Agenda and minutes

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

There were no Declarations of Interest to report.

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 requiring exclusion from the press or public.

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 the press.

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

The Chair reported on the latest meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel and referred to the report Judith Badger, Strategic Director, had presented on the proposals for the Looked After Children's population in terms of the budget. 

Consideration had also been given to the revised capital spend for extensions and adaptations to homes and the larger review that has been ongoing that Councillors Cusworth, Elliot, M. Elliott and Jarvis had been working on.  This review would be considered at the next meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel in October and would also be circulated to Improving Lives Select Commission Members.

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on (insert date) as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission, held on 11^th June, 2019, be approved as a correct record of proceedings.

Further to Minute No. 6 (Regional Schools Commissioner) the Regional School Commissioner had written to clarify an issue in respect of Census Day and the national funding formula and whether it would include any changes to current arrangements for funding for pupils who arrived part way through a school year.  He confirmed that at this moment in time there were no plans to make changes to the ‘census day’, but consideration was being given to an element to the national funding formula to reflect pupil mobility. This was dependent upon the expected spending review in the near future.  The letter received would be circulated to all Commission Members.

To consider the Rotherham Multi-Agency Arrangements for Safeguarding Children which will become effective from September 2019 and determine future arrangements for its scrutiny

The Chair welcomed Christine Cassell, Independent Chair of the Local Children's Safeguarding Board, and Phil Morris, Business Manager, along with Jon Stonehouse, Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services, Sue Cassin, CCG, and Una Jennings, Chief Superintendent, South Yorkshire Police, who introduced the report and how it presented the Rotherham Multi-Agency Arrangements for Safeguarding Children.

These arrangements were developed, in accordance with statutory guidance, by the three safeguarding partners in consultation with the wider partnership and would become effective from September 2019.

By way of a presentation the Independent Chair and Strategic Director provided a summary about the new Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements for Rotherham which would replace the Rotherham Safeguarding Children Board.

The reason for this change was as a result of the removal of the requirement for Safeguarding Children Boards as they currently existed, but replaced with a requirement for a new partnership.

The presentation using PowerPoint highlighted:-

•           Children Act 2004 amended by Children and Social Work Act (2017).

•           Working Together 2018 stated that local safeguarding arrangements must be published by June 2019, implemented by September 2019, and include:-

Ø   Arrangements for the safeguarding partners to work together to identify and respond to the needs of children in the area.

Ø   Arrangements for commissioning and publishing local child safeguarding practice reviews.

Ø   Arrangements for independent scrutiny of the effectiveness of the arrangements.

Ø   Who the three local safeguarding partners are, especially if the arrangements cover more than one local authority area.

Ø   Geographical boundaries (especially if the arrangements operate across more than one local authority area).

Ø   The relevant agencies the safeguarding partners will work with; why these organisations and agencies have been chosen; and how they will collaborate and work together to improve outcomes for children and families.

Ø   How all early years’ settings, schools (including independent schools, academies and free schools) and other educational establishments will be included in the safeguarding arrangements.

Ø   How any youth custody and residential homes for children will be included in the safeguarding arrangements?

Ø   How the safeguarding partners will use data and intelligence to assess the effectiveness of the help being provided to children and families, including early help.

Ø   How inter-agency training will be commissioned, delivered and monitored for impact and how they will undertake any multi-agency and interagency audits.

Ø   How the arrangements will be funded.

Ø   The process for undertaking local child safeguarding practice reviews, setting out the arrangements for embedding learning across organisations and agencies.

Ø   How the arrangements will include the voice of children and families.

Ø   How the threshold document setting out the local criteria for safeguarding interventions aligns with the arrangements

·                Membership of the Chief Officers’ Group.

·                Membership of the Executive Group.

·                Delivery Groupings.

·                Wider Safeguarding Partnership.

·                Independent Chair /Scrutiny Role - Working Together 2018:-

Ø   Provide assurance in judging the effectiveness of multi-agency arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area, including arrangements to identify and review serious  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

To scrutinise the arrangements to effectively safeguard children who are missing from education, care or home.

This item was deferred and would be included on the agenda for the September meeting.

To agree the work programme for 2019/20

Consideration was given to the Improving Lives Work Programme where it was reported that meetings had been held with the Commission plus input from Strategic Director Link Officers and also the Cabinet Member.

The programme set out meeting by meeting agenda items.  There would also be items arising from the Sub-Groups and these would feed into the Commission in due course.

There would also be regular updates in terms of issues to be scheduled and also a summary of the recommendations to inform any future work.

Members would be contacted by e-mail seeking expressions of interest for the Sub-Groups, initially with the Performance Sub-Group.  Expressions of interest would also be sought to be part of a group to  look at post-abuse support and holiday hunger.  The post-abuse support review would commence shortly and the holiday hunger review would be undertaken in late summer/early autumn.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the contents of the report and the Work Programme detail be noted.

(2)  That updates be provided to each meeting of this Commission on the progress of the work programme and further prioritisation as required.

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

There was no urgent business to report.

The next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on 17^th September, 2019, commencing at 5.30 p.m. in Rotherham Town Hall.

Resolved:- That the next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on  Tuesday, 17^th September, 2019 at 5.30 p.m.