Meeting documents
Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee
Wednesday, 11 December 2002
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To Members of the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee Notice of Meeting
MembershipChair – Councillor Ted Cooper Councillors:
AGENDA
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 30 October 2002 (SH3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom.
10:15 Report by Director for Social & Health Care (SH5). A copy of the budget monitoring report to the end of September, as presented to the Divisional Management Teams and the Senior Management Team during the third and fourth weeks in October is attached. It is based on actual expenditure to the end of September and information on forecast year-end positions. Detailed figures, including some graphical presentations are included in the annexes. The Committee is asked to note the report.
10:40 The Director of Strategy reports as follows: The Executive has continued to develop the priorities identified for each strategic objective. At each stage feedback from stakeholders / partners and recommendations from the Scrutiny Meetings, which reviewed the first stage of this process in July, has been taken into account. An 'outline' Oxfordshire Plan has now been developed and is being circulated for a further round of consultation. The 'outline' Oxfordshire Plan (SH6) (download as .doc file) provides a foundation for development of the detailed 'forward looking' section of the full Oxfordshire Plan. This work includes production of the detailed action plans and targets for each priority. It is planned to publish this section with details of our financial strategy, once they have been agreed at Februarys full Council Meeting. The full Oxfordshire Plan will be published by the 30th June 2003. The 'outline' Oxfordshire Plan also provides a foundation for the leaflet which will be issued with Council Tax bills and the Summary which will be published in the County Council newspaper in June. The Social & Health Care Scrutiny is invited to review this document and where necessary make recommendations for amendments to the Executive. Detailed below are the sections which we suggest are of particular interest to this committee. Strategic Objective: Helping People to Fulfil their Potential Reducing disadvantage and promoting inclusion by Improving the support for children who are vulnerable to underachievement including children in care, from ethnic minorities, and with special educational needs
Promoting independence by Helping more people to live in the community rather than in residential care To develop services to support carers To work with the NHS to support people in the community by preventing admissions to hospitals and reducing the number of older people remaining in hospital longer than clinically necessary Strategic Objective: Safeguarding Our Communities Making our communities safer by Protecting the most vulnerable in our communities, especially children at risk from abuse Increasing the successful participation of drug misusers in treatment programmes Helping everyone play their part in developing their communities by Safeguarding vulnerable adults at home and in care homes Offering help with parenting skills where necessary The Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment on the ‘outline’ Oxfordshire Plan to the Executive.
11:10 Report* by Director for Business Support & County Treasurer (SH7 – circulated separately). The report sets out the position on the Revenue and Capital Budget 2003/04 and the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2004/05 – 2007/08 and summarises the information on which Scrutiny’s views are sought. The Executive approved a revised starting point for the budget at its meeting on October 1. The report is primarily concerned with the proposals for additions to the rebased budget. The booklet* "Information for Scrutiny 2002" contains a list of options and priorities for the budget for both revenue and capital expenditure. These come to £27.7m for revenue in 2002/03 against an estimated available fund of £14.1m, and £7.1m for capital schemes in the preparation pool in 2002/03. * Members are asked to bring the papers to the meeting. The Scrutiny Committee is RECOMMENDED to:
12:40 Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (SH8(a)).(download as .doc file) The Committee are reminded that they considered the report ‘Developing the Foundation Stage of Learning in Oxfordshire’ on 29 May 2002 where they were recommended to note the issues arising from the first stage of public discussion and evidence gathering on the County Council’s strategy to develop the Foundation Stage of Learning in Oxfordshire, and to advise the Executive accordingly. A strategic plan has now been formally adopted by the County Council and by the County’s Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP). The attached report (SH8(a)) (download as .doc file) sets out proposals for a single main point of admission for children to Oxfordshire primary school reception classes and other proposals for implementing the Foundation Stage of Learning in Oxfordshire. These include the establishment of a childcare development fund (see page 4) to help expand childcare provision on primary school sites, particularly those in areas of high social need. This is very much in line with the government’s recently published strategy entitled ‘Delivering for Children and Families’. Feedback from the public consultations that took place during September/October 2002 is attached at SH8(b) and relevant documents will be available in the Members’ Resource Centre. At their meeting on 7 January 2003 the Executive will decide, in the light of consultation responses and the advice of the Scrutiny Committees, whether to proceed with these proposals. The advice of the Committee has been sought by the Executive prior to consideration. The Committee is therefore asked to consider any advice it would wish to put forward.
2:00 Report by Acting Chief Education Officer (SH9). The Early Years Development and Childcare Strategic Plan 2001 – 2004 was approved by the County Council through its Children & Young People’s Sub-Committee in February 2001. Guidance for the next 3 year strategic plan (2004 – 2007) is expected to be received in the Spring 2003. Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships are required to submit annual Implementation Plans to highlight achievements against the Strategic Targets and Goals and to set out in more detail the significant areas of need and of activity for the coming year. Attached (SH9a) is a report which the Acting Chief Education Officer will be submitting to the Executive in January, seeking its approval of next year’s Implementation Plan proposals, which must be submitted to the DfES by 1 February 2003. The report is submitted first to the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committees so that they may make any comments to the Executive on the new Plan. A draft of the plan is attached at SH9(b). Section
A (download as .doc file),
2:30 The annual Youth Justice Plan is one of the strategic plans which are subject to approval by full Council following consideration by both the Executive and relevant Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution. The Executive on 26 November 2002 considered a report by the Head of Youth Offending Services giving an outline of the Plan and a copy is attached (SH10) together with an update (SH10 Supplement) giving further information on the required content of the Plan. The Youth Justice Plan is required to be submitted to the Youth Justice Board by 31 March 2003, but as can be seen from the attached reports, it is not possible to prepare a draft Plan for consideration until the New Year. It is understood that it will be acceptable to submit the Plan to the Youth Justice Board subject to subsequent endorsement by Council (on 1 April), which will enable a draft Plan to be drawn up for consideration by the Committee at a later meeting. In order to accommodate this process it will be necessary for the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee’s meeting scheduled for 26 March to be brought forward to the first half of March to enable views to be made known to the Council via the 18 March Executive. Wednesday 12 March is suggested. In the meantime the Committee is invited to express any initial views to the Executive on the outline which has been circulated.
3:00 At their meeting on 12 November 2002 the Executive agreed to set up a panel of 6 members, 3 each from the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committees, to monitor the Council’s progress in taking the checklist forward. The Committee is asked to appoint three members to the Panel.
3:10 The Committee will be given a progress report on arrangements for Health Scrutiny.
3:20 (a) Reviews To receive a verbal update from the Postcode Differentials Review Panel. (Panel: Councillors Mrs Anda Fitzgerald-O’Connor, Lesley Legge and Margaret MacKenzie). 3:30 (b) Future Reviews (i) Domestic Violence At their meeting on 13 May 2002 members of the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee decided that the issue of domestic violence should be identified as a cross-cutting issue for future review by their Committee as the lead committee with panel membership from the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committees. At their meeting on 9 December 2002, members of the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee will receive a presentation on this issue. If members of the Committee decide to conduct this review the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee will be asked to appoint a member as a representative on the Domestic Violence Review Panel. The Committee will receive a verbal update on the outcome of the Community Safety meeting and members will be asked to appoint a representative, if necessary.
3:40 On 23 July 2002 the Executive agreed that Scrutiny Committees should be automatically entitled to an opportunity to comment on items that they might identify from the Forward Plan, subject to this not giving rise to delay where the matter was time-critical, and to the relevant Executive Members agreeing the detailed arrangements in each case through their periodic briefing meetings. The
Committee are asked to identify any items.
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