Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 2 - Civic Centre, St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton WV1 1SH

Contact: Dereck Francis  Tel: 01902 555835 or Email: dereck.francis@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Decision:

No apologies for absence were received.

Minutes:

No apologies for absence were received.

2.

Declarations of interests

Decision:

No declarations of interests were made.

Minutes:

No declarations of interests were made.

3.

Minutes of the previous meeting - 28 November 2016 pdf icon PDF 69 KB

[For approval]

Decision:

That the minutes of the previous meeting on 28 November 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Minutes:

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 November 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

4.

Matters arising

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting]

Decision:

None

Minutes:

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

5.

Children's Services Transformation - Impact of Early Intervention pdf icon PDF 110 KB

[To review and comment on the emerging impact early intervention is having on the system transformation works overarching aim of keeping children safely at home]

Decision:

1.       That the impact of the Children’s Services transformation programme on the 2078 children that the Early Intervention Service have supported between April to September 2016 be acknowledged.

 

2.       That the ongoing work to maintain families at an early intervention level which has led to only 5% of cases within the first six months requiring escalation to social care, achieving the aim of delivering the right services at the right level and right time be endorsed.

 

3.       That the importance of the wider impact of early intervention services in supporting people back into employment through the successful implementation of the youth employment initiative within early intervention be recognised.

 

4.       That the recruitment of 21 parent champions and the positive impact this has had, particularly for five who have moved into employment or are actively seeking jobs be celebrated.

 

5.       That the work undertaken by universal service practitioners in supporting the council to improve its take-up of two-year nursery places to 80% be endorsed.

 

6.       That the work undertaken with partners through the recent successful locality conferences which saw 276 partners across the city engage in dialogue about early intervention be acknowledged.

 

7.       That the pathways that are being developed with key stakeholders, in relation to domestic abuse and housing to secure the best outcomes for families be endorsed.

Minutes:

Andrew Wolverson, Head of Early Intervention presented the report on the emerging impact early intervention was having on the system of transformation works overarching aim of keeping children safely at home.  He also reported on progress made under the four key principles which underpinned the transformation work.

 

Members of the Panel welcomed the report and the impact the measures and support put in place were having.  Amongst the achievements they noted a 22% reduction in the Looked After Children figure in Wolverhampton from just over 800 as of January 2017 to the current figure 641; and the 80% take up of the Council’s nursery offer for two year olds.  They were particularly pleased with the progress made given the pressure on the Council’s budget.  The whole systems approach and working with partners meant that the service area was on the right trajectory.

 

Responding to questions the Head of Early Intervention informed the Panel that the impact worker allocated to work intensively with identified clients was from the Youth Employment Initiative.  The worker would take a co-ordinating role and was supported by eight champions within the Strengthening Families Hubs.  The Hubs also had in place clear data sharing agreements with schools and health agencies.

 

Resolved:

  1. That the impact of the Children’s Services transformation programme on the 2078 children that the Early Intervention Service have supported between April to September 2016 be acknowledged.

 

  1. That the ongoing work to maintain families at an early intervention level which has led to only 5% of cases within the first six months requiring escalation to social care, achieving the aim of delivering the right services at the right level and right time be endorsed.

 

  1. That the importance of the wider impact of early intervention services in supporting people back into employment through the successful implementation of the youth employment initiative within early intervention be recognised.

 

  1. That the recruitment of 21 parent champions and the positive impact this has had, particularly for five who have moved into employment or are actively seeking jobs be celebrated.

 

  1. That the work undertaken by universal service practitioners in supporting the council to improve its take-up of two-year nursery places to 80% be endorsed.

 

  1. That the work undertaken with partners through the recent successful locality conferences which saw 276 partners across the city engage in dialogue about early intervention be acknowledged.

 

7.     That the pathways that are being developed with key stakeholders, in relation to domestic abuse and housing to secure the best outcomes for families be endorsed

6.

Update on Progress and Impact of the Specialist Support Service pdf icon PDF 163 KB

[To receive an update on the progress and impact of the service since its implementation in April 2016]

Decision:

1.       That the overall positive impact of the Specialist Support service, following the Children’s Service redesign, on children and families in Wolverhampton, in respect of its aims of safely preventing family breakdown be acknowledged.

