Area Coordination Management Meeting

Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Mossley

Time: 2:00pm
Date: 15 November 2007
Venue: Dukinfield Children’s Centre, Yew Tree Lane, Dukinfield

Present:

• Julie Lord - Area Coordinator
• Anne Short - Primary School Rep, Yew Tree
• Ginny Casey - Dukinfield Children’s Centre
• Gabrielle Bold - Stalybridge Family Support Team
• Joan Parry - COLT
• Pauline Venus - Youth Service
• Alyson Harvey - Connexions
• Liz Price - Education Welfare
• Tina Wills - YOT
• Diane Goddard - Secondary School Rep, Mossley Hollins

Note taker: Rachel Lees

Item 1: Welcome

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

Item 2: Apologies

Apologies were received from Tracy Wood, PCT and Janet Blakeley, Geraldine Smith, Pauline Johnson.

Tracy Wood would be acting as the fourth area coordinator next week. Janet Blakeley would be the new Children’s Locality Worker based at Mossley Health Centre.

Item 3: Notes of last meeting and matters arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 September 2007 were approved as a true and correct record.

The Staff Directory would be linked to the SID and a password would be needed. It would be updated twice a year. Julie will send a copy by email to all members.

Referral arrangements (Action Plan No 2.3)
Geraldine Smith, via email, wanted clarification of when a referral should be called a referral. Her experience was that the term ‘referral’ prevented the ownership of the Children’s Centre by some health professionals when the health delivery was linked to the Children’s Centre.

Mossley Clinic
Geraldine Smith, via email, queried whether there was potential for a satellite element of Children’s Centres with the refurbishment of Mossley Clinic.

Item 4: The Changing Role of Tameside Youth Service

Sue Nathan of Tameside Youth Service gave a presentation to the team in order to update them on the work of the Youth Service and its new initiative, PAYP.

The purpose of Tameside Youth Service was to enable young people aged 11-19 years to become independent, positive members of their communities. Sue explained that the curriculum was developed by young people alongside staff and was an ongoing process.

The Youth Service worked with all young people but tried to target particular groups who may not have the same chances as others. The importance of values (equality, participation, empowerment and education) were stressed and the 5 outcomes of Every Child Matters guided the Service.

Sue explained that one aspect of the ECM agenda was covered per term with economic wellbeing included throughout. She then gave an example of the processes of quality youth work with application for funding being a significant factor in children’s opportunities to support their own community. £150,000 per year was available from the Government’s Youth Opportunities Fund with a further 3 years’ funding in place.

A Young People’s panel made decisions about funding applications and it was the first time young people had control over grants. Sue further explained the model of work within each children’s service area and the support available through youth centres, detached work, clinics, school work and specialist work. A consistent service was provided throughout all children’s areas.

Sue presented a scheme called Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) which had been operating borough-wide for 4 years. In each area there would be a PAYP key worker to provide targeted support for all young people and some group work. Children requiring high level intervention (Tier1) would be referred by agencies; the delivery of intervention and prevention measures for children at Tier 2 would be via school sessions and group work sessions; preventative activities at Tier 3 would be targeted via Youth Service/Partnership work particularly with the voluntary sector and community groups.

Team members were provided with a pack of information including contact details and a slide show of activities was made available.

Julie asked what was Tameside’s connection with Hindley Prison?
Tina responded that it was offenders, particularly a large amount of young people from specific areas in Tameside.

Liz requested that Sue consider Copley and Astley as secondary schools with persistent absence.

Tina noted that it was a shame that there was nothing similar available for under 11s, although this could be due to supervision issues. Children’s Services will look at potential provision through the commissioning process.

Anne understood that there were a wide range of activities available but were they open access or targeted?
Sue responded that some were targeted, such as the residential to Slovenia, but others were open access dependent on funding. She also asked if youth bases were only used a few evenings a week and Sue replied that she hoped they would be in use every night and they would be available to other agencies.

Pauline noted there had been interesting debate over the last few years regarding young people respecting quality space. They had been involved in the design of spaces and Julie noted that these had been particularly successful when linked in with regeneration.

Item 5: Area Action Plan – Updates

Action Plan 5.3: Models of integrated working

The three models of integrated working had been extracted from the ECM website by Bob Shaw who had prepared the way forward for Area Coordinators. The SMT would consider the models at an “away day” on 21 December.

