Issue - items at meetings - Response to the report of the Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Committee Report: Reducing Alcohol Related Harm to Children and Young People

Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy attached).

1.       That the recommendations of the report from CYPOSC be noted.

2.       That the work of the CYPOSc Committee be acknowledged. 

3.       That a further report be requested from the CYPT, setting out proposals for a Youth Alcohol Action Plan as part of the Brighton & Hove Alcohol Strategy.

4.       That it be agreed that further work, in respect of the recommendations from the CYPOSC which fall beyond the remit of the CYPT, be taken forward through the Local Area Agreement.

24.1    The Board considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services, which provided a response to the report of the Children and Young People’s overview and Scrutiny Committee Report relating to reducing alcohol related harm to children & young people. The report proposed further action in respect of the CYPT response to the issue of young people and alcohol (for copy see minute book). 

24.2    The Assistant Director, Strategic Commissioning and Governance, noted that the one of the functions of this report was to acknowledge the work carried out by CYPOSC. The Assistant Director pointed out that this was the first time that a report from the CYPOSC had been received at the Children and Young People’s Trust Board and noted the importance of cementing the relationship between the two bodies.

24.3    Councillor Marsh and her colleagues in the NHS and PCT noted the various implications completed in the ‘Financial and Other Implications’ section of the report. They drew attention to the relevance of including and referencing health implications alongside all the other information provided therein. It was felt that this information would contribute to a more integrated approach in relation to the Board’s work and recognise the contribution that the different partnerships brought to it. They sought clarification about how this information could be integrated in the future.

24.4    The legal adviser noted the comments raised in relation to health implications. She advised that this matter needed to be resolved elsewhere, outside the Board’s remit. 

24.5    Darren Grayson, PCT, noted that this particular report had alluded to some health considerations in the information contained in its appendix. He accepted, however, that because the Board was committed to the health and well being of young people, a clearer expedition of this issue should be a matter of course on all the reports that were considered at this Board.  He volunteered to work with the Director of Children’s Services to take this matter forward.

24.6    Graham Bartlett, Sussex Police, noted that the Operations Parks, which dealt with a combination of youth related disorders, had seen a decrease in the number of interventions among the youth by 5%. He noted that this had been a result of the engagement work carried out with all partners together with parents and other agencies.

24.7    Members drew attention to the possibility of children drinking either with their parents or with their parents’ knowledge, and sought clarification as to whether there were any statistics available about the damage caused to health as a result of drinking practices.

24.8    The Service Manager, RuOK, reported that officers were aware of the possibility raised above. She noted that one of indicators shown in the information collected from surveys her team conducted was that a youth was more likely to get alcohol through an adult than through off-license premises. She reported that work was being carried out around proxy-purchasing, which involved a joint work from the Police, the Licensing team and the Trading Standards Team, to target adults purchasing alcohol for children and under age individuals.

24.9    In terms of the statistics about health damage caused by drinking, Darren Grayson stated that he was aware that the NHS collected information relating to alcohol misuse, although he did not have all the details about that practice.

24.10  Councillor Fryer noted the scope of Recommendation 10 and welcomed the practice of asking young people about their views about this matters. She also enquired whether there was any research available, which taught about responsible drinking and promoted its benefits.

24.11  The Service Manager, RuOK, Indicated that she was aware of such reports in the USA; she was, however, unaware of such research nationally.

24.12  The Board welcomed the report.

24.13  RESOLVED - That, having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Board accepted the following recommendations:

(1)      That the recommendations of the report from CYPOSC be noted.

(2)      That the work of the CYPOSc Committee be acknowledged. 

(3)      That a further report be requested from the CYPT, setting out proposals for a Youth Alcohol Action Plan as part of the Brighton & Hove Alcohol Strategy.

(4)      That it be agreed that further work, in respect of the recommendations from the CYPOSC which fall beyond the remit of the CYPT, be taken forward through the Local Area Agreement.