Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman read a statement on the incident at the Gainsborough Care Home, Swanage, on 23 October 2024. The full statement is attached as an appendix to these minutes.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Laura Beddow and Robin Legg.

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 1 August 2024.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 August 2024 were 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, 21 October 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, 21 October 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 consider a report by the Corporate Director for Education and Learning.

The Corporate Director for Education and Learning introduced the SEND Strategy. The Strategy was making a positive difference for children and families. The priority areas, national context, and financial implications were outlined.

Members discussed the report and the following points were raised:

·         There were 136 children in mainstream schools who would be suitable for specialist support. Each of them were being considered individually so more funding could be allocated to schools.

·         Following a child receiving an EHCP, the right provision for health and education would be found for the child. The timeliness of this would vary depending on the availability of places.

·         There were annual reviews for EHCP’s to review whether the child’s needs have been met.

·         There was a recommendation from Ofsted to improve data for measuring targets for EHCP’s.

·         For children in alternative provision, the School Improvement Team would review their outcomes.

·         The new Head of Commissioning would be looking at alternative provision from the commissioning framework. Although for some children alternative provision was the right choice, the aim was to get as many children as possible back into mainstream education.

·         The Family Support and Advice Line, which is available through family hubs, could provide assurance and support to parents who need assessments for their child.

·         The location of inclusion hubs was based on data to understand where they were needed to be prioritised. More schools were now interested in having an inclusion hub, so they could be introduced in more areas of the county. There was also the option of special school satellites and working with mainstream schools to ensure they could meet EHCP needs.

·         Placements at special schools out of county were made due to being duty bound to find a suitable placement and due to parental choice. Neighbouring authorities could also make placements in the Dorset Council area.

The committee discussed establishing an enquiry day to address the committee’s concerns with EHCP’s. The concerns raised by committee members included:

·         That the council was failing some children by not meeting the deadlines required to provide EHCP assessments.

·         There were delays in diagnosis from health partners. Therefore, health partners should be involved in an enquiry day.

·         The time taken for a support package to be put into place, and the targets for this.

·         Ofsted has recommended that data needed to be used more effectively to improve outcomes through the SEND Inclusion and Partnership Board

·         The 20-week period for EHCP’s was not being met, with the current success at 60%, and this was not a priority for improvement.

The intended outcome for an enquiry day was that if the council was more successful in delivering EHCP’s on time, it would reduce unplanned expenditure.

Proposed by Cllr T Coombs, seconded by Cllr L O’Leary.

Decision

That an enquiry day be established to consider the timescales and timeliness of EHCP’s. The group would comprise of Councillors Coombs, Bolwell, and Somper.

To consider a report by the Corporate Director for Education and Learning.

The Corporate Director for Education and Learning introduced the report which provided details on the educational outcomes for the academic year 2023-24. The data showed the disadvantage gap being slightly narrowed and a small improvement in key stage 4 outcomes. Officers were confident in their approach to improvement. There was a need to consider specific priorities for some academy trusts and schools.

Members of the committee discussed the report and asked questions of the officers. The following points were raised:

·         There were emerging improvements in the data. Good practice was being shared between education leaders through regular meetings. Leaders within schools and the education sector needed to be able to drive this improvement.

·         Schools would have access to their Key Stage 1 data. There was a concern that the council also needed access to Key Stage 1 data for effective early intervention. 

·         Reading was consistent across schools, whereas maths was not. Maths results were better in larger schools. However, Dorset was in the bottom 20% of local authorities for Key Stage 2 attainment at the expected standard for reading, writing, and maths.

·         Where there was a lack of resources for training, teachers could be used to provide mentoring to other teachers and to upskill staff.

·         The options for post-16 educational options and skills were promoted, but improvements could be made in this area. There was work with local businesses to explore opportunities for apprenticeships and internships.

·         A difficulty with attending post-16 education was caused by transport, particularly in rural areas.

The Chair was discussing with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning about key worker housing from a planning perspective. The Committee would regularly monitor attainment and there was a request for improvement reports to be brought to the committee annually.

To consider a report by the Head of Good Care Provision, Safeguarding and Business Support.

The Head of Good Care Provision, Safeguarding and Business Support introduced the report, which updated on the progress of the delivery of good care provision. She outlined the key areas of the report, which included a reduction of children in residential care, foster carer recruitment, and a financial overspend in external placements.

The committee discussed the report and asked questions of the officers. The following comments were made:

·         The differences between council and private provided foster care needed to be communicated to potential foster carers.

·         The Council raised foster carer fees by 15% in the last year which made the council more attractive to foster carers.

·         The Council was part of a South West fostering recruitment group which would respond to initial calls from potential foster carers.

·         Parents who have children with a disability could receive direct payments to purchase short breaks.

·         There was an action plan for delivering the priority of good care provision, from the Children, Young People, and Families’ Plan. A summary on the progress of each action was shared following the meeting.

The committee welcomed the report and the progress made but raised a concern about the reliance on private foster carers. Use of private provision led to higher cost pressures on the budget. There was a need to ensure that the council’s support for foster carers and the Mockingbird model was advertised well. There was a suggestion of a mystery shop to provide feedback on the initial discussion.

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

There were no comments from the committee on the work programme or forward plans.

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.