Committee details

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PURPOSE OF COMMITTEE

To advise on and discharge the Council’s functions as:

• an education authority as set out in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and all other relevant legislation and regulations where not otherwise delegated; and

• a social work authority as set out in the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and all other relevant legislation and regulations where not otherwise delegated, in relation to children.

The Committee will also:

• monitor the delivery of educational services undertaken as education authority

(including community learning and development) and children’s services provided by Integrated Children’s and Family Services;

• receive assurance on the statutory and regulatory duties placed on the Council for Child Protection and Corporate Parenting;

• make recommendations in respect of school property matters to the Finance and Resources Committee;

• scrutinise performance; and

• agree changes such as school zoning arrangements (within set budgets), or make recommendations to another committee, for improvements to functions related to education in order to ensure best value and delivery of the Council’s agreed outcomes, commissioning intentions, service specifications and service standards.

REMIT OF COMMITTEE

1. Service Delivery and Performance

1.1      The Committee will, in respect of educational services (early years, schools and community learning and development) and children’s services provided by Integrated Children’s and Family Services and services delivered within the school estate:-

1.1.1   oversee, and make decisions relating to, service delivery (such decisions including those relating to population changes);

1.1.2   approve options to improve/transform service delivery relative to the functions of the Council as education authority and social work authority;

1.1.3   scrutinise operational performance and service standards in line with the Performance Management Frameworks and consider recommendations for improvements where required;

1.1.4   receive the cluster risk registers relative to its remit and scrutinise to ensure assurance of the controls in place;

1.1.5   approve all policies and strategies relative to its remit; and

1.1.6   receive reports on school inspections and peer reviews in order to ensure best practice and note any resultant improvement actions arising from those inspections and reviews.

1.2      In undertaking the aspects at 1.1, the Committee will ensure that it is acting within the budget set by Council and is supporting the delivery of the Council’s agreed outcomes, commissioning intentions and service standards.

1.3      The Committee may make recommendations to the appropriate committee(s) or sub committee(s) on matters affecting its remit where the authority to approve sits within the remit of another committee or sub committee.

2. Child Protection

The Committee will receive assurance from the Child Protection Committee and the Children’s Services Board on:

2.1      Services delivered to children and young people in need of care and protection including care experienced young people, including:

2.1.1   delivery of national initiatives and local implications;

2.1.2 learning from learning reviews;

2.1.3 quality assurance;

2.1.4 training and development; and

2.1.5 local evidence-based initiatives;

2.2      effective working across child protection; and

2.3      statistics relating to the Child Protection Register and children and young people for whom the Council has Corporate Parenting responsibilities, whilst noting that it has no remit to challenge entries.

The Committee will also:

2.4      receive assurance on the Council’s compliance with statutory duties in respect of child poverty; and

2.5      consider the Chief Social Work Officer’s Annual Report.

EXTERNAL MEMBERSHIP

3.        The Committee’s membership will include seven persons who are not members of the Council but who have full membership of the Committee and voting rights in connection with advising on and discharging the functions of the Council as Education Authority only. The seven external members will be appointed by the Council at its statutory meeting (or other meeting as appropriate) as follows:-

3.1      three persons representing religious bodies in accordance with the requirements of s124(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973; and

3.2      in accordance with the discretion conferred by s124(3) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973:

3.2.1   two teachers employed in educational establishments managed by the Council and nominated by the Teachers’ Consultative Forum, comprising one representative from primary (including nursery) and one representative from secondary; and

3.2.2   two parent representatives, selected by the Aberdeen City Parent Council Forum from within its own membership, comprising one representative from primary (including nursery) and one representative from secondary.

Executive Lead: Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services