Agenda item

This is an opportunity for the Committee to discuss and ask questions on the Council’s self-assessment presentation that was prepared for the recent Ofsted monitoring visit, which was particularly focussed on the Covid-19 response.

Contributors:

Cllr Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

Mr Tolis Vouyioukas, Corporate Director for Children’s Services

Mr Richard Nash, Service Director, Children’s Social Care

The Chairman welcomed Mr Tolis Vouyioukas, Corporate Director for Children’s Services, to the meeting. Cllr M Shaw, Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member Children’s Services, introduced the item to the Select Committee and thanked all staff who had worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. The Ofsted visit had lasted three weeks and was focused on the service’s response to Covid-19. Buckinghamshire Council would receive Ofsted’s report in April 2021.

MrVouyioukas highlighted some key aspects of the report. Ofsted had an interest in understanding the impact Covid-19 had on the delivery of the service which coincided with when the local authority became a unitary council. The lockdown had significantly impacted the service with it being delivered remotely to children, young people and their families. Partnership working had been important in maintaining the delivery of the service and Mr Vouyioukas expressed his gratitude particularly to schools for their responsiveness. The service had experienced an increase in demand  which had meant moving internal resources to support the multi agency safeguarding hub (MASH) and Assessment Teams. Regarding children in need of help and protection, the report outlined areas that required further attention and Ofsted had accepted this. The service had clear commitments over the next 12 months which included the need for recruitment.

Following the update, Members raised a number of key points which included:-

·         The Committee complimented the officers for how they had adapted their work to continue the service during the pandemic.

·         Part of the increased demand was due to the three lockdowns causing a strain on families and parenting.

·         There was a discussion around how individual members can support local families in their interactions with social care. Mr Vouyioukas advised that this might not always be appropriate and urged members to raise any specific concerns with him.

·         It was clarified that the Director for Children’s Services reported to the Members Recovery Board, chaired by the Leader and attended by Cabinet Members, that took place once a week. In addition there was a separate all Member briefing each week during the pandemic.

·         There had been benefits to remote working as some young residents had preferred this communication.

·         The release of funding for 21 social workers was due to caseload pressures and the need for additional team capacity.

·         The SEND progress report had been included to highlight the achievements to Ofsted since 2017, but it was not the focus of this visit.

·         It was important that the service supported, nurtured and developed its staff to meet their needs during the pandemic.

·         There had not been a significant increase in the number of children entering care due to Covid-19. Instead, the service had seen an increase in more complex cases.

·         Covid was leading to financial pressures in Children’s Services across the country. The Council had maintained close monitoring and control on the budget whilst being mindful of the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable families.

·         It was important to maintain the current standards for adoption and this service had been performing strongly. Adoption timescales were continually monitored (Covid had led to some court delays) and needed to be balanced with the need for a child’s permanent future arrangements.

On behalf of the Committee, the Chairman thanked all the officers and all the staff for their excellent work, and was pleased that performance had improved.