Decisions

1        CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21 - The Director: Governance and Partnerships submitted a report presenting the Customer Feedback Annual Report 2021-21 – How Did We Do?

The report presented a summary of the customer feedback received during the period 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2021. Detailed findings were set out in the accompanying appendix: Customer Feedback Annual Report 2020-21 – How Did We Do?

The purpose of the report was to support the continuous improvement of the council’s offer to residents and ensure that the learning from customer feedback was captured and used to inform and enhance customer experience moving forward. The annual report was therefore important; it provided key intelligence and insight on how the council was performing against published customer service standards and as such, it was essential for informing the council’s performance management, business assurance and public engagement objectives.

The period 2020-2021 was exceptional and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was reflected in the profile of complaints received, including temporary suspension of business by the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman during 2020.

The council received over 300 compliments from residents recognising their satisfaction with the quality of the council’s offer and services provided.

The report gave details of the number and type of complaints received in 2020-21.

Resolved – That the Customer Feedback Annual Report 2020-21 – How Did We Do?, be received and approved for publication.

1        CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21 - The Director: Governance and Partnerships submitted a report presenting the Customer Feedback Annual Report 2021-21 – How Did We Do?

The report presented a summary of the customer feedback received during the period 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2021. Detailed findings were set out in the accompanying appendix: Customer Feedback Annual Report 2020-21 – How Did We Do?

The purpose of the report was to support the continuous improvement of the council’s offer to residents and ensure that the learning from customer feedback was captured and used to inform and enhance customer experience moving forward. The annual report was therefore important; it provided key intelligence and insight on how the council was performing against published customer service standards and as such, it was essential for informing the council’s performance management, business assurance and public engagement objectives.

The period 2020-2021 was exceptional and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was reflected in the profile of complaints received, including temporary suspension of business by the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman during 2020.

The council received over 300 compliments from residents recognising their satisfaction with the quality of the council’s offer and services provided.

The report gave details of the number and type of complaints received in 2020-21.

Resolved – That the Customer Feedback Annual Report 2020-21 – How Did We Do?, be received and approved for publication.

The following member declared personal interests –

Councillor N Sherwood

Planning Application: PA/2021/618 (Minute: 2131iii)

Nature of Interest: Knew applicant

Planning Application PA/2021/901 (Minute: 2132v)

Nature of Interest: Knew applicant

2        AFGHAN RELOCATION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY (ARAP) - The Directors: Children and Community Resilience, Adults and Community Wellbeing and Governance and Partnerships submitted a joint report updating the Cabinet Members on the ARAP and seeking approval for the council to support the extension of the local offer previously agreed in June 2021.

In June 2021 the council agreed to be part of the Afghan Locally Employed Staff (LES) Scheme (minute 1 refers). Commitment was made to relocate and house three families in North Lincolnshire. This request was based on a fair share allocation across Yorkshire and Humber based on population and capacity. Families arriving were enrolled in the newly developed Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and were eligible to apply for five years ‘Leave to Enter the UK’ with a pathway for resettlement thereafter.

Following the NATO military forces withdrawal from Afghanistan, a process of emergency evacuation took place in August 2021. The Home Office confirmed that approximately 15,000 people had been evacuated and brought to the UK. The majority were residing in temporary accommodation.

A collaborative, cross government approach was being taken to support the effective integration of all those LES who chose to come to the UK including engagement with councils and each of the 11 Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK.  

Councils received a letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Defence and the Home Office seeking support in the accelerated relocation of LES, who had been supporting the UK in Afghanistan.  North Lincolnshire Council responded and agreed to house the three families requested. As a result of the increase in numbers evacuated a further request to extend the council’s pledge had been received.

From a North Lincolnshire perspective, the newly suggested combined allocation, including the existing commitment, based on the fair share was 28 people. This was likely to constitute six households in total including the three already agreed.

Resolved – That the proposal for the council to extend the scheme and increase the number of relocations, as set out in the report, be approved.

2        AFGHAN RELOCATION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY (ARAP) - The Directors: Children and Community Resilience, Adults and Community Wellbeing and Governance and Partnerships submitted a joint report updating the Cabinet Members on the ARAP and seeking approval for the council to support the extension of the local offer previously agreed in June 2021.

In June 2021 the council agreed to be part of the Afghan Locally Employed Staff (LES) Scheme (minute 1 refers). Commitment was made to relocate and house three families in North Lincolnshire. This request was based on a fair share allocation across Yorkshire and Humber based on population and capacity. Families arriving were enrolled in the newly developed Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and were eligible to apply for five years ‘Leave to Enter the UK’ with a pathway for resettlement thereafter.

Following the NATO military forces withdrawal from Afghanistan, a process of emergency evacuation took place in August 2021. The Home Office confirmed that approximately 15,000 people had been evacuated and brought to the UK. The majority were residing in temporary accommodation.

A collaborative, cross government approach was being taken to support the effective integration of all those LES who chose to come to the UK including engagement with councils and each of the 11 Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK.  

Councils received a letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Defence and the Home Office seeking support in the accelerated relocation of LES, who had been supporting the UK in Afghanistan.  North Lincolnshire Council responded and agreed to house the three families requested. As a result of the increase in numbers evacuated a further request to extend the council’s pledge had been received.

From a North Lincolnshire perspective, the newly suggested combined allocation, including the existing commitment, based on the fair share was 28 people. This was likely to constitute six households in total including the three already agreed.

Resolved – That the proposal for the council to extend the scheme and increase the number of relocations, as set out in the report, be approved.

2        AFGHAN RELOCATION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY (ARAP) - The Directors: Children and Community Resilience, Adults and Community Wellbeing and Governance and Partnerships submitted a joint report updating the Cabinet Members on the ARAP and seeking approval for the council to support the extension of the local offer previously agreed in June 2021.

In June 2021 the council agreed to be part of the Afghan Locally Employed Staff (LES) Scheme (minute 1 refers). Commitment was made to relocate and house three families in North Lincolnshire. This request was based on a fair share allocation across Yorkshire and Humber based on population and capacity. Families arriving were enrolled in the newly developed Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and were eligible to apply for five years ‘Leave to Enter the UK’ with a pathway for resettlement thereafter.

Following the NATO military forces withdrawal from Afghanistan, a process of emergency evacuation took place in August 2021. The Home Office confirmed that approximately 15,000 people had been evacuated and brought to the UK. The majority were residing in temporary accommodation.

A collaborative, cross government approach was being taken to support the effective integration of all those LES who chose to come to the UK including engagement with councils and each of the 11 Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK.  

Councils received a letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Defence and the Home Office seeking support in the accelerated relocation of LES, who had been supporting the UK in Afghanistan.  North Lincolnshire Council responded and agreed to house the three families requested. As a result of the increase in numbers evacuated a further request to extend the council’s pledge had been received.

From a North Lincolnshire perspective, the newly suggested combined allocation, including the existing commitment, based on the fair share was 28 people. This was likely to constitute six households in total including the three already agreed.

Resolved – That the proposal for the council to extend the scheme and increase the number of relocations, as set out in the report, be approved.

35        CHILDREN AND FAMILY SUPPORT OFFER – DECISION TO CONSULT – The Interim Director: Children and Community Resilience and the Deputy Director: Learning Skills and Culture submitted a joint report seeking approval to consult with members of the public and relevant stakeholders in respect of the proposed Children and Family Support Offer. This offer had a broad scope, and brought together a number of functions across services for children including children’s centres, targeted family support and adult community learning. The new offer took a One Family Approach and helped to develop an integrated system that worked for all children, young people and families, where children were in their family, in their school and in their community.

Families in North Lincolnshire had long benefited from strong partnerships and effective multi-agency practice, however the changes brought about by COVID-19 had seen many service areas work even more closely together. An example of this was the strengthened offer to vulnerable families expecting a child or with a baby, where maternity services, health visitors, adult community learning staff, early years practitioners, family support and social care teams cooperated even more closely to ensure the right offer of help to those needing it.

As we moved into a new phase of responding to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an opportunity to consolidate and build upon these positive changes and examples of innovation and integration. Rooted in the council plan, the One Family Approach continued to provide the strategic framework for such development, with its ambition of ‘creating a system that works for all children, young people and families’, building resilience so that children remained in their families, in their schools, and in their communities.

The new Children and Family Support Offer set out how a range of council services and functions, including children’s centres, community hubs, adult community learning, FaSST (targeted family support), would collectively deliver a progressive, agile, enabling offer to children, young people and families in North Lincolnshire. There would be equality of opportunity to access the offer, with the expectation that families were enabled to find their own solutions online, in their communities, and through universal provision including Community Hubs. Targeted services would prioritise the most vulnerable, building resilience and reducing the need for specialist help, which when required for those that needed it would be swift and high quality.

This report sought permission to undertake formal consultation on the Children and Family Support Offer with members of the public and other stakeholders, in order to help develop a final version to be launched later in 2021 pending relevant approval.

Resolved – That the consultation in respect of the revised Children and Family Support Offer be approved.

36        NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL SELF EVALUATION OF THE EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN IN NEED OF HELP AND PROTECTION, AND OF CHILDREN LOOKED AFTER AND CARE LEAVERS 2020/21 – The Director: Children and Community Resilience submitted a report to note the North Lincolnshire Council Self-Evaluation of the Experiences of Children in Need of Help and Protection and of Children Looked After and Care Leavers 2020/21; the positive and improving practice, developments and performance; and the key areas that were identified to continue the improvement and development of services.

The Ofsted framework, evaluation criteria and inspector guidance for the inspection of local authority children’s services 2018 system included "local authorities sharing an annual self-evaluation of the quality and impact of social work practice".

The self-evaluation was utilised by Ofsted to inform and identify areas for further exploration within the inspection framework including through focused visits that looked at a specific area of service or cohort of children, full inspections (standard or short) where judgements were made and joint targeted area inspections (JTAI). (The JTAI inspection framework was currently halted). It also formed the basis of the annual engagement meeting with the Director of Children's Services.

Resolved – That the North Lincolnshire Council Self-Evaluation of the Experiences of Children in Need of Help and Protection and of Children Looked After and Care Leavers 2020/21 be noted.