Issue - meetings

Background:

This report updated the Cabinet on Medway Children’s Services continuous improvement and the delivery of national reforms aimed at strengthening the workforce, early help, and relationship?based support. It noted positive progress recognised by recent Ofsted focused visits, which highlighted better management oversight, stronger social work practice, and increased stability for children in care.

The report advised that Medway was continuing this progress through integrated multi?agency work, with particular success in supporting vulnerable groups such as refugee and unaccompanied asylum?seeking children through trauma?informed, culturally sensitive, and well?coordinated support.

Medway Council had been selected to take part in a national pilot which would see increased support for kinship carers, who are family members other than parents, who look after children. The pilot aimed to support more children to grow up within their family networks, rather than go into the care system.

Children’s Services improvement activity and the national reforms strongly supported the One Medway Council Plan priorities by strengthening the quality and safety of social care, raising educational standards, and enhancing safeguarding across communities. The reforms also reinforced the Council’s focus on prevention, wellbeing and early help, while improved support for care leavers contributed to greater housing stability. Together, these changes would help by improving outcomes and life chances for vulnerable children and young people.

Reasons:

The report is for information only, it provides the Cabinet with an important update on Medway Children’s Services’ continuous improvement and the delivery of national reforms.