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.

There were no issues to report at this meeting.

PRESENTATION

(1) The Chair thanked everyone for their contributions to the work of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel during the 2009/2010 Municipal Year.

(2) Reference was made to Minute No. 37 of the meeting of the Looked After Children Scrutiny Sub-Panel held on 24^th March, 2010 (Scrutiny Review of Corporate Parenting Arrangements – Emerging Issues) – the scrutiny review report would now be submitted to a meeting of the Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee.

(3) It was noted that the report of the scrutiny review of Physical Education and Sport in Schools was being considered at this afternoon’s meeting of the Regeneration Scrutiny Panel – Members and Co-opted Members of this Scrutiny Panel were invited to attend.

(4) The Scrutiny Panel was informed of the imminent retirement of Mrs. Catharine Kinsella, Senior Director, Schools and Lifelong Learning; the Scrutiny Panel thanked Mrs. Kinsella for her work to improve Rotherham schools and wished her a long and happy retirement.

FOR DISCUSSION

Consideration was given to a report presented by Paul Boyden (Youth Start) and Sarah Graham (Rotherham MIND) concerning the role and function of both Youth Start and Rotherham MIND in the provision of mental health services for young people.

The report stated that Youth Start is a Borough Council Youth Service Advice, Information, Counselling and Support Project, which has offered accessible young person centred support services since 1989. Youth Start responds to young people presenting with a range of complex issues, including young people in crisis, and provides early intervention services, particularly in relation to sexual health, mental health and emotional support needs.

Young people aged 11 to 25 are supported in a non stigmatising, young person centred setting, which is neither overly medical or problem orientated; allowing a seamless service to be offered; from entry to secondary education, through adolescence into young adulthood.

Rotherham MIND Young Persons Service has operated since 1999 and offers confidential counselling/mental health support to children and young people in Rotherham.  It currently offers one-to-one confidential appointments to young people in all secondary schools in Rotherham who are experiencing poor mental health and emotional distress. In addition, it manages the Maltby Behaviour and Education Support Team (BEST) which also offers family intervention.

The Scrutiny Panel’s discussion of this item included the following salient issues:-

-           the funding and future funding of these mental health services (including sources such as NHS Rotherham);

-           the definition of a ‘young person’ (children, teenagers and people in their early twenties); the overwhelming majority of young people using the services were under 19 years; for those aged over 19 years, an important aspect of the services provided was to assist vulnerable young people in the sometimes difficult transition to adulthood;

-           the confidentiality of service provision and whether to inform parents of a young person receiving advice;

-           the support of secondary schools for this service provision; the Scrutiny Panel considered that all schools should be encouraged to make use of these services, whenever necessary, but acknowledged the likely impact upon schools’ budgets.

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

(2) That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Children and Young People's Scrutiny Panel upon the future funding of the mental health services provided by both Youth Start and by Rotherham MIND, such report to include details of funding provision from sources (including NHS Rotherham, schools and the award of grants) external to the Borough Council.

(3) That Paul Boyden and Sarah Graham be thanked for their interesting and informative presentation to this meeting.

Further to Minute No. 115 of the meeting of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel held on 3rd April, 2009, consideration was given to a report, presented by Review Group Chairman Councillor Tom Fenoughty, setting out the findings and recommendations of the scrutiny review into Personal, Social and Health Education. A copy the full report of this scrutiny review was attached as an appendix.

In summary, the key recommendations of this scrutiny review are:-

: Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) should be compulsory and part of every student’s timetable;

: PSHE should be taught by trained and confident teachers;

: schools should structure the curriculum to avoid repetition and explain this clearly to pupils (the IMPACT booklet developed by Rawmarsh Comprehensive School is one such approach);

: the quality of PSHE delivery needs to be evaluated and assessed and the views of young people are crucial; and

: PSHE should be part of the induction process for school governors and each school could have a governor champion for PSHE.

The Scrutiny Panel thanked the young people, elected members, schools’ representatives and officers who had participated in this scrutiny review. It was noted that the Youth Cabinet had undertaken to monitor the progress of the implementation of the review’s recommendations.

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

(2) That this Scrutiny Panel endorses the findings and recommendations of the scrutiny review report into Personal, Social and Health Education.

(3) That the report be forwarded to Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee for approval, and future submission to Cabinet.

(4) That the response of Cabinet to the recommendations of this scrutiny review be reported to a future meeting of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel.

Consideration was given to a report presented by the Director of Resources, Planning and Performance stating that later this year the Children’s Trust Board will publish a new Children and Young People’s Plan, replacing the existing Plan which lasts until June 2010. The new Plan will continue to set the strategic priorities for the work of partners on the Children’s Trust Board and will last from 2010 until 2013. It is now also a requirement for the Children and Young People’s Plan to be prepared and owned by the Children’s Trust Board. The report stated that the guidance issued by the Department for Children, School and Families is explicit in its requirement for broad consultation about the Children and Young People’s Plan.

