Agenda item

To provide the committee with the opportunity to consider and comment on the work that is ongoing to address the budget pressures identified in the Children’s Services budgets for 2019/20.

The Chairman advised that this Report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book, was being considered following a request from a Committee Member.

The Service Director, Quality and Commissioning, advised the Report provided an opportunity for the Committee to consider and comment on the ongoing work to address budget pressures identified in the Children’s Services budgets for 2019/20.

The Committee considered the Report and comments were made, including:

• In response to a query whether the overspend detailed in the Report at the end of Q2 had been reduced as now close to year end, the Service Director, Quality and Commissioning, confirmed that the overspends would not exceed the levels reported and that work was being undertaken to try and reduce them
• A Member enquired how it was proposed to reduce this deficit, as the Report did not detail options and also how satisfied Children’s Services were that value for money was being received in the high cost placements. The Committee was advised that this had been a difficult budget due to the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), with uncertainly regarding levels of cost but that a resilience reserves had been set aside to support this budget.  The Committee was also advised that this year’s budget being used to plan for future budgets
• The Children in Care costs were considered, and the Committee was advised that Children’s Services worked closely with providers but it was a difficult and challenging environment and services that provide for high level complex needs children were very limited and costly
• The Committee was advised that BCP was using best practice methodology from the predecessor Council, Poole, which considered high complex needs and therefore high costs. As a result of this work, Children’s Services had been successful in sourcing more local appropriate care provision and therefore the children benefited more intensive support from their Social Worker.  This methodology was now being extended to consider SEND children
• Regarding SEN transport costs, the Committee was advised they related to the workforce that support this service and an explanation of how the costs were incurred was given. There was acknowledgment that further work was required to reduce these costs in the future
• The Committee was advised that the priority for 2020/21 was to consider how to create the specialist adolescent support provision that the children who sit behind the figures required.  The need to develop flexible, assertive, trauma informed, adolescent services to include multi agency wrap around care was highlighted and the Corporate Director, Children’s Services advised a future report could be considered on this.
• In response to how this overspend could be explained to residents, the Committee was advised that a number of unknown children who had high level complex needs were brought into care shortly after BCP’s creation and that there would have been no way to have anticipated this within the budget
• A Member requested information regarding how many children made up the Children in Care from the Christchurch area overspend of £795,000.
• The Portfolio Holder assured the Committee that this overspend would not impact on the residents Council Tax contributions and that the budget would be balanced by using funds from the resilience reserves
• The Corporate Director, Children’s Services advised that Members could assist by promoting and helping source foster carers who could accommodate some of the higher needs children within BCP
• In response to a query regarding the mainstream transport, the Committee was advised that the mode of transport reflected the needs of the individual, together with the locations and distances.  The Committee was assured that BCP Council had an integrated transport department who commissioned all transport and looked at efficient and cost effective ways of providing a considered and complete transport approach.

The Chairman summarised that the Committee was concerned regarding the overspend, with questions regarding the children in care and why this was not anticipated.  The Committee sought reassurance that this level of overspend would not happen again and how it can be mitigated in the future.

RESOLVED that the Committee note the budget position and the actions being taken to address the identified pressures.