Issue - meetings

The Corporate Director of Children’s Services, Helen Jenner, presented the report and explained that the OFSTED Inspection of children in need, looked after children and care leavers and a review of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) had been undertaken over April and May 2014 and the report had been published in July.  Both the service and the LSCB had been judged as ‘requires improvement’.  To achieve the required improvements the Action Plan, attached to the report, had been drawn up. Whilst the Action Plan would be monitored by the Children’s Services Select Committee, in view of the cross interest it was intended that the Health and Wellbeing Board would also receive an overview of progress on a six monthly basis. 

Barking and Dagenham was now the eighth poorest borough in the country and was facing a massive demographic change including a massive increase in the number of children.

The Chair added that as part of the feedback to the Inspectors she had stressed the rapid pace of demographic change and felt that the impact on the borough and its services had not been fully understood by OFSTED.  The Chair added that the Inspector had indicated that he would feed that back centrally.

The Deputy Borough Commander, Sean Wilson, advised that the issues were now raised at the Police Inspector training days and as a result the number of children being taken into the police protection had started to reduce since April 2014.

The Chair commented that there appeared to be a tangible cultural difference from previous years and practical change appeared to be occurring and this was very encouraging.

The Board noted:

(i)  The content and outcomes of the OFSTED Inspection of services for children in need, looked after children, care leavers and review of the Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Children Board as set out in the report; and

(ii)  The Local Authority Children’s Services Action Plan, attached as an Appendix to the report, and whilst this Action Plan would be monitored by the Children’s Services Select Committee, the Health and Wellbeing Board would also receive an overview of progress on a six monthly basis.