Agenda item

A report of the Head of Neighbourhood Services, providing the Group with an opportunity to consider the draft Children and Young People’s Strategy 2019-2024.

A report of the Head of Neighbourhood Services, providing the Group with an opportunity to consider the draft Children and Young People’s Strategy 2019-2024, was submitted (item 6 on the agenda filed with these minutes). 

The Cabinet Lead Member for Communities, Safety and Wellbeing, the Head of Neighbourhood Services and the Children, Families and Partnerships Manager assisted with consideration of the item and provided the following responses to issues raised:

(i)            There was specific guidance regarding which roles required a DBS check.  Ensuring that the guidance was followed was usually an HR function as part of the recruitment process.  That was different to the Council’s ongoing safeguarding responsibilities.  It was not the Council’s responsibility to ensure that external organisations had undertaken appropriate DBS checks.

(ii)          The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation had not caused difficulties regarding information sharing because there were overriding duties regarding reporting safeguarding concerns relating to children.

(iii)         The Council had commented on the recent review of Early Help services conducted by Leicestershire County Council.  Any impact of those changes would relate to preventative work rather than social care services and would not affect how the Borough Council performed its safeguarding functions.

(iv)         Consultation on the draft strategy had been through discussions at meetings of the various forums and groups on which the Council was represented.  The main areas for discussion were whether the structure and objectives of the strategy were correct and identifying the needs to be addressed.  Details of those meetings and the partners with which the Council worked on those forums and groups could be provided as part of the report submitting the strategy to the Cabinet for approval.

(v)          The target for reducing the number of children and young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) was set by Leicestershire County Council.  The level in Charnwood was consistently below the target and the number of Charnwood wards that were among those in the county with the highest level had reduced.  There was good co-operation in this area of work by academies and Loughborough College.

(vi)         Information was provided regarding the support that was provided by the Council to voluntary and community sector groups.

(vii)        Information was provided regarding the arrangements for meetings of the Joint Action Group.

The following comments were made by members of the Group:

(i)            The strategy document could be made shorter and less repetitive.  That would also make it more accessible for children.

(ii)          The progress that had been made in relation to reducing the number of young parents was welcomed.  There had also been some progress in reducing levels of obesity but they were still very high.

RESOLVED

1.         that the report be noted;

2.         that it be noted that officers would look at the length and format of the strategy document and including information about the consultation process and responses to it, including details of the meetings at which the strategy had been discussed with partners and the partners with which the Council worked, when preparing the final version of the strategy and report for submission to the Cabinet.

Reasons

1.         To acknowledge the information received.

2.         To acknowledge the issues raised by the Group and how they would be dealt with.