Public reports pack Wednesday 22-Jul-2015 19.00 Council

To the Mayor and Councillors of the London Borough of LambethYOU ARE SUMMONED TO ATTEND A MEETING of the COUNCIL to be held in the Council Chamber,Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton Hill, SW2 1RW on Wednesday 22 July 2015 at 7.00 pmSEAN HARISSCHIEF EXECUTIVEFurther InformationIf you require any further information or have any queries please contact:Wayne Chandai, Telephone: 020 7926 0029; Email: wchandai@lambeth.gov.ukPublished on: Tuesday 14 July 2015@LBLdemocracy on Twitter http://twitter.com/LBLdemocracy or use #LambethLambeth Council – Democracy Live on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/

AGENDAAppendices to reports – bulky appendices are published on the website www.lambeth.gov.uk and canbe obtained from Democratic Services. They are not circulated with the agenda.1. Declaration of Pecuniary InterestsPageNos.Under Standing Order 4.4, where any councillor has a Disclosable PecuniaryInterest (as defined in the Members’ Code of Conduct (para. 4)) in any matter to beconsidered at a meeting of the Council, a committee, sub-committee or jointcommittee, they must withdraw from the meeting room during the whole of theconsideration of that matter and must not participate in any vote on that matterunless a dispensation has been obtained from the Monitoring Officer.2. Announcements3. Minutes (20.05.15)To approve and sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on 20 May2015.4. Special Item: Update on the Goddard Inquiry into Historical ChildSexual Abuse1 - 305. Petitions, PNQs and DeputationsNo public notice questions were received.Petitions will be presented at the meeting by Councillors.The deadline for the receipt of requests for a deputation is 5pmFriday 17 July 2015. Email: wchandai@lambeth.gov.uk6. Cabinet Statement7. Questions from Councillors 31 - 448. Reportsa) Youth Council Annual Report 45 - 48b) Scrutiny Annual Report 49 - 66c) Corporating Parenting Board Annual Report 67 - 92d) Health and Wellbeing Board Annual reportTo follow.e) Constitution 2015-16To follow.9. Motions 93 - 96

Digital engagementWe encourage people to use Social Media and we normally tweet from most Council meetings. To getinvolved you can tweet us @LBLDemocracy.Audio/Visual Recording of meetingsEveryone is welcome to record meetings of the Council and its Committees using whatever, nondisruptive,methods you think are suitable. If you have any questions about this please contact DemocraticServices (members of the press please contact the Press Office). Please note that the Chair of themeeting has the discretion to halt any recording for a number of reasons including disruption caused bythe filming or the nature of the business being conducted.Persons making recordings are requested not to put undue restrictions on the material produced so that itcan be reused and edited by all local people and organisations on a non-commercial basis.Representation:Ward Councillors may be contacted directly to represent your views to the Council: (details via the websitewww.lambeth.gov.uk)Further assistance:Members of the public are welcome to attend this meeting and the Town Hall is fully accessible. If youhave any specific needs please contact Facilities Management (020 7926 1010) in advance.

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Page 1Agenda Item 4Council22 July 2015Report title: Update on Lambeth’s work to prepare for the Goddard Inquiry into historic childabuse.Wards: AllReport Authorised by: Strategic Director Commissioning, Helen Charlesworth-MayPortfolio: Deputy Leader, Councillor Imogen WalkerContact for enquiries: Helen Charlesworth-MayHcharlesworth-m@lambeth.gov.uk020 792 64637Report summaryThe purpose of this report is to provide an update to Councillors about the work to support thepolice investigation and prepare for the national inquiry into historic child abuse. The report setsout the actions taken by the Council to support renewed investigations into historical allegationsof child sexual abuse in Lambeth and to set out key information that is part of the publicdiscussion of events. This report is not a definitive analysis of events in Lambeth but rather setsout the facts as we currently understand them based on the information we have collated andreviewed.The Council has supported renewed police investigations into child abuse in the Boroughhowever Council officers have not undertaken any independent investigations into allegations ofabuse in the Borough so as not to interfere with the police and national inquiry. The intention isthat we will continue to work with the enquiry and provide relevant information. The Council hasalso been approached by the Shirley Oaks Survivors Association, which is seeking support in itscampaign to encourage more people to come forward with their stories.The consequences of child sexual abuse are profound and life altering for individuals. Wecannot put right the wrongs of the past but we can learn the lessons for future generations.Finance summaryThere are no financial implications.Recommendations(1) To note the report.

Page 32 Activity2.1 We appreciated that in order to support and manage the process effectively weneeded to establish a small team to coordinate the work. Only in recent years havemany of the processes become fully digital and we recognised that it would involvecollating and reviewing hard copy paperwork as well as online. The Council set up thissmall team on the 24th July 2014 with the primary aims of: Finding documents collated by previous enquiries. Ensuring the documents are accessible to the police and ready for the nationalinquiry.2.2 Since this work began in July 2014, known files have been located. The team hasundertaken general liaison with the police, including making arrangements for thirdparties to meet with the police as appropriate, provided evidence in respect of specificcases, searching and reviewing archives and for other items of relevance to thepolice. They have also arranged independent forensic analysis of digital media frompast investigations, searched storage before office moves to ensure that importantinformation was not lost or destroyed and taken steps to safeguard information thatmay be of use to the police and the national inquiry. The team has started to processSubject Access Requests (SARs) that are specifically related to historical sexualabuse cases. Although the team is now close to completing the work it was set up todo, some significant activity will continue in respect of SARs, providing evidence to thepolice for the trials that are pending and supporting the supply of documentation to thenational inquiry.2.3 The Chief Executive has written to and met with investigators from the nationalinquiry. Their terms of reference are attached as an appendix to this report (Appendix1) along with correspondence (Appendix 2). He has also written to all currentemployees, whose employment dates from the 1980s and 1990s to encourage staffwho may have any information to share it directly with the police or the GoddardInquiry.2.4 Initial work to commission specialist advice and support for victims and survivors hasalso begun and has been funded by the Council.2.5 In addition, there have been a number of meetings with the Shirley Oaks SurvivorsAssociation. The association approached the Council in March 2015 to requestaccess to their files and to gain the support of the Council in their campaign to drawattention to the cause of children subjected to sexual abuse and encourage people tocome forward with their stories. Shirley Oaks was a “village” set up specifically for thecare of children. It was based in the Croydon but was run by Lambeth.3 Legal and Democracy Comments

Page 43.1 Colleagues from Legal Services have formed part of the team and have providedadvice on the appropriate disclosure of information within the confines of the statutoryframework governing access to local authority records, the Public Records Act (30yrRule) and where the rule is not applicable, in accordance with Information Lawstatutory provisions (FOI/DPA/EIR).3.2 It is the aim of the Council to be as open and transparent as possible. This reportreflects the Council’s commitment to assist the Goddard Inquiry and providesinformation and clarity on what records and/or investigations have been identified andwill be made available to the national inquiry.3.3 There is a presumption under FOI legislation that all local authority records are openand disclosable, however certain categories of local authority records are subject tostringent exemptions from disclosure, these categories include adoption records,children’s homes, reformatory schools and other social services records containingpersonal data (FOIA s.40, s.41, DPA,SI 2000 No.415, Adoption and Children Act2002). Access to information in social services records less than 100 years old, tothose with a bona fide interest, such as adopted children, is possible through theformal process of Subject Access Requests (SARs). Even where it is appropriate todisclose information some details will remain exempt from disclosure where theinformation is about or from a third party who might reasonably expect the informationto remain confidential. This could include information from a neighbour/relativeconcerned about a child.3.4 It is also of note that the National Archives are currently considering re-categorisingand restricting access to some documents that have previously been public. Thisincludes minutes of social services committees, which in the past have includeddetails of individual cases.3.5 The Goddard Enquiry is able to request any information that will support meeting itsterms of reference and will not be subject to FOI legislation. The Inquiry is not a publicauthority for the purposes of the FOI Act 2000 therefore any information provided tothe inquiry will not be released under FOI legislation.3.6 Justice Goddard has written to all relevant organisations instructing them not todestroy any information without permission. The Council has developed a procedureto ensure that material relevant to the Inquiry will be retained. This procedure will beshared with the inquiry’s investigation team to ensure it meets their test.3.7 There are no comments from Democratic Services.4 Detail of Lambeth’s response to historical allegations to date4.1 The rest of this report sets out the chronology of events as they are currently known.This report does not attempt to be a definitive statement of events or activity withinLambeth but does give you an overview. It should also be noted that this only deals

Page 5with allegations of sexual abuse as opposed to historical allegations of physical abuseor neglect. The Council has never undertaken general investigations into allegationsof that nature.4.2 There have been two substantial investigations in Lambeth into the running ofchildren’s care services, one by John Barratt resulting in the publication of two reports,and an investigation into the running of children’s homes in Lambeth called CHILE. Inaddition there have been two internal management investigations which are related topolice enquiries. These have not, to the best of our knowledge, ever been madepublic. One is the Clough report and the other is the Harris report, both of thesecurrently form part of on-going police investigations and thus will not be made publicalthough both will be made available to the Goddard Inquiry.4.3 The Clough Report was commissioned in February 1993. It was set up to review theoutcome of the disciplinary hearing of Michael John Carroll in relation to having aSchedule One offence, his fostering applications and his dismissal in 1991. Carrollwas the manager of a children’s home in Angell Road. At the time of his employmentin 1978 he failed to disclose that he had a conviction for indecent assault against achild. The conviction became known to Lambeth Council in 1986 following anapplication by Carroll and his wife to Croydon Council to become foster carers.4.4 Lambeth Council carried out a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct. Despitefinding Carroll guilty of gross misconduct he was not dismissed, but instead given afinal warning. In May 1987 Carroll approached a social worker in Lambeth Councilregarding the possibility of fostering two children. Although their application to fosterthe children was turned down in November 1988, the children continued to visit theCarrolls until 1990. Carroll was dismissed in 1991 for financial irregularities.4.5 The Harris Report was produced in December 1993. It is an internal disciplinaryreport which deals with allegations of sexual assault and the production, viewing andsharing of pornographic videos. This report also makes reference to the murder of MrBulic Forsythe in February 1993. Witnesses to the disciplinary panel linked MrForsythe’s murder to fraud and corruption. These issues were also investigated by thepolice in 1993 and were widely reported in the national and local media at the end ofthat year.4.6 The Barratt Report (parts 1 & 2) was commissioned in December 1998. There aretwo reports, a factual background report and a final report; they are also referred to asthe “Two Lambeth Child Protection Inquiries”. John Barratt was commissioned by theCouncil to carry out two investigations into failures of child protection.4.7 The inquiry concerns the care of a child known in the report by the fictitious name ofAlan. Alan was a child who at that time was living at Angell Road Children’s Home. Hewas the victim of sexual abuse carried out by Stephen Forrest, who was working atthe home as a residential worker. Stephen Forrest died in 1992 after contracting HIV.The inquiry found that Alan had disclosed the abuse to Lambeth officers however noaction was taken. The report stated that the organisation failed to protect Alan and theinvestigation led to an overhaul in the children’s social care department and the

Page 6creation of a new committee system, one of which monitored the progress ofrecommendations made as a result of the inquiry.4.8 The Children’s Homes in Lambeth Inquiry (CHILE) was established in November1998 by Heather Rabbatts, then Chief Executive. It was an independent inquiry run byan independent social care professional with a team of independent researchers andformer police officers that formed the Lambeth Council element of the Policeinvestigation into child sexual abuse in Lambeth known as Operation Middleton. TheCHILE inquiry ran until 2003, and the team worked directly with former residents ofchildren’s homes and the police.4.9 Operation Middleton was established in November 1998. It was a joint MetropolitanPolice and Lambeth Council investigation into allegations of abuse of children either inthe care of Lambeth, in residential homes under the control of the Lambeth SocialServices Department, or with other carers. The investigation focused on homes openbetween 1974 and 1995.4.10 Operation Middleton was initiated after allegations against Michael John Carroll werereported to the police.4.11 Operation Middleton investigated over 120 allegations of sexual abuse/assault andwas successful in bringing a number of perpetrators to justice. Three perpetratorswere imprisoned for periods of between 18 months and 10 years. The Operation alsoassisted a number of other police forces in completing investigations and bringingcharges, including Merseyside Constabulary in the case of Michael John Carroll whowas imprisoned for 10 years in 1999.4.12 The following factors hampered further successful prosecutions against allegedperpetrators: Sixteen alleged perpetrators died either before or during the Operation’s life(including one suicide during trial in March 2003) Eleven cases where the Crown Prosecution Service decided no further actionwas possible Nineteen cases where the alleged perpetrators could not be identified One case where the victim died before being able to give evidence4.13 As a result of the investigations carried out the Council has received 69 claims forcompensation. Total compensation of £1.8m has been paid in respect of 34 cases. Inline with best practice individuals have received independent legal advice and supportbut have not had to be subject to a civil court case.5. Conclusion5.1 That chronology here does not include detailed explanation or analysis as we expect thisto be the remit of the national inquiry and any police investigation; however, it shows thescope of issues on which we are liaising with the police. It also by implication suggeststhere will be a range of people who will need to be supported through this process.

Page 75.2 We will continue to prioritise this work. We accept that we must work within the legalboundaries of what we can report to Council and beyond and would in no way want toprejudice the findings. It goes without saying that the issues involved are distressing andit is our responsibility to do all we can to ensure that justice is achieved for all involved.Lambeth Council fully supports the renewed efforts to bring the perpetrators of historicchild abuse to justice and to learn the lessons of past mistakes.

Page 8Audit trailConsultationName/PositionDepartment orOrganisationDate Sent DateReceivedComments inpara:Helen Charlesworth-May, Commissioning 07.07.15 10.07.15 ThroughoutStrategic DirectorAlison McKane, Legal Integrated Support, 07.07.15 10.07.15 ThroughoutServicesEnablingWayne Chandai, Democratic Corporate Affairs, 10.07.15 10.07.15 ThroughoutServicesEnablingTracy PhillipsIntegrated Support, 07.07.15 10.07.15 ThroughoutEnablingCouncillor Imogen Walker Deputy LeaderPauline WhalleyTechnical Project 07.07.15 10.07.15 ThroughoutManager, EnablingCarmel Howard, Human Resources 07.07.15 10.07.15 ThroughoutReport historyOriginal discussion with Cabinet Member n/aReport deadlinen/aDate final report sentn/aReport no. /13-14Part II Exempt from Disclosure/confidential Noaccompanying report?Key decision reportNoDate first appeared on forward plann/aKey decision reasonsBackground information Barrett Report parts 1&2CHILE reportsAppendicesAppendix 1 Terms of Reference Goddard Inquiryhttps://childsexualabuseinquiry.independent.gov.uk/Appendix 2 Correspondence with national inquiry

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Page 31Agenda Item 7Council22 July 2015Questions from CouncillorsWards: AllReport Authorised by: Strategic Director Enabling: Guy WareContact for enquiries:wchandai@lambeth.gov.ukWayne Chandai, Acting Democratic Services Manager, Corporate Affairs, 020 7926 0029

Page 321. Councillor Louise NathansonTo: Councillor Paul McGlone – Deputy Leader (Finance and Investment)Shared ServicesFollowing the Conservative Group's Alternative Budget, what investigation has the Councilmade into sharing services (excluding health) across boroughs as has happened in the restof the country, and the savings that could be made?Party: ConservativeAnswer:In the context of the starkest financial challenge faced by local government, the Council hasbeen proactive in ensuring all opportunities for shared services are explored. We arecommitted to maximising the potential of a shared service approach with other localauthorities, public sector partners and social enterprises, where doing so would help theCouncil achieve its priorities and where this would save money. To date we have a numberof arrangements in place, with further developments in progress to ensure we continue tocontrol costs. Insurance ServicesSince 2009, Lambeth has procured its corporate property and liability insurance contractsthrough procurement exercises undertaken by the Insurance London Consortium (ILC) onbehalf of its nine members. The consortium continues to look to secure competitive termsand conditions for all participating authorities, improved risk management and synergiesacross its membership. WasteWe are currently in the Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA) and exploring optionsfor further joint or shared arrangements in the future when current waste collection contractscome to an end in 2021. Possible joint procurement or shared activity is already beingexplored for recyclables. Employment and Skills ProgrammeWe have ‘informal’ joint working arrangements with Lewisham and Southwark Councils inplace to deliver a pilot model of integrated welfare (benefits), employment and skillsprogrammes. We also have an increasing number of bids in the pipeline for newprogrammes (European Funds) which require boroughs to work jointly. Grounds MaintenanceWe are developing an options appraisal for a shared service on parks ground maintenance,to link with our Cooperative Parks programme. Audit and Counter-FraudHaving formed and joined the Cross-Council Assurance Framework with five other boroughsworking in partnership with PwC, we are developing the building blocks which will enableshared services for the delivery of internal audit services. The partnership is also developingan options appraisal to support a shared service business case. CommunicationsLamCo has a range of contracts generating income, but the main one is running the Harrowcommunications function. This allows for some cross-over and sharing, such as with design.

