Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Barry Gorringe and Carl Woode.

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 19 June 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2025 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 [email protected] by 8.30am on Friday, 25 July 2025.

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 [email protected] by 8.30am on Friday, 25 July 2025.

Dorset Council Constitution – Procedure Rule 13

One question was submitted by Cllr Orrell, with a response given by the Chairman of the People & Health Scrutiny Committee. The question and response are attached as an appendix to these minutes.

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 Chair of the Birth to Settled Adulthood Independent Delivery Board.

The Independent Chair of the Birth to Settled Adulthood (B2SA) Delivery Board introduced the report. The Independent Chair highlighted the programmes focus on early planning and preparation for adulthood, to avoid the ‘cliff edge’ at 18-years-old. She outlined three key risks to the programme which were: NHS structural changes and their potential impact on funding and commitment, however there was not currently any lack of commitment; Increasing complexity of young people’s needs, which was a national trend; and data integration challenges.

Committee members made comments and asked questions of the Independent Chair. The following points were raised:

·         Embedding the services would make a positive difference to young people’s lives, whilst it would save time and money for the council in supporting the transition between children’s and adult services.

·         Communications was an area which needed to be improved to show what the B2SA service had been achieving, its aims for the future, and managing expectations.

·         There were concerns about the work options available for young adults being supported by the B2SA service, as connecting to work was fundamental and it gives fulfilment. The Careers Hub worked with employers to become disability confident employers, however more of this was needed.

·         In looking for work and careers, it was essential that employers looked at what people can do rather than what they cannot do. It was suggested that the Independent Chair links with local business networks to talk to employers about this subject and B2SA.

·         Over 200 young people aged 16–18 were being supported in workplace placements, but it was unclear how many will transition into work.

·         A member suggested proactive engagement with Chambers of Commerce and asked what information could be provided to them. The Independent Chair advised there was information about the programmes, however not about individuals and their preferences, it was recognised this needed to be done to get more work experience for young people.

·         In relation to progress towards an integrated database between Adults, Children’s Services, and Health, the Independent Chair acknowledged this was a long-term goal, however there were difficulties in children’s services and adults’ data working together, and there were multiple incompatible health systems. Options were being explored to share information appropriately.

·         Asked whether an earlier diagnosis would be better in the long term for cost and planning, the Independent Chair felt that normal child development issues were being overmedicalized, however early identification of disabilities could be used to give young people the best start in life. 

·         There was a growing number of young people with complex needs, early support needed to be promoted to families, such as using family hubs. There was work with IMPOWER which was focussed on early intervention and meeting needs in a mainstream setting.

·         Small employers could be a better option for young people. The Independent Chair advised there was some work with small employers, but not enough. The Careers team could be contacted to discuss something for a local area.

·         Barriers for young people achieving steps towards settled adulthood often included  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

To consider a report by the Service Manager for Strategic Partnerships.

The Corporate Director for Care and Protection introduced the Ofsted Inspection report and Action Plan. The inspection identified one area for improvement, which was the clarity and detail of the care leaver offer, including for care leavers who are parents. A part of the action plan would ensure financial support to care leavers in relation to council tax was equitable for care leavers living inside and outside of Dorset.

In response to a question about the number of care leavers that do not participate in the care leaver offer, the Corporate Director advised that a very high percentage of 18–21-year-olds participated. The majority of care leavers that did not participate were aged 22-25, however they had access to an app so they could access the offer should they choose to.

There were no care levers in B&B accommodation, and 98% of care leavers were in suitable housing. A small number of care leavers were in custody.

There were minor concerns in the Ofsted report about a lack of police attendance. This was in relation to LADO investigations, where there was some lack of police attendance. Officers were working with the police to ensure attendance going forward.

The Chairman highlighted the positive outcome of the Ofsted inspection, with Children’s Services being rated as Outstanding; and stressed the need to continue to drive services forward for the benefit of our children and young people.

To consider a report by the Strategic Performance and Risk Lead.

Following a review of the council’s performance indicators, the committee identified three performance indicators of concern. The committee received an update on each of these performance indicators and were given to ask questions and raise comments and concerns on the indicators.

Percentage of 16- and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET)

The Head of Service for Family Help explained the current performance indicator. The target rate for NEET was under 3.5%, however the rate was currently 4.1%. This rate could have been caused by an increase in the cohort size for this age group and the long-term impact of Covid-19 causing this cohort of students to miss school in Year 7. There had been some success in bring young people back into education, employment in training. There would also be support available for students on results day, to discuss their future options.

A lack of public transport was a cause of young people becoming NEET.  Yeovil and Weymouth colleges provided subsidised transport to access further education. Vocational courses being provided by sixth forms were being looked at, to provide more options across the county for young people that do not want to do an academic subject. Supported internships were also available to people with an EHCP.

Asked whether there was a correlation between low school attendance and becoming NEET, officers explained there were projects which helped pupils struggling with attendance and funding was being sought to extend the Marvels project for a further 3 years, to assist with school attendance. There was a tool which gave a good identification of pupils in Year 7 & 8 who were likely to struggle in Year 12.

A discussion would be had about mapping educational support and transport, through the revised SEND Sufficiency Strategy, to identify where gaps in support were.

Percentage of children achieving basics (9-5 in English and Maths) at Key Stage 4

The Corporate Director for Education and Learning outlined work that was being done with Key Stage 4 to improve outcomes. The council was working in collaboration with ImpactEd and secondary schools to identify correlations between teacher and pupil engagement and how this affects outcomes. It was not known what the Key Stage 4 outcomes would be for this year, however Key Stage 2 outcomes had improved.

A member asked whether there was a difference in outcomes between maintained schools and Multi Academy Trusts. It was confirmed that maintained secondary schools often had better outcomes compared to Multi Academy Trusts.

Rate of permanent exclusions from all schools

The Corporate Director for Education and Learning outlined the performance indicator, which appeared to be improving. The way learning centres operate has been reviewed because it has been contributing to the rate of permanent exclusions. Learning centres were now used as a 12-week placement, which was an intervention, so there was a better chance of pupils integrating back into mainstream schools with less risk of a permanent exclusion.

There were no questions or comments from members on this performance indicator.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

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

The Committee noted its work programme and the executive forward plans.

Options for what could be included in a report on Integrated Neighbourhood Teams would be explored, to see if it would be an appropriate topic for scrutiny.

There were also ongoing discussions about Continuing Healthcare (CHC), and when this would be appropriate for the committee to consider.

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.