Agenda item

32.1     The Chair introduced the report on the Committee’s latest work programme and updates on scrutiny work that had taken place since the last Committee meeting were received. The key issues discussed were:

Reference Groups

Loneliness and Resilience Reference Group

32.2     Councillor Ungar, as Chair of the Loneliness and Resilience Reference Group gave an update on the work of the Reference Group which had met twice since the Committee’s last meeting in November 2021. Councillor Ungar reminded the Committee that the reference group had been providing scrutiny input into a public health-led project to consider the impact of loneliness on East Sussex residents and identify opportunities for a systematic approach to mitigate its worst effects. The Group had had a positive meeting earlier in the week where they had considered the findings and draft recommendations of the project, which the Group were supportive of, and had suggested elements that would need to be considered in the practical delivery of the recommendations. The Reference Group planned to hold another meeting to consider the final report and how the recommendations would be taken forward and would then report back to the Committee.

32.3     Other Members of the Reference Group welcomed the work that had taken place so far and looked forward to considering the final recommendations and practical outcomes of the project.

Initial Scoping Boards

Adult Social Care (ASC) Workforce Challenges

32.4     The Committee agreed at their November 2021 meeting to proceed to scoping a potential scrutiny review of Adult Social Care Workforce Challenges. Councillor Ungar, as Chair of the Initial Scoping Board outlined that the Board had met earlier in March and received a presentation from the Department on work they had started, or were about to begin, to address challenges in the ASC workforce locally, building on the recommendations of a People Scrutiny review of this area that was undertaken in 2019. Councillor Ungar fed back that there had been a good discussion of the work taking place and the Board had made suggestions of areas the Department could expand their approach. 

32.5     Councillor Ungar summarised that, as set out in the work programme report, the Board had agreed to recommend to the Committee that as the Department were just starting, or about to progress, a wide-range of work in response to ASC workforce challenges, it was not an appropriate time to commence a scrutiny review of this area. Instead, the Board had requested the Department provide a progress report to the Committee in nine months setting out what had been delivered in that time and the impact it was having. In the meantime, the Board asked that the Department proceed at-pace with delivering the planned work they had shared with the Board and with completing all the recommendations of the previous scrutiny review, particularly the recommendation that all councillors were supported to promote the role of Personal Assistants.

32.6     The Committee RESOLVED to agree the recommendation of the Initial Scoping Board not to proceed with a review of ASC workforce challenges and to instead receive a progress report from the Department on work to address challenges at the November 2022 committee meeting.

School Attendance

32.7     The Committee agreed at their November 2021 meeting to also proceed to scoping a potential scrutiny review of school attendance. Councillor Howell, as Chair of the Initial Scoping Board fed back that the Board had similarly recently met and having considered a detailed presentation from the Department, agreed to recommend to the Committee that because so much of the current situation regarding school absence rates was related to the ongoing impact of, and disruption from, the coronavirus pandemic, it was too early for the Committee to undertake a scrutiny review of school attendance. The Board instead recommended that a scrutiny review progress in Spring 2023 when there was expected be a clearer picture of the long-term impact of COVID on underlying challenges with school attendance.

32.8     The Committee RESOLVED to agree the recommendation of the Initial Scoping Board not to proceed with a review of school attendance at this time and to revisit the topic for review in Spring 2023.

Future Scrutiny Review topics

32.9     The Committee then discussed potential topics to prioritise for future scrutiny reviews:

Use of digital and technology in ASC

32.10   The Chair of the Committee proposed that the Committee consider this topic and the Director of Adult Social Care and Health then provided further detail on potential areas a review could consider, including looking beyond existing plans the Department had for use of digital and technology to consider innovative and bold ways technologies could maintain a high standard of care and support sustainability of ASC in the next five-to-ten years. 

32.11   The Committee were supportive of proceeding with this review topic and commented on the importance of keeping the scope of the review manageable and also considering the role of digital inclusion in this work. The Committee RESOLVED to proceed to the scoping stage a potential review of the use of digital and technology in ASC and to appoint Councillors Geary, Maples and di Cara to the Initial Scoping Board.

ASC Equality and Inclusion Strategy

32.12   The Director of Adult Social Care and Health outlined that the Department had launched a new Equality and Inclusion Strategy in 2021 and would welcome scrutiny’s review of this strategy, the Department’s existing work and priorities and consideration of where work should focus next.

32.13   The Committee RESOLVED to proceed to the scoping stage a potential review of the ASC Equality and Inclusion Strategy and to appoint Councillor Ungar to the Initial Scoping Board. Nominations of other Committee members to sit on the Board would be sought remotely after the meeting. [Post-meeting note: Councillors Geary and Webb were also appointed to the Initial Scoping Board].

Elective Home Education

32.14   It was noted that the Committee was supportive of undertaking a scrutiny review of Elective Home Education, which was listed on the Committee’s work programme as a potential future review topic, at the earliest opportunity. The Director of Children’s Services agreed that this was an important area for scrutiny to consider given the large number of pupils now educated at home. However, the Director had concerns that schools - who would need to be involved, to an extent, in this review in looking at what might be driving the increase in parents opting to Electively Home Educate their child – would not have capacity this side of the summer to engage due to the ongoing impact of COVID on staff absences.

32.15   The Committee therefore RESOLVED to maintain this item on their work programme as a potential topic for a future scrutiny review; and to receive an update on the Department’s work and national developments in this area in November 2022 to support timetabling of this.

Prevention in Children’s Services

32.16   The Director of Children’s Services suggested that in light of the Committee’s discussion under the earlier item on the agenda on county lines and child exploitation, which had recognised the importance of earlier and community interventions in preventing children being drawn into criminal activity and exploitation; the Committee could undertake a scrutiny review of the role of prevention and early intervention in Children’s Services. This could include considering broader opportunities across the Department to invest existing resources in a different way that prevented need escalating.

32.17   The Committee RESOLVED to proceed to the scoping stage a potential scrutiny review of the role of prevention in children’s services and that nominations of Committee Members to sit on the Board would be sought remotely after the meeting. [Post-meeting note: Councillors Adeniji, Field and Howell were appointed to the Initial Scoping Board].

32.18   The Committee RESOLVED to agree the updated work programme subject to the above changes and it was agreed the updated programme reflecting the changes would be circulated to the Committee.

Future Committee items

Complaints in ASC

32.19   Councillor Maples asked, following recent interactions with the ASC Department following a resident complaint, for the Committee to receive a presentation on the processes that were followed in ASC when complaints and enquiries were received, how they were resolved and how learning from complaints was taken forward to adjust practice where it needed to be changed. Councillor Geary also supported proportionate scrutiny of these processes to ensure they were robust, fair and transparent.

32.20   Following discussion of what the Committee would find most useful, the Director of Adult Social Care and Health agreed to provide a report for a future Committee meeting on the current processes followed when a complaint or enquiry from councillors and/or MPs was received; and to draw out in a presentation how the process worked in practice and how the Department implemented learning from complaints.