Meeting documents

Apologies were received from Mr N Brown, Mr B Chapple, Mr M Appleyard and Lin Hazell.

Deputy Cabinet Members attending were Mrs J Teesdale, Mr C Harriss, Mrs A Cranmer and Mrs W Mallen.

Mr W Whyte declared an interest under item 13, Youth Justice Strategic Plan, as a Trustee of the Buckingham Old Gaol Museum.

Of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 9 July 2018.

RESOLVED:  The minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2018 were AGREED as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman. 

Cabinet’s attention was brought to the following:

• Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transportation highlighted the agreement for the sinkhole in Flackwell Heath to be repaired.
• The Deputy Cabinet Member for Education and Skills highlighted the good work in the SENDs report that would be covered in a later item in particular the decreased in permanent exclusions.
• The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services highlighted the success of the recent Looked After Children event hosted in High Wycombe.  He thanked contributors to the event including the Entertainer Toy Shop, Councillors and staff.
• The Cabinet Member for Resources thanked members of the public for visiting the stand at the recent Bucks County Show to give their feedback on the County Council website.
• The Deputy Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing highlighted that on the evening of 10 September 2018 at Bucks New University in High Wycombe there would be a Bucks Health and Social Care start up programme, a new programme driving innovation in health and adult social care.  Mrs Mallen also highlighted the Access All Areas event on 13 September 2018 at Stoke Mandeville Stadium held for those with disabilities and those who care for them, showcasing support available to them.
• The Leader highlighted the plane and patch programme that was being carried out across the county.  Mr Tett stated that it was the ambition of the Council to put more money into the budget next year for the programme to continue.  Mr Tett also drew attention to various events including Heritage Day in Old Amersham and Aylesbury, England Economic Heartland Conference at Silverstone and the opening of the Waddesdon Greenway cycling route.

There were none.

For Cabinet to consider the Forward Plan

RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

Mr Whyte highlighted the Cabinet Member Decision relating to Children’s Homes Provisions and the release of further funding to invest in County Council owned children’s homes.  

RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

For Cabinet to consider the Select Committee Work Programme

RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

The recommendation is that Cabinet:

(a)       NOTES the findings and recommendations from the Commissioner’s review; and,

(b)       NOTES the revised direction issued by the Department for Education (DfE).

Mr Tett highlighted that keeping children and young people safe and providing them with the best opportunities for the very best outcomes in life was a high priority of the County Council.  Mr Tett referred to the disappointment of the adverse outcome of the Ofsted report in 2014 and the re-inspection despite work ongoing within the service.  Mr Tett advised that the Ofsted report was being taken very seriously and the hard work continued in Children’s Services.  Mr Tett also made reference to the inspector’s comments in the report stating that whilst it was challenging, there was no reason why a Unitary authority could not be achieved but improvements in Children’s Services could be disrupted if the two council model was implemented.

Mr Whyte, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

• The last Ofsted inspection was at the end of 2017 with the report being issued after Christmas with inadequate findings.
• The Department for Education (DfE) issued a statutory direction in March 2018 and a Commissioner was appointed.
• There was then a Commissioner led review, the summary of which had been provided to Cabinet for consideration.
• Mr Whyte gave an overview of the recommendations in the report, including that the County Council were to retain control of Children’s Services and confirmed there should be no alternative management put in place.  The Commissioner endorsed direction of travel and that external support should be commissioned.

Mr T Vouyioukas, Executive Director attended the meeting and gave the following summary:

• Mr Vouyioukas believed the service had the capacity and capability to turn the service around.
• The Commissioner’s methodology included detailed reviews of case files.
• The improvement plan had been written by front line managers and staff that would be implementing it and highlighted the support and training that would be given to them.
• The Commissioner would continue to work with the service in an advisory capacity to implement the improvement plan.
• There was an Ofsted monitoring visit in July 2018 with a Children in Need focus which had a good outcome.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• Cabinet Members congratulated staff on the work carried out so far to make improvements.
• Relocation of staff from the High Wycombe office was already underway with remaining staff due to relocated early in 2019.
• The financial implications of external support were raised and Mr Vouyioukas confirmed that this recommendation had been accepted by the DfE who would fund this support, rather than the County Council.
• Mr Tett stated that Cabinet recognised and fully accepted the response outlined in the report.  Cabinet were fully committed in turning the service around and gave appreciation to all staff involved.

The recommendation was that Cabinet:

(a) NOTED the findings and recommendations from the Commissioner’s review; and,

(b) NOTED the revised direction issued by the Department for Education (DfE).

RESOLVED:  Cabinet NOTED the Commissioner’s findings and recommendations and NOTED the revised direction issued by the DfE.

