Agenda and minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 12 September 2023 as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

Resolved: - That the Minutes of the meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission, held on 12 September 2023 be approved as a correct record of proceedings.

To receive declarations of interest from Members in respect of items listed on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any part of the agenda.

There were no items of business on the agenda that required the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting.

To receive questions relating to items of business on the agenda from members of the public or press who are present at the meeting.

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

To receive communications from the Chair in respect of matters within the Commission’s remit and work programme.

The Chair advised that all the items regarding communication were covered on the agenda.

To consider any updates from the Corporate Parenting Panel.

The Chair advised that the Corporate Parenting Panel met on 19^th September and consideration was given to the following items during the meeting:

·       A brief update was provided on the current position, regarding the recruitment and retention of foster carers.

·       An update was provided on the Fostering Panel Review, which had been very positive and found that the Panel was very effective and well attended.

·       A presentation was provided to the panel on the Independent Reviewing Officer Report.

·       A presentation was provided to the panel on the Local Authority

Designated Officer Report.

·       A report was provided on Performance Monitoring for the period of quarter one, 2023/2024. The report provided a summary of performance for key indicators, a summary of service performance in comparison to the same period last year and trend data. It also included graphical analysis and the latest benchmarking data against national and statistical neighbour averages.

The next meeting would be held on 13 November 2023 and an update from that meeting would be provided to the Commission at the next meeting in December.

To consider an update from the Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board regarding the 2022-2023 Annual Report.

This agenda item considered an update from the Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board, regarding the March 2022 to March 2023 Annual Report.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting, Moira Wilson, the Independent Chair of the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board. The Chair invited Moira to introduce the report and give the presentation.

The presentation gave an overview of the following content:

·       The Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board had focused on three main priorities throughout the last year:

?   Going back to basics post-pandemic, by working with partners to ensure the six principles of safeguarding were embedded in practice and that making safeguarding personal was a part of everything the board did. The six principles focused on empowering people, protecting people, being proportionate, prevention, working in partnership and ensuring all organisations were held accountable for safeguarding within their organisations.

?   Systems, processes, and performance, ensuring that all services had appropriate systems and processes in place to support and safeguard adults effectively.

?   Strengthening the partnership, by ensuring that partners, organisations and communities worked together to prevent abuse from happening.

?   There was an action plan in place to monitor the progress of the three main priorities, this was monitored by the Safeguarding Adults Executive Group, which sat under the Safeguarding Adults Board.

·       The Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board completed the following actions throughout the period of March 2022 to March 2023:

?   A new Strategic Plan was developed for the period of 2022-2025, which set the plan for the next three years.

?   The Safeguarding Adults Board and the Childrens Safeguarding Partnership completed a second joint self-assessment with partners, in September 2022.

?   A Safeguarding Adults Review (Samantha) was completed and published in March 2023.

?   Safeguarding Awareness Week was successfully held across South Yorkshire in November 2022. Safeguarding teams from Adults and Children’s Services combined, delivered twenty-seven awareness sessions across the borough, with over six-hundred attendees.

?   The board hosted a Local Government Association Peer Review in July 23.

·       The activities completed by the board during the period of 2022-2023, were as follows:

?   3666 Safeguarding concerns were received in 2022-2023, this was an increase on the previous year.

?   559 (15%) of the above concerns progressed to a safeguarding enquiry.

?   634 safeguarding enquiries were completed in 2022-2023.

?   Of the completed enquires, 430 (68%) people expressed their views and wishes and 417 (97%) people had their outcomes met or partially met.

·       Future activities the board had planned for the upcoming year, were as follows:

?   The board would hold a Board Development Day, taking forward the recommendations made by the Peer Review in July 23.

?   The board would develop a multi-agency learning approach, to ensure Safeguarding Adults Reviews were embedded.

?   The board would hold Safeguarding Awareness Week which would take place between the period of 20^th November to the 24^th November. Rotherham would host the Regional Launch Event.

?   The board would continue to develop joint working with Community Safety Teams and the Children’s Partnership, to share learning and training.

