Agenda item

A report from the Chairman and Vice-Chairman is attached reporting on outcomes of the meeting with the relevant Executive members and directors held on 15 August. This was to discuss the Council’s priorities for children’s services and the potential future work priorities of this Committee.

The report proposes some key Committee work priorities for this Council for discussion, prior to referral to the O&S Management Committee for endorsement. It also suggests some new ways of working in regards to Committee meetings.

Members are asked to consider the proposals within the report and make further suggestions as appropriate, including how each topic might be approached. Members are also asked to support further discussions between the Chairman and Vice-Chairman with Cabinet members, portfolio-holders and service directors to develop the forward work programme further, with a report coming to the Committee’s next meeting.

Consideration was given to a report by the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman which set out outcomes of the meeting with the relevant Executive members and directors held on 15 August 2013.  The purpose of that meeting was to discuss the Council’s priorities for children’s services and the potential future work priorities of this Committee.

The report proposed some key work priorities for this Committee for discussion, prior to referral to the Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee for endorsement.  It also suggested some new ways of working with regard to Committee meetings to help achieve better productivity and add most value to the decision making process.

The Committee considered the proposed key work priorities for this Committee and commented as follows:-

·      Safeguarding Children and Young People – a Safeguarding & Young People Task Group was already established.

·      Family Placements – this also came under the terms of reference of the Safeguarding & Young People Task Group.

·      Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (LLDD)

- SEN in mainstream schools

- DCA Pathfinder (joined up services for life)

A task group should be established following a scoping exercise and a report be made back to this Committee at its next meeting.

·      Further education in Wiltshire - quality, range and equity of access

A task group should be established following a scoping exercise and a report be made back to this Committee at its next meeting.

·      Engaging young people in local decision-making and developing the leaders of the future – Considered to be a priority but further discussion was required with the Executive and appropriate directors before any further action was taken.

·      Early intervention – A report would be made to the next meeting of this Committee to help scope O & S activity.

In generally supporting the proposed work priorities, the Committee stressed that a key factor in determining priorities should be where work undertaken could add particularly value to children’s services. 

After further discussion,

Resolved:

(1)          To approve the topics proposed within the report as work priorities for the Committee and refer them to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee for endorsement, except provision for gifted and talented pupils, to be considered under a later item.

(2)       To support further discussions between the Chairman and Vice-Chairman with Cabinet members, portfolio-holders and service directors to scope the agreed work priorities further, with an update coming to the Committee’s next meeting.

(3)       To approve the programme of pre-meeting information briefings to enhance the Committee’s ability to undertake effective overview and scrutiny.  Where possible, these should be aligned to items on the agenda.

(4)       To approve the proposed approach of making greater use of task groups, rapid scrutiny exercises and fact-finding meetings for looking at topics in detail before reporting back to the Committee. 

(5)       To approve the proposed approach of limiting Committee agendas to a few key items whenever possible, in order to allow greater time and therefore add more value to each topic considered.   

(6)          To ask Cllr Whalley and other interested members to undertake a scoping exercise to investigate where the Committee can add value to the academies programme and report back to the Committee.

(7)          To delegate authority to the Chairman to seek membership for a task group looking at issues affecting children with SEN/LLDD, and to scope where this exercise could add value. A report back to the Committee with proposed terms of reference.

(8)          To establish a rapid scrutiny exercise to look at the quality and equality of access to further education in Wiltshire, with a report back to Committee with outcomes and proposals of where further work is required.

(9)          To request a briefing at the next meeting on Early Intervention.