Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was received from Cllr Pauline Batstone.

To disclose any pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interest as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct. In making their disclosure councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration.

If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2023.

Proposed by Cllr Holloway, seconded by Cllr Ezzard.

Decision

That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2023 be confirmed and signed.

Representatives of town or parish councils and members of the public who live, work, or represent an organisation within the Dorset Council area are welcome to submit either 1 question or 1 statement for each meeting.  You are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via Microsoft Teams to read out your question and to receive the response.   If you submit a statement for the committee this will be circulated to all members of the committee in advance of the meeting as a supplement to the agenda and appended to the minutes for the formal record but will not be read out at the meeting. The first 8 questions and the first 8 statements received from members of the public or organisations for each meeting will be accepted on a first come first served basis in accordance with the deadline set out below.  For further information read Public Participation - Dorset Council

All submissions must be emailed in full to george.dare@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk by 8.30am on Monday, 11 September 2023.

When submitting your question or statement please note that: 

·         You can submit 1 question or 1 statement.

·         a question may include a short pre-amble to set the context.

·         It must be a single question and any sub-divided questions will not be permitted.

·         Each question will consist of no more than 450 words, and you will be given up to 3 minutes to present your question.

·         when submitting a question please indicate who the question is for (e.g., the name of the committee or Portfolio Holder) 

·         Include your name, address, and contact details.  Only your name will be published but we may need your other details to contact you about your question or statement in advance of the meeting. 

·         questions and statements received in line with the council’s rules for public participation will be published as a supplement to the agenda. 

·         all questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting.   

There was no public participation.

To receive questions submitted by councillors.  

Councillors can submit up to two valid questions at each meeting and sub divided questions count towards this total.   Questions and statements received will be published as a supplement to the agenda and all questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting. 

The submissions must be emailed in full to add your email address by 8.30am on Monday, 11 September 2023.

Dorset Council Constitution – Procedure Rule 13

There were no questions from councillors.

To consider any items of business which the Chairman has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4)b) of the Local Government Act 1972.  The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes.

There were no urgent items.

To consider the Committee's Work Programme and the Cabinet Forward Plan.

There were no comments from the committee on the work programme or the Cabinet Forward Plan.

Several items had been added to the work programme since the previous meeting.

To receive a report by the Corporate Director for Commissioning and Partnerships.

The Corporate Director for Commissioning and Partnerships introduced the report and gave a presentation which is attached to these minutes. The presentation outlined supported accommodation, the reasons for policy change and the approach to this in Dorset, the new requirements including registration of providers, and the financial implications.

Committee members discussed and report and asked questions of the officers. The following points were raised:

·         Grant funding from the Department for Education was £330,000 which would be given to the council in four equal instalments.

·         Part of the Ofsted inspection regime included talking to children and young people.

·         There was an open consultation on the Ofsted inspection so there may be changes to the inspection as a result of this consultation.

·         Social workers and personal advisors would work with young people when they turn 18.

·         There was a one-off registration fee for registering the supported accommodation.

·         There was a risk in the Ofsted inspection process when they would inspect the head office and not the supported accommodation. It was important that children and young people were included in the process.

·         There was a national charity with regional groups which were sharing information and delivering training.

·         16-17 year olds will not be able to be placed in unregistered accommodation.

·         The new national policy may impact provision through some providers no longer providing for 16-17 year olds or some providers specialising in this age group.

Proposed by Cllr Alford, seconded by Cllr Knox

Decision

That the adoption of the approach to Ofsted regulation of supported accommodation for 16-17 year olds be recommended to Cabinet.

To receive a report by the Independent Chair.

The Independent Chair of the Birth to Settled Adulthood Board introduced the report and gave a presentation which is attached to these minutes. The introduction included a summary of the previous report in March 2023 and the key areas of the report being considered at this meeting were highlighted.

Committee members discussed the report and asked questions of the officers and the Independent Chair. The following points were raised:

·         Both Dorset Council and NHS Dorset needed a shared understanding of the how much funding was currently being spent and how much would be needed in the future.

·         There was a need to ensure that resources were sufficient to provide the services.

·         Collaborative working could be developed further through an understanding of the cost for poor transitions.

·         Families may prefer to meet online, and they will be able to meet in-person or have physical resources too.

·         Young people were not keen on attending the Birth to Settled Adulthood Board meetings. However, there was good representation from the Dorset Parent Carer Council.

·         There were opportunities for officers to receive feedback from young people.

The 9 focused outcomes of the service redesign would be shared with the committee.

Members noted the progress and the update.

To move the exclusion of the press and the public for the following item in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph x of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). The public and the press will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the item of business is considered.  

There are exempt items scheduled for this meeting.

There was no exempt business.