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: