To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2018.

A Member asked for further information on the work to obtain additional investment in Early Years to improve health outcomes.  The Director of Population Health and Wellbeing reported that the NHS Long Term Plan, which had been published the previous day, had highlighted the need for councils and the NHS to work together on commissioning health services, including health visiting and school nurse services.  He reported that the Council was currently working with Manchester Health and Care Commissioning to develop a business case for investment and he offered to provide an update to the Committee at a future meeting, provisionally in March 2019.

Decisions

1.         To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 4  

           December 2018.

2.         To note that the Committee will receive an update on the development 

           of a business case for investment in Early Years at a future meeting.

Report of the Executive Member for Children’s Services

This report provides an overview of work undertaken and progress towards the delivery of the Council’s priorities as set out in the Our Manchester Strategy for those areas within the portfolio of the Executive Member for Children’s Services.

The Committee received a report of the Executive Member for Children’s Services which provided an overview of work undertaken and progress towards the delivery of the Council’s priorities as set out in the Our Manchester Strategy for those areas within his portfolio.

The Executive Member for Children’s Services referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:

•           Children’s Services’ improvement journey;

•           Support for young people leaving care;

•           Placements for Our Children (Looked After Children);

•           Complex safeguarding;

•           Early Years;

•           Poverty and austerity;

•           Local working;

•           Early Help;

•           Youth; and

•           Young Carers.

The Chair congratulated the Executive Member for Children’s Services on his contribution to the improvement of Children’s Services.  Members noted that progress had been made in some aspects of Early Years provision but that further improvements were needed in some areas and recognised the important role of Health Visitors.

Decision

To note the report.

Report of the Director of Population Health and Wellbeing and the Strategic Lead (Children and Young People, Population Health and Wellbeing)

This report provides information on current trends, patterns and risk factors associated with infant mortality in Manchester. It highlights a concerning picture of infant mortality rates increasing since 2011-13 following a long period of year on year reductions.  It also presents the draft five year multi agency strategy to reduce infant mortality and support those affected by baby loss.  The strategy contributes to the Manchester Population Health Plan first 1000 days priority. 

The Committee received a report of the Director of Population Health and Wellbeing and the Strategic Lead, Children and Young People, Population Health and Wellbeing which provided information on current trends, patterns and risk factors associated with infant mortality in Manchester. It highlighted a concerning picture of infant mortality rates increasing since 2011-13 following a long period of year on year reductions.  The report also presented the draft five-year multi-agency strategy to reduce infant mortality and support those affected by baby loss.

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:

·         Trends and patterns of infant deaths in Manchester;

·         Causes and underlying factors of infant deaths;

·         Modifiable factors; and

·         The Manchester Reducing Infant Mortality Draft Strategy.

Some of the key points and themes that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• An expression of serious concern at the increase in infant mortality rates;
• How Manchester compared to its statistical neighbours;
• Why some areas of the city had higher rates of infant mortality than others;
• What was the role of Health Visitors in the strategy and whether there was a link between failure to attend the assessments which formed part of the Early Years Delivery Model and infant mortality; and
• Request for an update on the Baby Clear programme, which promoted stop smoking services to pregnant women.

The Programme Lead informed Members that officers had looked at trends within statistical neighbours and other deprived areas.  She reported that some had experienced a similar pattern with infant mortality starting to increase but others had not.  She also reported that Nottingham had experienced a rise but that this had since been reversed.  She advised Members that officers would be looking at what these areas were doing which Manchester could learn from.

Ethna Dillon from the Vulnerable Baby Service reported that the differences in infant mortality rate between wards could be attributed to factors such as levels of deprivation, ethnicity and behaviour.  The Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Co-ordinator outlined issues in one ward where children of parents who were first or second cousins had died as the result of genetic disorders and reported that work was taking place to identify the best ways to address this.  

Ethna Dillon reported that Health Visitors were key to identifying barriers to best care and good outcomes for babies.  She advised that infant mortality was not usually due to just one factor.  She reported that where a family did not attend assessment appointments, targeted support was provided.

