Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Harkness.

There were no items of urgent business received.

There were no declarations of interest received.

There were no public questions received.

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance and Value for Money Select Committee meeting held on 23^rd August 2018 are attached for noting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance and Value for Money Select Committee meeting held on 23^rd August 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 4^th September 2018 are attached for noting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 4^th September 2018 2018 be noted.

RESOLVED that the work programme be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Children’s Services which provided an overview of the recent SEND Inspection in Oldham and the actions that the Council and Partners have undertaken to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Members were informed that, between 2 - 6 October 2017, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the arrangements within Oldham to meet the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). The Inspection letter containing the findings of the inspection was published on the Ofsted website on 28 November 2017 and required the Council and the CCG to develop with key stakeholders a Written Statement of Action (WSOA) within 70 working days. The statement was to be co-produced with parents/carers, children and young people and be submitted to Ofsted by 2 March 2018.

Following the Ofsted feedback meeting on 6 October 2017 a number of immediate actions had been put in place, as detailed in the report.

The co-produced WSOA was submitted to Ofsted on 2 March 2018. It explained how the local area would be tackling the following areas of significant weakness;

·         Any illegal practice that maybe happening in the local area.

·         The lack of effective leadership and joint partnership in leading, developing and evaluating the SEND reforms.

·         The dysfunctional EHC process and inadequate quality of plans.

·         The defective transport arrangements for children and young people who have SEN and/or disabilities.

·         The significant underachievement of children and young people who have SEN and/or disabilities, including the high rates of fixed-term exclusions and persistent absenteeism.

The WSOA was a high level plan and consisted of a number of priorities identified against each area of significant weakness. Each priority was ‘owned’ by a senior officer of the Local Authority, CCG or NHS Health Provider organisations with a date by which it should be achieved.

Members were informed that significant progress had been made in all areas and, at the last meeting, performance had been assessed as green in 4 out of 5 areas.

Members noted that any areas of practice that had been drawn into question had been immediately addressed and a robust model of governance had quickly been put in place.

Significant additional permanent revenue funding of £500,000 had been agreed to secure sufficient staff capacity at an appropriate level and with the requisite skill set in order to complete all legal requirements within mandated timeframes and to the appropriate quality standard. This had equated to an 80% increase in EHC officer capacity.

At the conclusion of the 13 July monitoring visit by DfE and NHS England, it was agreed that, since the previous monitoring visit, a step change had been seen in the progress of key tasks. These included;

·           Critical areas where it could be seen that Oldham partners were now working together effectively to drive forward change;

·           The appointment of key staff across the partners and the recruitment strategies, including the Open Day, leading to a new staff  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Members gave consideration to a report of the Head of Business Intelligence, presented by Councillor Jabbar, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, which informed them of the Council’s performance in relation to its targets for June 2018.

Members requested and received further detail in relation to sickness absence. In particular, the work of Fitness for Oldham in relation to identifying and addressing mental health issues was noted.

Members also gave consideration to the number of Oldham schools assessed as good or outstanding and noted that the performance was moving in the right direction.

RESOLVED that the Corporate Performance Report for June 2018 be noted.

That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they contain exempt information under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and it would not, on balance, be in the public interest to disclose the reports.

RESOLVED that, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they contain exempt information under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and it would not, on balance, be in the public interest to disclose the reports.

Members gave consideration to a report of the Managing Director, MioCare Group that provided the annual update to the PVFM Select Sub-Committee on the financial performance of the MioCare Group, highlighting business developments and challenges, and providing an outline of the draft

budget for 2019.

Members asked for and received clarification and further information on various aspects of the report.

RESOLVED that the report and the financial performance of the MioCare Group be noted.

Presentation only.

Members gave consideration to a presentation from the Interim Director of Economy that updated them on the progress of a number of projects within the Council’s Regeneration Programme.

Members asked for and received clarification and further information on various aspects of the presentation.

RESOLVED that the update be noted.