Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  To note that no Reserve Members had been nominated to attend the meeting.

To appoint a Vice-Chair of the Committee for the remainder of the 2017-18 municipal year. 

RESOLVED:  That Councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane be appointed as the Vice?Chair of the Committee for the remainder of the 2017-18 Municipal Year. 

In connection with Agenda Items 9 and 10 (Adult Social Care and Children and Families Services – Annual Complaints Reports 2016-17), Councillor Jean Lammiman declared a non-pecuniary interest in that she is a Trustee of  Harrow Association for the Disabled.  She would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon. 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2017 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

Councillor Macleod-Cullinane considered that the minutes should record, in the item on the Youth Justice Partnership Plan, his request to the Corporate Director, People Services that he apologise for a prefacing comments to the Harrow Youth Parliament representative with the words, “This is not a telling off”.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2017 be taken as read and signed as a correct record, subject to the addition of the following sentence to the end of the second paragraph on Page 231:

“Councillor Macleod-Cullinane suggested that the Corporate Director, People Services apologise to the Harrow Youth Parliament representative for his use of the words, “This is not a telling off”.”

To receive any public questions received in accordance with Committee Procedure Rule 17 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

Questions will be asked in the order notice of them was received and there be a time limit of 15 minutes.

[The deadline for receipt of public questions is 3.00 pm, 2 November 2017.  Questions should be sent to publicquestions@harrow.gov.uk  

No person may submit more than one question].

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions or petitions were received at this meeting.

There were none.

Report of the Divisional Director of Strategic Commissioning and the Scrutiny Review Panel

Councillor Macleod-Cullinane, the Chair of the Scrutiny Challenge Panel, introduced the report, confirming that he would provide a foreword in advance of its consideration by  Cabinet.  He underlined that the proposed remodelling of the Council’s regeneration programme was due to be reported to Cabinet in December and it had therefore not been possible for the Challenge Panel to consider this significant development.  He suggested that a further report be produced in the early Spring to address the implications for the remodelling arrangements.  Turning to the report’s recommendations, Councillor Macleod-Cullinane emphasised that the thrust was to promote a more coordinated and wide-ranging approach to strategic direction and risk management both across the Council and with partner organisations.  He considered that the current predominant focus on housing supply could carry risks and that a more holistic vision, as evidenced in many of the other regeneration schemes investigated by the Panel, would be more effective and secure.  He thanked the Vice-Chair of the Challenge Panel, Councillor Barry Kendler, other Panel members, and the support officers, particularly Shumailla Dar and Rebecka Steven in the Policy Unit, for their work on the review. 

In response to a query from the Chair, Councillor Macleod-Cullinane considered that the options for further work following the remodelling of the regeneration programme, included a standalone scrutiny panel or perhaps discussions at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee or the Policy and Finance Sub-Committee.  He felt that it would be important for the senior political leadership to attend these sessions and give a direct face-to-face account, particularly in view of the proximity of the local elections in May 2018. 

The Chair acknowledged the need to address the implications of financial remodelling of the programme. 

A Member suggested that a more structured approach to managing risks and mitigations was required; for example, through the use of Gantt charts and RAG ratings. The Chair pointed to the connections to the role of the Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee in the risk management elements of the Challenge Panel’s recommendations. 

The Harrow Youth Parliament representative argued that the report should make specific reference to the risks to vulnerable people in alterations to the regeneration programme and to specific ways in which the Council could respond; for example, by considering the option for re-opening youth facilities to help tackle issues of unemployment and crime.  He considered that Cabinet should build in contingency plans to address these areas. 

The Vice-Chair of the Challenge Panel confirmed that the Panel members had registered concerns over the pressures coming from central and regional government to increase social housing supply and how this might lead to an imbalance with other aspects of coordinated regeneration; for example, the need to address the capacity of public services and infrastructure impacts.  Through its recommendations, the Panel had sought to achieve a better balance in this respect.

The Chair of the Challenge Panel suggested that he consult the Panel Vice-Chair about strengthening the report’s proposals on infrastructure implications.  In view of this, the intention  ...  view the full minutes text for item 244.

Report of the Corporate Director, People Services

The Committee received a report on the handling of complaints about Children and Families Services in 2016-17.  An officer introduced the report, underlining the efforts to avoid too bureaucratic and systemised an approach, and instead to focus on a more direct and flexible response to issues raised by service users, resolving matters as early as possible without recourse to formal complaint procedures.  Overall, the number of complaints was fairly stable and they remained small by comparison with the size of the client base.

The Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Schools considered it valuable to allow space for more informal consideration of service users’ concerns and views; this approach underlined the readiness to listen to them rather than simply responding to written complaints.  She was satisfied with the performance against targets for complaints. 

A Member referred to the risk of the complaints statistics being distorted by the same issue being raised in different quarters.  He was pleased to see the reduction in the Stage 1 complaints as this suggested staff were doing more to resolve issues more quickly, and he was keen that service users’ expectations be managed so that they were more realistic about what the Council could offer. 

While recognising that the approach of favouring “representations” over formal written complaints had some benefits, another Member was concerned that there was little reliable evidence that this was resolving issues satisfactorily for service users.  From the data in the report, there was no clear way to see whether this approach was effective, and there was a risk that vulnerable clients could easily be persuaded to accept not proceeding with a formal complaint when offered a discussion with an articulate and sympathetic member of staff.  The Member pointed out that there was an incentive for the Council to reduce the number of complaints.  The officer offered to provide more detailed information to demonstrate the value of the “representations” approach; he underlined that this was more demanding of staff time, usually requiring one or two face-to-face meetings with the service user.  A number of cases were quite complex and could involve complaints being partly upheld in the sense that an element of the service provided could have been improved. The officer cited the views of the Ofsted inspectors who had reviewed a number of complaints in detail and had come to a favourable judgement on the Council’s services.  In addition, two local voluntary organisations, Harrow Association for the Disabled (HAD) and SOVA provided advocacy services for service users and would be alert to rights and options in terms of pursuing complaints. 

The Member also queried whether the target for completion of adult social care complaints within timescales should remain at 88%, believing it would be more appropriate to introduce a more stretching target.  The officer considered that it would difficult to outperform the complaint timescale targets due to the complexity of many cases and the effect of staff absences, particularly over the summer period.

A Member was concerned at the number  ...  view the full minutes text for item 245.

Report of the Corporate Director, People Services

The Committee received a report on the handling of complaints about Adult Services (Social Care) in 2016-17.

Councillor Kendler indicated that many of his comments in relation to the children’s services complaints were relevant to this report as well.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Which cannot otherwise be dealt with.

The Harrow Youth Parliament representative considered that he had not been allowed to contribute to the item on Children’s Services complaints to the same extent as some elected Members.  The Chair underlined that he treated all members of the Committee in the same way in making judgments about allowing contributions; he also pointed out that he had needed to allow for a possible long discussion of the item on Adult Services complaints, though in the event, this had not transpired.