Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Eastwood and Woolley.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on Tuesday 24^th March 2015 were agreed as a true and accurate record.

There were no declarations of interest stated.

Members were presented with the Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults report by the Partnerships Manager.

Members had previously been provided with a copy of the Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy during June 2014. 

The Partnership Manager updated Members on the Peer Review of Safeguarding and the high risk areas, particularly child exploitation.

Safeguarding Policy

The Policy had been approved by Cabinet during 2014 and is currently being reviewed and revised by the Partnerships Manager to take account of recent developments and recommendations from the Section 11 self-assessment audit (December 2014), Peer Review of Safeguarding in Recruitment (January 2015), changes to Safeguarding Champions and contact information and most recently an internal Audit of Safeguarding which was due to conclude June 2015.

No questions were raised by Members.

Section 11 Self-Assessment Audit

Working Together (2013) recommends that all partners in Staffordshire agree to complete and submit a self-assessment and to provide evidence of how they comply with Section 11 when carrying out their day to day business.

The self-assessment audit was completed by the Partnerships Manager and signed off by the Chief Executive in December 2014.  The areas identified for improvement included:-

·          Completion of safeguarding training to all staff.  Training had been carried out to ensure all staff were aware of the Policy and were confident in reporting any incidents.

·          Include role of Deputy Designated Officer and Safeguarding Champions in job descriptions.

·          Further promotion of Policy and Safeguarding Champions.

·          Development of quality assurance for service contracts and distribution of promotional materials for contractors.

·          Testing of staff awareness and use of information sharing Policies in Audit.

·          Ensure that all staff were confident in reporting incidents/making allegations against people working with children.  Ensure that escalation contacts are promoted and support is given to whistle-blowers.

·          More intensive training to be identified at time of the induction if appropriate for certain roles.

·          Identify further training and development opportunities for Safeguarding Champions e.g. specialist areas.

·          Consider incorporating CSE and extremism into training for Champions.

·          Formalise safeguarding within the supervision/annual review process for staff that may be reasonably expected to have contact with children or vulnerable adults.  Ensure that record keeping with supervision is managed effectively and action appropriately.

No questions were raised by Members.

Peer Review of Safeguarding in Recruitment

A Peer Review was carried out with the assistance of Staffordshire County Council in November 2014.  The review highlighted a number of suggested areas for further strengthening of the Council’s processes and procedures.

Training

Significant progress had been achieved in training of staff in an awareness of safeguarding children.  A compulsory on-line Level 1 training module was rolled out to all PC based staff in Summer 2014.  To date approximately 300 staff have completed the module and face to face training was also being provided to operational teams without access to a computer at the depot, Jubilee 2 and Kidsgrove Sports Centre.

The following questions were raised by Members and answers provided by the Partnerhips Manager:-

Q1: How much training do Members require?

A1:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Report to follow.

The Partnerships Manager provided an update on the Public Sector Commissioning in Partnership (PSCiP) programme.

The focus for Newcastle had been linked to two specific services areas: Infrastructure Support and Volunteering Services awarded to VAST and Debt, Benefits and Consumer Advice Staffordshire South West Citizens Advice Bureau.

Since May 2013 VAST had been commissioned to provide infrastructure and volunteering support across Staffordshire. 

The cost of delivery for Newcastle was £12,000 per annum for an initial period of two years with an option to extend.  The County and Borough Councils have recently agreed to extend the contract for a further twelve months to the end of April 2016.

Staffordshire County Council were now looking to re-commission its support for the voluntary sector in Staffordshire from May 2016.  A Prior Information Notice was recently issued by the County Council describing their intention to tender.  There was a planned engagement and consultation by the County with partners in the public and private sector about how best to commission this support moving forward.  The Borough Council intends to be further involved in the planned engagement.  A decision as to whether to collaborate on a future infrastructure project with the County Council would be considered at a later date.

Resolved:-

That Committee received the report.

Resolved:-

That the following item is added to the work plan:-

Monday 5^th October 2015

Current Sports Development Activity within Newcastle Borough

The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services to present to Committee an update on progress/issues on current activities for sports development in the Borough.

Any member of the public wishing to submit a question must serve two clear days’ notice, in writing, of any such question to the Borough Council.

There were no public questions.

There was no Urgent Business.

Monday 5^th October 2015, 7.00pm in Committee Room 1

Monday 5^th October 2015, 7.00pm in Committee Room 1.