Agenda and minutes

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings to watch them in person at any of the venues across the County. Publicly accessible meetings held in County Hall will be webcast, which means they are available to be watched live or recorded on our website. Please see our webcasting notice here. The Committee may, in certain circumstances, resolve to hold part of the meeting in private. If this is the case, you will be required to leave the meeting.

Venue: Committee Room 'B' - The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston. View directions

Contact: Samantha Parker  Email:  sam.parker@lancashire.gov.uk; Tel 01772 538221

Media

Webcast: View the webcast

Items
No. Item

County Councillor Bernard Dawson replaced County Councillor Jennifer Mein for this meeting.   

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from County Councillor Joe Cooney, County Councillor Paul V Greenall and Councillor Gail Goodman (Co-optee Non-voting) Children's Partnership Board - Fylde, Wyre and Lancashire North.

2.

Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests

Members are asked to consider any Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the Agenda.

Minutes:

None were disclosed.

3.

Minutes from the meeting held on 27 February 2019 pdf icon PDF 74 KB

Minutes:

Resolved: That the minutes from the meeting held on the 27 February 2019 be confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

 

4.

Lancashire Getting to Good Plan pdf icon PDF 98 KB

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Sally Allen, Acting Director of Children's Social Care; Victoria Gent, Head of Children's Social Care East; and Victoria Gibson, Lancashire Safeguarding Boards Business Manager, to the meeting.

 

The report presented provided an update on the Lancashire Getting to Good Plan and the progress made. The plan set out the actions required to address the 11 recommendations of the Ofsted report out the actions required to improve the quality of practice and outcomes for children.

 

The committee commended the excellent work that was going on from Children's Services and the Corporate Parenting Board but was concerned that case load levels were on the rise.

 

Concerns were raised around the links with partners through the Children's Partnership Boards and their contact with schools. Members were advised that events had been held in the run up to the Ofsted inspection and Children's Services had been getting partners back to the table.

 

It was highlighted to the committee that further work was required in terms of Edge of Care Services to prevent children coming into care. However, various services are in place to support this including an Outreach Service working closely with the family and the child in their home. There was also an Adolescent Support Unit and the Family Group Conferencing.

 

Regarding gender in the workforce, members enquired as to the gender breakdown between men and woman. It was noted that the social care workforce was predominantly female. It was suggested that this could be looked at in greater detail through the Workforce Board.

 

In terms of Lancashire's Multi-Agency Neglect Strategy, the committee was informed that the strategy was a key area in the Lancashire Getting to Good Plan. The strategy reached its review date during 2018 and significant work had been undertaken to not only review but to rewrite the strategy. This work involved LCC, Police, Health Commissioners, Health Providers and Education and the strategy was endorsed by the Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board in January 2019.

 

Members were informed that the refreshed strategy showed the commitment and ambition of all partners in Lancashire to maintain their focus to better identify children experiencing neglect.

 

The refreshed multi-agency strategy was launched on 1 April 2019 to assist all practitioners in tackling neglect. Good practice materials had also been collated from national organisations to support practitioners in identifying and assessing neglect. Lancashire Safeguarding Children's Board (LSCB) multi-agency training had been refreshed in line with the new neglect strategy. Partner agencies would have their own action plans and the LSCB would monitor these action plans and hold partners to account.

 

It was noted that the Neglect Strategy was an integral part of the Lancashire Getting to Good plan and a strategic business priority for the LSCB.

 

Members were advised that schools had a vital role to play in identifying neglect as they had the most contact with the children. Members were advised that Designated Safeguarding Leads in schools undertake regular training.  In addition, the LSCB provide a training programme.  Further to this, safeguarding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Children's Services Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 82 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The work plan for the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee for the 2018/19 municipal year was presented. The topics included were identified at the work planning workshop held on 10 July 2018.

 

Resolved: The report presented be noted.

6.

Urgent Business

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the Minutes, the Chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any Member’s intention to raise a matter under this heading.

Minutes:

There were no items of Urgent Business.

7.

Date of the Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee is Wednesday 22 May at 10:30am, Cabinet Room C, County Hall, Preston.

 

Minutes:

The next meeting of the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee will take place on Wednesday 22 May 2019 at 10:30am in Cabinet Room 'C' (The Duke of Lancaster Room) at the County Hall, Preston.