Agenda item

3.    Corporate Plan Goals and National Performance Measures

·         The report was introduced by the Performance Manager.  It was explained that the report covers the 22 things that Council has committed to delivering by 2022 as part of its five well-being objectives within the Corporate Plan. 

·         The report covers progress against the objectives of greatest relevance to the Adult and Children and Young People Select Committees and shows how they contribute to the national goals set out under the Well-Being of Future Generations Act.  There are assessments against the overall objectives and the individual steps in the report.

Members Challenge

·         There was challenge about process for determining the level of assessment. It was explained that these judgements were arrived at using the council’s self-evaluation framework. Each action of assessed and then the assessment of individual actions was aggregated to give an overall assessment which acts as a higher level summary judgement.

·         The assessed level of performance of ‘adequate’ assigned to the Best Possible Start in Life goal was challenged. Members heard that while Foundation Phase and Key Stage 4, were not where we had wanted to be in 2018, the overall performance at foundation phase remained high while improvement has been made in levels 2 and 3 at expected level and expected level +1.  Members were reminded that a report on Mounton House would be coming back to the committee later in September. Members also heard that there had not been a reduction in LEA funding for teaching assistants and will remain so where children present with a clear assessed level of need.

·         Members asked whether there were problems in links between education and health in the area of young peoples’ mental health.  Member heard about the ‘Iceberg Model’ of provision for early assessment and intervention which has been funded from the transformation fund.

·         Members sought further detail about why performance in 2018 was not at the expected level and were reminded that this data has been scrutinised over the course of the past twelve months in a number of arenas. Members also heard from the Cabinet Member who explained some of the activity that had been delivered to support vulnerable learners for targeted support in year 11. 

·         A challenge was raised about whether the corporate plan could be amended to support Mounton House School.  The Cabinet member responded that Cabinet will ensure that pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and ensure they are educated in the most appropriate environment.

·         Members challenged the assessment of objective on Lifelong Well-being as ‘good’, for example there are fewer young people participating in sporting activity. Members heard from the Cabinet member that we have a responsibility to make opportunities available, for example through our leisure centres which have been maintained, and in some cases upgraded and also run events such as the Monmouthshire Games.

·         Members challenged the decision to keep tourism, leisure and culture services in house following the amount of resource used to prepare the business case.  Members heard from the Cabinet Member that the authority should not be afraid to innovate and try different things but sometimes you pursue options, weight them up and decide not to take a certain path.  The example of Monmouth Leisure Centre was cited as an example of how services can thrive in-house.

·         Members raised a question about whether cabinet members were as challenging on officers as they could be.  The Cabinet for Social Care and Safeguarding responded that challenge does take place and that more feedback from selects would be welcomed and reminded committee that Cabinet is also held to account in full council.  The Cabinet member for Children and Young People also made reference to regular meetings with the Education Achievement Service and Schools to challenge performance and ensure focus on learner outcomes.

·         There was challenge about the selection of measures chosen to evidence progress.  Members heard that there were a broad range of measures drawn from national frameworks prescribed by Welsh Government and service business plans and included based on their relevance to the corporate plan.

Outcomes

·         That the committee express a concern to Cabinet members that a judgement of ‘good’ can sometimes been applied too soon when we are still in the process of change and before improvements have become evident.

·         That scrutiny chairs have an opportunity to sit with the performance team to ensure an understanding of how the evaluation scores is applied and how the evidence leads to judgements using the self-evaluation framework

·         The Committee wish to see evidence, where it is available, that additional money put in to support vulnerable learners is having the desired effect.