Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Deputy John Bennett.

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the minutes and non-public summary of the previous meeting held on 24 September 2013.

RESOLVED – That the minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 24 September 2013 be agreed as a correct record.

Fran Pearson and Jim Gamble, Independent Chairmen of the City & Hackney Safeguarding Adults’ Board and Children’s Board respectively, and Rob Stanex from City Gateway were welcomed to the meeting. Ms Pearson and Mr Gamble gave a brief introduction as to the work carried out by the two Boards, the challenges and areas of work common to both and issues that were distinct and required a different approach. They highlighted the need to secure effective communication alongside the need to challenge and scrutinise interpartnership working in order to develop services and ensure successful working practices.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services which provided details of an independent quality assurance review of safeguarding adults arrangements conducted in November 2013.

Members discussed the report, noting some suggested improvements and the positive comments made about the competency and knowledge of staff. In response to a question from a Member it was reported that the review had been evaluated using the same matrix as the Care Quality Commission. In response to another Member’s question, the Director of Community & Children’s Services reported that work was underway to review the safeguarding literature produced by the City Corporation, and that safeguarding would be acknowledged formally as a Corporate Risk by the Audit and Risk Committee in March.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services which sought feedback on the draft City Youth Participation Strategy. This had been developed by City Gateway alongside partners who work with young people in the City, and used the ‘Silent Voice, Say, Do, Decide’ model to engage with a wide cross-section of the youth population in the City.

Rob Stanex from City Gateway answered Members’ questions on the strategy, and it was noted that:

·         As this strategy would be launched throughout the Corporation and partners, champions would be needed in every department and organisation, to be supported and trained by City Gateway;

·         A two-way flow of communication was needed - training would enable young people to effectively address Committees and express themselves as well as help City Corporation and partner agency staff to work intergenerationally;

·         As there was difficulty in defining young people from the City (as opposed to travelling through) and accessing City residents who attend schools in other Boroughs, want to engage with as many organisations as possible who work with young people within the City;

·         City Gateway were linked to the Challenge network, though they were not currently a partner agency.

RESOLVED – that the draft City Youth Participation Strategy be approved, and that updates on the implementation of the plan from the Children’s Executive Board be received at future meetings.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services, which outlined the strengths based learning review undertaken in January 2014 by two independent experts in the field of Social Care. Members noted that this review indicated ‘Good’ services with ‘Outstanding’ features were being delivered to children and families, and that an action plan had been created to address the areas requiring further development.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Members received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services summarising the quality assurance activity from the past 12 months. Officers reported that findings had been shared with social workers through team meetings and reflective practice sessions, and improvements were being made as a result of these such as support for remote working and more focus on positive feedback. In response to a Member’s question regarding interviews with Looked After Children, the Assistant Director of People reported that although the feedback had been written up in a generic template, the discussions with the children themselves were more flexible; i.e. discussions with a 16 year old were very different than that for a 5 year old, despite seeking the same information.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.

MOTION - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

            Item                                                     Paragraph

            11-15                                                   3

To agree the non-public minutes of the previous meeting held on 24 September 2013.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 24 September 2013 be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.