Agenda and minutes
Venue: Warspite Room, Council House
Media
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Declarations of Interest Councillors will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect to items on the agenda. Additional documents: Minutes: There were no declarations of interest in accordance with the code of conduct. |
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Appointment of Vice Chair Additional documents: Minutes: In the absence of Councillor Murphy, Councillor McDonald was appointed as Vice Chair for this meeting. |
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To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 8 January 2020. Additional documents: Minutes: Members agreed the minutes of 8 January 2020 as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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Chair's Urgent Business To receive reports on business which in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration. Additional documents: Minutes: Under this item Alison Botham (Director of Children’s Services) provided Members with a brief update regarding Coronavirus (Covid 19) and the impact on schools.
Members were advised that Dr Ruth Harrell (Director of Public Health) was the Council’s lead regarding Covid 19; arrangements had been reviewed and revised on a regular basis and updates from the DFE were provided to schools. There were currently no confirmed cases in Plymouth schools and a decision regarding any form of school closure would be between the school and Public Health England. It was expected that incidents of self-isolation would be recorded as authorised absence.
In response to Members questions it was highlighted that:
Members noted the update. |
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Mapping of Corporate Plan to Scrutiny Committees PDF 111 KB Additional documents: Minutes: Under this item clarification was sought as to which scrutiny panel was responsible for CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) as this was not specifically listed in the mapping of the Corporate Plan to Scrutiny Committees document.
It was agreed that clarification would be sought from the Scrutiny Management Board as to which scrutiny panel was responsible for CAMHS. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: Committee Members discussed the Policy Update specifically with regards to the Department for Education’s, ‘Music Education: Call for Evidence’.
Members raised their concerns regarding the impact on a student’s later life if music was not prioritised by schools and considered that there was less emphasis on music and creative education.
In response to questions raised it was reported that:
Members noted the update. |
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Number of Children in Care - verbal update Additional documents: Minutes: Jean Kelly (Service Director for Children, Young People and Families) provided Members with an update on the number of children in care.
The following key points were highlighted to Members:
In response to questions raised it was reported that –
Members noted the update. |
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Pledges Update - to follow PDF 154 KB Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Laing (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) provided a brief overview of the Pledges Update report and drew Members attention to the Barnardos Care Journey work – it was highlighted that this was an exciting programme which was designed to ensure that care leavers would end up in a positive destination.
The Chair commented that the inclusion of completion dates to the pledges document would help Members effectively scrutinise and track progress.
In response to questions raised it was reported that –
It was agreed that:
Members noted the update.
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JTAI (Joint Targeted Area Inspection) - verbal update PDF 272 KB Additional documents: Minutes: Jean Kelly (Service Director for Children, Young People and Families) provided Members with an update on the Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI).
Key points highlighted to Members included the following:
In response to questions raised it was reported that –
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Scrutiny of Adopt South West: Regional Adoption Agency - verbal update Additional documents: Minutes: Alison Gwilliam (Operations Manager for Adopt South West) provided Members with an update on the Scrutiny of Adopt South West: Regional Adoption Agency.
Key points highlighted to Members included:
In response to questions raised it was reported that –
Members noted the update.
(Councillor Corvid declared a personal interest under this item)
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Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report Q3 PDF 142 KB Additional documents: Minutes: David Northey (Head of Integrated Finance) introduced the Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report Q3; it was highlighted that pages 51 and 52 of the agenda pack were relevant to the Education and Children’s Social Care scrutiny panel.
In response to questions raised it was reported that –
Members noted the update.
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Additional documents: Minutes: Under this item the Chair discussed with Members the challenge of coordinating a busy work programme; this was further exacerbated with the cancellation of the November meeting due to purdah and local elections. She highlighted the importance of this area of scrutiny, the necessity of prioritising work which was to be carried forward and the benefit of using the first meeting of the municipal year to tackle important issues.
The following items were added to the work programme:
(a) Performance Indicators for Children in Care (b) Pledge 41 (c) Pledge 40 (d) Child Sexual Exploitation Update
It was recommended that the Chair of the Education and Children’s Social Care scrutiny panel for 2020/21 does a thorough review of work currently listed on the work programme and prioritises accordingly and uses the first meeting of the year to scrutinise important issues.
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Additional documents: Minutes: Members noted the tracking decisions document. |