Agenda

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.

To elect a Chair for the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2025/26 Municipal Year.

To elect a Vice Chair of the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2025/26 Municipal Year

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 11 March 2025.

To consider any outstanding actions.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/documents/s2305/Public%20Items%20-%20Meeting%20Procedure%20Rules.pdf 

The deadline for the submission of public questions is 3 clear working days before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.

To receive a verbal update from the Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs).

The Council’s constitution provides that Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Committees may consider requests for work from a range of sources, including requests from Portfolio Holders, Cabinet and Council. 

The O&S Committee is asked to consider a request for scrutiny recently made by Council and one request for scrutiny from a Portfolio Holder, and to determine these requests in line with the associated constitution procedure rules.

To present the Youth Justice Plan for 2025/26. There is a statutory requirement to publish an annual Youth Justice Plan which must provide specified information about the local provision of youth justice services. This report summarises the Youth Justice Plan for 2025/26, with a copy of the Plan appended. The Youth Justice Plan needs to be approved by the full Council.

The Council provides and commissions a range of housing for Care Experienced Young People (CEYP) as part of their transition to independence. A range of social and private rented accommodation provision is offered depending on the assessed needs of the young person:

·  Supported accommodation (onsite or visiting support)

·  Joint Living Properties (shared houses)

·  Self-contained accommodation (dispersed or clustered)

The Council holds a number of powers which act as assurance that the quality of accommodation is of the required standard and has a number of additional measures in place to ensure accommodation quality is maintained alongside housing related support for each and every setting.

A review of the housing needs of Care Experienced Young People has recently been considered within a wider review of specialist and supported housing needs. A housing strategy outlining the future commissioning intentions will be considered by Cabinet later in 2025/26.

This report serves to provide a detailed overview of the activities and impact of the BCP Virtual School during the academic year 2023-24. The Virtual School operates on behalf of the Local Authority (LA), collaborating with partners to advocate for Children in Care (CIC) in education and ensuring positive and aspirational educational outcomes.

The report outlines the future priorities and development plans for the BCP Virtual School, aiming to improve outcomes and support for a positive transition to adulthood for all Care Experienced young people.

The report is based on the LA held pupil information and results from schools. At the time of publishing, there is no comparative national data available for the academic year 2023-24. Comparative data will be available upon its publication in April 2025. By conducting comparative analysis throughout the year, we aim to identify areas where the Virtual School has significant impact and areas where improvement is needed in relation to national benchmarks. This information will guide our efforts in providing the best possible support for children in care, aligning with broader educational standards.

To receive a verbal update from the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People.

The Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Committee is asked to consider and identify work priorities for publication in a Work Plan.