Protecting our most vulnerable people
The Council helps to keep children and adults safe from harm; provide early intervention for families; and prevent homelessness, while services continue to face significant and sustained pressures.
Breastfeeding
This year’s data for breastfeeding prevalence at 6 to 8 weeks is unavailable, as the data did not meet Public Health England (PHE) requirements for reporting. A breastfeeding status of 94.3% of those eligible was reached however PHE only report a confirmed figure if a breastfeeding status of 95% is reached. Coventry’s unvalidated data figure at a breastfeeding status of 94.3% is 48%. It appears breastfeeding rates in Coventry have remained consistent however analysis shows that we have areas in the city where rates are significantly below this average.
The Infant Feeding Team transferred to the Family Health and Lifestyles Service in August 2018 and are working closely with Health Visiting to improve rates. The service is working across the city and looking at how the team can focus on supporting areas with low take-up or maintaining breastfeeding rates on discharge from hospital. The service has been offering several drop-in sessions, telephone advice and information to promote breastfeeding.
Early years
More five-year-olds achieve a good level of development
In 2019 Coventry achieved 69% of pupils achieving a good level of development an increase from 67.8% in 2018. Coventry’s improvement is at a faster rate than national (1.2 percentage points compared to 0.3 percentage points)
The gap between the lowest achieving 20% in the early years and the rest has increased.
The gap in Coventry (38.6% in 2019) between the “lowest achieving 20%” in the early years and “the rest” is now over 6% points more than the same figure nationally showing a 32.4% gap. Closing the gap with those in poverty remains a city priority and integral to Coventry’s Early Help model. In addition, new termly monitoring of preschool Foundation Stage assessments across Schools and Private & Voluntary Aided providers is being scheduled for 2020/21.
Children’s services
Provisional data shows the city’s looked after children rate remains the same at 89 per 10,000 of the population under the age of 18.
Repeat referrals to children’s social care have reduced and the percentage of new looked after children who were previously looked after has also reduced. Repeat referrals reduced from 25.9% in 2019 to 24.9% in March 2020. The percentage of new looked after children who were previously looked after reduced from 8.1% to 7.7%.
The percentage of common assessment framework assessments closed with all actions complete has increased from 69% March 2019 to 72.8% in March 2020.
Children’s Services - transformation update
The pandemic and lockdown have not been able to slow the ongoing transformation of Children’s Services. The joint forces of the Transformation Team and Businesses Systems Team have made sure the journey to ‘good’ has kept its momentum. The project to transform and improve Children’s Services has embraced system change, particularly the development of digital solutions, to make sure the city’s most vulnerable children are getting the best outcomes. Despite the lockdown restrictions, recent improvements include:
- The redesign of business processes and forms for Signs of Safety to allow early help for vulnerable children and families before issues become more profound
- The continued drive to increase the number of internal foster care placements
- Moving to electronic processes for our Residential Services, through the implementation of a new module in the Children’s Case Management System (LCS)
- A ground-breaking partnership between Through Care and Severn Trent to provide Care Leavers with a 70% discount on their water bills.
Tackling substance misuse/risk-taking behaviours
Healthy Lifestyles Coventry is a FREE, faceto-face, or online service supporting clients to improve their health and wellbeing. The service promotes health by supporting weight loss, stopping smoking, alcohol reduction, increasing physical activity and providing statutory services like the NHS Health Check. In the year, 1,453 (an increase of 381) completed a programme with the service, 14,800 NHS Health Checks were completed, 1,600 clients quit smoking, 550+ clients lost a minimum of 3% of their weight, and 700+ increased their levels of physical activity. 60% of these clients maintained their new lifestyle after 12 months. By taking a whole-person approach, of the 120+ clients reduced their alcohol consumption to within HM Govt. guidelines, 39% also went on to lose 3% of their weight.
