Venue: Committee Suite 1,2 & 3, Westfields, Middlewich Road, Sandbach CW11 1HZ. View directions
Contact: Josie Lloyd Tel: 01270 686466 Email: josie.lloyd@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Link: meeting audio
No. | Item |
---|---|
Apologies for Absence To note any apologies for absence from Members. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors R Bailey and N Cook . Councillors J Clowes and M Goldsmith attended as a substitutes. |
|
Declarations of Interest To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests in any item on the agenda. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
|
Minutes of Previous Meeting To approve as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting held on 8 July 2024. To follow. Minutes: RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 July 2024 be agreed as a correct record.
|
|
Public Speaking/Open Session In accordance with paragraph 2.24 of the Council’s Committee Procedure Rules and Appendix on Public Speaking, set out in the Constitution, a total period of 15 minutes is allocated for members of the public to put questions to the committee on any matter relating to this agenda. Each member of the public will be allowed up to two minutes each to speak, and the Chair will have discretion to vary this where they consider it appropriate.
Members of the public wishing to speak are required to provide notice of this at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.
Petitions - To receive any petitions which have met the criteria - Petitions Scheme Criteria, and falls within the remit of the Committee. Petition organisers will be allowed up to three minutes to speak.
Minutes: There were no public speakers. |
|
ILACS Improvement Plan 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). Additional documents:
Minutes: 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.
|
|
To consider the work programme and determine any required amendments.
Minutes: RESOLVED:
That the work programme be noted. |