Agenda item

The Board was asked to consider the reports from Panel Chairmen on Panels' discussions of potential Work Programme topics and determine its Scrutiny Work Programme for 2017/18 to be considered by full Council.

Each of the Panels' suggested Work Programmes were agreed as detailed below, including any additions discussed and 'Standing items'  such as Performance Management, Quality Assurance, Budget Scrutiny and Safeguarding (Adults and Children's):

Adult Care and Well-Being Overview & Scrutiny Panel

• Three Conversation model (new model for social work)
• Outcome-based Commissioning – homecare and care providers
• Staffing – sickness, recruitment, retention and agency spend
• Isolation (including social isolation)
• Prevention work and its success in keeping people independent – possible task group
• Technology in care?
• Better Care Plans

Children and Families Overview & Scrutiny Panel

The main focus of the Panel's work would be to follow up to the Ofsted report and the implementation of the Service Improvement Plan, and this would be a standing item on all agendas.  An additional meeting had been arranged for 14 August to include an initial discussion on this issue.  In this context, Panel Members had highlighted the following particular concerns:

• The workload of social workers (including travel time and key workers); and
• The need to consider comparative figures in relation to performance of agency staff, recruitment and retention, and caseloads.

The other issues to be included on the Programme were:

• Child employment and labour
• Education at home
• 0-19 service (Children's Centres)
• Alternative provision (including Babcock Prime and migrant children)
• The performance of Babcock Prime (with a particular focus on performance at KS2)
• Assistive Technology

Corporate and Communities Overview & Scrutiny Panel

• Worcestershire County Council - Property (Place Partnership)
• Worcestershire County Council Workforce – including cultural change to support transformation
• What can WCC do to maximise income generation?
• How can WCC support Local Business?
• Culture: How can we utilise the culture of Worcestershire to maximise the benefit to the County?
• Information sharing with District Councils.
• Councillor IT
• Road safety (particularly around schools)
• Commissioning – How do we manage and ensure value for money and quality service?
• Communications – How do we ensure residents have easy access and we communicate service levels?  WCC brand and the postal service

·       The Council's role in post-Brexit subsidy mechanisms for rural activities.

Economy and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Panel

• Footways
• Cycle paths
• Highways development control – improving joined-up working and include Highway's Engineers capacity (task group?)
• Worcestershire LEP
• How to improve getting around the county
• Local Transport Plan 4 – how plans are implemented
• Cleaning programme for gulleys and drains
• Asset management
• Transport and access to hospitals
• Buses (task group?)
• Evesham's Abbey Bridge – lessons learned
• Budget scrutiny  (mini task group of panel members)
• Flood risk management
• Broadband update
• Relationship with Highway's England
• Residents zonal parking schemes and additional car parks

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC)

The Chairman of HOSC advised that a discussion of the Work Programme would take place at its meeting on 19 July 2017, following which he would submit the details to be included in the Work Programme.

The substantive issues being discussed at the meeting were the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire and the Quality of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire. 

It was likely that the 'Better use of Community Hospitals' would feature in the future Work Programme.

It was agreed that the Mental Health Provision in Worcestershire (including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services CAMH's) should be included on the Work Programme.

Transitions

On 21 June a joint meeting of the Adult Care and Well-being O&S Panel and the Children and Families O&S Panel was held to discuss issues relating to the transition between Children's and Adult Services.  Following the meeting, Members expressed an interest in setting up a scrutiny task group to investigate further.  The Chairmen of both Panels had met with Officers to start the scoping process.

Crime and Disorder

The Lead Member for Crime and Disorder updated the Board on the plans for the annual Crime and Disorder Scrutiny meeting on Thursday 7 September 2017(10am).

As in previous years, the Board would be considering ongoing Community Safety work across the County, but this year there would be a specific focus on some emerging areas of concern, which were:

•           Prevent/Cohesion

•           Sexual Violence

•           Modern Day Slavery and Trafficking

•           Cyber Crime

Sexual violence and rape

The Board were reminded that at its meeting on 16 September 2016, it was agreed that the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Lead Member for Crime and Disorder and the Chairman of HOSC would consider what if any further scrutiny was required in respect of support services in relation to Sexual Violence and Rape.

As requested, the Lead Member had considered this and acknowledged that Sexual Violence and Rape was horrendous for the victims, their family and the community as a whole and that it was important that there was appropriate support for victims and rehabilitation of perpetrators.

Taking the agreed criteria for determining the Work Programme into account, it was confirmed that this was not a priority for Scrutiny for the County Council.  This was however, disappointing and it was agreed that OSPB would consider the issue as part of its Annual Worcestershire County Council Community Safety Report in September 2017. 

It was agreed that a copy of the complete Work Programme would be circulated to the Board.