Page 33The intention is to work with more authorities, but this may focus on offering advice andsupport more in a consultancy fashion. OracleWorking alongside five other local authorities (soon to be six), we have jointly procured OneOracle which incorporates Financial, Human Resources, Procurement, Business Intelligenceand Reporting systems including implementation, hosting and application support. We aim touse the shared Oracle system as a platform for developing shared back-office services withpartner authoritiesLegal Serviceso We share a Business Manager post with Southwark’s Legal Services, and havea reciprocal arrangement with them to undertake legal work where sparecapacity exists.o We have also jointly procured a Barrister Framework which has seen areduction of external fees to barristers.o Camden undertakes planning legal work for us which provides value for money(VFM) when compared to putting the work put out to private sector law firms.o We are currently exploring the option of establishing an alternative businessstructure (ABS) with another London Borough.2. Councillor Scott AinslieTo: Councillor Matthew Bennett - Cabinet Member for HousingAffordable Housing and Section 106 AgreementsLambeth Council is committed to maximising its social housing via Section 106 agreementswith housing developers. Will the Council therefore prohibit Planning from making changesfrom "social housing" to "affordable housing" in Section 106 agreements, as has happenedin Streatham Hill, at the request of housing developers?Party: GreenAnswer:Through their negotiations with developers, planning officers always seek to maximise levelsof affordable housing within new developments and to secure this via 106 agreements.However, developers are entitled to seek a review of their affordable contributions if theybelieve their scheme is no longer viable. If they are not satisfied with the Council’s responseto such a request they can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.Under Government rules, Local Planning Authorities have to decide whether the permitteddevelopment can provide the level of affordable housing required under the original S106agreement or whether this should be reduced or altered in order to render the developmentviable. Any application from a developer seeking to reduce the level of affordable housing oralter the mix of tenure has to be accompanied by a viability assessment, which Planningofficers arrange to be independently reviewed. In all cases, Lambeth Planning officersrigorously test the viability information received and negotiate to minimise any loss of

Page 34provision. Planning officers work with colleagues in Housing to arrive at the best possibleoutcome for the Council, based on needs assessments, in terms of tenure mix and unit sizeswithin the constraints of viability. This may on occasion mean that affordable rather thansocial rented units are provided, however officers always ensure that a blended approach torents is taken to ensure a good mix of new homes at a range of affordability levels.In the case of the Megabowl development on Streatham Hill, the number of socially-rentedunits has actually increased from 30 to 37 although the number of affordable units overallhas reduced from 45 units to 41. The number of three and four-bedroom socially-rented unitshas increased from five to eight, securing additional family sized homes, at Council rents,that are so desperately needed in Lambeth. Planning officers pushed very hard to securethis level of provision, despite the absence of £4 million grant funding that had been factoredinto the original viability appraisal.3. Councillor Saleha JafferTo: Councillor Jenny Brathwaite - Cabinet Member for Environment and SustainabilitySt. Leonard’s Junction on the A23Following on from a question from a member of the public at last month's transport debateabout the safety of pedestrians at the St. Leonard’s junction on the A23, can I ask whataction the Cabinet Member is taking to make this junction safe for the public, especially aswe sadly have seen fatalities there in the past year?Party: LabourAnswer:Any loss of life or life changing injury on Lambeth's highways is of course a tragedy.Transport for London (TfL)’s position is that a balance needs to be achieved betweenensuring that road traffic operates as efficiently as possible, and offering appropriatelylocated and safe crossing facilities to pedestrians. Their view is that installing a signalisedpedestrian crossing at the southern arm of the junction would disrupt this balanceconsiderably. TfL have modelled this option and have concluded that the implementation ofa pedestrian facility here would prove very challenging to operate to a reliable standard withthe same level of traffic demand and may not necessarily reduce risk for vulnerable roadusers in overall terms – because of the length of time pedestrians would be made to wait tocross on at a green light.However, following our requests, TfL are investigating the possibility of a pedestrian crossingfacility on Streatham High Road between the Mitcham Lane and Gleneagle Road junctions.They have prepared a number of possible options which are currently being modelled tounderstand the implications on traffic flow. In addition, we have asked for information onpedestrian movement around the junction to ensure that any potential crossing is in the rightplace to meet pedestrian needs and we are still waiting for this information from Transportfor London.We will be able to look at this area as part of the Neighbourhood Enhancement Programme.

Page 35This will allow us to step back from the mechanics of signalling and traffic flow. We can alsolook at aspirations for the area around the St Leonard’s junction as a public space, andprovide the basis of a brief to progress more technical work. Links with the Regeneration andPlanning departments are being made to gain their input into the planning process. Work isbeginning on mapping stakeholders to ensure that all relevant parties are engaged in anyprocess that is undertaken.4. Councillor Ben KindTo: Councillor Matthew Bennett - Cabinet Member for HousingLambeth Housing Estates – Window CleaningWhat provisions are in place for the external cleaning of windows above the ground floor onLambeth housing estates?Party: LabourAnswer:All communal windows receive a periodic cleaning service. The service focuses on internalcleaning to all communal windows and an external clean to windows, frames and sills toproperties up to and including the third storey of all blocks. The contractor provides details ofthe timetable for this periodic service each year which should be at least a quarterly clean toall blocks. I am happy to provide further information on specific estates in Councillor Kind’sward, if that would be useful.5. Councillor Paul GadsbyTo: Councillor Tim BriggsRight to Buy and Council HomesUnder the Conservative Government's current plans, local authorities will be forced to sell offCouncil housing stock, but will only be allowed to keep a third of the proceeds to replace anycouncil homes that are sold. Does the Leader of the Opposition agree that this plan is unfairand will leave Lambeth council tax payers short-changed?Party: LabourThe Conservative Group approves of the goal of Right to Buy, which is to make sure thatpeople on low incomes can own their own property. Thousands of Lambeth residents havethat aspiration, and only the Conservative Group appears to understand why.Right to Buy also achieves the goal of having a mix of people living in social housing. Wewant to maintain the wonderful mix of our communities. Having people from differentbackgrounds, and on different incomes, in different tenures and living near one anothermakes for cohesive communities that respect and embrace individual differences.I would prefer that funds from any sales were not diverted out of Lambeth, and that anassessment was done as to what percentage of funds from sales should be returned to each

Page 36Borough. My understanding is that the proposals are a work-in-progress and that the Mayorof London is in conversation with the Government to get the best deal possible6. Councillor Mary AtkinsTo: Councillor Matthew Bennett - Cabinet Member for HousingLambeth Council Residents’ Tenancy AgreementsWhile we are proud of Lambeth's commitment in its 2014 manifesto to build more homes forCouncil rent, the Tory Government's proposal to move existing Council tenants from securetenancies to lifelong assured tenancies could seriously undermine the housing rights ofresidents across the Borough. Tory polices both past and present have already eroded thenumber of Council houses available to Lambeth's residents. Could the Cabinet Memberconfirm to the tenants of Cressingham Gardens and indeed all Council estates where theCouncil is looking to rebuild homes that they will have the existing rights of Council tenants?Party: LabourAnswer:The Council is committed to the manifesto ambition to deliver 1,000 new homes for Councilrent, to seek to offset some of the loss of Council homes in the Borough. This will bedelivered through a variety of mechanisms, including the Lambeth Estate RegenerationProgramme. Where the Council is looking to rebuild estates and replace homes for Counciltenants, we are committed to providing these tenants with tenancies that contain theirexisting rights, with one exception: there will be no Right to Buy within the new tenancies. Adraft Assured Lifetime Tenancy has been prepared which will be considered by Cabinet onMonday 13th July 2015, tenants who will be affected by the Estate RegenerationProgramme will be consulted on this before it is adopted.7. Councillor Rob HillTo: Councillor Jackie Meldrum - Cabinet Member for Adult Social CareFuture Carers StrategyWhat are the Council’s plans to put in place a comprehensive Carers Strategy for theBorough in the future?Party: LabourAnswer:We recognise how vital carers are. In Lambeth, there are hundreds of carers holding familiestogether, enabling loved ones to get the most out of life, and making an enormouscontribution to society.

Page 37We want to develop a high-level family and carers strategy which takes account of the recentchanges introduced by the Care Act. This will set out the key principles and standards forsupporting carers. Our strategy will require that carers’ needs and their contribution are fullyintegrated into all of our care related transformation programmes. The plan is to co-producethe strategy with carers over the next few months, with the aim of completing this byNovember 2015.8. Councillor Vaila McClureTo: Councillor Jack Hopkins – Cabinet Member for Jobs and GrowthLondon Garden BridgeCould the Cabinet Member update this Council on the current status of the Garden Bridgeproject and Lambeth's current position on it?Party: LabourAnswer:The Garden Bridge would run from the roof of Temple tube station on the North Bank of theRiver Thames to The Queen’s Walk by the London Studios on the South Bank. It would be366 metres (1204 ft) long and 30 metres (98 ft) across at its widest point.The bridge would feature plants, trees, shrubs and wildflowers. It is supported by Transportfor London and based on an idea conceived by the actor Joanna Lumley and designed byThomas Heatherwick. The Garden Bridge Trust was set up to oversee the project.Some £60m towards the estimated £175m cost of the bridge has been pledged by the Mayorof London and the Government through HM Treasury. There will be no public money fromLambeth towards the construction or upkeep of the bridge.PlanningLambeth is one of the two independent planning authorities who have approved the GardenBridge proposal – the other is Westminster. We granted permission in December 2014 butthis was conditional on the fulfilment of 45 specific terms. It means that the bridge can onlygo ahead if the Planning Committee is satisfied that the Garden Bridge Trust has compliedwith all these conditions.Those conditions range from construction, provision of toilets and plans to accommodate thenumber of potential visitors. The Judicial Review that followed the decision led to the Mayorunderwriting the maintenance of the Bridge should the business case fail. It did not queryany aspect of Lambeth’s decision making and we will continue to work by those highstandards.ACVLambeth Council has approved an application for the land at Queen’s Walk to be listed as anAsset of Community Value (ACV). This simply puts a six months stop on any sale when theowner of the land serves notice on the Council that they intend to dispose of the asset. Thisallows community groups to try to get funds together so that they can purchase the asset

Page 38within that time. However, the owner cannot be forced to sell the asset and in someinstances this six month period would not apply, for example where it is intended to sell theasset to a charity.Planning decisions and ACV decisions are totally separate and are governed by differentpolicies and laws.‘Disposal’ of land at The Queen’s WalkThe south landing of the Bridge will occupy land we own, at The Queen’s Walk that iscurrently leased to Coin Street Community Builders. The terms of the lease would need tobe varied if the bridge is to go ahead. On 19 May 2015 the Council issued a notice lettingpeople know that negotiations about the future of The Queen's Walk could take place if theGarden Bridge project does progress and invited people’s views.There are various parties with interests in the land required to build the bridge, including thePort of London Authority, Lambeth and Westminster. The Garden Bridge Trust has beenliaising with and will continue to liaise closely with these parties in relation to the landrequired to build and maintain the Garden Bridge.Lambeth could pull the plug on the project now by refusing to enter into negotiations. Butthat feels very alien to a borough that has increasingly played a bigger role in shaping ourcity. For too long, Lambeth was known as the place where bold ambitions were blockedrather than realised. However, the Leader of the Council has said publicly that she opposesthe Mayor of London’s decision to pledge £30m of public money towards the costs of theproject: “We need to be convinced that Lambeth residents will be advantaged, notdisadvantaged, by the renegotiation. The Garden Bridge is a creative idea but it should notcome at any price.”9. Councillor Bernard GentryTo: Councillor Jennifer Brathwaite – Cabinet Member for Environment andSustainabilityStreet CleaningDespite voting against the Conservative Alternative Budget, which allowed the Council toincrease spending on services whilst reducing Council Tax, the Labour Administration hasdecided to cut street cleaning (litter picking and sweeping), and cut the number andfrequency of caged vehicles for collecting litter, leaving parts of the Borough filthy andunsanitary, strewn with litter and fly-tipping.In response to these self-imposed problems, and given its poor previous record, whatmeasures is the Labour Council now taking to ensure that street cleaning is adequate tokeep streets clean?Party: ConservativeAnswer:

Page 39This Council voted against the Conservative's first attempt at an alternative budget on thebasis of it costing the Borough more than £15m and adding to the already significantGovernment-imposed deficit.Councillor Gentry would do well to revise his party's arithmetic. £13.6m of savings does notpay for £20.5m of new spending. Perhaps when next having a go at offering an alternative,Councillor Gentry and his colleagues will accept the expert, professional advice offered andavoid adding to Lambeth's burden.On keeping the Borough clean, there has been no change to the cleansing provided for ourtown centre areas, which all have a constant street sweeper presence from 6am through to10pm. The busiest town centres have retained a night-time cleansing service as well.We have a fleet of vehicles collecting dumped rubbish and servicing litter bins. Althoughthere has been a reduction in the number of cage vehicles from ten to six, the evening crewshave increased the work they do to compensate.Every residential street is litter-picked twice a week - a higher frequency than many otherboroughs - and receives a thorough sweep monthly. And, our successful Street Championsscheme, rolled-out borough-wide already has over 230 residents on board.10. Councillor Marsha De CordovaTo: Councillor Paul McGlone - Deputy Leader (Finance and Investment)New Town Hall and Disabled AccessCan the Deputy Leader for Finance and Investment advise whether steps are being taken towork with disability stakeholders and residents to ensure the New Town Hall is fullyaccessible and compliant with all legislation and guidelines and ensure that any suchengagement takes place before the planning application goes before Planning Committee?Party: LabourAnswer:From the outset of this project there has been an expectation that all current disabilitylegislation and best practice guidance would be taken into account when designing andconstructing a modern, fit for purpose office and customer service centre that meet theneeds of all user groups, customers and staff.Full compliance with disability legislation and use of best practice was part of therequirements written into the initial brief for developers in 2012 and the planning applicationthat has been submitted by Muse is fully compliant with all legislative requirements. Thedevelopment of the planning application was supported by access and inclusive designsconsultants to advise on the implementation of practical access solutions.In terms of the refurbishment plans for the Town Hall building, enhanced accessibilityfeatures have been incorporated into the design including an additional entrance to providemuch better and level access to the Town Hall adjacent to parking spaces at the rear of thebuilding. Entire new lifts have also been included in the refurbishment proposals. The newcivic offices and Customer Service Centre have also been designed to provide clear and

Page 40level access throughout. These features were included in the planning application submittedin April 2015 and we will also be commencing workshops with DisabledGo and disabled usergroups prior to the planning decision. These will fully review and develop the very importantdetailing for all users which is not part of the planning approval but includes features such asnew tactile signage.11. Councillor Tim BriggsTo: Councillor Matthew Bennett – Cabinet Member for HousingWestbury Estate Demolition and RegenerationGiven that officers have conceded that there was a failure to consult residents appropriatelyregarding the Westbury Estate demolition and regeneration, and given the same failures toconsult appear to have taken place all over Lambeth, will the Cabinet Member for Housingdo the honourable thing and apologise to the thousands of residents affected?Party: ConservativeAnswer:To date there has been a very thorough consultation with residents of the Westburyestate, and other estates within the regeneration programme; I disagree with CouncillorBriggs' view of that consultation.The Council is under a legal obligation to consult, where Parliament has set this duty,requiring Lambeth to:'maintain such arrangements as it considers appropriate to enable those of its residentsa) to be informed of the authority's proposals in respect of the matter, andb) to make their views known to the authority within a specified period;and the authority shall, before making any decision on the matter, consider anyrepresentations made to it in accordance with those arrangements.'This duty can be summarised as having three elements, which can be summed up with thewords: inform, respond and consider.Across the entire estate regeneration programme, the Council is going beyond theseminimum obligations by engaging in a dialogue with residents on how their estate may berebuilt. We are also working with residents to develop an understanding about what isimportant for them on their estates, so that these factors can be incorporated into any futureregeneration of the estates. Furthermore, the Council is planning to extend the feasibilityand consultation period for the Westbury estate by an extra three months to enable residentsto understand better and to respond more fully on the regeneration proposals.12. Councillor Michelle AgdomarTo: Councillor Jenny Brathwaite - Cabinet Member for Environment and SustainabilityFly-tipping

