Dedicated School Grant deficits - Find a freedom of information request

Request

1.     Please provide the council's response to the DLUHC consultation/survey on the removal of the current statutory override on Dedicated School Grant deficits (i.e. removing the ringfence of DSG deficits that means they do not have to be funded from available reserves)

2.     What is the current forecast in-year underspend/overspend outturn on the Dedicated Schools Grant for 2022/23 (i.e. the forecast outturn for the end of the financial year, applying only to 2022/23 budgets)?

3.     What is the current forecast cumulative position on the Dedicated Schools Grant by the end of 2022/23 (i.e. the forecast cumulative surplus or deficit by the end of the financial year)?

4.     What is the forecast level of reserves by the end of 2022/23 for those reserves that have the capacity to be used to cover any Dedicated Schools Grant deficit?

5.     Please state if the council's Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision is covered by a safety valve agreement, a Delivering Best Value arrangement, or any other agreement with the national government

6.     Please provide a list of the council's Key Performance Indicators (or similar targets) in 2022/23 concerning SEND, including the 2021/22 benchmark for those KPIs, any annual or quarterly targets/benchmarks in 2022/23 and the performance against those targets/benchmarks to date

7.     Please list the staff roles within the council's SEND team (those staff employed by the council to manage and deliver SEND eligibility and provision)

8.     Is performance against these KPIs (as referred to in question 6) considered in the pay, bonuses or performance management of any SEND staff/management? Please provide details.
 

Decision

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1. No response was provided in the latest survey.

The prior 2019 consultation response included - The introduction of the statutory override in 2020/21 and amendments to the regulations did address the uncertainties of where the Dedicated Schools Grant overspends are to be recovered from (i.e. not requiring it to be covered from Council general reserves), however such DSG overspends cannot be left on Council's balance sheets.

Although the Department have adopted a number of measures, such as the Safety Value and Delivering Better Value in SEND, the Department must ensure that sustainable and responsive High Needs block funding is received for Local Authorities, and the Council consider the SEND Green Paper to be fundamental towards achieving this. The Government has now confirmed the continuation of the statutory override to 2025/26.

2. £0.023m underspend

3. £10.33m surplus

4. £6.881m surplus

5. No

6. KPIs for children are published in the public domain and can be found at:

Corporate plan - Lincolnshire County Council

7. Roles fully supporting children and young people with SEND

SEND Head of Service

SEND Assistant Caseworker

SEND Caseworker

SEND Practice Supervisor

SEND Team Manager

Sensory Education and Support Team Senior Specialist Teacher

Sensory Education and Support Lead Teacher

Sensory Education and Support Specialist Teaching Assistant

Sensory Education and Support Habilitation

Specialist Sensory Education and Support

Specialist Teacher Specialist Teaching Team Manager

Specialist Speech and Language Teacher

Speech and Language Teaching Assistant

Educational Psychologist

SEND Business Support Assistant

SEND Business Support Officer

SEND Senior Business Support Assistant

SEND Employment Lead

SEND Employment Officer

SEND Programme Manager

Early Help and Co-ordination Practice Supervisor

Early Help and Co-ordination Keyworker

Young People’s Learning Provision Principle

Young People’s Learning Provision Team Leader

Young People’s Learning Provision Manager

Young People’s Learning Provision Pastoral Lead

Young People’s Learning Provision Employment Coordinator

Young People’s Learning Provision Job Coach

Young People’s Learning Provision Tutor

Young People’s Learning Provision Learning Support Assistant

Young People’s Learning Provision EHCP Coordinator

Young People’s Learning Provision EHCP Assistant

Young People’s Learning Provision Business Admin Support

Young People’s Learning Provision Exams and Data Officer

Children with Disabilities Team Manager

Children with Disabilities Practice Supervisor

Children with Disabilities Advanced Practitioner

Children with Disabilities Social Worker

Children with Disabilities Occupational Therapy Practice Supervisor

Children with Disabilities Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapy

Children with Disabilities Occupational Therapist

Inclusion Head of Service

Emotional and Behavioural School Advisor

SEND Advice Line for Lincolnshire Advisor

Homes Manager

Assistant Manager Residential Care Officer level 3

Residential Care Officer level 2

Residential Care Officer level 1

Relief Residential Care Officer level 1

Cook

Handyperson

Support Worker

Placement Support Officer

Senior Commissioning Officer Commissioning Officer.

Commissioned Services

Working Together Team Operations Manager

Working Together Team Outreach Teacher

Lincolnshire Sensory Services

Sensory Children’s Assessor

Lincolnshire Sensory Services Admin Co-Ordinator

Lincolnshire Sensory Services Administrator

Lincolnshire Sensory Services Rehab Vision Loss

Lincolnshire Sensory Services Specialist Children’s Worker

Lincolnshire Sensory Services Sensory Impairment Officer

Hearing Support Lincolnshire Sensory Services Team Manager

Roles that include support for children and young people with SEND

Inclusion Team Manager

Inclusion Reintegration Officer

Inclusion Reintegration Supervisor

Inclusion Casework Assistant

Inclusion Panel Clerk

Inclusion Caseworker

Health Visitors

Family Health Worker

Children and Young People’s Nurse

Children’s Specialist Continence Nurse

Inclusion and Attendance Safeguarding and Welfare Officer

Virtual School Education Progress Lead

Virtual School Education Progress Co-ordinator

Virtual School Head Virtual School Team Manager

Virtual School Caring2Learn Programme Manager

Virtual School ePEP Development Co-ordinator

Virtual School Academic Progress Leads

Early Help Worker Youth Offending Team Worker

Youth Offending Team Officer

Youth Offending Education Mentor

Youth Offending Community Intervention Team

Youth and Community Development Worker

Youth Offending Clinical & Forensic Psychologist

Youth Offending Harmful Behaviour Specialist

Youth Offending Speech and Language Therapist

Youth Offending Mental Health Practitioner

Youth Offending Positive Futures Worker

Commissioned Services

Behaviour Outreach Support Service Strategic Manager

Behaviour Outreach Support Service Locality Manager

Behaviour Outreach Support Service Caseworker

Behaviour Outreach Support Service Business Support Training and Volunteer co-ordinator.

8. No salaries or bonuses SEND staff/management are linked to KPIs

Reference number
FOI 5686989
Date request received
06/12/22
Date of decision
29/12/23