Spending

We are committed to targeting our resources towards early intervention and prevention, with community planning resources prioritising early help and addressing identified risk and need through community and universal services.

There does however continue to be at risk and vulnerable children, young people and families who will benefit from and require continued additional support. For some this will mean living away from their family or community to best meet their needs and for others additional support in the community.

West Dunbartonshire has a higher than average national rate of looked after children; 32.3 per 1000 compared to 15.7 nationally, along with increasing numbers of children placed on the West Dunbartonshire Child Protection register and those identified as having additional support needs. Investment and commissioning approaches have continued to bolster preventative measures and sustain targeted supports, for example with care experienced young people, supporting family functioning and supporting mental health.

Costs of specialist day and residential placements have placed significant strains of joint budgets of HSCP and Educational Services. This is as a result of several factors; increasing numbers of young people placed in expensive placements, increased staff costs in this sector and increasing numbers of young people demonstrating a need for the most specialist support. Projections indicate we will continue to be challenged financially in this area. Our continued emphasis on supporting children and young people in the community by those closest to them, will remain our first priority when planning supports for children, young people and their families; reflected in joint service plans.

Developing our Learning estate

early years expansion

We have progressed through our Early Learning and Childcare Expansion Plan and are on target to meet our offer of 1140 hours to all eligible children by August 2021. Our plan has opened 9 new ELCC's and refurbished 15 so far and resulted in job opportunities for 433 new ELC staff. To date 88% of eligible children had access to 1140 hours. The final 12% will be in place by the end of April 2021.

The link below demonstrates Dalreoch Primary ELC, an example typical of the standard of our new and refurbished settings.

https://sites.google.com/ourcloud.buzz/dalreochelcc/home