Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Leader's Meeting Room, Ground West, Priory House, Monks Walk, Shefford

Contact: Leslie Manning  0300 300 5132

Items
No. Item

49.

Appointment of Chairman

To appoint a Chairman for the meeting.

Minutes:

 

RESOLVED

 

that Councillor J G Jamieson be appointed Chairman of the Sub-Committee for this meeting only.

 

 

50.

Members' Interests

To receive from Members any declarations of interest.

Minutes:

 

There were no declarations of interest.

 

 

51.

Exclusion of Press and Public

To consider whether to pass a resolution under section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the Press and Public from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that the consideration of the item is likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

Minutes:

 

RESOLVED

 

that in accordance with Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that consideration of the item is likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

 

52.

Appointment of Director of Children's Services pdf icon PDF 46 KB

To consider a report setting out a draft job description and person specification for the post of Director of Children’s Services together with a timetable for the recruitment process.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

The Sub-Committee considered documents setting out the draft job description and draft person specification, together with the proposed recruitment timetable, for the post of Director of Children’s Services.

 

The meeting worked through the draft job description and draft person specification.  Amendments were proposed to both.

 

During discussion it was proposed that the amended job description be shared with relevant stakeholders to ensure their engagement and support in the recruitment process.  Members also recognised the importance of including a degree of flexibility in the person specification criteria in particular in order to encourage the full range of suitable applications.

 

The Sub-Committee then turned to consider the recruitment timetable for the post.  Members noted that it would be necessary for the Sub-Committee’s membership to remain constant for the remainder of the recruitment process.  

 

RESOLVED

 

1          that the draft job description for the post of Director of Children’s Services, as submitted, be confirmed subject to the following amendments:

 

a          strengthening of the concept of service integration across the Council with an emphasis on outcomes;

 

b          inserting the words ‘in partnership’ between ‘Working’ and ‘with headteachers…’ in paragraph 7 of Main Accountabilities;

 

c          including a reference to the Council’s role regarding Looked After Children, fostering and adoption and special schools;

 

d          recasting the reference to the Director’s relationship with the Local Safeguarding Children Board;

 

2          that the Organisation Chart be amended to reflect the current position;

 

3          that the person specification for the above post, as submitted, be confirmed subject to the following amendments:

 

a          including a reference to educational improvement under Part 2, Knowledge and Experience;

 

b          amending paragraph 3 of Part 2, Knowledge and Experience to encourage applications from candidates with the required skills, qualifications and experience who were not yet employed at Director level;

 

4          that the Director of Improvement and Corporate Services circulate the amended job description and the approved appointment timetable to relevant stakeholders and then advise the Sub-Committee of any comments that arise.

 

NOTED

 

1          that the proposed timetable for the recruitment and selection process for the above post is subject to circumstances and the need for flexibility in meeting arrangements;

 

2          that, in view of a prior commitment and in order to comply with the requirement that the Sub-Committee’s membership remain constant for the remainder of the recruitment process, Councillor Hollick has resigned from the Sub-Committee with immediate effect and a replacement will be sought from amongst the Appointments Panel’s membership.