Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Children and Families stated that Cabinet was being asked for approval of the Worcestershire Children First (WCF) Business Plan which was about the relationship between WCF and the County Council. He clarified that the County Council retained responsibility for the services, but WCF delivered services. When the Department for Education Direction was received for safeguarding services to move to the new company the Council believed it would be best to include education services, so that there was not a separation of services.

The business plan detailed the budget which had an additional £7.9 million which would go towards improving services. He pointed out that improvements were being made but the bar had started at a low position. Tribute was paid to the Chief Executive of WCF, also the Director of Children’s Services for the Council, who had helped deliver the improvements.

The Business Plan included the vision, aims and goals that the Council were being asked to sign up to. The report was not asking Cabinet to look at specific issues with SEND or Foster Care but it was important to look at where things needed to improve. 

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills assured the Public Participants that Cabinet would not pat each other on the back regarding what had been achieved but would welcome positive as well as negative feedback, and would listen to stakeholders, especially parents and carers.

He explained that reference to the ‘medium term’ was about embedding good practice but that did not mean that actions would not be taken immediately. He stated that the Council did act within the law, and that he would not approve a plan if he thought it was breaking the law. He said that the four areas where sufficient progress was not being made, were being looked at, but he wished to point out that health also had a key role to play with EHCPs.

During the discussion the following main points were made:

·         A member from outside the Cabinet referred to a proposal at the February Council meeting to move funding from transport and spent on SEND which had been unsuccessful. She found it difficult to hear that Cabinet felt they were making progress.

·         There was concern that not all problems within SEND and with EHCPs would be resolved, and even with a consultation coming up that there would not be enough co-production. It was queried whether the current situation regarding outstanding EHCPs was unlawful.

·         A third Member from outside the Cabinet felt that the membership of the Overview and Scrutiny function should be diversified to enable parents to advise and participate. He understood that there was a national issue with funding for SEND provision, but suggested that Worcestershire’s allocation was lower than other areas.

·         The Leader reminded the Cabinet that significant investment had been made in Children’s services, and improvements had been made which was a tribute to staff, however it was recognised that some areas were still not good enough. The issue of whether parents and carers should be members of the scrutiny Panel was dependent on the Constitution and not an issue for Cabinet,

·         The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills assured the meeting that WCF was in the process of getting parents and carers involved with the four workstreams where sufficient progress had not yet been made. However, enough improvement had been made overall so that the statutory direction had been lifted,

·         The Cabinet member for Economy and Skills explained that scrutiny was part of the democratic process and could not be directed by Cabinet. Scrutiny was carried out by Councillors who were representatives of and elected by, the people. If expert opinions were required at a Scrutiny Panel then others would be invited to input to the Scrutiny process,

·         It was pointed out that if SEND was used for political purposes then children suffer; a one council approach was needed for Children’s services across Worcestershire. The Chief Executive of WCF was the Council’s Director of Children’s Services to ensure that the organisations worked together.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

(a)  noted the contractual performance update on Worcestershire Children First; 

(b)  approved Worcestershire Children First’s Business Plan 2022/23; and

(c)   noted the agreed contract sum for 2022/23 to WCF as set out in paragraph 24 and noted the indicative contract sum for 2023/24 and 2024/25 included in the Business Plan.