The report of the Director of Children’s Services provides details of how the local authority proposes to spend the DfE grant of £363,135 for Children with Special Educational Needs and the Adoption Reform Grant (2014-15) of £260,422.

The report advises that all local authorities are required to continue to complete their arrangements, as defined by regulations, to have in place new education and health care plans and the publication of the local offer by 1 September 2014. It also highlights the imperative that through the Adoption Reform Grant we further improve our adoption performance by recruiting more adopters, have a sharp focus on the child’s permanence plan once looked after and timely family finding and matching resulting in a reduction in the length of time it takes for a child to be placed for adoption.

Resolved – That the spending proposals set out in the report now submitted, in relation to the implementation of Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Adoption Reform Grant 2014-15, be approved.