Agenda for Children & Young People's Trust Board on Monday, 20th October, 2008, 5.00pm
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Agenda, decisions and minutes
PDF 216 KBVenue: Council Chamber, Hove Town Hall. View directions
Contact: Nara Miranda, Democratic Services Officer
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Procedural Business
(b) Declarations of Interest by all Members present of any personal interests in matters on the agenda, the nature of any interest and whether the Members regard the interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct.
(c) Exclusion of Press and Public - To consider whether, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, or the nature of the proceedings, the press and public should be excluded from the meeting when any of the following items are under consideration.
NOTE: Any item appearing in Part 2 of the Agenda states in its heading the category under which the information disclosed in the report is exempt from disclosure and therefore not available to the public.
A list and description of the exempt categories is available for public inspection at Brighton and Hove Town Halls. Minutes: 25a Declarations of Substitutes
25.1 Councillor Kennedy declared that she was attending as the substitute Member for Councillor Fryer.
25b Declarations of Interest
25.2 David Standing, representative of the Community & Voluntary Sector Forum, declared a personal interest in item 42.
25c Exclusion of Press and Public
25.3 In accordance with section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (‘the Act’), the Children & Young People’s Trust Board considered whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during an item of business on the grounds that it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present during that item, there would be disclosure to them of confidential information (as defined in Section 100A(3) or exempt information (as defined in section 1001(1) of the Act).
25.4 RESOLVED - That the press and public be not excluded from the meeting.
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Minutes of the Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting held on 8 September 2008 (copy attached). Minutes: 26.1 RESOLVED – That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 8 September be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record. |
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Callover (a) Items 30 and 32 will be read out at the meeting and Members invited to reserve the items for consideration.
(b) To receive or approve the reports and agree with their recommendations, with the exception of those which have been reserved for discussion. Minutes: 27.1 The Chairman reserved all items for discussion. |
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Chairman's Communications Minutes: 28.1 The Chairman informed members that the CYPT had had a 5 minute film produced to be shown at the LGA conference (National Children and Adult Services Conference) later in the week about the CYPT’s integrated services. She indicated that she and the Director of Children’s Services had been filmed at Kings House, though the bulk of the filming had taken place at Seaside View, Moulsecoomb Children’s Centre and Whitehawk Primary school. The Chairman and the Director of Children’s Services would be attending the conference.
28.2 Cllr Hawkes requested that the film be displayed to the Board when it was available or following the conference. The Chairman agreed to bring it to the Board.
28.3 The Chairman updated the Board on the position on the Falmer High School/Academy. She indicated that Cabinet, at its last meeting of 16 October 2008, had agreed to close Falmer High school on 31 August 2010 and reopen it on the following day as an Academy. She explained that officers were now waiting the DCSF’s approval of the Outline Business Case so that the process could move to the third phase, which was the implementation stage. |
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Patcham Catchment Area Presentation by the Assistant Director, Schools, Central Area & school Support. Minutes: 29.1 The Assistant Director, Schools, Central Area and Schools Support, presented this item to the Board.
29.2 The Assistant Director explained that the current admissions arrangements were due to be reviewed in 2012. However, and following instigation from the Schools Adjudicator, a proposal was now in place to change the catchment area for Patcham High School. The Assistant Director emphasised that this review process was purely about this one change.
29.3 He explained that the proposal was to include the Westdene and Brangwyn areas in the Patcham secondary admission catchment area. The Assitant Director explained that, because the proposals would impact on the Blatchington Mill & Hove Park catchment areas as well as those in Patcham, the consultation document had been distributed to all primary and secondary schools in those areas. He explained that the potential change from this process would be a more balanced intake across the three catchment areas indicated above.
29.4 He further explained that, if the Council decides to make a change following consultation, the proposal was for Patcham High School to remain a single catchment area for the purposes of secondary admissions. The new catchment area would be bounded by Dyke Road to the west, Tongdean lane and Surrenden Road to the south, and Lewes road to the East. The new Patcham catchment area would then include part of BN1 5, all of BN1 8, and part of BN1 9.
29.5 In terms of the timetable of the process, the Assistant Director explained that the document had been published on 10 October 2008 and the deadline for responses was due by 5 December 2008. He explained that public meetings were also due to take place, as part of the consultation. The analysis of such responses would be taken to the Cabinet Member meeting for Children & Young People in January 2009.
29.6 Members sought clarification on what would happen if parents were opposed to the proposal. The Assistant Director noted that the impact that the proposals would have in the greater picture would have to be considered carefully. He explained that, ultimately, the decision rested with the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, which would be taken on the balance of all the responses received.
29.7 The Board further enquired about what the process was to ensure that the parents concerned would respond to the consultation. The Assistant Director indicated that he hoped that enough responses would be received from the different means utilised to advertise the proposal.
29.8 RESOLVED – That the presentation and its content be noted. |
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Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1. That the data and analysis in the PIR be noted and the action taken to improve performance be agreed.
Minutes: 30.1 The Board considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services concerning Performance Reports, which presented the first quarter Performance Improvement Report for 2008/09 and which provided the Board with an overview of key issues which related to the governance of the CYPT (for copy see minute book).
