Agenda and minutes

Councillors and officers were invited to declare any interests they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Officer.

The report sets out the Scrutiny Review Panel Procedure Rules and suggests that the Panel should adopt them for the purpose of conducting the review.

The Panel are requested to formally adopt the Scrutiny Review Panel Rules for the purpose of conducting the review.

Officer Contact: Stephen Fox on Tel: 474 3206 or email:stephen.fox@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) requesting the Panel to formally adopt the Scrutiny Review Panel Procedure Rules for the purpose of the review.

RESOLVED – That the Scrutiny Review Panel Procedure rules be adopted for the purpose of conduct the review.

The report and presentation are designed to assist the Panel to scope the review and determine the areas which they wish to explore and scrutinise further.

The report provides contextual information for consideration. It was originally considered at the September meeting of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee.

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report of the Corporate Director for People (copies of which had been circulated) providing contextual information for consideration by the Panel which would help them determine the scope for the review.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and that it be considered in conjunction with agenda item 3b, a presentation in relation to the Integrated Prevention and Safeguarding Children and Family Service.

To consider a presentation of the Head of Service, Children’s Social Care and the Head of Integrated Children’s Service.

Following the presentation, Councillors are requested to determine the scope of the review and outline which areas they wish to scrutinise further.

Officer Contact: Stephen Fox on Tel: 474 3206 or email: stephen.fox@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for People made a presentation in respect to the Integrated Prevention and Safeguarding Children and Family Service and how the formation of that service related to the review. She highlighted the following:-

-       The overall investment across the service currently stood at £25m. This would reduce in 2015/16 to £23m and in 2016/2017 to £20m.

-       The new Integrated Prevention and Safeguarding Children and Family Service would ensure that Children and Families in Stockport received an intensive seamless service at the point at which they need it.

-       The new service would be easier for families to navigate, families in need will not have to repeat their story to multiple professionals, information will be readily available to families to enable those who were able to do so, to self-serve and will provide intensive support to the most vulnerable families to help them regain their independence as quickly as possible.

-       The service will ensure a strong focus on safeguarding, prevention and early identification of needs with clear packages of support to children and families by radically re-thinking how prevention services were configured and delivered.

-       The Troubled Families programme/Supporting Families Pathway/Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub would remain central to this work and would facilitate further exploration of the full range of delivery models in existence across the public, private and voluntary sector to understand commonality and duplication.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Councillors welcomed the philosophy to bring together teams to work on a geographical basis based of the four clinical commission group localities. The fully integrated teams through the locality approach would have a strong focus on working with all key partners, especially schools, employment and skills, GPs and local police.

·         A key element to the success of the service was information sharing amongst the various agencies. There was a formal agreement between the Council and the Foundation Trust which had enabled Team Managers to quickly share information which has enabled responses to be targeted and quicker.

·         Councillors noted and discussed the risks to the success of the integration programme and noted Appendix 6 to the report which identified Partnership working and obligations as not being fully understood and in particular:-

-       The need to ensure that partners were aware of their own statutory role and responsibilities in supporting children, young people and families as well as that of other professionals.

-       The need to ensure that partners were engaged at a strategic as well as operational level in building the model of delivery so that they take ownership, responsibility accountability for its delivery.

-       To ensure that clear lines of communication and systematic engagement throughout the process; and

-       That service plans identify partners that the Council relied upon and governance arrangements were identified.

Councillors identified those issues as ones which they wished to address as part of the review. It was then

RESOLVED – That the Democratic Services Manager in consultation with the Corporate Director for People be requested to make arrangements for meetings of the Panel as follows:-

·         November 2014 – Presentation and discussion on the multi-agency safeguarding hub.

·         January 2015 – Presentation from Health colleagues and a discussion is relation to CAMHS.

·         February 2015 – Presentation in relation to partnership working with Schools.

To approve the following dates for future meetings:-

19 November 2014 at 5pm – Information gathering

14 January 2015 at 5pm – Information gathering

11 February 2015 at 5pm – Information gathering

16 March 2015 at 5pm – Comment and approval of draft final report

RESOLVED – That future meetings of the Review Panel be held as follows:-

19 November 2014 at 6.00pm

January 2015 – tbc

11 February 2015 at 6.00pm

16 March 2015 at 6.00pm