Children, Families & Communities Committee - 04/12/2023

At a MEETING of the CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE held remotely on 4th December, 2023.

Present:-

Lord Provost Bill CAMPBELL

BAILIES

COUNCILLORS

External members for Articles I to V

Ms Jodi BARCLAY, Teacher Representative

Mr David GIBSON, Teacher Representative

Mrs Teresa LITTLE, Roman Catholic Church Representative

Mrs Margaret McVEAN, Church of Scotland Representative

Miss Alysse ORCHARDSON, Pupil Representative

Councillor Stewart HUNTER, Convener, in the Chair.

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 23rd October, 2023 was held as read.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

Prior to commencement of business, Councillor Alexander recognised Bailie Wrights accolade of Lifetime Legend presented at the Local Government Information Unit awards. Other members associated themselves with the tribute. Recognition was also paid to Councillor Alexander for his Leader of the Year award.

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

II PUPIL, RELIGIOUS AND TEACHER REPRESENTATION ON THE CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIESCOMMITTEE

There was submitted Agenda Note AN37-2023 where reference was made to Article II of the minute of meeting of this Committee of 4th September, 2023, wherein it was noted that the City Wide Pupil Voice and Catholic Church would nominate replacement representatives in due course and the Head of Democratic and Legal Services would make arrangements to seek nominations for a replacement teacher representative.

It was reported that with regard to pupil representation, Alysse Orchardson had been nominated for Session 2023/2024.

It was reported with regard to the Catholic Church representation, Teresa Little had been nominated.

It was reported with regard to teacher representation, that the following nomination was received:-

David Gibson

The nominees had agreed to abide by the Code of Conduct in accordance with the Standards Commissions Guidance.

The Committee approved the appointments.

III PROGRESS UPDATE: SENIOR PHASE ATTAINMENT 2022/2023

There was submitted Report No 362-2023 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service informing Committee of senior phase attainment by Dundee pupils to the end of academic session 2022/2023. The data was taken from Insight, the Scottish Governments benchmarking tool. They were based on the latest Insight data release, published in September, 2023.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note the contents of the report, and

(ii) to instruct the Chief Education Officer to update the Committee about senior phase attainment in academic session 2023/2024 after the Insight update in September, 2024.

IV MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING SUPPORT SERVICES

There was submitted Report No 359-2023 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service providing Committee with an update on the progress with the implementation of the Tayside Emotional Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note how measures for monitoring and improvement should be considered along with other current measures related to Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC); Trauma Informed Practice; Our Promise and school attendance; and

(ii) to instruct the Executive Director to keep the implementation and outcomes of approaches under review and provide an updated report in 12 months.

V TAYSIDE PLAN FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES ANNUAL REPORT 2022/2023 AND 3-YEARPLAN FOR 2023/2026

There was submitted Report No 361-2023 by the Executive Director of Children and Families Service providing an update on the implementation of the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families over the last 12 months. The report highlighted progress being made in relation to the five priorities outlined in the plan, with a specific focus on the local impact of shared actions of the regional collaborative. A full update was outlined in the Tayside Plan Annual Report 2022/2023 (attached as Appendix 1 of the report). The report also presented the new Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families 2023/2026 (attached as Appendix 2 of the report).

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note progress in the implementation of the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2022/2023;

(ii) to approve the next 3-year Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People and Families 2023/2026;

(iii) to note the decision of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to end funding and taper Regional Improvement Collaboratives during 2024/2025; and

(iv) to instruct the Executive Director to provide an update on the Regional Improvement Collaborative and arrangements in respect of an exit strategy in six months.

Stewart HUNTER, Convener.