 

2.       That the significant reduction in Looked After Children as a result Children’s Services transformation work be acknowledged.

 

3.       That the increase in the range of services available to support families in crisis and on the edge of care be acknowledged.

 

4.       That  the impact of the Intensive Family Support team, Family Group Conferencing and Upper Pendeford Short Break interventions have had on keeping families together safely be acknowledged.

 

5.       That the benefits of the Vulnerable Young Person’s team in dealing with vulnerability as a whole resulting in earlier and effective safeguarding of young people be acknowledged.

 

6.       That the opportunities to further develop the work of the Specialist Support service, specifically with regards to developing the workforce and the further support to vulnerable families via therapeutic support and the Supporting Women in the Community and at Home (SWITCH) project be acknowledged.

Minutes:

Rachel King, Head of Specialist Support presented the report on the progress and impact of the Specialist Support service since its implementation in April 2016. 

 

Members of the Panel welcomed the report and the progress made and placed on record their thanks to all those involved in the transformation of Children’s Services.

 

Cllr Andrew Johnson added that this report and the previous agenda item justified the Council’s decision to make investments in early intervention and support and the transformation of the service.  He commended it as a model for the rest of the Council. 

 

Resolved:

  1. That the overall positive impact of the Specialist Support service, following the Children’s Service redesign, on children and families in Wolverhampton, in respect of its aims of safely preventing family breakdown be acknowledged.

 

  1. That the significant reduction in Looked After Children as a result Children’s Services transformation work be acknowledged.

 

  1. That the increase in the range of services available to support families in crisis and on the edge of care be acknowledged.

 

  1. That  the impact of the Intensive Family Support team, Family Group Conferencing and Upper Pendeford Short Break interventions have had on keeping families together safely be acknowledged.

 

  1. That the benefits of the Vulnerable Young Person’s team in dealing with vulnerability as a whole resulting in earlier and effective safeguarding of young people be acknowledged.

 

  1. That the opportunities to further develop the work of the Specialist Support service, specifically with regards to developing the workforce and the further support to vulnerable families via therapeutic support and the Supporting Women in the Community and at Home (SWITCH) project be acknowledged.

 

7.

Housing Managing Agents Performance Monitoring Report - Quarter Three October to December 2016 pdf icon PDF 161 KB

[To review and comment on the quarter three performance]

Decision:

1.       That the performance of the housing management agents for the quester three of 2016/17 be noted.

 

2.       That further data on the impact Channel Shift programme was having on customer care performance be included in future monitoring reports.

Minutes:

Kenny Aitchison, Service Manager Housing Strategy and Development presented the report on quarter two performance of Wolverhampton Homes (WH) and the Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs) management and maintenance of council owned properties. Overall there had been strong performance by WH and the TMO’s other than in the areas of rents management, Homes Direct calls and governance in TMOs.  The Service Manager Housing Strategy and Development elaborated on the reasons for performance in the three areas and the actions put in place to manage and monitor the performance. He also corrected an error at paragraph 3.3.6 of the report where the ‘X’ should be substituted for ‘Nil’

 

In response to a question on housing direct calls, the Strategic Director City Housing reported that they related to rents, housing management issues and repairs.  The calls took longer to deal with because operatives talked the caller through the process of dealing with their enquiry. The issue of call answering was about striking a balance between focusing on digital options as the primary channel of communication and operatives helping callers to deal with their enquiry.  If you answer calls right away there is no incentive for the caller to access the information online.   The Strategic Director undertook to provide the Panel with information on the progress with the digital transformation agenda.

 

Resolved:

  1. That the performance of the housing management agents for the quarter three of 2016/17 be noted.

 

2.     That further data on the impact the Channel Shift and Digital First programmes are having on customer care performance be included in future monitoring reports.

8.

Information Governance Performance Report - Quarter Three 2016/17 pdf icon PDF 74 KB

[To review and comment on the quarter three performance]

Additional documents:

Decision:

That the performance of Information Governance for quarter three of 2016/17 be noted.

Minutes:

Martyn Sargeant, Head of Democratic Services presented the report on the performance of Information Governance for quarter three (October to December 2016). The report showed sustained high performance by the Council in its response to Freedom of Information/ Environmental Information (FOI) and Subject Access Requests (SARs) received.

