This report, submitted to the Committee in its capacity as the sole member of Brighter Futures for Children Limited (BFfC), sets out for approval the BFfC Business Plan and Contract Sum.

The Director of Finance submitted a report to the Committee, in its capacity as sole member of Brighter Futures for Children Limited (BFfC), setting out at Appendix 1 the Business Plan submitted by BFfC in response to its obligation to agree an annual Business Plan and contract sum, a matter reserved to the Sole Member.

The report set out the key points arising from the Company’s Business Plan including BFfC’s strategic objective and four key priorities which were: to work together and across local partnerships to provide the right support and services at the right time to deliver the best possible outcomes for children and their families; to deliver effective early help services to prevent the escalation of need at a later stage while contributing to increased resilience across the partnership to meet children’s need at the earliest opportunity; to deliver a sustainable Children’s Social Care Service through practice rooted in relationship-based and timely statutory engagement with families; and to influence and support education settings to offer high quality inclusive teaching and learning to support achievement for all, including those who require bespoke, specialised or SEND support. The Plan also set out three enablers to support delivery of the priorities: building a stable workforce of permanent staff, improved quality and ways of working and resources aligned to priorities and delivering value for money.

In agreeing the 2023/24 Business Plan, the Committee were asked to note that the Council had made provision for a contract sum of £51.430m within its Medium-Term Financial Plan, which was an increase of £2.472m from the 2022/23 contract sum and included £6.716m for leases and services provided by RBC via Service Level Agreements.  The report set out a breakdown of the increase in the contract sum.  The report also explained that a transformation funding bid of £0.257m from the Council’s Delivery Fund had been agreed on a one-off basis for 2023/24, for Consultant Practitioners to support Newly Qualified Social Workers and Recruitment and Retention payments for Social Workers.  The recruitment and retention payments scheme had been approved by the Committee at its meeting on 23 January 2023 (Minute 50 refers).

Resolved –

(1)      That the increase in the proposed contract sum for 2023/24 to £51.430m, which included growth of £3.679m from the provisional contract sum included in the MTFP for 2022/23, be noted and agreed;

(2)      That the Delivery Fund bid, which was in addition to the contract sum, be noted;

(3)      That the Brighter Futures for Children Business Plan, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, be agreed.