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ITEM CH3

CHILDREN’S SERVICES SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 12 JULY 2005

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 10.00 am and finishing at 1.55 pm

Present:

The Scrutiny Committee considered the matters, reports and recommendations contained or referred to in the agenda for the meeting and the following additional document: copies of the slides shown in the presentations and agreed as set out below. Copies of the agenda, reports and additional document are attached to the signed Minutes.

27/05. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND TEMPORARY APPOINTMENTS

Apologies for absence and temporary appointments were received as follows:

Apology from	Temporary Appointments
Councillor Hayward	Councillor Mrs Fulljames
Councillor N Turner	Councillor Mallon
Ms B Williams (invitee)

28/05. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on17 May 2005 were approved and signed, subject to the addition of Mrs Thomson (invitee) to the list of people who had sent their apologies for absence.

29/05. INTRODUCTIONS

Each member gave a brief outline of their interest and experience in the Children’s Services field.

30/05. CENTRE FOR PUBLIC SCRUTINY EVALUATION OF OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY

31/05. PRESENTATION ON THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE 2005/06 SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME

(Agenda Item 7)

The Head of Scrutiny gave a presentation on the framework for the work programme.

The following comments were made:

The Committee should track and monitor the implementation of the Cabinet’s decisions on recommendations from scrutiny reviews to enable it to consider whether further work was required if there had been slippage in the implementation of the decisions.

Opposition spokespersons should be invited to agenda planning meetings for this Committee.

When the work programme was set, to ask that the ‘potential impact of reviews’ be considered rather than whether a review would ‘affect a significant proportion of the population of Oxfordshire’.

AGREED: to consider these issues when drawing up the work programme.

32/05. KEY ISSUES AND DRIVERS PRESENTATION

(Agenda Item 8)

Councillors Chapman (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) and Waine (Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement) gave a joint presentation to the Committee. A copy of the slides for the presentation are attached to the signed copy of the minutes.

Councillor Chapman drew attention to the five outcomes shown on the first slide. Councillor Waine said that the aim would be to achieve the best standards of achievement/attainment. Over the last decade, head teachers had had to focus on issues which were not necessarily of relevance to school children but learning and teaching would now be a priority for them. The standard of governance in schools would be part of the improvement agenda. There would be a single leadership conversation with schools about improvement to ensure quality assurance. The 14-19 curriculum would be redrafted to meet, for example, vocational needs and the Local Education Authority would work with other partners to deliver it. Schools with falling rolls would need to be reactive to them.

Councillor Chapman said that, as a result of the Children Act 2004, there would need to be changes to the way the Authority provided services for children: a report on proposals would first be submitted to this Committee for comment, prior to its submission to the Cabinet. The draft outline Children and Young People’s Plan had been considered by the Cabinet in June. The draft Plan would be submitted to this Committee in the autumn and then to the Cabinet. Consultation on the Plan would then be undertaken. The report on how the recommendations of the Best Value Review on Children’s Services could be implemented would be submitted first to this Committee for comment and then to the Cabinet. The Ofsted Inspection of the Youth Service had been excellent but she pointed out that only the services provided by the Authority were inspected. The Government was due to issue a Green Paper on youth provision. The funding of the Service and where it should be targetted would be reviewed in the light of the Green Paper. She said that the Cabinet would welcome the views of this Committee on how the service for looked after children could best be provided. On the Children’s Centre Strategy, she said that the Government wanted an additional 25 centres built in Oxfordshire by 2008. She confirmed that the report on this would first be submitted to this Committee for comment.

Members raised/asked questions on the following issues:

Criteria for grants for voluntary youth groups

Timescale for consultation on the Children and Young People’s Plan.

The Directors for Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care made a joint presentation on the key issues and drivers for Children’s Services.

