Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ADVISORY PANEL of HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on 1 December 2009.

Chairman:

p Councillor M.J. Tucker

Councillors:

Also present at the invitation of the Chairman: Councillor D.A. Kirk (for part of the meeting)

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

There were no apologies for absence.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a personal or prejudicial interest in any matter considered at the meeting declared that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, considered whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with paragraph 12 of the code.

Councillor Jackie Porter declared a personal interest as the Chair of Trustees of an organisation that receives funding from Hampshire County Council.

3. CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Chairman welcomed all Members and officers to the inaugural meeting of the Panel.

4. TERMS OF REFERENCE

As this was the inaugural meeting of the Panel, the terms of reference (Item 4 in the Minute Book) which were agreed by the County Council on 17 September 2009 were noted.

5. INTRODUCTION TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BRANCH, CHILDREN'S SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Panel considered a detailed presentation from officers which commenced with Steve Crocker, Interim Assistant Director for Children and Families outlining the work of the Branch and its structures with particular reference to the core business elements as follows:

· Protection for children and directly providing care for vulnerable children

· Providing and commissioning services that protect and care for vulnerable children

· Promoting the achievement of the Government's five key outcomes for children (Every Child Matters)

· Working constructively with families and others to promote the above; and

· Developing and supporting partnerships to promote the above

The Interim Assistant Director then introduced the four Area Directors reporting to him as follows:

Kate Hart - Area Director for the North East

Stuart Ashley - Area Director for the South East (will be taking over
from Colin Hardy who will be retiring in the near future)

Stephen Handforth - Area Director for the South West

Vanessa Courtney - Head of County Services

The Interim Assistant Director outlined the service in each area and the county wide services. Safeguarding is very topical therefore the national context as well as the Hampshire context was discussed during which time the Interim Assistant Director emphasised that safeguarding children included the promotion of the five key outcomes of Every Child Matters as well as protecting children. Members noted that the Local Children's Safeguarding Board must be attended by the Executive Member for Children's Services but that it must be chaired by an independent person. Members also noted that the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) had been set up to ensure that people who have significant contact with children are registered and their suitability to have that contact with children is checked. The Interim Assistant Director also confirmed that the second Laming report had just been published which contained a number of recommendations including the registration of Social Workers.

New investment in terms of staff and technology, the importance of developing a cross departmental approach to achieve joined up services together with links to corporate performance were also highlighted. Of particular concern was the increasing workloads being experienced some of which was due to the prominence of cases such as that of Victoria Climbie and Baby P and their implications countrywide, together with improved practices that lead to more issues being uncovered and more children being taken into care as a result. The revised Ofsted framework was also outlined together with the positive outcomes of an unannounced inspection on 17 and 18 August 2009.

The four Area Directors each outlined key areas of work undertaken by their teams which included:

· Early intervention and prevention

· Joint ownership - local authority and other partners

· Referral and Assessment Teams

· Children in need/children in care including the legal framework

· Adoption Services

· Fostering Service

· Residential Children's Homes

· Independent Fostering Agencies, Non County Placements, Looked After Children placed at home and Secure Unit

Lastly, Rachel Walker defined the corporate parenting role, the role of Members and detailed why effective corporate parenting is important and outlined the Care Matters initiative. Rachel also highlighted local priorities and in particular the appointment of five Care Ambassadors for Hampshire who have recently left the care system.

Members welcomed the thorough and detailed presentation which provided an excellent summary of some complex areas of work and issues which would help to inform a forward plan of business for the Panel. During the course of the presentations, Members detailed questions were answered. In conclusion of this item, it was agreed that a presentation covering the Youth Justice Service and Mental Health Services be deferred to the next meeting.

6. PANEL'S FORWARD PLAN OF BUSINESS

The Panel discussed a number of areas that they would like to feature on a forward plan of business and thus providing an opportunity to look into these areas in more detail as follows:

· Summary of Inspections

· Meet Members of the Care Council

· Presentation by Hantsdirect staff

· Visits to Children's Homes (County Council and private homes where Hampshire children are placed)

· Benchmarking with other local authorities

· Implications for Hampshire of the Laming 2 report

The Panel also agreed that updates on performance and the Care Matters initiative should feature as standing items on the forward plan of business.

7. DATE, TIME AND VENUE OF NEXT MEETING

Given the complex nature of many of the items that would feature on the Panel's agendas, it was agreed that the next meeting would start at the earlier time of 1.30pm on Tuesday 2 February 2010 in the Mountbatten Room.