Agenda item

A Review of Overview and Scrutiny (OS) 2017-2021 was undertaken at the end of the previous council and the outcomes were presented to OS Management Committee on 9 March 2021.

OS Management Committee used the information from the review to establish work priorities and OS approach at its meeting on 25 May 2021. The recommendations from that meeting are reflected in the attached report.

The committee is invited to consider the attached report and 8 recommendations within it to underpin the committee’s work in the coming year.

A Review of Overview and Scrutiny (OS) 2017-2021 was undertaken at the end of the previous council and the outcomes were presented to OS Management Committee on 9 March 2021.

OS Management Committee used the information from the review to establish work priorities and OS approach at its meeting on 25 May 2021. The recommendations from that meeting were attached to the meeting agenda and discussed at the Committee.

Concerns were raised about the name and remit of the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) task group, as previous reports were seen as lacking information on wider mental health provision for young people. Members noted that CAHMS should be seen as a last resort and support was required before that stage.

Members suggested that Children and Young People’s Mental Health Task Group would be a more appropriate name for the task group and have the benefit of being able to look at the early help available.

There was a brief discussion about the benefits of starting up a Whole Life Pathway task group. The role of young carers was also identified as an important area of focus and it was suggested that a virtual briefing on the subject could be arranged before a discussion on taking forward scrutiny activity.

Resolved:

1. To note this council’s agreed core values for its OS function.

2. To note OS’s key strengths and development areas as highlighted by the previous council and Management Committee’s resolution to include these in any review of OS’s approach and effectiveness in the new council.

3. To note the forward work programme (Appendix 1) agreed by Management Committee, delegating authority to the Chair and Vice-chair to develop this further (including the timing of activities), with proposals brought back to committee.

4. To support early discussion between the Chair and Vice-Chair with cabinet members, portfolio-holders and directors to gain a more informed understanding about executive priorities, with outcomes reported back to committee.

5. To note this committee’s task group/panel structure at the conclusion of the previous Management Committee as follows:

• Adoption West Joint Scrutiny Panel
• Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Task Group

6. To approve continuation of the above task groups/panels and memberships, and to authorise the Chair and Vice-Chair to name councillors to fill vacancies on these and other ad hoc activities following an opportunity for expressions of interest from all non-executive councillors.

7. To delegate authority to Chair/Vice-Chair to agree with their counterparts in the Health Select Committee a date to commence the work of the joint Whole Life Pathway task group, as approved in March 2020 and endorsed by the Management Committee in May 2021;

8. To agree the areas of good practice (Appendix 2) the Committee wishes to implement and delegate authority to Chair/Vice-Chair to develop and dovetail these with the forward work programme.

• Pre-meeting briefings
• Joined up working (including joint training and information sessions)
• Embedding the voice of children and young people in the work of the Committee.
• Working group for annual reports

9. Rename the CAMHS task group to “Children and Young People’s Mental Health” and review its terms of reference before it starts its work to ensure a more holistic approach. Delegate to Chair and Vice-Chair to meet with the Health Select Committee Chair and Vice-Chair to set the terms of reference.

10. Arrange the Young Carers Chair’s briefing with all members (and especially members of Children’s Select Committee)