Agenda item

The Sub Committee will receive and consider the report from the recent OFSTED Inspection.

Officers had submitted a report detailing the recommendations contained in the Children’s Social Care and LSCB – Ofsted SIF report and the Council’s engagement on the action plan. Ofsted had awarded the Council an overall ‘Requires Improvement t be good’ grading to the Children’s Social Care and LSCB services.

The ‘Experiences and progress of care leavers’ strand had received an ‘inadequate’ grading, as a result of which Ofsted would make a return visit towards the end of March 2017, to check progress on this area and scrutinise the action plan to improve this area of the service.

Ofsted had made 13 recommendations to the Council. These were:

1.   Ensure that managers at all levels use management information effectively to oversee the work of their teams, and that performance reports include analysis, evaluation and commentary.

2. Ensure that partners understand thresholds, that they are applied consistently and that children referred to the MASH, or who require help out of hours, receive a timely and proportionate response.

3. Ensure that all assessments of children and care leavers consider all areas of need and risk, including equality and diversity issues and health needs.

4. Improve pathway plans, reviews of pathway plans and visits to care leavers to ensure that they meet statutory requirements. Ensure that all plans for children are specific, measurable and child focused and that copies are provided to parents and carers in a timely way.

5. Ensure that all care leavers are fully aware of their entitlements.

6. Ensure that all children and young people who go missing from home or care are offered prompt return home interviews and that the information obtained is used to support their safety plans.

7. Improve the sufficiency and availability of placements for care leavers, children looked after and children with a plan of adoption so that they are well matched according to their needs.

8. Ensure robust tracking and decision making for children who are subject to pre-proceedings and permanence planning, to avoid drift and delay, and that independent reviewing officers and child protection chairs provide sufficient challenge to these plans.

9. Take steps to ensure sufficient independent visitors for all children looked after who would benefit from this.

10. Ensure that the support needs of children subject to adoption and special guardianship are comprehensively assessed and result in a plan that addresses children’s individual needs.

11. Improve the regularity and scrutiny of management oversight and the quality of staff supervision at all levels, ensuring that staff are properly held to account for their practice in providing appropriate help and support for children and reducing drift.

12. Increase the influence of the corporate parenting board, ensuring that the direct involvement of children is central to the board’s work and that the membership and workplan target priorities effectively. Properly celebrate the achievements of children and young people.

13. Expedite the development or re-commissioning of the electronic system to ensure that it is fit for purpose, that it adequately supports the planning and recording requirements of the care leavers’ service, the provision of management information and enables proper storage of adopters’ records.

The Sub-Committee agreed that officers should report back to the next meeting with the agreed Action Plan.