Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 5^th November, 2014 were signed as a true record.

The Committee noted that outstanding actions identified in Minutes 29 and 30

relating to “Air Quality” and “Tourism in Coventry” respectively, would be followed up.

Briefing Note of the Executive Director, People

Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) and Councillor Ruane, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the following representatives:

Chief Superintendent Claire Bell, West Midlands Police

Detective Chief Inspector Dean Young, West Midlands Police, Chair of Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Group of the Safeguarding Children’s Board

The Committee received a comprehensive presentation from Yolanda

Corden, Assistant Director, People, Chief Superintendent Claire Bell, West

Midlands Police and Detective Chief Inspector Dean Young, West Midlands

Police and Chair of the Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Group of the

Safeguarding Children’s Board, together with a Briefing Note which provided

information on the local context and approaches to Child Sexual Exploitation

(CSE) in Coventry. This included:-

  ?Background, context and definition of CSE

  ?A description of the proposed CSE Team, including its makeup, role

    and function

  ?Local processes and procedure

  ?How referrals will be identified

  ?How the Team fits into the existing structure

  ?What data is available locally, how robust it is and how it is being used

The Committee noted and recognised that CSE is a national issue which

 requires a multi-agency response. In Coventry, a multi-disciplinary Team

 comprising of the following staff was being established to respond to and

 oversee CSE:-

  ?A Service Manager who will also be responsible for the management of the Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

  ?2 qualified Social Workers

  ?2 Children and Family Workers

  ?1 Police rep Sergeant

  ?2 Specialist CSE Youth Workers from Integrated Youth Support Service  and 1 detached Youth Worker

  ?Links to Community Safety Team via Child Sexual Violence and

   DVA Co-ordinator

  ?1 Business Service Support Officer

In addition, talks were also taking place with the Clinical Commissioning

Group regarding a health representative. The Team will be co-located

alongside the MASH and the Referral and Assessment Service on the third

floor of Christchurch House.  The Committee noted detailed information

relating to the role and function of the Team which will provide a central point

of contact for all professionals and develop a centre of expertise for CSE in

the City.

The Coventry CSE and Missing Delivery/Action Plan were endorsed by the

Local Safeguarding Children’s Board in October 2014. This will be presented

to Councillor Ruane, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, in

January, 2015. Councillor Ruane, who was present at the meeting, indicated

 that he would welcome any input from the Committee in relation to the Action

 Plan. Delivery of the actions within the Plan will be overseen by the CSE

 Strategic Working Group and reported to the Local Safeguarding Children’s

 Board.

The Committee and Members of the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) questioned officers and the West Midlands Police on a number of issues, including:-

  ?Progress on the recruitment to the posts in the multi-disciplinary

    Team

  ?Intervention work, including identifying patterns in school absences

    and the role of Education Welfare Officers

  ?The estimated scale of the issue in Coventry and whether this was

    comparable to Cities of a similar size

  ?The links between CSE and human trafficking/modern day slavery

  ?Steps being taken to educate families and the public in general

    regarding spotting signs of CSE

  ?Work being undertaken to identify and work with perpetrators of CSE

  ?The importance of and work being undertaken to establish trust and

  confidence with victims of CSE 

  ?Support given to victims of CSE  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

Outstanding Issues have been picked up in the Work Programme

The Committee noted that all outstanding issues had been included in the

Work Programme for the current year.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Committee noted the Work Programme for the remainder of the year.

RESOLVED that the meeting of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee

 scheduled for 7^th January, 2015 be cancelled.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as a matter of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no other items of public business.