The Chair thanked the relevant officer for the presentation and invited questions, this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 125.

To receive a presentation regarding Elective Home Education.

This agenda item considered a presentation on Elective Home Education.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting, Pam Ward, Head of Service for Education, Sarah Whitby, Head of Access to Education and Rebecca Braithwaite, Officer for Home Education and Children Missing from Education. The Chair invited Sarah to introduce the report and give the presentation.

The presentation gave an overview of the following content:

·       The associated legislation and statutory guidelines for elective home education were as follows:

?   The Elective Home Education Departmental Guidance for Local Authorities produced in April 2019, this was non-statutory for local authorities.

?   The Education Act 1996, inserted by the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

?   The Human Rights Act 1998, Protocol 1, Article 2, concerning the right to education.

?   The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 28, concerning the right to education.

·       The Education Act 1996, inserted by the Education and Inspections Act 2006 stated at 436a ‘‘to make arrangements to enable them to establish the identities, so far as it is possible to do so, of children in their area who are not receiving a suitable education’’. And at 437, ‘‘If it appears to a local education authority that a child of compulsory school age in their area is not receiving suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise, they shall serve a notice in writing on the parent requiring him to satisfy them within the period specified in the notice that the child is receiving such education.’’

·       An "efficient" and "suitable" education was not defined in the Education Act 1996. However, “efficient" had been broadly described in case law as an education that "achieves that which it sets out to achieve". A "suitable" education was described as one that "primarily equips a child for life within the community of which he/she is a member, rather than the way of life in the country as a whole, as long as it does not foreclose the child's options in later years to adopt some other form of life if he/she wishes to do so".

·       The Elective Home Education Departmental Guidance for Local Authorities provided the following guidance:

?   That a named contact was provided to parents.

?   That the service should have ordinarily contacted home educated parents on at least an annual basis, so the authority could reasonably inform itself of the current suitability of the education provided.

?   That in all cases where it was not clear as to whether home education was suitable (including situations where there was no information available at all), the authority should initially attempt to resolve those doubts through informal contact and enquiries.

?   The guidance did not allow for officers to require entry to homes, right of access to children or place any obligation on parents to provide copies of work completed by children.

·       The core work completed by the Elective Home Education Team in Rotherham consisted of the following:

?   Providing advice and guidance around the implications and expectations of elective home education.

?   Signposting to other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 126.

To consider and approve the Commission’s Work Programme.

The Committee considered its Work Programme, and the Chair provided the following update:

·       There was an addition to the work programme, following Cabinet’s recommendation for an update on the Family Hubs Programme to be provided to the commission, this was scheduled for March 2024.

Resolved: - That the Work Programme for 2021/22 be approved.

For the Chair/project group leads to provide an update on the activity regarding sub and project groups of the he Improving Lives Select Commission.

The Chair provided a progress report on sub and project group activity which included the following:

·       A visit to the MASH Hub was arranged and would take place on the 22^nd November between 10:00-11:00am, at Riverside House.

·       A workshop focusing on the Early Years Strategy was arranged for the 27^th November between 11:30 – 1:30pm and would take place at the Town Hall.

·       An additional meeting was arranged for the Rotherham Parent Carers Forum to present their Annual Report. This would take place on the 11^th December between 10:00-12:00pm at the Town Hall.

·       An additional meeting for the Rotherham Safeguarding Childrens Partnership to present their Three-Year Plan was arranged for the 22^nd January between 1:00-3:00pm. This would take place virtually over Microsoft Teams.

·       Invitations had been sent out to all members of the Commission, for all additional meetings and further information would follow in due course.

·       Members were reminded that there was a member session on Trauma Matters, scheduled for the 29^{th of} November between 11:00-1:00pm at the Town Hall.

Resolved: - That the update be noted.

To consider any item(s) the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business.

The next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on 5^th December 2023 commencing at 10:00 am in Rotherham Town Hall.

The Chair advised that the next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission would take place on 5 December 2023 commencing at 10am in Rotherham Town Hall.

Resolved:- That the next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on 5 December 2023 commencing at 10am in Rotherham Town Hall.