Agenda and minutes

No Declarations of Interest were made. 

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion held on 27^th January, 2014, were considered. 

Resolved: -  That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as an accurate record. 

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Operational Commissioner (Commissioning, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) that outlined the need to create a single information system that would meet the needs of the whole Integrated Youth Support Service (IYSS), which included Youth Offending, Connexions and Youth Services.  The report detailed the existing information system arrangements in the Service.

The IYSS currently ran two information systems, CareWorks, used by the Youth Offending Service for care planning and contributing to local and national performance management, and Cognisoft, used by Connexions and Youth Services to record interventions, along with information management and national reporting requirements.  The contract relating to Cognisoft was due to end on 31^st March, 2014. 

The original Exemption from Standing Orders (Minute No. E30 of 19^th November, 2012, refers) had been granted in order that the market could develop and products that would incorporate all required information technology requirements of the IYSS.  The Operational Commissioner reported that the market had not significantly developed during this period. 

In order to fully complete the integration of the IYSS, it was crucial for one information system to be in place.  The Cabinet Member was presented with three proposed options for the future operation of the Service. 

The three options were fully costed and the benefits and risks of each approach were included.  A bid had been made for capital funding associated with developing the information system. 

Option One: - Undertake a full tendering exercise for an Integrated Youth Support information system commencing in April, 2015, for a period of five years;

Option Two: - Continue to contract with Cognisoft for a period of five years from April, 2015, with a module developed for Youth Offending information that provided an integrated system for IYSS;

Option Three: - Continue with the Cognisoft and Careworks systems for a period of five years from April 2015.

Option One, to undertake a full tendering exercise, was the recommended option, and if approved, would require the Exemption of Standing Order 38.2 (the requirement to invite between three and six written quotations for contracts between £50,000 - £500,000) to extend the contract with Cognisoft until 31^st March, 2015, in order that the tendering exercise could take place. 

Discussion ensued on the proposal and the following points were made: -

·         Did the proposed options satisfy the Youth Justice Board’s expectations? – Yes, all options had been drawn-up to satisfy the statutory information reporting and management requirements across the workforce.

The Cabinet Member expected that robust project management would be applied to the software development process to prevent rising costs. 

Resolved: -  (1)  That Standing Order 48.2 (the requirement to invite between three and six written quotations for contracts between £50,000 - £500,000) be exempted in order that the existing contract with Cognisoft be extended for a further year from 1^st April, 2014 – 31^st March, 2015.

(2)  That Option One be approved and a full tendering exercise be undertaken  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

The report of the Community Liaison Officer (Housing and Neighbourhood Services, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) was considered.  The report outlined the current balance position of the Community Leadership Fund for the 2013-2014 financial year. 

The budget for the current financial year was £63,000 plus a £21,000 carry- over from the previous financial year, resulting in a total budget of £84,000.

The report outlined that as of January, 2014, 135 projects had been supported across the Borough as a result of the Community Leadership Fund and an updated balance for each Elected Member was considered. 

The details of the arrangements for carry forward or disposal of any funding not allocated at the end of the 2012-2013 financial year had been considered previously (Minute No. E41 (Members’ Community Leadership Fund) 25th February, 2013 refers) and included: -

·           That any underspends above £750 at year-end be removed (unless the monies had been approved during the 2012-13 financial year but not spent by year-end);

·           Any underspends below £750 at year-end would be approved to be carried forward into the new financial year; 

·           That any underspend amounts lost from individual Elected Member allocations be recovered into a One Town One Community small grants panel that organisations could submit bids towards.

Discussion ensued on the options for any unspent monies within the Community Leadership Fund at the end of the 2013-2014 financial year. 

Resolved: -  (1)  That any underspends above £1,000 at 2013-2014 year-end be removed unless a proposal for their use is submitted and approved before 31^st March, 2014.  

(2)  Any individual Elected Member’s Community Leadership Fund underspends below £1,000 at year-end be approved to be carried forward into the 2014-2015 financial year. 

(3)  That any underspend amounts lost from individual Elected Member allocations be recovered into a One Town One Community small grants panel that organisations could submit bids towards.

(4)  That a message be circulated to all Elected Members informing them of these arrangements. 

The Head of Rotherham’s Integrated Youth Support Service (Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Service’s Directorate) provided an update to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion on the progress of the IYSS.

The Service was seeking to achieve further budgetary efficiencies: -

·           The Integrated Youth Support Service (IYSS) was required to make on-going budgetary savings in addition to savings made in the previous financial-year;

·           Consultation with staff and stakeholder groups, including members of the public, was taking place;

·           The current proposals made to achieve the savings total related to 22.5 full-time equivalent posts. 43% of the Service’s total establishment was affected.  

