Award Winning Board Plans Another Year’s Work

The Child & Family Services Overview & Scrutiny Board has identified priority areas for its work over the coming year.

The Board will continue its in-depth Review of the Support for Care Leavers. Evidence gathering for this review commenced in February and the Task & Finish Group carrying out this work is expected to deliver a final report to the Board, with conclusions and recommendations, in August.

The Board will regularly monitor the Strategic Delivery Plan which sets out the priorities for Child and Family Services, and how the service will address the ‘areas for improvement’ identified by inspectors. Councillors will also keep a close watch on performance through monthly reports.

One of the biggest and most pressing issues facing the Council is the sustainability of financial investment in Child & Family Services. Because of the wider interest the Board will meet jointly with the Performance & Finance Overview & Scrutiny Board over the coming year to watch closely the financial position and plans in place to maintain the key service improvements whilst managing the costs downwards.

This joint work will be in addition to the Board’s own schedule of monthly meeting which will enable a focus on other important areas of work, for example:

• Prevention & Early Intervention
• Permanence Planning
• Fostering and Adoption Services
• Child Disability Services
• Multi-Agency Working
• Service Quality & Quality Assurance
• Implications of Welsh Government White Paper on the Future of Social Services in Wales – ‘Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action’

Importantly, the Board will also follow up on what has happened as a result of the recommendations for improvement it made following the reviews carried out last year, so that we can see the difference that scrutiny has made.

Finally, the work around Child & Family Services cases, which began in April via a Task & Finish Group, will continue through the year. A meeting will take place every quarter which provide councillors with a better understanding of the service – enabling them to get a good feel for the issues and challenges typically facing children, their carers, and social services.

 So, another busy year for the award winning Board!