Agenda item

To note the update on the needs of children of Service Personel.

9.1       The Committee received a report outlining how the Council currently meets the needs of children of military families with accessing school places and examining if military families find it difficult to access children’s services nursery and youth facilities. 

9.2       The Chairman heard from Steve Bywater, Children’s Services Policy Manager, who discussed with the Committee the impact regularly moving from place to place has on a child and looked at how the Council could enhance and improve their services for Children of Service Personnel.

9.3       The Committee heard that the main issue for families with young children was accessing affordable child care in Westminster and to help alleviate this problem funding had been received in 2015 from the Armed Forces Community Covenant to train parents from Service families to become childminders in Westminster.  Those who successfully completed the training could work as childminders elsewhere and/or use it as an opportunity for employment in other parts of the childcare sector.

9.4       The Committee heard that were no children of secondary school age from a Service family were recorded as attending local schools which suggested that there may be an issue with local schools being made aware of or recording their status although it could be that they attend schools in other boroughs or were educated in residential schools and that

9.5       The Council discussed how the Council could enhance and improve their services for Children of Service Personnel and some of the key issues that emerged from their discussion were:

·         the need to clarify the numbers and location of children of service personnel of secondary school age attending Westminster secondary schools and/or schools in other boroughs or residential schools.

·         the importance of signposting the council’s services such as summer and holiday clubs, and sports and youth facilities to children of military families.

·         the importance of increasing the awareness of the Service Pupil Premium to secondary schools, the military forces and the parents themselves.

·         the need for affordable childcare places for military families with young children and the funding and training that had been made available to train parents from Service families to become childminders in Westminster. 

·         the need to encourage further outreach, awareness building and parent participation between the Council and service personnel with children from the military, navy and air force. 

9.5       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments and recommendations which will be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People for consideration:

1.    The Committee welcomed the success of the programme.

2.    The Committee welcomed the scheme funded by the Armed Forces Community Covenant to train parents from Service families to become childminders in Westminster.

3.    That work in conjunction with local schools and the armed forces be undertaken to provide greater clarity and certainty relating to the number of secondary school children of service personnel in Westminster and their respective circumstances.

4.    That further outreach, awareness building and parent participation between the Council and service personnel from the military, navy and air force be encouraged.

5.    That the Council continues to identify and demonstrate best practice with regards to children of service personnel and their families.

6.    That a written update be provided to the Committee on an annual basis.