Area Coordination Management Meeting

Stalybridge, Dukinfield & Mossley

Time:  2.00pm
Date:  Thursday 15th May
Venue:  Blocksages Youth Centre, Dukinfield

Present:

Julie Lord -  Area Co-ordinator
Kathleen Nickson -  Inclusive Services, COLT
Janet Blakeley -  Locality Co-ordinator, PCT
Anne Short - Yew Tree Primary School
Jean Peters (attending on behalf of Karen Swindells) -  Youth Service, Dukinfield Locality Youth Worker
Gabrielle Bold  - Family Support Team
Wendy Midgley -  Assessment Team
Natalie McKellan -  Children’s Community Nurses Team

 Note taker: Jo Cole

Item 1: Welcome

Julie welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made around the room, with each member briefly explaining their role.

Item 2: Apologies

Diane Goddard -  Secondary School Rep
Tina Wills - Youth Offending Team
Pauline Daniels -  Children’s Centres
Liz Price  - Education Welfare

Item 3: Notes of last meeting and matter arising

The minutes were accepted as a true and accurate record, with the following matters arising:

Draft Self Assessments (refers to Item 3)
The JAR Self Assessment was submitted to Ofsted on 13th May and has been circulated to senior managers and the CYPSP.

Staff Directory (refers to Item 3)
Julie reminded members that the Staff Directory is now linked to SID (www.tameside-sid.org.uk). Please can everyone have a look and check the information for their area is up-to-date. Please email Kath Astley with any amendments or updates.
It was agreed that SID has greatly improved and the search function is much easier.

Request for Information from Veronica Hyde (refers to Item 3)
Julie reported that this information has been collated and submitted to Veronica Hyde.

Area Profile (refers to Item 6)
Julie explained that work will now begin on the 08/09 update. The Area Profile can be used as a Needs Assessment of the local area.
Janet reported that the current area profile has been very well received by staff at the PCT. Julie said that schools have also commented on its usefulness.

CAF Adviser & CAF Champions (refers to Item 7)
The post for the CAF Adviser will be advertised as a one-year secondment. Once the CAF Adviser has been appointed, the CAF Champions will be developed. There will be one for each area, for 2 days a week.

PCT Consultation (refers to Item 9)
Julie reported that the new GP Practice for Stalybridge will probably be located on Huddersfield Road.

Youth Arts Event (refers to Item 10)
A number of young people attended this event and feedback was very positive.

Domestic Violence Conference (refers to Item 10)
Unfortunately, this conference had to be cancelled.

Item 4: Draft Area Action Plan 2008/09

The Draft Area Action Plan 08/09 was circulated prior to the meeting.
Julie went through each section in detail, with the following points to note:

1. Develop improved local access to services and support the Partnership’s Prevention Strategy

• A lot of this action point relates to how we will link into other services in the area e.g. children’s centres, extended schools. Phase 3 of the Children’s Centres Programme will be looking at Top Mossley and the centre of Stalybridge.
• It has been decided by the Children’s Leadership Team that a CAF can be used as a common referral form. It was agreed that this would be very useful, although it still won’t resolve the issues of the number of different referral forms still being used by various services.
• In response to a question, Julie confirmed that the difficulties being experienced are being fed back at a national level and there are many things being developed that alleviate some of the problems i.e. CAF Adviser, CAF Champions, Common Processes FAQs, Common Processes Workshops.

3. Improve local arrangements for front-line delivery of services

• After the JAR, there will be a great deal of development regarding the management of integrated services at local level.

5. Develop area-based family information service and marketing activities / plans

• The Children’s Information Service is now called the Family Information Service.
• The Family Information Service will be producing ‘What’s On’ leaflets for local clusters by extracting information from SID. It is therefore imperative that the information on SID is kept up-to-date.

6. Training

• Other opportunities for joint training are being developed.

7. Team Review

• This has been done through the questionnaires that were circulated. Analysis of the returns will be covered on today’s agenda.

 9. Undertake an area profile of need and services and draw up an area action plan

• Using the area profile as a needs analysis tool, information can be gathered at local level and for the super output areas. It can also be used to break the data down even further e.g. town or ward level in order to commission work for a particular area of need.

As things progress, it will be amended and under constant review. It will appear on every ACMT meeting agenda so that members are kept up to date.

Item 5: Common Processes - Management Information Update

The JASPER Management Information Report up to the end of April was circulated at the meeting.
It was highlighted that the number of Child in Need cases currently held by the Assessment Team is not reflected by these figures.
It was acknowledged that Child and Family meetings which are not arranged through JASPER will not be included in these figures.
Julie reported that cases also do not appear in these stats if the address is not validated by the LLPG.

