Decision details

(i)  To approve the Tier 4 CAMHS Hospital Independent Education Provision Policy for the academic year 2020-2021.

(ii)  To authorise the Service Lead for Education to take any action necessary to give effect to the (said) policy and to authorise any changes necessary to (said) policy, where required to give effect to any Acts, Regulations or revisions whenever they arise.

1.  To date, Southampton City Council has no policy regarding this vulnerable set of pupils. This policy will establish a framework and process that the local authority and independent providers can adhere to as and when admissions arise.

2.  Where NHS bed spaces are unavailable, Tier 4 admissions (i.e. If a child or young person is sectioned under the Mental Health Act) are allocated to independent hospitals. In these cases, the statutory responsibility for education of children and young people admitted remains with the ‘home’ local authority and can be discharged to the hospital school (as attached to the hospital). This policy will provide the protocols for effective discharge of Local Authority responsibilities.

The only alternative considered and rejected was not to implement the policy document. It has been necessary to challenge providers over the last academic year, however, to date there has been no formal document to establish process and procedures. Legal advice was sought from within Southampton City Council which suggested that establishing a policy would be advisable in this case.