Area Coordination Management Meeting

Denton, Droylsden and Audenshaw

Minutes

Time: 10.00am
Date: 14th September 2007
Venue: Duke Street Young People's Centre, Duke Street, Denton

Present:

• Bob Shaw - Area Co-ordinator
• Phil Massey - Primary School Rep, St Stephens Audenshaw
• Sally Dickin - YOT
• Ken Davies - Connexions
• Chris Harris - Connexions
• Debbie Duddridge - Children's Social Care
• Lynn Barber - Children's Centres
• Ghazala Puri - Children's Social Care
• Diane King - Youth Services
• Margaret Morrison - Education Welfare
• Malcolm Knight - Inclusive Services
• Jackie Lydon - BIP Coordinator, Inclusive Services
• John Rogers - Primary School Rep, Greenside

Note Taker: Rachel Lees

1. Welcome

Bob welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.

2. Apologies

• Sue Lennie, Secondary School Rep (Linden Road)
• Pat Schofield, PCT
• Heather Good had left Tameside and would therefore no longer attend ACMT meetings.

3. Notes of last meeting and matter arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2007 were approved as a true and correct record. Although John Rogers was happy with the comments recorded, he wished to indicate the strength of his comments and Bob Shaw felt that he would have the opportunity to do so at the meeting.

4. Area Action Plan

4.1 Updates

Action plan 2.1 & 2.2: Integrated processes

Bob advised that the flow chart had been amended and sent to managers. It would be incorporated into the revised Children's Needs Framework. The documentation would be launched with the Tameside Children's Safeguarding Board Framework during the week beginning 1 October.

Workshops for practitioners would be held to move forward with the three common processes, with 3 workshops held in each area taking place over the this and next term for those who had not already had training in the common assessment. It was expected that 20-25 people would complete training at each of these workshops. Bob presented the Team with reports 1 which identified 469 practitioners trained on JASPER, 559 JASPER users and 9 organisations subscribing.

Ken Davies was happy that people would see the relevance of JASPER and Bob agreed that it should be a rich source of information for practitioners. JASPER would become ‘ContactPoint', the national ISA system. 9 organisations were currently subscribing in Tameside, many private and voluntary organisations did not yet have access to JASPER and it was hoped that they would get caught in the wave of ContactPoint training after August 2008.

John wished to reiterate his point made at the June meeting that the low number of CAFs completed was down to overall capacity of schools and agencies which needed to be recognised. Tom Coffey, during a meeting of the Tameside Young People's Strategic Board, had reported that there were barriers to implementation and uptake was slow especially in schools seeing the use of CAF/JASPER as optional. There was a lack of understanding of inter-agency work and this needed to be taken forward. It was an important to raise the issue. Bob agreed that schools were perhaps receiving contradicting messages regarding CAF/JASPER being optional and John again stressed the capacity issues especially in terms of development CAF.

Action Plan 4.4: Autumn Change for Children Events

Bob informed the Team that Area Coordinators had talked to Children's Centre colleagues regarding better options that might be available. He was keen to work out the involvement of parents and the community in a more informal, less threatening way than previously discussed. Children's Centres would open within the next few months and opening events would be piggy-backed by the Change for Children events. Parental and community views would be collected using sessional exercises and facilitators. Options for 0-19 had to be considered and Debbie agreed that activities for older children needed and their parents to be provided for.

Action Plan 3.5: Draft Staff Directory

Bob had circulated the first draft of the Staff Directory which would be sent to all schools and professionals to check their own entries. Any amendments should be sent directly to Bob. The Directory would need to be updated annually. Bob asked whether it would be a good idea to have the service information directory designed to get private access to space. All agreed that an electronic directory would be appropriate. Bob asked the meeting to note that a hyperlink to individual school and service websites, where these exisit, can be found within from the Staff Directory.

Action Plan 8.1: Monitoring progress towards Integration

The Audit Commission had produced an online questionnaire available for professionals to complete. It was a voluntary arrangement and honest answers would be appreciated. John queried whether this would be delayed. This would be held in November 2007. Jackie Lydon stated that there needed to be a forum for Headteachers to express the best way of receiving information in order to get positive information to move forward as a group. John agreed that the basic structure needed to be changed.

4.2: New Actions:

Action Plan 5.3: Models of integrated working – BEST presentation and discussion

Jackie Lydon of the Behaviour Education Support Team gave a presentation on models of integrated working – ‘BEST in Tameside. The focus was on proactive and preventative work. A bespoke, flexible response was received by parents and schools which had contributed to core partners' support and loyalty. An example of whole school development and collaborative group work was provided together with successful BEST initiatives'. Jackie outlined the team's structure, their referral process and shared what had been learned.

