Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1.    That the transfer of £5.5m capital from the pipeline budget for the 3 proposed schemes be approved.

2.    To develop/replace the Shaw Family Contact Centre and two new Community Children’s Homes at the capital costs set out in the report be approved.

3.    That the tender for the above projects, carried out by the service be approved.

4.    That delegated authority to approve final capital spend on each project is given to the Cabinet Member for Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, the Executive Director of Children, Families and Learning and the Executive Director for Resources.

Reasons for Decisions:

To ensure the two new children’s homes and the new Shaw Family Contact Centre can be delivered on time and within budget.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Resources and Performance Select Committee and/ or the Children’s, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families gave a detailed summary of the report explaining that the report seeks Cabinet’s approval to progress the delivery of two children’s homes and the re-provision of the Shaw Family Contact Centre, in support of the Looked After and Adopted Children’s (LAAC) Service strategy for children growing up in the care of the council. In order to improve outcomes for children and young people, the report would be seeking approval to transfer the capital of £5.5m from the pipeline budget for the 3 proposed schemes.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families requested the following change to Recommendation 4 in the report which was agreed:

4. agree that subject to final approval of capital spend on each project, delegated

authority is given to the Cabinet Member for Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children Young People and Families, the Executive Director of Children, Families and Learning and the Executive Director for Resources to give final approval of capital spend on each project.

It was explained that the project was a key priority of the Corporate Parenting Board to ensure we provide comfortable and safe homes for children in care. Some of the councils residential homes are very out of date and rather institutionalised. It was agreed that children should grow up in family sized units as per Ofsted’s recommendations. The Cabinet Member clarified that the council had a duty to ensure that children and young people remain in touch with their birth families and friends when they are placed in care- called ‘contact’. For many children their ‘contact’ is restricted to four to six times a year. It is therefore essential that the quality of this contact provides children with the best possible experience. The proposed re-provision of Faircroft and Karibu Children homes will provide one new Children’s Home with 4 beds and one new Children’s Home with 4 beds, and 2 ‘No Wrong Door’ places located on the same site. Two sites had been identified for these sites. One site in Epsom and the other in Walton on Thames. There was an intention to build a third Children’s home which would come forward at a later date. The concept of ‘no wrong door’ was introduced to Cabinet and helps keep teenagers with their families.

The report was welcomed by Cabinet and the benefits it would deliver for children and young people through the provision of better services was recognised.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the transfer of £5.5m capital from the pipeline budget for the 3 proposed schemes be approved.

2.    To develop/replace the Shaw Family Contact Centre and two new Community Children’s Homes at the capital costs set out in the report be approved.

3.    That the tender for the above projects, carried out by the service be approved.

4.    That delegated authority to approve final capital spend on each project is given to the Cabinet Member for Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115