Reading Children’s Services Moves Back In-House

The move to bring Reading Borough Council’s Children’s Services back in-house completed today (Wednesday 1 October).

Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) had delivered Children’s Services on behalf of Reading Borough Council (RBC) since December 2018.

Around 600 members of staff have today moved back to the Council. The BFfC brand, which has been established over the past seven years, will continue to be used externally.

The recommendation for Children’s Services to move back into Council control was made following a jointly commissioned independent report by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). The decision was subsequently made at a Council meeting in January of this year.

In its recommendation, CIPFA stated that the transition would:

• Provide the Council with better direct control of Children’s Services
• Remove a layer of governance, leading to more agile decision making and removing duplication of reporting
• Remove the pressure on Council services of maintaining service level agreements
• Improve integration and synergy with other Council services

Since January, a transition plan has been put in place and implemented by officers to support the move. Alongside this, a transformation project has been under way in BFfC to address the recommendations in the most recent inspection reports, ahead of the transfer to RBC.

Cllr Liz Terry, Leader of Reading Borough Council, said:

“We are delighted to welcome over 600 members of Brighter Futures for Children staff back to the Council. My gratitude goes to the BFfC Board and staff, whose commitment and dedication to children in Reading is without question.

“The Council now not only has better direct control over Children’s Services, but an additional layer of governance has been removed, helping to further integrate the services with other Council responsibilities.

“While there have been a significant number of successes over the past seven years across Children’s Services, we are committed to continuing the improvement journey to ensure that all Reading’s children get the best possible start in life.”

Media Contact: Joe Difford joe.difford@reading.gov.uk