The recommendation is that Cabinet:

AGREE a number of recommendations as set out within the report.

Mr D Dhillon, Chairman of the Children’s Select Committee and Mrs K Sutherland, Committee and Governance Manager attended the meeting to present the recommendations from the Permanent Exclusions Inquiry undertaken by the Select Committee.

Mr Dhillon introduced the report and highlighted the following:

• Mr Dhillon thanked members of the committee, Mrs I Darby, Mr G Williams and Mrs S Hawkswood for the work on the inquiry.
• Following a 100% increase in 2015/16 and a 6% increase in 2017/18, Permanent Exclusions were down by 35% this year.
• Meetings had taken place with primary and secondary schools including academies and all head teachers were keen to bring the numbers of permanent exclusions down.
• The inquiry included meeting with parents and Mr Dhillon was really grateful for their input.
• Mr Dhillon asked Cabinet Members to consider the recommendations as set out in the report.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• Early Help presentation on Bucks Exclusion Hubs was welcomed and Mr Dhillon confirmed that the hubs were working well
• The need for training on how to manage disruptive behaviour in schools.  Mr Dhillon highlighted that although the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) provided training, there was still a low uptake and this needed to be improved.  Mr Dhillon urged all teachers to take the training.
• The importance of identifying those that need help early so that pupils aren’t moving to secondary school without being supported.  Mr Dhillon reiterated the importance of this, as it did not only effect the classroom but also the effects on the wider society.
• Cabinet discussed the input of parents and parental responsibility.  Mr Dhillon confirmed that there are a number of factors that could impact a child’s life including issues already happening at home.  Recommendation 8 outlined the importance of information and support being accessible by families and parents.

Cabinet responded to the recommendations as follows:

In relation to Recommendation 6, Mr Tett stated that Cabinet could not agree the recommendation due to the national shortage of Educational Psychologists.  It was also stated that working with schools regarding their Educational Psychology resource was key.  Mr Dhillon highlighted that the Select Committee had identified two schools that had successfully engaged and used private psychologists. The issue needed further discussion.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The recommendation is that Cabinet:

ENDORSE the new Cultural Strategy and support the development of a new Cultural Partnership for Buckinghamshire to oversee the delivery of the strategy.

Ms G Quinton, Executive Director attended the meeting to present the Cultural Strategy.  Ms Quinton highlighted the following points:

• The Cultural Strategy brought together all areas of culture across Buckinghamshire and was produced in partnership with a number of organisations.
• The strategy focused on 5 key aspects, literacy, sporting, historical buildings, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) across the Chilterns and economy around creative industries.
• The strategy will bring opportunities to bid for several streams of external funding.
• Cabinet were asked to endorse the strategy and to agree the development of a new Cultural Partnership for Buckinghamshire to oversee the delivery of the strategy.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• The geographical spread of the partnerships involved in the delivery of strategy was highlighted.  Ms Quinton stated that those mentioned in the report were just an example of those involved and that the Board would be representative of the whole county.
• The importance of the revitalisation of town centres
• A focus was needed on children and young people and how they could be engaged.  An event similar to the recent Waterside Festival could be replicated to promote the strategy.  Ms Quinton confirmed that there would be a cultural education partnership developed as part of the strategy.

RESOLVED:  Cabinet ENDORSED the new Cultural Strategy and supported the development of a new Cultural Partnership for Buckinghamshire to oversee the delivery of the strategy.

The recommendation is that Cabinet:

1. Come to a view on how the organisation is performing

2. Take action to improve performance where necessary

Cabinet were asked to update on their portfolios performance against their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  The Leader asked that Cabinet Members updated only on those rated as red or amber.

Leader

• The Leader had no red or amber risks to report.

Community Engagement and Public Health

• The Deputy Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health reported on the eligible population invited to an NHS Health Check.  Health checks were at 75% against a target of 100%. Ms Teesdale stated that levels of uptake were a long running issue but the figures were higher than the national average.  Mrs Teesdale stated that the reporting was always a month behind so the figures would actually be higher.  Mr Tett stated that the issue would be discussed at the Health and Wellbeing Board.
• Mrs Teesdale highlighted the red rating for the % of successful alcohol treatment completions.  Mrs Teesdale stated that the new adult substance service started in October 2017, however, the recommissioning process started 10 months prior to this, so the whole of 17/18 data had been affected by the recommissioning.

Health and Wellbeing

• % of people reabled with an outcome of Independence was rated as red at 35% with a target score of 45%.  Mrs Mallen confirmed that they were working with the Bucks Health Care Trust to create a strength based approach.  Mrs Mallen also highlighted the event on the 18 September promoting change.