Responding to Liz’s questions, Julie noted that TMBC were looking at different ways of working which would move them forward.

Geraldine Smith, via email, noted that there was a view that Sure Starts had multi-agency teams in Tameside but these had been moved away from in Tameside. Much time would be spent promoting the facilitative and supportive role that could be provided by her team. She also wished to promote the model that services did not have to be delivered under one roof as their aim of supporting a network of locally coordinated services would lead to a variety of delivery points that would best meet the needs of local families.

Action Plan 2.1 and 2.2: Integrated processes – statistical update

The statistical reports provided a snapshot of activity as at 31 October 2007. Geographical statistics showed that in the Borough there were 349 children with a lead professional assigned and 28 CAFs completed. Julie reported that common processes workshops will be developed in 2008. A bid for CAF champions was unsuccessful.

Liz noted that in future reports would be prepared geographically and by agency. A group of practitioners from differing agencies would form to evaluate CAFs to carry out QA work. Training would be provided and it was hoped that a higher quality of CAFs would be received as a result.

Action Plan 4.4: Change for Children Events and the Participation Network

The event which had taken place at Waterloo Children’s Centre in Ashton on 17 October was a success with about 50 parents dropping in. It was supposed to tie in with the formal opening of the Children’s Centre but this was called off, but the Change for Children went ahead.

The format had changed from presentations to more informal stalls (Connexions, Children’s Centre, Health, Sports, voluntary sector, Youth Service, SID and CIS) with free face painting, a pamper session for parents and free healthy snacks from the PCT health team. Area Coordinators believe that it can be used as a model to be rolled out across the areas not as a stand alone event but on the back of and integrated with existing events to pool resources and make it more cost effective.

The Participation Network run by NCH had agreed to manage the face to face consultation for the event and will cover all the other areas by Christmas (consisting of three questions based on unmet need) and record this systematically for us.

Item 6: Consultation to inform the Area Profiles

Julie reported that consultation on unmet need had taken place during Parenting Week at the Flowery Centre, Hyde Town Hall, Waterloo and Hurst and further consultation will take place across all areas of the borough. Information will be collated and reported at Christmas which will inform the commissioning process and will be included in the Area Profile of Need.

Diane suggested that secondary parents be consulted during academic review days.
Julie noted that there was a new diagram relating to the Every Child Matters agenda, nicknamed “The Piano” which merged positive contributions and economic achievement. Julie will email this to team members.

Item 7: Area Action Plan monitoring update

Julie highlighted progress made on the following areas of the Action Plan since the last meeting:

• improved access to local services;
• developing and improving participation and consultation at local level.

A link to the Children and Young People’s Strategic Plan 2007-10 had been posted to team members via email and could be located at

http://www.tameside.gov.uk/cypp/chilyoungplan.pdf1021.05 KB

Item 8: Staff Audit

The Audit Commission has been commissioned by TMBC to undertake an audit of frontline staff who will be asked to complete an on-line questionnaire to make judgements regarding the progress of integration. Team members were asked to encourage their staff to complete the questionnaire which will go live on 26 November 2007.

Item 9: Any Other Business

Joan noted that the domestic violence project was being rolled out to schools and disclosures had been received as a result. Team members would like to see the project rolled out to primary schools.

Ginny noted that the second children’s centre site for Dukinfield will be completed next year attached to Lyndhurst Primary School. A health clinic was held on Wednesdays at Dukinfield Congregational Church for parents to access from the Lyndhurst neighbourhood.

Item 10: Calendar of meetings for the year and venue for next meeting

• Tuesday 29 January 2008 at Mossley Youth Base from 2:00-4:00 pm
• Thursday 13 March 2008 Ridgehill Children’s Centre from 2:00-4:00 pm
• Thursday 15 May 2008 at Blocksages Youth Centre from 2:00-4:00 pm
• Thursday 17 July 2008 at Ridgehill Child and Family Centre from 2:00-4:00 pm
• Thursday 18 September 2008 at Lyndhurst Children’s Centre from 2:00-4:00 pm
• Thursday 13 November 2008 at Ridgehill Child and Family Centre from 2:00-4:00 pm

Diane requested that directions be sent to team members.

Julie thanked everyone for their attendance and the meeting closed at 3:50 pm.

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
• ECM Every Child Matters
• 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