 

Referring to the increase in reported information incidents during the quarter, the Head of Democratic Services informed the Panel that the reporting arrangements were improving but there was an underlying issue.  The Information Governance (IG) Team were monitoring this and the Council’s Strategic Executive Board also had it under review. Where there were issues of repeated incidents the IG Team would meet with the service and provide targeted support.

 

Resolved:

That the performance of Information Governance for quarter three of 2016/17 be noted.

9.

Performance Management Information Legal Liability Claims pdf icon PDF 69 KB

[To report on the outcome of a benchmarking exercise of the Council’s performance relating to the handling of legal liability claims]

Decision:

That it be noted that there is a high level of assurance that the Council has robust and compliant claims handling processes in place which reduces the financial exposure to the lowest possible level on claims the Council is legally liable to settle.

Minutes:

Jayne Goddard-Mills, Corporate Assurance Manager presented the report on the outcome of a benchmarking exercise on the Council’s performance relating to the handling of legal liability claims compared to the national performance of defendants in the UK both within the public and private sector.  National performance information was published by Claims Portal Ltd acting on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

 

Cllr Andrew Johnson congratulated the Service on the level of performance it was achieving.  The excellent figures were well below the national average. Keith Ireland, Managing Director added his congratulations to the Corporate Assurance Manager and her team.

 

Resolved:

          That it be noted that there is a high level of assurance that the Council has robust and compliant claims handling processes in place which reduces the financial exposure to the lowest possible level on claims the Council is legally liable to settle.

10.

City Scorecard, Corporate Plan and Outcomes Based Planning Update pdf icon PDF 190 KB

[To review progress made to develop an oversight and monitoring system for corporate plan priorities and other key performance indicators in QlikView and the work that has been carried out to define and implement the council’s approach to outcome-based accountability]

 

Decision:

1.       That the development of QlikView corporate performance applications be endorsed and progress to date to develop an oversight and monitoring system for corporate plan priorities and other key performance indicators in QlikView be noted.

 

2.       That the Council’s approach to implementing a new outcome-based planning corporate performance framework be endorsed and progress to date be noted.

 

3.       That arrangements be made to demonstrate the QlikView corporate performance applications and their benefits to a wider group of Councillors.

Minutes:

Helena Kucharczyk, Insight and Performance Manager presented a report on progress made to develop an oversight and monitoring system for corporate plan priorities and other key performance indicators via QlikView (a business intelligence software application). The report also updated the Panel on the work to define and implement the Council’s approach to outcome-based accountability. The Insight and Performance Manager also gave a demonstration of the QlikView application.

 

During the ensuing discussion on the demonstration and the content in the module, members of the Panel commented on the need for appropriate caveats to be included alongside some of the data to avoid significant distortion or inaccurate interpretation of the actual picture. The Panel also welcomed that more data would be available through the QlikView application but felt that more employees with the skills to interpret the data were required.  The Insight and Performance Manager added that once the data was uploaded it would automatically be updated which would then free up more time for the analysts to perform health checks on the data.

 

Cllr John Reynolds suggested that in terms of user experience, graphs, charts and symbols would be more preferable to the numerical data.  Keith Ireland, Managing Director reported that another layer of work was taking place which would make the application easier for people to look at and navigate.

 

Cllr Andrew Johnson welcomed the work on evidence based decision making. Children’s Services had led the way on this approach during its budget considerations and he suggested that the approach should be replicated in the other service areas of the Council.  He added that it would be valuable if the outcome based budgeting approach could be applied to the production of a city based budget to make a difference to the lives of the city’s residents.

 

The Chair welcomed that several different sources of data would be located in a single place. He noted that the application would also assist the Council with responding to Freedom of Information requests. He asked that the application and approach be shared more widely with the rest of the Council.

 

Resolved:

  1. That the development of QlikView corporate performance applications be endorsed and progress to date to develop an oversight and monitoring system for corporate plan priorities and other key performance indicators in QlikView be noted.

 

  1. That the Council’s approach to implementing a new outcome-based planning corporate performance framework be endorsed and progress to date be noted.

 

  1. That arrangements be made to demonstrate the QlikView corporate performance application and their benefits to a wider group of Councillors.