Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 3 - City Hall, Bradford. View directions

Contact: Sheila Farnhill 

Items
No. Item

12.

DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST

(Members Code of Conduct - Part 4A of the Constitution)

 

To receive disclosures of interests from Members and Co-opted Members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

 

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

 

Notes:

 

(1)       Members may remain in the meeting and take part fully in discussion and voting unless the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an interest which the Member feels would call into question their compliance with the wider principles set out in the Code of Conduct.  Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

 

(2)       Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

 

(3)       Members are also welcome to disclose interests which are not disclosable pecuniary interests but which they consider should be made in the interest of clarity.

 

(4)       Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

 

                                                                        (Sheila Farnhill – 01274 432268)

Minutes:

In the interests of transparency, Councillor D Smith noted that Meadowlea Residential Home was within his ward (Minute 15 refers).

13.

MINUTES

Recommended –

 

That the minutes of the meetings held on 13 July and 7 September 2016 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

 

(Sheila Farnhill – 01274 432268)

Minutes:

Resolved –

 

That the minutes of the meetings held on 13 July and 7 September 2016 be signed as a correct record.

 

 

14.

INSPECTION OF REPORTS AND BACKGROUND PAPERS

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

 

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

 

(Sheila Farnhill - 01274 432268)

 

Minutes:

There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents.

15.

RESIDENTIAL REVIEW - UPDATE pdf icon PDF 83 KB

Previous reference:  Minute 12 (2015/16)

 

The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) will present a report   (Document “E”) which provides an update for Members on the progress made, to date, in respect of the on-going review of the Authority’s residential care provision.

 

Recommended –

 

That the approach being undertaken to revise the placement strategy and develop a model of care in children’s placements in the Bradford district be supported.

 

(Liz Perry – 01274 434869)

 

Minutes:

Previous reference: Minute 12 (2015/16)

 

The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) presented a report (Document “E”) which provided an update for Members on the progress made, to date, in respect of the on-going review of the Authority’s residential care provision.

 

In presenting the report the following points were highlighted:

 

·         Significant progress had been made in implementing the changes; recruitment to the dedicated Child and Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team was now underway; Youth Service link workers had been allocated to all homes and the building work was progressing well with some homes now completed.

·         Work was ongoing in respect of the input of the Virtual School, in particular on the specific service to be offered to the young people in the specialist homes. Work was also being undertaken in respect of the recruitment of foster carers to ensure that demand could be met in future.

·         Training of staff was underway on the different elements of the model of care which incorporated PACE (Playfulness/Acceptance/Curiosity/ Empathy) and some staff would be able to access further training on DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy) with a smaller number also accessing the higher level.  There would be PACE champions across the homes. Some staff would also be trained to enable them to train fellow practitioners.

·         The aim was for staff to be able to be responsive to the needs of the young people in the residential homes without delay.

·         The outcome of a bid to the Government Innovation Fund in relation to therapeutic support was still awaited.

·         The Authority was undertaking a programme of self assessment to ensure that the right staff with the right skills were placed in the right homes.

·         Young people had been involved throughout the process.

 

He responded to questions from Members:

 

·         All staff would receive training on the PACE model and there would be PACE champions across the homes.  There was a wish to develop expertise in each home and then to build on that in the future.

·         The size of the workforce, amongst other reasons, meant that the training programme extended from June 2016 to March 2017.

·         The provision of wider training for partner agencies was being discussed so that those people working alongside the young people had, at the very least, a knowledge of the approach being taken by the Authority.

·         The age range at Meadowlea would not change but the range at the other homes was to be altered.

·         The young people at Meadowlea had a very good record of attendance at school. The concern for a number of them was the length of their journeys to school but this was linked to the issue of maintaining as much continuity as possible.  Each home now had a vehicle that could be used to take/collect the young people from school.  This had made a huge difference both to the young people and staff making this much more like a normal school run.

·         Staff were reacting very positively to the training.

·         The desire for improved links with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

16.

