The Executive Director of Resources submitted a report to the Committee, in its capacity of sole member of Brighter Futures for Children Limited (BFfC), setting out for approval BFfC’s annual Business Plan and contract sum.  The report summarised the key points arising from the Business Plan, which was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

The report stated that the Council had made provision for a contract sum in 2021/22 of £47,436,300, which was a reduction of £985k from the 2020/21 figure. This included £6.76m for leases and services provided by the Council via Support Service Level Agreements.  Investment was being made for provision of additional SEND places, with £4m allocated in the capital programme for 2021/22, which would support savings through fewer placements being made outside the borough.  Workforce planning remained a key part of BFfC service improvement and it remained a priority to reduce usage of agency social workers.  The Business Plan incorporated a revised Transformation Programme, and provision had been made within the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy for £1.5m of transformation funding.

The report noted that the BFfC Business Plan continued to build on the improvement journey to date, which was demonstrated through a revised Ofsted rating across all areas improving from Inadequate to Requires Improvement to Good in September 2019 and services coming out of intervention in February 2021.

Resolved -

(1)      That Committee, in its capacity as sole member for BFfC, agree the Company’s Business Plan and contract sum for 2021/22 as set out in Appendix 1 and the report, and note and agree the provision for transformation funding as set out in the report;

(2)      That the Assistant Director of Procurement & Contracts and the Assistant Director of Legal & Democratic Services be authorised to review the financial reporting arrangements of BFfC to Policy Committee in its capacity as sole member and report back to the Committee on changes that could be made to assist and improve oversight of the Company’s financial performance.

Further to Minute 53 of the meeting held on 28 September 2020, the Executive Director of Resources submitted a report asking the Committee, in its capacity as the sole member of Brighter Futures for Children Limited (BFfC/the company), to make decisions regarding the ongoing company Executive Leadership Team and Board membership.

The report noted that at its meeting on 28 September 2020 the Committee had approved the appointment of BFfC’s Interim Executive Director of Finance and Resources to the Company Board until 31 March 2021, following the departure of the Managing Director, and to fulfil the requirement for at least one Executive Director on the Board in addition to the Executive Director of Children’s Services.  The Company had subsequently considered the future Executive Leadership Team and decided to operate without a Managing Director role in future and continue with the current leadership arrangements with an amended role for the Executive Chair.  The Committee were asked to endorse the ongoing amended role of the Chair and to extend the appointment of the Interim Executive Director of Finance and Resources to the Company Board until 31 December 2021.  The Company’s Articles specified that Executive Directors (other than the Executive Director of Children’s Services) must be employees of the Company, and it was therefore necessary to also extend the waiver to the Articles until 31 December 2021 as the Interim Executive Director of Finance and Resources was not an employee of the Company but was employed on a contract for services.

The report also proposed that the three current Non-Executive Directors be re-appointed for a second term of three years.  It was planned to recruit a further Non-Executive Director to provide additional breadth of skills and support succession planning for the Board.

Resolved –

(1)          That the continuation of the amended role of the Executive Chair be endorsed;

(2)          That the appointment of the interim Executive Director of Finance and Resources as a Company Director be extended until 31 December 2021;

(3)          That the waiver of the requirement in the Articles for the interim Executive Director of Finance and Resources to be an employee of the Company be extended until 31 December 2021;

(4)          That Tony Byrne, Nicola Gilham and Paul Snell be reappointed as Non-Executive Directors of Brighter Futures for Children for a second term of office (three years) from 15 November 2021 until 14 November 2024;

(5)          That the recruitment of a further Non-Executive Director to provide additional breadth of skills and support succession planning for the Board be endorsed.