Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee
Tuesday 26 February 2008 at 10.00 am at County Hall, Oxford Membership Chairman – Councillor Sue Haffenden Deputy Chairman – Councillor Ann Bonner
Notes: Date of next meeting: Tuesday 13 May 2008
Tony Cloke About the County Council
The Oxfordshire County Council is made up of 74 councillors who are democratically elected every four years. The Council provides a range of services to Oxfordshire’s 630,000 residents. These include:
Each year the Council manages £0.8 billion of public money in providing these services. Most decisions are taken by a Cabinet of 10 Councillors, which makes decisions about service priorities and spending. Some decisions will now be delegated to individual members of the Cabinet.
About Scrutiny Scrutiny is about: · Providing a challenge to the Cabinet · Examining how well the Cabinet and the Authority are performing · Influencing the Cabinet on decisions that affect local people · Helping the Cabinet to develop Council policies · Representing the community in Council decision making · Promoting joined up working across the authority’s work Scrutiny is NOT about: · Making day to day service decisions · Investigating individual complaints. Five Scrutiny committees ‘scrutinise’ or review and challenge decisions made by the Cabinet or the appropriate Cabinet Member and help it develop Council policies. There are Scrutiny Committees for: · Corporate Governance · Children’s Services · Environment & Economy · Community Safety · Social & Community Services There is also a Joint Health
Overview & Scrutiny Committee which brings together councillors from the County and the
five district councils in Oxfordshire to scrutinise health issues. The Committee meets up to 6 times a year or more. It develops a work programme, which lists the issues it plans to investigate. These investigations can include whole committee investigations undertaken during the meeting, or reviews by a panel of members doing research and talking to lots of people outside of the meeting. Once an investigation is completed the Committee provides its advice to the Cabinet, the full Council or other scrutiny committees. Meetings are open to the public and all reports are available to the public unless exempt or confidential, when the items would be considered in closed session.
AGENDA
1. Apologies for Absence and Temporary Appointments
2. Declarations of Interest – see guidance note
3. Minutes
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 11 December 2007 (CH3) and to note for information any matters arising on them.
4. Speaking to or Petitioning the Committee
5. Tracking Scrutiny Items 10:15 Report back on advice by this Committee to the Cabinet or Council.
(a) Service and Resource Planning 2008/09 – 2012/13
On 11 December 2007 this Committee AGREED to forward the following advice to the Cabinet via the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee:
This Committee:
(a) wishes to congratulate the Directorate on:
(i) its whole service approach to setting the budget this year (as opposed to a service by service approach);
(ii) the savings achieved on Home to School Transport due to the re-tendering process; and hopes that the savings will continue in future years;
(b) recommends the Cabinet to consider the proposal for Raising Achievement (£350,000) as set out in Annex 4 subject to all members of this Committee soon receiving a copy of the Summary Review Report of the Educational Effectiveness Service;
(c) supports the proposal for Breaking the Cycle of Deprivation (£450,000) as set out in Annex 4; and
(d) should any funding be available this Committee wishes the Cabinet to look at youth centre provision in both rural and urban areas of the county in order to see where it needs to be improved (this review should include consideration of factors such as opening hours and staffing).
On 15 January the Cabinet proposed in respect to this programme area:
To fund the investment proposals in order to:
(b) Oxford Academy – DRAFT Outline Business Case
On 11 December 2007 this Committee conducted a question and answer session and AGREED:
(a) to urge the Cabinet to ascertain the position of Oxford City Council regarding the Joint Agreement for the future provision of the swimming pool at Peers school;
(b) to request the Cabinet to open up discussion with the Academy about retaining the present pool at Peers school for use by both pupils and the community; and
(c) to inform the Cabinet that subject to Health and Safety constraints on the contractors, this Committee is of the view that public access to the pool and possibly the library could be maintained during the rebuilding period by opening up Champion Way.
On 15 January the Cabinet agreed to:
(a) approve the Outline Project Appraisal & Outline Business Case subject to recommendation (g);
(b) declare permanently surplus the entire Peers School site at closure on 31 August 2008;
(c) approve the disposal on a 125 year lease at a peppercorn rent of those parts of the site required for the establishment of the Oxford Academy;
(d) approve the disposal ‘off market’ to the Oxford Academy Sponsors;
(e) authorise officers to undertake all necessary steps including affixing the common seal for the grant of a 125 year lease to the Oxford Academy Sponsors;
(f) agree to retain the Mabel Pritchard School within the Academy facility; and,
(g) authorise the Head of Property and the Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer to finalise the funding details of the proposed Oxford Academy on the basis that the Authority’s capital contribution to the scheme is no more than £4.730m, and that the funding gap described in this Report is bridged by one of the three options described as A, B or C in the supplementary report.
A paper setting out the latest position with regard to the swimming pool and sports centre is attached at CH5.
6. Scrutiny Work Programme 10:20 · Brief oral report from Councillor Haffenden on Bournemouth Conference: Social Services for Adults and children.
· To update this Committee’s work programme (CH6) (download as .doc file).
7. Healthy Schools Champion – Nomination and Job Description 10:25
8. Evaluation of Gifted Children Scrutiny Review 10:30
9. Young (Child) Carers (and support for them): Progress Update 10:50
10. Progress update from Task Group: Implementation of the Priorities from the Review of Year One of the Children & Young People’s Plan 11:00
11. Presentation on Primary Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (PCAMHS) 11:05
12. Childcare Market Assessment 11:35
13. Unaccompanied Minors (Asylum seeking children) 12:25
14. Forward Plan 12:45
The Committee is asked to suggest items from the current Forward Plan on which it may wish to have an opportunity to offer advice to the Cabinet before any decision is taken.
(Please bring along to the meeting the latest copy of the Forward Plan which, at the time of writing covers February 2008 to May 2008).
(Members are asked to contact the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and/or the Committee Officer at least 3 days before the meeting should they wish to raise an item on the Forward Plan for possible consideration).
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