Supporting Children and Young People to Achieve Economic Wellbeing

Notes of Meeting

Time: 9.00am
Date: 28 January 2009
Venue: Greenside Children’s Centre
Chair: Lucy Davies
Note taker: Lindsay Patchett

Present:

Bob Shaw - Area Co-ordinator and Theme Lead, TMBC
Lucy Davies - Head of Access & Equality and Chair, TMBC
Martin Bourke - 14-19 Team, Tameside MBC
Christopher Shaw - Dovestones, Tameside College
Christine Gerrard - Leaving Care Team, TMBC
Lorna Grennan - PCT
Vicky Cuddy - Children’s Centres, TMBC
Zulf Ahmed - LSC
Vicky Pearson - Rathbone
Alyson Harvey - Connexions
Phil Spence - Tameside MBC
Sheila Piazza - Connexions

1. Welcome and Introductions

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

2. Apologies

Alan Franco
Caroline Gregory
Andrew Leah
Colm O’Brien
John Symington
Sheena Wooding

3. Minutes of the Last Meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as an accurate record.

4. Matters Arising 

8.2 – Report Card 2 – should read... “based on young people who are 19 now but who were in care when they were 17”

5. Theme for the Meeting:

Children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are helped to achieve economic well-being

5.1 Update on previous Improvement Actions

• That ways be explored to improve take-up rates and communications between the Children with Disability Team, Welfare Rights and the Direct Payments Team (Alan Franco update deferred to later meeting)
• That the support arrangements from FE providers be re-examined with a view to improving the range of options available to Young People with LDD and focussing curriculum guidance on the development of positive personal CV construction - Zulf Ahmed.

Additionally Zulf mentioned a research project that LSC were undertaking. See document.

• That data on this group be both disaggregated and mapped to neighbourhood level in order to discover further patterns that might enable better support  This has been explored and emerging data will help inform today’s discussion

• That Transition Planning becomes the subject of a future meeting. 
  

5.2  Transition Planning and management: partnership perspectives

There followed 3 presentations from:

1. Andrew Foord, Head teacher Cromwell school

• A lot of intensive work with Dovestones and Local Authority, working with year 9 progression.
• Re-evaluation of the curriculum
• Aim to make children more independent and able to make informed choices.
• Make children/young people aware of the consequences
• Would like to see self advocacy for younger people
• From year 9 talking to parents and young people about pathways for their future
• List of vital skills
• Empowering and stimulate young people to build on their self esteem
• Apply skills in as wide a way as possible

Bob – How are the potential tensions around advocacy and empowerment between parents and young people managed?
Andrew – This needs to be done from early years and early support team – really should be family support.
Steve – Aim Higher – giving young people the chance to make contacts.
People First is a good example of this work.
It is about expectations – a lot comes down to the parents.
Vicky (C) – at the Children’s Centres we do a lot of good work with parents but many parents not willing to integrate and would like to go to group activities tailored to their child’s disabilities.

2. Chris Shaw, Dovestones at Tameside College

• Developing pathways for progression
• Working with parents on Individual Learning Plan
• Multi agency working
• Person centred reviews for the last 3 years
• Destinations
  • Cheadle & Marple
  • Day resources
  • Tameside College

Future - what is happening to reduce Worklessness?

• Greater emphasis on work experience
• ECM embedded into curriculum
• Working with other agencies – MENCAP/People First
• Aim to find meaningful employment – an excellent programme run at Dovestones
• Increase links with vocational courses within Tameside College.
• Increased links with Service Areas within the college - students working with Security and within the refectory.
• Offering appropriate courses
  • Pre Entry Quals
  • C&G Levels 1 & 2 in Practical Life and Work Skills
  • Working with MENCAP on full entry to Level 3 quals.

Transition

Issues:

• Cromwell at year 9 should be able to picture where you people are going
• Develop and broaden curriculum and qualifying skills
• Transition for young people with complex and more profound learning disabilities
• Trying to address gap for post 19 ex-Dovestone students.

Martin  -  Who brokers work experience?

Chris  -  There are 3 tutors who have taken responsibility for work experience

Phil  - There is a need to make better links with agencies that source work experience.

Vicky (Rathbones) – We do have clients from Samuel Laycock but progression routes are not very good.

Lucy  -  Suggested that Chris go visit the provision on offer at Union Street.

3. Alyson Harvey, Connexions

• SEN transition in mainstream schools begins in year 9 for pupils with Statements

Process

1. Receive list from TMBC in year 9 with ongoing updates – copies of statements are useful.
2. PA to confirm list with school. PAs aim to be at the Transition Review. General report of their interests. Review meeting will contribute to giving details of options.
3. Attend approx 70% - 90% of reviews in year 10 & 11.

Problems

• Matching of lists is complicated
• Discrepancies on lists
• Not always notified of review dates
• PA working between schools and sometimes 2 reviews held same time so unable to attend both.
• Assessing quality and impact – but no means of asking parents/young people if outcomes are good for young people.

What is being done to overcome these problems?

• Producing Young Peoples guide to transition.
• Developing prompt sheet for PAs
• Looking at pattern between schools where we do not have good record of attending reviews
• Need better analysis of outcomes

Steve suggested that these issues be taken to the Secondary Heads conference.
Sheila asked Alyson to explain Section 140.

Alyson responded: This is a document produced for all young people in year 11 to go to a college or other provider.

