Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the CHILDREN'S SERVICES POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE of the HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on 18 July, 2006.

Also present were Councillor Felicity Hindson, MBE, Executive Lead Member for Children's Services and Councillor David Kirk, Executive Member for Education who attended the afternoon session.

91 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or personal prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should, normally at the time of the debate, declare their interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed.

There were no declarations of interest made by members under this item.


92 MINUTES

The Minutes of the Children's Services Policy Review Committee held on 23 May 2006 were signed as a correct record subject to the inclusion of Councillor F. Allgood in the attendance list.


93 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

The Chairman reported that Councillor J.K. West had been appointed to fill the vacancy on the Committee and that Mr T. Coupland's term of office as a parent governor would end 31 August and that he would not be standing for re-election. It was noted that he attended his first meeting as a parent governor representative on the Education Committee on 15 October 2002. The Committee placed on record its appreciation of his contribution to the Committee. The Chairman also reported that the new terms of reference for the Committee had been approved at full Council on 11 July 2006 and made reference to the fact that the committee size would reduce and in particular paid tribute to the Co-opted Members for their support, wisdom and expertise they had brought to bear on the Committee over the years. The Chairman also advised Members that there would be a briefing session on 5 September to explain the future running of the Committee and would be structured around the five "Every Child Matters Outcomes". The remaining dates of 10 October and 12 December would be kept the same but had been moved to the morning session.


94 DEPUTATIONS

No deputations had been notified under Standing Order 21.


95 STRATEGY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL PROVISION IN THE NORTH EAST OF ANDOVER

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Children's Services (Item 6 in the Minute Book) detailing proposals for the future pattern of primary school provision in North East Andover.


The Director of Children's Services reported that the County Council had a statutory duty to plan the provision of school places and to secure an appropriate balance locally between supply and demand and must therefore consider how best to manage surplus school places. The report highlighted that by 2011 four schools in north-east Andover would show surplus places in excess of 25%. The District Auditor had indicated in a letter that the County Council must take measures to reduce the number of schools with surplus places above 25%.

It was also reported that the County Council must take into account the future needs of people moving into the major development area planned for East Anton. This would comprise 2,500 new homes, with an expected 600 - 800 primary children. Planning permission from Test Valley Borough Council for the development was expected later in 2006, with the first houses being occupied in late 2007. Land had been earmarked within the development site to provide two 420 place, two form entry, primary schools, the first opening in 2009.

As part of its commitment to the Children Act to ensure the best possible outcomes for children, the Director of Children's Services advised that the County Council must relocate the Andover Education Centre, currently based at Cricklade College, which supported excluded pupils and aimed to re-integrate them into mainstream schooling. As a further investment for local families the County Council also proposed to establish a new Children's Centre on the Shepherd's Spring Infant School site offering a wide range of facilities and services for children, their families and carers as part of its Sure-Start programme.

The recommendations from officers to the Cabinet are set out below and the views of the Committee were requested:


¬ A new two form entry primary school be established at East Anton to serve the new development, to open in September 2009.

¬ Shepherd's Spring Infant and Junior Schools be closed with effect from August 2008.

¬ Discussions take place with governing bodies of local schools about arrangements accommodating pupils following the closure of the Shepherd's Spring Schools.

¬ The Andover Education Centre be re-located to the Shepherd's Spring Junior School building, suitably adapted, with the current lease at Cricklade College being temporarily re-negotiated.

¬ A full core offer Children's Centre be established on the Shepherd's Spring Infant School site.

¬ Any remaining surplus land to be sold to help offset the costs of implementing the above proposals.

¬ The Cabinet agrees that the full capital receipt from the sale of part of the Shepherd's Spring site be used for the implementation of this strategy.

¬ Further research be undertaken in respect of the potential funding of the Education Centre from the Dedicated Schools Grant.

The Committee debated in considerable detail the report and recommendations to be put before the Cabinet on 24 July 2006. Whilst the Committee clearly understood the strength of feeling of the local community, overall it was supportive of the wide ranging proposals and considered that they were driven for the right reasons. In particular reference was made to the County Council's need to manage the high number of surplus school places in the area whilst planning for future demands and the fact that the proposals represented significant investment in services for children and families in Andover.

Discussion centred on the social needs of the local community and the various initiatives run by the schools to support children and their families. There was concern that the initiatives run by Shepherds Spring Infant and Junior Schools should not be lost if the schools were closed in 2008. However the establishment of a Children's Centre which would offer a wide range of facilities and services for children and their families went some way in alleviating these concerns. It was suggested that the Director of Children Services brief Members on the future social needs of the children at Shepherds Spring Infant and Junior Schools.

The Committee also expressed concern about the opening date of September 2009 for the new 2FE primary school at East Anton and in particular commented that the school should be available for families moving into the new homes. Furthermore there were comments made about the capacity of neighbouring schools to accommodate pupils following the closure of Shepherds Spring Infant and Junior Schools. In particular there were comments made about the one year gap between closure of the Shepherds Spring Infant and Junior Schools and the opening of the new school at East Anton.