Page 41Can the Cabinet Member outline Lambeth's strategy for working with the community toidentify, prosecute and deter those responsible for fly-tipping, and how we intend to monitorthe enforcement rate and cost-effectiveness of these actions?Party: LabourAnswer:I share my colleague's frustration that the actions of an ignorant, selfish minority can soblight what are otherwise well cared for, clean, tidy neighbourhoods.Fly tipping is a long standing problem across London. Our previous approach was to cleanthings up as soon as possible, often within hours. But now, with such significant financialpressure, we can no longer afford to do this. And, in any case, it doesn't actually prevent theproblem from reoccurring - if anything, it encourages it.We are trying to strike a balance between tackling the problem and keeping streets clean. Todo this we need residents' help in catching those responsible so that they can be chargedand prosecuted.Our Street Champions programme is one way for residents to get even more involved inlooking after and engaging with their local community.We are also finalising plans to introduce enhanced enforcements resources where they aremost needed. At the same time we will look to take advantage of the Fixed Penalty Noticepowers at our disposal and will aim to utilise the self funding mechanisms built into othersimilar contracts.On performance management and monitoring, we have a wealth of data that we use tobetter understand the challenges we face, improve efficiency and drive up standards. I canassure my colleague that in these straightened times we remain determined to deliver highquality services while securing value for money.13. Councillor David AmosTo: Councillor Tim BriggsMayor of London and Development CorporationsDoes the Leader of the Opposition agree with Boris Johnson's decision to step down fromthe London Legacy Development Corporation and the Old Oak and Park Royal DevelopmentCorporation; two crucial bodies that the Mayor has now decided he does not have time forafter becoming an MP?Party: LabourAnswer:With respect to Councillor Amos, it may not be for me to comment on how the Mayorexercises his role. The Mayor’s judgement has proved to be sound for the last eight years to

Page 42the great benefit of Londoners, in sound contrast to the tax-and-spend cronyism of the lastLabour Mayor.I understand that the London Legacy Development Corporation and the Old Oak and ParkRoyal Development Corporation are special purpose vehicles able to cut through planningred tape, and to direct regeneration efforts. The Mayor’s decision to appoint new chairs fromwithin the existing management of both bodies will help ensure their success, bearing inmind that the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation on its own should provide24,000 new homes and more than 55,000 new jobs.14. Councillor Tim BriggsTo: Councillor Jane Edbrooke – Cabinet Member for NeighbourhoodsLibrary ServicesGiven that libraries across Lambeth have been deemed the worst in London for the past fouryears in league tables compiled by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance andAccountancy (CIPFA), and with the highest overheads costs in London, is the LabourAdministration still planning to give up on its responsibilities for its appalling library serviceand hand over the running of libraries to local groups?Party: ConservativeAnswer:We are still reflecting on the feedback from the consultation period on Cultural Services andwe expect the September report will start to deal with how we take forward Cultural Servicesin a positive way despite the cuts to local government funding.Of course we are looking at what other Councils are doing – and we watch with interestConservative-run Lincolnshire County Council who hope to transfer 30 libraries to becomevolunteer run community libraries or Conservative-run Leicestershire County Council whoplan to hand 18 libraries over to volunteers. So, as you see, we really are all in this together.However, under our proposals we suggested that all our town centre library services wouldremain funded and council run – and I encourage Councillor Briggs to read page 16 of theconsultation document which sets this out. But we have recognise that the whole of localgovernment is having to make tough decisions.The latest CIPFA report benchmarks us against some, not all, inner London boroughs andseveral outer London boroughsThe report reflects the position of the library service on 31st March 2014 and showsconsiderable improvement on the pervious year.Staffing levels were reduced during February and March 2014, but for most of the year hadbeen higher so that the cost per member of staff is distorted and appears unnaturally high.On the 1st April 2014 £870,000 was removed from the budget so costs of the service arenow lower.

Page 43As mentioned the boroughs used for comparisons by CIPFA and the Department of Culture,Media, and Sport include only some, not all, inner London boroughs and several outerLondon boroughs and the latter have lower salary costs as they do not pay inner Londonweighting.Where revenue expenditure is shown and used as a cost indicator it includes central councilsupport services costs on top of what is spent in the direct delivery of the service. By March2014 this was reduced to be in line with other London services.The service restructure in early 2014 significantly changed how the service is delivered. Newfigures for Lambeth showing its end of financial year position at 31st March 2015 will beavailable in July and will be published on the website. Although this will not give comparatorfigures with other authorities (these will not be available from CIPFA until late 2015) a furthersignificant improvement will be shown in Lambeth Libraries performance.During 2014-15 there have been significant improvements. In particular, Lambeth bookissues have increased by 2.6% (bucking the national trend of decline in this area), visitorfigures have increased by 11%, lending stock levels have increased by over 20% andmembership has increased by 10%. We have introduced a new e-magazine and e-bookoffer as well as many other services. This has been achieved with a greatly reduced level ofstaffing and revenue budget.The Council’s strategy for improving the service has prioritised Library buildings first. Thisstrategy has provided a refurbished library in Streatham and a new library in Clapham,where visitor numbers have increase by 264%. We are in the process of completing a £6mcapital improvement across our libraries, which will include the opening of a new facility inWest Norwood by 2018.15. Councillor Kevin CraigTo: Councillor Jenny Brathwaite - Cabinet Member for Environment and SustainabilityBishop’s Ward Air PollutionWhen specifically will the Council ensure that there is measuring of air pollution in place inBishop’s Ward?Party: LabourAnswer:We already know that air quality across the whole of London is not good enough. In fact,pollution levels breach European Union targets and World Health Organisation guidelines.While increased monitoring would be useful, we have the information we need to make ourimproving air quality our priority. We should do this as quickly as possible to reduce thenegative health impacts associated with pollutants such as NO2.Officers are currently putting together bids to the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund (MAQF), includingone for a Low Emission Neighbourhood in the Waterloo area, in partnership with Southwarkand stakeholders such as Waterloo Quarter Business Improvement District (BID). Thisincludes a new air quality monitoring station with a LED display, so residents can see their

Page 44local air quality for themselves.A number of BIDs in London have purchased air quality monitoring stations, and this wouldbe an alternative option if the MAQF bid is unsuccessful. As highlighted in my response to aquestion asked at the Council meeting on 20 May 2015, the Council is also taking actionacross the Borough, but particularly in the Waterloo area to deal with the effects of “engineidling”.And, for information, London's network of air quality monitoring stations and wealth of dataare accessible via www.londonair.org.uk.

Page 45Agenda Item 8.aCouncil 22 July 2015Lambeth Youth Council Annual Report 2014/15Wards: AllReport Authorised by: Strategic Director Guy Ware, Strategic Director EnablingPortfolio: Councillor Jane Pickard , Cabinet Member for Children and FamiliesContact for enquiries:alegal-miller@lambeth.gov.ukAndrea Legal-Miller, Lambeth Youth Council Development Officer (interim), 020 7926 2169Report summaryThis report highlights the key activities and achievements of Lambeth Youth Council for2014/15. This year, the project has supported elected young people to support campaigns andprojects which strengthen the voice of young people that live, work or study in Lambeth.Finance summaryThere are no financial implications arising as a direct result of this report.Recommendations(1) To approve the annual report.

Page 461. Context1.1 Lambeth Youth Council (LYC) is a project for young people aged 11 to 19 years wholive, work or study in Lambeth. It provides opportunities for young people to get theirvoices heard by decision makers to help influence policy that affects them at local andnational level.1.2 It is established practice to submit an annual report of Lambeth Youth Council (LYC) toFull Council.2. Proposal and Reasons2.1 The main focus of LYC during the reported year has been to support the Youth Mayorand UK Youth Parliament programmes.2.2 LYC supports an elected Youth Mayor, Member of Youth Parliament, and Youth Cabinet.The role of those elected young people is to gather and represent views of the wideryouth population across Lambeth through links in schools, youth centres, voluntarysector, etc.2.3 In addition, LYC have continued to establish formal links with the Young Lambeth Cooperative(YLC).2.4 The - Youth Mayor and UK Youth Parliament members in the second year of their twoyear term participated in various events and activities both locally and nationally togather and represent the views of local young people. Highlights and achievements forthe year include: Receiving accredited training to assess applications and conduct interviews,allowing participants to successfully allocate funds to local projects inpartnership with YLC. Debating at the House of Commons alongside 600 other Members of YouthParliament on the Make Your Mark Consultation. Promoting the Youth Council and consulting with young people around theirviews for a better Lambeth at the Country Show and taking the views of localyoung people to debate at a full council meeting. Following up with a meetingwith Derrick Anderson to discuss how to progress important issues. Sitting on the judges panel at Lambeth School Debating Competition andawarding the winners and runners up prizes.2.5 The young people have been meeting regularly and , have enjoyed a variety of informaland formal meetings and engagements, including conducting keynote speeches,attending prize giving ceremonies, tree planting, attending consultation events, andmeeting with the Chief ExecutiveJacqueline Gomes Neves and Tamoy Phipps invited speakers for anInternational Women’s Day event at City HallStrengthening relationships with local councillors and Cabinet members.Introducing a councillor mentoring programme for the youth cabinet members.

Page 47Tamoy Phipps opening the Lambeth Music Festival with an inspiration speech forLambeth primary school children.Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) and her Deputy attending UKYP’s annual sitin, which is the national body for youth participation, engaging with nationalcampaigns and sharing best practise with other MYP from around the UnitedKingdom.Daniel Longe the youth cabinet member for crime and safety representingLambeth Youth on Lambeth Safer Neighbourhood Board.Networking and recruiting business mentors to fulfil the manifesto point of Youthcabinet member for jobs Christiana Opedeji’s idea to shrink the gap betweeneducation and employment by hosting a Youth Council’s Speed Mentoringevent.The Youth Mayor and Deputy have been interview on Vox radio and Whoa fmdiscussing how and why youth involment in local democracy is important foryoung people.The Youth Mayor has a monthly column in Lambeth Talk highlighting positiveyoung people in the borough.3. Finance3.1 There are no capital or revenue implications arising as a direct result of this report. Allwork associated with the production of the annual report has been met from within theexisting revenue budget for Lambeth Youth Council held in the Democratic ServicesBusiness Unit, Corporate Affairs Division within the Enabling Cluster.4. Legal and Democracy4.1 There are no legal implications arising as a direct result of this report.4.2 There are no specific comments from Democratic Services.

Page 48Audit trailConsultationName/PositionLambethcluster/division orpartnerDate SentMark HynesDirector, CorporateAffairsGuy WareStrategic Director, 03.07.15EnablingDave BurnHead of DemocraticServices and ScrutinyMartin Crump Integrated Support –Financial Planning &ManagementAlison McKane, Legal Enabling: IntegratedServicesSupportWayne Chandai, Democratic Enabling: CorporateServicesAffairsCouncillor Jane Pickard Cabinet Member forChildren and FamiliesCouncillor Imogen Walker Deputy Leader 03.07.15DateReceived03.07.15 09.07.1503.07.15 04.07.1503.07.15 03.07.15 3.003.07.15 03.07.15 4.003.07.15 03.07.15 Across03.07.15 03.07.15Comments inpara:Report historyOriginal discussion with Cabinet Member n/aReport deadline 10.07.15Date final report sent 6.07.15Report no.Part II Exempt from Disclosure/confidential Noaccompanying report?Key decision reportNoDate first appeared on forward plann/aKey decision reasonsnon keyN/aBackground informationLambeth Youth Council Information SheetLambeth Youth Council Elections PackAppendicesNone.

Page 49Agenda Item 8.bCouncil22 July 2015Scrutiny Annual Report 2014-15Wards: AllReport Authorised by: Strategic Director, Enabling: Guy WarePortfolio: Councillor Imogen Walker, Deputy Leader (Policy)Contact for enquiries:ecarter@lambeth.gov.ukElaine Carter, Lead Scrutiny Officer, 020 7926 0027Report summaryThe attached report sets out the activities of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee andits commission during 2014-15.Finance summaryThere are no financial implications arising from this reportRecommendations(1) That the Scrutiny Annual Report 2014-15 be approved.

1. Context1.1 The attached report provides an account of the activities of the Overview & ScrutinyCommittee and its scrutiny commissions in the 2014-15 Municipal Year.2. Proposal and ReasonsPage 502.1 Scrutiny is a key democratic mechanism for holding public-service decision makers andproviders in Lambeth to account and facilitating the improvement of public services in thearea. Working with citizens and professionals, scrutiny councillors undertake thefollowing roles:a) monitor, question and investigate the performance of the council’s Cabinet, individualdecision makers and council services taking into account the Cooperative CouncilPrinciples;b) develop, review and make recommendations for the improvement of services andactivities commissioned by the council;c) hold the Cabinet and officers making decisions on behalf of the council to account inpublic; and,d) scrutinise other public service providers’ work and its impact on the local community.2.2 Effective scrutiny enhances accountability, ensures transparency of decision-making,contributes to service improvement and acts as a ‘check and balance’ on decisionmakers.2.3 Scrtuiny is required to report annualy to council on its activities. The attached report setsout the activities in the municipal year 2014-15.3. Finance3.1 There are no specific capital or revenue implications arising as a direct result ofthis report.4. Legal and Democracy4.1 The role and functions of Overview and Scrutiny are set out in Part 3, Section 6,paragraph 5 of the Council’s Constitution, which includes the requirement that Overview& Scrutiny Committee and its commissions must report annually to full Council on theirworkings and make recommendations for future work programmes and amendedworking methods if appropriate.5. Consultation and co-production5.1 As set out in the annual report.6. Risk management6.1 None.7. Equalities impact assessment7.1 None.

Page 518. Community safety8.1 None.9. Organisational implicationsNone.10. Timetable for implementation10.1 Not applicable.

Page 52Audit trailConsultationName/PositionMark HynesDave BurnMartin CrumpAndrew PavlouDemocratic ServicesLambethcluster/division orpartnerDirector, Enabling,Corporate AffairsHead of Scrutiny &Democratic ServicesEnabling IntegratedSupport – FinancialPlanning andManagementPrincipal LawyerGovernance -Integrated SupportEnabling: CorporateAffairsDate SentDateReceived29/6/15 30/6/1529/6/1529/6/15 30/6/15 329/6/15 2/7/15 429/6/15Councillor Ed Davie Chair OSC 26/6/15 30/6/15Report historyOriginal discussion with Cabinet Member N/AReport deadline 10.07.15Date final report sent 03.07.15Report no. 15-16Part II Exempt from Disclosure/confidential Noaccompanying report?Key decision reportNoKey decision reasonsN/AComments inpara:Background informationAppendices2014-15: Agendas and minutes of theOverview and Scrutiny CommitteeNone.

