Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2024.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 17 December 2024 were approved as a correct record.

Councillors and officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and officers to declare any interest which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No interests were declared.

To consider an update of the Executive Director for Children’s Services.

The update will provide details relating to the strategies for working towards school readiness in early years; especially social development and personal care which would give the young children an excellent start to their school life by reducing embarrassment and negative experiences.

The Review Panel is requested to consider and to note the update.

Officer contact: LJ Woodward | lj.woodward@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Executive Director for Children’s Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing details relating to the strategies for working towards school readiness in early years; especially social development and personal care which would give the young children an excellent start to their school life by reducing embarrassment and negative experiences.

Members welcomed the report and the opportunity to contribute to the proposed scope of the review and thanked officers for the details in the report.

The following comments were made/issues raised:

·       It was commented that parents accessing support and asking for help was not a failure but a positive and a strength.

·       There was a lot to learn about throughout the scrutiny review process about achieving the best outcomes for children with the most need.

·       Clarification was sought regarding achieving the best outcomes for children no matter their start to life and about the gifted and talented scheme. In response, it was noted that there was a strong universal offer for those children who were meeting age related achievements and that the gifted and talented scheme no longer existed, but was not recognised as ‘children with greater depth’.

·       Members enquired about funding challenges and the resource and capacity available. In response, it was stated that there was a strong position around health visitors in comparison to Greater Manchester partners and that the resources and funding was targeted. There had been challenges, but there were funding packages available relating to provision e.g. pastoral packages and there was a prioritising approach to the business and the real issues that was accessible for all.

Members discussed the three recommendations as follows: -

1.     Enhance Communication and Partnership Working - Improve collaboration between the LA and the early years sector and establish effective communication channels/structures to get the very best outcomes for children.

2.     Better Inform Families About Available Support - Develop clear and accessible communication strategies to ensure families understand the services and entitlements available to them, using various channels to reach a broader audience.

3.     Focus on Outcomes to Address Inequality - Conduct cohort analyses to identify specific needs, enabling us to target resources to support identified cohorts within our financial envelope and to focus resources on communication and language development using evidenced based methods.

The following comments were made/issues raised:

·       The recommendations covered the areas of concerns that were previously raised through the scrutiny review.

·       Communication was key, but did it involve childminders being kept informed.

·       Family support was very important for a child’s development

·       Let’s not forget the father’s and bringing them along on the journey.

·       Need to consider prioritising the child’s needs against the family desires.

·       There needed to be a re-inforcement of the training needed for childminders as they were unaware of the multi-route approaches and the other agencies involved to provide support.

·       Important to capture the voice of the child as well.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Executive Director for Children’s Services in consultation with the Chair seek to incorporate the issues raised relating to the recommendations into the final report.

The Scrutiny Review Panel is asked to consider the next steps for the review.

The Scrutiny Review Panel were informed that going forward the following needed to be taken into account: -

·       Draft Final report will need to be finalised and shared with the scrutiny review panel

·       Draft final report to be submitted to the Scrutiny Committee being held on Wednesday 5 March 2025

·       Final report to be submitted to Cabinet for approval on Tuesday 18 March 2025.

RESOLVED - That the verbal update be noted.