Would the portfolio holder agree that, in the current crisis, Medway schools, their leadership teams, teaching and support staff, have shown absolute dedication to supporting the children and young people of Medway and that we should take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment to serving Medway, alongside thanking our equally dedicated and committed Youth Services, Early Years Providers and Children's Social Care Services?
Minutes:
“Would the portfolio holder agree that, in the current crisis, Medway schools, their leadership teams, teaching and support staff, have shown absolute dedication to supporting the children and young people of Medway and that we should take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment to serving Medway, alongside thanking our equally dedicated and committed Youth Services, Early Years Providers and Children's Social Care Services?”
Councillor Mrs Josie Iles thanked Councillor Johnson for his question and sincerely thanked all staff for their work so far and their work still to come in the current crisis.
She stated that both internally and externally, in partnership with Schools and Early Years Providers, Medway staff had shown remarkable levels of commitment to Medway’s children and young people.
They had worked together to make sure that Medway’s children and young people remained safe and protected, had the right support to ensure they were still learning where possible and kept healthy throughout these troubling times.
Children’s Social Care Staff, youth workers and Early Help Staff, and Medway Schools, heads, teachers and support staff had shown a remarkably high degree of commitment to keeping vital services available, whether it had been Child and Family Hubs, or education facilities for some of the most vulnerable children and those of key workers fighting this crisis on the front line.
Councillor Mrs Iles stated that she was pleased and proud to say that all Medway’s schools had remained open since the ‘lockdown’, and worked effectively with the local authority to establish holiday provision over Easter to ensure that vulnerable children and children of key worker parents had access to additional support.
She stated that the Council had ensured that social workers had prioritised those children most in need and had maintained contact through use of technology such as Facetime and WhatsApp. Social workers and schools had worked together to ensure that vulnerable children were still being contacted regularly if they were not attending an educational setting.
She also stated that through this crisis, herself and Councillor Potter had seen staff from a range of organisations and teams come together across the children and education landscape to work together in a strong partnership that the Council would drive forward into the future.
She concluded her thanks by quoting an extract from the Assistant Director, Social Care’s message to her staff at the beginning of this crisis. She considered it so poignant and equally characterised the commitment and dedication of all staff across Social Care, Education and SEND in this unprecedented situation:
“It’s a strange and unfamiliar world at the moment but along with our colleagues in the health service we know that those of us who have chosen a ‘caring profession’ to work in will be at the front line in this situation as we have in the past and will do so again in the future. What we know with certainty is this too will pass and while it is passing social workers, early help workers, youth workers and all those who support them to do their jobs will rise to the challenge”.
Councillor Mrs Iles stated that everyone was grateful that they certainly had.