Issue - meetings

The committee is provided with a brief update on the performance and progress of Multi Agency Forums (MAFs) in Wiltshire.

The update follows previous work on MAFs performed by the committee. In December 2015 a Task Group of the Children’s Select Committee conducted a deep dive meeting focused on MAFs. The committee endorsed the Task Groups recommendations regarding MAFs at its meeting on 26^th January 2016. An Executive Response to the Interim Report of the Safeguarding Task Group was presented to the committee on 22^nd March 2016, and monitoring of the outstanding actions taken up by the Safeguarding Children and Young People Panel.

Members are asked to comment on and note the progress made following the above work.

The Committee is received a brief update on the performance and progress of Multi Agency Forums (MAFs) in Wiltshire.

The update followed previous work on MAFs performed by the Committee. In December 2015 a Task Group of the Children’s Select Committee conducted a deep dive meeting focused on MAFs. The Committee endorsed the Task Group’s recommendations regarding MAFs at its meeting on 26 January 2016. An Executive Response to the Interim Report of the Safeguarding Task Group was presented to the Committee on 22 March 2016, and monitoring of the outstanding actions taken up by the Safeguarding Children and Young People Panel.

The Director, Family & Children’s Services explained that work had started on the standardisation of the MAFs terms of reference which would include:-

·         Regular discussion of cases

·         Meetings timed to allow schools to attend in the expectation that the head teacher, SENCO or any other appropriate representative of all schools would attend the MAFs.

During discussion, Members expressed concern that there was little evidence that the MAFs were meeting and functioning correctly.  It was explained that the Council would be undertaking comprehensive quantitative and qualitative reporting to monitor the effectiveness of MAFs which would be regularly reported to and monitored by the Safeguarding Children & Young People Panel.    

Resolved:

To note the updates on the ongoing transformation work both under Family and Children’s Transformation and the Wiltshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (WSCB) that may have an impact on the future of Multi-Agency Forums (MAFs).