Agenda and minutes

Venue: Diamond Room 2 - Council House. View directions

Contact: Michelle Rose  Tel: 024 7683 3111 Email:  michelle.rose@coventry.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

59.

Declarations of Interests

Minutes:

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

 

Councillor L Kelly advised the Board that she was the Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner and the Police and Crime Commissioners Office had funded some of the youth projects discussed at the meeting.

60.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 77 KB

a)  To agree the minutes of the meetings held on 14 February and 28 February 2019

 

b)  Matters Arising

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meetings held on 14th and 28th February were approved subject to adding K Jones apologies to the meeting on 28th February, 2019.

 

Further to minute 46/18 ‘Early Help Hubs’ the Board asked for the information on school readiness.

 

Further to Minute 54/18 ‘Supported Transfers and Permanent Exclusions’ recommendation b) regarding examining the Children’s Commissioner Paper “Keeping Kids Safe – Improving Safeguarding responses to gang violence and criminal exploitation” the matter had been referred to the Coventry Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB).

 

RESOLVED that the document be circulated that Cllr Kershaw bought to the attention of the Board regarding safeguarding young people and knife crime

 

61.

Coventry Youth Partnership - Update and Relationship with Council Provided Youth Support pdf icon PDF 82 KB

Briefing Note of the Deputy Chief Executive (People)

Minutes:

The Scrutiny Board considered a Briefing Note of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) which provided an update on the development of a new Coventry Youth Partnership and information about how the Partnership was working with Council provided targeted youth support.

 

As part of the Connecting Communities (Phase 2) approach, the Council’s Cabinet decided, on 7th March 2017, that the Council would cease its provision of Universal Youth Services, delivering £630,000 savings.  Connecting Communities (Phase 2) focused on how services and support could be delivered differently in local communities with the greatest need.  The guiding principle of this approach was to work with community groups and organisations to find community solutions.  This innovative approach, although not without risks, ultimately focused on enabling the delivery of new activities that would have positive outcomes for young people in Coventry.  The approach also focused on actively encouraging partners to work collaboratively to make the most of community assets and realise shared goals.

 

Engagement with partners provoked overwhelming interest from the voluntary youth sector in providing universal youth support with several groups expressing an interest in delivery of youth work to mitigate against service reductions or wishing to establish a youth infrastructure body.  The purpose of the infrastructure body would be to co-ordinate future youth work activity, including training, quality, and the pattern of universal access provision, through creation and delivery of a Youth Strategy for the city, aligned to Coventry’s Children and Young People Plan.  Groups and Organisations who expressed an interest in establishing the infrastructure body and those interested in delivering youth activities had the opportunity to apply for transition funding. These applications were then subject to a robust selection process.

 

All business cases were considered by a newly established Youth Mitigation Panel, consisting of Councillors, officers, and young people. The panel then made recommendations to the Director of Finance and Corporate Services as Section 151 Officer who had delegated decision-making powers for Transition Fund awards in consultation with Cabinet Member for Children and Young people and Cabinet Member for Education.

 

In May 2017, the Positive Youth Foundation were awarded funding to the value of £80,000, in order for them to take on the role of the infrastructure body.  Awards of transition funding for the projects delivering youth activities were then evaluated and considered using the same process, with a representative of the Infrastructure body joining the Youth Mitigation panel to act as a special advisor. The panel approved transition funded awards to 6 projects for the set up and delivery of activities for young people. The organisations leading projects which secured funding were detailed in the briefing note.

 

On approval of Positive Youth Foundation’s business case in April 2017, work began to create Coventry Youth Partnership and engage and bring together partners across the city to establish a partnership with a joint purpose.  Many of these partners had not previously known of each other or been able to collaborate successfully.  Equally there were significant challenges and complexities regarding bringing organisations together who  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

62.

Work Programme and Outstanding Issues 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Briefing Note of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

Minutes:

The Board noted the work programme and the possibility of an informal briefing on the Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) Self Evaluation Form (SEF).

63.

Any Other Business

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

Minutes:

There were no other items of business