Draft minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 21^st November, 2012, were considered and approved as a correct record subject to the following:-

Arising from Minute No. 180 (Sexual Exploitation), Young People with Disabilities Post 16  should read “There was a need to ensure that vulnerable disabled young people were identified as part of the transitions process and their needs communicated clearly and as early as possible to Adult Services”.

It was noted that a decision was due shortly regarding Talent Match (Minute No. 183 refers).

Looked After Children’s Council

Voice and Influence Training and development sessions were currently being undertaken at MyPlace and were also holding additional meetings at weekends and evenings to prepare presentations and complete high profile project work.

There was involvement in an ongoing Voice and Influence Safeguarding consultation project engaging 1to1 peer consultation with young people from across the Borough to identify the main Safeguarding issues for young people.

The LACC ere featured in a national magazine, the British Youth Council Youth Voice: Positive Stores (November 2012 edition) which helped to promote Rotherham and the positive work being carried out with young people and raised awareness of the multiple projects the LACC were actively engaged in.  http://www.byc.org.uk/media/1979/youth_voice_positive_stories­_november_small_pdf

An open evening had been arranged for 6^th February at MyPlace to which 150 Rotherham foster carers had been invited.

The LACC had also been involved in NHS consultation regarding their Looked After and Leaving Care experiences of attending GP, hospital, dental surgeries and reasons why they may choose not to attend.

Youth Cabinet

The Youth Cabinet were involved in the Young Carer’s Card and in the LACC’s consultation.

The Youth Parliament was working on transport issues and would be part of the 1M Takeover.

Parent and Carer’s Forum

Representatives of the Forum had recently met with the Strategic Director to discuss pathways and accessing CAMHS following issues that had emerged.

Kerry Hurst, Rotherham Family Information Service, gave a demonstration on the new Family Information Service website www.Rotherham.FIS.co.uk and drew attention to the following:-

-        The Service had been developing its information source to cover a broad range and include any services that a family may want to access.  It would be available online and by freephone

-        New website would be much easier to use with extended search facilities fed from the FIS database.  Each entry was updated every 6 months

-        Also linked to FIS facebook

-        Included FIS guides e.g. Paying for Child Care, Free Early Education for 3 and 4 year olds etc.

-        Could search for local activities/services as well as a specific activity at a particular time of the day

-        Aimed at the public and agencies working with families

-        My FIS – facility to create your own account with a log-in enabling you to bookmark certain activities

-        Hoping to develop it to enable professionals working with families, in partnership with the Early Help agenda, to access the information giving practitioners increased level of information

-        There would be an extra search criteria on the level of need for a particular family and the continuum of need. 

Discussion ensued on the presentation with the following issues raised/clarified:-

o       Every month Information Management Officers contacted providers via e-mail to update their information.  4 attempts were made at contact and if no response was forthcoming they were removed from the database

o       Duplication with organisations having similar websites – GIZMO (voluntary and community sector, PALS (Health) and Connect 2 Support.  Ideally 1 website incorporating children, families and older people

Kerry was thanked for her presentation.

Agreed:-  That the issue of 1 Rotherham website be raised at the Chief Executive Officers Group.

Joyce Thacker, Strategic Director, Children and Young People’s Services, presented an update on work undertaken in November and December, 2012, which included:-

-        Schools informed how to make a referral to the new Service and requested to take up the offer for prevention work.  As a result the Service was in 14 of the 16 secondary schools targeting Year 8 boys and girls through the PSHE lead.  Work was planned in the remaining 2 schools

-        CSE Parent Worker continued to develop work with Foster Carers

-        Meeting with Elected Members on the new Service

-        Visit planned to Bradford to look at best practice and multi-agency working

-        Meeting planned between Police and CYPS with Rochdale Children’s Services and Greater Manchester Police

-        Attendance at National Conference on CSE to raise the profile of the positive steps forward made by Rotherham

-        Attendance at Rotherham Health Forum to discuss where CSE Services were in terms of development and how health could continue to contribute

-        Launch of the interim report into CSE Groups and Gangs.  Rotherham had contributed fully to the report

-        Association of Chief Police Officers launched their CSE Action Plan and SYP met with the Safer Rotherham Partnership

-        9 new referrals between November, 2012-January, 2013 – total of 68 the majority of which are early help/prevention

-        Continued difficulty of recording information due to incompatibility of systems – this was being reviewed

-        Daily briefings between Police and CSE Teams to ensure cross referencing

-        Weekly meetings between CSE, Safe@Last and Missing from Home Police Officer to ensure all missing children were cross referenced with CSE Team and new cases referred where appropriate

-        Regional Conference to be held at Magna on 8^th March, 2013

Martin Kimber, Chief Executive, gave a brief verbal report on the recent attendance at the Select Committee.

