Supporting Children and Young People to Achieve Economic Wellbeing

Notes of Meeting

Time: 9.00
Date: 13th May 2009
Venue: Greenside Children’s Centre
Chair: Alan Franco
Note taker: Lindsay Patchett

Present:

Bob Shaw Area  - Co-ordinator and Theme Lead, TMBC
Caroline Gregory -  Neighbourhood Regeneration
John Symington -  TMBC
Thomas Johnson  -  TMBC
Phil Spence  -  Tameside MBC
Julie Scrymgeour  - CAMHS
Annie O’Malley -  Connexions
Jenny Stanton  - JCP
Audra Nicholls  -  Rathbones
Geraldine Smith  -  Children Centres and Extended Schools
Thomas Johnson  - Children Centres and Extended Schools

1. Welcome and Introductions

Alan welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made around the table.

2. Apologies

Sheila Piazza
Andrew Leah
Steve Openshaw
Lucy Davies
Zulf Ahmed
Vicky Cuddy
Lorna Grennan
Viv Robinson

3. Minutes of the Last Meeting

Agreed as an accurate

4. Matters Arising

Deferred minutes from 11th March meeting agreed as accurate 

5. Drafting a Child Poverty Strategy

Bob gave details of the request from Cheryl for this group to draft a Child Poverty Strategy. Bob will lead with key support from Phil and Alan.

The first draft should be completed by end of June and ready to bring to the AEW in July, Bob will circulate beforehand. Contributions from this meeting and the last AEW meeting will be included in the draft strategy.

Phil asked if there was any added value to be gained from the Strategy.

Bob replied that the strategy would help identify things that we aren’t doing and look at how we identify a unique set of indicators from existing data sets that will that demonstrate the gap between most advantaged and disadvantaged children and young people and the extent to which it is narrowing.

6. Theme for the Meeting:

Children and Young People live in decent homes and sustainable communities.
Today’s focus is on the ‘Sustainable Communities’ elements of this theme.
6.1 Update on previous Improvement Actions for this theme.
6.2 The previous action is the subject of today’s meeting
6.3 Caroline gave a presentation on the Working Neighbourhood Fund in the four priority neighbourhoods

• Support for existing jobs to avoid worklessness
• Innovations fund – working with voluntary and community sector
• Co-commissioning – mainstream providers can provide permanent change
• A tender is out at the moment for one provider to deliver a large programme of job training
  • Looked at priority areas and aim to reduce numbers of people on long term benefits
  • Range of different services to suit – depending on how long unemployed
  • Aim to keep working people in jobs
• Co-commissioning in place alongside Sports Trust for those young people who are NEET and YOT. More opportunities around personal development – 2 apprenticeship schemes. Some of the young people have gained a qualification and many others have grown in confidence and have greater self esteem.
• Computer Buddies – help get used to using computers – assist to apply for jobs online.
• Business support – enterprise support – assistance with starting up businesses.
• Support existing businesses to grow – come up to speed with systems – linked to Tameside “Works First” scheme.
• Trying to legitimise businesses
• Housing Advice for those at risk of becoming homeless or have been homeless
• Working with young people to develop independent living skills – managed by New Charter
• Financial inclusion to develop use of credit unions – extend work into priority loans. In Hattersley the use of credit unions has almost eradicated the work of loan sharks
• MINT – (Money Information Network Tameside) courses – to assist with managing finances
• Roots to work setting up Café at Bailey Hall in Hyde Park - working to moving towards employment – DVD has been produced where workers with LDD describe their experiences of working in the café.
• FAST Club at Holy Trinity offering free out of school provision and holiday clubs – this club has been funded for one year and encouragement being given to find permanent funding.
• In the pipeline – GP’s and Health teams to refer patients who regularly attend their surgeries with problems that are not specifically medical but need other interventions, to refer onto other agencies such as CAB, Welfare Rights
• Time banking – volunteer hours time and in return can receive other services from other volunteers for example and hours cleaning for an hours gardening. Schools working with the community – doing work for older members of the community in return for the older person spending some time in the school.

6.3.1 Report Cards

Report Card 1a and 1b of 5
NI 116 The proportion of children living in poverty (in Households receiving out of work benefits) - Phil Spence

• There has been an increase of over 2% in Tameside between June 08 and March 09
• 3.5% - 6.4% benefit take up affected by unemployment
• Work placement team with TMBC with 13 vacancies within District Assemblies
• JCP – introducing Flexible New Deal
• More mandatory work experience placements
• Raising demand for skills
• Low rate of local providers of modern apprenticeships
• Need to encourage young people to travel for work
• Demand for high level skills in Tameside MBC
• More concerned with level 2 & 3 level qualifications
• Increase investment in central Manchester – Media City in Salford will benefit (supply chain)
• Need to help people move on to appropriate training
• 300 young people on JSA for more than 6 months
• Need to identify 300-400 work placements
• Use existing funding where possible
• 25% of placements could be difficult so this is where we will direct services.
• Wide range of placements at all levels
• Triage to provide job match service
• Annie suggested a “rolling” programme of placements
• Need to look at people not eligible to claim benefits, but unemployed as they are 2nd wage earners
• Apprenticeships open to all ages
• Housing benefit data includes some people who do work but are low wage earners
• Figures may not show the full picture as some people who have been made redundant may not be on benefits if they have savings.

