Agenda item

BCP Childrens Services was inspected, under the Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACs) framework in December 2021. The outcome was an overall inadequate judgement.

As a result, the Secretary of State for Education issued a Statutory Direction and appointed a DfE Improvement Adviser to support the Council in their improvement of Childrens Social Care Services.

The Childrens Social Care and Early Help Services Improvement Plan is in place to ensure progress is made at pace in Childrens Social Care in line with the recommendations of the December 2021 Inspection and in accordance with the statutory direction notice received by the Council in March 2022.

Overview and Scrutiny require regular updates on the improvement progress.

The report details improvement in Childrens Social Care and Early Help services over 2023/24 with an additional supporting presentation covering the most current priorities and impact up to August 2024.

The Director of Quality, Performance Improvement and Governance, the Director Safeguarding and Early Help and the Corporate Director of Children’s Services presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

BCP Children’s Services was inspected, under the Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACs) framework in December 2021. The outcome was an overall inadequate judgement.

As a result, the Secretary of State for Education issued a Statutory Direction and appointed a DfE Improvement Adviser to support the Council in their improvement of Children’s Social Care Services.

The Children’s Social Care and Early Help Services Improvement Plan was in place to ensure progress was made at pace in Children’s Social Care in line with the recommendations of the December 2021 Inspection and in accordance with the statutory direction notice received by the Council in March 2022.

Overview and Scrutiny required regular updates on the improvement progress.

The report detailed improvement in Children’s Social Care and Early Help services over 2023/24 with an additional supporting presentation covering the most current priorities and impact up to August 2024.

The Committee discussed the report and presentation, including:

• In response to a query raised regarding how progress and success were measured the Committee was advised that there were various methods to assess the improvements made. These included the existing governance process, the quality assurance framework, feedback from our sector lead improvement partners, evaluations from OFSTED visits, reviews by local government associations, and internal auditing processes.
• The Committee was informed that residents would have access to ongoing progress updates through the OFSTED monitoring visit reports and the reports from the DfE advisor. These reports were published on the BCP website for public viewing.
• In response to a query raised regarding how all key stakeholders and partners were aligned, the Committee was advised that significant efforts had been made to establish a unified outcome framework with all partners. This year, work had begun on developing a new Children and Young People Plan, which was set to be released in 2025, prioritising the needs of children and young people.
• In response to a query regarding the speed of improvement in the service, the Committee was advised that while it was essential for the service to move quickly, its inadequacy developed over an extended period. Therefore, the service must focus on establishing strong foundations first. The pace at which the service operates would be determined by the need to build and develop these foundations.
• In response to a query raised regarding what had contributed to the improvement of the virtual school, the Committee was advised that significant efforts had been made to support young people in planning their next steps. The service would continue to focus on this aspect moving forward.
• In response to a query raised regarding whether young people were placed in suitable housing and who oversaw this process, the Committee was advised that there had been a need for further work to enhance the connection between Housing and Children’s Services. It had been essential to ensure compliance with regulations and to prioritise the overall quality of housing for children and young people.
• In response to a query regarding how stronger relationships would be built with family hubs, the Committee was advised that the development and investment in the early help offer had started to show positive advancements in family hubs. Feedback from health partners was reported to be very positive and the service expressed confidence that family hubs would continue to progress and strengthen.
• The Committee was informed by the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People that while further improvements were needed, significant progress had been made in engaging with everyone in BCP Council during the improvement journey of Children’s Services. He noted the positive impact of amplifying the voices of children and young people. Additionally, he acknowledged the ongoing recruitment and retention efforts, expressing a wish for BCP to be seen as a desirable workplace that prioritised skill development and attracted more high quality social workers to Children’s Services.
• The Committee expressed gratitude to the Children’s Service team for their ongoing work and improvements throughout the services. They wished the team well for their upcoming ILACS inspection.