Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Children’s Service (attached).

(Agenda Item 9):

The Board received an update on progress to date given that the first of the 3 Children’s Network is now set up and it was emphasised that the context of the Children’s Networks was firmly rooted in the Every Child Matters agenda. The Board was also informed of the timescales involved in the continued development of the Networks.

There was general agreement to the direction of travel presented to the Board, but some questions arose relating to the decision-making and management structures supporting the development of the Children’s Networks. In response, it was stated that management structures were still at a developmental stage and that a panel of professionals would be commissioning work to do this. It was felt that universal services could be used, in certain circumstances, for provision purposes to certain geographical areas. The Extending Schools programme would also be a good opportunity to consider the further development of Children’s Networks. This would need to be communicated to Extended School designers for consideration and possible incorporation. The TPCT gave its commitment to working with Haringey Children’s Services on the Networks project. The board was informed that whilst the development of Children’s Networks is a serious step, a slow and considered approach was necessary in order to ensure robustness and to reflect what people want. The programme was, nonetheless, ambitious, and research in conjunction with Middlesex University had been undertaken to ensure this was achieved.

RESOLVED:

The Board agreed to the recommendations outlined in the Report, and compliment officers involved on the task in hand.