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At its meeting on 13 May 2026, the Committee scrutinised two reports before Cabinet considers them: additional learning needs (ALN) provision and a five-year youth services strategy. On both, the Committee decided only that the Chair would write to the Cabinet Member with its comments. It also noted the draft Scrutiny Annual Report, subject to one amendment.
Apologies were received from Cllr S Ahmed.
The Chairperson reminded Members of their responsibility under Part III of the Members’ Code of Conduct to declare any interest in general terms and to complete personal interest forms at the start of the meeting and then, prior to the commencement of the discussion of the item in question, specify whether it is a personal or prejudicial interest. If the interest is prejudicial, Members would be asked to leave the meeting and if the interest is personal, Members would be invited to stay, speak and vote. The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct: Name Agenda Item Nature of Interest Reason for Interest Brigid Corr 4 Personal Governor at Llanedeyrn Primary School. Cllr Hopkins 4 Personal Governor at Lakeside Primary School. Carol Cobert 4 Personal Governor at Holy Family Primary and Bishop of Llandaff High Schools. Patricia Arlotte 4 Personal Governor at St Bernadette’s Primary School. Cllr Humphries 4 Personal Governor at St Francis Primary School. Elisabeth Hagen 4 Personal Governor at Rhydypennau Primary School. Cllr Reid Jones 4 Personal Governor at Thornhill Primary School.
The minutes of the meeting held on 10th March 2026 were approved by the Committee as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Brigid Corr: Personal interest on Provision for Children & Young People with ALN - Post-consultation
Governor at Llanedeyrn Primary School.
Hopkins: Personal interest on Provision for Children & Young People with ALN - Post-consultation
Governor at Lakeside Primary School.
Carol Cobert: Personal interest on Provision for Children & Young People with ALN - Post-consultation
Governor at Holy Family Primary and Bishop of Llandaff High Schools.
Patricia Arlotte: Personal interest on Provision for Children & Young People with ALN - Post-consultation
Governor at St Bernadette's Primary School.
Humphries: Personal interest on Provision for Children & Young People with ALN - Post-consultation
Governor at St Francis Primary School.
Elisabeth Hagen: Personal interest on Provision for Children & Young People with ALN - Post-consultation
Governor at Rhydypennau Primary School.
Reid Jones: Personal interest on Provision for Children & Young People with ALN - Post-consultation
Governor at Thornhill Primary School.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward and will write to you to inform you of the Committee’s observations, comments and/ or recommendations prior to the report’s consideration by Cabinet.
This item provided Members with an opportunity to undertake a pre-decision scrutiny of the results of the consultation exercise to consult on proposals to extend and realign additional learning needs provision. The Chair welcomed: · Councillor Sarah Merry (Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Education) · Melanie Godfrey (Director of Education & Lifelong Learning) · Richard Portas (Programme Director for the School Organisation Programme) · Brett Andrewartha (School Organisation Programme Planning Manager) The Cabinet Member introduced this item explaining this phase is planned to increase places by 462 – 276 places in Special schools and 186 in Specialist Resource Bases (SRB’s). The report is backed up by a consultation that was very supportive and the plans are on track to admit children by late September 2026. Officers explained that there had been a good response rate and a lot of positive responses to the consultation (over 80%) and those which were negative were responded to in the cabinet paper. Progress is being made on the schemes and some are due to start in May half term and over the Summer. Recruitment rounds for teachers and support staff are going well and is almost complete, with training starting in readiness for September at Fairwater Campus which has gone well. It is an ambitious City-wide investment in the ALN programme to provide access and equality for all children. This is the first of 3 phases and Officers credited all those involved. They also thanked Welsh Government for approving the funding for phase 1 to enable building works and moves, to increase place numbers and provide training to enable a better education and better outcomes for children. The Chair opened the floor to questions from the Committee. Members asked about the languages used as part of the consultation and why there was no Somali as there is high use in the population and whether the plan was to expand in areas where there are gaps and where these are. Officers explained that they were guided by Cardiff Research Centre in terms of languages to use for the consultation, and they will have a better understanding of where gaps are when more work has been done on phase 2. Members asked if the Consultation had shown any gaps in responses in the geographical spread and Officers explained that at the schools affected by the proposals, staff and children were invited to a briefing session before the consultation started and there is a map in the report under appendix 14 showing this. Members asked if there was a timetable for when the committee can have more information on the geographical spread proposed for phase 2, and