The report of Children’s Services (Document “D”) informs both Members and the general public regarding the vision and purpose of the Corporate Parenting Panel and includes a new draft Terms of Reference document.

Recommended –

The views of the Corporate Parenting Panel on the options set out in Section 9 of this report are requested. 

(Philip Segurola - 01274 431266)

The report of Children’s Services (Document “D”) informed both Members and the general public regarding the vision and purpose of the Corporate Parenting Panel and includes a new draft Terms of Reference document.

Noting that, aside from the brief statement in the Constitution, the Panel did not have Terms of Reference, the Deputy Chair said that those set out in the agenda paper had been adapted from the Corporate Parenting Panel of another local authority. 

Noting that the Virtual School had no Governing Body, the Panel considered that, like other schools, it would benefit from proper governance and accountability arrangements.  The Head of the Virtual School (Head/VS) said that the Virtual School had a Management Board but that it had not met since before the Covid outbreak and did not include representation of this Panel, as the Corporate Parent of Virtual School pupils: the Governing Bodies of other schools included parent representation.  He considered that the Virtual School sat naturally under the Corporate Parenting Panel.  Replying to questions, Head/VS said that the VS Management Board was not the same as the Management Board that oversaw the Pupil Referral Units; and that the Management Board did not hold the Virtual School to account in the way that would be expected of a Governing Body.

DD/SC supported the establishment of a Governing Body for the Virtual School consisting of this Panel.  Among other benefits, it would give the Panel a clearer view of the work of the Virtual School.  The Education and Learning Strategic Manager (ELSM) also supported the proposal: in most LAs, the Corporate Parenting Panel was also the Governing Body of the Virtual School.

The Panel discussed how best to engage young people in its work.  It noted that the Children in Care Council while a valuable partner, was not necessarily representative of the full range of Bradford’s Looked After Children.  AD/SRCP said that work was needed with the Children in Care Council to make it a more open forum, perhaps organised differently for the different age groups, so that it was more inclusive.  He suggested that meetings of this Panel might be hosted alternately by young people, in whatever format emerged from development of the Children in Care Council and the Panel itself, perhaps in different locations throughout the District, with more formal business coming to meetings hosted by the Panel and more consultative and exploratory business to those hosted by young people.  The Panel noted that this would be consistent with the views expressed by young people at the consultation meeting in July 2021 that they would like to set agendas chair meetings.  AD/SRCP said that these points would be addressed in the Participation Strategy.

Resolved –

1.    That the Panel agreed that Terms of Reference would be useful as a means of clarifying its role and responsibilities for a range of audiences.  It noted the need to take the advice of the Legal and Governance & Audit teams on the proper way to establish the Terms of Reference and the scope to amend the provisions of the Constitution in relation to the Corporate Parenting Panel.  Specific points for discussion would be:

·           The proposal that a Governing Body be established for the Virtual School and that the Corporate Parenting Panel become that Governing Body.

·           The need to increase the maximum number of Co-opted members, to enable strong representation by partners and sufficient members to carry forward the themes identified at the meeting on 27 October 2021.

2.    That the Panel agreed the following amendments to the draft Terms of Reference set out in the report (Document “D”)

Action: Strategic Director, Children’s Services/CPP Members