Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence of Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Paul Davies, Cllr Richard Smith, Cllr Amanda Pinnock and Toni Bromley (Co-optee).

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 16^th December 2019.

RESOLVED -

The minutes of the meetings of the Panel held on the 16^th December 2019 were agreed as a correct record.

The Councillors will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have disclosable pecuniary interests, which would prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items, or any other interests.

No interests were declared.

Most debates take place in public. This only changes when there is a need to consider certain issues, for instance, commercially sensitive information or details concerning an individual. You will be told at this point whether there are any items on the Agenda which are to be discussed in private.

All items were considered in public session.

The Committee will receive any petitions and hear any deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also hand in a petition at the meeting but that petition should relate to something on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10 (2), Members of the Public should provide at least 24 hours’ notice of presenting a deputation.

No deputations or petitions were received.

The meeting will hear any questions from the general public.

No questions were received from the public.

The Panel will consider a report giving an update on the number and age of children in care. 

Contact Officer: Julie Bragg, Head of Corporate Parenting

                            (Children in Care and Care Leavers)

The Panel considered a report giving an update on the number and age of children in care presented by Julie Bragg, Head of Corporate Parenting (Children in Care and Care Leavers).

In response to a question from the Panel relating to the number of children in care under 1 year old, Julie Bragg advised that there had been an increase in numbers following more pre-birth assessments and plans had been agreed for some children to come into care.  The Chair of the Panel, Cllr Marchington, agreed to discuss this matter in more detail at the Lead Member Briefings and report back to the Panel. 

In response to a question from the Panel relating to the placement of young people in unregistered homes, Mel Meggs advised that part of the plan for young people leaving care was for them to live in semi-independent accommodation when it was right for them to live without support.  Mel Meggs further explained that some young people did not do well in children’s homes and thrived when they moved into semi-independent accommodation and often made strides in that environment.  Mel Meggs advised the Panel that it would not be appropriate for children to live in unregistered children’s homes and Kirklees did challenge non-registered children’s homes.  The Panel was advised that all necessary checks were undertaken to ascertain if the home was the right place for the child but that it was often a complex issue.  The Panel was advised that there had been a recent review of children in care by well qualified staff to ensure that all children were supported properly and officers had been looking at what provision was available in the next 2 years for the 16 plus age range.  The Panel was informed that children leaving care still had a co-person until the age of 18 and that they could ring that person should they have any issues.  Mel Meggs advised the Panel that it was important to the Service to nurture good relationships between young people leaving care and the Independent Reviewing Officers.  Mel Meggs advised the Panel that the Independent Reviewing Officers would check that the quality of care was up to the required standard and as they were independent they provided challenge to the Children’s Service and could also escalate issues if necessary. 

In response to a question from the Panel relating to reducing the number of children placed outside Kirklees, Julie Bragg advised that the Council was constantly trying to reduce this figure but some children wished to stay in the area where they had been placed due to networks and attachments formed and schools that they were attending.  The Panel was informed that placements of children in care outside the district were reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they were meeting the needs of the child. Tom Brailsford informed the Panel that the Council’s ambition was to place as few children as possible outside the district and that officers were looking at a number of creative  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Panel will consider a report on the new Kirklees Children and Young People’s Partnership agreements and the draft Children and Young People’s Plan.

Contact Officer: Tom Brailsford, Service Director (Resources Improvement and Partnerships)

The Panel considered a report on the new Kirklees Children and Young People’s Partnership agreements and the draft Children and Young People’s Plan presented by Tom Brailsford, Service Director (Resources, Improvements and Partnerships) and Mary White, Commissioning and Partnerships Manager.

Mary White informed the Panel that the Kirklees Children and Young People’s Partnership was relaunched following consultation and engagement at an event in March 2019 which was attended by 80 participants from a cross section of organisations working with children in Kirklees.  The new partnership model was developed at the March event and aspired to bring together collective insight, expertise and resources to collaborate to achieve the best start in life for children and young people.  The Children’s Partnership identified a need to improve outcomes in 3 new priority areas which were:-

·         To work to alleviate the impact of poverty on children;

·         To support inclusion and better outcomes for LGBT+ young people;

·         To grow the Council’s youth offer – places to go, people to see, things to do.

Tom Brailsford advised the Panel that a number of key performance indicators had been defined to inform the Service if the partnership arrangements were working as they should be. 

In response to a question from the Panel relating to how success was measured and how confident the Service was that they were meeting their aspirations in terms of the Children and Young People’s Partnership, Tom Brailsford agreed to bring a further update to the Panel in the future on this matter. 

In response to a question from the Panel relating to the voice of the child and how this could be demonstrated, Tom Brailsford advised that formal boards were held where children could attend and give their opinion and children and young people would be asked to feedback into the Partnership Plan.  Tom Brailsford informed the Panel that the voice of the child was very important to the Children’s Service and it was essential to engage with children and young people and talk to them about their experiences.

RESOLVED –

1.    The Panel noted the report on the new Kirklees Children and Young People’s Partnership agreements and the draft Children and Young People’s Plan and thanked Tom Brailsford and Mary White for their contributions.

2.    That the Panel consider a future report on the measures for success of the Children and Young People’s Partnership.

Members of the panel will consider the work programme and agenda plan for the 2019/20 and will consider issues for inclusion.

Officer: Helen Kilroy, Principal Governance and Democratic Engagement Officer

The Panel considered the work programme and agenda plan for the 2019/20 and considered issues for inclusion.

Jo-Anne Sanders gave an update on the Almondbury Community School and highlighted the following key issues:-

·         The Ofsted report for Almondbury Community School following the inspection in November 2019 was now available to view on the Ofsted website; Leaders and Managers at the School were taking effective action towards removing special measures;

·         The Learning Service was focusing on planning the staff transitions and working with the partnerships at the school to begin the staff engagements and would update the Panel at future meetings on progress;

·         An evaluation would be taken of the Greenside Building to ensure it would be fit for purpose to house primary age youngsters to meet their learning outcomes and work had begun to assess what was required;

·         Further work was being undertaken with the King James Partnership to progress the investment in their physical space.

The Panel noted that future updates would be provided to the Panel on Almondbury Community School.

The Panel agreed to consider a report on the following:-

-       SEND and the 10 point improvement plan – March 2020;

-       Elective Home Education Ad Hoc Panel Final report – March 2020.

RESOLVED –

1.    That the 2019/20 Agenda Plan and Work Programme for the Children’s Scrutiny Panel be noted and updated as agreed.

2.    That the Governance Officer be authorised to liaise with officers on agreed actions.

To note future meeting dates of the Panel during the 2019/20 municipal year:-

-       13^th March 2020, 11am

-       17^th April 2020, 11am

RESOLVED –

The Panel noted the future meeting dates of the Panel during the 2019/20 municipal year:-

-       13^th March 2020, 11 am

-       17^th April 2020, 11 am