Agenda and minutes

Cllr Meikle has been sent a reply from CAMHS re: appointments process for young people.

Discuss and evaluate key work streams to support effective transitions: -

Within childhood (focussing on Early Years and Primary to Secondary School) and between childhood and adulthood.

Consider opportunities to further develop a co-ordinated approach to support effective transitions.

To agree next steps

Transition Workshop

Purpose: -

·         To discuss and evaluate key work streams to support effective transitions within childhood (focussing on Early Years and Primary to Secondary School) and between childhood and adulthood (focussing on care leavers and those with special educational needs and disability)

·         To consider opportunities to further develop a co-ordinated approach to support effective transition

·         To agree next steps

Issues for discussion: -

·         How can the Children’s Trust evaluate the implementation and outcomes of the current activity?

·         What are the risks to the effective delivery of current activity and how can these risks be mitigated?

·         What is the Children’s Trust’s vision for a more streamlined transition between children and adults’ services?

·         What further actions would the Children’s Trust Board like to see taken forward?

·         How should the Education and Skills Board, Children and Young People Health Partnership and Stockport Family Innovation Board contribute to this agenda

Feedback - key themes: -

·         A holistic approach should be taken to supporting transitions within childhood and between childhood and adulthood

Ø  Support should recognise and address the wide range of issues that impact on effective transition, including housing, income, sport / community participation

Ø  The importance of effective relationships and building resilience should be emphasised

Ø  We need to develop links with private, voluntary and independent (PVI) nurseries in order to ensure that early education is taking a consistent approach to preparing children for the transition to school

·         We need to develop a greater understanding of the vulnerabilities that impact on effective transition at each transition point, in order to improve our identification of those at risk and ensure support is shaped to meet needs

Ø  Increase knowledge of development in early years and adolescence (as part of this it was suggested that the Early Years tracking group develop an analysis of the journey of 0-5 year olds, including disaggregation by boys and girls)

Ø  Improve information sharing between key agencies / services at key points of transition

Ø  Engage with children and young people and consider case studies in order to develop understanding

Ø  Use intelligence provided through the Stockport Family Evaluation

·         The transition between child and adult services should be continuous and streamlined with no ‘cliff edges’

Ø  Avoid artificial ‘cut off’ eligibility for access to services

Ø  Service provision should be determined by need and developmental age (including consideration of emotional maturity)

Ø  The transition between child and adult services should be flexible in order to effectively ‘enable a journey’ and not be too prescriptive and process driven

Ø  Continuity of commissioning up to the age of 25 would support the development of continuous transition

Ø  Consideration of whether children’s services should be commissioned as part of the MCP, is structural form a barrier to streamlined commissioning

·         We need to develop support for young people who don’t meet the thresholds for complex needs but have vulnerabilities, particularly at the point of transition between child and adult service

Ø  Support universal services in identifying vulnerabilities and risk factors

Ø  Understand and build community capacity / community assets to support vulnerable young people who don’t meet thresholds for statutory services

Ø  Ensure that the wider workforce is aware of the effect of transition on families

·         Develop outcome measures to monitor interventions

Ø  Develop measures to enable tracking, early identification and indicators of vulnerability

Ø  Develop outcome measures to measure progress

Next Steps: -

·         Cross service / partnership meetings on transition

·         Cross service / partnership representation on Partnership Boards to develop outcomes, activity and changes we expect to see in a holistic way (Education and Skills Partnership Board to take a strategic lead on transitions within childhood and Stockport Family Innovation Board to take a strategic lead on the transition between childhood and adulthood)

AW summarised Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) work relating to Children’s Services that has been carried out throughout the summer:

GMCA will put in a single bid to the Government for a transformation bid over 3 year period from the DfE innovation fund to include looking at, amongst other things, the following:  

·         Quality assurance processes across the whole system to reduce mistakes not create a blame culture.

·         Work across the conurbation on children on the edge of care to bring down the cost. 

·         Specialist commissioning for children with complex needs

CTB noted.

Gill Frame updated the board on progress since her appointment at Chair of the Safeguarding Boards. 

The Safeguarding Annual Report: any questions/additions/comments to Una Hagan.

CTB noted.

CTB noted the presentation.

AW asked the board if they wished to raise any points/issues from the report:

·         Cllr CF would like to focus on priority areas and closing the gap, to look at where improvements can be made.

·         It was proposed to carry out a workshop at the next Children’s Trust Board on priority areas to bring together key issues around Health, Stockport Family and Education with a view to identifying collective action.

·         The Children’s Trust Health Partnership board will be looking at self-harm at their next meeting and proposed to bring a report back to the next board.

Workshop to be arranged for the Children’s Trust board dated 13^th December, 2016. 

Report to be brought to the above board on self-harm.

Next meeting to take place on 13^th December, 2016, 12.30 for 1pm in the Upper Ground floor conference room, Stopford House.