It has been confirmed that the Department for Education will be conducting interviews with senior councillors and Council officers from today (Monday) as part of a review of the effectiveness of the current Children’s Services arrangement with Hampshire County Council.
Currently, the mainland Council provides the management and oversight of the delivery of Children’s Services on the Isle of Wight including both education and children’s social services.
The Isle of Wight Council’s Lead Member for Children’s Services, Chris Whitehouse (Conservative, Newport West Ward) has said:
“Monday 10th April will be the start of a series of interviews over three days, with representatives of the Department for Education’s Delivery Unit meeting Hampshire officers at their headquarters in Winchester. Tuesday 11th April will see the Department’s officials travelling to the Island to interview Council Leader, Dave Stewart, and its Chief Executive, John Metcalfe. The review will conclude on Wednesday 12th when I personally visit the Delivery Unit in Westminster to answer questions about my own experiences on the way in which the arrangement has worked over the four years it has been in place.”
The feedback from officers and elected members is, adds Councillor Whitehouse, expected to be very positive, with:
“A general agreement on the part of all concerned that having taken on a very difficult challenge to improve our children’s services, Hampshire officers have delivered demonstrable and measurable progress in both schools and social services.
“Just as importantly, they have changed the ethos and attitude from one of a widespread denial of the problems we had to one of a welcome by service providers of challenge and support in addressing those problems. We still have a long way to go, but we have made real progress since the deal with Hampshire was brokered by the last Conservative administration, under the direction of the then Secretary of State.
“School standards are improving and our most vulnerable children are safer today than they have been for many years.”
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Following the elections for the Isle of Wight Council on 4th May, Councillor Whitehouse explains there will be 2 major projects to be taken forward:
“First we will need a thorough review of progress to date and future strategies to ensure that we continue to drive up standards in our schools and that we improve still further our children’s social service provision. Secondly, we will work with Hampshire to identify different options for continuing a relationship with Hampshire to ensure our objectives are delivered: all schools good or better, with a quarter of them outstanding; and our most vulnerable children as safe as they can be. Nothing else will do.”
The post-election consideration of options for continuing a relationship with Hampshire will be necessary because the current contract has a break provision which comes into play in 2018.
