Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Strategy, Performance and Governance (copy enclosed).

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Strategy, Performance and Governance that required the Committee to undertake a quarterly review of the Corporate Risk Register as assurance that the corporate risks were being managed effectively.  

The Chairman introduced the report and deferred to the Programmes, Performance and Governance Manager to present the detail. She advised that the report covered the corporate risk register from July 2022 – October 2022. As set out in section 3.3 of the covering report, there had been one risk where likelihood had increased,  R1 - Failure to safeguard children and vulnerable adults and two risks where likelihood had decreased R3 - Failure to target services/influence partners effectively to support identified housing needs of increasing aging population together with R29 - Failure to deliver services as a result of COVID-19.

Prior to opening the debate the Chairman invited other officers to comment. The Lead Specialist (Community) provided a short preamble on the area of Safeguarding. He advised that the safeguarding risk was raised but he wished to reassure the Committee that this was not as a result of any failures in case management but related to the Safeguarding Forum and low levels of attendance at meetings.  He reported that the designated safeguarding officers, due to pressures of workload, had not been able to attend regularly. Work was underway to create a smaller, more focussed forum and he would continue to monitor levels of attendance. 

The Chairman moved the recommendations and then took the Committee through both Appendix 1 and 2.

Councillor Stilts sought reassurance regarding the continuing status of R1- Failure to Safeguard Children and Vulnerable Adults- on the Risk Register and proposed that a review of this area by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may be prudent. The Lead Specialist (Community), in response, said that robust policies were in place however, he welcomed a review of this area given its importance. The Director of Strategy, Performance and Governance added that due to the high priority that this area of work attained within the organisation it would continue to be monitored through the risk register. This was corroborated by the Director of Service Delivery who reassured the Committee that there were adequate staff levels to carry out this work from across the organisation as safeguarding was part of everyone’s remit.

Councillor Stilts proposed that the Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults be referred to Overview & Scrutiny Committee for review to ensure that the Council was supporting this area of work appropriately together with the Officers undertaking the actual work. This was duly seconded and agreed by assent to be added as a recommendation. In response to an issue raised around risk assessment the Director of Service Delivery said Officers would undertake a review of the methodology in use.

There being no further discussion the Chairman put the already seconded recommendations, to include Councillor Stilts proposal, to the Committee and they were agreed by assent.

RESOLVED

(i)               That Members reviewed the Corporate Risk Register in appendix 1 and provided comment and feedback for consideration;

(ii)              That Members reviewed progress of the Corporate Risk Mitigating actions in appendix 2and provided comment and feedback for consideration;

(iii)            That Members were assured through this review that corporate risk was being managed effectively;

(iv)            That Members challenged risk where the Committee felt that the Council’s corporate goals may not be achieved;

(v)             That R1 - the Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults be referred to Overview & Scrutiny Committee for review to ensure that the Council was supporting this area of work appropriately together with the Officers undertaking the actual work.