Agenda and minutes

No Declarations of Interest were made. 

There were no members of the Public or the Press in attendance. 

The Senior Adviser for Scrutiny and Member Development (Scrutiny Services, Legal and Democratic, Resources Directorate) raised two communications under this item: -

·         From September 2014, Improving Lives Select Commission meetings would start at 2.00 p.m..  Pre-meetings would take place before the meetings from 1.15 p.m., all members of the Select Commission were invited to attend.

·         An Adult Safeguarding Awareness Induction Session was planned for 29^th July, 2014.  Invitations had been issued to all Elected Members and they were encouraged to attend. 

Resolved: -  That the information shared be noted. 

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission held on 30^th April, 2014, were considered.

Councillor Buckley was in attendance at this meeting.

Resolved: - That, with the amendment to the attendance, the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as an accurate record. 

(a)  Health, Welfare and Safety Panel representative and substitute;

(b)  Recycling Group;

(c)  Environment and Climate Change Strategy Group.

Resolved: -  That the following appointments of representatives from the Improving Lives Select Commission to the panels and working groups for the 2014/2015 municipal year be agreed: -

·         Health, Welfare and Safety Panel – Councillor Russell (substitute Councillor Ali);

·         Recycling Group – To be agreed;

·         Environment and Climate Change Steering Group – Councillor Astbury. 

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Senior Adviser for Scrutiny and Member Development that outlined the proposed work programme for the Improving Lives Select Commission during the 2014/2015 municipal year. 

Further to Minute No. 64 of the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission held on 30^th April, 2014 (Improving Lives Select Commission’s Work Programme 2013/2014 Update and Forward Planning 2014/2015), the submitted report outlined the remit/terms of reference of the Select Commission as directed by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board and the Council’s Constitution.  Also included was the proposed work programme for 2014/2015 based on agreement from the previous meeting.

The Improving Lives Select Commission had agreed to have safeguarding as its central theme, including: -

·         Child Sexual Exploitation;

·         Update on the ‘Families for Change’ and ‘Early Help’ programmes;

·         Children missing from care and home;

·         Safeguarding annual reports (Adults and Children and Young People);

·         Update on the implementation of the recommendations from the Scrutiny Review of domestic abuse services.

The submitted appendix outlined the full work programme and Members were asked to confirm whether they agreed that the issues were a priority for the Improving Lives Select Commission and whether there were any other areas they wished to include.  The proposed work programme was consistent with the Council’s key policy agendas and the Corporate Plan Priorities.  The work programme needed to be realistic and best focus effort and resources during a time of reducing resources and staffing. 

Discussion ensued and the following points were raised: -

·         It was noted that the work programme for the Improving Lives Select Commission would be flexible to allow for consideration of any items that may arise out of urgency.

Resolved: - (1)  That the Improving Lives Select Commission’s terms of reference and the role of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board be noted. 

(2)  That the work programme attached at appendix one be approved for 2014/2015.

(3)  That it be noted that the Improving Lives Select Commission’s work programme during 2014/2015 would be flexible to accommodate any items of urgency, through the re-prioritisation of existing items.

(4)  That all members and partners of the Improving Lives Select Commission be urged to bring forward any items of urgency that arose.    

Councillor Russell, Chairperson of the Improving Lives Select Commission, welcomed the Performance and Quality Manager (Performance and Quality, Neighbourhood and Adult Services) and the Service Manager for Strategy, Standards and Early Help (Safeguarding Children and Families’ Services, Children and Young People’s Services)  to the meeting.  The Officers had been asked to provide an overview to the Select Commission on Rotherham’s readiness for Ofsted’s new inspection framework of the services for ‘children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers’.  The update also included the outcomes for local authorities across the country that had already been inspected under the new framework. 

The submitted report was referred to, along with a presentation that was displayed to the Members of the Improving Lives Select Commission.

·         The new inspection framework came into existence from 19^th November, 2013, and all local authorities would be inspected within a three-year period under the framework;

·         The inspection focussed on local authorities’ functions to ‘help, care and protect children and young people, along with the overall effectiveness, leadership, management and governance of services;

·         The inspection would be ‘single-framework’ and cover the local authority, but not partner agencies, including all of the functions of social care;

·         The Services/functions that would be inspected included Early Help, Child Protection, Looked After Children, Fostering, Adoption, Care Leavers and Local Safeguarding Children Board;

·         The inspection would include four ‘Key Judgements’: -

o   The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection;

o   The experiences and progress of children looked after and achieving permanence (including adoption and care leavers);

o   Leadership, management and governance;

o   A review of the effectiveness of the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

·         The inspection methodology was considered in detail.  The new Framework undertook inspections over a four-week period and included interviews and group meetings on site, scrutiny of key documents and case file audits.  Emphasis would be given to the individual child’s journey;

·         Twenty-four hours’ notice would be given;

·         There were four judgement grades – ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’ (which was the new minimum standard), ‘Requires Improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’.  The Service was aware of the differences in quality between attaining ‘Good’ and ‘Requires Improvement’;

·         If any one of the key judgements were considered to be Inadequate, overall effectiveness could only be judged as Inadequate;

·         The new grading structure matched the school inspection framework;

·         The profile of inspections that had taken place under the new framework since November, 2013, was considered.  27 local authorities had been or were in the process of being inspected.  Sixteen reports had been published. No local authorities had been judged to be Outstanding under the new framework;

·         Key messages about preparedness had been taken from the local authorities that had already been inspected. These included having staff trained and ready to undertake file audits, ensuring that evidence was available to demonstrate children’s journeys and IT infrastructure;

·         The inspection had been described as ‘the most detailed and exacting inspection ever’.  The length of the inspection and the difficulties of co-ordinating the high  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

·         Wednesday 9^th July, 2014, to start at 1.30 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: -  That the next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on Wednesday 9^th July, 2014, to start at 1.30 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall (pre-meeting for all Members to take place from 12.45 p.m..).