Members considered a report of the Children’s and Adult Services Working Party, the report set out a number of recommendations for the Audit Committee and the Executive Director of Operations and Finance.

Resolved:

(i)      That the Executive Director of Operations and Finance be requested to confirm acceptance of the following recommendations and the action taken to implement these recommendations:

1.    The continued creation and evaluation of plans to effect changes to working practises amongst social workers designed to both improve outcomes and reduce costs in the medium and long term.

2.    The continuing evaluation of the benefits of employing teams to ;

a) actively impact our provision of services to children on the edge of care with a view to preventing them needing to be taken into care and

b) actively work with children and the families of children in care to enable them to leave the care system and return home.

3.    The creation of a bottom up Safeguarding cost budget for 2016/17.

4.    Evaluation of this bottom up budget by the Director of Children Services, Service Heads, Executive Lead and Audit Working Party with aim of achieving the maximum viable placement cost saving against current year and substantial reductions in non placement cost.

5.    Agreement and commitment to the Budget being delivered by Service Heads within Children’s Services.

6.    Carry out a number of benchmarking evaluations to see how Torbay compares with other authorities.

7.    Evaluation of work programs to determine a viable rate of progress in reducing Children Looked After numbers and continuing the mix changes to lower cost placements over the next 2 to 5 years.  This will inform the construction of a new plan identifying the impact of which various work programs will play in achieving the plan and should explain how partnership working will contribute to those goals.  The new plan will conclude with a consideration of the funding mechanism needed to support the plan.

8.    The creation of a new cost evaluation and reporting system for safeguarding budgets with monthly reporting of actual costs incurred in running the services.  This should be designed to permit managers and members to hold the service to account in achieving financial goals and making progress towards achievement of all elements of the plan.

9.    Consider, possibly in consultation with the Integrated Care Organisation, how a general improvement can be introduced into the management of Children’s services with a recognition of the need for navigation of our service and cost improvement needs.

10. A detailed programme of performance monitoring generally, and specifically of the revised plan, by each of the following;

·         Children’s Services

·         Senior Leadership Team

·         Executive Lead for Children and Adults

·         Overview and Scrutiny.

so as to ensure appropriate challenge to Children’s Services going forward.

11. Consideration of how the recommendations of this report fit with the Ofsted Improvement Plan, with the same being acted upon with sufficient pace.

(ii)     that the following recommendation for the Audit Committee be approved:

That the Audit Committee assist in a benchmarking exercise looking at:

·         Numbers and sources of referrals

·         Numbers of initial assessments undertaken

·         Numbers of core assessments

·         Numbers of children who are the subject of Child Protection Plans