Issue - items at meetings - Scrutiny Request: Sexual Exploitation of Children

43.1         Giles Rossington, Senior Scrutiny Officer, introduced this report and request for a panel, which had been made by Councillor Alex Phillips.

43.2         It was proposed to take a slightly different approach than had been taken to the other two panel requests. Each area has a Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB). It was proposed that the HWOSC ask the local LSCB to use a nationally produced self-assessment tool to assess their services and then report back to the HWOSC with their findings. It could then be decided whether further work was needed or not.

43.3         This approach was agreed

43.4         RESOLVED – to ask the LSCB to assess their services using the self-assessment tool and report back to HWOSC.

43.5         Tom Hook, Head of Scrutiny, then summarised the position with regard to the current list of scrutiny panels; there are nine panels underway or waiting to be started, with another four – alcohol, Community Mental Health Team, Social Value and cultural provision for older people- all agreed. It would be possible to add the two suggested panels to the list of agreed scrutiny review panels, depending on the wishes of HWOSC.

43.6         Comments and questions included:

Autism – services for children and young people

Ø      The CAMHS survey was sent to families who began using services within a certain timeframe. It was not sent to families who were assessed previously but were still using the services; this meant that their views were not taken into account.

Ø      Does scrutiny currently have enough data about autism services for children and young people to make a decision? Did the survey ask the right questions?

The survey was consulted on and went through a number of drafts. CAMHS has recently changed its service provision so there may be a query over how useful any backwards looking data was. The survey could be redesigned and re-sent out, but this would mean that autism services would not be reviewed for a further 12-18 months, once time was allowed for responses to be sent back etc.

Ø      Panels are there to have an overview of what is happening in a service area; there should be a panel looking at autism services for children and young people to check whether the right service was being provided. It would be necessary to talk to people who were affected by the service, whether in private or within an open meeting.

Ø      Perhaps the panel could look at how to obtain more information from parents and carers, as it did not seem that the surveys were getting the results needed.

Ø      The majority of HWOSC members were in favour of setting up a panel looking at autism services for children and young people.

Bullying in Schools

Ø      There should be at least one young person on the panel.

Ø      All HWOSC members were in favour of setting up a panel looking at bullying in Brighton and Hove schools.

43.7    RESOLVED- that panels be set up to look at (a) autism services for children and young people and (b) bullying in Brighton and Hove schools.