Agenda item

The SCF head of service, sufficiency & permanency presented the Sufficiency Strategy, which outlined the Council’s strategic approach to securing sufficient accommodation to meet the needs of children in care

Members noted that the Sufficiency Duty (Section 22G of the Children Act 1989) required all local authorities to take strategic actions to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient accommodation for children in their care within their local authority area, and for those children who require accommodation to promote their welfare; that meets their needs.

Five key Sufficiency Priorities areas were highlighted as follows:

• Strengthen Early Help, Edge of Care and reunification
• Fostering – recruitment, retention and development
• Robust commissioning framework
• Achieving Permanence at the earliest opportunity 
• Leaving care

Five specific work streams would be set up and Led by heads of services as project leads and with the CPP having oversite of governance. The Sufficiency Board would be overseen by SCF and would be meeting at the end of January 2024.

It was confirmed that the strategy had been approved at the Cabinet meeting on 20 November 2023 and Cabinet required to be provided regular updates.

The Panel Resolved to: Note the Sufficiency Strategy - Taking it Forward update.