Committee details

Children Sub-Committee

Purpose of committee

CHILDREN SUB-COMMITTEE

 

OBJECTIVES

 

The objective of the Children Sub-Committee is to support the Council and its partners in delivering Wirral’s Strategy for children, young people and families to ensure:

 

  • Children are ready for school;
  • Young people are ready for work and adulthood
  • Vulnerable children thrive and reach their full potential
  • Children and young people feel safe and are safe
  • Children and young people’s views and voices are evidenced in and integral to all of the above objectives.

 

 

WIRRAL PLAN PLEDGES

 

The work of the Children Sub-Committee will focus in particular on the delivery of the following Wirral Plan Pledges:

 

  • Children are ready for school;
  • Young people are ready for work and adulthood;
  • Vulnerable children reach their full potential

·  Reduce child and family poverty

 

 

TERMS OF REFERENCE

 

The Children Sub-Committee will provide oversight, support and challenge to the activities of Wirral Council and its partners in relation to the following areas:

 

  • Children’s attainment in school, focusing in particular on the attainment of the most vulnerable children, evidenced by the gap in attainment narrowing;
  • The quality and performance of educational provision overall in Wirral, as judged by Ofsted;
  • The quality and effectiveness of pre-birth to five year old support and provision for children and parents, leading to children having the best start in life, evidenced by their readiness for school;
  • The quality and effectiveness of specialist children social care and partner provision to support the most vulnerable children, leading to children being safe and achieving their full potential;
  • Targeted early help effectively supports more children to thrive and live safely in their families and communities
  • Monitoring Local Authority performance against its statutory duties

 

 

PROPOSED WORKING PRACTICES OF THE

CHILDREN SUB-COMMITTEE

 

Sub Committee meetings

 

Chair

The Chair and Vice-Chair will be appointed at the first meeting of the Sub-Committee in the municipal year

Membership

The membership of the Sub-Committee will be politically proportional. (On the current political balance, this translates into 4 Labour; 2 Conservative; 1 Liberal Democrat).

In addition, the 4 statutory education co-optees will be members of the Sub-Committee.

 

Deputies

A maximum of 8 Elected Members per political group may be nominated to sit on the Sub-Committee as Deputies  The appointment of Deputies shall take effect upon the Group Leaders of each political group notifying the Head of Legal & Member Services of their deputy nominations.

 

Frequency

To meet a minimum of three times per year.

 

Work programme

The Sub-Committee will identify a work programme for the year, to include:

  • Task & Finish Groups
  • Standing Items
  • Specific Officer reports / presentations

 

Reporting Requirements

The minutes of the Sub-Committee meetings will be reported to the next available People Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

 

Communication & Transparency

Meetings will be held in public with agendas being published prior to the meeting and formal minutes being produced. Therefore, support from Committee services will be required

 

 

 

 

 

Membership

Contact information

Support officer: Anne Beauchamp.

Phone: 0151 691 8608

Email: annebeauchamp@wirral.gov.uk

Web site: http://www.wirral.gov.uk