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Hampshire County Council
Councillors: 78
Wards: 76
Committees: 50
Meetings (2025): 163
Meetings (2024): 156

Meeting

Children and Young People Select Committee - Hampshire

Meeting Times
Scheduled Time
Start:
Friday, 25th October 2024
10:00 AM
End:
Friday, 25th October 2024
2:00 PM
Meeting Status
Status:
Confirmed
Date:
25 Oct 2024
Location:
Ashburton Hall, Elizabeth II Court, The Castle, Winchester
Meeting Attendees
Councillor Edward Heron photo
Committee Member
Councillor Edward Heron

Conservative

Apologies

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Councillor Lesley Meenaghan photo
Committee Member
Councillor Lesley Meenaghan

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Co-opted Member
Richard Mounfield

Parent Governor for Secondary Schools

Apologies

Councillor Fran Carpenter photo
Conservative Deputy
Councillor Fran Carpenter

Conservative

Not required

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Councillor Stephen Reid photo
Conservative Deputy
Councillor Stephen Reid

Conservative

Not required

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Committee Member
Borough Councillor
Councillor Joanne Burton

Present, as expected

Councillor Alex Crawford photo
Labour Deputy
Councillor Alex Crawford

Labour

Not required

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Councillor Tim Groves photo
Liberal Democrats Deputy
Councillor Tim Groves

Liberal Democrat

Present, as substitute

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Councillor Wayne Irish photo
Liberal Democrats Deputy
Councillor Wayne Irish

Liberal Democrat

Not required

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Councillor Jacky Tustain photo
Labour Spokesperson
Councillor Jacky Tustain

Labour

Present, as expected

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Councillor Malcolm Wade photo
Committee Member
Councillor Malcolm Wade

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Councillor Arun Mummalaneni photo
Conservative Deputy
Councillor Arun Mummalaneni

Conservative

Not required

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Co-opted Member
Vacancy

Catholic Schools Representative

Expected

Councillor Roger Price photo
Liberal Democrats Deputy
Councillor Roger Price

Liberal Democrat

Not required

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Councillor Elaine Still photo
Conservative Deputy
Councillor Elaine Still

Conservative

Not required

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Co-opted Member
Robert Sanders

Church of England Schools Representative

Present, as expected

Councillor Jackie Branson photo
Committee Member
Councillor Jackie Branson

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor Andy Tree photo
Independent Group Deputy
Councillor Andy Tree

Whitehill & Bordon Community Party

Not required

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Councillor Ryan Brent photo
Committee Member
Councillor Ryan Brent

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Co-opted Member
Gemma Rainger

Parent Governor for Primary Schools

Present, as expected

Councillor Juliet Henderson photo
Chairman
Councillor Juliet Henderson

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor Tim Davies photo
Committee Member
Councillor Tim Davies

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor David Drew photo
Committee Member
Councillor David Drew

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Co-opted Member
Christie Franklin

Parent Governor for Special Schools

Present, as expected

Councillor Pal Hayre photo
Committee Member
Councillor Pal Hayre

Conservative

Apologies

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Councillor Prad Bains photo
Liberal Democrats Spokesperson
Councillor Prad Bains

Liberal Democrat

Apologies

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Councillor Tonia Craig photo
Liberal Democrats Deputy
Councillor Tonia Craig

Liberal Democrat

Not required

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Councillor Phil North photo
Committee Member
Councillor Phil North

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor Louise Parker-Jones photo
Independent Group Spokesperson
Councillor Louise Parker-Jones

Independent

Present, as expected

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Councillor Martin Tod photo
Committee Member
Councillor Martin Tod

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Councillor Kim Taylor photo
Labour Deputy
Councillor Kim Taylor

Labour

Not required

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Councillor Neville Penman photo
Vice-Chairman
Councillor Neville Penman

Independent

Present, as expected

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Councillor Jackie Porter photo
Committee Member
Councillor Jackie Porter

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Agenda
1 Apologies for Absence
To receive any apologies for absence.
Minutes Apologies had been received from Cllr Hayre and Cllr Heron – a Conservative group deputy was not available.

Apologies had also been received from Cllr Bains. Cllrs Groves was present as the Liberal Democrat group deputy.

Apologies had also been received from Richard Mounfield, Parent Governor Representative for Hampshire’s Secondary Schools.

Cllr Chadd, Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services and Cllr Forster, Executive Member for Education were in attendance.
2 Declarations of Interest
All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to Part 3 Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members’ Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore all Members with a Personal Interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider, having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 4 of the Code, whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, consider whether it is appropriate to leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.
Minutes Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

No declarations were made.
3 Minutes of Previous Meeting
To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.
Minutes The Minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
4 Deputations
To receive any deputations notified under Standing Order 12.
Minutes The Committee did not receive any deputations.
5 Chairman's Announcements
To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.
Minutes The Chairman thanked Cllr Porter for her time as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson and welcomed Cllr Bains to the position.
6 Autism Assessment Services
To receive a regular update from the NHS on progress towards improving Autism services for children and young people in Hampshire.
Attachments:
Minutes The Committee received a presentation from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) on children and young people’s Autism Services Commissioning within Hampshire.

Members noted that the caseload for Autism Services in Hampshire was approximately 7,000 with an average waiting time of 18 months, with a range between 12-36 months depending on age and service area. Funding for Autism and ADHD services has increased by 48%, however this has led to minimal improvements due to the continued high demand.

The committee received an overview of the short term improvement actions taken to date alongside the plan for a system wide transformation. The ICB noted that this system transformation is not the responsibility of a single agency and required all partners to play their part in an integrated pathway.

The Select Committee wished for their unanimous concern and continued dissatisfaction to be recorded in relation to Autism Services in Hampshire.

In response to questions members found that:

·           Efforts were being made to support the needs of children with Autism in educational settings through ‘PINS’ (the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools).

·           There was a focus on ‘waiting well’ for young people on the waiting list, meaning that their position in the list was adjusted by need and urgency of diagnosis.

·           The increased rate of Education, Health and Care Plans being issued has led to increased pressure on Autism Services.

·           Diagnosis appointments take between one and two hours but can take longer depending on the assessment.

·           The number of psychologists in the workforce limits the number of appointments that can be undertaken, impacting the speed at which the waiting list can be reduced. There are ongoing issues with the recruitment and retention of psychologists.

·           Schools need to develop a school wide inclusive approach to incorporate neurodiverse young people. This should also be considered when designing future schools, as many aspects of the building can lead to difficulties for young people with additional needs.

RESOLVED:

That the CYP SC encourages the NHS and Children's Services to work with wider Education Services to embed inclusive teaching into all primary school and secondary school teacher training to ensure neuro diverse inclusive teaching skills at all levels.
7 Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
To receive a regular update from the Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
Minutes The Committee received a report and presentation from Hampshire’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) providing their annual update to the Select Committee.

The Committee noted the aim of improving access to CAMHS services through an early intervention and prevention offer and a re-alignment of NHS services to match population needs. To support this a new single provider across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has been created.

Members noted that CAMHS is continuing to expand and develop new services in response to the growing need of support for children and young people’s mental health. It was further noted that the current average waiting time for a CAMHS assessment is 16 weeks, with 1,795 young people on the waiting list. This is a reduction from January 2024 (2,164) and January 2023 (2,637). Despite this improvement, it was recognised that this should continue to be an area of focus for the CAMHS service.

In response to questions members found that:

·           There is one single point of access for CAMHS, which triages cases on the day received.

·           Efforts are under way to build capacity, but a 17% vacancy rate remains for CAMHS staff.

·           There have been significant changes to the approaches used for young people with eating issues, which are saver and do not involve long stays in hospitals.

·           Young People are seen up to the age of 19, with transition to adult services starting from 17 and a half years old and undertaken at a speed that suits the individual.

RESOLVED:

That the Children and Young People Select Committee considered the report and note the work programme and priorities of the Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
8 Annual Safeguarding Report - Children's Services 2023-24
To receive from the Director of Children’s Services the annual safeguarding report for pre-scrutiny prior to consideration by Cabinet.
Minutes The Committee received a report and presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing the annual safeguarding report for Children’s Services for 2023-24 for pre-scrutiny in advance submission to Cabinet.

Officers assured members that whilst demand for children’s social care services continues to increase year on year, the response to the safeguarding of vulnerable children is both robust and timely. It was noted that the Directorate had been subject to a full inspection in June 2024, which judged Hampshire to be Outstanding, with a Good judgement for Care Leavers.

Officers explained that the decision had been taken to withdraw from offering sector led improvement work with the last programmes ending in March 2025. These services were provided on the basis that they did not detract from providing the best offer for Hampshire’s Children and the Council’s financial challenges meant Officers were no longer able to continue in this area.

The Committee noted the key national developments and a summary of the Directorate’s performance and activity levels alongside details of the priorities for the year ahead.

In response to questions members found that:

·           The areas of improvement identified by the last Ofsted inspection did not have targets attached to them as the inspector recognised that those areas had already been addressed by the Directorate’s plan.

·           Social Work teams were based in district offices, but work was being undertaken to see if this could be moved more directly to the community.

·           Hampshire Children in Care have a lower number with a criminal record then nationally and those who do tend to have had this before entering the authority’s care. Children in Care are not more likely to offend and generally have better outcomes then their peers not in care.

·           While the direct Sector Led Improvement work will be ending, there are still many methods whereby Officers can share best practice with colleagues from around the country.

RESOLVED:

That the Children and Young People Select Committee note and support the recommendations being proposed to Cabinet in the attached report.
9 Work Programme
To consider and approve the Children and Young People Select Committee Work Programme.
Attachments:
Minutes The Director of People and Organisation presented the Committee’s work programme.

Requests were received for items covering the transition from Children’s to Adult’s Services and Teacher Training, particularly on neurodiversity.

RESOLVED:

That the Children and Young People Select Committee discussed and agreed potential items for the work programme that can be prioritised and allocated by the Chairman of the Children and Young People Select Committee in consultation with the Director of Children’s Services.
Previous Meetings
Meeting

22nd Apr 2025

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

7th Mar 2025

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

22nd Jan 2025

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

6th Dec 2024

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

19th Nov 2024

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

25th Oct 2024

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

13th Sep 2024

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

26th Jun 2024

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

19th Jan 2024

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

14th Nov 2023

Children and Young People Select Committee

Future Meetings
Meeting

15th Jul 2025

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

15th Oct 2025

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

6th Dec 2025

Children and Young People Select Committee

Meeting

21st Jan 2026

Children and Young People Select Committee

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