Children & Young People Strategic Partnership Minutes

Present

Carole Payne - Social Care & Health, Gail Thompson - Teen Pregnancy Coordinator, Sue Hood - Durham & Chester-le-Street PCT, Carole Thompson - Durham Constabulary, Ian Williams - Easington PCT, Mark Cain - Sedgefield PCT, Lesley Crawford - CDDPST, Mark Weeding - DISC, Ann Armstrong - DCC/CDSP, Ijjou Derrache-Thompson - Darlington & Durham Racial Equality Council, Michelle Kane - Durham DAAT, Patsy Fullen - Children’s Fund, Eva Alexadratou - CYPSP, Mandy Malone - Derwentside PCT, Kath Tansey - Learning Support Service/Education, Elaine Chandler - Parent Partnership Service, Paul Hebron - DCC/Education, Nigel Dodds - City of Durham Council, Tricia Cresswell - Durham & Chester-le-Street PCT, David Landes - Durham Dales PCT, Malcolm Pitt - Sure Start Stanley, Liam Cairns - Investing in Children, Rod Lugg - DCC/Environment, Phil Ball - Sedgefield Borough Council, Andy Wise - CDYES, Mark Gurney - Social Care & Health, Tony Clamp - Social Care & Health, Chris Wetherspoon - Derwentside PCT.

Apologies

Alanna Smith - Onevoice, Judith Latheron - Barnardos, Jackie James - NCH, Anne Holt - Co Durham & Tees Valley Health Authority, Nick Tzamarias - Derwentside District Council, Steve Clarke - Easington District Council, Catherine Hodgkiss - CDDAHT, Phillipa Scott - Centrepoint, Meg Boustead - Social Care & Health, Val Goodrum - LSC, Amanda Johnson - Education, Christina Blythe - CDYES, Janice Bray - Connexions

1. Minutes of Meeting held on 15 November 2005

Accepted.

2. Matters Arising

The partnership wished to express its thanks for the work and commitment of Debbie Jones as Chair of the Partnership.

3. Chairs Update - Standing Items

i. Local Area Agreement Update
ii. Functional Modelling Consultation
iii. Children’s Fund – Ann Beeton
iv. Children’s Centres
v. Children & Young People’s Plan
vi. Resource Directory Update

i. Local Area Agreement update – Debbie Jones reported that: there is synergy amongst people working through the process, consensus and agreement is being sought, Government Office has supported Durham’s approach through the structure of ECM, and the stretched targets will be negotiated over the next 3 – 4 days.

a. Comments/discussion on suggested targets so far: there will be no base line available regarding a halt to the rise in incidence of obesity in children under 10 until 2006 therefore no part of the county will meet that target. We will meet the target for Increase in the number of 5 – 16 year olds participation in a minimum of 3hrs exercise per week. Homelessness, information is available regarding reduction in homelessness in children under 19. Education, an achievable stretched target must be agreed for raising the number achieving 5 or more A – C grades at GCSE and it is hoped to negotiate a stretch of A – G passes. DJ reported that work is being progressed through the Implementation Team and that a sub group will be set up.

ii. Functional Modelling Consultation – it was reported that the formal response is not yet ready.

iii. Children’s Fund – Patsy Fullen reported that progress was being made regarding appointments.

iv. Children’s Centres - update deferred to next meeting.

v. Children and Young People’s Plan – Carole Payne reported that a draft plan will be available for consultation on the Every Child Matters website from the end of January after comments to date are included. The associated work stream is being headed by Ann Campbell, chief Executive’s Office.

vi. Resource Directory Update – Tony Clamp requested members of the partnership to access the Resource Directory now available on the ECM website and feedback comments to him, contact details were circulated. Information was requested on the audit for voluntary & community sector services for children. It was clarified that the Resource Directory is not a tool for analysis and should not be confused with the Audit of Needs & Services and that the Resource Directory is intended to capture whatever services are out there. TC to ensure any existing database for voluntary sector services is looked at. It was further clarified that there are currently requirements for and references to a lot of different databases and it was noted that it will be necessary to make sure all are easily available, dovetailed and accessible. Gail hopper requested TC to link with Eva Alexandratou in relation to this. It was also agreed that questions around the mapping of services need to be addressed.

4. Local Planning Groups Update

i. Derwentside
ii. Durham & Chester Le Street
iii. Easington
iv. Sedgefield
v. The Dales

i. Derwentside – Malcolm Pitt reported that: work is ongoing developing a Commissioning Strategy, Derwentside have received their allocation from the Children’s fund & are waiting for clarification of the amount, Chair arrangements remain the same until the new Board is in place and the group are waiting to be fully adopted by Derwentside District Council.

ii. Durham & Chester Le Street – Tricia Cresswell reported that: discussion has taken place regarding the Children’s fund; the formal adoption of the participation strategy is awaited; there is residual concern regarding Children’s Centres but the work done by Amanda Johnson & Frank Firth has helped; sub groups are functioning well; there is a feeling of being on hold currently.

iii. Easington – Ian Williams circulated a report covering the Executive Group & the following Work Streams: Substance Misuse, Emotional Wellbeing, Children’s Centres, Disabilities, Involving young People, Prevention.

iv. Sedgefield – no representative present.

v. Durham Dales – it was reported that work is ongoing regarding the Transport Strategy, the Sure Start Agenda, working with general medical practices regarding young people’s centres, development of breakfast clubs, consultation on Children’s Centres, and that there is an issue regarding how to continue ongoing work without officer support.