Discussion ensued on the budget saving process.  The Cabinet Member had been approached with a question relating to the management structure of the Service and whether it was being reduced in-line with the wider staffing structure.  The Head of Service referred to a previous re-structure of the IYSS where the Service had begun to operate at minimal levels in its management structure.  The ratio of management level posts had taken into account thresholds for safeguarding and the high-threshold for IYSS interventions. 

In addition, the following service development activities had been taking place: -

·           Case management training – all face-to-face workers had undertaken three and a half days of intensive training around assessment, planning and recording and on the ‘This is Me’ assessment toolkit.  The toolkit was used to capture the voice of the young person from the beginning of the process and resulted in a better outcome for them.  The inclusion of voice was an Ofsted expectation.  The training also supported workers to support all aspects of each case, which was the expectation of the IYSS structure.

·           IYSS Quality Mark – Rotherham’s IYSS was working towards a Quality Mark administrated by the National Youth Work Agency, alongside partner organisations Rush, YMCA and GROW, who were all members of the IYSS Project Group.  The Service and Partners had all contributed to the initial self-assessment.  Assessment visits would take place in March.

·           IYSS Matrix Quality Mark – Rotherham’s IYSS was working towards a Matrix Quality Mark on the provision of advice and guidance on employment and careers.  This was currently being piloted in the Rother Valley West and South Area Assemblies.

·           Work was continuing to create an improved information system that fully supported the integrated service. 

·           The IYSS Conference held on 10^th February, 2014, had been very successful and all feedback had supported the event, despite the overall context of budget reductions.  The Police and Crime Commissioner addressed the staff and stakeholders in attendance, including voluntary and community sector representatives, Swinton Lock, Rotherham MIND and Rotherham United Ltd.

·           Apprenticeship opportunities in the IYSS were continuing and on-going support to the apprentices was being given to increase their long-term employability skills. 

The Cabinet Member thanked the Head of Service for her update on the continuing work of the Service and asked that the Service continue to publicise the good work that was taking place. 

Resolved:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Head of Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR).  The report outlined the administration and organisation of the Single Infrastructure Grant that existed between the Local Authority and the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector in Rotherham (VCFS).  VAR was the consortium of the Partners and supported the delivery of the Council’s Corporate Plan Priorities and gave added-value to the Borough. 

The agreement relating to the Single Infrastructure Grant was subject to regular quarterly monitoring and reporting and all partners had delivered against the agreed outcomes and outputs. Where partners were not able to progress some activity because of changes in their organisational structure, activity had been, where appropriate, incorporated within the delivery of the Rotherham based partners VAR and REMA, so that no detrimental effect would be felt by the VCFS in the Borough.  Progress reports had been brought to previous Delegated Powers meetings and an impact report had been produced. The funding provided had enabled a number of key deliverables over the current thee-year agreement including: -

• Services and support to over 500 groups and organisations annually within the Borough;
• Raised over £3million for Rotherham groups and organisations;
• Provided bespoke support to at least 300 people from migrant and emerging communities, and worked with over 300 individuals/ families from the Roma community including engaging members of the community as health champions;
• Dealt with over 5,700 volunteering enquiries and brokered over 3,800 volunteering opportunities;

·         Enabled significant consortia and partnership approaches to new forms of service delivery and input into planning of services and achievement of Joint Quality Standards with other agencies;

·         Ongoing support of Groups to make Big Lotto funding bids.

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

(2)  That the integrated Rotherham Infrastructure generalist support to the Voluntary, Community and Faith sectors be continued in Rotherham and provided by the current Service Level Agreement with Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR).

(3)  That the Single Infrastructure Grant continue to be reported to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion on a six-monthly basis. 

The following item is likely to be considered in the absence of the public and the press as it is exempt under Paragraph 3 of the Local Government Act, 1972 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular individual (including the Council)). 

Resolved: -  That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 as amended (information relating to the financial/business affairs of any person (including the Council)).

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Operational Commissioner (Commissioning, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) that outlined a review that had taken place relating to Advice Services. 

Following a recent review of Advice Services it was identified that efficiencies were required together with a need identified for a more outcomes driven service focussing on interventions for the individual to develop their financial resilience.

It was proposed that an Exemption from Standing Order 49 (Tender invitation and receipt of tenders) be granted and that the existing contract with the Citizens’ Advice Bureau for the period 1^st April, 2014 – 31^st August, 2014, for a further tendering exercise to take place. 

Resolved: -  That Standing Order 49 (Tender invitation and receipt of tenders) be exempted and the existing contract with the Citizens’ Advice Bureau be extended for the period 1^st April, 2014 – 31^st August, 2014, whilst a further tendering exercise is completed. 

·         Friday 21^st March, 2014, to start at 2.30 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: -  That the next meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion take place on Friday 21^st March, 2014, to start at 2.30 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall.