Agenda and minutes

To confirm attendance, the Chair will perform a roll call. Members will also

have the opportunity to declare any interests.

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest or other significant interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter.  The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Standards Committee.

Councillor Max Schmid confirmed the attendance of members in attendance and there were no declarations of interest reported.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 September 2019.

RESOLVED

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 September 2019 were agreed as an accurate record.

To consider a report outlining the decision by Children’s Services to bring

back into the Council Early Help case work and Early Years children centre

provision currently provided by LBHF Family Support Services (FSS).

Sarah Bright provide a brief overview and referenced the innovative practices that had been introduced in terms of early intervention prompted by trauma-informed factors.  During the pandemic the delivery model evolved to virtual delivery and provided support to several families despite challenging circumstances. The intention was to bring the Family Support Service (FSS) in house and retain it as an integrated part of the children’s social care services offer.  This will allow a greater range of families with increasingly complex needs to be better supported with frontline service delivery.

Councillor Connell welcomed the clarity of the report and commended the innovative and creative work undertaken by FSS in early years intervention and recognised the importance of embedding the provision within children’s services offer and continue to support children and young people within the borough.  Councillor Schmid received confirmation from Sarah Bright that FSS data would be reviewed and fully captured to ensure a complete transition and that a Children’s Services officer had been seconded to FSS to safeguard the process. No change to FSS was planned and the transition would be handled sensitively.

With reference to the report David Pearlman confirmed that FSS was not established with the objective to generating commercial income.  It had been submitted to the Committee in accordance with the Council Constitution.  This would provide direction to the council appointed board of directors acting as the shareholder. 

RESOLVED

1.      That the Committee noted the Council’s Children’s Services Department decision to bring back into the Council Early Help case work and Early Years children centre provision currently provided by Family Support Services (FSS); and

2.      That the Committee approved that upon Family Support Services becoming operationally inactive and satisfying all creditors a formal application is made to HMRC for the company status to be made dormant.