Issue - meetings

This report provides Cabinet with an update on the delivery of Surrey’s Children’s Improvement Plan, the findings from the Commissioner’s interim review and the recent Ofsted Monitoring Visit and Annual Conversation. A progress update is also provided here on the service restructure and transformation work to implement and embed the new model for Surrey’s Children’s Services.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1. The progress made delivering the Children’s Improvement Plan and the findings from the recent Children’s Commissioner Re-Visit, Ofsted Monitoring Visit 03 and Ofsted Annual Conversation was noted.

2. That Cabinet review progress in December 2019 on the delivery of the Children’sImprovement Plan and the findings from subsequent inspections was agreed.  (The Children’s Commissioner will be conducting a further review of our improvement work in October 2019 and Ofsted will next conduct a Monitoring Visit in October-November 2019.)

Reason for Decision:

The Department for Education appointed Children’s Commissioner will next be reviewing our progress improving practice across children’s services in Surrey in October 2019. The Commissioner will then report to the Department for Education and Secretary of State for Education in November 2019. 

The next Ofsted Monitoring Visit, focussed on the Assessment service, will take place October-November 2019 with publication of the report in late-November 2019.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families introduced an update report on improvements to Children’s Services.  There were four key elements to the update:

·         Progress on specific recommendations of Ofsted

·         Findings of the Children’s Commissioner

·         Finding of the third Ofsted visit that looked at ‘front door services’, and

·         The annual Ofsted conversation.

The Cabinet Member also reported that there had been an unexpected visit from the Probation Service to look at the Youth Offending Service and as they only looked at historical cases it was expected that their report may be a difficult read.  She went on to say that the Children’s Commissioner was due back in October/November and Ofsted were due back in October.  A further update report would come to Cabinet in December.

In response to Member queries the Cabinet Member explained the process for monitoring areas of concern which included the Surrey Safeguarding Children’s Board, Cabinet, Scrutiny and the Corporate Parenting Board.

Members paid tribute to the Executive Director and staff for the work undertaken and to the Cabinet Member.

RESOLVED:

1. The progress made delivering the Children’s Improvement Plan and the findings from the recent Children’s Commissioner Re-Visit, Ofsted Monitoring Visit 03 and Ofsted Annual Conversation was noted.

2. That Cabinet review progress in December 2019 on the delivery of the Children’sImprovement Plan and the findings from subsequent inspections was agreed.  (The Children’s Commissioner will be conducting a further review of our improvement work in October 2019 and Ofsted will next conduct a Monitoring Visit in October-November 2019.)

Reason for Decision:

The Department for Education appointed Children’s Commissioner will next be reviewing our progress improving practice across children’s services in Surrey in October 2019. The Commissioner will then report to the Department for Education and Secretary of State for Education in November 2019. 

The next Ofsted Monitoring Visit, focussed on the Assessment service, will take place October-November 2019 with publication of the report in late-November 2019.

The decision was unanimous.