Questions

Response

1

Provide details of what action Birmingham City Council Chief

Executive took to implement the recommendations in the 2007 report about the Council children services regarding the children

potentially at risk and what percentage of the children at risk were ethnic minorities. Please give in percentages the children at

risk by racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on.

This appears to refer to the City Council's Priority Review of Initial and Core Assessments - Implementation Progress Report.

The City Council responded by drawing up an action plan, monitoring the plan and reporting on progress to its Corporate Management Team.

The Priority Review did not look at a defined caseload of `children at risk' nor did it collect any figures on ethnic background.

Details of children at risk are attached.

2

Provide details of what action Birmingham City Council Leader and

the Deputy Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for

Children Services took to implement the recommendations in the 2007 report about the Council children services regarding the children potentially at risk. Please give in percentage the children at risk by racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on, affected by the

Actions.

See 1.

3

Provide copies of all the correspondence between the Council

Chief Executive and other Council officials from 2006 onwards about

Birmingham Council children services regarding the children

potentially at risk. Please show in percentages the racial groups

such as Pakistanis and so on, of the children potentially at risk

whose well-being would be affected by the correspondence.

The Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limits and Fees) Regulations 2004 provide that where the costs of complying with one or more series of related requests exceeds, in the case of local authorities, 18 hours, the Authority is entitled to either:

Advice from the City Council's Legal Services is that the request is focused on a wide range of correspondence concerning “children at risk” covering a period of time as early as 2004 and estimates that the time involved by officers in locating and collating the information requested, from the files held within both the Chief Executive's office and Children, Young People and Families Directorate, will easily exceed the 18 hours set out in the legislation by a considerable amount.

Accordingly, you are invited to either scale down the number of requests, so that the City Council can provide the information to you within the 18 hours specified in the legislation or, alternatively, you can agree to pay the excess time at the specified statutory rate of £25.00 per hour.

If you elect to take this second option, please let us know, and we will endeavour to provide you with a detailed estimate. Upon receipt of cleared funds, we will provide you with the requested information.

Until we hear from you, this request is suspended.

4

Provide details of the percentage of children (census classification) by racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on, of the children potentially at risk.

See 1.

5

Provide details from 2004 onwards of the racial equality impact

assessment undertaken by Birmingham Council children services

regarding the children potentially at risk. Please give in percentages the racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on.

See 3.

6

Provide details from 2004 onwards of the action plans that came

out of the racial equality impact assessment of the Council children services regarding the children potentially at risk. Please give in percentages the racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on.

See 3

7

Provide details of the actions taken by the Council Chief Executive to do with the Council children services regarding the children potentially at risk after the Commission for Racial Equality served an Enforcement Order in January 2007 on the Council because Birmingham Council was not complying with racial equality law in the Council services and in the Council employment. Please give in percentages the racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on, children potentially at risk affected.

See 3.

8

Provide details of the actions taken by the Council Chief Executive to do with the Council children services regarding the children potentially at risk after the Audit Commission Comprehensive Performance Assessment Report in February 2007 said that Birmingham Council was not complying with racial equality law.

Please give in percentages the racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on, children potentially at risk affected.

See 3.

9

Provide details of the consultations Birmingham Council has

undertaken from 2006 onwards to do with the Council children

services regarding the children potentially at risk. Please give in

percentages those consulted, by racial groups such as Pakistanis

and so on.

Details of consultations CYP Plan 2006-09 Appendix 3: Consultation overview: February 2006 can be downloaded at the following website:

http://ebriefing.bgfl.org/content/resources/resource.cfm?id=2807&key=&zz=20091120104842145&zs=n

This involved consultation meetings with voluntary, community and faith organisations eg. a meeting co-ordinated by b:RAP; a meeting for representatives of equalities organisations.

Specific consultation summary findings ranged from: recognition of the input of faith partners, the composition of faith communities in the city, and a more detailed treatment of faith issues throughout the plan.

As a result of the consultation the plan was changed under three outcomes. For example:

10

Provide details of the action plans that came out of the consultations undertaken by Birmingham City Council from 2006

onwards to do with the Council children services regarding the

children potentially at risk. Please give in percentages by racial

groups such as Pakistanis and so on, the children potentially at

risk affected by the action plans.

See 3.

11

Provide details of how many complaints have been submitted to

Birmingham City Council from 2006 onwards regarding Council

children services to do with the children potentially at risk. Please give in percentages by racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on the people making complaints and in percentages by racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on the complaints were concerned with.

We do not collect information based on an “at risk” category.

12

Provide details of how many complaints have not been investigated by Birmingham Council from 2006 onwards regarding

Council children services to do with the children potentially at risk. Please give in percentages the racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on, of the children potentially at risk that the complaints, which have not been investigated were concerned with.

We do not collect information based on an “at risk” category.

13

How many grievances are submitted by Birmingham City Council

employees working in the Council children service potentially at

risk. Please give in percentages by racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on, of the employees who submitted the grievances.

Nil

14

How many of the grievances were upheld and how many of the

grievance were dismissed submitted by Birmingham Council employees working in the Council children service potentially at risk. Please give in percentages the racial groups such as Pakistanis and so on, whose grievances were upheld and whose grievances were dismissed.

Nil