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ITEM BV5

BEST VALUE & AUDIT COMMITTEE - 9 MARCH 2005

BEST VALUE REVIEW OF SERVICES FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Report by the Director for Learning & Culture and Director for Social & Health Care

 

Introduction

  1. The Best Value Review report (herewith) has been circulated widely for consultation and there have been a number of consultation meetings, including:

    2. - District Council, Chief Leisure Officers of District Councils
    - multi-agency partners
    - schools
    - health services
    - voluntary sector providers
    - County Councillors and PCT and NHS Trust Executives and Chairs.

  2. To date there have been 30 questionnaire responses returned. The deadline for responses is 1 March 2005. The majority of these, together with the verbal feedback from consultation meetings, support the proposals in the Best Value Review paper (download as.doc file). This feedback, together with the detailed comments, are summarised at Annex 1 - Detailed Questionnaire (download as .doc file).

    (Revised Annex 1 - Summary Feedback - download as .doc file)

  3. The Best Value Review report has been amended in the light of the feedback received.

  4. Consultation feedback highlighted particular support for:

    5. - the strong focus on early intervention and prevention to support children and families before difficulties become intractable;

    - the proposed arrangements for the greater integration and co-ordination of services;

    - the redesign of mental health services;

    - greater involvement of the District Councils and voluntary sector services;

    - the engagement of children and young people and parents and carers in the development of services;

    - the appointment of a Director of Children’s Services.

  5. Areas highlighted as concern included:

    6. - the need to ensure a clear focus on performance in relation to outcomes for children and young people during the change process;

    - the need to include other groups of children and young people as priorities for support, including young offenders;

    - the need for additional resources, particularly additional pump priming money, to implement the changes.

  6. There was general support for the development of services in three areas (North, City, South) but some concern about the need to improve links with District Council and whether this could be achieved most effectively by organising in three or five areas.

  7. There was strong support, through the consultation, for the development of locality networks. However, some concerns were expressed about how these localities are to be configured. In order for locality networks to be effective, there needs to be a commitment from all agencies working with children to organise their services, where appropriate, on this basis and support their development.

  8. It is proposed that there is a need for further, time limited, work to determine, in consultation with the range of agencies working with children, which areas and localities would best meet the needs of children and young people in Oxfordshire.

  9. It is proposed that the result of this work will be reported back to the Executive in July 2005 as part of the implementation plan.

    10. RECOMMENDATIONS

  10. The Committee is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. endorse the Best Value Review Report on Services for Vulnerable Children and Young People;

          2. ask the review team to develop a detailed action plan and report back to the Committee on 20 July 2005;

          3. refer the outcomes of the review to the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee for them to make any observations on the review to the Executive;

          4. note that Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee on 16 February resolved not to consider the review report but to monitor individually its journey through the Executive and look at how the action plan was being implemented in relation to Social & Health Care at a later date; and

          5. RECOMMEND the review to the Executive.

KEITH BARTLEY
Director for Learning & Culture

CHARLES WADDICOR
Director for Social & Health Care

Background Papers: Best Value Review:

Feedback from Children and Young People
Best Value Review: Feedback from Parents and Carers
Best Value Review: Detailed Needs Analysis
Best Value Review: Background Document

Contact Officers:
Gillian Tee, Head of Children’s Services, Learning & Culture, Tel. 01865 815125
Sarah Ainsworth, Acting Operations Manager, Social & Health Care,Tel. 01865 815892
Sarah Breton, Children’s Trust Project Manager, Tel. 01865 810560

February 2005

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