Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services presented a report on the significant operational service developments and inspections over the past 18 months relating to the Complex Needs and Social Care teams within Children’s Services, together with proposals to revise corporate parenting arrangements.

The overall outcome of the inspections were:

·  ‘Outstanding’ for the Fostering service

·  ‘Good’ for the Adoption Agency

·  ‘Good’ for Safeguarding

·  ‘Adequate’ on a multi agency basis with regard to services for Looked After Children.

The Cabinet Member advised on the work of the Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Children Board and other service improvements including the introduction of Triage and Assessment services and the implementation of the Borough’s local Quality Assurance Strategy.  Specific details regarding the Council’s looked after children’s population, including some key performance indicators linked to placement availability and performance targets for the future, were also set out in the report.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services referred to the inspection recommendation that corporate parenting arrangements and strategic planning be strengthened to ensure that they properly reflected the Council’s responsibilities to looked after children.  As a result, the Corporate Parenting Group had been refreshed and governance arrangements had been revised leading to the establishment of a single portfolio lead for Children’s Services and all Cabinet portfolio holders assuming a corporate parenting responsibility for their areas. 

Cabinet agreed:

(i)  To note the service improvements contained within the review report and as described within the inspection reports;

(ii)  To note the outcomes from inspections over the past 18 months and actions taken so far in response to inspection findings; and

(iii)  To task the Members Corporate Parenting Group to co-ordinate, produce and monitor the Council’s Corporate Parenting Strategy, which shall report annually to Cabinet and replace the need for individual reports on inspections as indicated within the report.