Issue - meetings

To consider a joint report of the Director of Place Management and Corporate Director (Corporate & Support Services) & Deputy Chief Executive.

The report provides a comprehensive summary of progress against portfolio priorities, performance indicators and budgets during the second half of 2021/22, with a specific focus on the fourth quarter (January to March 2022).

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

·       Consider the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Report;

·       Review the progress against delivering key projects, priority outcomes, targets and budgets for 2021/22;

·       Highlight key areas of and responsibility for taking forward corrective action to address any performance or resource issues;

·       Highlight any significant issues or changes to be fed back to the Cabinet  alongside the Corporate Performance and Resource Report;

·       Identify how areas of strong performance and good practice can be shared in other services.

Officer contact:

Gaynor Ward, Strategy and Performance Manager

gaynor.ward@stockport.gov.uk  (474 3186)

Gill Dixon, CSS Manager (Specialist) Finance – Children’s Social Care

gill.dixon@stockport.gov.uk   (474 3886)

Peter Hughes, CSS Manager (Specialist) Finance – Education & Schools

peter.hughes@stockport.gov.uk   (474 3947)

The Director of Place Management and Corporate Director (Corporate & Support Services) & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) providing a comprehensive summary of progress against portfolio priorities, performance indicators and budgets during the second half of 2021/22, with a specific focus on the fourth quarter (January to March 2022).

The Cabinet Member for Children, Family and Education Services attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

Priority One - All babies and children are given the very best start in life by their parents and carers and start school ready to learn.

·       Members enquired about the early years provision and the support they get for improvements. In response, it was noted that all settings were provided with more intense support that was differentiated and was more targeted.

·       Clarification was sought relating to the monitoring panels. In response, it was stated that information would be circulated to the Committee following the meeting.

·       Members sought clarification on the impact of young people following the pandemic. In response, it was stated that it has had an impact and an intentional recovery plan is in place with targets and levels of development.

Priority Three - All children, young people and families have access to an effective integrated early help offer

·       Members welcomed the early health assessments, but questioned the 70% target that had been in place for 5 years. In response, it was stated that there were no comparable targets for this and a new framework had recently been published which will review the assessments by next quarter which should show an improvement.

Priority Four - Children and families with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the best possible support at the right time to ensure that the best possible outcomes are achieved

·       Members enquired about the pending re-inspection. In response, it was noted that the re-inspection would be done within 18 months, so it would be expected by the end of the year.

Priority 5 - All children and young people live safely and happily within their

families, there are fewer family breakdowns, and rates of crime and anti-social

behaviour reduce

·       Members enquired about the Looked After Children numbers. In response, it was stated that there were 448 in care and that as a result of the demand across the system it has had an impact on capacity and resources, which was a challenge and the teams were working hard to resolve it.

·       It was noted that the figure also include refugees, Afghan and Ukrainian children and unaccompanied children.

Financial Resources and Monitoring Section

·       Members highlighted the increasing ‘remand costs’ year on year and enquired about the progress being made relating to lobbying the Ministry of Justice. In response, it was noted that the lobbying was continuing at a national level and significant progress had been made to date.

The Chair on behalf of the Committee expressed its greatest thanks to all the staff for their ongoing work in relation to Stockport children and that the Ofsted report demonstrated the very high standards carried out.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.