Issue - meetings

To confirm the minutes of the Child Protection Overview & Scrutiny Committee held on 17^th September 2009.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th September 2009 were confirmed as a correct record.

The following matters arose:

OSCO07 – Joint Area Review Action Plan Update (Page 2 of agenda pack)

The Committee was informed that the Director of Children’s Services and the Deputy Director – Children & Families had attended a monthly meeting with Government Office for London officers the previous day and were informed that the request for further funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to cover short term capacity needs was being considered by the Secretary of State and a response would be provided the following week.  Details of the response would be circulated to Committee Members.

The Committee asked whether the target to clear the backlog of cases by December 2009 had been met.  Eleanor Brazil (Deputy Director – Children and Families) informed members that the issue had been with initial and core assessments not being completed within timescales.  The Committee noted that whilst some assessments were out of time there was no backlog.

OSCO08 – Children’s Safeguarding Policy and Practice Advisory Committee – update on the work of the Panel (Page 3 of agenda pack)

The Committee noted that the Children’s Safeguarding Policy and Practice Advisory Committee had not met since the last Child Protection Overview & Scrutiny Committee to discuss monitoring when parents failed to take their children for health checks.