Report ED18059

The Sub-Committee considered the budget monitoring position for 2018/19 based on activity up to the end of May 2018.

Overall, the position for Education was a predicted overspend of £95k. The main areas of overspend were in Adult Education where there were pressures in staffing and on income generation from fee paying courses causing pressures of £155k.  The Schools budget was predicted to overspend by £392k in year. This would be deducted from the £1,180k carried forward from 2017/18. £188k of the brought forward balance had been allocated to support the central DSG services in year. This gave an estimated DSG balance at the end of the financial year of £600k.

The Children’s Social Care division was currently overspending by £1,524k (net of management action of £985k). Placements for children continued to be a pressure area. The overspend before management action stood at £2,492k overspent. The number of placements had increased above budgeted levels, particularly in residential homes, independent fostering arrangements and special guardianship arrangements. This was in part due to the increase in the number of children reaching the threshold for secure placements and no secure placements being available. The Committee noted that this was a national issue.  There was also a small overspend predicted on staffing across the division of £58k. This was being monitored closely and Members noted that further progress was being made in moving away from agency staff. There was also a small overspend in expenditure on ‘Staying Put’ of £24k and an underspend in accommodation of £65k in Leaving Care.

The Deputy Chief Executive reported successes in recruiting local in-house foster carers for Bromley children and this would help to reduce pressures on the budget.

In response to questions from the Sub-Committee the Deputy Chief Executive confirmed that he was confident that the right children were being taken into care.  There were two key decision makers for children being taken into care: the Deputy Chief Executive and the Interim Director of Children’s Social Care.  Children’s Social Care was a demand-led service and it was therefore difficult to predict the number of children that would enter the statutory care system.  The safety of children was the paramount consideration and if it was right that children were taken into care then they would be taken into care.  Financial challenges were a secondary consideration.  Noting the enormous variation in costs a Member suggested that it made sense to further promote in-house fostering.

The issue of recruiting foster carers for children with disabilities was also discussed.  A Member noted that more needed to be done to support these specialist foster carers and provide incentives to encourage more foster carers into this specialist area.  The Sub-Committee noted that the Education, Children and Families Select Committee would be undertaking a review which would encompass this at its next meeting on 16^th October 2018 and it was agreed that this issue should be further explored at that meeting.

The Deputy Chief Executive reported that one of the implications  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7