Agenda and minutes

To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration.

(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes.)

In relation to agenda item 8, the following supplementary information was submitted by Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust:

·  Preparation for Adulthood (February 2016)

·  Transition between Child and Adolescent and Adult Mental Health Services in Leeds.

The above information was not available at the time of agenda despatch, but was subsequently made available on the Council’s website.

To disclose or draw attention to any disclosable pecuniary interests for the purposes of Section 31 of the Localism Act 2011 and paragraphs 13-16 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests declared to the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies for absence were submitted by Councillors A Lamb and K Renshaw and Co-opted Member, Mrs S Hutchinson.

To confirm as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2016.

RESOVLED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2016 be approved as a correct record.

To receive the report from the Assistant Chief Executive (Citizens and Communities) which provides a summary of progress regarding the Youth Activity Fund with a focus on the progress made since the endorsement of the Scrutiny Board’s proposals from 18^th December 2014.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Citizens and Communities) submitted a report which provided a summary of progress regarding the Youth Activity Fund.

The following information was appended to the report:

-  Performance data 2014/15 and 2015/16

-  Summer Peer Inspections of Youth Activity Fund Activities 2015

-  Terms of Reference – Youth Activity Fund Steering Group

-  Youth activity spending profile 2014/15 and 2015/16.

The following were in attendance:

-  Councillor Jane Dowson, Deputy Executive Member (Children and Families)

-  Paul Brennan, Deputy Director of Children’s Services (Learning)

-  Sue Rumbold, Chief Officer (Partnership Development and Business Support)

-  Jean Ellison, Youth Offer Lead

-  Rory Barke,  Area Leader (Corporate)

-  Mark Law, Chief Executive of Barca-Leeds

The key areas of discussion were:

·  An acknowledgement that the application process for youth activity funding was complex and in need of simplifying.

·  The need to clearly distinguish between universal and targeted youth activities.

·  The need to improve partnership working and consultation with young people by developing links with schools and the Youth Council.

·  The need to ensure that children and young people influenced the provision of activities at the outset and commission appropriately.

·  The need to develop and share good practice across Community Committees and the large variations in participating children and young people in community committee areas.

·  Further clarification needed in terms of monitoring, outcomes, quality and value for money.

·  An update on planned consultation for all youth activity, process and planning arrangements in the third sector.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the report and appendices be noted.

(b)  That the Board endorses that the cross directorate steering group be convened by the new Chief Officer (Communities) to further improve and develop Community Committees funding and support of youth activities through:

Ø  A critical examination and dissemination of best practice with regard to the engagement of children and young people in the decision making processes of Committees on youth activity funding;

Ø  A review of the monitoring requirements of activity providers through the Breeze Culture Network and the insistence of Breeze cards;

Ø  Simplifying the process and bringing the applications for Youth Activity Funding and Community Committee Wellbeing funding together and removing the need for duplication of applications for each area for City wide providers;

Ø  Ensuring that the steering group had school and elected member representatives; and

Ø  A review of engagement and marketing techniques to ensure that the maximum number of children and young people are made aware of activities and participate.

To receive the report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development to support discussion and debate with Health Representatives with regard to transition pathways for young people through the commissioning and delivery of health services.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report to support the Board’s discussion with health representatives regarding transition pathways for young people through the commissioning and delivery of health services.

The following were in attendance:

-  Councillor Jane Dowson, Deputy Executive Member (Children and Families)

-  Paul Brennan, Deputy Director of Children’s Services (Learning)

-  Sue Rumbold, Chief Officer (Partnership Development and Business Support)

-  Barbara Newton , Head of Service (Complex Needs), Children’s Services

-  Stephen Bardsley, Service Delivery Manager, Adult Social Care

-  Catherine Williams, Commissioning Manager, NHS South and East Clinical Commissioning Group

-  Benita Powrie, Head of Service (Integrated Children’s Addition Service), Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

-  Nick Wood, General Manager, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

-  Anne Stanton, Head of Nursing, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Councillor Peter Gruen, was also in attendance to support the Scrutiny Board (Children’s Services) in his capacity as Chair of Scrutiny Board (Adult Social Services, NHS, Public Health)

The Board received a short presentation from each of the NHS organisations represented at the meeting.