Other reasons for cases not being included in these figures could be:

• Variation of name (aliases, spelling)
• No-one wanting to be lead professional
• Password expiring

Julie explained that a password should be able to be renewed with one phone call to John Atkinson (0161 342 2668).

Julie reported that there are groups of people e.g. the voluntary sector cannot access JASPER. This will change once ContactPoint is implemented next year.

Item 6: Common Processes: FAQs and Training

Common Processes Workshops
Julie reported that Lynn Ready is organising common processes workshops, details of which should be coming out within the next few weeks. These workshops will be available for all staff to attend.

FAQs
There is a proposal for the top ten common processes FAQs to appear on SID. Practitioners will be encouraged to log on to SID and access these FAQs and then suggest new FAQs to be included in the top ten for the next month. Julie will give a further update at the next meeting once this is up and running.

Item 7: ACMT Review: Analysis of Returns

The collated responses to the questionnaire were circulated and Julie went through each section in more detail. She reported that there had been 4 responses for this area.

Discussion regarding the noticeable change in children’s services and how integrated working has grown and developed considerably.

It was agreed that the presentations from guest speakers are very useful in order to become aware of different services. Julie confirmed that Navin Keshani is invited to the next meeting to give a presentation on the Madrasah Project.

Julie reminded everyone that the agenda can be influenced by any member. Suggestions are very welcome for future guest speakers or agenda items.

Item 8: Next Neighbourhood Networking Event

Julie has been in contact with children’s centre manager and the youth service workers in Micklehurst to discuss and begin to organise the next Neighbourhood Network Event.
The current proposal is that it jointly takes place at Micklehurst Children’s Centre and Micklehurst Youth Centre at the end of July, in the school holidays.
Julie will give a further update once details have been finalised.

A further one is planned in the Stalybridge area at the end of August (school holidays again) and then the cycle will return to Dukinfield.

The events are a great opportunity for families to gain access to services and for practitioners to make links and build relationships with other services.

Please feel free to email Julie with any ideas or suggestions that may focus on a particular issue.

Item 9: Parent Power - Supporting and Involving Parents Strategy

A presentation was planned for this item but was unfortunately not possible due to a technical issue. Julie circulated handouts and went through the presentation verbally.

Included in this presentation is the Parenting Needs Framework. This is different to the Children Needs Framework but does mirror it.

Julie also reported on the proposal of arranging 40 minute presentations to employees in Tameside regarding the parenting support available e.g. New Charter, the Council, Ikea, schools.

Item 10: News from Around the Area

Gateway Project
Kathleen Nickson reported on the Gateway Project currently running in the Ridgehill area.

Item 11: AOB

Cashbox Credit Union
Yvonne Cartey attended the meeting for this item to give a verbal presentation on Cashbox Credit Union.

• Cash Box Credit Union has been operating for 10 years.
• It is a financial co-operative owned by its members.
• It is regulated by the FSA.
• To become a member you must:
  • Live and/or work Tameside.
  • Pay a £2 membership fee.
  • Save a minimum of £13 a month.
• Members receive an annual dividend on their savings.
• Savings can be made by salary deductions, cash via collection points or standing order.
• Collection points are located in Hyde, Ashton and Denton. The registered office is at St Michael’s Court, Ashton.
• Advantages of membership includes:
  • Loans can be given from £50 up to £15,000. 
  • The interest is only 1% of your decreasing balance.
  • No early payment penalties.
• Cash Box Credit Union will normally loan 3 times what a member has saved. 
• All the big organisations have credit unions i.e. CIS, GMPTE, Police. Some big credit unions are larger than some of the smaller building societies.
• Cash Box Credit Union also offers a Christmas savings scheme - the Festival Club. Members save throughout the year and then receive a cheque in November.

Yvonne concluded her presentation by inviting questions and comments.

Anne

• Do you have people that just used it as savings and what is the return?

Yes - Annual dividend is given - this depends on how much money has been made that year.

• How do people join?

People can phone up for application form - leaflets contain all the information

A discussion followed re: the Sound as a Pound course being run by MINT. The course is delivered to various community groups at children’s centres and other community venues to explain financial issues and to make people more financially literate.

Item 12: Date / Time / Venue for the Next Meeting

Julie reminded everyone that the next meeting will take place on Thursday 17th July, 2.00 - 4.00, at Ridgehill Child and Family Centre.