Page 53London Borough of LambethOverview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2014/15Chair’s IntroductionThis is the first annual Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) report since the overhaul ofLambeth’s scrutiny system in June 2014.Central government funding cuts of more than 50% meant that scrutiny, like the rest of thecouncil, had to find very substantial savings and new ways of working. As a result we havereduced the number of committees from six to one, formal meetings from 36 to six andsupporting council officers from more than five to less than two. Making these changes whilsteffectively holding the council, the local NHS and police to account has been a greatchallenge. Not everything has worked as intended but this is a challenge that councillors,officers, partners and residents have risen to.The committee has got out of the town hall and held meetings in all five of the borough’sneighbourhoods with a jobs theme in North Lambeth, environment in Streatham, communitysafety in Clapham, health and social care in Norwood and council strategy and budget inBrixton. Getting into neighbourhoods and adding an informal surgery hour before the mainmeeting has engaged lots more residents and connected them to councillors, officers andpartners. Despite the huge reduction in the number of meetings two of Lambeth’s three MPs,most councillors and 250 residents have taken part in scrutiny events, an increase on2013/14.Obviously it is impossible to look at every service properly in six formal meetings a year sowe have sought to expand the work we do around those events. As well as the ‘surgery’hour with residents we have pre-meetings with committee members and relevant officers toensure we fully understand the issues and can ask for more information. We have alsoarranged scrutiny visits touring the waste recycling centre before the environment meeting;meeting the borough commander at Brixton police station before the community safetymeeting and discussing issues with the mental health trust’s chair and chief executive beforethe health and social care event.In addition we have completed and begun a number of policy commissions trying to improveservices including education, street cleaning, parking, mental health and residentinvolvement in social housing.Our Lambeth Black Health and Wellbeing Commission work was recognised by a LocalGovernment Innovation Unit Award and contributed to Care Quality Commission inspectorspraising Lambeth’s crisis care. We are currently working on full implementation with theHealth and Wellbeing Board and supporting Social Finance to devise an innovative new wayof funding change. About 400 residents have signed up to help us with this work and overallthis commission provides a great model of scrutiny working co-operatively with residents,service users and partners.1

Page 54This experience will be useful as we establish a standing commission to support children’sservice improvements following Ofsted’s critical inspection report. Scrutiny’s contribution willbe based on the expertise of service users, backbenchers and those who have successfullyturned round similar services.In the coming year the OSC will build on what has worked well in the new scrutiny systemwhilst minimising the problems we encountered. To help us more effectively track council,police and NHS services we are populating a grid with key performance indicators,upcoming changes and people responsible. Along with better liaison between the committeeand service directors we hope to better align the scrutiny programme with the priorities of thewhole council and our partners. This should enable more timely interventions and greaterflexibility.With more public service and benefits cuts coming the coming year promises to be aschallenging as this one particularly for our most vulnerable residents. By seeking to givethose residents, service users and backbenchers more of a voice scrutiny will continue to tryto lessen risks and improve services in tough times.Cllr Ed DavieChair Overview and Scrutiny Committee2

Page 551. ContextThis report provides an account of the activities of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee andits commissions during the 2014-15 municipal year.2. Introduction: the scrutiny process and structure in LambethThe purpose of scrutiny and the activities undertaken by scrutiny councillors is to enablemembers who are not part of the Cabinet to engage with and influence the policydevelopment and decision-making of the council. They do this by reviewing or scrutinisingdecisions made by the council (and by some key partners), by contributing to thedevelopment of strategies and policies, and by making reports and recommendations onmatters which are the responsibility of the authority or which affect the local area.Scrutiny provides backbench members with the opportunity to question cabinet members,senior officers and other statutory partners on their proposals and hold them to account fortheir decisions and for the delivery of anticipated outcomes. Additionally through short-termcommissions, scrutiny councillors undertake in-depth investigations on specific issues andcan make recommendations to support the ambitions of the authority. Scrutiny also seeks toinvolve the public and provide a voice for local people on the local issues that affect them ormay be of concern.In recognition of the significant changes the council has undergone, at the end by theprevious council administration in 2014 it was agreed that Lambeth’s scrutiny arrangementsbe amended to better reflect the changes to the structure of the council and Lambeth’s moveto a cooperative commissioning council.Accordingly a new arrangement for overview and scrutiny in Lambeth came into effect at theannual meeting of Council on 4 June 2014. The basis of the new model is the establishmentof a single Overview and Scrutiny Committee which is responsible for the statutory scrutinyfunctions including health scrutiny and crime and disorder scrutiny (effectively encompassingthe remit and responsibilities of the previous Overview and Scrutiny Committee and its fivesub-committees) and a much more enhanced use of task and finish groups ‘scrutinycommissions’.2014/15 has therefore been the first year of the new arrangements.Terms of reference and operational arrangements for overview and scrutiny are set out inthe council’s constitution (Part 3, Section 6). This sets out that Overview and ScrutinyCommittee is responsible for overseeing and scrutinising the whole range of the Authority’sfunctions and responsibilities, as well as other public service providers’ work and its impacton the local community. The committee’s remit also extends to all matters which impact onthe economic, social and environmental wellbeing of those who live, work, and study or useservices in the borough.Alongside the constitutional remit, meeting themes were prescribed for the six scheduledOverview and Scrutiny Committee meetings in 2014/5. These themes comprised CouncilStrategy; Jobs and Growth; Clean and Green; Budget and Finance; Safe and Secure;Housing. The prescribed themes were subsequently amended in-year to include a focus onhealth and social care.3

Page 563. MembershipThe Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) comprises nine councillors plus four educationco-opted members (who may vote only on education issues). OSC has a chair and threevice-chairs. Each vice-chair leads on a particular outcome theme (which reflect the Cabinetportfolio teams), with the chair providing strategic direction and leading on any other areasnot included within the vice-chair remit:Cllr Ed Davie - ChairCllr Jacqui Dyer – Vice Chair (Community Wellbeing)Cllr Nigel Haselden – Vice Chair (Neighbourhoods, Environment and Sustainability)Cllr Matt Parr – Vice Chair (Housing, Jobs and Investment)The chair and the three vice chairs plus the minority group appointed member, Cllr TimBriggs, comprised the five standing members of the committee in 2014/15. Four majoritygroup members drawn from the pool of non-executive members of the council wereappointed for each scheduled OSC and according to the meeting theme. In varying themembership meeting-to-meeting councillors with specific areas of interest or expertise wereable to bring their knowledge to OSC’s deliberations subject to the topic issue under review.4. Work planningFollowing the election in May 2014, a key activity was to ensure induction and briefings forcouncillors elected onto the council, a significant number new for the first time but also toensure that returning councillors also understood the revised arrangements for scrutiny andhow all might participate and contribute. An informal session was held in June to provide ageneral introduction to scrutiny which considered the purpose of scrutiny, roles, aims andobjectives. As well as being open to all members of the council, also invited to the sessionwere key council partners and community and voluntary sector representatives who haveplayed an active role in the scrutiny process. A workshop session divided participants intothe three outcome areas – community wellbeing; housing, jobs and investments;neighbourhoods, environment & sustainability – for discussions and shared learning on whatwere perceived to be the key issues facing the council, its partnerships and the borough andsuggestions for the topics that scrutiny might want to consider over the forthcoming year tohelp shape the focus of the themed OSCs.The chair and vice chairs met regularly throughout the year to steer scrutiny and establishedthe following principles for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the commissions itsponsors:- Be independent from the administration and stakeholders;- Be as accessible and inclusive of everyone in the borough;- Enable decisions to be challenged constructively;- Strive for better services that produce the best outcomes;- Base its decisions and recommendations on the best evidence available;- Follow up its recommendations.The changing OSC membership and the themed approach presented challenges on howbest to secure the engagement of different members on a meeting-by-meeting basis and4

Page 57ensure that all had an opportunity to determine and ‘own’ the scrutiny agenda. Accordingly inadvance of each themed meeting, pre-sessions were held at a stage that could seek theinput of all councillors appointed for that theme and a relevant site visit was arranged as apre-scrutiny opportunity to further understand issues, meet with partners and explore matterswhich might not be covered in the limited time available at the formal session. It was alsoperceived that this would be a baseline year to understand the key issues and performancedata for discrete topics and scrutiny would follow up year-on-year to track and evidenceimprovements or challenge progress as well as refer issues in-year to the relevant group ofmembers appointed for an OSC theme.Councillors, officers and partners were also invited to suggest matters which could benefitfrom a more detailed review and for follow up through a short-life scrutiny commission.Whilst several existing commissions were signed off in 2014/15, staffing capacity within thescrutiny team meant that new commissions could not begin until late into the year.5. Public engagementAn aspiration in 2014/15 was for greater public involvement in overview and scrutiny andhearing directly from members of the public on their experiences of the service issues etc.under scrutiny to help inform debate and committee deliberations/recommendations. Withscrutiny now meeting as a single committee that covers both a theme based approach tolocal service issues and the council’s statutory responsibilities for health services andcommunity safety, it was appropriate to take scrutiny out of the town hall and for thecommittee to hold its meeting in locations around the borough.During the year OSC met in each of the five neighbourhoods in Lambeth. In addition to theformal OSC session, at each neighbourhood venue an informal advisory session was held inthe hour preceding committee when members of the public could come along to talk withcouncillors and officers/partners on matters associated with the meeting theme and raisematters informally, get advice etc.In most instances external meetings were well attended so creating a greater awareness ofscrutiny and strengthened community engagement whilst also providing scrutiny councillorswith citizens’ perspective on the issues, proposals and performance information beingpresented to OSC by cabinet members, officers and partners.Total public attendance at scrutiny events over the year was around 250 people – anincrease on 2013/14 involvement and a key achievement in the circumstance of aconsiderable reduction in the number of scrutiny meetings that took place year-on-year.6. The Overview and Scrutiny CommitteeThe committee held six scheduled meetings in 2014/15, as well as the induction session anda call in meeting. Key issues that the committee considered during the year are set outbelow. Full details of reports and minutes of the meetings can be found by visitinghttp://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=1135

Page 58 Meeting theme: Council Strategy (July 2014)At the first meeting of the year the committee held a scene setting ‘Q & A’ with the DeputyLeader (Finance and Investment) who highlighted issues within the context of the severefinancial challenges and constraints facing the authority and the significant changes madeto the way the council operates, including to its political and managerial leadership. Thecommittee questioned closely on the operation of the new ‘Outcome Panels’, how thesewould sit alongside the council’s formal governance structures, and how they would providefor more efficient and effective decision making and delivery of the council’s outcomesincluding key corporate projects such as Your New Town Hall. Committee membershighlighted the importance of keeping scrutiny informed about different projects andworkstreams in order that scrutiny could contribute and add value at the appropriate pointswithin individual projects as they developed.The overview and scrutiny remit covers not just scrutiny of council services but also hospital,community and mental health services commissioned by NHS Lambeth ClinicalCommissioning Group (CCG) for Lambeth people and delivered by the three NHSFoundation Trusts in Lambeth (collectively Kings Health Partners). Scrutiny also works withHealthwatch Lambeth which represents the patient and public voice about local health andsocial care services.In accordance with its health scrutiny responsibilities the July OSC reviewed proposals byKings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for three service moves which would locatedelivery of some planned hospital care away from Denmark Hill to out-of- borough sites.The committee was advised by the trust that the initiatives were being undertaken to addressthe capacity pressures on acute sites and important quality issues across SE London as awhole. The committee also heard from Healthwatch Lambeth and resident groups of theirconcerns of the impact of the changes on Lambeth residents and access to these services.In response the committee emphasised to the trust the need for much earlier consultation onsignificant service changes and recommended that improvements be made for engaging andconsulting members of the public, service-users and other stakeholders to ensure that thebest outcomes and services are obtained for residents and service-users. The committeealso requested monitoring information and patient/public feedback on a number of mattersincluding the patient transport offer and its reliability, public transport access to the new sitesand assurance that GPs are giving patients options and information about choice. Thecommittee reviewed the monitoring information at its subsequent meeting and agreed tokeep the matter under review.Whilst capacity for dedicated health scrutiny has been limited in 2014/15, informal links andnetworks with health partners continued to be maintained through the OSC chair and vicechair (community wellbeing) and the lead scrutiny officer. Additionally Cllr Jacqui Dyerrepresents Lambeth OSC at the South East London CCG Stakeholder Reference Groupwhich tests and facilitates better engagement on pan-SEL health projects or major strategicissues that impact across many CCGs.6

Page 59 Meeting theme: Jobs and Growth (October 2014)Neighbourhood venue: VauxhallThe committee focussed its Jobs and Growth scrutiny on job creation and maximisingemployment opportunities for Lambeth residents. OSC met in Vauxhall – where the NineElms Vauxhall development will offer an estimated 22,000 construction jobs – and thecommittee investigated how Lambeth agencies and partnerships support local people intogood quality jobs and what more could be done to increase the number of local employees,training opportunities and apprenticeships arising from large scale regeneration initiatives inthe borough. The committee also wished to be assured that learning from key developmentsis being captured and the lessons transposed for future developments.The committee heard from a wide range of invited witnesses - local residents, employers,employment practitioners, council partners and council representatives – on how successfulschemes are working but also on the blockages in recruiting locally and limitations onopportunities into employment for local people; on the imperative for identified skills needsand the training on offer to be aligned; and for young people to be job ready on leavingschool/college.The committee concluded that there is a great amount of work underway to supportemployment opportunities with many established partnerships but there are also constraintsin the underlying system which impact upon opportunities - ranging from restrictions on theresources going to teaching new technology skills in construction to balancing the focus inschools as much on vocational training and employment as it is on college/universitylearning.In particular the committee considered that those who have more complex needs are letdown by the employment system and in addition to the committee recommendations followup through a ‘Future Jobs’ scrutiny commission led by Cllr Matt Parr, OSC vice chair(Investment and Job Creation), was proposed focussing on hard to reach groups (currentlyawaiting scrutiny staff resources). Meeting theme: Clean and Green (December 2014)Neighbourhood venue: StreathamThe state of the environment in which we live in is one of the top concerns of Lambethresidents. The committee held a lively meeting in Streatham Library looking at wastemanagement and waste minimisation - how the council currently responds but also (andcrucially) how might change attitudes and behaviours towards littering and waste andsupport people including business to live environmentally sustainable lives. In advancemembers of the committee visited the Western Riverside Waste Authority site at SmugglersWay to see in practice how the borough’s waste is managed and disposed and discussrelated issues.7

Page 60The committee heard from a number of residents and the local BID on problems with flytipping and dumped rubbish and a perceived lack of enforcement actions; attendingcouncillors also echoed these concerns as well as commenting on inadequacy of responsesand lack of clarity about communications and need for better use of media . The committeealso welcomed and endorsed the report of the Environmental Crime Scrutiny Commission[see Commissions below] which examined associated matters. Members recommended thecommission report to cabinet for development of an action plan to implement the proposals.An underlying issue for the scrutiny was that the financial cost to the council of its wastemanagement service is unsustainable - the council cannot continue to respond to increasingdemands and there must be a shared duty to support a change in how people behave toprevent littering and fly-tipping on the streets. But there is also need to produce less wasteand dispose more efficiently. The committee was assured by officers that a number of keyinitiatives were coming on stream early into the new year including roll out of ‘My Lambeth’,and a strengthened focus on deterrent activities and enforcement, as well as opportunities tobuild on the Estate Pride initiative when Lambeth Living came back in house. The committeeagreed to revisit these issues (along with the cabinet response to the scrutiny commissionproposals) for a progress update. Meeting theme: Budget and Finance (January 2015)Neighbourhood venue: BrixtonScrutiny of the revenue and capital budget 2015/16 – 2017/18 was undertaken at OSC inJanuary 2015. The committee made the following recommendations to cabinet. These wereaccepted by cabinet at its budget setting meeting; the committee proposes to follow up onimplementation in 2015/16 in conjunction with the July financial review:(1) that a benchmark criteria be established against which returns on capital investment canbe evaluated. The benchmark will support and inform decision making on whetherschemes under consideration should be adopted. The considerations should includeboth commercial and community benefits that emphasise social value.(2) that there be a focus on agency and consultancy spend. Lambeth’s reported position asan outlier in comparison to spend by other similar councils is an issue of concern to thecommittee.(3) the savings anticipated through the new model of integrated health and social careshould be reassessed, and closely monitored, particularly in light of NHS Englanddowngrading the forecast of savings that may be achieved through the Better Care Fund.(4) that there be further analysis of measures to fund the outstanding deficit gap and futureengagement with Overview and Scrutiny Committee on options put forward particularly inrelation to proposals for Year 3.(5) work needs to be done to strengthen the application of the equalitiesframework. Identified impacts need to be responded to with appropriate positive actionsat the earliest stage rather than merely recorded in the EIA. For example this applicationmight manifest in involving service users, carers and people with protectedcharacteristics at pertinent times during a procurement process. In addition the8

