Agenda item

This report provides an annual overview of the Council’s approach to Member development, so that Members can be assured that the current approach is sufficient, equitable and effective.

 

The Vice-Chairmanintroduced the report and noted that:

 

·         She had been chairing the Member Development Steering Group (MDSG) on behalf of the Deputy Leader.

·         The MDSG was responsible for overseeing Member training and support, it was cross-party and she thanked its members for their constructive challenges and input.

·         Despite the challenges of Covid-19 and it being the last year of the current Council election term, she noted that attendance at Member seminars and training events had been higher than ever. That was partly due to the mixture of online and in person learning which would reduce time and travel commitments for Members, alongside a reduction of costs for the Council.

·         One of the key tasks of the MDSG over the last year had been to feed into the plans for democratic and Member spaces at the Council’s new civic heart, Woodhatch Place, which would facilitate the Council’s democratic requirements whilst providing a modern agile working space.

·         She hoped that Members would support the report and the amendment, noting the importance of the current approach to Member development as being ‘sufficient, equitable, and effective’.

 

Mrs Mary Lewis moved an amendment to the recommendations which had been published in the supplementary agenda (15 March 2021), which was formally seconded by Mrs Clare Curran.

 

The amendment was as follows (with additional words in bold/underlined and deletions crossed through):

 

That Council endorses notes: the current approach to Member development and agrees that it is sufficient, equitable and effective.

 

          I.       the Annual Report on Member Development;

         II.       the Decision of the Audit and Governance Committee Member Code of Conduct Task Group not to make Corporate Parenting Training Mandatory in the Code of Conduct; it is listed as ‘Essential’ training as part of member induction;

        III.       the ‘Corporate Parenting Principles’ introduced in the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and the ‘Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities on Applying Corporate Parenting Principles to Looked After Children and Care Leavers’ 2018.

 

That Council resolves: to work with Officers through the Member Development Steering Group to develop an enhanced Corporate Parenting training offer which is included in ALL Member training, including training sessions of all Scrutiny and Regulatory and Local/Joint Committees of the Council, so that they are assured that Statutory Corporate Parenting principles are being embedded in all aspects of the Council’s and Members’ work.

 

That Council agrees: to reconsider the Member Training offer on Corporate Parenting after six months of the new Council, to monitor uptake of the ‘Essential’ induction training and the introduction of ‘Applying Corporate Parenting Principles’ training in every part of Members’ work as Councillors.

 

Mrs Lewis spoke to her amendment, making the following points:

·         Thanked the officer for the report and the MDSG for its work.

·         That although Members would generally agree that the current approach to Member development was ‘sufficient, equitable and effective’, she noted that the Corporate Parenting Board supported mandatory training on Corporate Parenting.

·         That local authorities had a duty to apply the seven Corporate Parenting Principles introduced in the Children, and Social Work Act 2017, further clarified in the Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities on Applying Corporate Parenting Principles to Looked After Children and Care Leavers 2018.

·         Highlighted Principles (a) - (g) in the Children, and Social Work Act 2017 which local authorities had regard to, noting that over the last few years the Corporate Parenting Board had not seen evidence that such Principles permeated the Council’s work.

·         Highlighted point 2.2 in the Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities on Applying Corporate Parenting Principles to Looked After Children and Care Leavers 2018, in which ‘the corporate parenting principles do not exist in a vacuum. They should shape the mind-set and culture of every part of a local authority in how it carries out all of its functions in relation to looked-after children and care leavers.’

·         That in January 2020 the Corporate Parenting Board and the Executive Director of Children, Families and Lifelong Learning wrote to the five hundred plus elected councillors in Surrey challenging them on how they were applying their Corporate Parenting Principles - there had been little change from the Council following that.

·         That without the assurance that Members had understood fully and had signed up to their statutory duties, that as Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, and Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Board it was difficult to ask that of external partners.

·         That only 38% of Members took up Corporate Parenting training after the 2017 election, noting the reluctance by some to support initiatives that had been started by the Corporate Parenting Board.

·         That the Member Services Manager made strong representations for mandatory training on behalf of the Corporate Parenting Board at the Audit and GovernanceCommittee Member Code of Conduct Task Group, which the Committee decided against.

·         The amended recommendations were a compromise in that it was proposed that training on Corporate Parenting principles would be essential.

·         Hoped that Members would support the amendment towards an enhanced Corporate Parenting ethos across the new Council.

 

The motion was formally seconded by Mrs Clare Curran, who made the following comments:

 

·         Paid tribute to Mrs Lewis for the outstanding work that she had done on behalf of the Council as Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families.

·         That she found it reasonable to expect Members to be fully up to speed on the statutory guidance which applied to Members, following their duties by attending appropriate and tailored training opportunities which would be presented to all in the new Council following the elections.

·         Noted that just as there was a shared aspiration for excellence through the Council’s improvement work going forward, there should be a shared aspiration about the way in which the Council thought about its children and young people.

·         That it was vital to ensure that all Members of the new Council irrespective of division or political party, had access to a full training offer to embed in the Council's strong ethos of Corporate Parenting.

