Agenda and minutes

(A period not exceeding 20 minutes for questions and statements from

members of the public and Elected Members to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones. Questions/Statements should relate specifically to an item of business on the agenda and be limited to a maximum of 100 words. As stated within Executive Procedure Rule 3.3 each person will be allowed to submit one question/statement per meeting.A question may only be asked if notice has been given by delivering it in writing or by e-mail to the Governance Team no later than 5.00 p.m. of the third working day before the day of the meeting. Each question or statement must give the name and address of the person submitting it. Questions/Statements should be sent to the Governance Team, Floor 2, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU, or by email to Democratic.Services@doncaster.gov.uk)

Mr Brown asked the Mayor, the following question:-

“Mayor Jones, Doncaster is ranked 301 out of 324 Local Authorities ref. CYP JSNA 2017-2020 pg. 103.  Given this lamentable position, do you agree that the CYP Plan could be strengthened if the diverse range of children and young people covered by the term BME (Settled Black/ Asian, Travellers, Roma, Refugees, Asylum Seekers, EU migrant and children of mixed parentage) was better reflected within each stage of the plan and across all of the key outcomes areas to ensure that the specific needs of different groups of young people are being met e.g. no specific BME stakeholder engagement?”

The Mayor provided Mr Brown with the following response:-

“Thank you for your question Mr Brown.

You are right to raise the issue and importance of social mobility, and Doncaster’s ranking in the social mobility index is something we are already seeking to address, both as a Council and with our partners.

I’m pleased that the borough has recently been awarded Social Mobility Opportunity Area status, which brings with it £6m of funding from the Department for Education to help address the four areas set out: early years, school, youth and adulthood. This is also consistent with the priorities that were established by the independent commission on education and skills. We have already begun conversations with the DfE about how we might deliver our ambitions for improving social mobility in Doncaster and will be producing a delivery plan in the coming months.

You are also right to raise the issue of equality and it is vitally important that this plan delivers good outcomes for children from all backgrounds. This principle will need to be embedded across all priorities within the plan, as detailed actions are developed to meet each of the goals identified.

We also recognise the importance of the voice of children and young people in making this a success, in line with our ambition in the CYP Plan of becoming the most child friendly borough in the country.

During the production of the Plan, we consulted with the Youth Council and also ran a participation and engagement event involving young people from across the borough. To ensure that we continue to strengthen this area of our work, we are refreshing our Participation and Engagement Strategy for children and young people, which will run alongside the Plan for its duration (2017-2020).

This will seek to move us from consultation with children and young people to a more structured form of co-production and advocacy, giving them the chance to more directly influence the decisions that affect them. It will include actions that enable us to consult inclusively at every turn, making a consistent effort to engage with groups who have protected characteristics, including the diverse range of children and young people covered by the term BME.

This will enable them to bring their experience and opinions to bear more regularly and provide us with a deeper insight as to how we can meet their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Decision records dated 14th March, 2017, be noted.