Issue - meetings

            (a)       That the report be received;

            (b)       That the composition of the report be reviewed; and

(c)        That the following further information be provided to Members:

i.          a report comparing the last year of Flintshire’s Adoption Service with the first year of North Wales Adoption Service

                        ii.         a copy of the improvement action plan

                        iii.        further information on travel expenses

                        iv.        a detailed breakdown of the budget

                        v.         a copy of the final version of the Partnership Agreement.      

The Head of Social Services for Children introduced a report to provide Members with details of the current operational activity for the North Wales Adoption Service (NWAS). 

                        The background to the report was detailed and the Head of Social Services for Children explained that the project was currently hosted by Wrexham County Borough Council but overseen by the six North Wales Heads of Children’s Services who met quarterly as the NWAS Board.  She also provided details of the challenges for the service which included the use of ex-consortium placements for certain circumstances such as for children with special needs or where there were threats from the birth parents.  There were plans to establish a National Adoption Service in Wales and she commented on the possibility of hosting an All Wales register.  The Head of Social Services for Children introduced Mrs. Somerton-Edwards who was the Head of the Corporate Parenting Service at Wrexham County Borough Council and Peter Robson who was the Service Manager link for the NWAS and a member of the NWAS Operational Management Group (OMG).

                        Councillor D.I. Mackie explained that the draft version of the NWAS Partnership Agreement had been submitted to Executive in March 2010 and to Social and Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee in October 2010.  However, he queried whether the final version of the Partnership Agreement had ever been scrutinised.  The Head of Social Services for Children said that the agreement had been seen by the Legal Department and that copies of the final version had been circulated to Members following the Overview and Scrutiny meeting in October 2010.  Councillor Mackie raised concern that Members were not aware of the standards that the NWAS was working to.  He was also disappointed to see that a number of comparisons had been made with the first year of the service which he did not feel was valid and said that he would have preferred to see comparisons against the standards which had been set which the Committee had not seen. 

                        The Chair asked if the NWAS was as good as the service that had been provided by the Flintshire Adoption Service.  She said that the Committee was concerned that standards dropped when collaborations took place and referred to the percentage figures reported in the performance indicators, which were poor.  The Head of Social Services for Children said that the standards were the national minimum for adoption and that robust discussions about performance indicators had taken place with the
NWAS Board to ensure that the service had not worsened in the first few months of the new arrangements.  Mrs. Somerton-Edwards said that in future, the service planned to report on national minimum standards and local indicators.  The Head of Social Services for Children said that a report comparing the last year of Flintshire’s Adoption Service with the first year of NWAS could be provided for Members. 

                        Councillor H.J. McGuill queried whether the £30,000 to place a child outside the consortium was reciprocated if a child came into Flintshire from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33