Issue - meetings

The Panel received the report of the Service Director, Legal and Business Operations, which recommended that the Panel considered and challenged the performance of Children and Learning Services in Southampton. 

Robert Henderson, Executive Director Wellbeing (Children and Learning), Southampton City Council; and, Julian Watkins, Service Manager, Children and Learning Department, Southampton City Council were present and, with the consent of the Chair, addressed the Panel.

In discussions with the officers, the Panel noted the following:

·  That twelve percent of children on a child protection plan had not received a visit within 3 weeks. The Service Manager was focused on the quality of the visit rather than the frequency of the visits as he believed that fewer good quality visits would be more effective than more frequent poor quality visits.

·  Expertise in supporting Unaccommpanied Assylum Seeking Children and specialised accommodation for them needed to be developed to catch up with other places in the country.

·  The service had recruited 30 new social workers in the last 2 months and 10 ‘grow your own’ social workers would be starting in September so the use of agency staff could be gradually phased out.

·  The number of care leavers in suitable accommodation was at the highest level it had been for years.

·  There was in increase in Missign Children in June

RESOLVED:

1)  That commentary for CP8-QL, the percentage of children subject to a Child Protection Plan seen in the last 15 days, would be provided to the Panel which included additional detail on the reasons why visits are not at 100%.

2)  That, reflecting concerns about the increase in numbers and the associated risks to the children, the Panel consider in detail the position with regards to missing children at the 31 March 2022 meeting.