Agenda and minutes

Cllr Clark substituted for Cllr Alcock, and Cllr England substituted for Cllr Wells.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests or personal or personal and prejudicial interests. No whip was declared.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting of this panel held on 23 June 2022, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the Chairman.

There were no public speaking requests.

The Chairman welcomed Paul Cowling, Assistant Director, Children’s Standards and Regulations, and Rachel Smith, Assistant Director: Children’s Help and Protection, to the meeting. 

The Chairman thanked Paul and Rachel for their attendance and explained that they were attending on behalf of Cllr Reed to discuss relevant issues related to children’s services.  The Chairman then invited them to deliver a wide-ranging presentation on local performance, areas of additional investment, headline strengths and impacts, and ongoing areas for implementation, review and transformation.   

Members then discussed the content of the presentation, asking questions about issues such as financial costs, staff turnover, enabling members to support care leavers, and supporting young people into further and higher education.  Paul and Rachel took part in this discussion and responded to questions.

Resolved – (a) That Paul Cowling and Rachel Smith be thanked for their attendance; and (b) that the presentation and situation be noted.

There were no Added Items due for consideration at the meeting.

There were no urgent or additional items for discussion at the meeting.