Sheila – the key is that it is a statutory document to obtain extra assistance at college or other FE.

Steve – this information is held centrally and is generally accurate, problem seems to be with the schools information and may be an idea to share any fears with the SENCO group.

The attendance at SENCO group though mainly consists of primary school.

Martin suggested that perhaps it may be better to have specific meetings for the Primary & Secondary SENCOs.

Lucy suggested Alyson liaise with Martin/John on 14-19 team.

Tracy asked if there were health care issues preventing young people from finding work experience placements – please send comments to Tracy Wood and she will take to the Be Healthy Team.

5.2.1 Report Cards

Alyson Harvey presented two report cards.

Report Card 1: C&YP Plan Improvement Action Plan (EW1): Increase the proportion of Young People moving into education, employment and training.

• An increase in the percentage of young people with LDD in EET
• The majority of these young people enter FE at pre entry or entry level courses
• Destinations for 16-19 year olds with LDD had very different outcomes
• Looked at the issues surrounding the recording of information
• Look more systematically as transitional review
• Connexions PA’s prioritising work with young people with LDD from year 9
• LDD group diverse and more young people more “at risk” of becoming NEET than others.
• Training given to Connexions staff to raise awareness of LDD and issues impacting on this group of young people
• A senior practitioner has been identified to take a lead on LDD and promote good practice.
• Currently developing: information to support Personal Advisers who attend Transition Reviews, an easy read guide to transition for young people, an easy read section on the Connexions website

Report Card 2: C&YP Plan Improvement Action Plan (EW1): Increase the proportion of Young People moving into education, employment and training.

Destination data for Samuel Laycock leavers

• Young People leaving Samuel Laycock typically move to Entry Level provision in FE
• Connexions data appears to show delayed entry into the NEET group with the 19+ group at highest risk of becoming NEET.
• Improved continuity of service with the Personal Advisers allocated to Samuel Laycock also supporting Entry Level students at Tameside College.

5.2.2 Discussion & Judgement

Report Card 1 judged: Heartening
Report Card 2 judged: Troubling. This report card and the issues raised be referred to the 14-19 Partnership (as a part of its support for the C&YP Plan priorities)

Lucy: What do we need to do differently?
Sheila - Part of Action Plan for the 14-19 Agenda in terms of Vulnerable Groups
Chris – Ultimate Destination – MENCAP work can be seen as positive - E2E is looking at ways to access roll on/roll off programmes – students able to join study programmes throughout the college year.

5.2.3 Future Action

It was agreed that the issues raised at this meeting be raised with the 14-19 Partnership with particular reference to:

• Need to share data for Transition Reviews held in schools/those attended by Connexions PAs
• Further analysis of the outcomes for those young people with EBD/MLD statements
• Comparisons of intended destinations with actual destinations
• Review progression routes for this category of young people
• Review support available from work based learning providers.
  

6. Review of this group’s activities

Lucy gave details of the questionnaire.
2 page questionnaire reviewing the activities of the group.
The group then split into smaller groups to discuss selected questions and then feedback to the group.

Questions 1 – 3 - Main feedback points

• Report cards useful tools – provide evidence not seen in other places
• Meetings are a time to talk about issues
• These meetings provide a real focus when other meetings tend to fall victims of the moment
• The agenda is planned and stuck to
• Offers more scrutiny of the work than other meetings
• Meetings allow networking
• Allows you to look at alternatives
• Meetings have a different approach than other groups
• Different sets of information
• Meetings keep their focus and information can then be taken away and shared
• An easier setting to challenge and discuss issues
• Good that we have “experts” giving details of issues

Questions 4-6 – Main feedback points

• Feel secure that information is passed up appropriately
• Report cards –
• made you accountable
• made you aware of what information to present
• helped you to focus on the issues
• identified gaps and actions were followed up
• The group liked the language of the report cards (Heartening/Troubling)

Lucy suggested that Equality Impact to be included on updated Report Card format

Questions 7-9 – Main feedback points

• Still appropriate aims
• Don’t really do in any planned way
• Should look at NSF standards and see which ones fit within the group
• Focus more on Economic Wellbeing
• Prepare members of staff for partnership working
• Group is made up of relevant partners
• Will need to change to incorporate ECM indicators

Lucy posed the following questions:

• Does this group continue?
• How do we continue?
• How does this group link to Children’s Partnership?
• What is the relationship to other groups?

Sheila – The nature of the agenda has not allowed us to be diverted – which is a good thing.
Martin – The 14-19 Partnership is more information giving
Phil – perhaps it is the level that this group works at that makes it work – it is “a doing group”.

Lucy concluded:

• This group still has a purpose
• The agenda focuses on Achieving Economic Wellbeing.

7. Proposal for the Review of C&YP Plan 2008/09

Bob gave an outline of the review.
We are required to submit a review of the Children and Young Peoples Plan, focussing on:

• Key Achievements
• Key Changes
• Key Drivers

Bob will send the review papers electronically to all members of the group with specific instructions for completion of the papers.

Bob invited the group to Challenge/Change and add to the review

Lucy said that the group needs to look at:

• What we had done?
• What can we do?
• Where are we going?
• What are the key headlines?

Deadline for this review is mid/end February 09

8. AOB

No other business

9. Date and Venue of Next meeting

11th March 2009 – Greenside Children’s Centre
Meeting closed at 12.00 noon