Meeting documents

To consider the report and presentation.

The Chair welcomed the following to the meeting for this agenda item – the Council’s Deputy Director Children Services, Ms Claire Winter, the Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) Business Manager, Ms Caroline Dowson, and the Participation Officer, Ms Fi Phur.

Ahead of the PowerPoint presentation and consideration of the report, Ms Winter briefly provided the context to the item – that it links to the later agenda item in relation to the budget; it was felt it would be helpful for members to understand how the financial resources that are available to Children Services are used in relation to both Children Services planning and also how that links into the Somerset Children & Young People’s Plan (CYPP) 2022 – 2025.

Ms Dowson and Ms Phur covered the following in the presentation of the draft Somerset partnership CYPP 2022 - 2025: -

·         the 3 agreed priorities – keeping children and young people safe (priority 1); supporting physical and emotional health and resilience (priority 2); enabling young people to learn and thrive (priority 3)

·         safeguarding aspects are covered in priority 1 through existing strategies and governance structures

·         the plan will coordinate universal and targeted activity from existing strategies and plans, with specified accountability

·         there will be progress reporting from Quarter 1 onwards in 2022/23

·         provided information on the vision of the plan and principles underpinning the vision

·         have consulted widely with children and young people on the draft plan and referred to the issues highlighted through the ‘make your mark’ survey responses (2,500), and that education and health are given as being the most important issues to young people

·         the plan is still in draft but it is unlikely the priorities will change and are still welcoming feedback

·         noted that some actions are still being collated (so not formally signed off)

·         provided details of the bodies ‘holding the actions’ that will meet the priorities.

The advisory board asked detailed question and made a number of comments, which were responded to at the meeting, as follows: -

·         accountability and monitoring – there will be reporting on quarterly basis; will also consider where, and how best to, provide information on website; advised that are intending to run further online safeguarding weeks where would be able to link closely to the plan and that this also includes young people

·         voice of children and young people and their families – the partnership will be asked to consider how the voice of the children and young people is included in the quarterly reporting – also have Youth Forum for example, which provides influence and challenge to the CYPP

·         query on transitions – there are multiple transition points on the children and young people’s journey – noted and priority 2 will look at principles going forward too

·         link between education and health and support for struggling families and asked for this to be a separate thread in the plan – this is a cross cutting area and see in universal plans as well. There is a specific education subgroup under the governance structure of the SSCP which has developed a dashboard looking at attendance and young people who go missing from education. This will be tracked on a quarterly basis too

·         early years does not seem to be mentioned – in response it was clarified that there are good reporting mechanisms for early years into the CYPP and is cross cutting issue as well

·         the impact of poverty on families & impact on services and ability to implement the plan – aware and are linking with colleagues in housing for example so do get whole picture

·         query where mental health services (CAMHS) features in the plan – clarified that this is part of the multi agency commissioning board, which is run by the Clinical Commissioning Group. The Board has started to populate the CYPP as there is a strong voice from young people about their concerns for emotional health and poor mental health

·         query about how the voice of parents of young people features, as can be good resource on how services can be improved – said this was a valid point and mentioned that do seek their voice / lived experience on their child’s intervention

·         moving toward unitary status and question about how the districts are involved in the formation of plan and going forward; need to ensure other new bodies (such as the Integrated Care System) are included – this point was acknowledged – reiterated that this is a partnership plan and the districts’ are fully included

·         governance and next steps for the plan – the plan will be taken through the SSCP governance and will go to Cabinet / Full Council post-election and the Health & Wellbeing Board (because of the wider health determinants that relate to the plan)

·         both climate and transport were identified as the key issues raised by young people and a question was asked about how these concerns are reflected in the CYPP and that both should be reflected in the cross-cutting themes in the plan – Ms Phur confirmed that their voices are being heard and reference was made to the fact that young people are sitting on the boards for the Bus User and stakeholder group which feeds into the Transport Strategy and they are also working with the climate emergency team.

On behalf of the advisory board, the Chair thanked Ms Dowson and Ms Phur for the detailed presentation and for the excellent graphics and the policy on a page information, which provides links to all activity going on across partnership; that it is important to recognise the voice of child through this and thanked them for the work on engagement with children and young people; asked officers to consider the points and comments made around transitions, education, early years, the parents voice and districts involvement in the future unitary work.

The advisory board noted the presentation and report and the consultation undertaken with children, young people and stakeholders on the new plan and the new priorities for the plan: -

• Keeping children and young people safe
• Supporting physical, emotional health and resilience
• Enabling children and young people to learn and thrive.