Agenda item

To consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which details the evidence to be considered as part of the third and fourth formal sessions of the Scrutiny Board’s inquiry into services for 8-13 year olds

Further to Minute No. 47, 11^th October 2007, the Board received a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which introduced the evidence to be considered as part of the third and fourth formal sessions of the Board’s inquiry into services for 8-13 year olds.

Sally Threlfall, Acting Chief Officer, and Jason Tabor, Programme Officer – Out of School Activities Project, both of Early Years and Youth Service, Maggie Smith, Deputy Manager, and Wendy Gledhill, both of Youth Offending Service, Barbara Newton, Strategic Leader - Partnership and Participation, Children’s Services, Mark Hopkins, Strategic Manager – Study Support, Education Leeds, Deborah Howe, Children’s Involvement Advocate, Mark Law, Chief Executive of Bramley and Rodley Community Action (BARCA), Chris Finnigan, Social Care, Frank O’Malley, Leeds Play Network and Jody Sheppard, Leeds Children’s Fund, were all in attendance to introduce the range of evidence which had been submitted and to answer Members’ questions.

Appended to the report for Members’ information were the agreed terms of reference for the inquiry, a range of information regarding current summer holiday provision being delivered in Leeds, and a briefing paper entitled, ‘Use of PFI Schools by Community Groups and Third Party Groups’. This was in addition to a summary of the ‘short break’ services provided   for disabled children in the city, a briefing paper which related to the ‘all relative’ programme, a copy of the ‘Leeds Children and Young People’s Participation Strategy 2007’, and a copy of the ‘Leeds Play Strategy‘.

The evidence which had been submitted was then introduced and presented to the Board by relevant officers, together with representatives from the voluntary, community and faith sector. A wide ranging discussion then ensued, which was divided into several different aspects of service provision for 8-13 year olds. The main areas of debate were as follows:-

Voluntary Sector

·  The Chief Executive of BARCA provided Members with an overview of the range of services which were provided for 8-13 year olds by the voluntary sector in Leeds. The Board learned that voluntary sector organisations were significant providers of extended services in Leeds, and remained vital in respect of plugging any gaps in provision;

·  Members noted that overarching organisations such as BARCA provided a framework for smaller service providers within the voluntary sector, and that effective communication between such voluntary sector organisations was essential in order to ensure that a co-ordinated service was delivered;

·  The Board was also advised of the innovative approach taken by many organisations within the voluntary sector, when attempting to address issues, such as meeting the needs of the family unit as a whole.

Extended Services/Holiday Schemes

·  Members received a summary of the work being undertaken to deliver extended services, holiday schemes and out of hours provision in Leeds, which included an overview of the Breeze initiative and the progress which was being made in respect of clustering arrangements throughout the city;

·  The Board learned that Leeds was one of the top performing Local Authorities in respect of the proportion of schools providing the core extended services offer, with 76% of schools within Leeds currently delivering such provision, compared to the national average of 63%;

·  Members discussed attendance levels at the series of Breeze events which had been held throughout the summer, and the ways in which such attendances could continue to be improved. Members then noted that by 2010, every young person in Leeds should have access to extended services, as there would be greater and more varied levels of provision available;

·  The Board enquired about the extent to which the public was aware of the clustering arrangements being developed throughout Leeds. In response, Members’ comments were acknowledged, and the Board was advised of the actions being taken to promote the initiative, which included the development of Advisory Boards including parent representation, and a range of work being undertaken via the ‘Family Hub’ and the Breeze initiative. The Board then discussed the monitoring role that Education Leeds played in relation to the development of the clusters;

·  Members sought further details relating to those schools which currently did not provide out of school activities in Leeds, and made enquires into the actions which were being taken to encourage such schools to extend their provision. In response, the Board learned that there were 114 schools currently delivering such provision in Leeds, and that those schools which currently did not provide such services were being encouraged to do so. Members then requested that further statistical information relating to this issue was submitted to the Board for consideration;

·  The Board referred to those young people who were educated within a specialist setting which was not located within the vicinity of their home, and enquired about the access such young people had to their local clusters. In response, the Board learned that there was evidence that such individuals were accessing extended provision within their own locality, and it was agreed to provide some case studies;

·  The Board discussed the levels of access that young people residing in certain areas of the city had to the series of events organised as part of the Breeze initiative. In response, Members learned that the Breeze programme was promoted in every school throughout the city, and that wherever possible, neutral venues were used for the main events. With regard to Breeze cards, Members noted that such cards were not only used to access Breeze events, but could also be used to engage in a number of leisure activities throughout the city;

·  Members then received further information relating to the line management and staff development arrangements in place for the Cluster Co-ordinators who had been appointed.

