Agenda item

34.1     The Director of Children's Services introduced the report on the recent Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspection of East Sussex Children's Services. The Director noted the positive comments in the report and that although some of the areas, as well as the overall judgment, had moved from ‘Outstanding’ to ‘Good’, the report highlighted continuity since the last inspection.

34.2     The Director addressed the areas of improvement outlined in the Ofsted report, including the quality of supervision notes and concerns about children experiencing neglect. The Director informed the Committee of work in place to address these, as outlined in the Department’s Action Plan, including an audit on supervision notes and development of the neglect toolkit. On the issue of neglect, the Director informed the Committee that work was being done to monitor this process, however noted the difficult decisions involved and officers’ priority to support families, where possible and safe to do so, to stay together, as this was often in the best interest of the child. She also noted that in view of the Ofsted feedback there would be a change in procedure for conducting home visits for families hosting foreign language students (all students would be visited in their host homes even if those host homes have previously been visited when used by other students).

34.3     The Committee welcomed the positive feedback in the report. The Committee thanked officers for their work and welcomed the Department’s transparent way of working and openness to scrutiny.

34.4     The Committee discussed and asked questions on the following areas:

•     Neglect – The Committee raised questions about Ofsted’s approach to neglect, noting officers’ expertise and professionalism as well as the significant impacts for children taken into care. The Committee noted the need to look at the wider context when comparing statistics and that fewer children in care could highlight effective outcomes from prevention rather than an underperforming service. The Director responded that Ofsted had delivered its inspection in a very fair way, listening to officers and focusing on evidence, including individual cases. The Director informed the Committee that figures for children coming into care in East Sussex had been static for a year, although there had been an increase in the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. The Lead Member for Children and Families commented on the extensive support offered to families to prevent children going into care. The Committee enquired about the neglect toolkit, including what support was in place for children experiencing neglect and if it was based on national guidance. The Director responded that the toolkit was drawn from national models but had been adapted to reflect East Sussex; the toolkit was thorough, had been recently reviewed and was delivered effectively by the Principal Social Worker. The Director outlined the support offered to children experiencing neglect which focussed on understanding the lived experiences of children.

•     Foreign language students – The Committee noted that the change in the procedure for conducting home visits for families hosting foreign language students would place some additional pressure on the Department’s resources.

34.5     The Committee RESOLVED to note the report.