30.2 Mo Marsh, South Downs Health, was concerned that the quarter the report related to had already elapsed and more up to date data was not available. The Assistant Director, Quality and Performance, explained that, due to staffing problems, officers were unable to provide a more current and updated report. He indicated that he could bring any updates, as and when they happened, to Board’s meeting. Members were agreeable to this.
30.3 Prof. Imogen Taylor, Universities of Brighton & Sussex, stated that she would like to see a more integrated way of working, especially where early intervention was concerned. The Assistant Director explained that CYPT teams were working together in order to achieve early identification of any issues and a better system of referrals.
30.4 Rob Scoble indicated that he was attending today’s meeting on behalf of the Youth Council to request that a provision of special circumstances was introduced where school attendance was concerned, to recognise situations which were different from truancy. The Director of Children’s Services clarified that the objective of the services in place was to target persistent truants who, without any justification, had become disengaged and absent from schools. The Director reassured Mr Scoble that the services would be supportive of those children who fell into a different category.
30.5 In the matter of persistent absentees, Eleanor Davies, Parent Forum representative, requested that officers and services looked with sympathy to those parents who tried hard to get their children to school without success. The Director recognised that it was difficult to check where parents were trying enough. She explained, however, that Education Welfare Officers worked closely with parents and she reassured Board members that officers would only use enforcement measures where needed and always as a last resort.
30.6 Andrew Jeffrey, Parent Forum representative, referred to page 10 of the report. He was concerned that parents might not be aware of the support the report offers. He sought clarification as to what was the effective way to get that information to parents. The Assistant Director explained that officers had started a project to explore this concern and were looking at how this communication could be improved.
30.7 David Standing, YMCA representative, referred to the issue of teenage pregnancy and conception. He stated he would have liked to see more information about this issue in the report and, perhaps, reported in a different way to what it has been usually done. He considered that it would be worth recording and considering the causes that lead to this problem rather than looking at the symptoms. The Chairman explained that the Council and the Board had agreed to look at this closely.
30.8 The Board welcomed the report and thought it produced an encouraging picture in the different areas it reported on.
30.9 The Chairman thanked Rob Scoble for attending the meeting on behalf of the Youth Council and for bringing their views to the Board.
30.40 RESOLVED: That, having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Board accepted the following recommendations:
(1) That the data and analysis in the PIR be noted and the action taken to improve performance be agreed.
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Developing Children & Young People's Plan Presentation by the Assistant Director, Quality & Performance. Minutes: 31.1 The Assistant Director, Quality and Performance, presented the item to the Board.
31.2 The Assistant Director indicated that the Children and Young People’s Plan should be the overarching plan that all partners should sign to. He explained that the plan dovetailed with other plans, services and guidance from Government; and that, on a more local basis, the plan also dovetailed with the Brighton & Hove City Council’s corporate plans and priorities.
31.3 He indicated that some of the themes the plan would be focussing on included some of the issues raised at today’s meetings, such as teenage pregnancy and first time offenders, and the plan also looked at how best to address those issues. He explained that, in terms of the development of the process, a draft of the Plan had been taken to the Departmental Management Team, then to the Chief Officers Group of the Council. This was followed by the presentation to the CYPT Board today. The Plan would finally be approved at Council.
31.4 Cllr Hawkes welcomed the presentation and requested that a copy be sent to members of the Board. The Board concurred with her request.
31.5 RESOLVED – That the presentation and its contents be noted.
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CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) Commissioning and Service Development Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy attached). Decision: 1. That the model of service for 14-25 year olds with mental health needs be agreed.
2. That the progress on the Targeted Mental Health in Schools DCSF Pathfinder Project be noted. Minutes: 32.1 The Board considered a report of the Director if Children’s Services concerning the Child and Adolescent Mental health Service Commissioning and Service Developments, which updated the Board on the Targeted Mental Health in Schools DCSF Pathfinder Project and proposed service developments for 14-25 year olds CAMHS service (for copy see minutes book).
32.2 The Commissioning and Partnership Manager indicated that the consultation with young people had demonstrated that young people were supportive of this project. She explained that the proposals would not only bring services to where the young people were, but they would also facilitate integrated services and make mental health workers become more approachable to young people. She also clarified that this process would not diminish or cancel GP referrals.
32.3 Members noted that domestic violence had an impact on young people’s mental health. They were concerned that this matter had not been included in the report. The Commissioning and Partnership Manager explained that the link to domestic violence was still in the early stages of mental health in schools and young children. She accepted, however, that there was an opportunity within the proposal to look at this issue more closely.
32.4 Members sought clarification on what would be the profile of the mental health worker, who they were and how they would be supported. The Commissioning and Partnership Manager explained that the mental health worker’s role was being developed, and officers would draw upon the role of psychotherapists as a starting point in developing and determining their role.
32.5 The Board welcomed the report and congratulated the team of officers involved with producing it and doing the work. The Board welcomed even further the recognition of families’ involvement in the process and stressed the importance of engaging with the young people service users across the process. The Commissioning and Partnership Manager reassured members that officers would be engaging with everyone dealing with these customers, and not only mental health workers, in order to deliver success.
32.6 RESOLVED – That, having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Board accepted the following recommendations:
(1) That the model of service for 14-25 year olds with mental health needs be agreed.
(2) That the progress on the Targeted Mental Health in Schools DCSF Pathfinder Project be noted. |