The key areas of discussion were:

·  Improvements to transition arrangements through early co-ordinated care, development of a single set of goals, care plans and greater involvement of youth workers to provide support and help with signposting. The Board discussed the need for a change in approach and retraining of staff to deliver these outcomes.

·  The need to explore different approaches to working with young people, to empower them so they had some influence and control of their own care and outcomes.

·  More work needed to prepare young people and their parent/carers for the transition to adult health care provision.  The Board discussed development of joint planning and outcomes.

·  Concern about waiting times for children to be assessed for autism.

·  The need for improvements to sharing information across NHS departments and other organisations, particularly simplifying processes and ensuring families did not have to repeatedly provide information.

·  A suggestion that future reporting included case studies and examples of good practice to better understand the issues faced by young people.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the issues raised as part of the Board’s Inquiry be noted.

(b)  That examples of good practice and case studies are provided to the Board to better understand the issues faced by young people.

To receive the report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development and the appended report from Leeds City College to support discussion and debate about the education and life skills support provided at Leeds City College.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which presented information to support the Board’s discussion about the education and life skills support provided at Leeds City College.

The following information was appended to the report:

-  List of courses studied by students who have high needs enrolled at Leeds City College in the academic year 2015-16.

The following were in attendance:

-  Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, Executive Member (Children and Families)

-  Councillor Jane Dowson, Deputy Executive Member (Children and Families)

-  Paul Brennan, Deputy Director of Children’s Services (Learning)

-  Andrew Eastwood, Head of Service (Learning Improvement)

-  Barbara Newton, Head of Service (Complex Needs)

-  Diane Wilson, Director of Essential Skills, Leeds City College.

The key areas of discussion were:

·  An update regarding ongoing work to address tracking of student destinations.

·  Confirmation that there was a requirement to track student destinations for 6 months after leaving college. It was reported that Leeds City College tracked students for at least a year.

·  Development of the ‘Active Adult Life’ programme to support students that had not accessed paid employment.  The Board was advised that People in Action and West Yorkshire Playhouse had already signed up to the programme.

·  Confirmation of personalised programmes to support and challenge students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

·  Increased partnership working and support to ensure students were enrolled on the most appropriate course. 

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the issues raised as part of the Board’s Inquiry be noted.

(b)  That the Board be provided with a breakdown of student destinations for the 2014/15 academic year.

To receive the report of the Director of Childrens Services on the Draft Best City for Learning Strategy which outlines the four year plan for improving learning in Leeds from 2016-2020.

The Director of Children’s Services submitted a report which presented the Draft Best City for Learning Strategy 2016-2020.  The strategy outlined the four year plan for improving learning in Leeds.

The following were in attendance:

-  Paul Brennan, Deputy Director of Children’s Services (Learning)

-  Andrew Eastwood, Head of Service (Learning Improvement).

The key areas of discussion were:

·  Concern that the strategy may reflect ambition which was not achievable.

·  Greater focus needed in the strategy on delivering improvements. 

·  The need to strengthen reference to children and young people with SEND.

·  The need to recognise and reference the importance of recruiting and retaining good quality teachers.

RESOLVED – That the issues raised above be noted and the Draft Best City for Learning Strategy be amended.

To receive a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which details the draft work programme for the municipal year.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which invited Members to consider the Board’s work schedule for the remainder of the 2015/16 municipal year.

RESOLVED – That subject to any on-going scheduling decisions, the Board’s work schedule be approved.

Thursday, 10 March 2016 at 9.45am (pre-meeting for all Board Members at 9.15am)

Thursday, 10 March 2016 at 9.45am (pre-meeting for all Board Members at 9.15am)

(The meeting concluded at 1.10pm)