Members noted that the findings of the consultation on the new Plan have been considered in the context of other factors affecting Children and Young People’s Services, including the Notice to Improve and the annual Audit of Need. A draft of the Children and Young People’s Plan 2010-2013 (appended to the submitted report) has been prepared for the purposes of further consultation.

Reference was made to the four priorities (termed ‘big things’) of the Plan:-

(i) Keeping Children and Young People Safe;

(ii) Prevention and Early Intervention;

(iii) Tackling Inequalities;

(iv) Transforming Rotherham Learning.

The Scrutiny Panel discussed the differences and similarities of the new Plan with the previous (2007 to 2010) Children and Young People’s Plan and also the importance of multi-agency co-operative working in localities.

Resolved:- That the report be received and the contents of the Children and Young People’s Plan, 2010 to 2013, be noted.

FOR INFORMATION

Further to Minute No. 114 of the meeting of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel held on 5th February, 2010, consideration was given to a report presented by the Strategic Director of Children and Young People's Services concerning the Children and Young People’s Services’ Improvement Plan summary.  Members noted that detailed regular monitoring continues to take place against a number of actions across several themes.

The report provided an overview of the progress made since the Minister of State’s Notice to Improve was received, included the RAG (red, amber, green) rating and direction of travel for the areas of improvement and identified some areas of good performance and key risks to meeting the stretching targets set for the Council and its strategic partners.

Discussion took place on the continuing improvements made since the writing of the report and upon progress with the recruitment and retention of social workers in Children’s Services.

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

(2) That the progress being made against the targets set in the Notice to Improve be welcomed.

Consideration was given to a report presented by the Senior Director, Schools and Lifelong Learning containing details of the GCSE (Key Stage 4) examination results for 2009 and how they compare to previous years, to the national average and to the results of this Council’s statistical neighbours.

The Scrutiny Panel discussed the actions being taken to continue the improvement of the academic performance of boys, of black and minority ethnic pupils and of pupils who are looked after children.

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

(2) That the improved levels of performance across all indicators at the end of Key Stage 4 be welcomed.

(3) That all schools be encouraged to continue to improve their results and strive to achieve outcomes at least in line with the national rate of improvement.

(4) That endorsement be given to the drive to:-

(a) reduce the gap between Rotherham’s performance and the national average performance especially in relation to 5A*-C including English and Mathematics;

(b) continue to improve boys’ attainment;

(c) continue to improve the attainment of black and minority ethnic (BME) pupils; and

(d) continue to improve the attainment of Looked After Children.

MINUTES

Consideration was given to a report presented by the Senior Director, Schools and Lifelong Learning concerning the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 which became operational on 1st April 2010 and brings about radical change in post-16 learning, including:-

(i) the dissolution of the Learning and Skills Council and placing upon local authorities a new duty to secure sufficient, suitable education and training provision for all resident 16-19 year olds, 16-25 year olds who have learning difficulties and disabilities and young people in young offender institutions;

(ii) the establishment of the Young People's Learning Agency to have responsibility for funding16-19 education and training and for overseeing the allocation of post-16 resources to Academies;

(iii) the creation of a Skills Funding Agency that will have overall responsibility for the performance and resourcing of Further Education colleges and, through the new National Apprenticeship Service, for securing sufficient apprenticeships for all young people who are suitably qualified and who want one;

(iv) recognising, for the first time, Sixth Form Colleges as a distinct legal category and make them the responsibility of the local authority.

The report stated that preparations for the transfer are being made at national, regional and sub-regional level. Details of the sub-regional implementation plan and its monitoring were included with the submitted report.

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

(2) That the transfer of 16-19 responsibilities from the Learning and Skills Council to the Borough Council be noted.

(3) That the preparations being made by officers for the adoption of these new responsibilities and commissioning powers, as now reported, be endorsed.

(4) That it be noted that the Strategic Director of Children and Young People Services is to draw down funds from the Young People’s Learning Agency for the purposes detailed in the report submitted.

(5) That a further report on these issues be submitted to the next meeting of the Children and Young People's Scrutiny Panel, to be held on Friday, 4^th June, 2010, such report to include proposals for the future scrutiny of the revised machinery of government for post-16 education and learning.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel held on 5^th March, 2010 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 24th March, 2010 be noted.

Resolved:- That the contents of the minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Children and Young People’s Services, held on 10th March, 2010, 23rd March, 2010 and on 24th March, 2010, be noted.

Resolved:- That the contents of the minutes of the meeting of the Children’s Board held on 10^th March, 2010 be noted.

Resolved:- That the contents of the minutes of the meetings of the Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee held on 19th February, 2010, 26th February, 2010 and on 12th March, 2010, be noted.