Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

(a)  To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2024

(b)   Matters Arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2024 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Report of the Interim Director of Children’s Services

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Interim Director of Children’s Services which presented the Children’s Services Comments, Compliments and Complaints Annual Report 2022/23.

There is a statutory duty for the Council to have a system for receiving representations by, or on behalf of, children who use the social care services they provide or commission; and for the Council to produce an annual report about the operation of the complaints procedure.

The report highlighted the themes that arose from them and the learning and service improvements that have resulted from the feedback received.

It was noted that amongst the key highlights raised by officers, of complaints received the vast majority were dealt with at stage 1, within the mandated timescales, and were down compared to the previous year. Members acknowledged the recognisable plateau of complaints and the effectiveness of intervention to provide a resolution to complaints at the earliest stage in the landscape of sufficiency and financial challenges. Similarly, common themes of complaints were identified – such as poor communication, or differences in the expectation of service – but Members recognised that those types of complaints have always been common.

As an indicator of success, officers drew Members’ attention to the fact that the service received more compliments than complaints for yet another year. Majoratively, compliments have come from family group conferencing and partners – officers endeavoured to improve reporting procedures to fully capture the compliments they receive.

Lastly, it was noted that of the 18 complaints referred to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO), only 1 was upheld. The service has used this case as a key point of learning and development for the future with Members sympathetic to families’ needs in these cases but also the jurisdiction of the courts.

Members welcomed the report and paid tribute to the excellent work undertaken by everyone involved. Similarly, the Cabinet Member praised the achievements outlined as a good example of building relationships within the council.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member approves publication of the annual report in relation to complaints and representations in children’s services in 2022/23.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

There were no other items of business.