Page 61strengthened approach needs to include an aggregated assessment of the applicationsof the framework.(6) that specifically in relation to the proposals for adult social care and health integrationthere be robust monitoring of implementation and evaluation of impacts on communitiesand a report back on impacts be brought to Overview and Scrutiny Committee forreview.(7) the committee notes the continuing risk of an increase in the number of households intemporary accommodation and the associated pressures on the budget. Temporaryaccommodation spend and efforts to reduce it should be considered as part of a futurescrutiny of housing issues.(8) the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (finance & budget scrutiny) should have theminutes of the Asset Management Cabinet Advisory Panel for any capital projects it isconsidering alongside the officers' report. The report should make clear why thatproposal has been chosen against other opportunities for investment across counciloperations Meeting theme: Safe and Secure (Crime and Disorder) (March 2015)Neighbourhood venue: ClaphamIn March the Safer Lambeth Partnership (SLP) presented to the committee its review ofSafer Lambeth activity in 2014/15 and the emerging strategic partnership priorities for thecoming year. Having outlined performance against existing priorities, emerging priorities for2015/16 were broadly aligned to the three key areas of: Anti-social behaviour Violence, including violence against women and girls Re-offendingThe committee acts as the council’s statutory Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee andmembers had agreed a scrutiny themed around prevention and a specific focus on policing,community safeguarding and the night time economy. A meeting with the BoroughCommander took place in advance of the session to discuss policing matters and a visit toBrixton Police Station included a tour of the refurbished custody suite and a briefing on thenew arrangements for management of the MPS custody suites.Meeting at Clapham Library, OSC first heard from a number of residents and stakeholdersincluding the local M.P. Kate Hoey on problems associated with the night time economy andanti-social behaviour. Members questioned the SLP on how it was responding to theseconcerns and also highlighted the need to balance the benefits of the late night economyagainst public health and other impacts arising from drink related problems. Whilstrecognising the good partnership working and initiatives underway the committee identified aneed for improved SLP engagement with residents/stakeholders and empowering localcommunities e.g. through licencing reviews. Questions also focused on the statisticalincident of serious violence in Lambeth and actions underway to address levels of violenceagainst women and girls.9

Page 62Addressing the re-offending priority, the committee had invited a representative from the newprivatised probation service provider MCTnovo to the meeting and sought clarity on how thecompany would develop a Lambeth understanding and borough presence and work with theSLP to align activities and support delivery of local objectives.The committee also considered the findings from the Youth Offending Service Inspectionand scrutinised the submitted YOS action plan to address improvements. Members raisedmajor concerns about the quality and content of the submitted action plan including a lack ofproper targets, and particularly in the circumstances that this was the second improvementplan following a poor inspection in 2012. Members highlighted the apparent lack of robustmonitoring systems in place following the previous inspection and key criticisms in theinspection report of workforce turnover and commented on the inadequacy of recruitmentand retention actions. It was agreed these matters should be addressed and tracked throughfurther scrutiny activity. Meeting theme: Health and Social Care (May 2015)Neighbourhood venue: NorwoodThe theme of safeguarding vulnerable children and adults underpinned the issuesscrutinised at the health and social care OSC held, appropriately, at the West NorwoodHealth and Leisure Centre. In advance of the meeting committee members had met with thechair and chief executive of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation (MentalHealth) Trust to discuss collaborative working, not just with the council as a partner butworking with communities and the key local challenges for improving children and adultmental health and wellbeing.The planned scrutiny of children’s safeguarding and the Lambeth Safeguarding ChildrenBoard (LSCB) annual report at OSC was superseded by the publication two day before themeeting of the OFSTED inspection report rating Lambeth’s children services and the LSCBas inadequate. The committee questioned the Deputy Leader (Policy) and Strategic Director(Delivery) on findings from the inspection and how improvement actions were being takenforward. OSC members spoke on the critical importance of this matter and the need for clearownership of actions and robust delivery if Lambeth is to support and protect vulnerablechildren. The vast majority of children involved with social care services in Lambeth areBlack and Minority Ethnic highlighting issues of inequality in the borough and how they areaddressed.The committee agreed that it would welcome early engagement on the action andimprovement plan and at a stage when it can still influence content; the committee shouldalso be involved on an on-going basis in challenge and assurance on the robustness ofresponse and delivery.Nationally, 2014/15 saw reports of serious failings in NHS care and in the social care forvulnerable adults. Scrutiny has a role to play in identifying and acting on matters of concernto safeguard our residents. Private care providers the Dulwich Care Centre were asked toattend committee to discuss an inspection report by the Care Quality Commission that their10

Page 63services fell below the standards that residents should expect to receive. The committeesought assurances from DCC directors about improvements and requested vigorousmonitoring by council officers, mindful that this matter had been an issue of concern for the(former) health and adult services scrutiny sub-committee.The committee also scrutinised the work of Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Partnership Boardand Lambeth Council’s Adult Social Care services on safeguarding adults with care andsupport needs who are at risk of abuse and neglect. Discussions on adult safeguardingwere additionally informed by input from Healthwatch Lambeth who gave a serviceuser/carer perspective on the critical issues for vulnerable adults in Lambeth and how theirneeds might best be addressed and supported.At the health and social care session but also throughout the year, OSC has soughtperformance information to verify what the committee is being told and to measure baselineinformation for future progress. In some instances the committee heard of poor quality ofdata collection or lack of monitoring information. The committee agreed early that 2014/15would provide a benchmark year against which to scrutinise future performance and deliveryof outcomes; accordingly recommendations have been made at a number of scrutinysessions for the provision of key performance information to ensure there is accurate andrelevant information to inform commissioning decisions and activities and ensure the bestuse of resources where most needed.7. Call In: Shared Lives Contract (January 2015)One call-in of a key-decision was received in 2014/15 relating to the Shared Lives schemeand award of contract decision. There was a cogent debate about the procurementarrangements and consultation and decision timelines, and in particular about the lack ofservice user/carer involvement in the process.The committee upheld the original decision but also made recommendations for futureconsultations and for incorporation of those principles into the Smart Procurement model.8. Scrutiny CommissionsIn addition to the work of the overview and scrutiny committee, scrutiny commissions providean opportunity for more detailed investigations of specific issues by a group of councillors.Commission reports and recommendations are presented back to OSC on completion andthen submitted to cabinet (or relevant body) for consideration and action planning.Officer capacity to support commissions in 2014/15 has limited activities. Below is anoverview of commissions which formally reported during the year, and those which arescoped and appointed to commence.11

Page 64Black Health and Wellbeing CommissionThe aim of the Black Health and Wellbeing Commission is to improve the outcomes formembers of the black African and Caribbean community experiencing mental healthproblems and ensure that services in Lambeth are designed and delivered in a way thatmeets their needs.Co-chaired by Cllr Ed Davie and Ms Jacqui Dyer (now councillor), the Black Health andWellbeing Commission started its work in autumn 2013 and held five evidence gatheringsessions with invited guests and also considered a wide range of supporting papers. As partof the evidence gathering and to test its initial recommendations the commission held apublic engagement event at Lambeth Town Hall in March 2014. This was attended by about150 people including service users and carers, members of the public, representatives ofcommunity organisations, and mental health commissioners and service providers.The commission submitted its final report ‘From Thriving to Surviving’ to the Health andWellbeing Board in July 2014. It made a series of recommendations to address inequalitiesin care and health outcomes for the black African and Caribbean population and how therelevant decision makers working with the community might take actions to improve thehealth and wellbeing of Lambeth’s black community and promote opportunities for residentsto shape mental health services. A clear message that came across in the review was thedesire to reduce reliance on institutional care for mental illness and increase prevention andearly intervention and improve access to support. The commission’s recommendationsfocus around three headline issues:Prevention: Promoting and improving Health and WellbeingAccess to Appropriate ServicesPatient Experience: Improving the Care and Support ExperienceA launch event for the ‘From Thriving to Surviving’ report was held on World Mental HealthDay, 10 th October 2014. Opened by the Mayor Ade Aminu and Chuka Umunna M.P., theevent again attracted over 150 people to the assembly hall and round table discussionsengaged those present with the points of the commission’s report and how mightdevelop the user-led engagement. Held in conjunction with ‘Time to Change’ – a nationalcampaign challenging stigma around mental health - participants also heard from speakers,panellists and poet Jean Binta Breeze M.B.E.Since then the commission co-chairs have continued to promote the work of the BHWC andthrough the two public events the commission has built up a reference group listing of over250 interested individuals – public and professional - through which the community cancontinue to be engaged and test how well Lambeth is doing in taking forward therecommendations.http://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=648&MId=9025&Ver=412

Page 65Environmental Crime Scrutiny CommissionEnvironmental crimes such as fly-tipping, litter, graffiti and dog fouling are of great concernamongst residents and is a financial burden to the council each year. Despite variousinitiatives to tackle enviro-crime the problem still persists and in some areas is increasing.The overall appearance of an area has a significant impact on the levels of crime and antisocialbehaviour generally. Chaired by Cllr John Kazantzis, the Enviro Crime Commissionwas set up in summer 2013 to examine the scale and impact of environmental crime inLambeth and make recommendations for how the council can reduce environmental crime inthe borough.In gathering its evidence the commission - Cllrs Kazantsis, Donatus Anyanwu and MartinTiedemann and former councillor Judy Best - heard from a range stakeholders, undertookstreet walkabouts and held a public meeting in Streatham to hear the views of residents.Whilst it was clear that some formerly prevalent enviro crime - such as graffiti - had beenalmost eradicated through tough enforcement action and a zero tolerance approach,residents’ biggest concern was undoubtedly fly-tipping. The commission found that thecouncil is usually very good at removing dumped items quickly, however it shouldn’t have todo this and causes its own problems as it encourages further dumping as it is seen asacceptable – “the council will just take it away”. Accordingly the commission was persuadedby the evidence that enforcement has a significant role to play in addressing environmentalcrime in the borough and calls for a much tougher approach.The commission reported its findings to the committee in December 2014 and its report andrecommendations were adopted by Cabinet in March 2015 along with an agreed action plan.http://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=225&MId=8963&Ver=4Education Scrutiny CommissionThe education scrutiny commission reviewing issues affecting children’s education willconsider key education planning and performance information. The commission responds toboth member and officer interest that these matters be scrutinised to support the councilambition to raise education performance and educational achievements in Lambeth schools.The commission is to be co-chaired by Cllr Ed Davie and Cllr Max Deckers-Dowber and isscheduled to be held as a one-off commission session in June 2015.Resident Involvement in Housing Scrutiny CommissionThe Resident Involvement in Housing Commission, co-chaired by Cllr Jacqui Dyer and CllrMary Atkins, aims to examine best practice and formulate recommendations as to how thiscan be applied in Lambeth. Its core objective is to ensure tenants and leaseholders arecentral in the decision making processes that inform improvement in the delivery of housingworks and services, as well as achieving value for money and tenant and leaseholdersatisfaction. The commission has undertaken initial scoping work and will hold its firstsessions in July 2015.13

Page 66Equality Streets: Parking in the Livable CityThe Parking Commission co-chaired by Cllr Nigel Haselden and Cllr Rob Hill sets out toexamine parking in Lambeth as it is now and as it might be in the future and aims to use theparking theme to economically review a range of linked environmental subjects, including airquality and flood risk. It will be asking for evidence that the borough is well placed to serviceour population’s future needs for vehicle access whilst removing obstacles to making ourstreets and neighbourhoods as attractive and easy-to-use as possible for walking, cyclingand public transport. The commission will feed into the imminent parking feasibility study.The commission has undertaken initial scoping work and plans to hold its session in summer2015.14

Page 67Agenda Item 8.cCorporate Parenting Board – 24 June 2015Council - 22 July 2015Corporate Parenting Board: Annual Report 2014 - 2015All WardsReport authorised by: Sue Foster, Strategic Director – DeliveryPortfolio: Councillor Imogen Walker, Deputy Leader (Policy)Report summaryLambeth Corporate Parenting Board was established in 2004. The objectives of the Board areto enable elected Members, officers and partners to fulfil their legal responsibilities to over 900looked-after children and care leavers aged from 0-25. Care matters – Time for Change 2007reaffirmed responsibilities of Corporate Parents and the need to ensure appropriate scrutiny ofservices provided to children in care and care leavers in line with proposals set out in CareMatters: Time for Change.The Corporate Parenting Board is intended to be a catalyst in promoting effective partnershipswith all local authority departments, services and associated agencies responsible for meetingthe needs for children looked after and care leavers and to challenge services where this is notevidenced or effective. The Board can evidence its ability to listen to service users and shouldcontinue to ensure that children and young people (C&YP) are involved in shaping andinfluence the services which they receive.This report sets out an annual update on the Corporate Parenting arrangements in Lambethfrom September 2014 to April 2015 alongside the outcomes of the Board and Lambeth’sChildren in Care Council. In addition, the report aims to ensure that the Council’s duties asCorporate Parent are carried out effectively and consistently.Finance SummaryThere are no direct resource implications arising from this report. However, the developmentand delivery of interventions to support the needs of children looked after and care leavers willhave resource implications which will need consideration within the budget setting processes.1

Page 68RecommendationsCouncil(1) To note progress being achieved by the Corporate Parenting Board in 2014-15.(2) To agree the next steps and proposals as set out in this report.(3) To ensure that clear and accessible information is readily available to children in care andcare leavers on the corporate parenting they can expect from the council.(4) To ensure arrangements are made for the training and development ofCouncillors on the Corporate Parenting role.(5) To endorse the Lambeth pledge promises to looked-after children and young people andinvite all Lambeth councillors to sign accordingly.Corporate Parenting Board(1) To note the report.(2) To determine how best to identify agenda items for reporting over the coming year.1. Context1.1 The Children Act 1989 and the Leaving Care Act 2000 place clear statutory duties uponthe Council to protect children from suffering significant harm and to provide continuedsupport throughout their time in care and their transit in to adulthood. Underpinningcorporate parenting is a wide range of national policies, guidance, regulations andlegislation, which are subject to change by High Court rulings, such as the SouthwarkRuling 2009.1.2 The Children and Families Act 2014 underpinned wider reforms to ensure that allchildren and young people can succeed, no matter what their background. The Actreforms the systems for adoption, looked after children, family justice and specialeducational needs. It will encourage growth in the childcare sector, introduce a newsystem of shared parental leave and ensure children in England have a strong advocatefor their rights.2. Proposal and Reasons:Corporate Parenting – our responsibilities2.1 Lambeth is ranked the 8th most deprived borough in London and 14th most deprived inEngland. Officially, there are 310,000 people living in Lambeth – 4% of London’s 8.3million population. The latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics(ONS) shows Lambeth has one of the largest populations in inner London, similar toWandsworth and Southwark, and the eighth largest borough population in London.2

Page 69Lambeth is one of the most densely populated places in the country. Lambeth is the fifthmost densely populated borough in the country, with 113 residents per hectare.2.2 Lambeth has a relatively young age profile. The median age is 31, which is the fourthyoungest in London and the mean age is 33.7, which is fifth youngest in London.Although it is a largely residential borough, it is a destination for young working agepeople, rather than families. This is similar to Westminster and Wandsworth.2.3 Children and young people: 21% of Lambeth’s population is aged 20 or under, around66,000 people. Compared to other London boroughs, there is a low percentage ofpeople aged 15 to 19 (4.6%)2.4 Gender: There are slightly more women than men resident in Lambeth. The youngworking age population, from around 25 to 50, is about 51% male and 49% female. Forall ages over 50, there are more females than males. 53% of people aged 50+ arefemale, 47% male.2.5 Ethnicity; Around 40 % of Lambeth’s population is white with a UK background. Whitepeople make up 59% of the population. Around 40% of Lambeth residents are WhiteBritish or Irish, in line with inner London (43%).15% of the population are from otherwhite backgrounds – around 47,000 people. About two thirds of these people are fromEurope outside UK & Ireland. 8% are from Central and South America, 4% from NorthAmerica and the Caribbean, and 8% from Australasia. Black people make up a quarterof the population 25%. Lambeth’s largest non-white ethnic group is black African(11.5%), followed by black Caribbean (9.8%). Lambeth has the second largestproportion of black Caribbean people in London (9.5%) after Lewisham (11%). Lambethhas a very small Asian population compared to many places in London. Only 7.8% ofLambeth residents are from Asian backgrounds (including Chinese). On a measure ofdiversity based on the number of different/distinct groups present in the population andthe sizes of these distinct groups relative to each other19, Lambeth is the 11 th mostdiverse borough in the country. Lambeth has a high proportion of people from non-WhiteBritish ethnic groups, but fewer groups are represented than in the most diverseboroughs.2.6 Children Looked After (CLA) are those children and young people aged 0 -18 years whocannot safely remain with their family and are cared for by the local authority. The localauthority has continuing legal and financial responsibilities to many of these children untilthey are 21 (or 25 if in full time education). This includes all unaccompanied asylumseeking children (UASC) and children with multiple disabilities. Children looked after andyoung people are one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in ourcommunity.2.7 There are clear thresholds for admitting children into care and in Lambeth effectivearrangements are in place to support children and young people to remain safely withtheir families or within their communities. However, where this is not in the best interestof the child, local authorities have a statutory obligation to protect and safeguardvulnerable children.3

