Agenda and minutes

In the event the fire alarm sounds attendees will be advised to evacuate the building via the nearest fire exit and assemble at the Bottle of Notes opposite MIMA.

The Chair welcomed those present and highlighted the Council’s Fire Evacuation Procedure.

The Minutes of the previous meeting of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel held on 27 October 2025 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

The Panel will be presented with the STSCP’s Annual Report 2024/25, highlighting the Partnership’s key priorities, achievements and challenges.

C Cannon, Interim Director of Education and Partnerships, and G Watson, South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership Manager, were in attendance at the meeting to provide the Panel with an annual update in relation to the South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership (STSCP).

A copy of the STSCP’s Annual Report 2024-25 had been circulated to the Panel with the agenda in advance of the meeting and it was highlighted that this was presented to the Scrutiny Panel on an annual basis.

Members’ attention was drawn, in particular, to the following areas within the report:-

·        Who the STSCP were and what it did – A statutory multi-agency partnership with responsibility for safeguarding arrangements to protect vulnerable children.  The STSCP was equally funded by its four partners – Middlesbrough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Council, Cleveland Police and North East, North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB).  The STSCP supported and enabled local organisations and agencies to work together to ensure children were safeguarded and their welfare promoted and was committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for children and families.

·        Governance Structure – The STSCP sat beneath the Lead Safeguarding Partners Group and STSCP Executive (comprising of delegated partners).  As well as a Learning and Development Group and a Quality and Performance Group feeding into the STSCP Executive, there were four sub-groups – Tees Performance Management, Tees Training Group, Tees Harm outside the Home (HoTH) Group and Tees Procedures.  Each group’s role was outlined in the report.  In addition, each of the groups within the structure linked to relevant strategic partnerships across the South Tees.

·        Key Statistics/Data – In relation to Middlesbrough, at the time the annual report was produced (March 2025), there were 370 children on a Child Protection Plan.  This was a 17% increase from the previous year.  There were 506 children who were looked after – this was a 4% decrease from the previous year.  There were more than 1,000 contacts for support each month, with 1,970 contacts recorded in March 2025 – a 22% increase from 2024.

·        Building on Good Practice – A “Neglect Strategy” was developed and launched for Practitioners across South Tees.  In addition, the Tees Harm outside the Home (HoTH) Strategy was developed and launched, bringing it in line with the latest agendas such as criminal exploitation and contextual safeguarding of harm outside the home.  The HoTH operating procedure was agreed and implemented across the whole of Tees from April 2025.  The STSCP had also increased learning opportunities available to staff and partners, for example, by hosting on-line virtual events and briefings.

·        Practice Reviews and Guidance – The professional challenge and escalation guidance had been revised and updated in response to learning from Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews.  Practice Reviews and Guidance had been updated and were available on the Tees Procedures website.

·        Challenges:-

·        Ofsted had challenged both Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland Councils on the implementation of their shared threshold document (ILACS 2019).  In response, the STSCP reviewed the Threshold of Need  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25/31

The Panel is asked to consider and agree Terms of Reference for its current scrutiny investigation “Out of Area Specialist Provision”.

The Panel was asked to consider setting Terms of Reference for its current scrutiny investigation into ‘Out of Area Specialist Provision’.

Proposed Draft Terms of Reference had been circulated with the meeting agenda for the Panel’s consideration.

Following discussion, Members agreed that the review of out of area specialist provision should focus on SEND out of area specialist provision in an education context and, in a social care context, out of area provision for children known to social care with complex needs.  It was agreed that the Democratic Services Officer would amend the wording of the Draft Terms of Reference to reflect this and to circulate to Panel Members.

The Panel identified some potential key lines of enquiry as follows:-

·        What are the gaps in specialist provision locally?

·        What are we currently doing to reduce those gaps?

·        Forward planning to meet identified areas of increasing demand in areas of specialist provision.

·        Ensuring children/young people have their needs met and supported and that provision was sustainable.

·        Cost analysis of out of area specialist provision versus expanding local provision.

AGREED that the Terms of Reference for the Panel’s review of ‘Out of Area Specialist Provision’ be agreed as follows:-

1.     To examine the current position in Middlesbrough regarding the use of Out of Area Specialist Provision, including how and why out of area placements are made :

a)     In a SEND educational context.

b)     In a complex needs, social care context.

2.     To examine how Middlesbrough’s use of Out of Area specialist provision compares locally and nationally.

3.     To consider current workforce development strategies and assess their impact on Out of Area specialist provision in both education and social care settings.

To consider best practice and procedures regarding Out of Area specialist provision for both education and social care elements.

The Chair will provide a verbal update on business conducted at the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 19 November 2025.

The Chair provided a verbal update in relation to the business conducted at the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 19 November 2025, namely:

·        Scrutiny Chairs’ updates.

·        OSB Review into Poverty – Overview.

·        Executive Member for Finance - Provided a presentation on Quarter One budget outturn.

·        Executive Forward Plan.

·        Progress on Forward Plan actions

·        Next meeting of OSB – Thursday, 18 December at 4.30pm.

NOTED

There were no urgent items.

The next meeting of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel was scheduled for Monday, 26 January 2026 at 4.30pm.