Meeting documents

Details of all Members’ interests in District, Town and Parish Councils can be viewed on the Council Website at

County Councillors membership of Town, City, Parish or District Councils and this will be displayed in the meeting room (Where relevant).

The Statutory Register of Member’s Interests can be inspected via request to the Democratic Service Team.

Eileen Tipper (co-opted member) declared an interest as a Governor of Chiltern Trinity College, Taunton and Sky Academy, Taunton.

The Committee is asked to confirm the minutes are accurate.

The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 4 October 2021 were approved as a correct record.

The Chair will allow members of the public to ask a question or make a statement about any matter on the agenda for this meeting. These questions may be taken during the meeting, when the relevant agenda item is considered, at the Chair’s discretion.

There were no questions submitted by members of the public.

To receive an update from the Governance Manager, Scrutiny and discuss any items for the forthcoming work programme. To assist the discussion, attached are:

a) The Committee’s work programme

b) The Committee’s Outcome Tracker

Please use the following link to view the latest Cabinet Forward Plan of planned key decisions that have been published on the Council’s website Cabinet Forward Plan of Key Decisions

The Committee considered and noted the Committee’s current work programme and outcome tracker and the Council’s Forward Plan of proposed key decisions in forthcoming months including Cabinet meetings to March 2022.

It was agreed that the work programme be amended as follows: -

·            The item for information on eco schools  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider progress report from Caroline Dowson, SSCP Business Manager, Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership. A PowerPoint presentation will be given at the meeting.

Note: The Chair will be allowing 50 minutes for this agenda item to allow for discussion.

The Committee considered a report and received a PowerPoint presentation from the Council’s Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) Business Manager, Ms Caroline Dowson, on the process for rapid reviews and local child safeguarding practice reviews and the learning from the two local child safeguarding practice reviews published in August 2021.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider PowerPoint presentation from Julia Ridge, Strategic Manager Education Systems, West Somerset Opportunity Area Lead for Somerset County Council.

Note: The Chair will be allowing 50 minutes for this agenda item to allow for discussion.

The Committee received a PowerPoint presentation from the Council’s Strategic Manager, West Somerset Opportunity Area Lead, Ms Julia Ridge, highlighting the progress and ‘the difference made’ 2017 – 2021. The programme covers 4 key areas – early years, excellence in the classroom, transition to adulthood, business and enterprise.

The Committee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

(a)    Report on school meals provision – supporting eco schools – will be circulated on 2 November 2021.

(b)   Tribunal summary report (paper previously circulated for mtg on 04.10.21) – recirculated on 29 October 2021. Can members please note that the report is not in the public domain, but is referred to as part of the SEND Improvement Board minutes on the local offer – SEND Improvement Board (somerset.gov.uk)

If Committee members have any questions or comments on the information, please contact fabbott@somerset.gov.uk in the first instance and before the date of the Committee meeting.

The Committee noted the following information item had been circulated since the last meeting: -

(a)    Tribunal summary report – this was the paper previously circulated to members of the Committee on 30 September and prior to the last meeting of the Committee held on 4 October, and recirculated on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

This item will be a workshop item and will be led by Vikki Hearn, Joint Strategic Commissioner Children’s and Health.

The workshop will cover what the elements of a ‘trauma informed Somerset’ might look like, the emerging themes and the possible steps which may need to take, based on feedback from a professionals workshop taking place on 1 November.   Further information will be circulated to the Committee members separately.

Note: The Chair will be allowing 1 hour 10 minutes for this agenda item to allow for discussion.

The Committee welcomed the following people to the meeting for the workshop item: -

·         Ms Vikki Hearn, Joint Strategic Commissioner Children’s and Health

·         Dr Kate McCann, Clinical Service Lead for Community Child Health

·         Mr Tim Cockerill, Asst Principal Educational Psychologist

·         Ms Joanne Leek, Health Promotion Manager, Public Health

·         Ms Donna  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Chair may raise any items of urgent business.

There were no other items of business.