Issue - items at meetings - Next Steps on Children's Plan - Developing the Children's Workforce and Children's Trusts

Presentation by the Director of Children’s Services.

RESOLVED – That the presentation and its content be noted.

16.1       The Director of Children’s Services made a presentation on the review of the Children’s Trusts arrangements being undertaken by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).  She explained that the guidance, issued this year, stressed the importance of partnership working between the Children Trust Boards and other agencies in order to preserve and improve the outcomes for children, and to monitor and evaluate results.

16.2       Among the partners to be considered in this joint work, the Director of Children’s Services highlighted the health partners; the third and private sector; front line providers, such as schools; agencies working with children, young people and their families; and partnerships working with 0-7 year-olds and 14-19 year-olds. It was expected that all these different partners should be able to influence the Board’s decisions whilst operating within the framework set by the Board. The Director of Children’s Services further explained that the relevance of working with partners and that the work of the Board should also be seen by the LSP (Local Strategic Partnership).

16.3       The Director of Children’s Services noted that parents and children seemed to have been omitted from this guidance and their involvement only inferred from the document, but she assured the Board that Brighton & Hove would engage with these groups in their partnership work.

16.4       The Board welcomed the presentation and thanked the Director of Children’s Services for delivering the main points of the DCSF’s guidance. The Board considered, however, that parents/carers and children were the primary target of the Children’s Trusts/Trust Boards’ work. Therefore, their involvement and participation in the process needed to be clearly stated.

16.5       Cllr Kemble was concerned about the gap where partnerships with children of all ages were concerned, as there seemed to be no inclusion of partnerships for 8 to 13 year-olds. Members of the Board concurred on this concern. They felt this was an important transition point and it needed to be addressed as well.

16.6       The Chairman and the Director of Children Services agreed to write to the Government and bring both matters to their attention.

16.7       Members sought clarification about what the Government guidance meant for the Board in actual terms.

16.8       The Director of Children’s Services confirmed that she would be utilising the agreement made at the last meeting of the Board with regard to the consultation with partners and stakeholders, to progress partnership working whilst addressing the particular issues.

16.9       Dr Hulton, welcomed the presentation and indicated she was pleased that these discussions were taking place. She thought that the opportunity should also be taken to bring health focused matters higher up on the Board’s agenda.

16.10    The Director of Children’s Services explained that she had been in talks with Julian Lee, the Board’s Deputy-Chairman and a member of the PCT, to look at ways of working more closely together to include both education and health matters.

16.11    RESOLVED – That the presentation and its content be noted.