Children’s Services

• Repeat referrals within 12 months was a serious issue which had an impact on the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).  The team were looking at this closely and reviewing how multi agency relationships work.  
• Red performance against % of Children Looked After (CLA) seen in the last 6 weeks.  This related to those children placed out of county, but they would have been seen by another professional within that time.
• Red performance relating to % of CLA living more than 20 miles from home.  Mr Whyte stated that there was heavy investment on Buck’s children’s homes and they were looking to add capacity, through recruitment and retention of foster carers.  However Mr Whyte also stated that some safeguarding requirements or specialist needs meant that some children would need to be placed outside of the 20miles target.
• Red performance relating to % of children waiting less than 14 months between entering care and moving in with their adoptive family.  Whilst this was a small cohort of children, this was significantly off target and was being monitored closely.

Education and Skills

• Amber performance against the current figures for educational and health care plan issued within 20 weeks.  It was stated that there had been a significant increase in performance, with a monthly increase at 60%.  It was anticipated that the figures would be in line with national comparatives by the end of the year.

Resources

• Although performing at green, the Cabinet Member highlighted the Capital spend at 96%.
• % of BCC Website pages that meet accessibility standards were reported at Amber.  The Cabinet Member stated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

The recommendation is that Cabinet:

Refer the 2018-19 Youth Justice Strategic Plan to full Council for approval

Mr Vouyioukas, Executive Director and Ms A Sekhon-Gill, Head of Youth Offending Service attended the meeting to present the Youth Justice Strategic Plan.

Mr Tett stated that Cabinet were not to agree the Youth Justice Strategic Plan but to recommend it to County Council for discussion and agreement.

In summary the following points were highlighted:

• Mr Whyte introduced the plan which was a partnership document, with the foreword written by Thames Valley Police.
• The Youth Offending Service (YOS) was a multi-agency service and relies heavily on working with the council and other partners.
• The Youth Offending Service are measured against three national outcomes; reduction in first time offending, reduction in numbers of young people who repeat offend and reduction in the use of custody.
• There was a lot more work to do in understanding the current position and why there are the increases in figures
• The YOS had already started working with schools, youth agencies and social care colleagues.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• It would be helpful to have a more detailed breakdown of the statistics in order for Cabinet Members to help better understand the statistics and trends in their own areas.

ACTION: Mr Vouyioukas

• Concerns were raised regarding the high level of reoffending.  Mr Vouyioukas stated most of those reoffending were those with the most needs, so it was vital to work closely with partners to agree how best to support those people.

RESOLVED: Cabinet REFERED the 2018-19 Youth Justice Strategic Plan to full Council for approval.

The recommendation is that Cabinet:

·         NOTE the contribution of the County Council to the 6 areas highlighted in the report.

·         NOTE that a group of senior officers from all portfolios are meeting in September to consider how to implement the recommendations of the DPH Annual report in relation to the responsibilities of Buckinghamshire County Council.

·         SUPPORT the principle that continuing to develop and co-ordinate the Council wide contribution to the recommendations in this Director of Public Health Annual Report, is considered as part of the development of the Buckinghamshire County Council Corporate Working Group.

Ms Teesdale introduced the update report highlighting that the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report had been to the last Cabinet meeting and Dr J O’Grady had returned to inform Cabinet on how all portfolios could contribute to actions within the plan.

Dr O’Grady highlighted the following points:

• Mapping included on what had been done and planned to be carried out within the County Councils areas of responsibilities.
• The County Council had most impact on continued improvements within Communities, was strong on active travel and working closely with partners to look at good quality lifestyle homes, which was particularly important within Adult Social Care.
• Working with partners on a Strength Based approach in the Communities, Health and Adult Social Care (CHASC) portfolio, working with people about what is ‘strong’ and not what’s wrong in order to be able to help people remain independent.
• A workshop had also recently taken place which had brought out some great ideas of social value when commissioning contracts and how as an organisation we could promote social interaction more.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• There were examples of additional projects that needed to be added in including the Waddesdon cycle scheme and restoration of Thorney Park.
• Timeframes for the actions and how these would be monitored.  Dr O’Grady confirmed that there would be a 6 month review to monitor progress.
• The concern about pollution and air quality in the County and the need to publicise more schemes such as Simply Walk. 

It was agreed that an update would come back to Cabinet in 6 months’ time.

RESOLVED:  Cabinet NOTED the update report and supported the principle that continuing to develop and co-ordinate the Council wide contribution to the recommendations in this Director of Public Health Annual Report is considered as part of the development of the Buckinghamshire County Council Corporate Working Group.

22 October 2018.

22 October 2018.