Issue - meetings

Briefing and answers to questions – Councillor Lorna Reith, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services.

RECEIVED the briefing (pages19 -22 of the agenda pack) from the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Lorna Reith and the responses to advance questions submitted.  Supplementary questions were asked and discussions noted below.

NOTED

• Re: Q2 & 22 – School meals - Take-up might be low for a number of reasons including where a school was near an estate of houses pupils might go home for lunch. The answer to Q22 focussed on free school meals; the Committee would be provided with an updated answer in relation to general school meals take up, particularly in primary schools (Action No. 234.2).
• Re. Q5 – Children in Care Placements - The Committee requested a more expansive briefing note on why more children being placed in care needed re-placements and more specific detail about legal costs with reference to Action 98.1 from the meeting held on 1^st November 2010, Page 114 of agenda pack, (and Action 159 from Budget Scrutiny 17^th January 2011).  It was noted that some of the re-placements were due to bringing together children as a family group when they had been separated as emergency interim measures.  Such re-placements did not require additional court action as court orders had already been obtained for the children (Action No. 234.1).
• Re. Q5 – In response to the Committee’s concerns about the number of times a case can go to court the Director of CYPS explained that this was often due to judges and guardians asking for additional assessments to be conducted.
• Re. Q22 – A Committee Member expressed concern that 17.6% of referrals had been previously referred in the last 12 months and asked why.  It was noted that the referrals could be for different issues and could come from different professionals.  After the initial information gathering it could be concluded that there was no underlying issue and the referral not followed through.
• Re. Q29 – The Committee commented that the role of Corporate Parent should be defined.  It was noted that the Assistant Head of Legal – Social Care  was preparing a briefing, which would be circulated to all members, in response to new regulations coming into force.
• Re. Q34 & 35 – The work of children centres will be more targeted towards early intervention and all centres will have a set of outcomes to meet which might include health visiting targets or looking at families in temporary accommodation or those on child protection lists.  The Cabinet Member agreed that early intervention would impact children’s behaviours.

RESOLVED to note the briefing.

Clerk’s note: 19:55 hrs - Cllr Bull left the meeting and Cllr Browne, Vice-Chair, took over as Chair.