Discussion ensued on the position statement with the following points raised:-

o       The Cabinet and Senior Leadership Team would be undertaking CSE training

o       Consideration given to stronger engagement with communities on the subject

o       Issue of displacement of perpetrators was a key future issue for the Police

o       All cases of CSE to be recorded regardless of whether they met the threshold for Social Worker intervention

o       Need for clear understanding/language for thresholds and that it also included older people

Agreed:-  (1)  That the position statement be noted.

(2)  That future updates be submitted on the Cabinet report template.

(3)  That members of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership and Rotherham Local Safeguarding Board undergo Child Sexual Exploitation training.

Further to Minute No. 151 of 23^rd May, 2012, Jenny Lingrell, Troubled Families Co-ordinator, presented an analysis of the impact the above Initiative had had on Service delivery and on families.

The Year 1 cohort had been identified and included all families that met the 3 criteria (attendance, anti-social behaviour and in receipt of benefits) plus families who met 2 criteria and were resident in the Borough’s 11 most disadvantaged areas and/or were affected by the Benefits cap (due to be phased in during 2013).

The analysis completed to date was intended to provide a guide that would enable the Service to plan its capacity to respond and ensure that the most appropriate practitioner was identified as the main point of contact or leadworker for the family:-

-        Approximately 15% of the families were known to Children’s Social Care, 85% were likely to be receiving some form of early help intervention and approximately 10% included a child where a child CAF was active

-        11 families in Year 1 cohort included children on a Child Protection Plan.  The Troubled Families Co-ordinator would work with Social Care Area Service Managers and Lead Social Care Practice Consultant to understand the best to support families to change

-        41 families in Year 1 cohort included Children in Need and should have an allocated Social Worker.  Further analysis was required to understand the length of time Services had been involved and whether a co-ordinated non-statutory whole family approach would provide an effective way to work with them and enable them to sustain change and thrive

-        Families for Change Co-ordinators would provide caseload oversight for how agencies collectively engaged with families.  6 full-time Co-ordinators plus 1 further full-time equivalent commissioned from Rotherham and Barnsley MIND would be based notionally in the 7 Area Assemblies

-        Commissioned Early Help Services – Rotherham and Barnsley MIND had been commissioned to undertake the FfC co-ordination role for Maltby and Wickersley.  This would enable continuity of service between the Intensive Family Support work they were already commissioned to deliver without overlap or duplication

-        7 families identified in Year 1 cohort were currently working with the Family Recovery Programme; a further 4 were already on the waiting list.  The Programme had funded 4 additional outreach workers

-        14 families in Year 1 cohort included children who had been identified as ‘at risk of sexual exploitation’

-        Priority to put in place a system that would record multi-agency engagement with families and track outcomes in order to report centrally to release results-based payments and locally to provide assurance that cost avoidance and cost savings were being achieved

Discussion ensued with the following points raised/clarified:-

o       A number of Programmes all had different thresholds of which some overlapped.  Troubled Families were those that had a clear route in through the Social Care and Early Help Team.  Their Programme Priority was dictated by which Services they received

o       There were a number of current projects/pilots which all had different  ...  view the full minutes text for item 191.

Stuart Savage, Environment and Development Services, presented a report on current road safety activity in Rotherham.

Since 2000, there had been a decline in both the overall number of people and the number of children injured in collisions on Rotherham’s roads, a large part of which was due to the various initiatives that had been implemented by the Council.

The report contained a summary of road safety activity that was currently being undertaken in Rotherham in an effort to maintain the downward trend in casualties which included:-

-        Local Safety Schemes targeted at locations with a history of treatable collisions

-        Town Centre 20 mph Zone

-        School Keep Clear Traffic Regulation Orders

-        Education, Training and Publicity Initiatives

-        Drive for Life

-        Crucial Crew

-        Speed limits outside Schools

-        South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership

Agreed:-  (1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That a further report be submitted in 14 months demonstrating the impact of the planned improvements.

Joyce Thacker, Strategic Director, Children and Young People’s Services, presented a report on a regional sector-led workshop on improving health outcomes for children held on 11^th January, 2012,   It had also considered the regional research that underpinned the event ‘Health from Mars, Local Authority from Venue’ held in December, 2012.

A recommendation from the regional research was to improve the systems and processes which led to better outcomes for children, young people and their families.  A copy of the pro forma issued to all local authorities was attached to the report for consideration.

The pro forma could be used as an effective audit tool to assist agencies’ self-awareness on how well Rotherham was responding to improving outcomes.  Completion of the self-assessment would assist in the preparation for a multi-agency inspection.  It would also help the vision and strategy for taking the Children, Young People and Families Partnership forward.

Agreed:-  That partners consider the document and discuss at the next meeting.

The minutes of the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Board held on 7^th December, 2012, were noted.

The Partnership noted the Quarter 2 performance for Children and Young People’s Services.

Agreed:-  That a further meeting be held on Wednesday, 20^th March, 2013, in Rotherham Town Hall commencing at 2.00 p.m.