Supporting Children and Young People to Achieve Economic Wellbeing

Notes of Meeting

Time: 9.00am
Date: 24th September 2008
Venue: Greenside Children’s Centre. Greenside Lane, Droylsden, M43 7RA
Chair: Lucy Davies

Note taker: Lindsay Patchett

Present:

Lucy Davies - Access and Equality
Bob Shaw - Area Coordinator and AEW lead
Barry O’Hagan - YOT
Christine Gerrard - Leaving Care Service
Lorna Grennan - PCT
Annie O’Malley - Connexions
John Symington - 14-19 Strategy Manager
Sheila Piazza - Connexions Manager
Andrew Leah - Housing Services Manager
Steve Openshaw – SCYP, Inclusive Services

1. Welcome and introductions 

2. Apologies

Julie Scrymgeour
Phil Spence
Caroline Gregory
Alan Franco
Paul Dean
Viv Robison
David Burdis
Tony Kay Chair

3. Minutes of last meeting

Agreed as an accurate account of the meeting

4. Matters arising

7.1.4 Summary Future Actions
The following were noted:
The issues from the last meeting were raised at the 14-19 Partnership yesterday. Notably:

• The 14-19 Partnership has offered to prepare report cards at level 2 and 3 for a future meeting
•  Equalities Impact Assessments will be included in the 14-19 revised plan by the 14-19 Partnership.

Additionally, the respective partnerships were asked to look at cross-over issues related to performance management. Bob and John will be looking at this and will advise further. Chair

5. Briefing on Ending Child Poverty – Deferred to later date

6. Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) – Briefing

In his absence Phil had provided Bob with a briefing note on this. There are four strands to the WNF proposal

Innovation Fund

• A proposed allocation of £310k over 3 years. This fund would allow organisations to bid for small amounts of WNF.

Devolved to Partnerships

• It is proposed to devolve £360k to the Neighbourhood Partnerships over the lifetime of the WNF to support small scale local initiatives and to develop local capacity.

Co-commissioning

• It is proposed to allocate £280k initially for jointly commissioning projects with partner agencies who work with unemployed clients but not traditionally in the context of the worklessness agenda; these might include RSLs, health agencies, other housing providers, adult care providers etc.

Delivery Consortium

• A further £5 million will be available. This is likely to be used to identify a consortium of providers focussing on delivering
  • initial engagement and diagnosis
  • improving employability
  • employer engagement and retention Bob Shaw on behalf of Phil Spence

7. Theme for the Meeting

7.1.1 Young People aged 11-19 are helped to prepare for working life

1) Key elements of the theme

Sheila gave a presentation (click on above) which provoked detailed comment and discussion. Only the key points are recorded here. 

• A plethora of issues/initiatives which do cause confusion to professionals – schools appear not to have clear guidance as to what to provide 
• A complex set of issues and frameworks
•  Need to offer constructive careers advice
•  QCA have reviewed work related learning, however, the place of careers education is unclear
• NEET – looked at why young people become NEET
  
  • Education as a protective factor
  • Absence of someone chasing YP; and absence of parental involvement in careers/advice
  • Family disruption/breakdown
  • Connexions initially for those young people at risk
  • Ability to compete – honesty with young people about what is available to them
• How can we improve? 
  • A common application process (planned through an on-line arrangement)
  • Early identification of potential NEETs
  • Active tracking and follow up into EET
  • Encourage employers to promote training to progress
• John commented:
  
  • Some schools are addressing Personal Development issues in relation to AEW
  • Progressions measures – schools are to be judged on where their learners are at18. This will impact on schools thinking about AEW related issues
• Issues:
  • Opportunities for sub L2 – E2E or what?
  • Mainstream provision V short term funding 
  • Vulnerable group participation
  • Raising staying in learning age/progress measure
  • Were only 2 E2E providers now 6, hopefully better choices
  • Need to work on individual basis with establishments – what is needed for your establishment?
  • ECM – Common Processes
  • Common Application Form
  • How do we begin to cope with differing individuals?
  • How can we better align this with ECM outcomes
  • Feel that parenting is key to successful transition post 16

7.1.2. Report Cards

Sheila presented her three report cards and elaborated on the data provided

• Performance showing good progress. Figures recorded monthly
• Young people involved in personal development classed at NEET
• Able to look at Tameside by ward and able to focus on areas with high NEET figures
• Hot spots tend to be consistent over time
• We compare favourably with our neighbours
• Not a lot of jobs for young people in Tameside 
• Ashton St Peter’s – a lot of transient young people, so therefore difficult to keep up to date records 
• Time intensive – have to keep trying to contact in the evening or at the weekends they are classed them as NEET, so this affects the figures

Barry presented a fourth report card on Young Offenders in Employment, Education or Training.

