Agenda item

The Panel was provided with a summary of the business of the High Level Quarterly Performance challenge meeting of the Doncaster Children’s Services Trust (DCST) in Quarter 3 of 2017/18 and the Extraordinary Quarterly Performance Monitoring meeting of 30^th January 2018.

Members were informed that a draft Annual Report was considered by the Trust at the end of December 2017.  In addition, there was also an Extraordinary Quarterly Performance Monitoring meeting that took place on the 30^th January 2018 which was generated following concerns arising from the Quarter 3 report followed by a further meeting on the 22nd February 2018.

It was reported that OSMC will be holding a meeting in due course to receive an update on the finances and overspends of the DCST. 

The following areas were discussed by the Panel;

Case File Audits – Members were informed that of the case file audits sampled, 46 had identified areas of good and 9, of outstanding practice with the quality of the case recordings generally being of a high standard.  It was heard that a small number of cases (5) were graded as inadequate in Quarter 3. 

It was explained that the few cases graded as inadequate had improvement action plans in place which were monitored to completion by the Head of Service, with an independent audit within 6 months.  It was added that the Doncaster Safeguarding Children’s Board received a regular report of the audited cases from the Trust.

Members were reminded that areas of improvement had been made in how the Trust had become more transparent about its business and challenge through changes made in the process to provide greater assurances.   Members were informed that monitoring would now take place on a monthly basis.

It was outlined that positive changes being made included;

·         improving the way the DCST audit to sample better.

·         frequency and better recording of supervision.

·         additional training included monthly training staff of Team Managers.

·         improved recording and quality of plans.

·         improved performance reporting.

It was briefly explained that the overspend was a result of increased demand which was being replicated across the country.  It was outlined that there had been an additional 40 new children that had appeared in different places of the care ladder in the last financial year, as well as a growth of those in special guardianship arrangement.  It was added that there had been other types of payment and growth associated with Looked after Children mainly within foster care and that the net cost had increased as providers were charging more, all factors resulting in significant financial pressures being placed on the Trust.

Members heard that it was more about the average costs of placements that had increased and that there was no expectation that there would be any further increases in demand for the remainder of financial year.

Members were informed that the 20 recommendations within the 2015 Inspection Report had been delivered to completion and that the new action plan, (following the 2018 re-inspection would need to be returned to Ofsted by May 2018. There were only four recommendations in the latest Inspection Report.

RESOLVED That the Panel note the content of the report.