Issue - meetings

Theresa Leavy, Executive Director Children, to set the scene of the meeting.

Theresa Leavy (Executive Director Children Services) informed members that members and officers had a collective responsibility for children to have the best life, especially those within care. Officers were working hard to meet this challenge. The Executive Director also informed the board of those areas of focus to ensure that children continued to strive. These areas were education, wellbeing, and physical health. Another discussion point was the strategy; to ensure that families were kept close, stayed within their communities and to maintain close relationships with support officers. There had been great improvements around building relationships within the last 18 months and the Board were also informed of the steady trickle of applications for foster carers within Dorset.

The Executive Director for Children Services also updated the board on the residential provision, which would be going online this term, providing provision for children. There was a lot of work going on to ensure that the council met its ambition- to be the best Corporate Parents in the country.