Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was received by Cllr Claudia Webb.

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 the minutes of the meeting held on 11 March 2024.

Proposed by Cllr Somper, seconded by Cllr O’Leary.

Decision

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 March 2024 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, 29 July 2024.

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 george.dare@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk by 8.30am on Monday, 29 July 2024.

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 receive any updates from the Chairman.

This includes an update on the chair’s responses to NHS Quality Accounts on behalf of the committee.

The Chairman updated the committee on work that had taken place prior to the committee meeting. This included that the Chairman responded to two NHS Quality Accounts on behalf of the committee, following email comments from committee members. The Committee was content with email liaison being used for responding to future Quality Accounts.

Following consideration by the Place and Resources Overview Committee, the Chairman requested that future Cost of Living Support monitoring reports are considered by the People and Health Scrutiny Committee. These reports had been added to the committee’s work programme.

To receive a report by the Service Manager for Community Safety.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Housing introduced the report and outlined the council’s community safety responsibilities. The Service Manager for Community Safety highlighted the four key community safety strategies. The plans were informed by a needs assessment and the Community Safety Plan was updated on an annual basis. There were two new requirements for tackling domestic abuse and serious violence, which had been integrated with the current community safety arrangements.  

Members asked questions related to community safety. The following points and responses to questions were raised: 

• The level of safe accommodation was what was needed for the level of demand. Some victims would only want to move into emergency safe accommodation as a last resort.  

• The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) had responsibility for setting policing priorities, however joint work took place with the PCC on community safety issues. 

• It was a statutory responsibility for the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) to consider the PCC’s priorities and vice versa when developing their plans.  There was good synergy between current plans.  

• The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, and Skills explained that the Safeguarding Families Together programme provided early intervention for domestic abuse, substance misuse and poor mental health. The programme would need further funding in the next financial year, so it needed to be considered during a refresh of the Domestic Abuse Strategy. 

• In relation to support for adults with complex needs, there were different services which were commissioned which could deal with these complexities, such as victim support.  

• Operational Adult Social Care, were developing their connection with the Community Safety Partnership, in particular, ensuring there was an understanding of the impact of domestic abuse on older people and throughout life. 

Members also asked questions on the reducing reoffending element of the report. The following points were raised: 

• The strategies were reviewed annually; however, the council would be able to respond to new initiatives. 

• The main factors causing reoffending included accommodation, education, relationships, drugs and alcohol. 

• It was felt important for young people to be in school and not give permanent exclusions where possible. 

• Most first-time entrants into the criminal justice system had a special education need, so there was a need to ensure that speech and language needs were met. 

• Officers had been planning for the prisoner early release scheme. The numbers were less than expected and they were not high-risk cases.  

Members requested an update on the prisoner early release scheme at the committee meeting in November. 

That members receive further information and training on dealing with ward issues concerning community safety, domestic abuse and substance misuse. 

A review of the relevant Dorset Council performance dashboard to inform the scrutiny committee’s work programme and to identify items for further review.

The following link is the dashboard for the committee:

People & Health Scrutiny Committee - Performance Dashboard

The committee reviewed the performance dashboard. There were 3 performance items raised in an informal review of the dashboard prior to the meeting. Officers provided written responses to these items. The items were:

·         Number of special educational needs (SEND) tribunals against the authority.

·         Percentage of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) issued within 20 weeks.

·         Number of affordable homes delivered.

There were 8 performance indicators that showed as red on the performance dashboard. Officers responded to members’ questions on these items. The following points were covered:

·         The council set higher aspirational targets for education and attendance, compared to similar local authorities.

·         The targets are reviewed when necessary.

·         In relation to permanent school exclusions, there would be attempts to make a managed move to a different school, so pupils at risk of permanent exclusion could be in education elsewhere.

·         In relation to outstanding care act assessments, there were two points of triage before completing a formal assessment. This ensured that support could be given quickly where there was high risk.

·         There was a combination of demand, more complex cases, and improvements needed to the service for Care Act assessments.

To consider the committee’s Work Programme and the Executive Forward Plans.

The Chairman outlined the committee’s work programme. The committee would need to work more outside of formal committee meetings in order to work effectively.

Senior officers suggested items from their directorates which could be added to the work programme.

The committee met informally after the meeting closed to develop the work programme.

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 no exempt items scheduled for this meeting.

There was no exempt business.