Agenda item
Safeguarding & Looked After Children (LAC) Action Plan update
The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the outcome of the Safeguarding and Looked After Children (SLAC) inspection which took place between 3 and 14 October 2011.
Minutes:
A report was presented to the committee by Graham Genoni (Assistant Director Children’s Social Services) updating members on the outcome of the Safeguarding and Looked After Children (LAC) Inspection and the development of the subsequent action plan. The inspection had taken place between 3 and 14 October 2011 and had been conducted by Ofsted. Brent had achieved ‘adequate’ ratings for both Safeguarding and Looked After Children (LAC).
Graham Genoni explained that the action plan had been developed to provide a comprehensive response to the inspection outcome and addressed issues raised within the text of the report as well as those formally highlighted as recommendations. The action plan also included those recommendations for which responsibility was shared with partner agencies and organisations. The council’s action plan was complimented by the Children and Families Plan and had been prepared in conjunction with the Health Action Plan which had been developed by Brent Primary Care Trust. It was noted that an ‘inadequate’ rating had been awarded to health for LAC; robust discussions had been held with NHS Brent and it was currently addressing the issues raised. NHS Brent was reporting its progress in this area both to its inspection body (Care Quality Commission) and to the Council. The Plan included a focus on trying to develop early help teams which would support families before intervention was required by social services. This stream of work would link in with government initiatives around the complex families agenda.
Graham Genoni advised that the Action Plan had benefited from input and quality assurance from London Safeguarding Advisors and the Local Government Improvement and Development Agency (LGIDA), and would be implemented alongside individual service improvement plans already in development. Funding to meet the £152,000 required for the implementation of the plan was expected to be able to be drawn from existing resources via a process of restructure. The monitoring arrangements for the action plan were set out in the report at paragraph 3.9 and included regular monitoring by the Director of Children’s Services, the Corporate Management Team, Local Safeguarding Board, Brent Children’s Partnership Board and the Lead member for Children and Families. The Department would also seek external challenge of the progress against the plan in June 2012 via the LGIDA and in December 2012 by arranging a process of peer challenge or review.
During members’ discussion, the Chair noted that the number of Brent foster carers had increased over the last two years. Graham Genoni advised that the increase from 81 to 105 Brent foster carers had also precipitated an associated decrease in the number of more costly placements with Independent Fostering Agencies (IFA). It was emphasised however, that a child would not be moved from a settled placement. The Chair also noted that the action plan proposed the creation of three additional posts and queried whether funding for these had been identified. Graham Genoni explained that funding for the posts would be identified from within the departmental budget. In response to requests for further information from the Chair and Councillor Mitchell Murray, Graham Genoni advised that he would forward details to the committee of the number of LAC who proceeded to university and would provide a breakdown by ethnicity and gender of the number of Brent LAC placed outside of the borough.
RESOLVED: -
- That the outcome of the Safeguarding and Looked After Children inspection report for Brent be noted
- That the Action Plan addressing the recommendations identified in the inspection report be noted.
- That the committee’s wish of the department’s continued success in improving the service be noted.
Supporting documents:
- slac-action-plan-report, item 8. PDF 71 KB
- appendix-ofsted-slac, item 8. PDF 144 KB
- appendix-post-inspection-plan, item 8. PDF 335 KB