The Programme Lead reported that smoking during pregnancy was one of the biggest modifiable factors in neonatal deaths.  She advised Members that Baby Clear was a Greater Manchester-wide programme which was being rolled out in stages.  She informed Members that it had already been introduced in north Manchester but that it was too early to say what the impact had been.

Decisions

1.            To support the strategy to reduce infant mortality.

2.            To receive an update report in 12 months’ time.

Report of the Director of Education

This report provides a review of data from the 2017 / 2018 academic year along with information relating to the provision of Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) in Manchester schools and a full analysis of primary sports premium funding in Manchester and how schools are prioritising resources. 

The Committee received a report of the Director of Education which provided a review of data from the 2017/2018 academic year along with information relating to the provision of Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) in Manchester schools and a full analysis of primary sports premium funding in Manchester and how schools were prioritising resources. 

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:

•           Evidencing the impact of PE and Primary Premium Funding;

•           Active Lives Survey for children and young people;

•           Healthy Schools;

•           Manchester PESSPA Plan; and

•           Government Trailblazer Fund.

Some of the key points and themes that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

•           Concern that funding was being used to bring in external coaches as a    

           cheap way to provide cover for teachers’ preparation, planning and

           assessment (PPA) time;

•           How to ensure that schools made full use of the resources in their local

          area and that children were encouraged to make use of their local

          facilities;

•           The cost of transport, where schools were not within walking distance

           of their nearest leisure facilities;

•           Whether childhood obesity was increasing; and

•           How many schools were involved in the Daily Mile initiative.

The Sport and Leisure Lead reported that, while nationally external coaches were being used to provide PPA cover, this was less of an issue in Manchester.  He informed Members that his service undertook quality assurance of providers so that schools could be confident that they were using a quality assured provider.  He advised that guidance was provided to schools on how to make best use of their local facilities.  The Director of Education reported that many schools did make good use of local facilities and that this showed children what was available in their local area which they could also use outside of school.  The Executive Member for Schools, Culture and Leisure advised Members that, outside of school, Sports Activators worked to encourage communities to make the best use of their local sport and leisure facilities.  He acknowledged that transport was an issue and that the transport system needed to be improved.  The Strategic Lead (Population Health and Wellbeing) reported that more children were overweight and obese year on year both in Manchester and nationally.  She outlined work taking place to tackle obesity in Early Years.  The Sport and Leisure Lead reported that 93% of Manchester primary schools had signed up for the Daily Mile. 

Decision

To note the report.

Report of the Director of Education

This report provides an update in relation to the recommendations set out in the Youth and Play Trust Executive report presented in February 2016.  It provides an overview of the progress made to establish Young Manchester as an independent Youth and Play Charity and its contract with the Council which has seen it take on the commissioning of the city’s Youth and Play Fund Programme.  It also updates Members on the impact of grant funding relationships with the Youth Hubs across the city.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Education which provided an update in relation to the recommendations set out in the Youth and Play Trust Executive report presented in February 2016.  It provided an overview of the progress made to establish Young Manchester as an independent youth and play charity and its contract with the Council which had seen it take on the commissioning of the city’s Youth and Play Fund Programme.  The report also updated Members on the impact of grant funding relationships with the Youth Hubs across the city.

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:

• The development of Young Manchester;
• Youth and Play Fund 2018 – 2020;
• Strategic leadership;
• Additional Young Manchester Grant Programmes;
• Youth and Play Fund reach April – September 2018;
• Marketing and communication;
• Youth Hubs; and
• Wider Youth and Play Offer.

The Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement clarified that the length of the contract between the Council and Young Manchester was 2.5 years, not 3.5 years, as stated at point 2.2 in the report.

