New Single Issue Panel to improve Children's Services in Cornwall
Last updated: 19/11/2009
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Cornwall Council’s Children, Education and
Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee has set up a special panel
of councillors to examine the effectiveness of the Council’s Action
Plan to improve safeguarding and looked after children’s services
in the county in the light of the recent negative Ofsted
report.
Announcing the formation of the new Single
Issue Panel, Committee Chairman Chris Ridgers said it would play a
vital role in ensuring that the Action Plan currently being
developed by the Council was fit for purpose and would deliver the
necessary improvements in the services provided for children and
young people in Cornwall.
“We all know we urgently need to
improve children’s services in Cornwall and this Scrutiny Committee
has a key role to play in ensuring that the Council delivers the
recommendations identified in the Ofsted report “ he
said.
The Single Issue Panel will comprise
approximately seven members of the Scrutiny Committee who will be
supported by senior officers from Cornwall’s children’s services.
The first meeting will be held at County Hall in Truro on 3
December and it is expected to produce its final report in the New
Year. All meetings of the Panel are open to the public.
As well as examining the Action Plan which is
currently being developed by the Council, members of the Panel will
also consider a range of other strategies relating to children and
young people in Cornwall and investigate what other authorities are
doing to improve the quality of their children’s services.
They will also request evidence from a number
of expert witnesses, such as the Primary Care Trust, voluntary
organisations such as Barnardos, the Children’s Trust, the Cornwall
and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Children’s Board, the Children,
Schools and Families Improvement Board and, most importantly, from
young people themselves.
“This is the single most important
piece of work which this Scrutiny Committee will be carrying out
over the next few weeks and months” said Chris Ridgers.
“We owe it to the children, young people and families
of Cornwall to make sure that this Action Plan delivers the high
quality services they need and deserve”.
Story posted 18 November
2009.
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