Issue - meetings

5.1       The Committee considered updates on three savings proposals:

K2 (Youth Offending Services)

·           Geeta Subramaniam introduced the update and following discussion on cuts to the Youth Justice Board Grant and the use of predictive modelling to assess whether the new model would be workable, the Committee noted the update provided.

Q1 (Improving triage for Children’s Social Care services & re-designing the Children’s Centre & Early Intervention offer)

·           Deregistering all but 4 of the 17 Children’s Centres in the borough would provide greater flexibility for providers to secure improved outcomes for targeted families within the smaller funding envelope that would be available. Services for children would still be offered from the de-registered centres via council contracts requiring certain outcomes to be reached (payments by results).

·           The Children’s Society had not received payment by results money.

·           The contract with the Children’s Society would end in March; the Pre-School Learning Alliance and the Clyde Early Childhood Centre were being asked to take it over for 6 months; and officers were recommending that they should continue to work with St James’; Family Centre and other subcontractors until the re-tendering of the contracts in October.

·           Councillor Barnham expressed concern about the reduction in registered Children’s Centres from 17 to 4 and the reduction in the number of targeted families.

·           It was stated that capital clawback in respect of the deregistered centres was a risk but unlikely as services would be continuing.

Q2 (Reduction in Youth Service Provision):

·           Following comments made by Councillor Johnston-Franklin, the Committee recommended that, in relation to Recommendation 1 in the Youth Service Working Group report, all councillors should be kept updated on progress, and not just the ward members for Ladywell and Perry Vale.

·           Frankie Sulke stated that there was not the capacity to investigate an alternative, back-up plan to the employee led mutual (ELM) preferred option, but that, should the ELM option prove unfeasible, the fall-back option was the Youth Service remaining in the Council and being subject to proposals for savings alongside other council services.

5.2      RESOLVED: That the updates be noted and the Public Accounts Select Committee be advised that the Committee recommends that, in relation to Recommendation 1 in the Youth Service Working Group report, all councillors should be kept updated on progress, and not just the ward members for Ladywell and Perry Vale.