Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest to record. 

There were no members of the public or the press in attendance. 

There was nothing to raise under this item. 

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission held on 12^th June, 2013, were considered.

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

To appoint the Improving Lives Select Commission’s representatives to the following: -

(1)  Health, Welfare and Safety Panel;

(2)  Recycling Group; 

(3)  Environment and Climate Change Strategy Group. 

Resolved: -  That the following appointments of representatives on panels and working groups from the Improving Lives Select Commission for the 2013-2014 Municipal Year be approved: -

(a)   Health, Welfare and Safety Panel – Councillor G. A. Russell (Councillor S. Ali as her substitute).

(b)  Recycling Group – Councillor D. Lelliott.

(c)  Environment and Climate Change Strategy Group – Councillor L. Astbury. 

·         Co-ordinator of Governor Services, School Effectiveness Service, Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services, to report. 

Councillor G. A. Russell introduced the Co-ordinator of Governor Services (School Effectiveness Service, Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services) to the meeting. 

Further to Minute No. C97 of the Cabinet meeting held on 21^st November, 2012 (Response to Scrutiny Review: The Role of School Governors) where the outcomes of the review were accepted, the Co-ordinator of Governor Services had now prepared an update report for the Improving Lives Select Commission that outlined the progress against the sixteen recommendations. 

The Co-ordinator of Governor Services referred to a number of factors in relation to National policy that were expected to have an impact on the detail of the specific recommendations.  Where appropriate, action on the recommendations had been postponed pending publication of national policy guidelines.

Appendix One to the submitted report outlined each recommendation, whether it had been accepted or rejected, the Cabinet’s response in November, 2012, the responsible Officer, the timeframe for activity and an update on the actions to date in relation to each of the sixteen recommendations. 

Task Groups had been established to enable development and actioning of the recommendations.  Since the publication of the report, the educational landscape of the Council had seen the creation of the not for profit ‘Learners First Ltd.’ company that was a collaboration of a number of highly performing Schools across the Borough, along with links to excellent practitioners across the region and nation.  The remit of the Learners First Ltd. was to ensure that schools were improving and to support them to do so.  The remit of the company meant that they were now responsible for a number of the Scrutiny Review’s recommendations. 

An overview was provided in relation to each recommendation and the actions that had been undertaken to implement them: -

1.               School Governors’ Taskforce

One overarching Taskforce had not been created, but aspects had been selected and groups of Governors had been tasked with certain areas and identifying and developing areas of good practice.

This approach had responded to the development of the school-on-school support model that Learners First Ltd. were working towards, including the use of peer mentoring and training opportunities. 

A toolkit had been developed to identify good practice which would be available on the internet for Governing Bodies in September, 2013.

Relevant areas where this was taking place included safeguarding issues.  It was noted that national legislation and guidance was due to be published in the area.

2.            Recruitment – development of a generic person specification

Production of this had been postponed whilst the Department for Education was updating the ‘Handbook for Governors’.  The handbook was delayed from the expected date of publication in May, 2013. 

It was envisaged that the updated material would be available from September, 2013. Work would then commence and the template person specification would be published.

3.            Each School be encouraged to develop a more specific role description

This had already been completed and had been published in January, 2013. 

The guidance would be reviewed in September,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

·         Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services to report. 

The Improving Lives Select Commission considered and discussed the information presented by the Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services that related to the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee entitled ‘Child Sexual Exploitation and the response to localised grooming’, published on 10^th June, 2013.  The report encompassed 36 general statements and/or recommendations.

Councillor P. Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families’ Services was also in attendance to answer the questions of the Improving Lives Select Commission. 

Rotherham’s Chief Executive and Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services had been called to give evidence to the Home Affairs Select Commission on the 8^th January, 2013.  Tackling the sexual exploitation of children and young people remained the highest priority for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, and the Council welcomed the Select Committee report as a body of evidence and advice to be used by local authorities around the Country to improve their response to these horrific crimes.  It was noted that Rotherham was one of the small number of local authorities that had a multi-agency response to the Home Affairs Select Commission report; nine local authorities in the region did not have a response in place. 

Following publication of the report, the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board’s Manager and the Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services had undertaken a self-assessment against the 36 recommendations/statements within the report. This exercise had highlighted three areas where the Council was undertaking work as identified in the recommendations but where the work was not reflected in the existing Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan.  These were: - 

·         Recommendation 4: Improvements in Residential Care;

·         Recommendation 8: Return interviews for children who had been reported missing;

·         Recommendation 31: Resources for the voluntary sector. 

Rotherham’s Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan would be updated to reflect the activities taking place.

The Council’s response to the Select Committee findings would be met from existing resources.  However, the Improving Lives Select Commission were informed that an additional £50k per year had been secured for the work of the Child  Sexual Exploitation team from Safer Rotherham Partnership managed funds via the Police and Crime Commissioner for each of the next three years. 

The Strategic Director explained how the publication of the Home Affair Select Committees’ report enabled the Council and its Partners to review their practices to ensure that all children and young people were safe.  All Partners held that strengthened multi-agency working must lead to enhanced disclosure and evidence gathering, investigations and ultimately prosecutions by the Police.  All Partners fully acknowledged the deterrent effect that successful prosecutions could bring.

The Strategic Director’s report also outlined the other areas of quality control and scrutiny that were expected to be undertaken on Children and Young People’s Services and Partner Organisations/Agencies.  Children and Young People’s Services would be externally assessed by Barnardo’s, and it was expected that a review of Children’s Services in respect of Child Sexual Exploitation would be undertaken before December, 2013.  All Partners welcomed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

·         Wednesday 18^th September, 2013, to start at 1.30 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Further dates for the 2013/14 Municipal Year: -

·         Wednesday 6^th November, 2013;

·         Wednesday 18^th December, 2013 – to start at 2.00 p.m.;

·         Wednesday 22^nd January, 2014;

·         Wednesday 14^th March, 2014;

·         Wednesday 9^th April, 2014;

·         Wednesday 11^th June, 2014;

·         Wednesday 9^th July, 2014.

All to start at 1.30 p.m. (with the exception of the December meeting) in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: - (1)  That the next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on Wednesday 18^th September, 2013, to start at 1.30 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall.

(2)  That the other meeting dates of the Improving Lives Select Commission for the 2013 – 2014 Municipal Year take place on: -

·         Wednesday 6^th November, 2013;

·         Wednesday 18^th December, 2013 – to start at 2.00 p.m.;

·         Wednesday 22^nd January, 2014;

·         Wednesday 12^th March, 2014;

·         Wednesday 9^th April, 2014;

·         Wednesday 11^th June, 2014;

·         Wednesday 9^th July, 2014.

All to start at 1.30 p.m. (with the exception of the December meeting) in the Rotherham Town Hall.