Agenda item

Report by the Director of Law and Governance

 

The purpose of this report is to support and advise Committee members to determine their work programme for the 2021/22 municipal year.

 

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to

 

(a)          consider the results of the limited work programme engagement exercise as detailed in Appendix 1;

(b)          consider suggestions made by the Cabinet and Senior Officers;

(c)          consider the methods by which the Committee would like to undertake its Overview and Scrutiny activity;

(d)          consider and agree the work programme for the Committee for the 2021/22 municipal year;

(e)          agree on whether to create any task group reviews and appoint membership of that review;

(f)           identify any specific training and support needs required to deliver the 2021/22 work programme.

The Committee had before it a report to support and advise Committee members on determining their work programme for the 2021/22 municipal year.

 

Councillor Michael Waine noted that the agenda pack did not include the items from the former Education Scrutiny Committee.  He had circulated those to Members before the meeting.  He believed that the most important items to include were the annual opportunities to scrutinise the work of the Regional Schools Commissioner, Ofsted and the Education Funding Agency.

 

Jodie Townsend, Democratic Services, emphasised that the Committee did not have to agree the whole work programme for the rest of the municipal year at this meeting.  A limited process had been conducted to get an initial list of ideas.  However, a more complete process was to be developed for prioritising items for work programmes going forward.

 

The Committee could also consider activities outside the meetings such as Task and Finish Groups, deep-dives, briefings and public engagement days for example.

 

The Chair suggested that the Committee could work best by taking a strategic overview rather than discussing operational issues.  He suggested considering the list of items in the appendix under Children and Young People first:

 

·         Home to School Transport – perhaps needing a Task and Finish Group

·         Engagement with Young People

·         Family Solutions Plus – possibly an external evaluation

·         New strategy for neurodiversity, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), EHCPs (Education Health and Care Plans) and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) - especially since the pandemic

·         Looked After Children – a national review is expected in the new year

·         Safeguarding annual reports

·         Care providers, including out-of-county

·         Lessons learned from Covid

·         Identifying gaps in provision for Young People

·         Community and voluntary infrastructure will be coming to Cabinet for decision

 

The following issues were suggested under Adults:

·         Workforce challenge – there was a new government initiative to examine

·         Preparing for the new inspectorate for health and social care from 2023

·         Impact of transformation

·         Costs of care in Oxfordshire

·         Front door, first contact

·         Transition from young people’s to adult services

 

Under Public Health:

·         Community and voluntary sector

·         Physical fitness

·         Health inequalities - most deprived areas

·         Smoke-free Oxfordshire

·         Domestic abuse

·         Preventive approach

 

Under Education:

·         Regional Schools Commissioner

·         SEND funding

·         Workforce including wellbeing

·         Lessons learned from lockdown

·         Access to broadband

·         Early Years and 0-5 Reform

·         School Management

·         Parental choice

·         Inclusion

 

The Chair suggested that the following summary of priorities –

 

·         Children & Young People

o   Engagement with Young People

o   Family Solutions Plus external evaluation

o   Safeguarding

o   Workforce

o   Mental Health

o   Community and Voluntary Sector

·         Adults

o   Transition

o   Front door

o   Workforce

·         Public Health

o   Preventative mental health

o   Physical fitness

o   Smoking

o   Most deprived wards

·         Education

o   Regional Schools Commissioner

o   Ofsted

o   Stakeholders

o   Early Years provision

o   Recruitment/retention

o   Home to School Transport

o   Inclusion

 

Jodie Townsend suggested that in the longer term work programme the Committee could consider bringing partners together on wider issues such as cost of rail travel, County Lines, post-Covid recovery.

 

Action:

The Chair proposed that the list be further prioritised at a meeting between the Chair, Deputy Chair and Officers to produce a list for circulation to the Members of the Committee.  This was agreed.