Moray SNP News

SNP CALL SPECIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS CHILD REPORT

SNP councillors have submitted a 'requisition' for a special meeting of all members of Moray Council to be held to discuss the Care Inspectorate’s report into services for children and young people in Moray.

The inspection report was published on Thursday 16th February by the Care Inspectorate taking account of the full range of work with children, young people and families within a community planning partnership area.

A number of areas for improvement were identified by the inspectors which raise a number of concerns that need to be addressed.

Given the seriousness of the report, and as the Council is a major player in the delivery of children’s services, SNP councillors feel that it is important that elected members receive an update on what actions are being taken to address the serious concerns raised by the Care Inspectorate.

The standing orders of the Council state that if seven members of the Council request a meeting then the Council must meet within 14 days.  This inspection report will be the only item on the meeting’s agenda.

Commenting on the call for a meeting SNP Group Leader, Cllr Gary Coull, said:

“This report is an extremely important one and something which requires a dedicated meeting to examine what constructive actions are being taken to address its concerns.

“The inspection shows that staff in the front line are working extremely hard and are praised in the report for their willingness to work collectively.

“However, there are concerns over leadership and strategic direction.  Therefore, I think it is extremely important that Councillors and the public hear what progress has been made since the inspection was completed and what plans are in place going forward.

“We have discussed the issue with the Chief Executive and there does not seem to be any plan to discuss this at a Council meeting.  However, this is such a serious issue with major areas of concern identified that we need to hear what the next steps are.

“I know that all councillors take the conclusions of this report seriously and will want to ensure that action is taken to ensure the inspector’s concerns are addressed.  This is why it is important to have this spoken about at a meeting to get consensus around the way forward.”