Bob thanked Jackie for her informative presentation and a discussion took place. Malcolm Knight noted that funding would finish in August 2008 and asked what could be done to take the work forward. Jackie hoped that schools would develop the capacity to do the work themselves. John noted that progress would not be made until it was recognised that things needed to be done differently, with the key being integrated funding with a dedicated group in a dedicated building. Things needed to be structured and there were issues relating to workforce reform. Lynn Barber stressed the benefits of multi-agency working and Jackie reiterated that it was hard to evaluate the impact of proactive, preventative work on the community. Ghazala Puri stressed the very positive affect on families in the Hyde/Hattersley areas.

Action Plan 2.3: Referral arrangements

Bob introduced an exercise – an exercise in rational enquiry – that led of the recording of the experiences of practitioners and managers of making and receiving referrals. This exercise could lead, should we desire it, to a re-design of referral arrangements to make them simpler than might be the case currently.

The key questions under scrutiny were:

• Is the system broke; does it need fixing? Is it sound?
• Are there frustrations in the system that can be taken out and can we make the transition arrangements between professionals easier for children, parents and professionals?
• Can we think about the place of CAF in referral arrangements? Can CAF substitute for referral arrangements as happens in other authorities?
• Could this exercise lead to a mapping/recording of referral arrangements and possible drafting of referral flowcharts?

A discussion regarding the way referral systems worked took place including where CAF fits in with referral arrangements and systems. The Team provided an analysis of strengths and weaknesses using their own experiences of giving/receiving a referral. The key issue of working with a multi-agency team in a locality arose and the distinctions that need to be made between Level 1/2 (pre-CAF) referrals and Level 3 (post CAF) referrals based on the requirement to focus on the needs of the child.

Bob questioned whether the system needed fixing and John responded that it worked but needed development – the future being locality, multi-agency work. The Headteacher was both the biggest strength and weakness but who would work with Headteachers, given their heavy workload? Ken thought that the CAF had real power when calling for inter-agency meetings and Jackie said that the teams needed to take more risks. The BEST referral arrangements provided an option but other agencies would need to be included and if common systems were available then time would be reduced and school/team capacity improved. There was some unresolved discussion around the merits of a common referral (i.e. all professional using the same form) and multi-agency referral panels. Bob noted that the e-CAF was on its way (2009) and Margaret noted that feedback on referrals was a major problem.

Overall conclusions (to be sanctioned/amended at next meeting):

• That locality, multi-agency working and networking was helpful but not yet developed sufficiently
• That relationships of trust between parents, children and professionals are very important
• That there may be scope to rationalise and improve referral arrangements (multi-agency referral panels, common referral form) – but the meeting did not explore this in any depth in the time available
• That the meeting was clear that there is relationship between CAF and referral arrangements but it did not explore this in the time available

Action Plan 9.1: Area profile of need and services

Bob asked the Team for their impression of the draft profile. Ken and Phil welcomed the format, noting that the information provided was useful and extensive. Bob said that the intention was to use it as a commissioning document and he would design a proforma to capture the volume of activity with key agencies.

Bob also informed the meeting that he would develop a proforma for collecting data on volume of their activity (caseloads, referrals etc.) of services for inclusion in the profile. Agreed to circulate with a view to preparation and inclusion before next meeting.

5. Area Action Plan monitoring update

No comments to this update. Bob would update the Action Plan prior to the next meeting.

6. Venue for 9 November 2007

Debbie Duddridge offered the Family Support Office in Dukinfield. Jackie said that the JET Centre would be available for future meetings if required.

7. Date of next meeting

9th November 2007 at the Family Support Office, Dukinfield.

Bob thanked everyone for their attendance and the meeting closed at 12:00.

Glossary

• ACMT Area Co-ordination Management Team
• APIR (profile) Assessment, Planning, Implement and Review
• CAF Common Assessment Framework
• CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
• CMM Capability Maturity Model
• CLT Children's Leadership Team
• CWDC Children's Workforce Development Council
• CYP Children and Young People
• CYPSP Children and Young People Strategic Partnership
• DDA Denton , Droylsden and Audenshaw
• EIG Early Intervention Group
• ISA Information Sharing and Assessment
• ISSP Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme
• JASPER Joint Assessment System for Prevention and Early Referral
• LA Local Authority
• OBA Outcome based accountability
• PCT Primary Care Trust
• SENCO Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
• SID Service Information Directory
• T3SC Tameside Third Sector Coalition
• TOR Terms of Reference
• YOF Youth Opportunity Fund
• YOT Youth Offending Team