Agenda and draft minutes

Cllr Clark substituted for Cllr Wells.  Cllr K Vickers substituted for Cllr Patterson.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and personal or personal and prejudicial interests.

No whip was declared.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of this panel held on 3 November 2023, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the Chairman.

There were no public speaking requests.

The Chairman welcomed Rachel Smith, Interim Director: Children & Families, Jemima Flintoff, Assistant Director - Education, and Tom Hewis, Assistant Director - Children's Standards & Regulation, to the meeting.

The Chairman explained that Rachel, Jemima and Tom had been invited to update members on the annual report on local arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.  This was a key safeguarding document, and the meeting allowed members to seek assurance that all necessary arrangements were in place to ensure the wellbeing of local children and young people.

Rachel provided a detailed presentation on the report, describing ongoing work to improve local arrangements further, including by strengthening independent scrutiny of all sectors. 

The Chairman then led a discussion on the presentation, with the panel asking questions about the mechanisms in place to prevent and address all forms of child exploitation, local intelligence, and training. Rachel, Jemima and Tom responded accordingly, confirming that the local arrangements were robust and wide-ranging.  A further discussion on crossovers between safeguarding and youth offending was held.  Officers confirmed that the local rate of youth offending compared favourably with peers.  Members reflected that the report was an excellent publication, and that the panel had confidence in the local arrangements.

Resolved – (a) That Rachel Smith, Jemima Flintoff and Tom Hewis be thanked for the presentation and for responding to the panel’s questions; and (b) that the report be noted and welcomed.

There was no added items for consideration at the meeting.

There was no urgent business for consideration at the meeting.  The Chairman wished everyone present a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.