To approve the interim business plan for 2018-19 and to note that a three year plan will be developed for 2019-20 to reflect the outcome of the Council’s agreed position, as owners, on the future direction and strategy of the company.

Ian Dodds, gave a summary of the business plan and highlighted the four priority areas:

a.    Building resilience so that families and communities are better able to help, support and protect children without the need for statutory interventions.

b.    Creating local provision so that children and young people can stay closer to their families and support networks, and benefit from integrated services.

c.     Developing more inclusive services and opportunities for children and young people with disabilities, complex needs and challenging behaviours.

d.    Supporting children and young people to develop their independence and skills for adulthood.

Ian Dodds explained that some of the RBWM data was missing but it had now been added and also that the report did not have phased financial phasing, which would be added to the report. An updated version would be recirculated to all.

ACTION: Recirculate Interim 2018/19 Business Plan

Councillor Evans felt that the savings in the report were too ambitious and asked how robust the savings were and whether they were achievable. Ian Dodds informed the Committee that there were clear calculations for all savings. These would be better illustrated when all the phased figures were in the report.

Councillor Airey informed the Committee that an LGA report on children’s services expenditure had been published and Ian Dodds informed the Committee that AfC would be using the new formulae across the local authorities. Councillor Dudley asked how many FTE staff there were and who looked after the HR for AfC. Ian Dodds informed the Committee that there were 1126 FTE staff and Kingston HR looked after Richmond and Kingston based staff and RBWM HR looked after Windsor and Maidenhead based staff. A new HR model was currently at business case stage with proposed implementation from April 2019.

Councillor David Evans asked about the increase in numbers of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) and was advised that nationally funding for children with SEN was not sufficient. Factors which contributed to the increase included early diagnosis, children with more complex needs, reduced infant mortality, and the attractiveness of the local offer to parents of children with SEN. Due to the implementation of the SEND reforms (2014), the cohort had been increased from those 5-19 years to 0-25 years.  The unsustainable financial challenge for schools and local authorities was discussed and the need for ongoing lobbying of Government stressed.

RESOLVED: The Joint Committee unanimously agreed that the three Leaders would write to the Prime Minister to highlight the evidenced financial pressure of educating children with special educational needs within the current dedicated schools block funding allocation.  Leaders would also detail their support for AfC to be able to open local free schools in order to allow more children with special education needs to be educated locally. 

RESOLVED: The Joint Committee approved the interim business plan for 2018/19 and noted that a three-year plan would be developed for 2019-2022 to reflect the outcome of the Councils’ agreed position, as owners, on the future direction and strategy of the company.