Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest made at this meeting.

There were no questions from members of the public or the press.

Joint work with Scrutiny Panel, PHSE Curriculum – request for Scrutiny Review   (Senior Scrutiny Adviser to report)

The members of the Youth Cabinet had requested a joint scrutiny review, with members of this Scrutiny Panel, to investigate the way in which the Personal Health and Social Education curriculum is delivered in schools.

Resolved:- That the Chair and Councillor Fenoughty be appointed to this scrutiny review group.

Consideration was given to a report presented by the Head of Inclusion Services and the Children and Families Special Needs Manager concerning Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC), the Government’s transformation programme for disabled children’s services in England. The report identified the key purposes of AHDC and its implications for families of disabled children in Rotherham. The AHDC programme focused on four areas:-

: improving short break services;

: providing accessible child care;

: ensuring transition support for children and young people;

: establishing parent forums.

The report stated that whilst work has been undertaken in all of the four areas, it is the transformation of Short Break services that has received the most attention. Short Break services have been targeted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department of Health with significant funding and timescales for completion. The report identified the work undertaken to ensure that the readiness criteria for receiving AHDC funding for Short Breaks were met and also proposals to improve Short Break services for families and children with disabilities in Rotherham.

The Scrutiny Panel’s discussion of this subject included the following matters:-

-     delivery of services in association with a range of partners;

-     provision of improved services using the funding provided (nb: funding confirmed for 2009/2010 and further funding anticipated to be available until 31^st March, 2011);

-     consultation with families of disabled children and young people;

-     publication of newsletter (copies to be made available for members of this Scrutiny Panel);

-     development of the short break centre on part of the campus of the former Kimberworth Comprehensive School;

-     preparation of an exit strategy for the end of the funding period.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That a progress report about Aiming High for Disabled Children and the Short Break services be submitted to a meeting of this Scrutiny Panel in twelve months’ time.

Further to Minute No. 50 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 15^th July, 2009, the Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services presented a report of the Chief Executive which explained that, after the publication of the 2008 Annual Performance Assessment letter and the subsequent deterioration in the overall judgement for Children and Young People’s Services, the Council and NHS Rotherham had commissioned an in-depth independent assessment of Children and Young People’s Services. This assessment and review had been conducted by Children First Mouchel.

The findings of the assessment and review had now been reported and an action plan developed to assist in addressing the recommendations from the review. Copies of the review report and of the action plan were both appended to the report submitted.

The report detailed the background and scope to the review, the review findings and the way forward and was supplemented by a presentation by the Strategic Director, which focused on:-

·              Review Rationale

·              Review Findings

·              Senior Management

·              Resource Management

·              Safeguarding

·              Performance Management

·              Future Direction of the Service

·              Next Steps

·              The Year Ahead

The report made reference to a resource benchmarking activity, undertaken as part of the review.  The findings from this activity were referred to in the review recommendations and the action plan.

The presentation and the Scrutiny Panel’s discussion of this item included reference to the following issues:-

-     during the period since the initial assessment, improvements had already begun to be made to Children and Young People’s Services;

-     the role of scrutiny in monitoring the provision and delivery of services; reporting of information to Elected Members;

-     performance indicators and performance monitoring; self- assessment and frequency of inspection of services;

-     the interrelationships of and joint working between children’s social services, education services and the health services; the co-location of the staff of the different services and their supervision;

-     recruitment and retention of social workers; use of agency staff and comparative rates of pay;

-     use of computer systems and inputting/recording of data and case notes;

-     the role of the local authority as corporate parent of children and young people;

-     the assessment of and the funding of services for pupils with special educational needs;

-     school budgets and the retention of financial balances;

-     recruitment and retention of health visitors;

-     the Fostering Service had achieved an improved assessment rating of “Adequate” (previously “Inadequate”) and aimed to achieve a “Good” rating at the next inspection;

-     implementing the recommendations of the assessment and review, as detailed in the report and within the timescales shown.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received.

(2) That the findings of the assessment and review and the proposals in relation to the subsequent action plan be noted.

(3) That this Scrutiny Panel supports the action being taken to make improvements to this Council’s Children and Young People’s Services.

(4) That a progress report be submitted to a meeting of this Scrutiny Panel in four months’ time.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the meeting of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel held on 3rd July, 2009 be approved as a correct record for signature by the Chairman.

Resolved:- That the contents of the minutes of the meeting of the Looked After Children Scrutiny Sub-Panel held on 25th March, 2009 be noted.

Resolved:- That the contents of the minutes of the meeting of the Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee held on 26th June, 2009, be noted.