Cabinet Member for
Children and Young People
Corporate Responsibilities:
1: To endeavour to meet the aspirations of the Council and the citizens of the
Borough through continuous improvement in service delivery, the
implementation of best practice and the recognition of the cultural diversity of
the population of the Borough. To work towards the priorities of the Sandwell
Partnership.
2: To be responsible for a duty of well-being, good community relations and
the promotion of sustainability within the scope of this portfolio.
3: To ensure equality in service provision, in consultation with appropriate
Cabinet members.
4: To support partnership working, including the health partnership agenda,
within the scope of this portfolio.
5:To ensure the full involvement of local people and communities in decisions
relating to the Cabinet members portfolio.
6: To champion:-
(a) the rights and interests of children and young people by the provision of
policy direction and guidance to Cabinet Members on those matters which fall within their remit which affect the lives of children and young people;
(b) schools achievements and education standards within the Borough.
Duties:
7: In consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Resources, to
regulate their impact on the Council’s three year budget strategy.
8: Undertake periodic contract monitoring/challenge meetings with Heads of
Service responsible for services falling within this portfolio as determined by
the governance arrangements for the strategic partnership, Transform
Sandwell;
9: To lead on the development and delivery of Building Schools for the Future,
Academies and Extended Schools.
10: To ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the Council’s
Select Committees in so far as they relate to this portfolio.
11: To attend Scrutiny Management Board and Scrutiny Panels when
required and provide timely information in the format requested.
12: To seek advice from Scrutiny Management Board and Scrutiny Panels
where appropriate.
13: To attend Town Committees as necessary to represent the Cabinet and,
where appointed by the Leader, to act as Cabinet liaison to a named Town
Committee.
14: To represent the Council on appropriate external partnerships, negotiating
and consultative bodies, at a national, regional and local level on those
matters which fall within the scope of this portfolio.
15: To undertake any other duties or roles as may from time to time be
assigned to the Cabinet Member, by the Leader or the Cabinet.
Portfolio Responsibilities:
To take responsibility within the Cabinet for:-
16: Children’s Social Services:
- the development of the Council's role in the Children’s Trust;
- implementation of the proposals within the Government’s Every Child Matters Initiative and associated legislation including, the development of policies and practices relating to the Children’s Health Agenda;
- representing the Council on Connexion’s Local Management Committee;
· the Council’s principal contact with the Sandwell Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership;
- the Sandwell Youth Service and the Sandwell Play Service, including the Council's links with the Sandwell Youth Forum, Youth Cabinet and the Youth Parliament;
· the provision of personal social services for children and young people;
· the provision of personal social services for children and young people with disabilities and special needs in the Council's care;
· the strategy of the Council for and the delivery of personal social services for children and young people in the Borough;
· in so far as they principally affect children and young people, the
· oversight and co-ordination of the development and implementation of
· a Care Trust(s) for the delivery of direct social services in the Borough;
· in so far as they principally affect children and young people, the negotiation and liaison, on behalf of the Council, with local and national bodies and organisations on matters with regard to health and social care and the establishment of links with all relevant agencies and bodies;
· the receipt of notification of registration of private, voluntary and non profit making residential establishments for children and young people in the Borough;
- the programme of access work being carried out to premises in the Borough for the benefit of children and young disabled people, and for determining the award of Certificates of Merit on particular initiatives;
· the opening, consideration and determination of tenders for contracts for community care provision for children and young people, where it is known that organisations with members of the Council serving on their managing bodies or boards of trustees have applied for tender documentation and are likely to submit a tender for such a contract;
· the award and monitoring of contracts with the private, non-profit making and voluntary sectors in connection with community care (including holiday arrangements) of children and young people where the annual amount is in excess of £20,000;
· in so far as they principally relate to children and young people, the administrative arrangements, including criteria for selection, for holidays for clients with a disability;
· in so far as they are directly involved in cases/ issues principally affecting children and young people, the approval of practitioners as Approved Social Workers as defined by the Mental Health Act 1983;
· in so far as they principally affect children and young people, the consideration and determination of all cases where discretion may need to be used under the Council’s non-residential charging policy;
· in so far as they principally affect children and young people, the consideration and determination of any exceptional cases which are referred to the Council in connection with the non-residential charging policy;
· in so far as they principally affect children and young people, hearing, considering and determining oral or written representations made by applicants for registration under the provisions of the Registered Homes Act 1984, the Registered Homes (Amendment) Act 1991 and the Children Act 1989;
17: Educational Attainment and Schools
- where not otherwise reserved to the Council, the functions of the Council as Local Education Authority;
· all matters related to pre-school, under 16 and post 16 education;
· the general educational character of county and voluntary controlled schools;
· all matters connected with the publication of notices of intention to establish, maintain, or cease to maintain any school which falls within the remit of the Local Education Authority;
· all matters relating to school governing bodies and the making of new or amended Instruments and Articles of Government for schools;
· the exercise of the duties of the Local Education Authority relating to the school curriculum;
· the admission of pupils to and the transfer of pupils within county and voluntary controlled schools;
· the administration of the various Acts of Parliament relating to compulsory attendance of pupils at schools, the authorisation of court proceedings against the parents of pupils who attend irregularly or fail to attend school and institutions where attendance is compulsory and methods of securing regularity of attendance of pupils;
· the provision of school clothing and maintenance allowances to pupils over the compulsory age for school attendance;
· the establishment of liaison with the Area Health Authority in the provision of medical and dental services for pupils at school;
· the provision of Education Welfare and Child Guidance Services;
- Cabinet Member for Children and Young People
· the provision of education for those pupils who have special educational needs;
- the provision of an advisory service to schools;
· all matters relating to the provision of primary, secondary and special education, not delegated to a governing body or specifically assigned to another body;
· the provision of education and other facilities for children under compulsory school age;
· the use of school premises by members of the community;
- the management of residential education centres;
· the inspection, monitoring and evaluation of the work of the schools for which the Authority is responsible, including the consideration of reports by OFSTED and the advisory service;
· monitoring the operation of the scheme for the local management of schools including schools' management of delegated budgets and consideration of the suspension of delegated powers to schools;
· consultation with representatives of teachers and lecturers;
18: General
· grant support to organisations within the voluntary sector whose services support the delivery of services within the Cabinet Member’s remit;
· the development of services within the remit of the portfolio holder, through the use of external income streams (NRF, PFI's etc);
· where not already delegated to the relevant chief officer Officer or officer of Transform Sandwell, the appointment, promotion, termination of employment by resignation or otherwise, discipline or secondment of employees, the salaries of employees including the regrading and deletion of posts and the establishment of new posts within those service areas which fall within the Cabinet Member’s remit including children’s social services, education, education welfare, youth support services.
