To consider the work programme for the committee.

The statutory scrutiny officer introduced the work programme and detailed how it had been drafted. It was explained that the corporate director, assorted service directors (within the children and young people directorate), the Cabinet and Cabinet portfolio holder, along with the independent scrutineer had all been involved and invited to provide input towards the work programme.

The statutory scrutiny officer explained that a key objective in drafting the work programme had been to create a document that highlighted priorities within the improvement programme and provided opportunities for the children and young people scrutiny committee to look at these over the coming year. The number of agenda items for each meeting had been kept intentionally low at this stage, to allow for flexibility and fluidity moving forward. At this point the committee was being asked to approve items on the agenda, identify further topics that it would like to look at and highlight where additional support, training and information could be provided, to allow members to approach topics with a good understanding of them.

The Chair suggested that a ‘reality checks’-style approach of visiting and engaging with frontline services over the course of the year, would be potentially beneficial in providing committee members with greater understanding and insight as to some of the issues and challenges faced by these services.

The committee discussed the need for a wider focus on schools outside of the schools capital strategy. The committee acknowledged the need for the inclusion of an item that would look at pastoral care, schools’ effectiveness, the local authority’s relationship with them and the academisation of schools. It would also be helpful to look at diminished maintained sector provision and the gap in school improvement resources. It was suggested that a schools item should examine pupil attainment and progress made during the time a child is at primary and secondary school.

The statutory scrutiny officer explained to the committee that additional agenda items for the work programme could be discussed and shaped in future workshop sessions and that the work programme was a fluid document, which the committee would be able to review, change and update at each of its meetings.

Resolved: The committee agree the draft work programme, which will be subject to periodical reviews, as the basis of their primary focus for the forthcoming municipal year.

Following discussion during the course of the meeting the committee agreed that the following items should be included on the work programme:

-       Early Help and Prevention

-       Restorative Practice

-       Responding to the rising level of unaccompanied asylum seekers in Herefordshire (possible dedicated workshop for this)

-       Neglect (building on existing items)

-       Schools: The committee should consider an item that looks at pastoral care, schools’ effectiveness, the local authority’s relationship with them and the academisation of schools. Also consider diminished maintained sector provision and gap in school improvement resources.

-       Examining pupil attainment and progress made during the time a child is at primary and secondary school.

-       Data and dashboard - monitoring source, presentation and impact.

-       Equality Auditing

-       When the next annual HSCP annual report is published it would be helpful to invite the police and NHS to discuss their arrangements for evaluating contractor effectiveness in more detail.

-       A future agenda item relating to the serious abuse case reviews could look at the recommendations that came from them and how/if they were actioned.

-       A look at the future development of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.