Agenda and minutes

Apologies for the meeting were given for Councillor Rachel Blake, Neil Gethin, Jane Kidd, John Cooke? and Cynthia Ransome.

None

There were no declarations of interest made.

Mr. Brown thanked the Chair for providing him with the opportunity to present a public statement which he believed was part of his democratic right, he also noted that he was a taxpayer and a parent.

In relation to the Doncaster Children’s Services Trust, Mr Brown commented that the services provided by the Trust impacted upon him, his family and the wider community.  He stated that on reading the report concerning the information within paragraph 75, he felt that there was a silence.  He stated that as a parent, this was of immediate concern and that the Trust was commissioned to deliver a wide range of services and had a public equality sector duty.  He continued to state that this would encourage articulating a sense of the differentials of the nine characteristics and an action plan towards it, but he didn’t get that sense.  Mr Brown added that he had a son and as a parent was currently deliberating whether his son should go to university, run up a debt or apply for an apprenticeship and would therefore ask to what extent children in Doncaster are achieving their GCSEs and ‘A’ levels.  Mr Brown stated that in delivering a range of services there should be monitoring and a matrix towards what extent are different groups, not just black, white and LGBT children accessing services and Mr Brown also questioned what kind of experiences they were having in the care system and were they favouring equally to other children.  Mr Brown commented that the BME health needs was 13 years old, that he has 2 children and therefore knows how their health has changed over 13 years and understands how it was a legal requirement for the local authority and its partners to undertake a health needs assessment.  Mr Brown added that he was aware of hate crime and questioned why large institutions say yes to A and B and Doncaster Council could not be bothered to respond.  Mr Brown gave credit to the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central, how she acknowledged racism and racist acts to be abhorrent.  Mr Brown also credited the previous Mayor who alluded to Mr Browns and his rights, and finally gave credit to a Mexborough Ward Councillor (SG) who has also spoken out.  Mr Brown concluded by stating that the Trust is a public organisation which should provide equality metrics, value for money and comply with the law.

It was noted that the Director of Public Health had stated that he would consult with BME groups and that Mr Brown would chase him up if he hadn’t. 

In response to comments made about the Trust, the Head of Finance and Business Planning stated that the report on the agenda was a financial and value for money report and therefore referred Mr Brown to the Trust’s performance report on the agenda for the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting taking place on the 24th February 2017 which relates to monitoring.

The Director  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

A report and presentation was provided to the Committee which provided an update on the financial and operational strategy of the Doncaster Children’s Services Trust.

It was explained how the Trust had made significant progress in establishing a sufficiency strategy, which reflected the clear vision and strategy for placing children in care with a focus on achieving outcomes, permanency and a controlled exit whilst using money wisely to ensure financial sustainability.

The Panel was reminded that some of the Trust’s services had been judged as ‘good’ by Ofsted.  It should be recognised that improvements cost money and that a range of challenges had existed.  It was explained that moving forward it was about seeing standards rise and better outcomes for children being achieved as a result of positive investment. 

Following a presentation by the Trust, there was a comprehensive debate which raised the following areas;

Staff

Members were informed that staff turnover had reduced significantly.  It was explained that working practices and culture were changing for the positive.  Members were informed that a significant amount of time and money had been invested improving the quality of Social Worker practice.

It was added that the Trust was now managing to attract and retain good staff with a greater number of applicants being received for advertised posts.

In respect of agency staff, it was explained that the Trust was currently operating at approximately 10% and that significant progress had been made. 

It was added that a neighbouring authority were paying £10,000 more that Doncaster was for its Social Workers.  It was viewed that it wasn’t only about the financial package offered to staff but about having good supervision and management and taking confidence in the local system, which was recognised as something that will not happen overnight. It was added that some issues were beyond the Trust’s control, and that the Director of Learning and Opportunities at the Council and the Chief Executive of the Trust had met with Directors from neighbouring authorities to consider local South Yorkshire solutions in addressing this issue.

It was heard how sickness had improved and that overall sickness levels were at 4%, with 12 people on long term sick leave and average days lost currently costing approximately £223k  per year.

One Member stated that they were encouraged by what they had listened to and recognised that there were issues that created uncertainty.

Gaps/Challenges

It was stated that potential challenges may include rising demand across pathways.  It was noted that further work needed to be undertaken in partnership with families and wider partners.  It was clarified that the Trust has a good appropriate relation with colleagues from the Council as well as other key partners, such as the Police.

The Trust recognised that more work could be done around Early Help and Family Services.  It was noted that the current early help strategy and local offer was a Council responsibility, that the Council lead on the strategy and that the Trust ‘manages the front door’.  It  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.