Area Coordination Management Meeting

Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Mossley

Minutes

Time: 2.30pm - 4:00pm
Date: 12th December 2006
Venue: Ridgehill Family Centre

Present:

• Julie Lord
• Maria Schofield
• Liz Price
• Tina Wills
• Allison Harvey
• David Evans (minutes)

1. Welcome

Julie Lord gave a brief overview about the purpose of the meetings and explained the reasons as to why the meetings are starting before Christmas.

2. Apologies

No apologies

3. Update on membership of this team and interim chairing arrangements

Julie discussed the membership of the group; there will be a Children & Young People's health co-ordinator on board soon from the PCT. Contact has been made with Primary and Secondary School heads as to how they will be represented on the group.

4. Terms of Reference - Presentation and discussion

Terms of Reference have been agreed by the CYPSP (Children and Young Peoples Strategic Partnership). Julie went through the document explaining the main points.

One issue was the frequency of the meeting, which were said to be 6 weekly. The group felt that this was too often and decided for the time being that they will be 8 weekly or bi-monthly.

The group said that in the geographical areas there are different organisations that work in each of the four areas, e.g. New Charter are in Stalybridge/Dukinfield/Mossley and West Pennine work more in the Denton area. The membership should steer more towards organisations that are operational in the area.

As there is a vacancy in Children's Social Care in the Stalybridge/Dukinfield/Mossley area there was no one at the meeting to represent the service. The group requested that some one from Children's Social Care attend the next meeting.

Action - Julie to invite Linda Sidebottom from New Charter to the next meeting and request that someone attends from Children's Social Care if the post hasn't been filled.

5. Managers update

Each member talked about what their service does and what their agenda is. Here is a brief overview:

Extended Schools 

The Extended School Consultants offer support to schools to build capacity to enable them to develop extended schools services for children and young people, parents and the local community.

Structure

Extended schools is part of the Children's Centre and Extended Schools team managed by Geraldine Smith, which is part of the equality and access structure, managed by Lucy Davies.

Elaine Sayer manages extended schools and she is also covering Ashton.

There are 4 extended school consultants, 2 in Denton/Droylsden/Audenshaw, 1 in Hyde and 1 in Dukinfield/Stalybridge/Mossley.

Two staff are starting shortly to develop childcare in schools and out of school learning across the Borough.

The role of an extended schools coordinator is to ensure parents have access to the care offer; the school is meeting the requirements for Ofsted and bringing schools together. The programme dovetails with Healthy Schools and an exit strategy is to be developed.

Links with

Health, Sports Development, Youth Service, Regeneration, Connexions, Childcare providers, City in the Community, Participation Network, Children's Centre Coordinators and some voluntary sector involvement.

Connexions 

A Tameside wide service, which is not part of the Local Authority, but is commissioned through “Better Choices”. Sheila Piazza has overall management of the service and she is seconded two days per week to Tameside to manage the youth service, teenage pregnancy, and YOT.

Structure

Sixty five staff, two operational managers- one is responsible for post 16 not in Education (Annie O'Malley), and one for the staff management in school and colleges (Allison Harvey).

Connexions work with 13-19 year olds and work from the year 8 database. They also work with statemented young people up to the age of 25. Their specialism is career advice. One of their main aims is to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Connexions provides a one stop shop service where a range of problems are dealt with- 50% of young people accessing the Ashton shop do not seek advice about careers.

Partners

Schools, colleges, education welfare service, training providers, youth service, YOT, Branching Out, Off the Record.

Links with

Looked after children, leaving care, teenage pregnancy, CAMHS, Regeneration areas, employment & training, SPY.

Geographical areas

Team manager for each of the four areas; they try to give cases according to areas.

Ashton young people have better access because of the shop.

Other Service Providers

Voluntary Sector funding - provides NEET work.

European Social Fund (ESF) funds NEET work with Groundwork, Hyde Bangladesh Welfare Association ( HBWA), music project and the information shop.

Learning Skills Council (LSC) provides funding for life and social skills training.

Education Welfare

Structure

Seventeen EWO's, three Senior Officers, four Admin, three staff working with Young Carers.

Focus

School attendance and all the related issues.

Child Protection monitoring in schools.

Children missing from education- new money from the DfES to develop this.

Child Employment licenses.

Free School Meals.

Clothing grants.

Advice and support to schools and parents.

Delivery of parenting courses.

Crime and disorder.

Tameside is now a priority authority for attendance, issues with 5 secondary schools.

Half termly reports completed for the DfES.

Developed a strategy for attendance. 

Links with

Connexions, health, youth service, YOT, YIP's, the BEST team and the women's refuge.

Possible future links with the patrollers and developing public awareness, may be through a help line.

Youth Offending Team

Focus

To reduce offending and reoffending by children and young people.

Enforce court orders.  

Structure

Four teams - prevention 5-13's, court/high risk, resettlement & after care, programme delivery.

Forty paid staff and sixty volunteers who accompany, mediate, restorative justice.

Funded by the Youth Justice Board (YJB), health, police, education, sports development, connexions.

Links with

Education welfare, connexions, sports development, health, police, voluntary sector (wheels project, Groundwork), Race Equality council.

6. CAF training and emerging issues

Most of the staff from each group has attended one of the two CAF training sessions. The Youth Offending Team (YOT) will not be completing CAF's as they are seen at the moment as a specialised service.

7. JASPER training and emerging issues

Group just suggested that if there were any emerging issues on JASPER to feed it back to the group as and when.

8. Area Co-ordinator - Visiting teams

Julie asked the group whether she could attend team meetings or similar meetings to enable her to get to know members of staff working in the area.

9. Venues and timings of future meetings

It was agreed that the next meeting will be on the 5 th February 2:30-4:00, venue to be confirmed, but it was agreed to try and get the Fire Station in Stalybridge as it's a free venue or Birch Lane Family Centre in Dukinfield.

10. AOB

No Issues.