lines of enquiry. This scrutiny process of performance could lead to follow up actions from the committee, such as requests for follow-up reports to the committee at a future meeting, informal briefings on particular areas of interest and/or requests for further

            information to be collated from the directorate to develop the knowledge and understanding of the committee.

3.0       PERFORMANCE REPORT

3.1       The Executive Performance Report for Q1 2025-26 is presented at Appendix A and B. It sets out a summary of the KPIs and narrative that details the directorate performance and forms part of the overall quarterly reports considered by the Executive.

3.2       At the latest Performance Monitoring meeting of the Executive on 19 August, the Chair of Scrutiny Board sought responses from the Executive Member for Children and Families and the Executive Member for Education, Learning and Skills around the following points:

· Number of calls to the Multi-Agency Screening Team (MAST) and referrals to social care.

· Timeliness of children and family assessments.

· Number of child protection plans.

· Number of permanent primary school exclusions.

3.3       In response, the Executive Members and the Director of Children and Families advised that:

· The increase in calls to MAST include general enquiries and requests to be signposted so not every call will result in a referral to social care.

· Although the time taken to complete a children and family assessment has increased, performance is still significantly better than national figures.

· It is expected that the number of child protection plans will fall.

· Officers are working with targeted schools to address exclusion and education psychologists are supporting primary school children with SEND to identify their specific needs.  

3.4       The committee will note that the data for Q1 2025-26 highlights a continuing pattern in the following areas:

· Fall in the number of child and family assessments completed within 45 working days.

· Increase in children being home educated.

· Increase in number of primary school permanent exclusions.

            There has been a welcome trend towards:

· Reduction in the number of referrals to Children’s Social Care.

· Timeliness of Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs).

· Increase in number of children being discharged from care plan.

· Percentage of families either satisfied or very satisfied with the involvement from the Children & Families Service.

· Percentage of children with up-to-date health assessments, dental checks and up-to-date immunisations.

3.5       At the committee meeting on 18 June 2025, the committee heard about how the proposals in the Children’s and Wellbeing Bill is addressing home education.

            The committee may wish to consider whether further investigation is required in relation to primary schools’ permanent exclusions to develop their knowledge and understanding of

            the topic further, and to hear about the council’s preventative work.

4.0       FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

4.1       There are no direct financial implications arising from this report.

5.0       LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

5.1       All local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which their functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

6.0       EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

6.1       As a wider strategic document, the Council Plan 2025-2029 provides an opportunity to improve our understanding of outcomes in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion across protected characteristic and socio-economic groups, and target action to eliminate discrimination, advance equality (reduce inequalities) and foster good relations in line with our Public Sector Equality Duties.

7.0       CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS

7.1       There are no direct climate change implications arising from this report.

8.0       PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

8.1       This report sets out the thematic performance data that forms part of the quarterly reports to the Executive. By presenting directorate-specific KPIs and narrative information for the Overview and Scrutiny committee to review, this will help to improve corporate grip, control and delivery in our drive to improve as an organisation.

9.0       REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

9.1       To give committee members an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments on the directorate performance set out in Appendix A and B and identify key lines of enquiry that could form part of future reports and feed into the work programme.

10.0	RECOMMENDATIONS That the Committee:
	i) Note the performance information detailed in Appendix A and B. ii) Feed back on the performance data and narrative contained within Appendix A and B, with a view to considering any future lines of enquiry for the committee to explore.

APPENDICES:

Appendix A – Q1 2025-26 Executive Performance Report

Appendix B – Q1 2025-26 Executive Performance Report Appendix

Barry Khan

Assistant Director, Legal and Democratic Services

County Hall

Northallerton

4 September 2025

Report Author – Alice Fox, Senior Scrutiny Officer

Note: Members are invited to contact the author in advance of the meeting with any detailed queries or questions.