Agenda item
Scrutiny Inquiry - Children's Centres
To consider the report of the Head of Corporate Governance and Scrutiny Support which provides information to support the 3rd session of the scrutiny inquiry into Children’s Centres.
Minutes:
The Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support submitted a report which presented information as part of the Board’s inquiry into Children’s Centres.
The following information was appended to the report:
- Scrutiny Board (Children’s Services) Leeds CCGs briefing.
The following were in attendance:
- Councillor Lisa Mulherin, Executive Board Member, Children and Families
- Councillor Jane Dowson, Deputy Executive Board Member, Children and Families
- Sue Rumbold, Chief Officer, Partnership Development and Business Support
- Andrea Richardson, Head of Service, Learning for Life
- Sharon Yellin, Consultant in Public Health
- Amanda Ashe, Children’s Centres and Early Help Lead
- Clare Slaney, Service Delivery Manager, Children’s Services
- Sarah Lovell, Associate Director of Commissioning, Leeds South and East CCG.
The key areas of discussion were:
· Feedback and key issues arising from scrutiny visits to children’s centres in January.
· Concern about the poor quality accommodation of some children’s centres.
· Concern about the reported poor standards of private rented housing.
· The need to support families living in rural settings that were isolated.
· The positive difference that staff at children’s centres had made to the lives of children and families.
· The positive integration of Bankside Primary School and Bankside Children’s Centre.
· Clarification regarding the potential to expand New Bewerley EYFS provision into the former library located within the Dewsbury Road One Stop Centre.
· The need for an improved online communication and marketing strategy to provide easily accessible information regarding city-wide children’s centre provision and the relevant services provided.
· The demand for speech and language support at children’s centres in relation to the Best Start Plan, particularly in areas with high EAL levels. The Board expressed concern regarding a reduction in health services resources.
· The need to ensure that families were supported to implement positive child development practice outside of educational settings.
· Development of a partnership approach and the key involvement of clusters.
· Enhanced CCG funding in the south and east and clarification regarding funding from the north and west CCG’s.
· Targeting investment in areas of greatest need, particularly in terms of reducing health inequalities.
· The extent to which CCG’s felt they received a return on their investment into services provided through children’s centres.
· The types of support for children and families with mental health difficulties.
· Concern about the impact of public health funding reduction and the impact on service delivery, particularly early intervention programmes.
· Concern about the change in structure of some clusters and the impact on targeted provision in children’s centres.
· Clarification sought regarding the benefits of children’s centres attached to schools and the extent to which seamless transition between children’s centres and schools were consistent city-wide.
· The link and essential relationship between children’s centres and children’s social services, and the developing model in the JESS cluster.
RESOLVED – That the issues raised as part of the Board’s inquiry into Children’s Centres, be noted.
(Mr T Britten and Mrs S Hutchinson left the meeting at 11.45am, Ms K Jan at 11.50am and Councillor K Renshaw at 12 noon, during the consideration of this item.)
Supporting documents:
- Children's Centre report, item 60. PDF 107 KB
- App 1 CCG Children's Scrutiny Board Briefing (re Children Centres)Oct16, item 60. PDF 49 KB