Children And Families Services Committee - 29/10/2018

At a MEETING of the CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVICES COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 29th October, 2018.

 

Present:-

 

Depute Lord Provost Bill CAMPBELL

 

BAILIES

 

Willie SAWERS

Kevin KEENAN

Derek J SCOTT

Christina ROBERTS

Helen WRIGHT

Fraser MACPHERSON

 

COUNCILLORS

 

John ALEXANDER

Anne RENDALL

Michael MARRA

Kevin CORDELL

Alan ROSS

George McIRVINE

Will DAWSON

Lynne SHORT

Richard McCREADY

Mark FLYNN

Roisin SMITH

Margaret RICHARDSON

Stewart HUNTER

Georgia CRUICKSHANK

Donald HAY

Ken LYNN

Brian GORDON

Philip SCOTT

Gregor MURRAY

Charlie MALONE

Craig DUNCAN

 

External members for Articles I to VII

 

Mr D BAXTER, Teacher Representative

Ms K RADTKE, Parent Representative

Mrs L RICHIARDI, Parent Representative

Mr R HUTTON, Pupil Representative

 

Councillor Stewart HUNTER, Convener, in the Chair.

 

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 10th September, 2018 was held as read.

 

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

 

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

 

There were no declarations of interest.

 

II PARENT REPRESENTATION ON THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVICES COMMITTEE

 

Reference was made to Article II of the minute of meeting of this Committee of 10th September, 2018, wherein a pupil representative and a parent member representing the secondary sector were appointed to this Committee with the primary representative to be nominated in due course.

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN64-2018 reporting that Katie Radtke from Kingspark Parent Council had been nominated as the primary sector representative by the Parent Council Body.

 

The nominee had agreed to abide by the Code of Conduct in accordance with the Standards Commissions Guidance.

 

The Committee agreed to note the appointment.

 

III CORPORATE PARENTING PLAN

 

Reference was made to Article III of the minute of the meeting of this Committee held on 25th September, 2017, wherein the Corporate Parenting Plan 2017-2020 was approved.

 

Reference was also made to Article II of the minute of meeting of this Committee held on 30th October, 2017, wherein statutory requirements and associated costs relating to Continuing Care were outlined.

 

There was submitted Report No 340-2018 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service providing an update on the Corporate Plan 2017-2020 and outlining the proposed targeting of additional Scottish Government funding to continue to improve outcomes for Looked After Children and Care Leavers.

 

The Committee:-

 

(i) noted progress made in the implementation of the Corporate Parenting Plan and improving outcomes for Looked After Children and Care Leavers;

 

(ii) noted responses to the requirements of Continuing Care including the management of financial implications;

 

(iii) noted the proposed targeted use of additional Scottish Government funding to help address ongoing priorities and continue to improve outcomes; and

 

(iv) instructed the Executive Director to provide a further update report to this Committee in 12 months on the Corporate Parenting Plan and Continuing Care.

 

IV PROVISION OF SWIMMING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

 

There was submitted Report No 341-2018 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service evaluating the effectiveness of the current Primary Six swimming programme.

 

The Committee:-

 

(i) noted and approved the contents of the report;

 

(ii) instructed the Executive Director to implement the proposals in Appendix 1 of the report and report back to this Committee on progress in six months;

 

(iii) agreed that, wherever at all practicable, universal access to school time swimming tuition should be maintained and funded by the Council and that the current review should investigate how this might be provided to each school, under what arrangements, and at what cost and include these options in the report back to Committee.

 

V RAISING ATTAINMENT - INCLUDEM PROJECT UPDATE

 

Reference was made to Article IV of the minute of meeting of this Committee held on 30th October, 2017, wherein the first update report in relation to the Dundee and Includem Raising Attainment Challenge Project was approved.

 

There was submitted Report No 342-2018 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service providing an update on the work of the Dundee and Includem Raising Attainment Project operable within all eight secondary schools of the city since January, 2017.

 

The Committee:-

 

(i) noted the content of the report; and

 

(ii) instructed a further update report on the project from the Executive Director of Children and Families Service in May, 2019.

 

 

VI TAYSIDE CHILDRENS SERVICES COLLABORATIVE AND TAYSIDE REGIONAL IMPROVEMENTCOLLABORATIVE (TRIC) PROGRESS REPORT

 

Reference was made to Article III of the minute of meeting of this Committee held on 30th October, 2017, wherein progress with the Tayside Children's Services Collaborative and the establishment of the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative were reported.

 

There was submitted Report No 343-2018 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service providing a year one update on the progress made by the Tayside Children's Services Collaborative and the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative (TRIC) in taking forward the first joint Integrated Children's Service Plan - The Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2017-2020 and Phase 1 of the TRIC plan. The summary report of progress, which was required to be submitted to the Scottish Government, outlined key areas where improvements had been made. Phase 2 of the TRIC plan had also been attached to the report as Appendix 2.

 

The Committee:-

 

(i) noted the progress made in the past year in relation to the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2017-2020;

 

(ii) noted the Tayside Plan One Year Report 2017-2018 provided in Appendix 1 of the report and the Phase 2 TRIC plan provided in Appendix 2 of the report; and

 

(iii) instructed the Executive Director to bring a progress report back to this Committee in October, 2019.

 

VII SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARDISED ASSESSMENTS FOR PRIMARY 1 PUPILS

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN73-2018. This item had been placed on the agenda at the request of Bailie Macpherson and Councillor Duncan.

 

The Committee:-

 

(i) instructed the Executive Director of Children and Families Service to undertake a review of the effectiveness of Primary 1 Scottish National Standardised Assessments in Dundee, the findings of which would be reported to the Children and Families Services Committee; and

 

(ii) instructed officers to investigate if it was within the Councils powers to withdraw Primary 1 Scottish National Standardised Assessments in Dundee, were this Committee minded to do so after consideration of the findings of the review of the effectiveness of Primary 1 Standardised Assessments in the city.

 

 

 

 

Stewart HUNTER, Convener.