Services for Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel

Terms of Reference

1.  
   1. To deal with all those matters relating to the Children Act 2004 and "Every Child Matters".
       
   2. To deal with those matters set out in Section 499 of the Education Act 1996 (As amended by Section 9 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998) and all other legislation such as the Children Act 1989.
       
2. To review and scrutinise the decisions made or actions taken in connection with the discharge of any of the Council's executive functions relating to Services for Children and Young People.
    
3. To make requests or recommendations to the Full Council and/or the Executive and/or any District Assembly or joint committee in connection with the discharge of any executive functions in accordance with the Council's Call In Procedure.
    
4. To consider any matter affecting the area of its inhabitants relating to Services for Children and Young People .
    
5. To exercise the right to call in for reconsideration, decisions made but not yet implemented by the Executive and/or any District Assembly.
    
6. To examine whether the Council is meeting its objectives set through the budget and policies and if this is not the case to suggest ways in which the Council may achieve this.
    
7. The Scrutiny Panel will receive decisions and relevant papers from the Cabinet. The Panel will have the right to question Cabinet Members and Senior Managers on the implementation of decisions, policies and the budget.
    
8. In the event of any dispute howsoever arising as to whether the Scrutiny Panel has authority to consider any matter, such dispute shall be referred to the Borough Solicitor who shall at her absolute discretion either:-
    
   
   1. provide a decision on the matter, or
   2. refer the matter to the Speakers Panel for a decision.
       
9. The Scrutiny Panel shall not consider any matter relating to standards of behaviour, conduct, ethics or probity, directly or indirectly involving any Member or Officer of the Council. Any such matter(s) shall, without debate, be immediately referred to the Borough Solicitor (and in the case of financial matters, also the Borough Treasurer) who shall on receipt of such information, seek further information as the Borough Solicitor, or her nominee, considers necessary to prepare a full report for consideration by the Standards Panel and thereafter the Borough Solicitor, or her nominee, shall submit a report for consideration, without delay, to the Standards Panel.
    
10. To present to Council the final report of all Scrutiny Reviews with the appropriate Cabinet Deputy given the opportunity to make a formal response to the report.
     
11. To monitor and evaluate progress of recommendations of Scrutiny Reports, as appropriate.
     
12. To carry out an internal evaluation of individual Best Value reviews within the remit of the Panel.
     
13. Scrutiny Panels cannot consider any matters that are the responsibility of the Speakers Panel nor scrutinise any of their decisions.