Agenda item

To consider reports from Cabinet Members.

The Council received reports from the relevant Cabinet Members on matters of interest or service developments relating to their remits which had occurred since the previous meeting or were likely to have an impact in the future or on specific issues upon which they had been asked to comment, as set out below:

(a)        Community, Public Health, Transportation and Environment

Councillor Croad commented, as requested by Councillor Hannaford on the Knife Crime Public Health Consultation including current statistics and trends for knife related crime in the area, recent knife amnesty results, links to organised crime and county lines, and what the Council’s official response to the consultation would be.

The Cabinet Member referred to the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy in response to rises in knife crime, gun crime and homicide and some of the risk factors that could impact on an individual’s vulnerability to becoming either a victim or perpetrator of serious violence. The Government was also consulting on a potential new legal duty on specific organisations to support a multi-agency approach to preventing and tackling serious violence. Views were being sought to inform the Council’s response.

The consultation consisted of three options:

1.     A new duty on specific organisations to have due regard to the prevention and tackling of serious violence (similar to the PREVENT duty);

2.     A new duty through legislating to revise Community Safety Partnerships (to ensure they had a strategy for preventing and tackling serious violence); and

3.     A voluntary non-legislative approach (to encourage areas to adopt voluntary measures to engage in a multi-agency approach instead of, or to complement introducing a new statutory duty).

The Government’s stated preference was Option One.

In terms of data, locally there was evidence of a small increase in knife-related activity in certain pockets of the peninsula, but there did not appear to be evidence of any widespread large-scale increases.

The participation of Devon and Cornwall in the national knife amnesty (11 – 17 March 2019) led to 367 knives and bladed items being handed in to police.

(b)        Children’s Services and Schools

Councillor McInnes circulated a report as requested by Councillors Biederman on the recent Ofsted focused visit of Children’s Services and the immediate actions taken and required in response to their Report and also provided a verbal update, as requested by Councillor Hannaford, on the Steiner School (Exeter).

In response to the Ofsted focused visit, the Cabinet Member highlighted that ‘Focused Visits’ were part of the new Inspection Framework for Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS), designed to support improvement.  He highlighted that most Local Authorities were weakest in the area of Children in Need and Child Protection.

Senior leaders had responded quickly and with appropriate rigour, realigning service priorities and the immediate strengthened management information to eliminate knowledge gaps. A period of accelerated improvement focusing on key areas of practice was underway and would remain in place until the full ILACS took place. Quality assurance activity was being significantly tightened and additional resources being put into this. The Focused Visit letter would be published on 28th May 2019 and reported to the June Children’s Scrutiny Committee with the accompanying updated Improvement Plan.

The Cabinet Member also referred to his Report at the last Council meeting on the Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) joint inspection of Devon to judge the effectiveness of implementing the special educational needs reforms conducted between 10 and 14 December 2018. The improvement plan was currently being considered by Ofsted and would be published in June.

He also commented on the Steiner School which had been subject to an Ofsted inspection, the outcome of which had found the School to be ‘inadequate’. He highlighted the support mechanisms for the school in helping them to move forward both from the Council and other agencies including the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Ted Wragg Trust. There were ongoing discussions with the Secretary of State on the future sponsorship of the academy. Ofsted also continued to make visits to the school.