Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Children & Young People’s Scrutiny Committee.

In the summer of 2014, the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee considered a report in respect of the work of the Integrated Children’s Service. Subsequently the Committee received information regarding the proposals under Investing in Stockport to establish an Integrated Prevention and Safeguarding Children and Family Service that provides the highest quality support to Stockport’s most vulnerable children and families. The ambition was to redesign and align the current Children’s Social Care system with the Integrated Children’s Service under an approach to be known as ‘Stockport Family’.

A critical factor in achieving the Stockport Family changes will be the effectiveness of early identification and prevention to stop children and families’ needs escalating in the first place and that this requires joint service delivery with wider partners in the public, private and voluntary sector. Consequently a key risk to the success of the programme was partnership working, both the need to engage partners effectively and to ensure that partners fully understood their obligations and recognise the opportunities moving forward. With that in mind, the Scrutiny Committee determined that this would be an appropriate topic for which a scrutiny review panel could make a valuable contribution.

The Executive is invited to receive the report and request the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services to prepare a response to the recommendations contained in the report.

Officer contact: Stephen Fox, 0161 474 3206, Stephen.fox@stockport.gov.uk

The Lead Councillor (Councillor Paul Porgess) of the Scrutiny Review into the development of partnership working as part of the Integrated Prevention Services model attended the meeting to present the final report of the Review (copies of which had been circulated) to the Executive and to answer questions from executive councillors.

RESOLVED – (1) That the Corporate Director for People be requested to prepare a response to the “Integrated Prevention Services – Developing Partnership Working” Scrutiny Review final report and the recommendations contained therein for consideration by the Executive at a future meeting.

(2) That the gratitude of the Executive be recorded for the excellent work undertaken by the Scrutiny Review Panel - Integrated Prevention Services – Developing Partnership Working in Stockport and others involved in this Review.

To consider a report of Councillor Paul Porgess, Scrutiny Review Panel Lead Councillor.

The report sets out for comment the findings and recommendations of the Scrutiny Review for Integrated Prevention Services – Developing Partnership Working.

The Scrutiny Committee are request to comment on and approve the report for submission to the Executive.

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

Councillor Paul Porgess (Lead Councillor) submitted the draft final report of the Scrutiny Review ‘Integrated Prevention Services – Developing Partnership Working’ (copies of which had been circulated) and inviting the Scrutiny Committee to endorse the report and recommendations prior to submission to the Executive.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The review had received valuable input from partners, and the Panel had learnt much useful information about the range of services being delivered through the Integrated Prevention Service.

·         The role of schools was vital to the prevention agenda as they were the ‘front line’ in many cases. Using the work being done at Westmorland Primary School as an exemplar or ‘beacon’ for others to learn from was to be encouraged, although it was recognised that other schools were already engaged with the prevention agenda.

·         Although not formally part of the Review, it was recognised that the successful Department for Education Innovation Fund bid could usefully be utilised to support training within schools to supplement the aims of the Stockport Family project and the integrated prevention work. In response it was commented that Head Teachers would be directly involved in the Stockport Family project.

·         Concerns were expressed about the appropriateness of the use of the term ‘common language’ in the Final Report.

The Chair thanked all those who had taken part in the Scrutiny Review for their contribution.

RESOLVED – That the Scrutiny Review ‘Integrated Prevention Services – Developing Partnership Working’ Final Report be approved and endorsed.