Decisions

Further to the establishment of a ward Members Budget of up to £3k per Councillor
(ODR No: CR/352/04/20,) a number of applications have been received and assessed in line with the application criteria and supported by the relevant ward Councillor (s).

The individual applications, detail the extent to which the initiative will seek to make a positive impact in the community and ensure the most vulnerable people within
Doncaster Communities are supported in a safe and responsible way during the Covid 19 pandemic.

To approve the following application for grant funding from the Doncaster Community Fund – Ward Member Budget

a. 68th Doncaster (Hatfield) Scout Group
Reference No: 56/DCF/MWB/Hat
Supported by: Councillor Curran
Cost £500.00

b. Friends of Sandall Park
Reference No: 57/DCF/MWB/WH&In
Supported by: Councillor Wray
Cost £198.00

c. The Cantley Park Community Group
Reference No: 45/DCF/MWB/Bess
Supported by: Councillor Gethin & Councillor Khan
Cost £1,500.00 (£750.00 x 2 Councillors)

d. St Pauls Community Church
Reference No: 58/DCF/MWB/WH&Int
Supported by: Councillor Wray
Cost £958.00

Temporary additional staffing to support vulnerable children and young people who step down from social care, in particular into educational settings, many of whom have Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

These 8 posts are to be funded from the COVID-19 pressures funding allocated. Therefore, funding of these 8 posts in part from the Doncaster Opportunity Area funding will free up resources to fund these 2 temporary posts until the 31st January 2022.

A growing number of children and young people are showing signs of social and emotional mental health problems. This issue has been identified nationally and in Doncaster. Locally, this is evidenced through feedback from schools, through our child and adolescent mental health services and in high numbers of children presenting at A&E, having self-harmed or attempted suicide.
The number of families open to early help has reduced steadily over the last two years, in comparison to the number of families open to statutory social care, which has increased. It is recognised that a number of pressures relating to the delivery of the Early Help offer have emerged which has necessitated a review of current processes and procedures. In addition, a number of corporate and partnership priorities have been identified during the COVID pandemic that require dedicated leadership capacity.
The current pandemic has simultaneously increased the strain on families and reduced school capacity to manage early help cases, in particular step-downs from social care. This places a risk in the system for vulnerable children and young people, especially any not in an educational setting. These often end up in a re-referral into Social Care, placing greater pressure on an already stretched front door. Therefore, adding in extra Early Help Officers means that educational settings can be better supported and the officers can more effectively catch the step-downs and ensure support is provided.
To provide support for the above, this ODR seeks to establish the following posts:
• 2 FTE Early Help Family Lead Practitioners (Grade 7) appointment for 12 months from the Doncaster Opportunity Area funding.

See attached Officer Decision Record for further information.

A growing number of children and young people are showing signs of social and emotional mental health problems. This issue has been identified both nationally and here in Doncaster. Locally, this is evidenced through feedback from schools, through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and in high numbers of children presenting at Accident and Emergency units having self-harmed or attempted suicide.
The number of families open to early help has steadily reduced over the last two years, in comparison to the number of families open to statutory social care, which has increased. It is recognised that a number of pressures relating to the delivery of the Early Help offer have emerged which has necessitated a review of current processes and procedures. In addition, a number of corporate and partnership priorities have been identified during the COVID pandemic that require dedicated leadership capacity.
In order to drive internal and partnership priorities set out in the Innovation Unit report ‘Reducing Demand at the Front Door to Social Care’ and identified through the work of the Children and Families Cell, it has become necessary to create an additional two Grade 9 posts to support the leadership within Early Intervention services. These posts will be fixed term for one year whilst the development of the Early intervention and Prevention offer takes place, building on the successful pilot programmes led by the Local Solutions Teams.
The current pandemic has simultaneously increased the strain on families and reduced school capacity to manage early help cases, in particular step-downs from social care. This places a risk in the system for vulnerable children and young people, especially any not in an educational setting. These often end up in a re-referral into Social Care, placing greater pressure on an already stretched front door. Therefore, providing extra Early Help Officers in the form of Family Lead Practitioners means that educational settings will be better supported. In effect, the officers can catch the step-downs and ensure support is provided in a timely and appropriate manner.
Due to the above, this ODR seeks to establish the following posts:
- 2 FTE Early Help Pathway Leads (Grade 9) temporary for 12 months.
- 4 FTE Family Lead Practitioners (Grade 7) temporary for 12 months
Alison Tomes (Early Help Manager) will manage the additional Early Help Pathway Leads.

Recruit to four temporary agency posts to support schools to manage children and young people who are stepped down from social care, in particular into educational settings, many of whom have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, with direct early help support.
Provide additional leadership capacity by adding two temporary Early Help Pathway leads to support the early intervention process.
Allocate funding of £226k from the Council’s COVID-19 pressures fund.

See attached Officer Decision Record

Approval to enter into a funding agreement/accept funding that has been secured from DEFRA via SCR to enable delivery of schemes/interventions to improve air quality in Doncaster.