Agenda item

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer that sought to:

• seek the views of the Committee on the Work Programme for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2023/24;
• indicate whether representatives of the Police and other Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) team members should be invited to attend a future formal meeting of the Committee, or if the item should be referred to an informal meeting of Committee Members;
• note that there were no items for pre-scrutiny by the Committee from the latest Key Decision Forward Plan;
• note the informal meetings of Committee Members and site visits to be undertaken during 2023/24;
• note the training proposals available from the Local Government Association (LGA) and in-house;
• consider the topic of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as a potential item for in-depth scrutiny during 2023/24; and
• receive an update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

A supplementary agenda requested Committee Members to formally agree a number of proposals that had arisen from an informal meeting of the Committee held with Health Providers.

Members of the Committee raised the following questions/issues:

·       The in-person training sessions currently being offered by the LGA.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the Work Programme for 2023/24, as set out at Appendix A to the report, be noted, along with any additional items to be included and agreed;

(2)      consideration as to whether representatives of the Police and other Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) team members should be invited to attend a future formal meeting of the Committee, or if the item should be referred to an informal meeting of Committee Members, be deferred to a future meeting;

(3)      the fact that there are no items for pre-scrutiny from the Key Decision Forward Plan that fall under the remit of the Committee, on this occasion, be noted;

(4)      the informal meetings of Committee Members and site visits to be undertaken during 2023/24, as set out at Appendix B be noted;

(5)      the following proposals, arising from the informal meeting held on 21 September 2023, be approved:

(a)  Health Providers be urged to work with the Cahmelions group to improve their social media presence;

(b)  the Committee be requested to consider an in-depth review of the issues around transition between services for children into adulthood;

(c)  the Committee be recommended to request the receipt of further information around the pathway to services for looked after children and vulnerable children, recognising that there will be a particular focus on children vulnerable to exploitation in the forthcoming Ofsted monitoring visit;

(d)  the Committee be requested to receive a presentation on ASD/ADHD services, in particular around progress in addressing any backlog issues;

(e)  the Member Development Steering Group be requested to consider working with Providers to ensure that all elected members are provided with a briefing pack which signposts to the difference services, to include a laminated chart which can be displayed in Ward Surgeries;

(f)   the Committee be recommended to request receive regular updates on numbers of children placed “out of area”, whether in mental health in-patient placements or social care settings;

(g)  a visit to the Sunflowers House building at Alder Hey be arranged for Committee Members;

(h)  further information be requested on the provision of information on the geographical spread of the use of services such as Kooth, to understand why it is being underused in some areas;

(i)   the Committee be recommended to receive further information on the loss of youth services and the impact this has had;

(j)   the Committee be requested to give consideration as to how it can take account of the views of young people using the services, when making decisions;

(6)      the training proposals available from the Local Government Association and in-house be noted;

(7)      the topic of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) be approved for in-depth scrutiny by Members of the Committee during 2023/24 and relevant activities be included in the schedule of the informal meetings of Committee Members and site visits to be undertaken during 2023/24, as set out at Appendix B; and

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