Venue: Council Chamber - The Guildhall, Portsmouth. View directions
Contact: Karen Martin, Local Democracy Officer Email: karen.martin2@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or Tel: 023 9284 1704
No. | Item |
---|---|
Apologies Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
|
Declarations of Members' Interests Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. For transparency, Councillor Suzy Horton declared that she is Vice-Chair of Governors at Craneswater Junior School.
|
|
Annual Private Fostering Report Purpose To highlight the responsibilities Portsmouth City Council has in relation to private fostering. It will look at the numbers of children and young people living in a private fostering arrangement and will analyse the issues that are relevant to the children and young people of Portsmouth. It will also look at evaluating the outcomes of Portsmouth City Council's work in relation to private fostering.
Minutes: Amy Seymour, Senior Residential Social Services Officer and a member of the private fostering team, introduced the report and informed members that the information collected for the report mirrors the national situation in relation to low notifications of private fostering arrangements. Portsmouth has recorded a slight increase in the number of notifications from the previous year - 12 new notifications up from ten notifications in 2022-2023. This means that with five ongoing arrangements, in total there were 17 private fostering arrangements active in 2023-2024. Relationship breakdown between parents/guardians and children, parental mental health difficulties, parental domestic abuse, parental alcohol and substance misuse, parental physical abuse or homelessness were among the reasons recorded for children staying in private fostering arrangements. Successes for the service included that children and young people felt listened to and carers felt supported by social workers. Looking forward, the team will continue to work to increase the profile of private fostering and will continue to collect feedback from children, carers and parents. The private fostering social worker will develop and implement a post 16-18 pathway plan for young people who have been privately fostered.
Members' Comments Councillor Horton commented that there is a stereotypical view of fostering which is outdated and she welcomed the marketing plans to increase awareness including the role of private fostering alongside with other types of fostering to give children, parents and carers the best possible service. She noted the positive feedback set out in the report and said it was important that people have been listened to. Councillor Horton commented that the support to 16-18 year olds as they exit care and move toward independence was crucial. She thanked officers for an excellent report.
The Cabinet Member noted the information report which is not subject to call-in. |
|
SACRE Annual Report 2023-24 Purpose This report provides the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education to note the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) Annual Report for the academic year 2023-24.
Additional documents: Minutes: Debbie Anderson, the Head of Service improvement and Early Years, introduced the report and explained that she was presenting the report on behalf of the SACRE's professional adviser, Chris May. She explained that SACRE is a unique body, set up by Local Authority (LA) but independent of it. The main purpose of the annual report is to hold the LA to account, by informing the Secretary of State and key partners what advice SACRE gave the LA during the year and how that was responded to; this includes advice on RE and Collective Worship in those schools for which the LA has responsibility. The Annual Report also includes information around its activities to monitor the provision of RE in Portsmouth schools. The importance of training teaching professionals in schools to ensure they are supported in their work to deliver RE was highlighted. The Head of School Improvement confirmed that there had been no formal complaints about religious education or collective worship in the past year and no requests for determination.
Members' Comments Councillor Horton commented that this was another strong year for the SACRE and noted that she knew the Chair, Revd Sam Duddles well and her introduction resonated with her. Councillor Horton noted that the SACRE is a strong group and that the locally agreed syllabus delivers more than RE as it encourages children and young people to respect each other and celebrate difference across the city. Councillor Horton asked that her thanks be conveyed to all the volunteers and professionals involved in supporting the work of the SACRE.
The Cabinet Member noted the information report which is not subject to call in.
|