Officers explained they would want to do this as soon as possible, once the baseline data is reviewed and need to consider all elements including age, complexity of need, nursery, primary and secondary places, Welsh and English and Faith based places. This then needs to be linked to school availability and size, and place provision in the best place, but it’s a complex piece of work. Members asked whether situations like the current one at Fitzalan High School, which is oversubscribed, could be included as part of this expansion, and Officers explained that this is a much smaller scheme but they are still looking at what other work can be done as part of it and batching schemes or bringing them under the same contractor. Expanding Fitzalan High School is not part of the current plan, but expansion at Willows, Cathays and Cantorian is. Members congratulated Officers on the work done so far and asked whether the recruitment success included teachers and teaching assistants, if they were new staff or staff moving from other schools and the impact any staff moves might have on ALN support in mainstream schools. Officers explained that there were still some posts to fill but most teachers and teaching assistants had been recruited, so they are ahead of schedule on this, and this is a mixture of existing staff and new staff but capacity in mainstream schools in Cardiff is still sufficient. Members asked how and when pupils are assessed and what impact attending a special school or SRB will have on the need to provide transport. Officers explained that children are assessed as soon as possible by a multi-disciplinary panel and placements are discussed with parents. The need for transport is included as part of the programme, and the aim is to place children in SRB’s at their local school where possible and appropriate. A financial model was included when planning for these additional places, possible need for transport and making these as local as possible. School Governing Bodies raised staggering drop off and pick up times at SRB’s to reduce congestion and work is being done with schools to address this. Members asked whether the pavilion on Archer Road Recreation Ground. will still be needed by Greenhill School as the programme progresses, and Officers explained that this will remain as an off-site satellite base as numbers increase. Members requested clarification on the SRB’s for secondary schools which already have surplus places but these would be increasing, and Officers explained that the process they have needed to use to assess demand has included those currently in places, survey data from schools identifying individuals who they will be requesting a change for and waiting lists, as well as potential other places needed as needs are continually assessed, which is unknown. This has been built in for flexibility. This flexibility is not currently in the primary sector but this is just the first phase of changes needed and the next phase will include primary schools. This happens already and there are plans to share good practice between SRB’s as the number of bases increase, visits to other bases are planned, as well as training for staff and ALENCO’s and SRB forums. Members asked about the contingency plans for existing schools and SRB’s where staff may move to new SRB’s and Special Schools, so all the expertise is not lost, and what plans were in place to allow for these changes to become embedded, as this can take time. Officers explained that most of the schools identified had the highest surplus so this situation has helped this situation, as has the continued drop in birth dates, so has not been raised as a concern. Work is being done with new and existing SRB’s and Special schools and a more consistent curriculum is being developed as part of the inclusion strategy, so the ALN system works more as one system with mainstream schools, with a more flexible workforce as part of this. Members asked about any perceived risk to capital funding following the Senedd elections. Members explained that they could not comment on that, but it is part of the strategic programme sent to Welsh Government and that it is a long-term plan for ALN priorities and ‘invest to save’, offering better education to children but also reducing financial costs. Members asked for an update on the changes to the ALN funding formula used in school delegated budgets, and how much these changes would save, as well as the plans at Greenhill, Woodlands and Ty Gwyn schools. Officers explained the plans at these sites and that due to the complex nature of the situation, it is not a straightforward savings figure, rather moving towards a cost neutral position within 6-7 years. Officers are working at pace to get the places available for September 2026, as this will reduce the costs paid for out of county placements. Members asked how pupils were consulted and how their views have been reflected in the plans. Officers explained pupils were consulted at the early stages to identify any red flags before proceeding to the next phase. In the next phase, feedback on design and facilities received from pupils, which has been very honest and direct, will be used, as well as working with schools to ensure the pupil voice is heard. RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward and will write to you to inform you of the Committee’s observations, comments and/ or recommendations prior to the report’s consideration by Cabinet.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward prior to the report’s consideration by Cabinet.
