Agenda item

To consider the attached report of the Director of Children’s Services presenting the performance data and commentary so far for 2009/10 for the Youth Service’s delivery in the Outer East Wards and plans for the future.

(Council Function)

The Director of Children’s Services submitted a report presenting performance data and commentary so far for 2009/10 for the Youth Service’s delivery in the Outer East wards and plans for the future.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Neil Bowden, Senior Youth Officer and  Ken Morton, Locality Enabler, both from Children’s Services, to present the report and respond to Members’ queries and comments.

Also in attendance was Pat Toner, Director of Organisational Improvement, Education Leeds.

In summary, specific reference was made to the following issues:-

• clarification of the reach figures outlined in the Outer East Youth Service  Performance targets v actuals April – Sept 09 (table 1 refers) and the need for the Area Committee to be supplied with a breakdown of the 522 within the Garforth and Swillington ward

  (The Senior Youth Officer responded and agreed  

to supply this detail to Members of the Area Committee)

• clarification of the commissioning plans involving the Youth Service and the School Partnership Trust in Garforth

·  clarification of the latest position in relation to the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification previously run at Kippax Leisure Centre prior to it’s closure

(The Senior Youth Officer responded and agreed to follow up this issue)

·  clarification of the number of occasions that the Youth Service had consulted  the Area Committee Chair and Elected Members on future plans

(The Senior Youth Officer responded and informed the meeting that the next round of ward Member briefings with the Youth Service had been arranged for January and February which were organised on a six/eight months basis)

·  the concerns expressed that, in the past, the Youth Service had failed to keep appointments with Elected Members in view of their responsibilities around youth work

(The Senior Youth Officer responded that he had submitted his apologies to the last Committee meeting)

·  the concerns expressed that the reach targets were out of date

·  clarification of where the resources will come from in relation to the major challenges facing teenage pregnancy

(The Locality Enabler Children’s Services responded and outlined the criteria around case work with specific reference to the need for officers to look at a risk analysis at school level)

·  clarification if the work currently undertaken between the Youth Service and John Smeaton school targeting young people who were under achieving or who have low attendance had begun or was an aspiration with the school

(The Senior Youth Officer responded and agreed to contact the school for an update with a report back on progress)

·  the need for an extra table to be inserted within the documents which would provide a summary of all the Youth Work programmes currently being delivered in the Outer East wards on the outcome/performance level

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the report and appendices be noted.

(b)  That the Senior Youth Officer and the Locality 

  Enabler be requested to take on board the above comments made by

  Members in relation to developing future plans for the Youth Service’s

  delivery in the Outer East wards.

(Councillor D Schofield left the meeting at 6.05pm at the conclusion of the above item)