Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with an update on the Home to School Travel Assistance (H2STA) Improvement Programme and the current performance of the service provided to children, young people, and families of Surrey.

Witnesses:

Gerry Hughes - Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL)

David Mody - Head of Strategic Risk

Nikki O’Connor - Strategic Finance Business Partner

Key points raised in the discussion:

1.    The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that at the end of the last academic year over 10,000 children were supported on their journeys to and from school - half were mainstream and half had Special Educational Needs (SEN) or Additional Needs and Disabilities (AND). The team had reached its peak in workflow over the summer months and the routes had been optimised. She highlighted the significant national challenges around driver and disability vehicle shortages. The Home to School Travel Assistance (H2STA) service had been working in collaboration with operational colleagues, with the Freedom to Travel and Single View of a Child (SVoaC) programmes, and Internal Audit.

2.    The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that significant transformational improvements had been undertaken over the last eighteen months, categorised into six key workstreams. She noted that 99% of pupils - significant improvement from last year - had transport in place ahead of the start of term, it took thirty days on receipt for transport to be in place. Interim allowances were being put in place for applications received during August. She noted the further challenges from the SEN Recovery Plan around waiting times for transport.

3.    The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) thanked Internal Audit for its support as a critical friend and noted that with the completion of the fourteen recommendations, the Partial Assurance opinion from May 2022’s audit had been uprated to Reasonable Assurance in the follow-up audit in July 2023; with the caveat that the service could not be fully tested as it had not gone through the peak workflow. Three of the six recommendations had been completed and the other three were being worked through. She noted the ongoing scrutiny through the new Children, Families, Lifelong Learning (CFLL) governance boards, the select committee and upcoming deep dive by iCab.

4.    A Committee member asked how many children and young people who applied for transport by 31 July did not have transport confirmed by two weeks before the start of term. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) explained that 95% - she would provide the exact number - of the cohort was given that information within the timescale, those without that information had significant medical needs and the team was struggling to find medical personal assistants to provide support.

5.    As a supplementary question the Committee member referred to the Data risk whereby data from EYES could not be used, he also noted that the IT & Digital Development original timeline would be on hold for a year; he asked why that was and what the impact would be. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) explained that Liquidlogic had stalled its development, the Council therefore had to use legacy systems; due diligence was being done on market alternatives. She noted that the team did not want to rely on the EYES data for mass communications due to data quality issues of having two different addresses for the children, that was being worked on.

6.    As a supplementary question the Committee member noted that the data quality issues around two sets of addresses was a massive concern, he asked how high a priority it was to resolve that and what plans were in place to get the process right. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) would liaise with the SVoaC colleagues to get that information. She provided assurance that the correct address could be found out when interrogating the system.

7.    A Committee member noted that it was positive that 95% of the issues had been dealt with, however the parents that approached Members were those that have not received transport arrangements for their child. A few cases had been referred to him and the common factor was the lack of communication with parents about the plans being implemented and they found it difficult to find anyone to communicate with. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that there had been a transformational programme regarding communication, an e-contact form had been set up for parents to communicate with the team and that had been promoted by the Cabinet Member for Education and Learning - responded to within five working days. The Contact Centre received a large volume of calls during the start of term and there was a callback list between 24 and 48 hours. She noted that the team was aware of several families that applied after 31 July and interim mechanisms were in place including an independent travel allowance. She would liaise with the Committee member to discuss the problems referred to him.

8.    A Committee member noted the risk around the national driver shortages and the supply of specialist vehicles, as many children who required H2STA did need specialist vehicles and drivers who had additional training. She asked whether there was a national approach to address the issue, whether there was enough competition to encourage the contractors to increase their fleets and what Members could do to help. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that ensuring that those children with specialist needs have the correct vehicle was their most significant challenge. The team worked closely with the coach operators to appoint new drivers when routes were being tendered. Three-year contracts were being offered which had a cost implication but provided longevity. She highlighted the Freedom to Travel programme that was looking at supplier engagement across all the Council’s directorates that used that provision.

9.    Responding to the Chairman the Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) confirmed that volunteer drivers were not used due to the lack of supply, the team did commission services looking at volunteer drivers but did not have any success; she noted that the training and safeguarding had to be taken into consideration. The Chairman wondered whether the Council should be trying to make it easier for volunteer drivers to join the scheme. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that due to the national driver shortages they were offering independent travel allowances to some families. Where a child needed specialist equipment or a medically trained person to accompany them, they were looking at personal travel budgets for those families to support their own children to and from school, ten families had come forward to use that.

10.  A Committee member suggested a discussion around investing into specialist vehicles or encouraging H2STA provision through grants, usually done through local taxi companies. Perhaps through a Council capital programme as it might save money in the long-term, with adaptable vehicles for the future. She asked the Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) to look at where there were barriers around the provision of specialist vehicles and training of specialist drivers.