Page 702.8 In December 2014 there were 482 children in care, compared to 511 in December 2013.Overall in 2014/2015 there has been a decrease in the children in care population. Thisis contrary to the national figures which continue to increase. Of the 482 children lookedafter; 162 are subject to section 20 (voluntary arrangements). Lambeth currently has 438care leavers aged 16 to 25 within that 229 care leavers are aged between 19 to 25.2.9 Over the last year our section 17 Child in Need population within children’s social carehas almost halved from 733 to 415 with very few re-referrals; this number continues todecline. This is potentially due to an improved understanding of thresholds which meanswe are confident that the children in our cohort are children in real need. This has beenas a result of concentrated activity by the FSCP team through a year-long reviewprocess which reduced the number of cases. This brings our caseload in line with otherLondon Boroughs.2.10 As at the 27 February 2015 of the 415 Children in Need cases open 310 are a newcohort of referrals. This indicates that children in need are now having their needs met ina timely way and they are not subject to drift.Corporate Parenting – roles and responsibilities2.11 Children and young people in care have a unique place in society. They have a specialrelationship with the State due to the fact that they have been taken into care either by acourt order or by voluntary agreement with their birth parents. Central Government, localauthorities, partner agencies, individual professionals and carers all share responsibilityfor ensuring the best for children and young people in care – as they would for their ownchildren. Children in care should be cared about and not just cared for.2.12 The Children and Young Persons Act (2008) reinforces the message that all councils,and particularly elected Members, carry responsibility for ensuring good outcomes forchildren looked after by the local authority. Despite high ambitions and a sharedcommitment for change there is still a significant gap between the quality of lives for CLAand those of other children. Tackling this requires sustained action across central andlocal government, from practitioners in all aspects of children and young people’s livesand from their carers, friends and family.2.13 All members of the Board have a role to play. Commissioning decides whether tocommission a service from a Residential or Children’s Home. The Director of Children’sSocial Care is pivotal in ensuring that systems and services are in place to meet theneeds of children looked after, and the Director of Housing needs to ensure that there isa range of high quality housing options available for children when they leave care. Allareas are interconnected and we all have a role as corporate parents.2.14 The role of Lambeth’s Corporate Parenting Board is to:Be a forum that has direct links to the Director of Children’s Services and LeadMember. This gives children in care an opportunity to express their views andhave some influence over the services and support they receive.Ensure the Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member for Children’sServices are responsible for leading improvements in corporate parenting.4

Page 71Set out its ‘pledge’ to children in care. The pledge covers the services andsupport children in care should expect to receive.Disseminate corporate parenting training materials to help staff to ensureeffective arrangements are in place.Hear about services and how they are performing.Ensure that decisive actions are taken to address any shortcomings in theservices provided to children and young people.Act as a champion for children and challenge any prejudice that may be madeagainst them.Corporate Parenting Board overview2.15 During 2014 - 2015 the Corporate Parenting Board was chaired by Councillor Valcarcel,and the Councillor Meldrum, Lead Member for Children and Adults Services, was amember of the Board.2.16 The Board meets five times each year and the meetings are themed around the formerfive Every Child Matters outcomes.2.17 Training sessions were delivered to Councilors throughout the year. The traininghighlighted the needs of our young people, the demographics and our role as CorporateParents. Service users were also a part of the training were they spoke about theirexperience of being in care, what needs to be improved and what has helped them todate. Over 30 Councilors attended the various training sessions.2.18 New terms of references for the Board were developed in consultation with the Boardmembers and have since been implemented. It is anticipated that a Corporate ParentingDevelopment Day on 17 June will further revise the terms of reference and membershipof the board.2.18 Over the past year the Board has considered reports on topics including:Educational progress of children looked afterFosteringAdoptionChildren’s Rights and AdvocacyParticipation of children with disabilitiesAnnual Consultation findings and action-planIndependent Reviewing TeamHousing needs for care leaversSteps to Success (S2S) and Apprenticeship updateEmotional and mental health needs of children looked afterService user engagement.Change in leadership and governance2.19 During 2014-15 there have been a number of changes in leadership and management ofthe Council which have impacted on the membership of the Board. There is confidence5

Page 72that the changes in management have now provided a platform for delivering improvedservices.Corporate Parenting progress in September 2014 – April 2015Ofsted inspection2.20 The Ofsted Inspection of the Council’s and Partners ability to safeguard children in needof protection, those looked after and care leavers took place in February/March 2015.This was Lambeth’s first inspection under the new single inspection framework whichbrought together into one inspection: child protection; services for looked after childrenand care leavers; and local authority fostering and adoption services. It also extendedthe length of inspection which was unannounced. There were more visits to children andyoung people placed out of borough as well as children centres. Inspectors also satdirectly with practitioners as they worked asking questions about their cases andpractice.2.21 Ofsted’s overall judgement of services was inadequate; the report noted “that there werewidespread or serious failures in the delivery of services for looked after children whichresult in their welfare not being safeguarded and promoted leaders, and managers havenot been able to demonstrate sufficient understanding of failures and have beenineffective in prioritising, challenging and making improvements in relation to looked afterchildren services. It is Ofsted’s expectation that, as a minimum, all children and youngpeople receive good help, care and protection”2.22 In response to this, Lambeth Council and our partnership agencies are working to rapidlyimprove children's services following the findings. Ofsted identified areas for “priority andimmediate action” in Lambeth, including ensuring improvements to the adoption service,reducing delays in moving children into permanent homes and collecting accurate dataand performance management information.Fostering Service2.23 As outlined in the Children Act 1989, the best place for children to be cared for is withtheir family unless this is not possible. The next best option is for children to be cared forin a similar type of environment - a family placement. Lambeth Fostering Servicecontinues to provide services to children, young people and their families. They strive toensure that children looked after have the same experiences and access the sameopportunities as their peers.2.24 As of 1st April 2015, there were 482 children looked after, with 109 children & youngpeople placed with Lambeth mainstream and connected foster carers representing22.6% of all children looked after. There were 81 children and young people placed withLambeth main stream foster carers and 28 children were placed with Connected Carers.2.25 200 Foster Carers were approved from 138 households by Lambeth. They are 158mainstream carers from 108 fostering households and 30 Connected Carers from 42Family and Friends’ households. This includes Remand Carers and carers approved forlong term placements.” Lambeth also has 44 children placed in residential settingsoutside of the Borough.6

Page 732.26 Lambeth has 25 care leavers in staying put arrangements. Of the young people instaying put arrangements 12 are with ‘in house’ carers and 13 are with cares fromindependent fostering agencies2.27 During the 2015 Ofsted inspections Ofsted stated: “Local authority foster placementsoverall are of good quality….Inspectors met with 10 foster carers, who ranged inexperience from six months to 21 years and who had a range of ages of children inplacement. The foster carers were generally very positive about the service theyreceived from their supervising social workers… The number of foster carers in theservice has increased marginally in recent years.”2.28 Previously there were some instability in staffing within the fostering team anduncertainty about whether the local authority intended to outsource this service whichresulted in a lack of progress and development. As a result the team had focused ontrying to retain foster carers rather than recruiting more carers.2.29 Now the decision has been made to keep the team in-house, the immediate priority is torecruit more in-house and the service has hired an officer to lead on the recruitmentcampaign. Lambeth Fostering Service has set a target to recruit 35 new carers in2015/16.2.30 The Fostering Teams provide a range of services including; permanent and long-termfoster carers, short term foster carers, remand foster carers, parent and child placementsand short breaks for carers. There is also an established procedure in place to ensurethat children looked after are carefully matched from when the placement is first made.2.31 Lambeth has a wide array of continuous professional development and trainingopportunities for foster carers. Alongside a monthly support group which is open to allnew and established carers, every Foster Carer has a supervising social worker.2.32 Service users continue to be involved in inducting and training foster carers and will alsobe a part of the recruitment process.Independent Review Service; Listening to the voice of children and young people2.33 The appointment of an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) is a legal requirementunder Section 118 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. IROs make an importantcontribution to the goal of significantly improving outcomes for looked after children.Their primary focus is to quality assure the care planning process for each child, toensure that his/her wishes and feelings are given full consideration and to regularlymonitor and follow up between review meetings.2.34 In 2014 the National Children’s Bureau published research entitled: ‘The Role of theIndependent Reviewing Officers (IRO) in England’ it provides information and findings inregard to the affectivity of IRO services and outlines a number of importantrecommendations, some of which are:Overseeing the care plans of individual children and using a variety of ways frompersuasion to overt challenge to make sure a child’s needs are met7

Page 74 Acting as a resource for colleagues, as experienced social workers with specialistexpertise in the needs of looked after children Identifying systemic or resource deficiencies in the service to looked after childrenand lobbying for improvements Working to proactively develop the service to looked after children throughinnovation.2.35 The Lambeth Independent Reviewing Team for Children looked after has remainedstable with only one change of staffing over the period plus an additional locum to coverlong term sickness.2.36 In 2014 the IRO Service undertook a consultation with 83 CLA, the survey covered anarray of areas.When asked were you satisfied with the way your review was chaired. 50% said they were very satisfied 44% were satisfied 6% were not satisfied.When asked are you happy with your care plan? 91.2% said they were happy 8.8% said they were not.When asked do you feel as if your IRO is helping you? 97.1% said that they thought they were 2.9% said they did not think they were.2.37 National and local research has suggested that in some boroughs CLA have stated thatthey would like to chair their own review meetings. Further exploration of how this mightwork for Children and Young People in Lambeth is currently being undertaken.2.38 In 2014 Lambeth commissioned Barnardo’s Advocacy Service to deliver specialistsupport for children with severe disabilities in their review meetings. The young peoplewere identified by their IRO’S and Social Workers. The majority of cases allocated werechildren and young people without capacity to express their wishes and views.2.39 The approach taken in these instances was non-instructed advocacy, whereby theadvocate developed a best interest’s argument to build a picture of what the child’swishes and views might be, were they able to articulate them. The advocate met with thechild and observed them interacting in different settings with key professionals andcarers. They consult with these key people to seek their views around the child’s bestinterests and develop insight into their needs and how best they can be met. Throughthis process, key issues to advocate on may emerge and require follow-up between LACreviews.2.40 Due to the success and importance of the scheme Lambeth will be doing this again in2015 and may incorporate it as part of the external advocacy service we commission8

Page 75Lambeth Youth Offending Service2.41 The Youth Offending Service (YOS) manages young people who have committed crimealong a continuum from out of court disposals all the way through to custodial sentences.YOS has three main performance measures which are reported quarterly to the YouthJustice Board (YJB), there are:Reducing offendingFirst time entrants into the criminal justice systemUse of custody2.42 The YOS is overseen by a management board which is representative of the widerpartnership across Council services, Health, Police, Probation and the community. TheYOS is a partnership service and a number of these partners are represented within theservice at an operational level.2.43 Bail and Remand - YOS also manages young people who are on court bail and who areon remand. Young people on remand automatically acquire CLA status under the LegalAid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO). There are two types ofLASPO remand and these are Youth Detention Accommodation (YDA) which is remandin custody and Remand to Local Authority REMLA where it is for the local authority toagree where the remanded young person resides in the community and this can be in acare placement but could be at home or with family following an assessment byChildren’s Social Care. Lambeth has long-term foster placements and specialist fosterplacements (remand fostering) to support the specific needs of these young people.2.44 Lambeth’s Social Care has a LASPO Team (Remands to Custody) – The LASPO Teamsits within the Leaving Care Service (CSC) and is overseen by the Head of Service forCLA + Leaving Care. The Team has 1 Deputy Team Manager (DTM) who reports to ageneric Leaving Care Team Manager. The DTM covers LASPO and SouthwarkJudgement (16+ cases). The numbers of LASPO remands have remained low asalternatives to custody have been used.2.45 YOS and Children’s Social Care continue to work collectively to track young people whoare open to YOS and children social care to prevent any reoffending.2.46 Specialist workers are also in place to provide support for those using substances, withemotional and mental health problems, with Speech and Language needs and wheresupport is required to access Education, Employment or Training.Lambeth Adoption Service2.47 The adoption scorecard for 2011 to 2014 shows that children in Lambeth waited anaverage of 1,081 days between entering care and being placed for adoption. This is 534days longer than the national target, 453 days longer than the England average, and 347days longer than statistical neighbours. This showed that many children in Lambeth arewaiting too long to be adopted.9

Page 762.48 Despite some improvement in 2014, the average time that children with a placementorder waited to be matched during 2011 to 2014 was longer than both the nationalaverage and neighbouring boroughs.2.49 In February 2015, 60 children had an adoption plan, of whom 22 were placed foradoption, leaving 38 children not yet placed. This cohort is reported to include 13children who are matched to carers and three children waiting who have no link ormatch. The remaining children have had a change of plan.2.50 It is proposed that the Corporate Parenting Board request regular updates on adoptionprogress to ensure they are fulfilling their Corporate Parenting Role.Virtual School; children looked after and care leavers education2.51 The Children and Families Act 2014 amends section 22 of the Children Act 1989 torequire every local authority in England to appoint an officer employed by the authority,or another authority, to make sure that its duty to promote the educational achievementof its looked after children is properly discharged. For the purpose of this guidance thatofficer is hereafter referred to as the Virtual School Head (VSH).2.52 Lambeth’s Virtual School supports the education of all children and young people lookedafter by Lambeth Council. Of school aged pupils, this equates to 292 pupils as of March2015. Children attend schools in Lambeth, the surrounding London boroughs andcountry wide. Only a significant minority actually attend Lambeth schools, EYFS or AEP.2.53 Lambeth has a strong track record in delivering good educational outcomes for all ourchildren and in narrowing the gap in achievement between LAC and their peers. Ouroverarching focus on prevention means we are committed to investing in education as ameans of lifting children’s aspirations. Narrowing the gap in achievement between LACand their peers in the Borough was set in 2012 as one of Lambeth’s equality objectivespublished in our community plan and it remains an area of focus.2.54 The vast majority of pupils looked after by Lambeth are in Ofsted rated ‘good’ and‘outstanding’ schools (just over 70%). If a school has a change of rating then ajudgement is made as to whether the child needs to stay in the provision for otherreasons such as maintaining consistency of relationships for a period of time before theyare moved at a natural transition point. Since November 2014, the remit of the VS hasbeen extended to cover Early Years and Post-16 young people in line with requirementsof Children and Families Act.2.55 Three teaching and learning consultants cover the following year groups: Early Years to Year 5 Year 5 to Year 10 Year 11 to Year 14The Virtual School now has a consultant in place to support young people in Furthereducation and those transitioning to Higher Education. The aim is to facilitate smoothtransition between key stages. Each consultant is responsible for their own cohort interms of monitoring attendance, fixed term exclusions, up-to-date PEPs, attainment andprogression.10

