In response to Graham Connelly’s letter of December 8 (“Local authorities letting down looked-after children”), let me emphasise that Scottish Borders Council does know the details of the education of its looked-after children.
The situation of each looked-after child is monitored monthly by SBC’s senior management team in social work to ensure the integrity of the data we hold and to consider action necessary in our role as corporate parents.
The difficulty we encountered in returning statistics to the Scottish Executive this year was caused by our transition from a paper-based to a computerised system based on social worker reports. These statistics became available last month. Once the new information system has been fully implemented, we are confident that it will deliver timely and robust information for all future submissions.
Meanwhile, we continue to place the highest emphasis on the care and education of our looked-after children. New initiatives to support this vulnerable group have included a corporate parenting seminar held last month, and a pilot project around free access to sports and leisure facilities.
David Hume
chief executive, Scottish Borders Council