REGIONALISATION OF ADOPTION SERVICES pdf icon PDF 114 KB

Previous reference:  Minute 5 (2016/17)

 

A report will be submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in respect of the progress made in respect of the establishment of a Regional Adoption Agency (Document “F”).

 

Members will recall that this issue was discussed at the meeting of the Panel held on 13 July 2016.

 

Recommended –

That the arrangements for the new Regional Adoption Agency be endorsed and that the following recommendations to the Executive be supported:

(1)       That the Joint Committee be formally appointed with effect from 10 January 2017, contingent upon all other authorities also agreeing to appoint to the Joint Committee.

That the Constitution, Terms of Reference and Procedure Rules of the Joint Committee be approved.

That it be noted that the Leader will appoint a Principal Member and two substitutes.

That the principles of the Partnership Agreement, as set out in the report, be noted and that the Strategic Director, Children’s Services be authorised to approve the terms and signature of the Partnership Agreement through his existing delegated powers.

That it be noted that the Joint Committee will delegate responsibility to the lead officer within the West Yorkshire Adoption Agency for the recruitment and assessment of adopters, adoption panels, family finding and adoption support.

That the transfer of staff via the TUPE regulations from Bradford into the employment of Leeds City Council to work within the Regional Adoption Agency be noted.

That it be formally agreed that Leeds host the West Yorkshire Adoption Agency, which is a shared service.

That the further work required regarding non-agency adoption and support for Special Guardians, as detailed in the report, be noted and that the Strategic Director Children’s Services be authorised to make further arrangements for extending the breadth of the delegation to this aspect of the function following agreement by the Management Board and Joint Committee as the project develops.

(Mary Brudenell – 01274 434439)

 

 

Minutes:

Previous reference: Minute 5 (2016/17)

 

A report was submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in respect of the progress made in respect of the establishment of a Regional Adoption Agency (Document “F”).

 

Members were reminded that this issue had been discussed at the meeting of the Panel held on 13 July 2016.

 

The Deputy Director explained that:

 

·         The proposal would be submitted to the Executive in early December for ratification.

·         A great deal of work had been undertaken since the report in July.

·         There was now a draft Partnership Agreement which included details in respect of budget and funding formulae and governance arrangements.  Bradford Council had contributed to the development of this documentation.

·         The Joint Committee was due to commence working in April 2017 and a Lead Member would need to be appointed by Bradford.

·         The first Shadow Management Board meeting was due to take place the following week and he would be involved in this body.

·         28 staff would be transferred to Leeds City Council (as the lead authority) via the TUPE regulations and negotiations were ongoing with the Trades Unions.

·         The staff with responsibility for family finding would still be based locally and office space in Bradford was being sought.

·         A budget for the first year and Bradford’s contribution of just under £1.3 million had been established; this would cover everything except Adoption Allowances.  A new scheme would be introduced for recipients from 1 April 2017 but existing agreed allowances would continue to be paid by Bradford.

·         The Partnership Agreement covered a term of 10 years (with a review at 5 years) and had the potential to continue after that time. There was a facility to withdraw with a notice period of 18 months.

·         There was great co-operation between the partner agencies and all the individual elements of the work the service undertook were being examined in an effort to establish best practice standards and to ensure the effective measurement of outcomes.

·         The Head of Service post had been advertised and it was hoped that someone would be in post from January 2017.

 

He replied to questions as follows:

 

·         Approval from the final partner agency would be sought on 21 December 2016.

·         In terms of the role of the NHS; as the young people would remain the responsibility of this Authority the arrangements in respect of medical assessments would remain very much the same. There was a strong wish to develop the links with the NHS and CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service).

·         It was considered that the new arrangements meant that there would be much greater potential for young people to be placed within West Yorkshire rather than further afield. This would lead to a cost saving as inter-agency fees would no longer be payable to partner agencies.

·         It was believed that the economies of scale that would be gained by the regional organisation of the service would lead to more effective recruitment and training and would bring forward matches that were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.