Agenda item

Annual Report of Northamptonshire Children's Trust

Decision:

RESOLVED

That the Executive:

a) Noted the content of the Annual Report that was completed in line with the service delivery contract.

b) Noted the proposal to further discuss and agree any amendments to the Service Delivery Contract following the Ofsted Inspection of the Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) due to take place in Autumn 2022.

c) Recommended that the annual report is taken to Council for consideration.

Reasons for Recommendations:

· The Annual Review process and subsequent Annual Report provides a procedure through which the Councils can review the Service Delivery Contract and Northamptonshire Children’s Trust performance in delivering its functions

· Making changes to the Service Delivery Contract after the expected Ofsted inspection allows any changes to be considered in the context of the outcome of this inspection and any recommendations from Ofsted

· Taking the report to Full Council gives all elected members an insight into the work of Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and supports the discharge of their Corporate Parenting duties

Alternative Options Considered: No other options considered

Minutes:

The Chair invited Cllr Leanne Buckingham to address the Executive. Cllr Buckingham welcomed the report being sent to councillors but raised concerns regarding a lack of detail in regard to the work undertaken by the Trust, the strategies being used and the progress of the internal audit review for 2021/22. Cllr Buckingham noted that there remained much work still to do, especially at a strategic level given the Trust had significantly exceeded its annual budget, with better insight needed to allow for young people to be served more quickly and in their own area.

The Chair thanked Cllr Buckingham for her comments before inviting Cllr Dorothy Maxwell to speak to the Executive. Cllr Maxwell queried the numbers of outstanding assessments and educational psychologists employed, as well as the number of children located outside North Northamptonshire and those in care.

The Chair thanked Cllr Maxwell for her contribution before inviting Cllr Scott Edwards, Executive Member for Children, Families, Education & Skills to introduce a report that provided Executive with an update on the Annual Report of Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and sought approval on the report being shared at the next Full Council meeting.

In response to a point raised by Cllr Buckingham, Cllr Edwards clarified that all of the internal audit review audits had now been completed for 2021/22. It was noted that the report before members had been submitted to the Scrutiny Commission meeting on 1^st November who heard that demand led pressures were increasing and putting pressure on the Children’s Trust budget. The report would be submitted to Full Council at its meeting on 24^th November.

It was reported that a key part of the annual review process was considering whether any changes needed to be made to the contractual agreements between the Trust and West and North Northamptonshire Councils. The Trust had put forward some initial suggested amendments to the current Key Performance Indicators used to monitor performance, with these due to be reviewed in light of the recent Ofsted Inspection report that was expected to be published on 25^th November.

Cllr Edwards stated that the Trust had overspent against its £123.348m budget by £3.701m, and mitigations to offset this overspend were outlined to the meeting. Cllr Edwards concluded by noting that the Trust continued to work with the Council to offer the best value for money and importantly the best possible service for the children of North Northamptonshire.