Meeting documents

This agenda item will be led by the Council’s Deputy Director Children’s Services Claire Winter

For background, see 2022/23 Revenue Budget Monitoring – Month 3 – End of June 2022

Note – the Chair will allow 30 minutes for this agenda item

The Committee received a PowerPoint presentation from the Council’s Deputy Director of Children’s Services, Claire Winter who provided an update on the budgetary pressures in Children’s Services.

As a background to the item, the link to the revenue budget monitoring report had been shared with the Committee. This report had been considered at the Executive meeting on 17 August 2022 and concerns the 2022/23 revenue budget monitoring report – month 3 – end June 2022, and in particular the information relating to Children’s Services.

The key areas of pressure are external placements for children in care and secondly education transport – home to school and SEND transport and Ms Winter outlined the key performance cost drivers and actions / activity to address pressures. It was confirmed that the education transport strategy will be considered at the Place Scrutiny Committee on 6 September 2022 and will be brought to this Committee in October 2022.

It was agreed that the following will be circulated (a) ‘Staying Put’ policy; (b) numbers in residential care data for 21/22 and how we sit with statistical neighbours.

The Committee also congratulated the department for winning the 2022 LGC award for the fostering campaign.

It was agreed that Children’s Services budget monitoring will be discussed at the next meeting. The Chair also highlighted that at some point the Committee may consider setting up a task and finish group looking at external care placements, in conjunction with Corporate Parenting Board.