Report Card 2 of 5
NI 118 The take up of formal childcare by low income families – Geraldine

• Slight increase to 20.96
• Not all areas mirror SOA for poverty
• Survey for parents completed 2009
• Local authority duty to provide
• Childcare gaps easy to identify
• Excellent quality team securing high quality childcare
• Good take up of Business Support
• Pilot in family learning to encourage parents into adult learning – taster/icebreaker sessions
• Older children – extended schools becoming a key priority over the next 12 – 18 months – providing safe places for children.
• Looked at FAST project as a good example of childcare for older primary children
• Extended school subsidy funding for out of school activity for children where cost has been a problem.

Report Card 3 of 5
% of young people with mental health needs who are not in suitable education, training and employment (deferred from 24/09/08)

• Annie and Julie looked at the 2008 cohort of young people, identifying those working with CAMHS. Of those young people identified, 69% were in EET
• Many had complex problems whilst at school
• Very strong relationship between CAMHS and Connexions
• Found that not everyone who needed to know was aware of CAMHS involvement
• Evidence of significant support being offered to young people from Connexions with CAMHS involvement
• A lot of very serious issues being dealt with by Connexions
• Annie and Julie to complete this work annually
• Comments from meeting members:
• Would be interesting to look at the numbers from this group who drop out of FE
• Discussion with PCT for 19+ transition
• Young people who have high emotional demands and are at risk of becoming homeless need mediation work between parents and young people.
• Found that young people who become homeless if moved into hostels cannot sustain their place as quite often are unable to abide by the hostel rules

Report Card 4 of 5
Proportion of pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C GCSE (or equivalent) including English and Maths

• Trend shows less good figures for the priority neighbourhoods
• Less good attainment of Hattersley pupils when they move on to secondary schools
• Need more work to be done in years 10 & 11 to keep young people engaged
• Further investigation needed regarding what happens between stages 2 & 4.

Report Card 5 of 5
Proportions of pupils achieving level 4 or above in both English and Maths at Key stage 2

• Data shows improvements in all areas except St Peter’s
  • St Peters has large transient population
  • Need to know more about what is happening in that area
• Need to target literacy and numeracy
• FAST Club at Holy Trinity has improved attendance and punctuality of some pupils – also working on self esteem issues.
• Needs to be looked at through main stream provision
• Refer to schools improvements team with our concerns

6.3.2 Discussion and judgement

Card 1 of 5 – Judged as Troubling.
Improvement Action:
To pursue the construction of a child poverty strategy (Bob Shaw)

Card 2 of 5 – Judged as Heartening with a qualifications.
Improvement Action:
To focus future work on promoting childcare for older children through the Extended Schools agenda (Geraldine Smith)

Card 3 of 5 – Judged as Heartening with exceptions
Improvement Actions:

• That similar work be undertaken with the 2009 cohort (Annie and Julie)
• That 2008 cohort be tracked one year and two years on (Annie and Julie)
• That the transition arrangements from CAMHS & Connexions for 19+ young people be examined with a view to promoting the continuity of care of this group of young people to adult services (Annie and Julie)
• That Annie and Julie make contact with the PCT to examine the possibility of improving the access of young people who have received support through CAMHS to psychological therapies when they move into Adulthood as part of IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies)

Card 4 of 5: Troubling
Improvement Action:
That this report card is referred to school improvement and regeneration partners with a view to joint actions that could be taken to

• improve understanding of the evidence
• discovering joint actions that might be taken to improve the position

Card 5 of 5: Heartening with qualifications
Improvement Action:
This report card is referred to school improvement and regeneration partners with a view to joint work that could be taken to

• improve joint understanding of the evidence
• discovering joint actions that might be taken to improve the position in the St. Peter’s area

6.3.4 Future dates and themes to end of year

22 July: Access to transport and material goods
30 Sept: Live in decent homes and sustainable communities
18 Nov: Engage in further education, employment and training on leaving school

7 Tameside Children and Young People Strategic Plan Update

Bob gave a brief update on the Children and Young People’s Strategic Plan.

Children and Young People’s plan in the process of being updated. AEW judgements and subsequent actions are reflected the plan.

8 AOB

No other business

9 Date and venue of next meeting

22 July 2009
Greenside Children’s Centre