Children & Young People's Strategic Partnership 

Minutes - 17 April 2008

 Commenced: 10.05 am

Terminated: 12.00 pm

Present:

Cllr Alison Gwynne, Tameside MBC (in the Chair)
Ameena Ahmed, Tameside MBC
Zulf Ahmed, Learning and Skills Council
David Barnes, TSCB
Claire Bibby, Tameside MBC
Janet Callender, Tameside MBC
Tom Coffey, Tameside MBC
Lucy Davies, Tameside MBC
Annie Dodd, Tameside MBC
Cheryl Eastwood, Tameside MBC
Judith Grigg, PCT
Ken Hampson, Greater Manchester Police
Nicola Hine Tameside MBC
David Hobbs Connexions
Veronica Hyde, Third Sector Coalition
Hameed Khan, Third Sector Coalition
Julie Lord, Tameside MBC
Susan Marsh, Tameside School Governors Forum
Pat McKelvey, Tameside & Glossop PCT
Steve Noble, Tameside MBC
Sheila Piazza, Connexions Tameside
John Rogers, Tameside Primary Heads
Melanie Sifotkin, Tameside and Glossop PCT/Tameside MBC
Ian Smith, Tameside MBC
Jim Taylor, Tameside MBC
Moira Thompson, Heads of Specialists Schools
Hampreet Uppal, Audit Commission
Sue Ward, Tameside & Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust
Andrew Wells, Audit Commission

Apologies for Absence:

Adam Allen, Inspector Greener, Sarah Petts and John Rogers.

1. Minutes

The Minutes of the meeting of this Strategic Partnership held on 7th February 2008 were approved as a correct record.

2. Audit Commission  - Front Line Survey

Consideration was given to a report of Andrew Wells, Audit Commission, detailing the results of a survey of frontline professionals from across the Tameside Children and Young People Strategic Partnership, which found their views of the progress made through the Every Child Matters : Change for Children programme and focused on:-

• Vision and priorities
• Needs assessment
• Integrated processes
• Workforce development
• Focus on outcomes

He stated that 400 responses had been received from a selection of service areas which dealt with Children and Young People’s services and a detailed analysis of the responses received had been compiled.

He further stated that the survey results were very positive and a key area for development was enabling children and young people and families to be involved in shaping and transforming services.

Resolved:

That the report be noted and that consideration be given to the further action required.

3. Parent Support Strategy

Tom Coffey, Head of Strategy and Commissioning reported on the Parent Power Strategy for supporting and involving parents in Tameside.

He stated that the strategy highlighted the importance of parents’ involvement and interest in their children’s learning and there was recognition that all parents at some time would need some advice and support. The strategy would support the delivery of a range of services that would assist parents. He further stated that supporting parents was a key priority for Tameside and all services would work together to deliver the strategy consistently at neighbourhood level, enabling parents to access support, advice and be actively involved in developing and evaluating services for families.

Details were given of the nine objectives used in developing Parent Power, which were based on our local needs assessment and mapping exercises so that existing good practice and resource used could be built upon and would be supported by all agencies to provide a single model to deliver a sustainable, integrated response to meet parent’s needs.

Reference was also made to the Parent Power Action Plan 2008/09, together with an appendix which detailed a summary of agencies delivering parent support.

Resolved:

That the Parent Power Strategy 2008/09 be approved.

4. Children & Young People Strategic Partnership - Performance Reporting

a) Agreement with Tameside Strategic Partnership

Ameena Ahmed, Manager for Services for Children and Young People, reported on the partnership agreement between the Children and Young People Strategic Partnership and the Tameside Strategic Partnership.

She stated that each Partnership was operationally independent and would have separate strategies and action plans that underpinned their contribution to the Community Strategy and in signing the agreement, each Thematic Partnership was committing work outside organisational boundaries to deliver Tameside’s Community Strategy through the development of appropriate action plans; delivery mechanisms; commissioning structures and reporting arrangements.

Resolved:

That the Partnership Agreement be agreed.

b) Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership – Third Quarter Monitoring 2007/08

Consideration was given to a report of Ameena Ahmed, Manager for Services for Children and Young People, detailing the third quarter monitoring report 2007/08.

c) The New Local Area Agreement 2008-2011

Tom Coffey, Head of Strategy and Commissioning Unit, reported on the New Local Area Agreement 2008-11 (LAA) which outlined the process of negotiating the new LAA and the performance indicators which had been included in the agreement and which were relevant to the partnership.

The new LAA was a three year agreement based on Tameside’s local Community Strategy and set out the priorities for an area agreed between Central Government, represented by the Government Office and a local area represented by the lead local authority and other key partners through the Local Strategic Partnership.

He further stated that the agreement included 35 performance indicators, which would focus on local priorities, with 16 children and young people statutory performance indicators and additional local performance indicators and would be closely monitored by Government.

The agreement would be finalised and signed at the end of June 2008 and the agreement would be live from July 2008 for a three year period. Government Office North West would undertake a six month review of the progress Tameside had made in relation to the Agreement.

The Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership would continue to submit annual reports to the Tameside Strategic Partnership Board would also continue to receive a quarterly performance reports to monitor the progress made in relation to achieving the LAA indicators.

Resolved:

That progress on the new Local Area Agreement 2008-2011 be noted.

5. Prevention Strategy

Pat Mckelvey, Head of Children’s Strategy and Partnerships, Tameside and Glossop PCT, reported on the draft Prevention Strategy 2008-11 which supported the Children and Young People’s Partnership approach to early intervention and described how it would shift the balance of our resources to ensure that more support was available at an early stage.

