Issue - meetings

The Board received the Performance Management reports for quarter 1 of 2024-25 (1 April 2024 to 30 June 2024). 

The key priorities for development or improvement in 2024-25 were agreed by Members and included in the Local Authority’s Business Plan for the various function areas reporting to the Board as follows:

·       Education, Inclusion and Provision Services; and

·       Children and Families Services.

The reports detailed progress made against objectives, milestones and performance targets and provided information relating to key developments and emerging issues that had arisen during the period.  Members were requested to consider the progress and performance information and highlight any areas of interest and/or concern, where further information could be reported at a future meeting of the Board.

Members requested that the financial implications for services in both areas be considered and included in future reports.  Examples given were providing the details of the three most expensive packages of children in care and school placements (anonymised).  Details such as these would help to give a better understanding of the impact on budgets. 

In response to questions relating to unaccompanied asylum seeking children and the expectation that requests for accommodation would be made from Government in the coming weeks, it was reported that so far this had not happened.  It was confirmed that two of these children were in care at the moment, one in foster care and one in residential care. 

One Member suggested, following her conversations with constituents from the Syrian community, that they be approached to assist with fostering children from the same country, as they seemed open to this.  This would be passed onto the Fostering Board to consider.

RESOLVED:  That the Performance Management reports for quarter 1 of 2024-25 be received.