Agenda

Children's Select Committee - Thursday 6 June 2024 10.30 am

Venue: Council Chamber - County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, BA14 8JN. View directions

Contact: Email: max.hirst@wiltshire.gov.uk  Democratic Services Officer

Media

Items
No. Item

PART I

Items to be considered while the meeting is open to the public

 

PROCEDURAL DOCUMENT

Standard Scrutiny Questions for Councillor Reference.

Supporting documents:

1.

Election of Chairman

To elect a Chairman for the 2024/25 municipal year.

2.

Election of Vice-Chairman

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the 2024/25 municipal year.

3.

Apologies

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

4.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

To approve and sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on 12 March 2024.

Supporting documents:

5.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

 

6.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive any announcements through the Chairman.

7.

Public Participation

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

 

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.

 

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.

 

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on Thursday 30 May in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on Monday 3 June. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

 

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

8.

Childcare Sufficiency in Wiltshire

To receive a progress update from Lucy-Anne Bryant on childcare sufficiency in Wiltshire.

Supporting documents:

9.

Outcome of the Rapid Scrutiny on Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy

To receive a report on the outcome of the rapid scrutiny on Wiltshire Council’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy.

Supporting documents:

10.

Children's Select Committee - areas of interest and work for 2024-25

 

As this is the first meeting of this municipal year the committee is invited to consider the areas of interest and work it wishes to focus on for 2024-25.

 

The attached forward work programme contains items that have been agreed at previous meetings as well as requests for overview and scrutiny involvement received by the chair and vice-chair of the committee when they attended the annual meeting with the Executive on Tuesday 14 May.

 

In readiness for the new Council after May 2025, this committee will be expected to produce a “legacy report” which typically include recommendations on future work as well as a review of “ways of working”.

 

Therefore, today this committee is invited to:

1.    Challenge the proposed forward work programmes;

2.    Propose additional areas of work and focus for 2024-25;

3.    Make suggestions on changes that would improve the committee’s current ways of working (including briefings, rapid scrutiny exercises and task groups).

 

Supporting documents:

11.

Regular updates

Updates on information valuable for the committee, but unlikely to require a decision. 

 

Members of the committee are therefore invited to indicate in advance of the meeting if they would like further information or have questions on these regular updates, so that relevant officers can be invited to attend the meeting.

11a

Safety Valve update

To receive regular updates from officers on the development of the Safety Valve project, as well as input from the overview and scrutiny representative.

Supporting documents:

11b

School Ofsted Judgements

An update including information regarding the most recent Ofsted Inspection reports, presenting an ongoing view of the effectiveness of schools as seen by Ofsted Inspection.

Supporting documents:

11c

DfE Changes - Update from Department for Education

An update on developments relating to children’s services arising from the Department for Education.

Supporting documents:

11d

Working together to improve school attendance

The DfE published new non-statutory guidance in May 2022 to help schools, trusts, governing bodies and local authorities maintain high levels of school attendance. The guidance applies from September 2022.

 

This regular update is an opportunity for the committee to be aware of the latest requirements, as set out in the guidance.

Supporting documents:

11e

Schools Forum

To receive a very brief update highlighting key items from the last meeting of Schools Forum, to enable the Children’s Select Committee to be informed in a timely manner of the work undertaken by the Schools Forum through the year.

Full agendas and minutes for the Schools Forum can be accessed here  Schools Forum | Wiltshire Council

Supporting documents:

11f

Corporate Parenting Panel

To receive a very brief update highlighting key items from the last meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel, to enable the Children’s Select Committee members, as Corporate Parents, to be informed in a timely manner of the work undertaken by the Corporate Parenting Panel through the year.

Supporting documents:

11g

Directors' update

To receive a verbal update from Directors highlighting any key issues (current or emerging), successes or milestones in their respective areas since the last meeting of the committee, which may not require a full agenda item and are not covered elsewhere on this agenda.

This is also an opportunity for matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

11h

Cabinet Member and Portfolio Holders' update

To receive a verbal update from the Cabinet Member and / or Portfolio Holders highlighting any news, successes or milestones in their respective areas since the last meeting of the committee, which may not require a full agenda item and are not covered elsewhere on this agenda.

This is also an opportunity for matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

11i

Chair's update

To receive a verbal update from the chair on any work undertaken or news since the last meeting that would not require a full agenda item and would not be suitable under Chairman’s Announcements (where no debate is allowed).

This is also an opportunity for matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

12.

Overview and Scrutiny Activities Updates

The committee will receive updates from active Task Groups, Rapid Scrutiny exercises and the committee’s board representatives.

 

A report by the Senior Scrutiny Officers providing an update on Task Group activity since the last meeting is attached.

13.

Date of Next Meeting

To note that the next scheduled meeting is due to be held on 18 July 2024.

14.

Urgent Items

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

15.

Glossary

PART II

Items during whose consideration it is recommended that the public should be excluded because of the likelihood that exempt information would be disclosed