Agenda and minutes

Cllr David Simmonds CBE welcomed the board to his final meeting as Chairman. The Board thanked Cllr Simmonds for his chairmanship, and congratulated him for his recognition in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

The Board also congratulated Edwina Grant for her award of an OBE for services to safeguarding children and young people.

The board marked the passing of David Bellotti who had served as a Member of the board up until the May election. It was agreed that the Chairman would write to David’s widow on behalf of the board.

Declarations of Interest

Cllr Ivan Ould noted that he was Chair of f40 lobbying group for fairer funding in education.

The Chairman introduced the Annual Review of activities of the Children and Young People Board for 2014-15.

The board welcomed Ian Keating as Principal Advisor for Children and Young People following Helen Johnston’s departure.

Members discussed:

·         The breadth of work undertaken and its importance beyond the remit of the board.

·         The importance of the board’s work on the prevention of Child Sexual Exploitation

·         The need to push for better sharing of data between the NHS and Local Government

·         The need for clarity around CAMHS funding, particularly in relation to services in schools

·         The need for the LGA to continue to highlight the challenges facing councils in school place planning

The Chairman introduced the paper that asked members to identify the key LGA priorities for working with and influencing the new government.

Members discussed:

·         The importance of showcasing the good work that councils do in children’s services and promoting a positive image of the work.

·         Combined Authorities’ role in children’s services

·         A stronger role for councils in decisions about new free schools in their areas, to support their place planning duties and to make sure public money is spent efficiently

·         The continued importance of work around CSE and safeguarding

·         The new burdens that could be placed on children’s services under the new government

·         The need for the system to be proactive on the availability and supply of teachers and school leaders.

·         Local government’s future role in joining up early years and childcare provision.

Action

Members to send examples to Ian Keating of free schools that are not in appropriate buildings or places.

Keep members posted on any developments around a council’s right to use in-house placements for fostering children.

Members were presented with a summary of the provisions of the Education and Adoption Bill and the Childcare Bill. Members were asked to identify the key LGA priorities for lobbying on the two Bills.

Members discussed:

·         The need to look into the availability and supply of good sponsors for Academies

·         The need for maintained schools and local authorities to be able to sponsor academies

·         Concerns around the capacity of the Regional Schools Commissioners to take on additional failing maintained schools ,as proposed in the bill

·         The evident capability of Local Authorities in sustained school improvement

·         The potential for contradictory measures of a school’s performance to coexist depending on the definition of coasting schools, with Ofsted declaring it good or outstanding but the Government classing it as ‘coasting’

·         The development of markets to provide extra childcare hours, particularly in areas where the state is the only viable provider.

Action

Find information on how many sponsors come forward when the need for a free school or academy has been identified.

The recommendations for the proposed areas of focus for the LGA were agreed.

Members were presented with a summary of the main policy agendas relating to services supporting the engagement of young people in education and training and their transition from school to work. It analysed the potential impact on councils, including the impact of proposals included in the Full Employment and Welfare Bill.

Members discussed:

·         The issue of free school transport provision ending at 16 with a school leaving age of 18, which is a particular problem in rural areas.

·         The inconsistent record of Job Centre Plus and the greater benefit of a locally commissioned provider for supplementary careers advice in schools.

·         The impact of the removal of housing benefit for 18 – 21 year olds on young people.

Action

Members noted the report.

The Chairman introduced the Other Business Report, which provided members with an update on the work of officers on the 0-5 Public Health Transfer, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and the National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCAS).

Members discussed the LGA proposals CSE disruption orders if councils can apply directly to the courts.

Members agreed the Minutes of the previous meeting on 25 March 2015