Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Members:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

RESOLVED:  That (1) in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the following agenda item be admitted late to the agenda by virtue of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency detailed below:-

(2)  all items be considered with the press and public present.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 February 2007 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

[Note:  The 13 February 2007 minutes are published on the Council's intranet and website].

RESOLVED:  That (1) the minutes of the Special meeting held on 9 January 2007 be taken as read and signed as a correct record, subject to the following amendment:

Minute 37 - Question and Answer Session with the Portfolio Holder for People First Children's Services and the Portfolio Holder for Legal Services and Issues Facing Young People (Question 1)

·                     Free fruit was available in Reception and Years 1 and 2, but not Year 3.

(2)  the minutes of the meeting held on 13 February 2007 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8 (Part 4F of the Council’s Constitution).

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9 (Part 4F of the Council’s Constitution).

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10(Part 4F of the Council’s Constitution).

Report of the Commissioner, Harrow Primary Care Trust

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Harrow PCT Commissioner on the PCT’s response to recommendations by the Challenge Panel on School Nursing.  Angie Woods, PCT Commissioner, accompanied by Jane Thomas, Public Health Specialist, were in attendance at the meeting for this item. 

The Commissioner took Members through the PCT’s draft written response and the draft service specification, answering Members’ questions.  A tendering process was proposed and endorsement was sought from the Sub-Committee and other stakeholders.  Part of the process would be to set up a panel to decide on the best possible provider of the service.  The Commissioner believed that undergoing a robust tendering process would bring clarity to the service specification in which inter-agency working was vital.

In response to questions and comments from Members, the Commissioner agreed to provide:

·                     Information on training in first aid.

·                     A ‘day in the life’ of a school nurse.

In response to a Member’s concern about the use to which data might be put, the Commissioner outlined the Caldicott data protection rules which, among other things, set out procedures guarding against the sharing of irrelevant information.  Confidential information could be shared only if there was a child protection issue.  The Commissioner offered to be available to provide further information outside the Sub-Committee meeting, should individual Members wish to contact her.

Asked about the link between the School Nursing Service and General Practitioners (GPs), the Commissioner explained that the two were linked in three ways:

·                     strategically, Harrow-wide

·                     in the day-to-day running - school nurses would be linked with schools and GP clusters

·                     professionally – through the GPs and the practice nurses.

The Commissioner noted the comments made by Members and the Chairman and thanked the Commissioner and her colleague, as well as the Chairman of the Challenge Panel and everyone else who had contributed to the work of the Challenge Panel.

The Sub-Committee endorsed the draft service specification and the tendering process.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Children’s Services

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Children's Services which set out the current position with regard to the Every Child Matters outcome – Achieving Economic Well?Being.  The officer reported significant strengths in this area, with a 2010 target of 100% of 16 to18-year olds in education or work-related training.

The Harrow Sixth Form Collegiate had been successful in bidding for the vocational pilot scheme.  The Skills Centre had been very successful and was expanding to offer more places.  Harrow Collegiate had also gained £24.8m funding for sixth forms and two specialist centres.  Members congratulated the officers and schools involved.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Children’s Services

Members received a report of the Director of Children's Services on outcomes of the Joint Area Review (JAR) and the proposed Action Plan agreed by the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership.  The officer reported that the Local Authority was content with the JAR report. At the draft report stage officers had submitted many challenges and these had been accepted in the main.  The JAR would help the Authority to move forward and recommendations would be implemented.  The proposed Action Plan was a broad strategic plan which covered the sub-text of the report, as well as the formal recommendations.  A time?line would be added at a later stage.

The officer recommended the inclusion of the Action Plan as a standing item on the agenda of the relevant Scrutiny Sub-Committee.

Officers had already given positive feedback to the JAR on how helpful the review experience had been.  The Sub-Committee asked the officer to communicate to JAR its own positive response.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the report be noted;

(2)  this item be considered annually by the Sub-Committee or other appropriate committee.

Report of the Director of Children’s Services

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Children's Services which informed Members of the process by which the Children and Young People’s Plan had been reviewed and refreshed.  The officer explained that the three-year plan was reviewed and refreshed annually.  The JAR had informed the review and the proposed JAR Action Plan meshed closely with the refresh.

In response to Members’ questions, the officer stated that issue of bullying was a major part of the Children and Young People’s Plan, available on the Council’s website.  It was important to distinguish between, for example, gang culture and bullying.  It was also worth noting that young people in Harrow had expressed the view that they felt safe in general in an online survey which all Year 6, 8 and 10 pupils in Harrow schools were requested to complete.  The Director of Children's Services and officers talked regularly to the police about issues affecting young people.

A Member reported on a young people’s ‘empower’ event she had attended and found very salutary.  The officer agreed to alert Members to any similar events that might provide an opportunity of insight into young people’s lives.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Children’s Services

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Children's Services which set out the arrangements for the transfer of responsibility of the Teachers’ Centre.  The officer reported that the Centre had been handed over from Lifelong Learning Services to Children’s Services Achievement and Inclusion Group on 30 March 2007.  The transfer would bring benefits of economies of scale and it was planned that the Centre would become part of a Learning Trust, contributing to education in Harrow.

In answer to a question about the financial viability of the Centre, the officer reported that Children’s Services were the biggest users, but that training would be re?tailored to deal with the changing needs of schools.  Asked about sporting events held at the Centre, the officer said that these would be run by outside organisations.  Community groups would be encouraged to use the facilities, which could be booked on the internet.  The Centre was also a popular wedding venue.  Any profit made would be invested in education in line with the idea of a Learning Trust.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director, People Performance Policy

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of People, Performance and Policy on the draft wording of the Children and Young People Sub-Committee section of the Scrutiny Annual Report.

RESOLVED:  That the wording of the Children and Young People Sub-Committee section of the Scrutiny Annual Report, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report of the Director of People, Performance and Policy, be agreed.