Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Carlin and Evans; Mrs. S. Cain, Independent Advisory Member; and Councillor Doyle – Cabinet Member – Children’s Social Care.

Members are requested at a meeting where a disclosable pecuniary interest or personal interest arises, which is not already included in their Register of Members' Interests, todeclare any interests that relate to an item on the agenda.

Where a Member discloses a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, he/she must withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest, except where he/she is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of a dispensation.

Where a Member discloses a personal interest he/she must seek advice from the Monitoring Officer or staff member representing the Monitoring Officer to determine whether the Member should withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest or whether the Member can remain in the meeting or remain in the meeting and vote on the relevant decision.

In accordance with Paragraph 9 of the Council’s Code of Conduct, the following declaration of personal interest was made and the Member concerned remained in the room during the consideration of the item:

Minutes of the meeting held on 16 November 2021.

Minutes of the remote informal meeting of the Committee held on 25 January 2022.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 November 2021 be confirmed as a correct record; and

(2)      the Minutes of the remote informal meeting of the Committee held on 25 January 2022 be noted.

With the agreement of the Committee and in view of the urgency of the matter, Tracy McKeating Team Manager Locality South, Attendance and Welfare Services, provided a briefing, advising that two children had arrived in the north of the Borough the previous week, following the invasion by Russian troops of Ukraine. The children concerned had started attending Sefton schools and the School Nursing Service was providing support. Although some schools in the Borough were full to capacity, exceptional circumstances were being considered. Department for Education (DfE) guidance on refugees arriving from Ukraine was currently awaited.

A Member of the Committee raised an issue on the following:

·       In the event that any updates on the matter became necessary, a written report should be provided to Members of the Committee.

RESOLVED:

That the information be noted and the Team Manager Locality South, Attendance and Welfare Services, be thanked for her briefing.

Integrated Performance Reports by NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group.

Further to Minute No. 34 of 16 March 2021, the Committee considered Integrated Performance Reports for Key Children's Services, submitted by NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG. The Integrated Performance Reports set out information on:

• Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust Children’s Mental Health Services;
• Improve Access to Children & Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMH);
• Waiting times for Routine/Urgent Referrals to Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder Services - Routine Cases within 4 weeks of referral;
• Waiting times for Routine/Urgent Referrals to Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder Services – Urgent Cases within 1 week of referral;
• Children and Young People new Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) referrals within 12 and 30 weeks;
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS);
• % Referral to Choice within 6 weeks;
• % Referral to Partnership within 18 weeks;
• Children’s Community (Alder Hey);
• Paediatric Speech and Language Therapies (SALT);
• Paediatric Dietetics;
• Paediatric Occupational Therapy (OT);
• Paediatric Children’s Continence Promotion Service; and
• Paediatric Children’s Physiotherapy Service.

Fiona Taylor, Chief Officer for NHS South Sefton CCG and NHS Southport and Formby CCG, attended the meeting to present the Integrated Performance Reports and to respond to questions/issues raised by Members of the Committee.

A Member of the Committee asked questions/raised issues on the following:

• CAMHS and increase in referrals. Detailed information would be provided under Minute No. 39 below.

RESOLVED:

That the Integrated Performance Reports be noted.

Joint Report of the South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group and the Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group.

Further to Minute No. 11 of 10 November 2020, the Committee considered the joint report of the Children and Young People Commissioning Manager, NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG. The report provided an update on CCG commissioned provision of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), focussing on the response and performance of Sefton’s mental health services, specifically in relation to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the challenges this presented. The report also highlighted new services and developing services and initiatives which were contributing to improvements in the mental health offer for the children and young people (CYP) of Sefton, together with developments. System-wide changes as health and social care transitioned into the newly formed Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System (ICS) and the implications for mental health on an ICS footprint and for Sefton CYP and families “at place”, were also highlighted.

The report set out details of the following:

·       CCG Commissioned Services 2021/22;

·       Impact of Covid and system-wide response;

·       Additional investment;

·       Expanding and Developing Services;

·       Strengthening of Local Partnerships;

·       Strategic Developments;

·       CAMHS Services;

·       Mental Health Support Teams;

·       Kooth;

·       Access Targets;

·       ASD/ADHD Services; and

·       Engagement and Co-production.

Fiona Taylor, Chief Officer for NHS South Sefton CCG and NHS Southport and Formby CCG; Peter Wong, Children and Young People Commissioning Lead, South Sefton CCG and NHS Southport and Formby CCG; and Lisa Cooper, Director of Community and Mental Health Services, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, were in attendance to present the report to the Committee; to highlight aspects of it; and to respond to questions put by Members of the Committee.

Members of the Committee asked questions/raised issues on the following:

·       The national shortage of paediatricians.

·       Interventions in place for children seeking refuge from the conflict in Ukraine.

·       Early interventions in place and work being undertaken.

·       Challenges being faced in encouraging young people to consider a career in the NHS.

·       Referrals to ASD services.

·       Increases in referrals to CAMHS and triage of referrals.

RESOLVED:

That the report on Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) be noted.

