Agenda Items covered in this meeting include:
1. Minutes of last meeting
2. Matters Arising
3. The Change Programme
4. Recommendations from Green Paper
5. Partnership Development Post
6. Best Value Review Update
7. Children’s Fund
8. Local Preventative Strategy
9. IRT Update
10. Children’s Centres
11. NSF Update
12. Any Other Business
13. Date of next meeting
Present: Debbie Jones, Head of Children’s Services, Durham SSD, David Shipman, Operations Manager, StrategicCommissioning, Durham SSD, Julie Scurfield, IRT Project Manager - Durham, Denis Robinson, NCH, Mark Gurney, Operations Manager, Durham SSD, Michelle Kane, Drug Action Team, Mary Hall, LSP Manager WVDC, Sue Younghusband, Durham Dales PCT, David Landes, Durham Dales PCT, Kath Tansey, Learning Support Service, Patsy Fullen, Children’s Fund, Education Department, Janice Bray, Connexions, Peter Withnall, EPS, Lindsay Smith, EPS, Gill Eshelby, Co Durham Youth Offending Service, Christina Blythe, Co Durham Youth Offending Service, Paul Hebron, Education Department, DCC, Michael Farlow, Youth Development Officer, Sedgefield, Borough Council, Clare Beighton, Children’s Services Integration Manager, CAMHS, Brian Brown, Sure Start, Peterlee, Liam Cairns, Investing in Children, Martin Armitage, Easington PCT, Amanda Johnson, Durham LEA, Frank Firth, Durham LEA, John Murphy, Easington District Council, Neil Malkin, Durham Constabulary, Liz Green, GONE, Children’s Group, Lynne Brown, CAMHS, Maggie Bosanquet, DCC – Sustainability Section, Tricia Cresswell,Durham & CLS PCT, Carole Payne, Operations Manager, Durham SSD, Lynne Gregory,Durham LEA.
Apologies: Judith Latheron, Children’s Services Manager, Barnardos, Isobel Porter, NSPCC, Helen Tucker, Derwentside PCT, Harry Cronin, Acute Services Trust, Mark Cain, CAMHS, Joy Higginson, Children North East, David Cliff, Drug Action Team.
1. Minutes of Last Meeting
Agreed.
2. Matters Arising
- SEN deferred to next meeting.
3. The Change Programme – Chris Tunstall
Chris Tunstall, Lead Officer for the County Council’s Change Programme, provided an overview of the proposals and their implications for Children’s Services.
4. Recommendations from Green Paper
- Amanda Johnson, LEA, outlined the key recommendations from the Green Paper “Every Child Matters” published on 8/9/03.
- Responses to the Green Paper must be provided to the DfES by 1 December.
- Debbie Jones, SSD, fed back on the regional GONE meeting on the Green Paper, highlighted emerging issues and a briefing paper was circulated.
- Green Paper to be a major agenda item at next meeting on 18/11/03.
- Janice Bray, Connexions, pursuing possibility of hosting a young people consultation event. Risks of tokenism / telling & selling rather than dialogue acknowledged.
- Need to consider ‘Children’s Trust’ options at earliest opportunity highlighted.
- Dialogue re: ‘Universal Services’ required at the earliest opportunity.
5. Partnership Development Post
- Re-drafting/finalising to be done by end of September. Comments back to David Shipman asap.
- Duration of post needs clarifying/secondment opportunities available.
- Accountability/line management to be confirmed.
- Importance of moving swiftly recognised – to be progressed before next Partnership meeting.
6. Best Value Review Update
- Lynne Gregory, LEA, provided a verbal update on progress on the Best Value Review on vulnerable children and young people, which is at the Options Stage of the Best Value process. A hybrid model is being pursued. Areas for improvement have been identified and the consultation process is underway. Copy of presentation attached.
- Further information available from Best Value Review Team, c/o Lynne Gregory.
7. Children’s Fund
- Reports on current situation circulated by Debbie Jones; one re: decisions to be taken and a second (Cabinet Briefing) re: changes in the CF Partnership, which were agreed in principle at a previous C&YPSP.
- Meeting considered Chair & Sub-Group representation requirements, need for a small, functioning sub-group was highlighted, informed by strategic direction from C&YPSP.
- First meeting of the sub-group in the interim will be chaired by Debbie Jones, 22/9/03, 1pm.
- Advert has been drafted to recruit an independent chair.
- Christina Blythe/Neil Malkin highlighted importance of having YOS/Police involvement in the CF agenda. Further discussion was agreed to provide at the first sub-group meeting.
- C&YPSP agreed that overall principles should be endorsed.
- PCT’s agreed to send a single representative to the sub-group.
- Need for further LSP capacity to develop the agenda at local level was acknowledged.
8. Local Preventative Strategy
- Paper circulated. Next meeting of LPS sub-group, 21/10/03, 2pm. Future dates will be circulated.
9. IRT Update
Julie Scurfield provided an update on progress so far:
- The Steering Group have agreed to take forward IRT developments through a Piloting approach.
- The pilot areas had been agreed as Easington, Derwentside and Weardale. These areas have been chosen precisely because they will provide us with a view of IRT developments within different contexts.
- The Pilots will be fully independently evaluated and will run for 6 months to June 2004. From that date, IRT will be developed across the County, building upon the lessons learnt via the Pilots.
- The work of IRT will feed directly into the Local Preventative Strategy developments for the County and will underpin the developing preventative approach required and underpinned by the proposals contained within the Green Paper.
- A fundamental principle of the IRT approach in County Durham will be the engagement of children, young people, their parents and carers in the development and delivery of the project.
10. Children’s Centres
- Frank Firth provided an update on progress. Meetings underway at strategic and local level pending. October deadline for the Delivery Plan. Contribution of all partner agencies required urgently.
11. NSF Update
- Deferred to next meeting.
12. Any Other Business
i) Tackling Health Inequalities – Tricia Cresswell highlighted fact that seven of the key targets are no health related. Briefing paper to be circulated with the minutes.
ii) Social Care Leadership Development Programme – meeting re: how this can be progressed is to be coordinated by Debbie Jones’ PA (Carole van Hoof). Interested parties should contact her asap.
13. Date of Next Meeting
18 November 2003