The Change Grow Live service works to help those people whose substance misuse and risk taking behaviours cause substantial health and social problems. The Coventry service was rated as “Good” across the board following a Care Quality Commission inspection in 2019. Between 2018/9 and 2019/20 Change Grow Live saw an
- increase in the number of new clients (from 876 to 926)
- an increase in the total number of people in structured treatment (from 1647 to 1685) and
- an increase in the number of people successfully completing treatment (from 333 to 400)
Change Grow Live provide training for health and social care practitioners and in first 9 months of the year 678 people completed training with them. In response to the fact that the biggest cause of death among those in treatment was respiratory disease, Change Grow Live introduced micro-spirometry checks at assessment to identify Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease as early as possible.
Adult social care
The number of adult social care service users receiving long term on-going support increased from 3,287 in March 2019 to 3,405 in March 2020 an increase of 3.6%. The number and rate have stayed at a similar level over the last 5 years and remains lower than comparators. In 2019/20 10,534 adults contacted social care who had not previously received social care support. This is an increase of 1.6% from 2018/19. The number of adult safeguarding S42 enquiries (532) and rate per 100,000 population (185) have both fallen in comparison with last year. Proportion of adult social care service users placed in regulated adult social care services rated as inadequate has increased to 4.2%. As of 31st March 2020, 34 people were placed in residential and nursing care within the City that are rated as CQC inadequate out of 814 people placed. The overall satisfaction of people who use services with their care and support remains at a similar level to last year and is similar to our CIPFA nearest neighbours. In Coventry 63.1% satisfied in 2019/20 and 63.4% were satisfied in 2018/19.
The proportion of adult social care service users who feel safe has increased from 69.7% in 2018/19 to 76.7%.
Housing and homelessness
More households accepted as statutory homeless (in priority need)
The number of households accepted as statutory homeless (in priority need) increased from 388 in 2018/19 to 913 in 2019/20. The past year has seen an increase in approaches to the service. This has translated into much higher main-duty decisions being made, due to carrying over backlog cases into the year from the previous year. The number of households accepted as statutory homeless (in priority need) increased from 388 in 2018/19 to 913 in 2019/20. The past year has seen an increase in approaches to the service. This has translated into much higher main-duty decisions being made, due to carrying over backlog cases into the year from the previous financial year and concentrating on getting these outstanding case decisions up to date. The team has seen lots of recruitment activity throughout the year to ensure staffing numbers are correct and the introduction of a new structure with the Accommodation Team being set up. There has also been a year on year increase in approaches to the services, 2018/19 3789 approaches and 2019/20 4530 approaches.
More homelessness cases prevented and relieved
The number of cases prevented and relieved increased from 413 in 2018/19 to 552 in 2019/20. More staff have been recruited and this has reduced the backlog leading to increased successful outcomes at preventions and relief stages. This has significantly increased in February and March 2020 which will go into 20/21. The introduction of appointments has seen an increase in cases going onto prevention to give more opportunity to work with customers to resolve their circumstances before they may move into relief and have consideration for temporary accommodation.
Rough sleeping in city
In July 2019 the Council and dozens of other city agencies increased their efforts to help rough sleepers in the city. A Rough Sleeping Co-ordinator was set to start, while outreach workers were linking with other agencies specifically to improve partnership working in helping rough sleepers into accommodation. A scheme to provide housing and support to more than 100 rough sleepers was also underway, and a forum in place to link agencies to share the best approaches to working with people sleeping on the street.
Launched in February 2020, Change into Action is an alternative giving scheme supporting local specialist charities and street teams working to change the circumstances of rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping in Coventry.
Agencies in the city working together to address street homelessness, businesses and councillors joined by the Mayor of the West Midlands to give their backing to the approach which is already operating in Birmingham and Solihull in the region.
Caradoc Hall – A One Coventry Approach
A refurbished housing scheme providing dozens of temporary homes in Henley Green welcomed its first families in February 2020.
Caradoc Hall in Henley Green provides 102 family temporary homes for families who have applied to the Council as homeless. All of the flats have undergone a significant refurbishment. The completion of Caradoc Hall required a challenging (but rewarding) outcome focussed approach between many Council departments, private and third sector partners, in a true One Coventry approach.