Chairman:

Before Ms Clarke comes in, I will stress where I am coming from. Budget time is an appropriate time to look at the emphasis we put on proactive measures as opposed to reactive ones. Are we managing to break the cycle of children coming into care? Often, they go in the circle of being cared for day to day, going out into the real world and having their own children who in turn go into care. They have many difficulties and challenges in their lives and that poses ongoing challenges. From a budgetary point of view, are we evaluating where our spend is and the bang for buck we are getting?