This item provided Members with an opportunity to undertake a pre-decision scrutiny on this issue prior to its consideration y Cabinet. The Chair welcomed: · Cllr Peter Bradbury, Cabinet Member for Children Services and Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People (Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People) · Melanie Godfrey (Director of Education & Lifelong Learning · James Healan (Principal Youth Officer, Cardiff Youth Service) The Cabinet Member introduced this item explaining that the report is a statutory requirement but they have decided to go beyond what is required with the 5-year strategy for Youth Work in Cardiff. Welsh Government requires 5 pillars to be included but Cardiff has 6: · Participation and Inclusion · Welsh Language and Bilingual Youth Work · Curriculum Development and Targeted Support · Safeguarding Young People · Strengthening our Workforce · Partnership and Collaboration The consultation was carried out with young people and they gave feedback on what they think a modern, vibrant youth service should look like. Officers delivered a presentation, after which the Chair opened the floor to questions from the Committee. Members asked whether Ely Youth Zone and Youth Probationary Service was part of the plans, and Officers explained that Ely Youth Zone sits with the Economic Development team at the moment but is something they envisage being more involved with in future, and the probationary service comes under the Youth Justice team, but they work very closely. The team has plans to visit Bristol Council to look at their Youth Zone and pick up on good practice there to use in Cardiff. Members asked about training provided for volunteers and Officers explained that there are more trained youth workers than in the past due to changes in legislation and pathways have been developed to encourage volunteers to take part in training and possibly become trained youth workers and ‘own grow’ staff through Corporate Apprenticeship schemes. It is still a mixed economy, and the service could not function without the mixture of full-time, part-time staff and volunteers. It is also important to ensure the staff teams are reflective of the communities they work with and ensure there is a diverse workforce. Work is being done on this from a recruitment point of view but also through training. Safeguarding training is available for all staff and volunteers as well as support to outside organisations, and wider training is part of the Workforce Development Framework in the report. Members asked about youth groups in faith and uniform organisations and how this fitted with the strategy. Officers explained that this would be included as part of the work with the 3rd sector in the report and it can be locality specific and differ in different areas of the City. Members suggested offering advice and support to the 3rd sector and Officers explained that this does happen and expertise is shared. They also explained that funding could be accessed from CWYVS (Council for Welsh Youth Volunteer Services) and Welsh Government for these groups through various grants. Members asked whether the strategy could include ways to motivate and create confidence in those due to leave school in Year 11, to get into the workplace. Officers explained that there is an annual event at Eastmoors which celebrates those put through qualifications to enable them to enter the workplace, and an example of how young people are encouraged to develop skills for future workplace role is through creating podcasts. This is integrated into the NEET Strategy and involves many teams but needs to be a one system approach. Teams work with children, those referred by schools and Year 11 school leavers to offer support over the Summer and targeted support is available for post 16 through Cardiff Commitment and Careers Wales. Members were pleased to see the work being done between the Youth Justice teams and Youth services to help young people make different choices and asked for details on the demographics of the responses to develop the strategy and whether the Race Equality Taskforce work was referred to when developing the strategy. Officers did not have the specifics, but can provide these as was done through Cardiff Research Centre, but confirmed it was a widespread response, and that one of the main elements of the strategy is workforce diversity, and for staff to be reflective of the communities they work with, and that this needs work but they are committed to this. Members asked whether there is an aspiration in the strategy to develop a standardised quality standard for training and accreditation delivered by the partners and community groups the Youth Service works with and Officers confirmed that this is in place and will continue to be monitored. Youth Services are inspected by Estyn, and expectations match this. Members asked whether the opportunity to access Youth Endowment funding through Youth Cymru had been considered to fund a 5-week work placement for care leavers, NEETS and vulnerable young people, and Officers will look into this. Members asked about how Youth Clubs are publicised and how children with ALN needs and those educated at home (EHE) are included. Officers explained that young people suggested using a gaming server called ‘Discord’. A Data Protection Impact Assessment and safeguarding assessments were completed and this is now used and is accessible. It is split into 14–17-year-old, post 16 years and Welsh Language streams and is a similar set up to chat rooms. It has been built by young people for young people and is constantly changed to meet need, and this is its strength. Including children with ALN and EHE is part of the framework and delivery plan, as are those who are deaf, neurodivergent and physically disabled, and there are Youth Clubs available specifically for those individuals where needed but main steam provision can also be accessed where appropriate. Members asked whether the resources available are sufficient given that they are funded through grants and Officers explained that a lot has been achieved through accessing grants and there has been a lot of success in these bids to date. Officers confirmed that the Cabinet had agreed to protect Youth Services and that the plans are deemed to be achievable and sustainable. Officers agreed to provide the committee with a copy of the action plan by the end of September, so it can be seen before it is sent for approval. RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward prior to the report’s consideration by Cabinet.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Committee note the contents of the report subject to the amendment noted above.
This item provided Members with an opportunity to consider the relevant parts of the draft Scrutiny Annual Report. The Chair invited the Scrutiny Officer to go through the report and then opened the floor to questions and comments from the Committee. Members pointed out that Youth Services was missing as a heading in the Supporting Young People Portfolio section and the Scrutiny Officer confirmed this would be added in. The Scrutiny Officer explained that there would be another opportunity to look at this in June/July. RESOLVED: That the Committee note the contents of the report subject to the amendment noted above.
There were none.
Proposed next meeting is on 16th June 2026 at 4.30pm, to be confirmed following Council meeting on 21st June, 2026.
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