11.  A Committee member noted feedback from parents and some transport providers whereby transport arrangements seemed to be last minute even if parents applied on time, he asked why that might be. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) explained that during the academic year the team received as many applications it could through the system as early as possible, in May they started to optimise the routes and had until August to put the children onto a travel arrangement. They knew the children leaving and some of the children starting the schools, each of the routes had to go out to tender looking at the logistics of children’s start and end point ensuring one vehicle picking up the children; that was difficult with applications being received later.

12.  A Committee member referred to a comment by the Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) whereby the team did not know which school children would be starting at until they made an application for H2STA, however he noted that the admissions team would know that information and asked why the team needed to wait for an application. He queried why free transport was not part of the admissions process. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that their mainstream cohorts were dealt with early in the year and their bus passes were sent out; however with SEN children it was more problematic because their medical needs and placements changed. The team did not ask many of the children to reapply this year because they were not changing key stage, they were at a constant address and were going to the same provision. The Committee member did not understand that logic as he noted that his experience of dealing with admissions appeals over several years was that the SEN children were always known first because they were the highest priority, few SEN students once allocated to a school ended up going to a different school. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) would provide further detail on that.

13.  The Chairman referred to the Corporate Risk Register whereby the Strategic Risk ST.34 around H2STA had the equal highest rating and asked whether that rating was expected to decrease with all the changes in place. The Head of Strategic Risk confirmed that was the intention.

14.  The Chairman noted that a lot of the work seemed to be resource driven, he asked whether there was adequate money in the system to make it work. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that with the inflation costs and SEN Recovery Plan there were constraints on the spend however mitigations were in place looking at: solo routes and offering those families personal travel budgets, several safe routes within the system and consulting with families about withdrawing provision where the safe route was under three miles. Post-16 was a discretionary service, the team was looking at other local authorities to find out why and how they had stopped offering transport. The team was better resourced from a staffing perspective so would be re-optimising in December and January.

15.  A Committee member noted that the budget was increased this year by £14.7 million, she asked what the total spend on H2STA was. She asked whether the Council’s on demand bus service recently expanded across rural areas would also be used for H2STA to try to manage the increasing costs. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that the Freedom to Travel programme cut across all directorates, the team was also looking at its community transport providers for help. She noted that the current cost was £50 million.

16.  The Chairman asked whether the cost of H2STA would increase to £55 million next year if the average costs were increasing by 11%. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that would not be the case, the team was looking at mitigations to reduce costs. The Strategic Finance Business Partner explained that in the current financial year, part of the forecast in-year overspend was attributable to the H2STA budget circa £2 million and that the ongoing impact of that, put pressure on the 2024/25 budget setting process.

17.  A Committee member asked how much of the £50 million and the overspend was due to SEN or due to being three miles away from the nearest school. It was a large budget and the Council had to ensure that children could get to school, whilst being accountable to residents about how it was spending council tax money.

18.  The Vice-Chairman noted in the future it would be useful to look at the breakdown of costs, particularly between special needs and the general provision, expanding on what the pressures were and how difficult it was and why. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that she would provide that detail, a deep dive into budget forecasting with the CFLL Governance Board was scheduled for October.

19.  A Committee member referred to the current pilot of a Personal Travel Budget offer to families and asked what the size of that pilot was, when it was due to complete and what would happen with the results. The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) noted that the pilot started about a month ago, in October the team would survey the parents that had taken it up to see whether the policy needed to be amended and the results would be provided to senior officers.

RESOLVED:

1.    Monitored the progress of the audit recommendations and follow-up review conducted in July 2023.

Actions/further information to be provided:

1.    A22/23 - The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) will provide the exact number of children and young people who applied for transport by 31 July that did not have transport confirmed by two weeks before the start of term.

2.    A23/23 - The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) will liaise with the SVoaC colleagues to get the information requested regarding data quality issues around two sets of addresses: how high a priority is it to resolve that and what plans are in place to get the process right.

3.    A24/23 - The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) will liaise with the Committee member to discuss the problems referred to him around H2STA. 

4.    A25/23 - The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) will look at where there are barriers around the provision of specialist vehicles and training of specialist drivers, looking into investing into specialist vehicles and grants.

5.    A26/23 - The Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) will provide further detail on her explanation that the H2STA team did not know which school children would be starting at until they made an application for H2STA, despite the admissions team having that information and that placements could change for SEN children.

6.    A27/23 - Following the deep dive into budget forecasting with the CFLL Governance Board scheduled for October, the Assistant Director – Support Services (CFLL) will provide a breakdown of costs, particularly between special needs and the general provision, expanding on what the pressures are and how difficult it is and why.