Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Children, Education and Young People’s Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2025/018

Contact: Caroline Kelly, Lead Commissioner – Start Well (Caroline.Kelly@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Children’s Services (CMDCEYPS).

1. The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    agree to Oxfordshire County Council joining the Department for Education (DfE) approved pathfinder for the South East Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) for a period of three years from 1 April 2025–31 March 2028; and

b)    contribute financially to the RCC at a total cost of £625,000 for the three-year commitment.

The Chair remarked that under local government reorganisation, Greater Manchester would come under the Metropolitan Districts not the Combined Authority and as such a question may arise around what constitutes the South East Region.

The Chair noted that Oxfordshire County Council just falls into Tier 1, which would cost the Council an additional £50,000 over three years. He said that he felt the boundaries between the tiers came across as arbitrary decisions. The Director said that there was a profiling matrix used in establishing these boundaries, based on a look back and a forward projection around number of children cared for within a given area. The Chair said that Kent would get a very good deal compared to Oxfordshire.

The Chair asked if looked after children included unaccompanied asylum seekers or not. The Director said that that was her understanding.

The Chair asked if everybody in the South East had agreed to join the RCC. The Director said that 18 of 19 authorities had agreed to join in principle.

The Chair asked if £625,000 was to go up in line with inflation. The Contact Officer said that it would not go up.

The Chair approved the recommendations.

RESOLVED to:

a)    agree to Oxfordshire County Council joining the Department for Education (DfE) approved pathfinder for the South East Regional Care Cooperative (RCC) for a period of three years from 1 April 2025–31 March 2028; and

b)    contribute financially to the RCC at a total cost of £625,000 for the three-year commitment.