Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Meeting.

Apologies were received from Ms T L Onslow.

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Head of Legal and Democratic Services in writing or by e-mail indicating the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 20 June 2017).  Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/e-mail address below.

None.

(previously circulated)

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 March 2017 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Attending for this item were:

Andy Roberts, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families

Jill Hughes, Team Manager, Transitions, Young Adults Team and PLOT

Richard Keble, Assistant Director Adult Services

Tina Russell, Assistant Director Social Work Safeguarding Services

Stuart Watkins, Group Manager

Sarah Wilkins, Group Manager for Children with Disabilities Services

Safeguarding Services (Children's Social Care)

The discussion was held jointly with the Adult Care and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Panel, as the support services provided children with disabilities during their transition to adulthood were relevant to both adults and children.

Members received a Presentation (copies circulated at the Meeting) which covered an overview of the Service and following the subsequent discussion were asked to:

·         Consider the information provided

·         Determine whether any further scrutiny or information was required at this time

·         Agree any comments to be highlighted to the Cabinet Members with Responsibility for Children, Families and Communities, and for Adult Social Care

During the Presentation, the following areas were highlighted:

·       Transition to adulthood was a very complex area in terms of legislation, providing support and families accessing that support

·       It was a very significant time for young people and their families, involving change, choices and decisions about staying healthy, getting a job, having a place to live, living well, staying safe, preparing for adulthood and providing the right support for carers

·       The Learning Disability Partnership Board had sub-groups for each of these important areas and expert members advising them.  Families were also represented on the Board by the Worcestershire Association of Carers

·       Formal planning generally started in year 9 (aged 14 years) with a ‘transition review’ held by the school

·       Transition required co-ordination across a range of agencies with clear pathways through health, social care, housing and education

·       The Young Adults Team (YAT) was launched on 11 June 2012 to support 16 – 25 year old young people with additional needs with transition planning and the move into adulthood. It was an integrated team bringing together social workers from Children Families and Communities and Adult Services.  The roles unique to the Team included a Housing Project Officer and Carers Support Officer

·       The YAT continued the work of Children With Disabilities Team by working through the Children’s Pathways 16-18, including Child in Need/Looked After Children/Safeguarding and at approximately 17 years and 6 months the Care Act Assessment would begin

·       Adulthood outcomes (slide 8) were confirmed as national outcomes and did not including education as this wasn’t appropriate for everyone

·       In terms of the impact of the YAT achieving independence, Members were advised that:

Ø  90% of young people were in settled accommodation (target  77%)  10% therefore were in temporary accommodation, which would not include bed and breakfast as an option

Ø  20 young people were in Supported Living

Ø  Improved NEET figures (reduced by 1/3rd)

Ø  58% of young people were in receipt of a Direct Payment (target of 35%)

Ø  97.5% of reviews up to date (target of 95%)

Ø  Increased numbers were in paid employment, and in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 277.

Attending for this item were:

Hannah Needham, Assistant Director – Families, Communities and Partnerships

Allie Webster, Operational Manager – Partnerships, Families, Communities and Partnerships

Copies of the Draft Children and Young People's Plan 2017-21 and Presentation Notes were circulated at the Meeting.

The Panel was asked to:

•      Consider and comment on the draft Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP) 2017-21;

•      Determine whether it would wish to carry out any further scrutiny, and

•      Agree whether it would wish to make any comments to the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families and the Health and Well-Being Board.

In accordance with the Council's constitution, the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board (OSPB) would receive, comment and advise on the draft CYPP as part of the Council's policy framework.  However, in previous years, consideration of the draft CYPP had been undertaken by the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel (or its predecessor body).  Accordingly, at its meeting on 19 June the OSPB agreed to formally delegate consideration of the draft CYPP to the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel. 

By way of introduction, the Panel received a presentation and were advised that the new Plan would be owned by all partner agencies working with children, young people and families and would

·        Set expectations around the way we work in Worcestershire

·        Clarify the collective ambition and aspirations for all children and young people in Worcestershire

·        Identify key priorities and success measures

·        Build on and add value to existing plans

·        Would change over time to respond to need

During the discussion, the following main points were made:

• The lateness of the draft Plan being circulated to the Panel didn't allow sufficient opportunity for preparation - the Assistant Director acknowledged and apologised for the tight timescales
• Although the Plan was good, the Panel would like to see the detail about implementation, how the outcomes would be measured and how it fitted with issues raised in the Ofsted Inspection Report published 24 January 2017. The Panel were advised that that the Plan was a 5 year Strategic Plan and the detail had yet to be worked through, but there would be definite links to the safeguarding issues identified by Ofsted and performance measures put in place
• The Panel were keen to see a gap analysis early on in the process to establish whether  improvements relating to some of the key issues such as obesity, mental health, child poverty were showing  significant improvements early on in the process
• Although there were links to the safeguarding work, it was important to remember that the Plan was about all children and young people not just the vulnerable
• A returning Member expressed concern at the pace of change in that she was hearing the same things that she had heard 4 years ago
• Working with partners was a key theme underpinning the Plan;  it would be important when working out the detail for the County Council not to assume too  sole responsibility for delivery given that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 278.