Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Resources

The Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive, which outlined how management arrangements would ensure that the role of Director of Children’s Services and Director of Adult Services was effectively discharged alongside those key responsibilities of the Lead Members for these areas.

The statutory roles and functions of the Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member for Children Services were contained within the Children Act 2004, Statutory Guidance and the City Council constitution.  The Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member for Children Services were appointed for the purposes of discharging the education and children’s social services functions of the local authority. The functions for which they were responsible for included (but were not limited to) responsibility for children and young people receiving education or children’s social care services in their area and all children looked after by the local authority or in custody.  The statutory guidance provides the government expectations about local authorities’ role in education and children and young people services.

The Director of Adult Services was a statutory post under the Local Authority Social Services Act with the purpose to deliver all local authority social services functions other than those for which the Director of Children’s Services was responsible.

The City Council constitution provided for the Executive Director, People as the Director of Children’s Services and Director of Adult Services and the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People was designated as the Lead Member for Children Services.

The Cabinet noted that it was legally permissible for the Director of Children’s Services role to be combined with other operational functions of the local authority e.g. Director of Adult Services. However, given the breadth and importance of children’s services functions that the Director of Children’s Services covers, local authorities were advised to give due consideration to protecting the discrete roles and responsibilities of the Director of Children’s Services before allocating any additional functions to individuals performing these roles.  In particular, local authorities should undertake a local test of assurance so that the focus on outcomes for children and young people would not be weakened or diluted as a result of adding such other responsibilities.

The report indicated that local assurance reviews had been undertaken on three previous occasions as a result of new arrangements being put in place or as a review as reassurance that the arrangements remain effective.

In October 2016 a service review of the senior manager posts in children’s social care took place resulting in the appointment of three new officers. These new officers were to commence in their roles during January 2017.  The City Council had therefore considered it appropriate for there to be a further local assurance review to satisfy itself and the local community that the arrangements for the effective discharge of the functions, roles and responsibilities of the Director of Children’s Services and Director of Adult Services remained in place. Further in line with the duty to provide local assurance that the Lead Member for Childrens Services statutory role was being met.

Within the new directorate structure, and via the Executive, local arrangements were in place to ensure the continued integration of Education and Children’s Social Care Services; providing both a strategic and professional framework within which the safety and educational, social and emotional needs of children and young people were considered together. The delivery of an effective Adult Social Service was also maintained via the local arrangements overseen by the DAS and Cabinet Member for Adult Services.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet approve the revised Assurance Document as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report submitted.