Agenda item

[Emma Bennett, Service Director, Children and Young People, to present update report on the outcome of the recent Ofsted inspection of services for children in need of help and protection  ]

Cllr Val Gibson, Cabinet member for Children and Young People, introduced the report.

The Cabinet Member gave an overview of the recent Ofsted Inspection for children in need of help and protection and praised the ‘good’ overall judgement that was achieved.

The Cabinet Member informed the panel of the successful outcome following the inspection of children services and noted that City of Wolverhampton Council is the 2^nd authority in the region to have achieved ‘good’ rating.

The report identified many strengths of the service. The Cabinet Member added that the recommendations made by Ofsted will be incorporated into the Children and Young People Service Plan for 2017-2018.

Emma Bennett, Service Director, Children and Young People, gave an overview of the Children and Young People Service Plan for 2017-2018. The Service Director advised the panel that the service plan will be revamped and simplified from last year and will include the recommendations from the recent Ofsted Inspection.

The Service Director advised the panel they intend to monitor the Ofsted recommendations on a monthly basis. The performance of the service will be monitored on a quarterly basis. The Service Director agreed to bring a further report back to the panel to consider progress on a quarterly basis.

The panel discussed the funding to deliver the Children and Young People Service Plan for 2017-2018 and queried the support available to vulnerable families.

The Service Director informed the Panel they intend to focus on offering domestic violence training in June 2017 to ensure all Social Workers are confident in responding to victims and perpetrators.

The panel discussed the increase in the number of permanent exclusion since 2013/2014 and discussed whether the number of school exclusions should be included as a performance measure in the Children and Young People Service Plan 2017-2018.

The Service Director confirmed there will be a specific action plan put in place to tackle the rising exclusion rates which will focus on restorative practice. The service intends to raise the profile of restorative practice throughout the workforce and is currently working with schools to improve the situation.

The panel expressed concerns about the increase in the levels of childhood obesity and the work being done within the plan to tackle this specific issue.

The Service Director confirmed they are working with Public Health on this issue and a recent report has been published that she will share with the panel.

Isabel Ricketts, Wolverhampton Youth Council, asked about support for young people with mental health issues. The Service Director advised there will be a work force development centre and specialist training will be offered to allow staff to support more young people.

The Chair thanked the Service Director for her presentation and agreed to receive an update on the progress of the service plan in six months.

Resolved:

1. The panel congratulated the Cabinet Member and Service Director on achieving the ‘Good’ overall judgement from the recent Ofsted inspection of children’s services.
2. The panels’ comments on the service plan to be considered.
3. The panel agreed to receive six monthly updates to monitor progress against the improvement plan.