There was also discussion about the impact of the closure of the Shepherds Spring Infant and Junior schools on staff morale. Some Members felt strongly that counselling and advice should be made available at the earliest opportunity. In particular there was reference to having in place appropriate support for the children, especially as some were quite vulnerable.

The was also some discussion about parental choice and the fact that the closure of the Shepherds Spring Infant and Junior schools could be perceived as limiting parental choice. It was explained that the Admissions Policy would address such issues.

At the close of the debate the Committee placed on record its appreciation to the governing bodies and teaching establishments at both Shepherds Spring Infant and Junior Schools during this period of uncertainty.

RESOLVED:

That the views of the Committee as set out above be forwarded to the Cabinet meeting on 24 July 2006.

96 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT (APA) 2006

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Children's Services (Item 7 in the Minute Book) detailing the conclusions of the APA self assessment of the County Council's services for children.

The self assessment exercise judged performance against the five outcomes of the Children Act (2004) and considered aspects of partnership and service management. The Committee were advised that the APA visit took place at the end of June and the findings letter would be published during September. The Director of Children's Services reported that informal feedback had been encouraging and the Department was working on the areas for improvement identified with a view to possibly combining into a joint area review.

The Committee applauded the efforts of officers involved in drafting the APA self assessment during the first year of a Children's Services Department.

RESOLVED:

That the conclusions of the APA self assessment be noted.

97 FINAL ACCOUNTS 2005/06 - CHILDREN'S SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Committee considered the joint report of the County Treasurer and Director of Children's Services (Item 8 in the Minute Book) on the final accounts.

It was reported that there was an underspend of -£260,000 against the 2005/06 adjusted revised revenue cash limit of £776.9m after taking into account the transfer of funding to ensure all the General Sure Start Grant was spent as discussed at previous meetings. The under spend of -£260,000 was then used as an additional revenue contribution to capital. It was further noted that the reduced cost of capital schemes started in 2005/06 would be added to the 2006/07 capital programme limit.

The report summarised in table format the main variations against the revised cash limits for each of the main service budgets; Schools, LEA and Children's Social Care. In considering the variations, the Committee expressed concern at the higher than anticipated level of school reserves which it was felt should be spent on school pupils. The County Treasurer advised that the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was considering introducing measures to keep uncommitted school reserves to a minimum and it was noted that a more detailed report would be available later in the year.

RESOLVED:

That the final accounts for 2005/06 be noted.

98 BUDGET MONITORING 2006/07 - CHILDREN'S SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Committee considered the joint report of the County Treasurer and Director of Children's Services (Item 9 in the Minute Book) detailing the first budget monitoring report for the financial year 2006/07 relating to the combined Children's Services Department.

RESOLVED:

That the projected outturn position for the department be noted.

99 ANNUAL REPORT ON PERFORMANCE OF HAMPSHIRE TEENAGE PREGNANCY STRATEGY

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Children's Services (Item 10 in the Minute Book) updating the Committee on the achievements of the Hampshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership.

The Committee were informed that partnership working and listening to what young people wanted in the form of health and education services had enabled the County Council to reduce teenage pregnancy rates, exceeding government targets.

The latest available figures showed that provisional rates indicated a 15.8% reduction in under 18 conceptions from 1998 to 2004, exceeding the 10% target set for Hampshire by the Government in 2000 when it set the national teenage pregnancy strategy for all local authorities. Members were also advised that the Hampshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership was on track to reach its target of a 45% reduction by 2010.

The Committee was delighted to note the achievements of the Partnership and thanked the Service Manager for the Teenage Pregnancy Partnership and his staff for their hard work. It was noted that the Service Manager had been seconded for two years to the Government Office for the South East (GOSE).

RESOLVED:


a. That the report and progress achieved be noted.


b. That the Hampshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership be commended as a positive example of partnership working in the County.

100 RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN CHILDREN'S RESIDENTIAL UNITS

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Children's Services (Item 11 in the Minute Book) updating the Committee on progress following the introduction of a restorative justice model of practice in children's residential care in Hampshire in order to reduce the offending rates of children looked after.

RESOLVED:

a. That progress to date be noted.


b. That a further report be brought to the Committee in 2007/08 detailing ongoing progress including interim feedback regarding the research.

101 ANNUAL REPORT ON INSPECTION OF CHILDREN'S HOMES 2005/06

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Children's Services (Item 12 in the Minute Book) updating the Committee on the performance of Hampshire's Residential Units, following inspections carried out by the Commission for Social Care inspection in the financial year April 2005 to March 2006.

RESOLVED:


a. That the progress and improved performance within the children's residential

sector be noted.


b. That a report on inspection of children's homes be submitted on an annual

basis.

102 SPECIAL NEEDS TASK AND FINISH GROUP - THE SPECIAL NEEDS STATUTORY ASSESSMENT PROCESS

The Executive Lead Member for Children's Services reported that further consideration was needed of the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group and that a full update would be available in October 2006.

103 CHILDREN'S SERVICES PRC - FORWARD PLAN

The Committee received and noted the report of the Chief Executive (Item 14 in the Minute Book) on the Committee Forward Plan for 2006.