Issue - meetings

(i)       to note that the Aberdeen City Parent Forum was organising a survey of parents in relation to school meals, and that once the results were available, officers could convene a working group including parents and catering staff to discuss further, noting the suggestions about potentially sampling school meals as part of this review and taking on board previous work undertaken by the Scottish Youth Parliament in this area;

(ii)       in relation to the extension of free school meals to Primary 6 and 7 pupils, to note that officers were still awaiting detail of the timescales around this and could update the Committee once this was available;

(iii)      in relation to the work to be undertaken on progressing more family centric approaches to support families facing complex challenges living in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 1, to note that officers would engage with local ward Members during that process;

(iv)      to note that the Interim Director would ascertain whether it would be possible to provide information in relation to the capacities of specialist provision from pre-mainstreaming compared to now, noting that data may not be available due to the time since mainstreaming was introduced;

(v)      to note the progress made in delivering the Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan from April 2023 to date;

(vi)      to note the changes evident in data sets released over the reporting period;

(vii)     to approve the Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan Annual Report 2023/24;

(viii)    to delegate authority to the Interim Director - Children’s and Family Services to submit the Annual Report to the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee for further review and thereafter to the Community Planning Management Board for ratification;

(ix)      to delegate authority to the Interim Director - Children’s and Family Services to submit the Annual Report to the Scottish Government;

(x)      to instruct the Interim Director - Children’s and Family Services to report back to the Education and Children’s Services Committee within two committee cycles on proposed approaches to progressing:

·       more family centric approaches to support families facing complex challenges living in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation( SIMD) 1; and

·       a whole system approach to addressing obesity.

The Committee had before it a report by the Interim Director – Children’s and Family Services which outlined work undertaken by the Children’s Services Board over 2023/24, as well as proposed changes to the agreed Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan to support Community Planning Partners to positively respond to changes in published data and national policy intent.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the progress made in delivering the Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan from April 2023 to date;

(b)      note the changes evident in data sets released over the reporting period;

(c)      approve the Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan Annual Report 2023/24;

(d)      delegate authority to the Interim Director Children’s and Family Services to submit the Annual Report to the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee for further review and thereafter to the Community Planning Management Board for ratification;

(e)      delegate authority to the Interim Director - Children’s and Family Services to submit the Annual Report to Scottish Government; and

(f)       instruct the Interim Director - Children’s and Family Services to report back to the Education and Children’s Services Committee within 2 committee cycles on proposed approaches to progressing:

·       more family centric approaches to support families facing complex challenges living in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 1; and

·       a whole system approach to addressing obesity.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that the Aberdeen City Parent Forum was organising a survey of parents in relation to school meals, and that once the results were available, officers could convene a working group including parents and catering staff to discuss further, noting the suggestions about potentially sampling school meals as part of this review and taking on board previous work undertaken by the Scottish Youth Parliament in this area;

(ii)       in relation to the extension of free school meals to Primary 6 and 7 pupils, to note that officers were still awaiting detail of the timescales around this and would update the Committee once this was available;

(iii)      in relation to the work to be undertaken on progressing more family centric approaches to support families facing complex challenges living in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 1, to note that officers would engage with local ward Members during that process;

(iv)      to note that the Interim Director would ascertain whether it would be possible to provide information in relation to the capacities of specialist provision from pre-mainstreaming compared to now, noting that data might not be available due to the time since mainstreaming was introduced; and

(v)      to approve the recommendations contained in the report.