Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED – The minutes of the meeting held on 12^th July 2016 were agreed as a correct record.

N.B. the word ‘unanimously’ was removed from the draft minutes in respect to item 8 – Early Years Performance Report, Progress Update.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Rebecca Challice, who was substituted by Councillor Pauline Coakley Webb.

Apologies for absence were also received from co-opted members Gladys Vendy, Kevin McSharry and Simon Clifford.

Co-opted members Denis Carey and Darren Warrington were absent.

The following interests were declared:

None.

None.

None.

The Commissioning Director, Children and Young People, and Programme Director, Education and Learning, introduced the item which related to School Place Planning.

During the course of the discussion, the Programme Director, Education and Learning, was requested to circulate information to the committee following the meeting regarding the number of ‘out of borough’ students at Barnet schools.

Following discussion of the report, the Chairman moved to the recommendations as laid out in the cover report, which were agreed by the committee.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

1. The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the future requirements for school places up to 2019/20;

2. The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the progress in delivering new primary, secondary and special school places to date;

3. The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the potential future school expansions that are in development, and the free school proposals that are currently being considered by central government that will contribute to meeting future need.

The Independent Chair of the Barnet Safeguarding Children Board was invited by the Chairman to introduce the item to the committee, which related to the Barnet Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) Annual Report.

During the discussion of the item, the Independent Chair of the Barnet Safeguarding Children Board agreed to circulate the following information to the committee following the meeting:

-       In respect to page 57 of the agenda report pack, a more detailed breakdown about the 98% of children assessed by CAMHS within 13 weeks of referral (i.e. number of children assessed within 2 weeks, within 4 weeks etc…). In addition to this, more information was requested in respect to the health reasons for the referral of those young people to CAMHS;

-       Further detail on whether there has been an increase in any specific mental illness in those young people who have been referred to CAMHS;

-       Whether those children referred to CAMHS with more serious illnesses or issues were seen earlier than others.

Following discussion of the report, the Chairman moved to the recommendations as laid out in the cover report, which were agreed by the committee.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

1.    The Committee noted the Annual Report of the Barnet Safeguarding Children Board, which was attached at Appendix A;

2.    The Committee noted the summary Safeguarding Children’s Board Business Plan for 2016-18, attached at Appendix B, and supports the approach intended to ensure a continued, robust multi-agency approach to safeguarding children in Barnet, with involvement from the Council, Barnet Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS Trusts, the Police and the Voluntary Sector.

The Assistant Director (Social Care) Child was invited by the Chairman to introduce the item, which related to the council’s response to the Annual Safeguarding Board Report, and the subsequent item, to the committee.

Following discussion of the report, the Chairman moved to the recommendations as laid out in the cover report, which were unanimously agreed by the committee.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

1.    The Committee noted the Council response to the BSCB Annual Report 2015/16 and agreed for it to be submitted to the BSCB for its consideration.

Votes were recorded as follows:

The Commissioning Director, Children and Young People, and the Assistant Director (Social Care) introduced the item, which related to the Family Services Annual Complaints Report 2015/16.

Following discussion of the report, the Chairman moved to the recommendations as laid out in the cover report, which were agreed by the committee.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

1.    The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding committee noted the report and its appendix.

The Head of Early Years was invited by the Chairman to introduce the item to the committee, which related to the planning for early education and childcare places.

Following discussion of the item the Chairman moved to the recommendations as laid out in the cover report, which were agreed by the committee.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

1.    The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding (CELS) Committee noted the progress in delivering early education and childcare places and the future requirements for places up to 2019/20;

2.    The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the investment requirements set out in paragraph 5 of the report that will be considered as part of the Council’s business planning process to prepare the Council’s medium term financial strategy to be considered by the Policy and Resources Committee.

The Strategic Lead, Children and Young People, and the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People, introduced the report, which related to Early Years funding.

During discussion of the item, the Chairman moved a motion to alter the wording of recommendations 1 and 2 so that they include the wording ‘in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee’, as seen as follows:

1.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee –  authority to consult early years providers on any potential changes as a consequence of further published Government regulation or guidance, expected in Autumn 2016;

2.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee – authority to make any necessary amendments to the early years funding formula, following consultation.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Helena Hart. Votes on the motion were recorded as follows:

The motion was declared carried and therefore became the substantive motion. 

Councillor Anne Hutton then moved a motion to alter the wording of the substantive motion (amended recommendations 1 & 2) to add the words ‘and lead opposition spokesperson of the committee’, as seen as follows:

1.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee and lead opposition spokesperson of the committee – authority to consult early years providers on any potential changes as a consequence of further published Government regulation or guidance, expected in Autumn 2016;

2.    Delegate to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee and lead opposition spokesperson of the committee – authority to make any necessary amendments to the early years funding formula, following consultation.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Kath McGuirk. Votes on the motion were recorded as follows:

The motion therefore did not carry.

The Chairman then moved to the recommendations 1 and 2 as amended by the substantive motion. Votes were recorded as follows:

The committee agreed recommendation 3 as laid out in the cover report.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

The Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee:

1.    Delegated to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee – authority to consult early years providers on any potential changes as a consequence of further published Government regulation or guidance, expected in Autumn 2016;

2.    Delegated to the Commissioning Director, Children and Young People (Director of Children’s Services) – in consultation with the Chairman of the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

The Director of Education and Skills was invited by the Chairman to introduce the item to the committee, which related to provisional school performance in Barnet 2016.

Following discussion of the report, the Chairman moved to the recommendations as laid out in the cover report, which were agreed by the committee.

The following was therefore RESOLVED:

1.    That the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the provisional school performance in Barnet for the academic year 2015-16;

2.    That the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee noted the proposed commissioning priorities for school improvement for the academic year 2016/17 (based on data available so far) set out in section 1.5 of the report.

A Member requested that the Education Green Paper be bought for discussion at the next meeting of the committee, so to enable the Committee to determine if they wished to respond to the consultation. (Action)

RESOLVED that the committee noted the 2016-2017 work programme.

None.