Positive Contribution Theme Group

Minutes

Time:  1.00-2.30 pm
Date:  9th November 2007
Venue:  Bennett St Youth Centre, Bennett St, Hyde

Present:

Claire Bibby (Chair) - Inclusive Services
Julie Lord (Theme Coordinator) - Area Coordinator Dukinfield, Stalybridge, Mossley
Maurice Smith - School Improvement Service
Caroline Gregory - Regeneration
Debbie Wood - Parent Partnership
Sue Nathan - Youth Service
Lisa Hoyland - Economic Development
Tina Lavender - NCH Participation Project
Rita Jones - PCT
Nick Ellwood - Children’s Social Care Commissioning
Lynn Percival - Extended Schools
Jayne Grundy - NCH Participation Project
Joanne Hatton - Access & Learners 

Note taker: Julie Lord 

Item 1: Welcome

Claire welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked everyone to introduce themselves for the purpose of new members.

Item 2: Apologies

Gideon Smith - PCT
Catherine Mee - PCT
Janet Blakeley/Tracy Wood - PCT
Paula Field - Community Safety
Liz Hughes - Play Strategy Manager
Shaun Walton - GMC Fire & Rescue Service
John Whittle - YOT Manager

Item 3: Minutes from the last meeting

Julie has received information from Karen Buchanen about the transitions work in schools.
Claire & Debbie Wood have met to look at key life changes.
Links with other groups’ mapping exercise- can new members update please.

Action: Julie to send mapping exercise to new members

Item 4: Compiling Report Cards

Julie has looked at the latest version of the JAR arrangements and in particular the examples of evidence for key judgements. The theme groups are compiling report cards to demonstrate how they are meeting the requirements for each key judgement. Julie has compiled a report card template for each example of evidence. These will be e-mailed out to practitioners to complete and return in order for the theme group to gauge progress.

Action - Julie to e-mail templates to the members for information
Action - Julie to identify practitioners to complete the relevant report card and e-mail out.

Item 5: Small Group Work to look at Key Changes in the lives of C&YP

The group split into three smaller groups and looked at key changes identified by Claire & Debbie.

The first group looked at Bereavement which had been split into family change and social change.
Family Change included:
Divorce, New partners, Death of relatives or pets, Leaving home, Birth of siblings.
Social Change included:
Friends moving, House moves.
The feedback from the group was:
Mapping out what is already there, tools already used in psychology, PASS used in schools, measuring performance @ school, measuring resilience with Looked After Children. Also gauging reactions of C&YP in group discussions.

The second group looked at changes connected with school which included:
Joining a new school, changes within the same school, leaving a school.
The feedback from the group was:
Who can children talk to about feelings? Ease of making friendships with their peers, the delivery of the SEAL curriculum. Considerations need to be made about ages, type of school (mainstream/PRU) and the type of choice C&YP have to make around GCSE’s, new school, job, further education. There was also discussion about how we capture self-confidence from C&YP involved in school councils and peer mentoring schemes.

The third group looked at Health & well-being which included:
Personal- growing up, diagnosis of health problems, sexual relationships, sexuality.
Family- health of parents/grandparent, becoming a parent.
Wider social.

The feedback from the group was that it was important to find out what was already out there and to make sure young people had access to age appropriate information that would help them. A lot of good models in the Looked after children planning and review meetings. The group discussed at devising something like a feelings thermometer.

Action- Claire & Julie to meet to put together proposals from the feedback.

Item 6: Reporting on the impact of consultation

The group had been e-mailed two templates to collate consultation for C&YP and Parents/Carers. These will be used for major pieces of consultation. There had been a suggestion at the Participation Network that these could be promoted at a whole service meeting. Julie has talked to Tom Coffey about this and is awaiting an answer. The question was also asked about the collation of consultation from our partner agencies i.e. PCT, Fire & Rescue Service.
There were concerns raised about the number of consultations. Claire explained that a working group had been set up to rationalise the number of consultations.

Action- Julie to check with Shaun Walton and Margaret Hyde from the PCT about collation of their consultations.

Item 7: AOB

Claire asked to be included on the circulation list for the minutes of the Participation Network.

Action- Sue Nathan to include Claire on the PN circulation list.
It was also suggested that case studies are used as evidence.
Action- Claire/Julie to include an agenda item on case studies for the next meeting
Debbie Wood will not be attending every meeting, she will attend if the agenda includes her area of work. She will still be on the circulation list.

Item 8: Date/Time/Venue of next meeting

Claire & Julie to set dates for meetings in January, March & May (not Mondays & Fridays)