To receive information and a presentation on the Shaping Care Together Programme.

The Committee considered information and a presentation on the Shaping Care Together Programme, that sought to “futureproof” NHS services by looking at new ways of working and new ways of delivering services across Southport, West Lancashire and Formby. The presentation outlined the following:

·       Engagement and consultation;

·       Timeline of activity;

·       Headline engagement to date;

·       Headline themes to date; and

·       Next steps.

Fiona Taylor, Chief Officer for NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG, was in attendance to present the information and presentation and to respond to questions/issues raised by Members of the Committee.

Members of the Committee asked questions/raised issue on the following:

·       A&E waiting area at Southport Hospital.

·       The impact of the survey for the Programme.

·       Emergency children’s care during the night and reimbursement of costs for urgent cases – additional information could be provided.

·       The future of the Hospital site.

·       The evaluation of the options for the Programme.

·       The range of options available for residents to contribute towards the survey on the matter.

·       The number of responses on the survey received to date.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the information and presentation on the Shaping Care Together Programme be noted; and

(2)      the Chief Officer for NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG be requested to obtain and provide information on emergency children’s care during the night.

Report of the Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education.

The Committee considered the report of the Interim Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education that provided an update on Ofsted Inspection Reports and the work of the School Improvement Team. The report set out the background to the matter; details of support provided by the School Improvement Team; and the schools that had been inspected and an Ofsted report received, during the Autumn Term of 2021.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer.

Appendix A - Cabinet Member - Children’s Social Care - update report – To Follow.

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer submitting the most recent update reports from the Cabinet Member – Children’s Social Care, and the Cabinet Member – Education, whose portfolios fell within the remit of the Committee.

The Cabinet Member update report – Children’s Social Care, attached to the report at Appendix A, outlined information on the following:

·       Ofsted update;

·       Recruitment;

·       Social work week; and

·       Leeds Family values model of practice.

The Cabinet Member update report – Education, attached to the report at Appendix B, outlined information on the following:

·       Education Excellence:

o   Schools;

o   St. Teressa’s;

o   Sacred Heart;

o   Holy Spirit;

o   Savio;

o   Exams and Tests;

o   Covid;

o   Attendance;

o   ILACS; and

o   SEND.

Councillor Roscoe attended the meeting to present her report and to respond to any questions or issues raised by Members of the Committee. 

Members of the Committee asked questions/raised issues on the following:

• In respect of St Teresa’s, concerns were raised regarding two children out of school since December. This would be addressed.
• The situation at Savio High School and the role the Council could play in the matter.
• An apparent shortage of teachers and teaching assistants. The Cabinet Member would raise the matter.
• National difficulties in recruiting teaching assistants.
• The Improvement Board, in relation to the Children’s Services Improvement Journey. A request for regular reports to be provided to the Committee was made and this could be addressed under Minute No. 43 below.

RESOLVED:

That the update reports from the Cabinet Member – Children’s Social Care and the Cabinet Member – Education be noted.

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer.

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer reviewing the Committee’s Work Programme for the remainder of 2021/22; reporting on progress of the Impact of Covid 19 on the Primary Curriculum Working Group; identifying any items for pre-scrutiny by the Committee from the latest Key Decision Forward Plan; and receiving an update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Work Programme for 2021/22 was set out at Appendix A to the report, to be considered along with any additional items to be included and agreed.

There was just one Key Decision within the latest Key Decision Forward Plan, attached to the report at Appendix B, that fell under the Committee’s remit, and the Committee was invited to consider items for pre-scrutiny.

Members of the Committee asked questions/raised issues on the following:

·       A request was made for a full report on the Improvement Board in regard to the Children’s Social Care Improvement Journey to be submitted to the next scheduled meeting of the Committee on 5 July 2022 and regular reports submitted to the Committee thereafter during 2022/23.

·       A request for the Key Decision on the Education Excellence Strategy for Sefton 2021-2025 to be deferred to the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 28 July 2022 was made, to enable this Committee to pre-scrutinise the matter at its meeting scheduled for 5 July 2022.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the Work Programme for 2021/22, as set out at Appendix A to the report, be noted;

(2)      the following item be added to the Committee’s Work Programme for 2022/23:

the Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education be requested to submit a full report on the Improvement Board in regard to the Children’s Social Care Improvement Journey to the next scheduled meeting of the Committee on 5 July 2022, and regular reports on the matter be submitted to the Committee thereafter during 2022/23;

(3)      progress of the Impact of Covid 19 on the Primary Curriculum Working Group be noted;

(4)      a request be made for the Key Decision on the Education Excellence Strategy for Sefton 2021-2025 to be deferred to the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 28 July 2022, to enable this Committee to pre-scrutinise the matter at its meeting scheduled for 5 July 2022, and for the item to be included in the work programme for 2022/23; and

(5)      the update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted.

The Chair reported that this would be the last meeting of the Committee attended by Fiona Taylor, Chief Officer for NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG and congratulated her on 40 years of service.

RESOLVED:

That the best wishes and thanks of the Committee be extended to Fiona Taylor.