Young offenders are defined as all those aged 10-17 on youth justice disposals. Active engagement in EET is counted as at least 25 hours, (and those above statutory school age at least 16 hours) per week. It was noted that the post-16 performance was not presented separately; this led to the improvement action noted below.

7.1.3 Discussion & Judgement

Overall the meeting felt that the report cards were heartening - particularly from a universal perspective. However, the meeting remained concerned about the continuing over-representation of vulnerable groups in the NEET cohort. It also noted, however, that report cards on vulnerable groups would be presented to this meeting in the future for discussion.

However, specifically, the meeting judged:
Report Card 1
That the data in this report card be considered heartening
Report Card 2
That the data in this report card be considered heartening.
Report Card 3
That the data in this report card be considered heartening.
Report Card 4
That the data in this report card be considered heartening but the meeting notes that the definition of the indicator includes those of compulsory school age

7.1.4 Improvement Actions arising from this meeting

•  That the meeting requests a report card on the % of Young Offenders who have left school who are engaged in EET at the next cycle for this theme (the definition of this to be negotiated). (YOT Manager) 
• That the proposed report card on % of young people with mental health needs who not are in suitable education, training and employment be presented at a future date (Julie Scrymgeour/ Annie O’Malley)
  

7.1.5. 2) Update on previous Improvement Actions (update in italics)

That disaggregated local data be made available to Primary Care Teams through local area profiles to provide a local evidential base of teenager needs, activities and services.

The 2nd edition of the 4 Area Profiles is due to be published in December; this will include relevant data on teenagers that will be shared with all partners. The TSP will also have available a new web enquiry system showing all of the local PIs and NIs that are collected. The enquiry screens will also allow for data to be made available at SOA, Ward, Area, Borough and facilitate comparative data with all other LAs, Tameside’s statistical neighbours and the NW region - where this data exists. This is also expected to be ready by December.

That information to the public and practitioners about the range of services available and referral routes be provided.

This has been\ is being done through:

• The re-launch of a revised SID 
• The new LA duty to provide information, advice and assistance through the Families Information Services (formerly Children’s Information Services) 
• Additionally, the Partnership’s Information Strategy Group has
  • prepared a ‘Checklist for Providers of Information’ and 
  • preparing a ‘Local Quality Standards for the Provision of Information’ that will set out standards and expectations about information provision and also provide a self-auditing tool for partners
  • is looking at how (with key partners) it can improve the marketing of services - particularly in the areas

That the C&YP Partnership considers how it can improve and resource the coordination of parenting

Since the last meeting funding has been secured for:

• The appointment of a Parenting Coordinator to manage the parenting strategy
• The appointment of 8 Parenting Support Advisors - 2 per area

That a fresh data set be constructed to help inform future discussions and subsequent actions about the achievement/ performance of vulnerable groups (particularly LDD, LAC, Young People with mental health needs)

•  Discussions have led or will lead to report cards 
  • YP with mental health needs - this meeting
  • on LDD at a future meeting
  • LAC at next meeting

That the workforce development strategy group be asked to consider addressing the development issues around staff awareness of the needs of teenagers and their families and the skills required in working with teenagers (refer to Tameside Workforce Development Strategy Group)

At the meeting of the Training Alliance a request was made by Bob Shaw on behalf of the membership of this forum: “To develop a coordinated cross sector programme for training in working with young people and their families. This will support the national and local priority for improving outcomes for this group.” This request was mandated at the meeting of the Training Alliance in April and included in the Action Plan for the Children’s Workforce Strategy for 2008-2009

8. Tell Us Survey: Data and Summary

Deferred - Agenda item for next meeting

9. AOB

No other business.

10. Date of next meeting

9.00am - 26th November 2008
Note change of venue
Flowery Centre
Old Road
Hyde
OL6 8YG

Theme: Children and Young People who are looked after are helped to achieve economic well-being.