Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which invites Members to agree the details of the Scrutiny Board’s Work Programme for the forthcoming municipal year

A report was submitted by the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which sought Members’ views on the Scrutiny Board’s work programme for the 2007/08 municipal year.

Councillor Brett, Lead Executive Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Harker, the Executive Member for Learning, Rosemary Archer, Director of Children’s Services, Chris Edwards, Chief Executive of Education Leeds and Jackie Wilson, Strategic Leader – Change and Performance, Children’s Services, were all in attendance.

The two Executive Members present provided the Board with an overview of the range of issues currently being faced throughout the Children’s Services portfolio in Leeds. The main points raised were as follows:-

·  The actions being taken in preparation for the upcoming inspection of Children’s Services provision;

·  The finalisation of the revised Children and Young People’s Plan;

·  The focus which needed to be placed upon vulnerable children, including the services currently available to young people with disabilities and looked after children;

·  The importance of those young people who fell within the 8-13 age group and the need to ensure that appropriate services were provided to them;

·  The development of early years service provision in Leeds through the children’s centre programme;

·  The issue of governance arrangements when considering the multi agency approach towards provision which was increasingly being taken in Leeds;

·  Parenting support and the engagement of parents;

·  The contribution of youth services in Leeds;

·  The actions which needed to be taken to address the general health and wellbeing of children and young people, particularly in relation to obesity, mental health and sexual health;

·  Proposals relating to the restructuring of Further Education and the 14-19 phase in Leeds, following a report which was published by the Learning and Skills Council on the issue, and pathways to employment;

·  The standards agenda and attainment levels of children and young people in Leeds;

·  The work currently being undertaken on school buildings and estates through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and the progress being made in relation to the provision of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education.

The Director of Children’s Services advised new members of the Board of the changes in structure and approach towards children’s services provision which were being adopted following the introduction of the Children Act 2004. She referred to the key challenges of developing partnerships, participation, personalisation, safeguards and standards.

Having received a brief summary of the information detailed within agenda item 11 entitled, ‘Performance Management Information’ (Minute No. 9 refers) from the Chief Executive of Education Leeds, a question and answer session ensued. The main additional areas of debate were as follows:-

·  The role of Area Management Boards (AMBs) in Leeds and the support currently being given to those staff who were working to improve the behaviour levels of children and young people;

·  The need to ensure that ongoing areas of work undertaken by the Board’s predecessors continued to be monitored by the Board as appropriate. It was noted that several responses to inquiries which had been conducted throughout the previous municipal year were scheduled to be submitted to the July meeting of the Board for consideration. Members then proposed that a progress report on the Specialist Inclusive Learning Centres (SILCs) in Leeds, an area which had been the subject of an inquiry during 2005/06, was also submitted to the Board in July;

·  The sustainability of schools in Leeds, and the actions being taken to promote environmental issuesand address energy consumption levels within schools;

·  The actions being taken to address the issues which were commonly faced by young immigrants and their families in Leeds;

·  The role of Academies and the extent to which Education Leeds could engage with and influence all institutions which made up the increasingly mixed economy of education provision in Leeds;

·  The actions being taken to address those matters which often affected young people during periods of educational transition, in a bid to improve attainment levels;

·  The need to ensure that funding arrangements for service provision to children and young people reflected the change in the ways such services were now being delivered. Members then discussed the demise of the Children’s Fund and how the implications of this were being addressed.

In conclusion, the Chair confirmed that a draft work programme, reflecting the issues raised by the Board, would be submitted to the July meeting for consideration.

RESOLVED –

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

(b). That further information on parenting support be submitted to the Scrutiny Board for consideration;

(c). That services for 8-13 year olds be considered in more detail as part of the Board’s work programme for the 2007/08 municipal year;

(d). That ongoing areas of work undertaken by the Board’s predecessors be monitored by the Board as appropriate;

(e). That a progress report on the Specialist Inclusive Learning Centres (SILCs) be submitted to the July meeting of the Board for consideration.

(Councillors J Chapman and C Campbell left the meeting at 9.55 a.m. and

10.25 a.m. respectively, during the consideration of this item)