Agenda and minutes

No Declarations of Interest were raised. 

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion held on 18^th November, 2013, were discussed.

Resolved: -  That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as an accurate record. 

·         Community Engagement Officer and South Yorkshire Police Representatives to present. 

Councillor M. Hussain, Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion, introduced DS Nigel Taaffe, South Yorkshire Police, and Carol Adamson, Community Engagement Officer (Community Engagement, Housing and Neighbourhood, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate).  Nigel and Carol had prepared an update on the previous six-months’ running of the Vulnerable Persons’ Unit (VPU).

The VPU was a joint unit ran by the Council and South Yorkshire Police and was shortly due to co-locate in to Riverside House, where all partners would share a base. 

Rotherham’s VPU was set-up to help vulnerable people, who were often below social care thresholds but, as a cohort, were placing a high demand on the emergency services, in particular the police.  The VPU co-ordinated the case management and information sharing processes for cases involving vulnerable people, to improve outcomes and use of resources.  The VPU also had an overview of hate crime, tensions and community tension management. 

The VPU used the Vulnerable Adult Risk Management (VARM) framework to assess referrals of medium and high risk individuals.  The VPU ensued that there was effective information sharing, risks were monitored and reduced and the demand on all agencies was reduced.  The use of the VARM ensured that there was an effective audit trails of decision-making and accountability. 

There had been 20 VARMs undertaken on 9 individuals. The VPU intended that they be on-going, regular meetings, and more were planned.  However, the VPU did not have any administrative support.  Administrative tasks were a key part of the success of the VARM framework. 

Case studies relating to the use of VARMs following reports to the VPU were shared.  These demonstrated the effectiveness of the VPU in tracking that individual’s contact to the Police, and the direct reduction in policing hours.  The timeline of the case studies showed that, over time, the call on policing resources was reduced.

The information sharing protocols that existed between the Partner Agencies ensured that all were aware of the referral to the VPU and the interventions already in place.  Case notes would inform workers how to approach the individual in-line with the multi-agency interventions. 

The VPU had taken on 24 additional cases on behalf of voluntary organisations relating to individuals requiring mental health support.  Feedback from Partners was positive in that the cases were moving forward.  

Further information was provided relating to: -

·         Anti-Social Behaviour Orders;

·         Creation on ‘Key Individual Networks’ (KINs);

·         16 voluntary and community organisations had signed-up as reporting centres so that individuals could report incidents in locations where they felt comfortable;

·         Following a RotherFM campaign over the summer months, an increase in reports of disability crimes was seen.

Future tasking for the VPU: -

·         The move to Riverside House;

·         Participation in the Joint Area Groups;

·         New anti-social behaviour legislation was expected in April, 2014;

·         Project Shanaz in the longer term.

Discussion ensued on the information provided: -

·         How did the VPU work with individuals when there were multiple and complex issues?;

·         Were the ways  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

Chris Brodhurst-Brown, Head of the Integrated Youth Support Service (Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services Directorate) was welcomed to the meeting to present the submitted report in relation to development of a performance management framework for the Service.  This included a ‘dashboard’ of Key Performance Indicators and a quality assessment plan. 

Continuing work in the Service was to ensure the provision of youth focused one-to-one support for vulnerable young people.  Across the Service a standardised information recording system was being used, with the exception of the Youth Offending Service, which was using the Carework information recording system, which was compatible with the Youth Justice Board.  The standardised information recording system improved outcomes and demonstrated a young person’s journey throughout the Integrated Youth Support Service (IYSS).

Appendix One to the submitted report demonstrated the continuum of needs that was used to organise services within Rotherham’s Children and Young People’s Services.  This diagram, also known as the ‘windscreen’, showed universal services to acute specialist services.  Social care interventions were placed in the highest ‘Acute’ category.  The second diagram in the appendix demonstrated how some of the functions of the IYSS fitted into the Continuum of Needs.  The IYSS worked across the windscreen from Universal provision up to and including Acute Specialist Services, alongside social care practitioners.      

A comprehensive dashboard of Key Performance Indicators was being created from the IYSS’s contribution to the Continuum of Needs.  This document included links to the relevant Strategic Plans throughout Children and Young People’s Services and corporate-wide.

Consideration was also given to the Youth Offending Services’ Improvement Action Plan and Performance Indicators submitted at Appendix Two.  The action plan was in response to the outcomes of the Short Quality Screening of youth offending work between 12-14^th November, 2012, by HM Inspectorate of Probation.  All performance indicators had been completed, apart from one Amber rated area that remained.  This related to the provision of training, which was due to take place in the early New Year, 2014.  It was intended that these documents would form the continuing performance monitoring governance of the Service through the Safer Rotherham Partnership and the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion.

Resolved: - (1)  That the report be received and its content noted.

(2)  That quarterly performance monitoring updates relating to the Integrated Youth Support Service and the Youth Offending Service be presented to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion. 

·         Monday 27^th January, 2014, to start at 12.00 noon in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: -  That the next meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion take place on Monday 27^th January, 2014, to start at 12.00 noon in the Rotherham Town Hall.