Meeting documents

David Watson and Dev Dhillon

To declare any Personal or Dislosable Pecuniary Interests.

None

Minutes of the meeting held on 5^th June 2015.

Agreed

Public Questions is an opportunity for people who live, work or study in the county to put a question to a Scrutiny Committee about any issue that has an impact on their local community or the county as a whole.

Members of the public, who have given prior notice, will be invited to put their question in person.

The Cabinet Member and responsible officers will then be invited to respond. 

Further information and details on how to register can be found through the following link and by then clicking on ‘Public Questions’.

http://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=788

None

For the Chairman of the Committee to provide an update on any scrutiny related activity.

The Chairman gave her report which included mention of:

·         Department for Education and Local Government Association Peer Review Team visits to the council

·         Trip to Birmingham City Council scrutiny by members of the Select Committee

For members of the Committee to provide any relevant update.

Cllr. Stuchbury mentioned time spent with social workers and the visit to Birmingham. Also he mentioned a public event on child sexual exploitation that he attended.

The Cabinet Member for Education & Skills gave his update, which included reference to the following:

·         Performance on adult learning

·         Support for schools and work on the early years and children’s centres

·         Take up of home to school transport

·         Budgetary pressures

·         Audit report on the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust

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The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services gave her update, which included reference to the following:

·         Work with Essex and Cambridgeshire County Councils

·         The senior management team is now permanent

·         The rate of agency social workers is down.

·         The Local Government Association will be conducting a peer review

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Members questioned the Cabinet Member and senior officers on the following:

·         Partnership working with the police on child sexual exploitation investigations

·         The number of contacts going to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub

·         Sexual Exploitation Risk Assessment Conference

·         Attendance at Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Children Board

·         The responsibility to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation with GPs

·         What the outreach work commissioned from Barnardos will consist of

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A report to update the committee on progress of implementation of the Children’s Services Improvement Plan (all workstreams).

Members questioned the Cabinet Member and senior officers on the following:

·         The development of the Practitioners’ Board

·         Early Help Panels

·         ‘Red’ rated success measures

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To scrutinise the quarter 1 (2015/16) performance data for the Children & Families and Learning, Skills & Prevention portfolios (see pages 15-26).

Members questioned the Cabinet Member and senior officers on the following:

·         Educational standards at Key Stage 4

·         Free school meals

·         The performance of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities

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To scrutinise the quarter 1 (2015/16) budget data for the Children’s Services and Education & Skills portfolios (see page 10). 

Members questioned the Cabinet Member and senior officers on the following:

·         Strategies to manage the demand on children’s services

·         Proposals to raise foster carer allowances

·         Potential income streams from the Educational Psychology Service

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For the Committee to receive an update and to ask questions on the implementation of the Narrowing the Gap Select Committee Inquiry agreed recommendations.

Members agreed to consider the update in more detail outside of the meeting.

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To discuss and agree the work programme.

The Ofsted report on the Buckingham Children’s Centre (July 2015) is at:

http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/20485

Members considered the work programme.

The committee agreed to add Children's Centres to its work programme.

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To note the next meeting of the Children’s Social Care & Learning Select Committee on 3^rd November 2015.

3^rd November 2015