The Director for Learning & Culture confirmed that the formal consultation period for the Children and Young People’s Plan would be November/December. He referred to the Children’s Trust and pointed out that it would be renamed in due course. On the annual performance assessment, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and Ofsted had undertaken a joint assessment of the services for children. This assessment replaced the assessments made under the 2002 – 2004 Framework for Services and the results of the assessment would be made public later this year. The Joint Area Review of Services in Oxfordshire would impact on the five outcomes shown on the slides (Cabinet Members’ presentation) and was likely to be undertaken in 2006/07.

On School Issues, the Director for Learning & Culture pointed out that from September, all teachers would be entitled to 10% non-contact teaching time to undertake preparation, planning and assessment. Some teaching assistants would in future have broader roles. There had been an increase in non-teaching employees and a slight decrease in the number of teachers. He reported that the three-year funding commitment would start in April 2006. The aim would be to have one extended school in each of the 26 partnership areas. Funding for Building Schools for the Future in Oxfordshire was not due until 2015. On the 14-19 curriculum, further information was expected in be included in a second Education Act likely to be placed before Parliament in 2005. He drew attention to the difficulties experienced in recruiting teachers with more experience and in retaining young teachers once they had gained a few years’ experience.

On Financial Issues, the Director for Learning & Culture highlighted the budgetary pressures on the premature retirement of teachers’ and the County Facilities Management budgets. The premature retirement scheme for teachers would be discussed at a future meeting of the Teachers’ Consultative Committee. Although in the past the County Facilities Management had traded with a surplus, this year it would be in deficit. There had been a significant increase in the use of the occupational health service. The service was currently funded centrally. If schools were in future to be asked to pay direct for the service, the funding arrangements would need to be changed. The school transport budget was under considerable pressure and was being reviewed through a Council wide BVR of transport. Some services to meet statements were provided out-county. There was budget growth for more childcare provision and for extended schools.

On Children’s Social Care, the Director for Social & Health Care reported that the Commission for Social Care’s Inspection was taking place in the week beginning 11 July. He also said that there would need to be extensive changes to children’s services, including to the backroom functions which supported them. While these changes were taking place, it would be important to ensure that performance issues were kept to the forefront. He highlighted that the educational attainment of looked after children was lower than the average attained for children not looked after by his directorate and that there was a higher proportion of looked after children on final police warnings or with criminal records. He pointed out that some residential placements for children cost £3000 per week. He added that there had been an increase in the number of children with disabilities, for example, a third of children born at under 26 weeks had learning disabilities. On diversity, he pointed out that the minority ethnic population formed 5.9% of the population in Oxfordshire whereas in Oxford it formed 13% of the population and 26% of people under 20. He also highlighted the skills shortages in some areas of work.

On targets, he drew attention to the different targets shown on the slide and, in particular, to the target for increased provision for 3-4 year olds. He pointed out on Oxfordshire Plan Priorities that the single point of entry for 4 year olds for Foundation Stage Learning would be complete by this September.

The Director for Learning & Culture reported that the relationship with the Learning & Skills Council (LSC) had improved. The 14-19 strategy was well funded by the Department for Education and Skills. There had been good progress on the action points from the inspection and many had been completed. Christine Southall was both the lead adviser on 14-19 education as well as the Strategy Manager for Oxfordshire at the LSC and this had raised the profile of Oxfordshire within the LSC. A Memorandum of Understanding had been signed in June 2005.

The Director for Social & Health Care reported that the aim was for the Children’s Services Authority to operate from January 2006 and to be operating fully from April 2006. A project group had been set up to manage the risks and to make the transition as smooth as possible. The Director for Learning & Culture added that the commitment was not to amalgamate but to integrate the relevant employees in both directorates.

After the presentations, the following issues were raised:

Would the integration of all children’s services be complete by April 2006 – the Director for Learning & Culture said that the project group was drawing up a timetable over, for example, a 3-year period. All of the proposals for integrated service provision and co-location, for example, would not have been completed by April 2006.

Had the City Schools’ reorganisation had any impact on examination results – the Director for Learning & Culture said that an evaluation was taking place but pointed out that only two cohorts had sat examinations since the reorganisation had taken place. The Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee had received a report on the project to reorganise the school provision in Oxford City from the three-tier system to a two-year system in 2004. Another progress report would be available in due course.

Skills gap - the Director for Learning & Culture said that 20% of Oxfordshire’s population had not attained NVQ level or equivalent whereas 26% of its population had been educated to degree level. The Learning & Skills Council was focussing on the skills gap.

AGREED: to note the presentation on key issues and drivers relating to children’s services.

33/05. STABILITY OF PLACEMENTS FOR LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN: REVIEW REPORT

(Agenda Item 9)

The Committee considered the report of the review group (CH9). It also viewed a film entitled ‘Your Voice Your Choice’ made by some of Oxfordshire’s Source Workers.

In response to Councillor Glass Woodin’s question, the Chairman agreed to ask the Director for Social & Health Care to provide Councillor Glass Woodin with the costings of the schemes set out in paragraph 54 of the report. Mr Richards confirmed that no decision on Oxfordshire’s bid for funding for specialist foster care had yet been received.

AGREED: to

1. agree the report as submitted to this meeting and to ASK the Proper Officer to refer the report to the Cabinet for consideration;
2. thank the officers for showing the film ‘Your Voice Your Choice’.
   
   

34/05. FAITH IN OUR SCHOOLS SCRUTINY REVIEW

(Agenda Item 10)

The Committee considered the report (CH10) setting out additional information in response to the recommendations of the review.

AGREED: to ASK the Cabinet to send a copy of the original report of the review group to all schools for comment and to ask all schools to let the Director for Learning & Culture know whether they would find it helpful to have guidelines as described in recommendation 2 of the report.

35/05. SOCIAL & HEALTH CARE – ANNUAL REPORT 2004-2005 - COMPLAINTS SERVICE (CHILDREN’S SERVICES)

(Agenda Item 11)

In response to a question, Mr Howe explained that complaints about external agencies were not dealt with as part of the statutory procedures. However the contract section would monitor a complaint if they were sent a copy.

AGREED: to thank the officers for the report.

36/05. FUTURE OF THE EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (EDP)

(Agenda Item 12)

The Committee considered the report (CH12) on the Educational Development Plan.

AGREED: to

1. set up a scrutiny working group to look at issues arising from the Children and Young People’s Plan (the membership to include Councillor D Turner and Mrs S Matthew);
2. consider, at its next meeting, requests from other members to be members of the working group.
   
   

37/05. OFSTED SCHOOL INSPECTIONS

(Agenda Item 13)

The Committee considered the report (CH13) on the Ofsted School Inspections. Mrs Morris reported that the Directorate was addressing the issues of leadership for the two schools failing on leadership. She also reported that Windale Community Primary and Burford Primary Schools had been removed from special measures. She added that Bletchingdon CE Primary School, which had been underachieving, was no longer in this category. There had been improvements at St Christopher’s CE School under the leadership of the Acting Head Teacher and a task group was in place and was addressing issues identified in the report. A head teacher was being recruited. At William Fletcher Primary School, a task group was in place and an action plan had been drawn up and was in place. The LEA’s statement of action was in place. The school was being monitored.

AGREED: to note the report.

38/05. WALLINGFORD SCHOOL’S PARTNERSHIP VISIT

(Agenda Item 14)

The Committee considered the report (CH14) on the visit. In response to a question, Mrs Morris agreed that at future visits to partnership schools, all parties would be asked to introduce themselves to each other at the question and answer session. She reported that she was currently organising a visit for the autumn.

AGREED: to note the report.

39/05. TRACKING SCRUTINY ITEMS

(Agenda Item 15)

The Committee was advised of the Executive’s decisions (set out in the agenda) on Best Value Review of Services for Vulnerable Children and Young People and on the Music Service Review - Budget.

(a) Best Value Review of Services for Vulnerable Children and Young People

AGREED: to note the outcome.

(b) Music Service Review – Budget

AGREED: to note the decisions of the Executive and to ask that the action plan be submitted to the Committee for comment at its September meeting if available.

40/05. FORWARD PLAN

in the Chair

Date of signing 2005

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