Agenda item

To consider the approval of the Children and Young People’s Plan 2011-14

(10 minutes presentation – 20 minutes questions)

Clair Pyper, Director of Education and Children’s Services presented the report to the Panel, explaining that the decision had been taken to continue producing the Children and Young People’s Plan despite the removal of the legal requirement to do so as it is a key document, setting out priorities and incorporating Ofsted recommendations for improvement. 

The Plan contains 5 priorities: Stay Safe; Early Intervention; Physical and Emotional Health; High Quality and Effective Education; and Effective Support for Young People.  These priorities reflected the identified needs of children, young people and their families in Slough, based on the outcomes from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment; and would be owned and delivered by the Council and its partners.

The version of the Plan being considered by the Panel had been accepted by the Children’s Partnership Board at its meeting on the 24 January 2012, along with recommending some specific amendments: there should be an explicit link made in Priority 3 between child and parental health; the introduction should contain an explicit reference to the Health and Well-being Board; Priority 5 should contain a reference to the outcomes of Positive for Youth which had been a shaper of the priority; and it should be clear that engaging children, young people and parents will be involved in planning.

The Panel recognised that the new Plan was concise and informative, and noted it was impressed by the work being done, which the Plan highlighted well.  The Panel raised concerns around the current economic climate impacting on the aspirations set out, and Clair Pyper provided reassurance that the Children’s Partnership Board’s Commissioning Strategy aimed to shape the way funding was used to make services more effective, and decisions were taken mindful of what could be realistically delivered.  The Improvement Board will also be looking at what money is put into the different tiers of need to ensure most effective use of all partner funding. 

Members questioned how Priority 3 was being implemented, and were advised that this was the only priority that was completely within the remit of Health colleagues and that they would be able to provide details of the programmes being put in place, however, indicators such as obesity levels were a way of monitoring success.  The Panel also discussed how the reduction in funding impacted on e-safety, and Clair Pyper commented that the LSCB Business Plan had elements aimed at reducing incidents of e-safety along with educating parents of the dangers.  The Panel felt that further co-ordination of good work done in schools to combat cyber-bulling should be carried out.

Resolved:

1)  to endorse the objectives and content of the revised Children and Young People’s Plan 2011-14, including the suggested amendments from the Children’s Partnership Board;

2)  that an item on Priority 3 (Good Physical and Emotional Health) to look at what Health colleagues are doing and its impact, be added to a future agenda, possibly as a joint meeting with the Health Scrutiny Panel; and

3)  the Charlie McGeachie be requested to raise the possibility of a co-ordinated approach amongst schools to tackle cyber-bullying at the next meeting of Slough Headteachers.