Provision for Children with Disabilities

·  Members received an overview of the provision which was currently being delivered in Leeds to those 8-13 year olds with disabilities.

‘All Relative’ Scheme

·  The Board noted that the ‘All Relative’ scheme delivered a parenting programme to parents of 8-13 year olds who were at risk of engaging in anti-social behaviour;

·  In response to the Board’s enquiries, Members learned that although referrals to the scheme were often received through various agencies, such as schools and the anti-social behaviour unit, it was a voluntary programme, which the parents themselves agreed to undertake;

·  Members discussed the geographical area which was covered by the scheme;

·  Having noted that research conducted by the University of Bangor had concluded that the scheme had led to participants’ parenting skills being ‘improved’, the Board considered whether in the correct circumstances, certain elements of the scheme could be made compulsory;

·  Members learned that the course was of 18 weeks duration, and in response to their enquiries, noted that it was hoped for a monitoring mechanism to be established, in order to track the progress of the participants and their children over a longer period of time;

·  The Board then discussed the funding arrangements in place for the scheme.

Participation

·  The Board received a brief summary of the work which had been undertaken to develop and produce the Leeds Children and Young People’s Participation Strategy, and learned of the range of work currently being carried out throughout the city to improve the engagement and participation levels of children and young people, such as the ‘5-13 Crew’ and ‘Youth on Health’ initiatives;

·  Following Members’ enquiries into the ‘5-13 Crew’ and ‘Crew on the Move’ initiatives, which aimed to engage with young people via the publication and circulation of a magazine composed and designed by the group’s membership, the Board noted that the scheme was publicised via schools, the Breeze initiative and young people themselves. Members then discussed the broad age range of the young people involved, and how they worked together in producing the magazine;

·  Having discussed the range of young people’s views which were detailed within the participation strategy, Members emphasised the importance for all young people to be convinced that their views would be listened to and taken into consideration and that they would receive feedback.

Play Strategy

·  Having received a brief overview of the actions taken to develop the Leeds Play Strategy, Members made enquiries into the proposed appointment of an individual officer who would be responsible for the wide ranging task of developing play facilities across the city, and the level of support which would be available to that individual. In response, the Board noted that through the establishment of the Play Strategy, the authority was now better placed to take a more co-ordinated and multi-agency approach towards developing play facilities in Leeds, and that there would be a range of agencies who would assist the authority in developing its play provision throughout the city.

Conclusions

·  The Acting Chief Officer, Early Years and Youth Service, welcomed the Board’s consideration of the range of issues associated with the provision of services for 8-13 year olds, assured Members that where it had been requested, further information would be provided, and emphasised the importance of the series of site visits that the Board was undertaking across a range of facilities as part of the inquiry;

·  With regard to the development of services for 8-13 year olds, it was acknowledged that although every venue throughout Leeds would not be capable of delivering a full complement of extended provision, over time, a wide range of services would be developed across each locality;

·  Members praised the range of comments made by children and young people which had featured within the participation strategy.

In conclusion, the Chair thanked all officers who had contributed to the inquiry for their time, and noted that further information which related to the findings from the series of site visits which were being undertaken by the Board, would be considered at the next meeting in January. 

RESOLVED -

(a). That the report and information appended to the report be noted;

(b). That the information requested by the Board be forwarded to Members for consideration.

(Councillors Chapman, Renshaw and S Hamilton left the meeting at

11.00 a.m., 11.55 a.m. and 11.57 a.m. respectively, during the consideration of this item)