Agenda item

Nicola Curley, Strategic Director Children and Young People’s Services, presented a report providing details of the Risk Register and risk management activity within the Children and Young People’s Services Directorate.  Helen Sweaton, Joint Assistant Director, Commissioning and Performance, and Rob Savage, Departmental Business Services Manager, were also in attendance to answer any questions that may arise.

The Directorate level Risk Register currently had 5 risks items listed of which 2 were also included on the Corporate Risk Register:-

·        CYPS01 (SLT01) - Keeping Children, Young People and Families safe from harm

·        CYPS02 (SLT16) – CYPS to achieve budgetary savings linked to Medium Term Financial Strategy and Maintaining a balanced budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy that enables the continued delivery of core Council services and ensure the ongoing financial resilience of the Council

Risk formed a critical part of management oversight in CYPS and were discussed/reviewed at the CYPS Assurance Board meeting on a quarterly basis with escalations reviewed as exception outside of the reporting cycle.  Each CYPS DCS took ownership of the Directorate risk management arrangements and, where required, would meet with the CYPS Risk Champion to provide additional sign off should the aforementioned meetings not take place within a satisfactory time period.

Each Assistant Director was accountable for managing a Service Risk Register which was formally monitored and reviewed with their senior managers on a monthly basis. 

The Directorate’s Risk Champion had successfully completed accredited Institute of Risk Management training.  To increase risk management capacity within the Directorate, a further 3 officers had also completed the same training in February 2024.  This continuous development of the CYPS workforce was expected to strengthen the Directorate’s approach to risk management

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised/clarified:-

-        The budget savings target for the Directorate had been carefully considered and not felt to have caused a specific risk to children and young people or services generally.  If children needed to come into care, which was where the big spend was, they came into care

-        CYPS05 (deliver the Supporting Families Programme and receive Payment by Result) and CYPS08 (to maintain and develop key IT business systems to underpin the delivery of services across CYPS) had both been de-escalated to the Service Risk Register

-        CYPS05 was more a financial risk than a risk to children and young people and their families.  Close work had taken place with Finance colleagues to ensure the forward planning and forecasting was accurate.  There were challenges with regard to the Payment by Result as it was with other authorities

-        CYPS08 the risk to recommission the IT system had been mitigated and would not impact on children and young people

-        The Directorate actively reviewed and considered its services to ensure they met the needs of the children and young people of Rotherham.  Investment had been received for the Early Help Services and where there was the potential/flexibility from some of the new initiatives that were coming through recent Government Guidance

-        Discussions were taking place at regional and national level, as well as Government, with regard to the cost of placements.  Discussions would also take place with Finance

Nicola, Helen and Rob were thanked for their attendance.

Resolved:- That the progress and current position in relation to risk management activity in the Children and Young People’s Services Directorate, as detailed in the report now submitted, be noted.

(Appendix 1 was considered in the absence of the press and public in accordance with Paragraph 3  of the Act (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information/financial information)