Agenda, decisions and minutes

See guidance below.

None.

Any county councillor may, by giving notice to the Proper Officer by 9 am two working days before the meeting, ask a question on any matter in respect of the Cabinet Member’s delegated powers.

The number of questions which may be asked by any councillor at any one meeting is limited to two (or one question with notice and a supplementary question at the meeting) and the time for questions will be limited to 30 minutes in total. As with questions at Council, any questions which remain unanswered at the end of this item will receive a written response.

Questions submitted prior to the agenda being despatched are shown below and will be the subject of a response from the appropriate Cabinet Member or such other councillor or officer as is determined by the Cabinet Member, and shall not be the subject of further debate at this meeting. Questions received after the despatch of the agenda, but before the deadline, will be shown on the Schedule of Addenda circulated at the meeting, together with any written response which is available at that time.

None.

Members of the public who wish to speak at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

Requests to speak must be submitted by no later than 9am four working days before the meeting.  Requests to speak should be sent to committeesdemocraticservices@oxfordshire.gov.uk .

If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that if the technology fails, then your views can still be taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9 am 2 working days before the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

None.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 10 July 2024 to be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Approved.

Cabinet Member: Children, Education and Young People’s Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/238

Contact: Caroline Kelly, Joint Lead Commissioner – Start Well (Caroline.Kelly@oxfordshire.gov.uk), Rosie Winyard, Joint Commissioning Manager – Start Well (Rosie.Winyard@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Children’s Services (CMDCEYPS5).

The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Delegate authority to the Director for Children’s Services, in consultation with the Head of Procurement and Contract Management, to award a funding contribution value £754,400 to Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) under the existing partnering agreement with BOB ICB towards payment for the contract for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Oxfordshire. This service contract value is £20million in 2024-2025 is managed by the BOB ICB and delivered by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT).

b)    Agree commencement of an immediate review process for this contract and future funding arrangements post April 2025, to ensure return on investment and improving outcomes for children and young people in Oxfordshire experiencing mental health problems and associated neuro diversity.

The Chair remarked that he was anxious about how the timing of this decision is going to be managed in line with the new budget (April 2025).

Officers replied that the delay in this decision is because of a change in contract regulations and NHS requirements, and they hope to speed things up to avoid a search for retrospective funding in the new fiscal year.

The Chair further remarked that the problem now is that this decision will either adversely affect budgetary negotiations or require over-spend and this was not ideal.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Young People's Services APPROVED the following as advertised:

a)    To delegate authority to the Director for Children’s Services, in consultation with the Head of Procurement and Contract Management, to award a funding contribution value £754,400 to Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) under the existing partnering agreement with BOB ICB towards payment for the contract for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Oxfordshire. This service contract value is £20million in 2024-2025 is managed by the BOB ICB and delivered by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT).

b)    To agree commencement of an immediate review process for this contract and future funding arrangements post April 2025, to ensure return on investment and improving outcomes for children and young people in Oxfordshire experiencing mental health problems and associated neuro diversity.

Cabinet Member: Children, Education and Young People’s Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/244

Contact: Alison Walker, Commissioning Officer – Start Well (Alison.Walker@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CMDCEYPS6).

The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Approve the purchase of individual and/or block placements, under the £500K threshold, for the children of Oxfordshire from the South-Central Residential Care Framework as a Consortium member.

The Chair asked why he was being asked to approve £500K only, given that the Council spent £1.3M under a previous contract.

Officers clarified that the cost is £500K per placement, and they are likely to want to make several placements in the year.

Officers further remarked that they would like the director of Start Well to have delegated approval to award contracts which cost more than £500K in the future, and they are seeking legal advice around whether this would be possible.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Young People's Services APPROVED the following as advertised:

a)    To approve the purchase of individual and/or block placements, under the £500K threshold, for the children of Oxfordshire from the South-Central Residential Care Framework as a Consortium member.

Cabinet Member: Children, Education and Young People’s Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2024/268

Contact: Caroline Kelly, Lead Commissioner – Live Well (Caroline.Kelly@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Children’s Services (CMDCEYPS7).

The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Acknowledge the Council’s position on the application to the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for the Supported Housing Accommodation Programme (SHAP) for Young People aged 18-25 at Risk of Homelessness, and reasons for withdrawing the service following the key decision paper on 10^th July 2024.

The Chair remarked that this whole situation is unfortunate and frustrating because it would have been nice to provide the service to the young people.

The Chair asked officers to stay in contract with potential providers of such a service and thanked the team for their efforts.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Young People's Services APPROVED the following as advertised:

a)    To acknowledge the Council’s position on the application to the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for the Supported Housing Accommodation Programme (SHAP) for Young People aged 18-25 at Risk of Homelessness, and reasons for withdrawing the service following the key decision paper on 10th July 2024.