Page 772.56 The Virtual School manages the PEP process in Lambeth and has worked with socialworkers to redesign the PEP documents to make them more user-friendly and in linewith legislative changes to education. A new form has been devised on Framework andensures that targets set at the previous PEP meeting are carried across to the interimVSH PEP for review.2.57 Nationally CLA perform less well than their peers but the gap is narrowing. Comparedwith national figures for looked-after children, there has been a trend of gradualimprovement in Lambeth since 2010 resulting in 36% of young people gaining theexpected 5 GCSEs graded A*-C including English and maths last year, which is verypositive. This figure is up from 23% last year, and 5% the year before that. Thiscompares with a national figure for looked after children in 2014 of 15% (Lambeth overallfor all children 57% National 53%).2.58 In 2014 there were 48 care leavers aged 16 that were in further education, training or anapprenticeship and 8 young people were receiving support as NEET. There were 89care leavers post 17 and 18 that were in further education, training or an apprenticeship,LASPO or NEET. As of April 2015 we had 56 young people in Higher education.2.59 The Virtual School have also become responsible for the way in which the PupilPremium (PP) is spent. PP spend is discussed by social workers/teachers and fostercarers and a decision is made at the PEP meeting about spend and impact.2.60 In Lambeth the Pupil Premium is paid in three termly instalments to ensure that there isan amount of money available to follow the child if they move schools. An initial reportsix months in to the programme showed a positive impact of the use of this funding.There will be future work with young people to discuss what they feel pupil premiumshould be spent on and to ensure they are aware of it.2.61 The Virtual School now provides training for carers through the Foster Carer’s Forumthat was set up in the previous academic year. In contrast to the training that is offeredby the fostering service which is mandatory, the VS FC Forum offers an opportunity forfoster carers to meet in a relaxed atmosphere, to share problems and good practice witheach other as well as receive the more formal training that the Virtual School provides.Meetings are one per term - six per year - with the dates all mapped out and agreed bythe foster carers. It is still in its early stages, but there is a core group of carers whoregularly attend and numbers are gradually increasing. Subjects covered have been anupdate on curriculum changes, the SEN Review, Precision learning arranged by our EP,an introduction to the online learning that VS have offered children.Education Employment and Training Outcomes for care leavers2.62 Lambeth has an Education Advisor that provides bespoke support to Social Workers andpersonal advisors around specific NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)issues, and to signpost the care leavers to a variety of partnership agencies foremployment, education and training opportunities.2.63 The Education Advisor does the followingWorks directly with care leavers11

Page 78Develops Education, Employment or Training (EET) action plans with young people.Works closely with employers and training providers to maintain our care leavers inEET.Developing partnership working with external agencies such as Drive Forward andFoundation and the Prince’s Trust to create opportunities for care leavers.Keeps social workers and personal advisors aware of EET opportunities.Ensures handbooks and information provided to young people have specific contentregarding education, employment and training.Delivers workshops around different areas of EET2.64 Of Lambeth’s care leavers the current proportion of young people who are ‘EET’ is 59%and 39% are classified as NEET. Generally speaking, Lambeth’s young peoplecompare very well with our statistical neighbours (Southwark, Lewisham, Haringey andHackney) and we aspire for the very best outcome for each individual care leaver.2.65 There has been a slight increase in our NEET cohort in recent months. It should benoted that amongst the NEET cohort are a number of young people who are in custody,care leavers who are parents of young children and care leavers who have beendeported. This means that, at any one time, there is likely to be cohorts of young peoplewho are ‘inevitably’ going to be classed at NEET even though there is little in the shortterm which can be done to address this.2.66 Where possible Lambeth works closely with young people who are in custody (prison ora Young Offenders Institution) and the youth offending service to prevent them reenteringcustody. The young person will be visited in prison/Young Offenders Institutionby their allocated Social Worker or Personal Advisor (PA) regardless of the length ofsentence/remand. The young person’s engagement with education/courses offered in acustody setting is monitored in order to provide continuity with employment/trainingopportunities once they are released.2.67 A current strength of the service is the high number of young people who accessinghigher education. We currently have 56 young people at university with 26 expected tograduate in 2015, in courses ranging from social work, business, civil engineering andpharmacy. Four of these young people are in Russell Group Universities.2.68 Lambeth has made a commitment to offering work-related opportunities for care leavers,and has been successful in doing so through the Children’s Social Care “Steps toSuccess” (S2S) scheme. S2S offers Lambeth care leavers 3-6 months paid andvoluntary positions in various departments across Lambeth. S2S has been running forfive years and over 80 care leavers between the ages of 16-24 have benefited from apaid work based placement and 32 young people have undertaken a voluntary workplacement or work related programme. Both these opportunities provide valuablelearning opportunities and practical experience for care leavers. In 2014 there were over10 young people on S2S placements throughout the Council. A number of young peoplehave gone on to permanent roles within Lambeth (i.e. they are employed in amainstream role as an employee, with all the related responsibilities and opportunitiesthis brings as opposed to being part of a ‘scheme’).12

Page 792.69 Young people have fed back that S2S has motivated them and validated their workcapability. It has boosted their confidence and provided the necessary skills to helpimprove their social mobility and professionalism. In 2015 Lambeth have continued togenerate more work placement opportunities across the department to ensure there area wide variety of roles were available to meet our young people’s needs and interest.There will be more work and a focus on generating more apprenticeship opportunitiesout of borough.Children’s Right’s and Advocacy2.70 The role of an Advocate is to make sure young people are protected and their rights aremet by providing an opportunity for views to be listened to and properly considered.Advocacy empowers young people to exercise those rights and be involved in andinfluence decisions that are being made about their future. Young people often feel moreable to speak to someone who does not have direct control over their care. This makes itimportant that advocates are independent. They are there to express their client’swishes as if they were their own.2.71 Advocacy is a crucial safeguard for children and young people in care that can protectthem from poor practice. Advocacy is about speaking up for children and young peopleand empowering them to make sure that their rights are respected and their views andwishes are heard at all times. Advocacy is also about representing the views, wishesand needs of children and young people to decision-makers, and helping them tonavigate the system.2.72 Lambeth has two Advocacy services available; an internal children rights service andexternal service commissioned by Barnardo’s. Both services are accessible to allchildren and young people who receive a service from Lambeth Children Social Care.Lambeth also commissions the Independent Visitor’s (IV) Scheme which offers abefriending service; however it also brings in elements of advocacy for children, althoughthis provider has a very different remit.2.73 A total of 120 young people accessed the advocacy service for one-to-one support andgroup advocacy. There has been an increase in the number of younger children thataccess the advocacy service. This has been due to close partnership work with FosterCarers and the development of Lambeth’s younger children in care council. Referralscame directly from young people themselves and staff such as Teachers, SocialWorkers, Independent Review Officers and Foster Carers.2.74 C&YP accessed advocacy for an array of reasons, the main ones were; support aroundplacements, education/careers, child protection process, review meetings,communication and relationship with professionals, Information, rights and entitlements.2.75 The issues and themes from the advocacy service continues to play a role in shapinghow services and delivered and improving practise. The Lambeth’s Children’s RightsOfficer meets with the Divisional Director and other managers throughout the year.Together they map out ways to address the issues raised and consult with service userswhilst making the decisions. Lambeth regularly ensures that service users are involvedin shaping how services are delivered. The following section outlines the different typesof service user engagement that took place between 2014 to 2015.13

Page 80Service user involvement2.76 The CPB has been fully committed to listening to the voice of service users and activelyinvolving them in the work of the Board. The chair and Co-chair of Lambeth’s Children inCare Council (CICC) are members of the Board attend all Board meetings and haveregular agenda items.2.77 Lambeth has two well established Children in Care Councils; Visions of Success (CLA13+) and Junior Visions (CLA 8+). Collectively the care councils:Provides a voice for the wider population of children looked after and care leavers.Bring together service users and senior managers to develop positive andmeaningful outcomes for C&YP.Help to monitor and implement the Lambeth Pledge.Develops C&YP softer skills such as team work and confidence building.2.78 Members from both care councils were involved in the 2015 Ofsted Inspections and metwith the lead Inspectors. Lambeth’s Safeguarding Children’s Board Young PersonAdvisory Group Lambeth Youth Voices (LYV) continues to run and there will be moredevelopment in relation to the group and their annual plan. Members of LYV were also apart of the 2015 Inspections and also met with the Inspectors.2.79 The Chair and Co-Chair of VOS continue to be members the CPB and directly supportthe Corporate Parenting Board to measure and monitor the effectiveness and quality of‘Corporate Parenting’ to children and young people; according to the views andexperiences of the children who are in care.2.80 Children and young people met with a number of key meetings with senior managersand to discuss important issues affecting children and young people in care. CllrWalker, Cllr Meldrum, Cllr Valcarcel and all three of Lambeth’s Social Care Directorsalso attended young people’s consultation events and met with the young people onvarious occasions2.81 In honour of the care councils work and dedication Lambeth’s former Chef Executive,Derrick Anderson has set up a grant for CLA; which the young people have titled the‘Anderson’s Award’. Derrick will match the funding raised by donations. The logistics ofhow the fund will operate is currently being mapped out with the young people alongsideLambeth’s Legal team and Service Development Team.2.82 Lambeth has a well-established participation service in particular with CLA and Careleavers. More work is being done to ensure that there is a high level of service userinvolvement across the other areas of Social Care this includes children with disabilities,children in need and young people on a child protection plan. Lambeth have hired anadditional Development Worker to undertake this work.2.83 There has been various tools and resources developed for practitioners, children andyoung people. We continue to use Talking Mats, Contact Cards, Life Story books and topromote Lambeth’s Mini Pledge Promises Lambeth CLA Health service is also exploring14

Page 81the possibility of a Health app were young people can access relevant health informationabout themselves as they leave care. This is in its early research stages and Health willkeep the Board abreast of any developments.2.84 Due to many changes in staffing, Lambeth was unable to have its annual awardceremony, Reach for the Stars, in spring; however the event will has now beenscheduled for 5 September.2.85 The CPB continued to ensure that CLA are prioritised in all of Lambeth’s children andyoung people’s initiatives. This has included priority placements for summer universityand holiday activities. The CPB also enabled CLA to continue to have free access to allLambeth leisure centres and foster carers to have discounted membership rate. Over140 cyp and foster carers applied for a Real Lambeth leisure pass between September2014 to April 2015.2.86 Members of Lambeth’s CICC were unable to attend Full Council this year however theyprovided a speech which Cllr Valcarcel read on their behalf. As with every full councilmeeting all inform elected member were asked to sign Lambeth Pledge Promises.2.87 Children and Young People continue to be a part of Lambeth’s recruitment panel andtraining staff as they are inducted in to the service.2.88 Lambeth has also developed a participation strategy; the main aim of this strategy is tosupport the above and to ensure there are consistent high levels of engagement acrossthe departments. The strategy also focuses on:Referral feedback mechanisms;Service user involvement and participation in key areas such as reviews and childprotection conferences;The development of a customer service ethos with regular feedback to teams andindividual social workers about the effectiveness of interventions with children andtheir families.Technology; new technology in the First Response Team enables the council tobetter monitor effectiveness and provide feedback in relation to initial contacts andreferrals.Lambeth’s Quality Assurance and Learning Framework2.89 Lambeth has developed a Quality Assurance and Learning Framework. The QualityAssurance and Learning Framework for Children's Social Care in Lambeth cover’s allactivity undertaken to ensure that work is carried out to the highest quality. It will help toinform the work within children social care by providing systematic monitoring andevaluation of practice, policies, and procedures, with the aim of improving ourunderstanding of whether we are supporting the right children, in the right way, at theright time, and whether we are making a difference.2.90 The Framework is designed to aid us to strive for continuous self-assessment thatresults in ongoing service improvement. The purpose of the framework is to:15

Page 82Embed quality into service through practice standards.Ensure that services are achieving consistently high standards and that this issustained.Ensure services are regularly evaluated.Engender an organisational culture that is committed to learning and continualdevelopment.Support the continuous improvement and development of the children’s workforce.Ensure that quality assurance activity is carried out in collaboration with practitionersand managers, to engender learning, accountability, and change.Participation of children with disabilities2.91 As of late 2014 to April 2015 the number of children and young people who are allocatedto the disabled children service has fluctuated between 288 – 305 service users. Thenumbers of children with disabilities within children social care are as follows: 21 childrenwho are looked after, 7 children who are subject to a child protection plan and 260children in need.2.92 Disabled children whose needs are not severe, profound and do not have such a highlevel of need are allocated to other teams within children's services. However CWDteam continues to provide information and advice to these teams.2.93 The Children with Disabilities Team have introduced various initiatives to increase theteam’s ability to communicate more effectively with our children and young people. Thishas included the development of contact cards for children with disabilities.2.94 Specialist training in communicating with children with disabilities has beencommissioned to ensure that social workers and Independent Reviewing Officers whowork with children with disabilities are confident in communicating with children who aredisabled. The introduction within the service of specialist software which will enable staffto send letters or design items such as contact cards and leaflets in a style which canbe made individual to the ability and communication needs of the child or young person.2.95 The Children with Disabilities Team is keen to ensure that the children and young peopleare able to participate in activities and consultation initiatives directed at children andyoung people who are in contact with Lambeth. This includes young people involved inLambeth’s Children Safeguarding Board young advisory group; LYV as well as attendingevents at Lambeth’s Adventure play ground: Charlie Chaplin. Specialist advocates forthose children who are looked after and have communication difficulties have also beenintroduced2.96 The Children with Disabilities Team continues to work closely with Lambeth’s VirtualSchool concerning the educational needs of children and with Lambeth’s SpecialistNurse for children looked after concerning the health needs of the children. They alsowork closely with colleagues in health and education to ensure families receive thesupport they need to care for their child or young person with a disability.16

Page 832.97 Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans were introduced in late 2014. This will meantthat all children who had an educational statement now have an E.H.C plan. Children’sSocial Care is working closely with colleagues in Education and Health to ensure there isa smooth transition and positive gains from the changes.2.98 For 2015 the CWD Team plan to do the following:Further train and develop staff to provide a skilled workforce who can communicatewith the children and young people to ascertain their wishes and feeling.To improve assessments and child protection knowledge and skills and the generalunderstanding of disability.To build on and improve partnership working with statutory and voluntaryorganisations as well as parents/carers by linking in and attending parent forumssuch as contact a family and schools, and meeting with health colleagues and SENon a regular basis.2.99 There are plans for the Children with disability service to be integrated with the Adultintegrated service to produce a lifelong service for disabled children from birth rightthrough to adulthood. This redesign in services has been influenced by the recentlegislation which highlights the need for transition to be a smoother process for youngpeople and their families and improve on their experience. The key people across Adultsand Children’s services meet on a monthly basis to drive the project forward. The projectlead is based within Adults services however Children’s social care are fully involved asthe Assistant director Lisa Humphries chairs the steering group. The timeline for thisproject to be completed is by April 2016.CLA Health service2.100 The Lambeth Children Looked after Health team continues to co-ordinate and delivershealth services for Lambeth’s vulnerable children and young people. Amongst otherduties a core function is to undertake statutory health assessments and pre-Adoptionand Post-Adoption services.2.101 Statutory Health Assessments are required by statute on Looked after Children. InLambeth the content is in line with statutory recommendations (Promoting health oflooked after Children-2009) and includes all aspects that impacts on health, includingrelationships, mental health (we use the SDQ), sexual health, schooling alongsideassessment of physical needs and immunisation status. Health assessments facilitatethe formulation of individual Health Care Plans.2.102 The Health team continues with the statutory requirement of undertaking healthassessments annually for children and young people over five years and bi-annually forthose under five years.2.103 The Health service has also developed a multi-disciplinary approach to care. This meansthat there is access to paediatricians for initial health assessments and children withmedical needs, a specialist children’s looked after nursing service for those who havebeen hard to access, as well as health visitors, school nurses and a general practitioner.17

