Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1.    That the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, the risks highlighted in the report as a result of these challenges and the actions being taken to continue focussing on delivery of frontline services be noted.

2.    That a further report is taken to Cabinet in spring 2021 – to include an update on the children’s improvement activity and the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the response from Surrey’s children’s services.

Reason for decision:

Following the suspension of routine Ofsted inspections in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the HMCI (Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector) has now outlined the interim plans for a phased return to routine inspections. Surrey's children's services look forward to hosting Ofsted for a Focussed Visit between January and March 2021 and will welcome feedback on how the local authority has supported children, young people and families throughout the pandemic.

The routine national inspection activity is expected to resume from April 2021; this was re-confirmed following the November/December ‘lockdown’ with further detail available on the GOV.UK website. We are anticipating a full re-inspection of Surrey's children's services later in 2021.

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

The report was introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families who informed the Cabinet that a new Executive Director for Children Services, Rachael Wardell had been appointed. There had not been any Ofsted monitoring visits for some time due to the pandemic. Ofsted visits re-started in the autumn but Surrey had not been visited as there were no concerns about the council at the moment. A Covid themed monitoring visit would be organised in due course and the Cabinet Member was confident that the new Executive Director for Children Services was the right person to guide Surrey through this as she had done this at her previous local authority. An update was given on the peer review undertaken by East Sussex and Wokingham. The attached report evidences areas of improvements in the service. The Cabinet Member stated that the pandemic would impact improving practice which is fundamental to making things better for families.  

The Deputy Cabinet Member for People recognised that a huge amount of work had been done to keep families together as the report shows. The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families was thanked for her work.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, the risks highlighted in the report as a result of these challenges and the actions being taken to continue focussing on delivery of frontline services be noted.

2.    That a further report is taken to Cabinet in spring 2021 – to include an update on the children’s improvement activity and the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the response from Surrey’s children’s services.

Reason for decision:

Following the suspension of routine Ofsted inspections in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the HMCI (Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector) has now outlined the interim plans for a phased return to routine inspections. Surrey's children's services look forward to hosting Ofsted for a Focussed Visit between January and March 2021 and will welcome feedback on how the local authority has supported children, young people and families throughout the pandemic.

The routine national inspection activity is expected to resume from April 2021; this was re-confirmed following the November/December ‘lockdown’ with further detail available on the GOV.UK website. We are anticipating a full re-inspection of Surrey's children's services later in 2021.

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