Issue - meetings

To consider the recommendation from the Children and Families Committee.

(Minute Extract to follow).

Consideration was given to the recommendation from the Children and Families Committee in relation to the Inspection of Local Authority Children Services Improvement Plan.

The Children and Families Committee at it is meeting on 16 July 2024 had considered the Improvement Plan which addressed the findings of the Ofsted Inspection conducted in February and March 2024 and recommended to Council the approval of the Plan for submission to Ofsted.

RESOLVED:

That Council approve the Implementation Plan, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

To consider the final version of the improvement plan to address the findings from the latest Ofsted inspection of local authority children's services (ILACS).

The committee considered a report on the Cheshire East children’s services improvement plan, which addressed the findings from the Ofsted inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) conducted in February and March 2024. The committee also considered the approach to providing additional financial investment to ensure that the Council could deliver the plan and the necessary improvements to the quality of services.

It was acknowledged that the improvement plan ratings had caused confusion as there were two separate keys for actions and impact. While this was referenced within the plan, it needed to be clear which the ratings shown referred to. Officers undertook to ensure that two separate ratings in the plan would be clearer to reflect this. The rating currently shown in appendix 1 of the report referred only to the actions as the first impact monitoring had not yet been undertaken at the time of publication.

Some members raised concerns regarding the plans for recruitment, sufficiency and the funding of the improvement plan and it was queried what contingencies were in place. Officers advised that the work being undertaken was looking at securing funding across the system to ensure sustainable solutions were found, particularly around sufficiency. Officers were working collaboratively on a proposal to address the sufficiency need and this would be brought forward to the Improvement Board and to Committee. The plan would be monitored on a monthly basis to identify any need for any contingency action. Details would be shared at each committee, as agreed at committee on 3 June 2024,  to provide assurance.

A query was raised regarding the care leavers’ scheme in which apprentices were employed by the council but seconded out to carefully selected businesses in the young person’s chosen field, and what liability the Council would have. Officers undertook to provide detail in writing but gave assurances that this was a tried and tested model and learning would be taken from examples of best practice.

RESOLVED (by majority):

That the Children and Families Committee

1. Approve the improvement plan as set out in appendix 1 to the report and recommend to full Council on 17 July 2024 the approval of the plan.

2. Approve the approach to funding the delivery of the improvement plan, as detailed in the S151/ finance section of the report and in appendix 2 to the report.