Agenda item

Report CSD17070

The Committee considered a report seeking recommendations from Members for items for consideration by the Education, Children and Families Select Committee in 2017/18.

The Terms of Reference for the Education, Children and Families Select Committee, which was due to be constituted at the Annual Council Meeting on 10^th May 2017, were circulated to the Members present.  In addition to this, the Executive Director (ECHS) tabled a document setting out suggested areas for scrutiny.

The Committee agreed to recommend to Council that the Education Budget Sub-Committee be renamed Education, Children and Families Budget & Performance Monitoring Sub-Committee.  It was agreed that the membership of the Sub-Committee should comprise:

Cllr N. Bennett

Cllr A. Collins

Cllr N. Reddin

Cllr A. Wilkins

Mr Emmanuel Arbenser (Co-opted Member – Special Schools Parent Governor)

(Cllr N. Dykes to be approached regarding membership following the meeting)

It was also agreed that it be recommended that a representative from the Living in Care Council be sought as a Co-opted Member of the Education, Children and Families Select Committee.

Turing to the Work Programme for the Education, Children & Families Select Committee for the 2017/18 municipal year the Committee agreed to recommend the following:

At each meeting the Portfolio Holder for Education and Children’s Services to be scrutinised along with one of the following:

The Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director for ECHS (bi annually)

The Director for Education (annually)

The Director for Children’s Social Care (annually)

Quarterly Monitoring Report and Monitoring Visits by Ofsted to be standing items on every agenda.

The following issues to form Substantive Items for scrutiny:

SEND Strategy – short breaks, SEN transport

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS)

Troubled Families/Early Intervention/Child Poverty

Early Years, Child minding and the 30 hour challenge

The following issues to form Short Items for scrutiny:

Permanent Exclusions: Prevention Strategy

Adult Education: Follow up to Ofsted

YOS/Youth Service Developments (in October 2017)

The following items to be delegated to the Education, Children and Families Budget and Performance Monitoring Sub-Committee:

Annual Adoption Agency Report

Annual Corporate Parenting Report

Annual Complaints Report

Sufficiency and commissioning of Children`s Services Placements

Private Fostering Annual report

Annual assurance report of the Statutory Director of Children`s Services

Audit report

Budget monitoring

Contracts

Business plan and portfolio plan monitoring

Risk management

Business continuity

In addition to this, Pupil Place Planning would be dealt with by the  Pupil Place Planning Executive Working Group if required. 

Finally, the General Purposes and Licensing committee to be asked to undertake an annual review of Licensing – participation issues relating to children.

The Committee agreed that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Education, Children & Families Select Committee, once formally appointed at Annual Council on 10^th May 2017, should liaise with the Executive Director ECHS and the Clerk to the Select Committee to schedule items for specific meetings.

A Member queried whether there had been any further follow up of the response provided by Lord Nash to the concerns expressed by the Education Select Committee surrounding Elective Home Education.  The Chairman report that there had been no further follow up but the issue would be placed on the Matters Outstanding report to ensure that the issue was followed up.

A Member suggested that in the interests of transparency and increased participation some of the Committee’s meetings in the 2017/18 municipal year could be held at external venues such as schools where there was better access for local communities.  It was agreed that a request for a suitable venue should be placed in the Education Circular that was distributed to schools.

RESOLVED: That the Education, Children and Families Select Committee consider and adopt the recommendations outlined above for its 2017/18 Work Programme