Oversight of children's services 'thorough' says council

QUALITY PLACEMENTS 'A PRIORITY'

- By STUART ARNOLD Local democracy reporter

OVERSIGHT of commissioned children's services in Redcar and Cleveland is "thorough" and contract management "robust", a council has insisted despite evidence previously suggesting otherwise.

In July, checks by the council's auditor Veritau found only "limited assurance" in such arrangements.

Meanwhile, an external peer challenge review published last year concluded commissioning services "lacked sufficient capacity to effectively develop strategic market management opportunities and provide effective contract management and quality assurance of provision for children and young people".

Added to this, a recent briefing note for members of the council's governance committee described previous staffing difficulties which, aligned with increased demands for childcare placements, had placed extra pressure on the commissioning team.

A number of recommended actions which flowed from the Veritau audit have now been completed, although two were still outstanding, including, crucially, that of contract management.