Referring to local planning group work regarding strategic plans Carole Payne asked that these be linked to the Children & Young People’s Plan. It was also suggested that transport should be a key issue in the CYPP.

5. Commissioning Framework

• Copies of papers were circulated in the information pack: ‘Commissioning Framework for Services to Children & Families’ report to the Every Child Matters Implementation Team, ‘Commissioning Processes – Service Commissioning’. Carole Payne gave a presentation entitled ‘Commissioning framework’ covering: the definition of commissioning, how needs will be better met, what future Children’s Services Authority arrangements point the way to, how commissioning can enhance the lives of service users and their carers, 2 levels of commissioning, strategic commissioning, service commissioning, the type of approach required by commissioning processes, Executive Board responsibilities, Local Children’s Board responsibilities, consultation.
• Clarification & Discussion points:
• Feedback so far has helped people to think more clearly,
• It is proposed to try a desk top exercise in relation to Education of Looked After children & their Emotional Wellbeing & Family support.
• In relation to the latter, & framework incorporating the lowest level of family support right through to intensive specialist support needs to be developed in line with the Local Preventative Strategy,
• There will need to be relationships between Local Children’s Boards & the Executive Boards and responsibility at Children’s Services Authority level,
• There is a requirement to say what performance monitoring arrangements will be in the CYPP,
• There are issues around unequal need & unequal service provision. It will be necessary to maintain this strong locality focus under performance monitoring, which also links to earlier comments regarding mapping highlighting the difficulty regarding the gap between mapping & commissioning,
• It was suggested that the problem is best approached incrementally as in some areas we are breaking new ground,
• It was clarified that there is information in the second document regarding commissioning strategy in relation to defining contestability,
• Work will be fed through as it is done on procurement etc,
• It was suggested that the focus should be on outcomes to give people a creative opportunity to do things differently.
• The partnership was reminded to feedback comments to Carole Payne.

6. County Durham Youth Engagement Service Prevention Plan 2006 – 2008

Andy Wise gave a presentation (copies in information pack) on the CDYES Prevention Plan covering: youth justice board prevention target, current prevention schemes, CDYES youth crime prevention programmes, Sedgefield District indicators for need, what a youth inclusion programme (YIP) is, what a youth inclusion and support panel is, the proposed project, prolific and other priority offenders strategy – prevent and deter, referrals, intervention.

Discussion/comments:

• The strategy seems to have been put together very quickly, clarification was requested regarding consultation on numbers in relation to the Prevent cohort,
• It was agreed that there is a need for all young people to be able to have equal access to Leisure Services not just young offenders, and that it seems there is not a countywide strategy. Phil Ball informed that at Corporate level Leisure is not a statutory service, also that a mapping exercise has been attempted in Sedgefield but it is more important get a joined up approach.
• Carole Thompson commented that the Youth Justice Board is very restricted regarding what it can focus on and enquired how the strategy links to the CYPPGs. It was clarified that the plan has not formally been to the CYPPGs yet. It was suggested that this demonstrates the difficulty of delivering any integrated strategy for children and young people and that perhaps the Commissioning Strategy will help us to move away from this approach.

7. Respect Action Plan

• A briefing paper was circulated by Richard Hughes ‘Respect Action Plan – Briefing Paper’ (copies in information pack) covering the aims of the Government and details of the plan including: Activities for Young People, Improving Behaviour and Attendance in Schools, Supporting Families, a new approach to the most challenging families. Strengthening Communities, Effective Enforcement and Community Justice, summary/way forward.
• It was stated that it should be noted that anti social behaviour should not be associated only with children and young people as it is a problem with adults also.
• After discussion it was agreed that the partnership would move the Respect Agenda forward through the Families Support Strategy being developed by the Every Child Matters in County Durham Commissioning Work Stream, and patch it back through that mechanism to the CYPSP.

8. Any Other Business

• Copies of advertisement poster for Homelessness Sunday included in information pack.

Papers circulated prior to meeting

• Commissioning framework.

Papers in Information Pack

• ‘Commissioning Framework for Services to Children and Families’ Report to the Every Child Matters Implementation Team.
• ‘Commissioning Processes – Service commissioning’.
• Presentation – ‘Commissioning framework’.
• Presentation – ‘County Durham Youth Engagement Service ‘Prevention Strategy 2006 – 2008’.
• Respect Action Plan – Briefing Paper.

Papers circulated at meeting

• Update on Resource Directory.
• Easington local Planning Group Update.