Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed attendees to the meeting.  Apologies for absence had been received from Tony Murphy, Alicia Meniru and Simon Goulden.

It was noted that Councillor Ertan Hurer was substituting for Councillor Edward Smith and Councillor Alessandro Georgiou was substituting for Councillor Michael Rye at the meeting.

Members of the Council are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relevant to items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive a briefing on Adoption regionalisation, deferred from the April meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee               

Anne Stoker (AD Children’s Social Care and Principal Social Worker) and Tony Theodoulou (Executive Director Schools and Children’s Services), presented an update on proposals for the local authority to join a regional adoption agency.

Anne Stoker highlighted the following:

• Cabinet had agreed in principle to join a regional adoption agency six months ago, subject to detailed financial analysis and business case.
• Funding has now been secured from the Department for Education (DfE) to proceed to develop the business case for a London Regional Adoption Agency (LRAA) to meet the needs of London Boroughs.
• There are currently 20 local authorities who have expressed an interest in joining the LRAA, however there may be more by the time the full business case has been presented.
• Workshops are being held to look at issues such as practice standards, systems and information, workforce and finances. It had been hoped that there may be some financial savings as a result of the proposed changes. However Enfield already provides a financially efficient service and it is thought unlikely that changes would bring forward additional savings.
• Completion of the business case is expected January 2018 with stakeholder engagement and management in place by October 2018. From November 2018 to July 2019 there would be a phased implementation to cover practice, procurement, legal, finance, IT, estates HR and staff transfer.

It was noted that an update would be provided to this meeting in January 2018 on completion of the Business case.

The following issues/ questions were raised

• It was confirmed that all of the local authorities who had expressed an interest in joining the LRAA regional agency were from London.  However some London local authorities had not yet expressed their intention to join. Some local authorities were looking to outsource their own regional agencies
• The funding secured from the DfE would be sufficient to put the business case forward for the LRAA.  The business case would set out the financial plans for the future.
• Councillor Georgiou referred to the good adoption service provided by Enfield and expressed his concerns that new arrangements should continue to be of high quality.
• Tony Theodoulou confirmed that he would not have advocated a change from existing arrangements towards the new LRAA service, if this had not been a DfE requirement.  The service provided by Enfield is considered to be of a high standard with highly skilled workers. The new proposals would bring uncertainty to their roles.  He thought that project management costs would be likely to negate any possible savings.
• When asked how it is intended to protect the current service, an answer was given that we would not compromise on this.
• Although savings of approximately £50K had originally been estimated, it was now thought that there would be higher cost pressures as allowances given would probably be higher to keep in line with the practice of other local authorities.
• It was asked if it would be possible for Enfield to consider a link with other local authorities, rather than  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105.

To receive a verbal update on the work of the CSE Task Group from Grant Landon.

Grant Landon (Service Manager Practice & Partnerships) gave a verbal update on the work of the Child Sexual Exploitation and Associated Risk to Children and Young People (CSE) Task Group. 

He highlighted the following:

• The CSE Task Group had met eight times, the next meeting will be held on 14 September 2017.
• Discussions have taken place about CSE and links with issues such as drug misuse, mental health, and its impact regarding young ‘runaways’. 
• A CSE awareness campaign has taken place linked with the Police. Posters had been used and a short play ‘Chelsea’s Choice’ was commissioned which focused on four young actors and was shown at secondary schools, to good reviews, for students in years 7,8 and 9. The production was based on a true story.
• Events have taken place on modern slavery and also on ‘county lines’ operations, which links with young people being trafficked and criminal activity. 

It was noted that there would be an Overview and Scrutiny Workstream this year on human trafficking/ modern slavery which would be led by Councillor Michael Rye.

The following issues were then raised:

• It was confirmed that cross borough working had taken place with Haringey, the safeguarding boards had created a pack for young people who go to North Middlesex hospital.  Mapping work is continuing for identifying victims.  Funding is available from the Mayor of London’s office for vulnerable people and currently bids are being prepared in association with Haringey and Waltham Forest boroughs.
• There is a holistic approach taken as this area of work links with a number of services including the Youth Offending Service, Police and Children’s services. Grant Landon said our analysing of data is improving 
• Grant confirmed that there was an increase in reporting which he thinks is due to a better understanding of this issue
• The play’ Chelsea’s Choice’ is not available on ‘You’ tube as it was thought better for it to be shown in an interactive environment
• The posters had used Metropolitan Police images but included Enfield local contact details.
• It was asked if there were any particular ‘groups’ represented in the data analysed.  Grant Landon said there was not a particular group over represented, the situation in Rochdale was not the case here. Although many young girls are involved it is thought there is also an increase in young boys.

Grant Landon was thanked for his update.

To review and agree the Overview and Scrutiny Work programme for 2017/18

An updated copy of the Overview and Scrutiny (OSC) Work Programme for the year was circulated.

The Chair said it was apparent that there were more cross cutting issues for consideration by Overview and Scrutiny and he was of the opinion that it would be useful for some of the provisional call-in dates set aside on the Council calendar to be used for additional business meetings. This matter would be discussed with members of OSC who were not able to attend this meeting.

Councillor Levy thought that in the future, it may be beneficial for there to be a separate standing Workstream for Children and Young People’s issues rather than having a Crime Standing Workstream. He was also mindful of the fact that the work programme needed to be flexible to enable OSC to examine subjects that may be raised later in the year.

The following amendments to the work programme were suggested:

·         On the 8^th November it was proposed to have a joint meeting with the Health Standing Workstream with colleagues from the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Items to be discussed would be - Delayed Transfer of Care and Air Quality.

·         A meeting on 12 October would look exclusively at Meridian Water.

·         The new Chief Executive to be invited to a meeting to give an LBE Strategic Overview.

·         That monitoring items on Children’s and Young People’s issues would be brought to the 6 September meeting. To include the annual reports on Fostering, Adoption, the reports of the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) and Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), together with the London Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) report.

·         Two of the Children’s and Young People’s issues reports on School Places and Early Years to be looked at later in the year.  The School Places, Educational Attainment and Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) reports should be discussed at the same meeting.

·         An item on Retail in Town Centres to be included and this may tie in with the Enfield Master Plan

·         The Business Case for the London Regional Adoption Agency (LRAA) to go to 18 January 2018 meeting.  The January meeting usually looks at the Budget and it might also be useful to look at the item on Contract Compliance at this same meeting as relevant officers would be present.

·          Selection of time limited Workstreams for 2017/18 would include Primary School Exclusions (Cllr Dogan leading), Transport Connectivity (Cllr Keazor leading), Human Trafficking/ Modern Slavery (Cllr Rye leading).   Councillor Levy also referred to potential future time limited Workstreams on Flytipping, the Changing Relationship with the Voluntary Sector and Loneliness and Social Isolation.

·         A Pre-decision scrutiny item on Housing Allocations Policy will go to the September meeting of OSC.

Andy Ellis would update the OSC Work Programme

To agree the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 25th and 31st May 2017.

AGREED the minutes of the meetings held on 25 May 2017 and 31 May 2017.

10^th August 2017 – Provisional Call-in Date

6^th September 2017 – Business Meeting

Councillor Levy thanked everyone for attending the meeting

To consider, if necessary, passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 excluding the press and public from the meeting for the item of business listed in Part 2 of the agenda on the grounds that it will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in those paragraphs of Part 1 Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006), as are listed on the agenda (Please note there is no Part 2 agenda)