Agenda item

To consideractions being taken by the service and partner agencies to respond to increased pressure on services.

(10 minutes presentation – 20 minutes questions)

Margaret Dennison, Assistant Director of Education and Children’s Services, introduced the report informing the Panel about the level of work being done against rising demand for children’s social care services in Slough.  With the numbers of Looked After Children and Children on child protection plans increasing over the past two years, there has been a considerable demand on service delivery.  Levels of intervention were being improved and people were getting the service they needed at whatever level they were in the system, as the examples of the Early Response Hub indicated.

The Panel discussed the situation of school places in Slough, and whether this had been a factor in some of the examples given. Robin Croft, Assistant Director Inclusion and Achievement, confirmed that this was not an issue of concern as schools are required to give priority to looked after children in their admissions policy. 

The Panel raised concerns around training and the retention of qualified staff.  Margaret Dennison stressed that a timely, thorough and consistent training programme would assist with the retention of staff as well as becoming an attraction to qualified social workers from elsewhere.

Jill Forrest, Gold Project, Project Manager – Family Placement Service (FPS), took the Panel through the Gold LAC project that had been agreed in October 2011.  The main elements of work currently were around setting up the project and recruiting the required additional staff, but the outcome is to provide the full range of placements for children needing short term foster placement or permanent or families.

Resolved:

1)  to note the good work being done on the FPS Gold Project; and

2)  to add a follow up report on the FPS Gold Project to the Work Programme.