Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman for the ensuing year.

Nominations were sought for the position of Chairman for the municipal year 2017/18. Cllr Jacqui Lay, seconded by Cllr Hayley Spencer, moved that Cllr Jon Hubbard be elected as Chairman.

On there being no other nominations, it was

Resolved:

To elect Cllr Jon Hubbard as chairman of the Children’s Select Committee for the municipal year 2017/18

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

Nominations were sought for the position of Vice-Chairman for the municipal year 2017/18. Cllr Stewart Dobson, seconded by Cllr Jon Hubbard, moved that Cllr Jacqui Lay be elected as Vice-Chairman.

On there being no other nominations, it was

Resolved:

To elect Cllr Jacqui Lay as Vice-Chairman of the Children’s Select Committee for the municipal year 2017/18.

Apologies had been received from Cllr Leo Randall, who was substituted at the meeting by Cllr Stewart Dobson, Cllr Christopher Devine, Sarah Busby, Dr Mike Thompson, and James Wilkins.

To approve and sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on 14^th March 2017.

The minutes of the meeting of the Children’s Select Committee held on 14 March 2017 were presented and the following amendments were proposed:

To paragraph 22, the addition of the following wording prior to the resolution:

Members expressed their support for the proposals’ mention of preventing family breakdown, which was felt to be a priority area.

To paragraph 28, to change “Children’s Community Centres” to “Children’s Centres” wherever the phrase occurred.

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2017 as a correct record with the amendments as detailed above.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman welcomed new committee members to their first meeting and extended a particular welcome to Jill Hughes, who had been elected as the committee’s new Primary Parent Governor Representative.

The Chairman brought to the meeting’s attention that the following items would be considered by the meeting of Cabinet on 3 July 2017: Children’s Services Integration Project; Adoption Agency Annual Update 2017; Wiltshire Council Child Sexual Exploitation Annual Update.

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 Tuesday 6^th June 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 Thursday 8^th 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.

No questions or comments had been received. There were no members of the public in attendance.

Children’s Select Committee will receive a report detailing on ongoing work recommended by the former Management Committee as part of the development of a work programme for the function in the new Council.

The Review of the work of Overview and Scrutiny - 2013-2017 will be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee on 06 June, confirming the endorsement of any ongoing work recommended in the report.

The committee is asked to consider the scheduled activity agreed outlined in the attached report by the OS Management Committee.

A report was presented detailing the on-going work for overview and scrutiny recommended by the previous children’s management committee, and the Chairman proposed that the items in the report were adopted as items in the forward plan.

It was agreed to recommend the addition of the provision of special schools to the work programme, including how they should operate, as this had a become a timely issue for consideration. Traded services for schools, and housing provision for care-leavers, were raised as other items to be re-visited at a future meeting for consideration. Members were advised that their interest in membership of the committee’s task groups would be sought shortly.

The Chairman proposed that the information briefings on specific services held in advance of each committee meeting, be continued. Members of the committee welcomed the learning opportunities and informal discussion that these briefings afforded, and asked that they continued. The next briefing would be on young carers and the Chairman encouraged members to offer suggestions for future topics.

Resolved:

To endorse the scheduled committee activity agreed by the OS Management Committee, formally re-establishing the relevant task groups.

To seek appointment for memberships on the relevant task groups and rapid scrutiny exercises and authorise the Chairman and Vice-chairman to name members to fill any vacancies following expressions of interest.

To note that a new council Business Plan will be brought to Full Council on 11 July, which will be influential in shaping the new OS forward work programme.

To support early discussion between the Chairman and Vice-Chairman with Cabinet members, portfolio-holders and directors (following adoption of the new council Business Plan) to gain a more informed understanding about Executive priorities, with outcomes reported back to Committee.

As part of the Children’s Select Committee’s work it receives the draft of the Corporate Parenting Panel’s Annual Report, prior to it being received by Full Council

This draft report will form the annual update to Council from the Corporate Parenting Panel in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

The role of the Corporate Parenting Panel is to secure Councillor involvement and commitment throughout the Council to deliver better outcomes for children and young people who are looked after.

The committee is asked to provide comments on the draft annual report. Also included as an appendix is the Children in Care Council’s Annual Report.

Martin Davis, head of care and placement, presented the report which included details of the seven new priorities for Corporate Parenting, as agreed in 2016. He provided information on each of the priority areas and concluded that the report was a demonstration of progress and that while there was still work to do, it presented a promising picture. An induction session had been completed with the Corporate Parenting Panel and new strategic leads had been identified who would review the report and take the work forward. A new headteacher for the virtual school had also been appointed.

In response to questions, the following points were raised and clarified:

That the form of words for priority seven had been chosen by young people in care, but that the priority area encompassed community services as well as those delivered by Wiltshire Council. Work was on-going to find new ways to deliver mental health support in a more accessible and user-friendly way. Work had been done to reduce waiting times for council mental health services, partly through increased early intervention work, and it was hoped that this would have an impact on looked after children.

That social isolation had come out as a key priority for young people leaving care and that a focus had been put on integrating young people with their communities and services.

That retention of foster carers was affected by a range of factors, but that in comparison to other local authorities, Wiltshire Council had a good rate of retention.

That the relationship between the virtual school and mainstream education providers would be reviewed and refreshed to ensure the it was effective in delivering positive academic outcomes for young people in care. There was a need for further work to improve the way progress was measured on a cohort level as well as on an individual basis, and to consider examples of good practice in spending pupil premium funding.

That young people were involved in the work of the Corporate Parenting Panel and that their views would be continue to be incorporated into the reports taken to the children’s select committee.

The Chairman thanked the officer for his report

Resolved:

To note and endorse the draft Corporate Parenting Panel Annual Report.

A report by Carolyn Godfrey, Corporate Director, is attached presenting an update on developments relating to children’s services arising from the Department for Education.

Carolyn Godfrey, Corporate Director, presented the report of developments from the Department of Education relating to children’s services, and explained that new policy changes could be following the recent general election. There were no questions

The Chairman thanked the corporate director for her report

Resolved:

To note the update provided.

The Committee is asked to note the attached document showing the relevant items from the overview and scrutiny forward work programme plus relevant items on the current Cabinet work programme.

The Chairman presented the work programme which included one scheduled item for the next meeting of the committee. He explained that the work programme would be updated to include the topics discussed and agreed earlier in the meeting.

Resolved:

To note the forward work programme and populate using the endorsed topics from the Children’s Select Committee Legacy Report taken in item 8.

To note that the next scheduled meeting is due to be held on Tuesday 5^th September at County Hall, Trowbridge, starting at 10.30am.

The Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance and reminded members that the next meeting would be on Tuesday 5^th September 2017 at County Hall, Trowbridge, starting at 10.30am. Members were reminded that an information briefing on young carers would commence prior to this at 9.30am.

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

There were no urgent items.