·         That it was vital that Members shared a sense of vision and responsibility for its children and young people ensuring that they were at the forefront of its actions, the Council’s Corporate Parenting responsibility must not stand apart from the Council’s regular duties and nor could the responsibility be delegated solely to the Corporate Parenting Board.  

·         Asked Members to support the amendment, appealing to Members to model the behaviour and attitude of any good parent by welcoming the training and opportunities to support, to encourage and to guide children and young people.

 

Twelve Members made the following points:

 

·         As Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee a Member sought clarification from the proposer of the amendment on the wording, whether the training was proposed as mandatory, or essential. He noted concern if the training was to be mandatory as it was a matter of judgement by each elected Member and did not breach the Member Code of Conduct.

·         In response the proposer of the amendment confirmed that as published in the supplementary agenda the compromise by the Corporate Parenting Board was for an essential training on Corporate Parenting Principles.

·         Noted that the amendment summed up the Council’s Conservative Party administration, which had been using its majority to impose conditions on all Members over and above that which the law and local political consensus required.

·         That the proposal for Council to monitor the uptake in training after six months was unacceptable as it treated Members as incapable of making their own rational decisions as to how they fulfilled their role, independence was fundamental.

·         That the proposals were an attempt to highlight to Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) that the Council was taking action, when in fact the administration had failed to protect its children and its leadership did not take responsibility regarding the 2018 Ofsted report. 

·         Made a plea for the Council to support the amendment in reflecting that passion that all Members had for their own children, noting the importance as Members to understand the needs and to support all those children and young people that the Council cared for.

·         That over the last twenty-four years as a Member, it was clear from the ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda in which education and social care services were merged, that Members’ responsibility and role was in caring for its children and young people so having that training was important. 

·         Noted that there was no full programme of formal Member training twenty-four years ago and was proud as chairman of a working group which looked at cross services performance, to bring in staff development and Member training.

·         That it took enthusiasm, passion and real commitment to be a Member to carry out the work needed so supported the enhanced training offer and noted the importance of refresher training.

·         Applauded the Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Board and its members who were passionate about Surrey’s Looked After Children and Care Leavers.

·         Noted disappointment that the matter had been turned into a political issue, stressed that the training needed to be essential because all Members had a responsibility as Corporate Parents.

·         Noted that the amendment was an emotional plea, it was another example of regulation and bureaucracy. Although granted the title of Corporate Parents, most Members were not involved in the work around Looked After Children or Care Leavers on a day-to-day basis.

·         Although not explicitly stated, the implication was that the training was mandatory and noted caution against creeping towards that.

·         Noted anger in response to some comments which demonstrated why such training needed to be essential. Looked After Children and Care Leavers were important to the Council and should be to all Members irrespective of day-to-day input.

·         That the amendment would help to emphasise to Members their responsibilities around their role as Corporate Parents.

·         Pointed out that the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee was a scrutiny body unlike the Corporate Parenting Board, so stressed that it needed to have up-to-date information.

·         Echoed previous comments in which residents were the judge of whether Members were doing a good job, that in addition to Member attendance, the completion of critical training modules should be made public so residents could decide whether Members were fulfilling their responsibilities.

·         That the amendment was proposed on behalf of the Corporate Parenting Board which was cross-party and not by Cabinet. As essential training, it would highlight the Corporate Parenting responsibility held by all Members.

·         The Vice-Chairman noted that it was an emotional topic as emotion was vital to understanding the experiences of Looked After Children and Care Leavers.

·         The MDSG had developed a training guide for post the May local elections, which included a wide range of essential training such as: Corporate Parenting, the Member Code of Conduct, local government finance, an introduction to equalities, diversity and inclusion. Such principles were necessary to be a modern Member.

 

The amendment was put to the vote with 69 Members voting For, 1 voting

Against and 1 Abstention.

 

Therefore the amendment was carried and became the substantive motion.

 

The motion was put to the vote with Members voting unanimously. 

 

Therefore it was RESOLVED:

 

That Council noted:

 

          I.       the Annual Report on Member Development;

         II.       the Decision of the Audit and Governance Committee Member Code of Conduct Task Group not to make Corporate Parenting Training Mandatory in the Code of Conduct; it is listed as ‘Essential’ training as part of member induction;

        III.       the ‘Corporate Parenting Principles’ introduced in the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and the ‘Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities on Applying Corporate Parenting Principles to Looked After Children and Care Leavers’ 2018.

 

That Council resolved: to work with Officers through the Member Development Steering Group to develop an enhanced Corporate Parenting training offer which is included in ALL Member training, including training sessions of all Scrutiny and Regulatory and Local/Joint Committees of the Council, so that they are assured that Statutory Corporate Parenting principles are being embedded in all aspects of the Council’s and Members’ work.

 

That Council agreed: to reconsider the Member Training offer on Corporate Parenting after six months of the new Council, to monitor uptake of the ‘Essential’ induction training and the introduction of ‘Applying Corporate Parenting Principles’ training in every part of Members’ work as Councillors.