She stated that the prevention strategy had to be founded upon an understanding of the make-up of the population and the indicators that demonstrated our current position and made reference to the key drivers for change, vision and aims and objectives, the Tameside Children’s Needs Framework, levels of preventative services, risk and protective factors, preventative services in Tameside, key delivery issues and challenges and the recommendations for action.

Resolved:

That the draft Prevention Strategy be approved and adopted.

6. Stay Safe Outcomes Theme Group

a) Report from the Stay Safe Outcomes Theme Group

Annie Dodd, Head of Children’s Social Care,reported on the performance monitoring sub-committee/staying safe outcome theme group, which reviewed the 2007/08 workplan for the sub-committee, together with the safeguarding children management information, monitoring priorities for 2008/09, the work plan for 2008/09 and the commentary on progress.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

b) Corporate Parenting

Annie Dodd, Head of Children’s Social Care, reported on the proposals to improve the role of the Council as a corporate parent to looked after children and to meet the requirements of the Care Matters White Paper.

She stated that the Government had published its proposals for improving the outcomes for children and young people in care in June 2007 and Care Matters, Time for Change covered a wide range of improvements to the lives of children in care. One important element was the commitment of the Council and its partner agencies to the corporate parenting of children in care and was underpinned by Section 10 of the Children Act 2004 which placed a duty on organisations to co-operate with arrangements to secure the welfare of children.

She also referred to the outcomes for Tameside’s children, which were poorer than other children nationally.

She outlined the key targets for 2008-2011 as follows:-

• Improving school attendance and achievement of five GCSE’s;
• Making available free sport and leisure activities;
• Making available more apprenticeships for care leavers within and outside of the Council;
• Giving our children and young people a real influence on their outcomes through individual feedback and the “Children in Care Council”.

Resolved:

1. That a Corporate Parenting Group with membership of senior officers within the Council and PCT be created to ensure that looked after children and care leavers have enhanced opportunities in education, health care, leisure activities, employment opportunities and accommodation.
2. That Tameside move quickly to launch, by Sept 2008, a “Children in Care Council” with membership of the Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member and senior officers from the Children and Young Peoples Strategic Partnership and the Corporate Parenting Group.
3. That the Corporate Parenting Group should meet at least quarterly, as should the “Children in Care Council” and receive regular reports of information together with proposals for improving Tameside performance.
4. That the Care Pledge for looked after children in Tameside should be signed by September 2008 at the same time as the “Children in Care Council” is launched.
5. That Members of the Children Services Panel consider how their roles in relation to the Panel could continue and how they could support the “Children in Care Council”.

c) Looked After Children Strategy

Annie Dodd reported on the Looked After Children Strategy which outlined the national context for children and young people in public care, Tameside’s progress over the past three years, our current performance and the vision on how Services for Children and Young People were to improve incrementally by 20011.

Details were also given of the achievements in performance 2005-08, priorities for 2008-2011 and the Children in Care Improvement Plan 2008-2011.

Resolved:

That the Looked After Children Strategy be approved.

7. Joint Area Review - Progress and Self Assessment 

Tom Coffey, Head of Strategy and Commissioning (Services for Children and Young People) reported on the progress made with regard to the Joint Area Review Action Plan as at March 2008.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

8. Children & Young People's Strategic Partnership Development Plan

a) Progress Report

Tom Coffey, Head of Strategy and Commissioning (Services for Children and Young People) reported on the Partnership’s Action Plan for 2007-08 and the progress made as at April 2008.

b) Development Session – 7th February 2008

Tom Coffey, Head of Strategy and Commissioning (Services for Children and Young People) reported on the development session held on 7th February 2008 and attached priority actions for the next year for the Partnership.

Resolved:

That the reports be noted.

9. Integrated Youth Support Strategy

David Hobbes, Chief Executive, Better Choices Ltd, reported on the Integrated Youth Support Services Strategy which detailed the statutory duties that governed how integrated youth support services were implemented, aims and objectives of the Strategy and the Tameside Children’s Needs Framework.

Details were also given of the four elements of the Strategy as follows:-

• Information, advice and guidance;
• Positive activities;
• Community and volunteering;
• Targeted youth support.

He also reported on the draft action plan which was attached to the report and it was –

Resolved:

That the Integrated Youth Support Strategy be approved.

10. The Children's Plan - Building Brighter Futures - Summary

The summary document from the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families was attached for information.

11. Teenage Pregnancy Update

Cheryl Eastwood, Director for Children, Children and Young People gave an update on teenage pregnancy in Tameside, stating that the figures had decreased by 5 per 1000 which was approximately a 8/9% decrease and further stated that all actions were progressing.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

12. Children & Young People's Strategic Partnership - Constitution

Tom Coffey, Head of Strategy and Commissioning (Services for Children and Young People) stated that the Partnership’s Constitution had been circulated at the last meeting and it was –

Resolved:

That the Partnership’s Constitution be adopted and reviewed on an annual basis.

13. Dates of Future Meetings

The Partnership was advised of future dates of meetings as follows:

• Thursday 17th April 2008, Committee Room 3
• Thursday 22nd May 2008, Stalybridge Civic Hall
• Thursday 3rd July 2008, Stalybridge Civic Hall
• Thursday 16th October 2008, Committee Room 3
• Thursday 11th December 2008, Committee Room 3