Justin Watson, Director of Young Manchester, outlined the organisation’s work so far, reporting that it had commissioned 58 organisations to provide youth and play services and highlighting that it had secured £2 million of funding through the #iwill programme to match the investment from the Council.  He informed Members that future priorities were to continue to match fund the Council’s investment to ensure sustainability and to build a strong network of youth and play services across the city.  He reported that this networking also extended beyond commissioned youth and play providers, for example, building links with cultural organisations such as HOME, Contact and the Royal Exchange.

Some of the key points and themes that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• To note that the Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement was leaving and to thank him for his work;
• Request for the needs analysis ranking information for the 32 wards in   

           Manchester;

• Whether there would be any detached work taking place in east Manchester; and
• That some young people were unwilling to cross ward boundaries to access youth provision.

The Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement reported that some detached and outreach work was taking place through the Youth and Play Fund although, he advised, it was important not to duplicate work which other partners were doing, citing the Positive Engagement Programme, funded by the Community Safety Partnership and housing providers.  Justin Watson commented that Young Manchester was keen to learn from the Positive Engagement Programme, which was currently carry out detached work in eight wards, and to develop and expand the detached youth work offer across the city.

The Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement acknowledged the territorial issues which affected whether young people attended youth provision and reported that the new Youth Zone in east Manchester had been strategically located in a neutral area.  In response to a question from the Chair, he reported that increasingly young people  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Report of the Director of Education

This report provides an update on how Manchester is implementing the Special Educational Needs and Disability reforms introduced in September 2014.  The report also provides information on the numbers of children and young people with SEND in the local area, data on pupil attainment, attendance and exclusions and comparisons with national data.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Education which provided an update on how Manchester was implementing the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms introduced in September 2014.  It also provided information on the numbers of children and young people with SEND in the local area, data on pupil attainment, attendance and exclusions and comparisons with national data.

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:

•           The overall population with SEND;

•           Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP);

•           How the views of parents, carers and children and young people  

           impacted on strategic decisions;

•           The SEND Local Offer;

•           How the needs of young people with SEND were being met through

           education, health and care services;

•           Preparing young people with SEND for adulthood;

•           Improving pathways into services;

•           Improving outcomes and standards across education and training; and

•           Training on SEND for staff from all agencies.

Some of the key points and themes that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

•           The £2.9 million capital funding which the Department for Education

           (DfE) was providing over the next three years for implementing

            priorities agreed through the Strategic Review of SEND provision in

           2017/18;

•           Concern that some children with SEND were not being identified early

           enough;

•           The costs of providing education for young people with SEND up to the

           age of 25;

•           Concern that some schools had a significant under-spend in their

           budget which could be spent elsewhere;

•           Concern that children with            SEND were disproportionately likely to be

           excluded; and

•           Sufficiency of special school places in the city and the use of

           independent school placements for children with SEND.

The Director of Education reported that officers welcomed the £2.9 million of capital funding but that there would be still be an over-spend.  The Head of Schools Quality Assurance and Strategic SEND reported that the Early Years Delivery Model (EYDM) had resulted in children with SEND being identified earlier, adding that this was the first year that the rollout of EYDM had reached schools.  She welcomed that there was now a health representative on the SEND Board and advised Members that one of the key priorities had been to increase the number of two-year-olds receiving a Health Visitor assessment.  She informed Members that a pilot was taking place in which some schools were working more pro-actively with feeder nurseries to improve communication and identification of children with SEND and that, if this was successful, it would be rolled out further.  The Executive Member for Children’s Services reported that the take-up of Health Visitor assessments at nine months and two years would be a key area of focus for him and that further information would be included in a future update. 

The SEND Lead reported that the Council currently spent more than £6 million of the High Needs budget on post-16 education for young people with SEND, advising that this figure excluded sixth form provision  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit

This report provides the Committee with details of key decisions that fall within the Committee’s remit and an update on actions resulting from the Committee’s recommendations. The report also includes the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee is asked to amend as appropriate and agree.

A report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit was submitted. The overview report contained key decisions within the Committee’s remit, responses to previous recommendations and the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee was asked to approve. 

Decision

To note the report and agree the work programme.