Page 842.104 The core services provided by the Lambeth health team are: Provision of comprehensive health assessments for Lambeth’s looked after Children(Community Paediatricians (CP) and Nurses). Arranging Health Assessments and Reviews of Health Assessments (CLAadministrative team). Provision of Pre-Adoption and Post-Adoption services as well as other serviceslinked to Permanence (Medical Adviser (MA). Membership of Lambeth’s Adoption/Permanency/Foster Care Panels (MA and DN). Provision of health care services to unaccompanied refugee children in care ofLambeth Social Services. Contribution to Lambeth’s teaching programmes Contribution to multi-agency planning and strategic programmes relating to Lookedafter Children.2.105 The team acting as a resource for Health and Social Services personnel who cancontact them with medical related queries at any time and team members endeavour tooffer help, advice and support as appropriate. In addition, enhanced services, e.g.outreach work and review of children outside statutory timeframes, and are provided ona needs-led basis.2.106 Health service continues to deliver and monitor:Emotional and behavioural healthDental ChecksHealth assessment uptakeEnsure that CLA who are reported to have a substance misuse problem are seen bya specialist workerEnsure CLA have up to date immunisations2.107 Health will continue to promote and deliver effective, timely and high quality health careplanning for individual children and young people by the most appropriate clinician.Specific care pathways are also in place for the more vulnerable sub-group, i.e. childrenwith disability, hard to reach children as well as those on the adoption pathway.2.108 They also plan to strengthen consultation with children and young people and ensuretheir views strengthen our strategy, service design and delivery. Work has alreadystarted with Lambeth’s children in care councils as they are being involved in the designand delivery of health services this includes designing leaflets on health assessment,input to CAMHS strategy and the structure of health assessments.2.109 Health will continue to work towards improving the quality and experience of statutoryhealth assessments for children and young people and ensure health services forLooked after Children with disabilities are appropriately identified and communicated.Care leavers and Housing2.110 In 2013 The Leaving Care and Housing Protocol were developed. Leaving Care, ServiceDevelopment Team, Commissioning (Housing) and Lambeth Living were pivotal in its18

Page 85development. Importantly, Lambeth care leavers have been instrumental to shaping theprotocol – not only have the Visions of Success consultative group fed into thedevelopment of the draft protocol for practitioners, but their feedback has also lead to theproduction of a young person’s guide to the protocol.2.111 The development of the Leaving Care and Housing protocol has undoubtedly improvedhousing outcomes for care leavers from the time it was created to date. This hasincluded the creation of pre tenancy training for care leavers, the development of ayoung person’s resource pack, the creation of rent arrears panels as well as improvedpartnership working between agencies. The Protocol is not just a working document butalso acts as a framework for teams to work together to support care leavers in theirtransition to adulthood.2.112 The protocol is monitored by Housing Commissioning to ensure it is being adhered to byall agencies involved. Review meetings are held regularly with Lambeth Living, LeavingCare, Allocations and Commissioning, which provides an opportunity for officers todiscuss difficulties which may have arisen during the period and to share good practiceacross the organisations.2.113 Care Leavers continued to be placed as Lambeth’s highest priority (Band A) and tend toget housed very quickly if they bid for properties. As of April 2015 there are 104 careleavers eligible to bid, however 50 care leavers failed to make a single bid during the lasttwelve months. Allocations continues to provide Leaving Care with updates as to thecare leavers that are not bidding and the Leaving Care Social Workers further exploresthe reasons with their young people. Social Workers continue to support care leaversthroughout the bidding process and in their transition to independence.2.114 The next stage of the protocol is to carry out the following:To ensure consistency across Leaving Care it has been proposed that a number oftraining sessions be held for social workers. The training will cover the protocol ingreater detail so that social workers become familiar with their roles andresponsibilities as well as the role of other agencies. The training will also covergeneral housing management issues and will be facilitated by Lambeth Living andHousing Commissioning.To establish Rent Panels to provide a good forum for both Lambeth Living andLeaving Care to discuss clients that are at crisis point and reduce the number ofthose at risk of being evicted.2.115 Lambeth Living is looking at how best the sign up process could be improved so thatvulnerable people (including care leavers) are supported – this may mean thatprospective tenants will not be allowed to sign for their tenancy without the relevantfinancial information.2.116 A senior officer is nominated to act as a champion with overall responsibility for theeffective running of the protocol by Leaving Care. Quarterly review meetings to be19

Page 86arranged for relevant senior officers across housing and leaving care to monitor anygaps in practise and continue to improve outcomes for care leavers.Developments/changes in practise2.117 Child Sexual Exploitation and young people going missing continues to be a top priorityfor Lambeth. Lambeth has a clear missing from care policy which informs staff of what todo when a young person goes missing. Lambeth has also ensures that they collate andmaintain all data relating to children and young people that are missing regardless or if itis one missing episode or young people who are repeatedly missing. Collectivelymanagement looks at themes and numbers of young people who go missing andLambeth’s CSE/Missing Lead also provides support to staff in the management ofcomplex missing for care cases.2.118 Sometime young people are not aware of the implications and dangers of going missingand some young people do not count themselves as being missing. To further explorethis and the risk associated with it Lambeth have commissioned Barnardo’s to undertakeindependent interviews with young people who have returned after missing from care,the interviews will take place within 72 hours where young people have been missing forover 24 hours. As this is a specialist independent provider young people are likely to bemore open about why they ran away, were they went and Lambeth can plan ways toprevent it from reoccurring.2.119 Being away from the placement is also linked to the assessed risk of vulnerability andrisk of sexual exploitation which is another area Lambeth continues to focus on.Lambeth is currently rolling out back to basic training covering all areas of practice fromthe front door straight through to the young person leaves care. The aim of the training isto ensure practitioners are fully equipped with all the knowledge and tools they needwhen working with vulnerable people. For many it will be a refresher session and forsome it will be additional learning. Within the training staff will explore risk assessments,CSE matrix tool and risk and early indicators associated with child sexual exploitation.2.120 A CSE Risk Matrix tool is now routinely completed for all children and young people whoare aged 10 and over; Social workers are expected to complete a CSE risk assessmentfor these young people and escalate any cases that are considered either a present orpossible future risk.2.121 Lambeth LSCB has an Exploitation sub group which deals with all forms of exploitationincluding CSE, trafficking and radicalisation and they also deliver multi agency trainingaround CSE and children/young people to help raise awareness and recognition of riskand how to risk assess.2.122 In addition to this LCSB will commission Barnardo’s to deliver training for those thatworking directly with children and young people affected by CSE; the course is partfacilitated by a young person who is a CSE survivor. Future plans include thedevelopment of a peer education scheme. The scheme will enable practitioners to trainother practitioners around CSE and young people will be trained to support other youngpeople who may be at risk of exploitation.20

Page 872.123 There have been proposed changes to Lambeth’s Leaving Care Service. As oppose tohaving a service predominately with Social Workers Lambeth are planning to recruitPersonal Advisors. The changes are to bring Lambeth in line with the service which thegovernment expects us to provide. Also, as oppose to the Leaving Care service havingtwo separate teams (16+ and 18+) there will now be one team providing the leaving careservice. This will means fewer changes in the number of workers that young people workwith.Priorities for the year ahead2.124 The Corporate Parenting Board for 2015/16 will focus on examining the outcomes of theOfsted Inspection and how well services are responding to them as it is recognised thatchange is needed. A development day on 17 June will ensure members of the Boardunderstand the main tasks for the coming months and will also ensure appropriatemembership.Next Steps2.125 During the coming months of anticipated change, the Council as a whole must remaincommitted to its corporate parenting responsibility towards our vulnerable children andyoung people. The work of the Board must remain a priority for Elected Members and tonote their responsibility in promoting positive outcomes for children and young people incare.2.126 The gap between looked after children, care leavers and their peers is still too wide andthere is much to be done to improve educational outcomes for looked after children andyoung people in Lambeth.Conclusion2.127 A good corporate parent must offer everything that a good parent would, includingstability. It must address both the difficulties which children looked after experience andthe challenges of parenting within a complex system of different services. "Corporateparenting cannot replace or replicate the selfless character of parental love; but it doesimply a warmth and personal concern which goes beyond the traditional expectations ofinstitutions." (The Utting Report, 1991).3. Finance3.1 There are no direct resource implications arising from this report. However,the development and delivery of interventions to support the needs of childrenlooked after and care leavers will have resource implications which will needconsideration within the budget setting processes.4. Legal and Democracy4.1 All Members have individual and collective responsibility as the Corporate Parents forLambeth’s looked after children. The Corporate Parenting Board is required to submitan annual report to Full Council on its corporate parenting arrangements.21

Page 885. Consultation and co-production5.1 The report takes a holistic approach to Lambeth’s children Social care capturing thevarious team’s works, consultations and co productive work with our services users. Thereport was also submitted to CPB members for consultation to see if there were anyfurther areas they wanted to include.6. Risk ManagementN/A7. Equalities Impact Assessment7.1 Whilst a formal Equality Impact Assessment has not been undertaken for this report; theCorporate Parenting Strategy has had an Equality Impact Assessment, taking intoaccount different groups of children looked after based on their age, ethnicity, gender,abilities and accessibility. An Equalities Impact Assessment has been undertaken withregard to the overall service for Children Looked After. This has been presented to theEqualities Board. There is an over-representation of children from Black Caribbeanbackgrounds and Mixed Race backgrounds relative to the overall population of children.This mirrors similar over-representations of these groups within Children in Need andChild Protection services. An analysis of outcomes showed that there was no significantdifference in performance between children and Care Leavers from different ethnicbackgrounds.8. Community Safety8.1 N/a9. Organisational ImplicationsStaffing and accommodationThe Service Development Team will continue to take operational lead in supporting theCouncil to raise the profile of corporate parenting, support the function of the CorporateParenting Board and the Children in Care Council.10 Timetable for implementation10.1 Corporate Parenting Board to decide when and how recommendations are to be applied.22

Page 89ConsultationName ofconsulteeDepartment or Organisation Date sent DateresponsereceivedCommentsappear inreport para:InternalSue Foster Strategic Director, Delivery 3.6.15 10.6.15Lisa Humphrey’s Assistant Director, Children’s 2.6.15 3.6.16Social CareCath Knowles Delivery Director Specialist 29.5.15 2.6.15ServicesCllr Imogen Deputy Leader (Policy) 9.7.15 9.7.15WalkerCllr Christina9.6.15ValcarcelFateha Salim Legal Services 7.7.15 9.7.16Nilesh Jethwa Finance 7.7.15 9.7.15Appendices1. Lambeth Pledge for children looked after.2. Key legislation and background documents.3. CLA Budget Information (Cost of CLA Service). Lisa to update table inappendices.23

Page 9013.1 Appendix One – Lambeth Pledge for children and young people lookedafter24

Page 91Appendix Three – Key legislation and background documentsDepartment for Education (2010), The Care Planning RegulationsDepartment for Education (2012), The Care Leavers (England) Regulationsand Associated GuidanceDepartment for Education (2011), The Fostering regulations, guidance andnational minimal standardsDepartment for Education (2011), The Adoption Guidance and NationalMinimum StandardsDepartment for Education (2011), The Children’s homes regulations,guidance and national minimal standardsDepartment for Education (2011), Friends and Family Care: StatutoryGuidance for Local AuthoritiesDepartment for Education (1989), Guidance and Regulations regarding LocalAuthority responsibilities towards former looked after children in custodyDepartment for Education (2010), Working TogetherUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), (UNCRC)Department for Education (2000), Leaving Care ActDepartment for Education (1989), Children ActDepartment for Education (2008), Children and Young Persons ActDFES (2007), Care Matters: Time for Change White PaperArmstrong, H. (1998), Think Child! The Councillors Guide to Quality Protects.DFES (2003), If this were my child…A Councillors guide to being a goodcorporate parentLambeth Council (2011), This is what it’s like to be looked after by LambethProfessor Eileen Munro (2012-11), The Munro Review of Child ProtectionInterim Report: The Childs JourneyDFES (2003), Every Child MattersLocal Government, Improving and Development (2011), 10 questions to askif you’re scrutinising services for looked after childrenLegal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) December201225

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Page 93Agenda Item 9Council22 July 2015Council MotionsWards: AllReport Authorised by: Strategic Director Enabling: Guy WareContact for enquiries:wchandai@lambeth.gov.ukWayne Chandai, Acting Democratic Services Manager, 020 7926 0029Report summaryMotions by Councillors are set out below.Motion 1: Councillor Paul GadsbyIndividual Electoral RegistrationCouncil notes:The Electoral Commission’s findings in its report into the transition to Individual ElectoralRegistration (IER) and, in particular, the finding that 1.9 million of the current entries on theelectoral register are only being retained under the transitional arrangements from the previoushousehold registration system, which represents 4% of all register entries.The Electoral Commission has previously estimated that the number of people not correctlyregistered at their current address is around 7.5million across the UK.The Government can make an Order at any time until August 2015, which would end thetransitional arrangements and fully implement IER 12 months early, and that such an Ordercould be made without being debated by Parliament beforehand. However, the ElectoralCommission has warned that there is “a risk that a considerable number of eligible voters couldbe removed from the registers before the significant set of polls scheduled for May 2016 if thetransition to IER is brought forward.”Council believes:That the government’s proposals for the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER)remain poorly thought out and implemented, running the risk that voters could bedisenfranchised as part of this process.That the end of the transitional arrangements before IER is fully implemented should remainDecember 2016 as stated in law and should not be brought forward to December 2015.

Page 94Council resolves:To take every possible step to ensure that as many Lambeth residents as possible areregistered to vote including, but not limited to, the following:- Fully analysing the last annual household canvass and comparing the results on a ward byward basis to the previous year’s canvass.- Using all available council-held databases to ensure that as many electors as possible aredata-matched for electoral registration purposes.- Using all available methods of communication, including Lambeth Talk, to explain thetransition to IER to local residents.- Prompting local residents with electoral registration reminders at other points of contactwith the council, such as when residents apply for Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit andother council services.- Liaising with local private sector landlords to ensure electoral registration information isincluded in tenancy packs and other communications they have with their tenants.Motion 2: Councillor Scott AinslieHuman Rights ActLambeth Council expresses support for the Human Rights Act and the positive impact it has hadon rights protections of individuals in the UK; welcomes the guidance the Human Rights Actprovides for public authorities in ensuring policies are developed in line with international humanrights standards; and calls on the Government to retain the Human Rights Act, the protectionswithin it, and the UK's international obligations under the European Convention on HumanRights.Amendment 1: Councillor Paul GadsbyLambeth Council expresses support for the Human Rights Act and the positive impact it has hadon rights protections of individuals in the UK; welcomes the guidance the Human Rights Actprovides for public authorities in ensuring policies are developed in line with international humanrights standards; notes that the Human Rights Act was introduced by the LabourGovernment in 1998 and has helped protect the most vulnerable in our society, includingchild victims of trafficking, women subject to domestic and sexual violence, those withdisabilities and victims of crime and calls on the Government to retain the Human Rights Act,the protections within it, and the UK's international obligations under the European Conventionon Human Rights.Motion 3: Councillor Tim BriggsNight-time Economy, Clapham High StreetThis council agrees that the 'night-time economy' licensing arrangements approved by theLabour administration for Clapham High Street are inadequate to prevent a markeddeterioration in the standard of living for residents in the area.

Page 95To ensure that the lives of local residents can be improved, the council undertakes to put inplace all measures at its disposal to encourage an 'evening economy' over a 'night-timeeconomy', and to implement a more effective enforcement regime of the current licensingarrangements for existing night-time businesses, as well as committing to putting a full-timemember from the police licensing team on the Health and Wellbeing Board.Amendment 1: Councillor Paul GadsbyThis council agrees that the effective 'night-time economy' licensing arrangements approved bythe Labour administration for Clapham High Street are inadequate to prevent a markeddeterioration in the standard of living for residents in the area. management measuresapproved by the Labour administration for Clapham High Street and other Lambeth towncentres are helping to tackle issues which can have an adverse impact on the standardof living of some local residents.To ensure that the lives of local residents can be improved, the council undertakes to put inplace all measures at its disposal to encourage an 'evening economy' over a 'night-timeeconomy', and to implement a more effective enforcement regime of the current licensingarrangements for existing night-time businesses, as well as committing to putting a full-timemember from the police licensing team on the Health and Wellbeing Board.The administration recognises that the targeted approach towards the management oflate night licensed premises (developed in partnership with the Metropolitan Police)continues to deliver effective results by identifying ‘problem issues’ quickly and workingwith local residents and licensed premises to address the issues of concern.The effective management and development of Lambeth’s night time economy remains apriority for this administration as this Council remains committed to improving thequality of life of local residents; despite the significant challenges posed by thecontinued local government funding cuts under the new Conservative government.This Council remains committed to supporting the continued growth of the night-timeeconomy within the borough, however the administration recognises the need to do thisin a balanced way which:Reduces the impact on local residents;Places a greater emphasis on the need for licensed premises to act responsibly;and,Retains an effective enforcement / licensing policy framework to addressconcerns raised by local residents.________________________

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