Meeting documents

Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership Board
Tuesday, 5th June 2007

Present

Chair

Cllr Phil Davies

Councillors

Sheila Clarke, PTC Reisdorf

Primary Care Trust

Tina Long (Director of Strategic Partnerships)

Voluntary/Community Sectors

George Thomas (Youth Exchange Wirral)

Schools (Headteachers)

Steve Dainty

Connexions

Keiran Gordon (Chief Executive)

Director of Children's Services

Howard Cooper

Apologies

Peter Brandrick (Forum Housing Association), Mary Kilcoyne (Catholic Children's Society), Dr Abhi Mantgani (Medical Director), Chief Supt Colin Matthews

Index to Minutes

Minute 45 - INTRODUCTIONS AND APOLOGIES

Minute Text :

Apologies as above.

The Chair welcomed Tina Long, the PCT's Director of Strategic Partnerships, who was attending her first meeting of the Board.

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Minute 46 - MINUTES

Minute Text :

The minutes of the previous meeting, held on 20 April 2007, were accepted as a correct record.

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Minute 47 - MATTERS ARISING

Minute Text :

Further to minute 41 (Partners' Budgets), Howard Cooper stressed the need to develop a protocol for the sharing of budgetary issues and asked that the paper on the matter be re-circulated with a view to making progress at the next meeting.

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Minute 48 - WIRRAL PLAY STRATEGY

Minute Text :

The Board received a presentation on progress in developing a play strategy for Wirral. Peter Edmondson, Head of Branch (Participation and Inclusion), explained that there was requirement to have a strategy in place in order to qualify for the funding that would be available through the Government's allocation to assist local authorities in providing play facilities. A discussion document, "Places to Go. Things to Do." had been drawn up by a consultant on behalf of the Wirral Play Partnership, its aim being to take account of the views of all stakeholders in the preparation of a strategy, which would have to be in place by September.

Steve Chan described the various consultations and stakeholder meetings that had taken place together with a number of surveys undertaken, including:
- public playgrounds - numbers, condition, usage;
- schools, in particular attitudes to out-of-hours use;
- adults' attitudes;
- children and young people - over 1000 responses had been received giving information on their activities and what they regarded as important;
- five areas of the borough examined in detail, in conjunction with young people.

The findings were currently being brought together, and they appeared to be fairly consistent. The survey of young people had indicated that they spent some part of every day of the week out of doors, and (contrary to the popular perception) only 10% had said that the bedroom was their favourite place to be. The most popular place was the park, though not formal playgrounds, which was a significant finding in view of the investment already made in such facilities. The reasons for that were because the young people did not find them challenging or stimulating. The areas of parks most used were those where there was access to natural materials, but also those that were nearest to where they lived, so the need to feel safe was also a key issue. The playgrounds furthest away from residences were those that suffered most from vandalism.

The results of the local audits were that open spaces closest to home were the most frequently used; that successful use depended on the attitude of the local adults; that the areas of conflict tended to be both between younger and older children and between children/young people and adults. Skateboard parks were well used but regarded as the preserve of older children. 'No ball games' signs forced children further afield to play in potentially less safe areas. The various barriers to safe play included busy roads, parks being locked, the presence of older youths, limited access to school grounds, facilities not being interesting enough for specific age groups, limits on supervised provision (during summer holidays), parental fears, being moved on and darkness.

The solutions to those problems included provision of safer routes, the presence of adult observers, mediation to prevent conflicts, local play areas within sight of home and more formal provision particularly by increased use of local school facilities; and the recommendations emerging were:
- to enable greater access to freely chosen play outside of the home;
- to develop a series of local standards for play;
- to promote community involvement and mediation;
- to establish an effective delivery mechanism for play;
- to enable play-specific training and professional development.

Wirral was starting from a good position in trying to achieve those ends - the new Play Partnership was being well supported, an officer with some seniority (himself) was already in place with responsibility for play, and the Play Service promoted good practice, was supported by a strong voluntary sector, had consultation mechanisms to call on and had already formulated a parks and playground strategy.

Steve Chan advised the Committee of the next steps; a sub-group of the Partnership had been nominated to progress the strategy, the Play Service would be aligned to meet the requirements of it, partnership working would be developed, as would a portfolio of projects, and mechanisms put in place to ensure the full involvement of young people. Peter Edmondson added that the Council's Youth Service Advisory Committee would also support the strategy, and suggested that its name be altered to include reference to play.

Councillor Clarke asked whether the funding available through the strategy would be distributed in a similar manner to the Youth Opportunities Fund, i.e. on a district basis. The Director of Children's Services stated that the £800,000 that would be available over three years could be spent as capital or revenue. Whilst it was tempting to spend it on fixed equipment, there was a need to ensure that it was applied to supporting the strategy. A number of important issues and challenges needed to be addressed, for example, conflicting viewpoints on the use of green space. It was important to develop positive attitudes toward play, and the voluntary, community and faith sectors would have a role in that. Some of the money, therefore, could be used to develop and train play supervisors.

Keiran Gordon referred to the recent report from the Children's Society, which had found that children liked to have a risk element in their activities, so it would be necessary to help to develop greater risk awareness, both for adults and young people. Peter Edmondson saw one of the roles of volunteers and outreach workers as taking a lead in education about such issues, and also mediation. George Thomas stated that one of the risks was young people's tendency to play with fire - Bidston Hill was a particular problem area and a suggestion had been made to form a junior ranger service. He was also concerned about the level of alcohol consumption among young people. Peter Edmondson suggested that officially designated fire pits might help if the intention of young people was simply to congregate around a fire.

The Chair referred to anti-social behaviour in his ward (Birkenhead and Tranmere). He felt that society was becoming less tolerant, and adults appeared to complain too quickly. As a result, children had been driven out of park areas. Striking a balance of toleration between the generations was a vital element of any play strategy. George Thomas added that the Youth Service was already working to promote inter-generational relationships, and the Chair pointed out recent collaboration between the Tranmere Alliance and the Youth Service in order to bring young people and adults together. Councillor Reisdorf referred to a meeting organised by the police in his ward regarding use of Coronation Park. The local youth club had brought young people along, but there had not exactly been a meeting of minds. However, the Director felt that at least the police had listened to the young people and the exercise would provide a useful example for the future.

The Director stated that the strategy would attempt to set a standard whereby a child should not be more than a specific number of yards away from a suitable playing space. A map of overall provision was in preparation. He went on to point out that the play strategy would form part of the overall integrated youth strategy for Wirral, in which various agencies would be involved, such as Connexions and the Youth Offending Team. Within that strategy services were likely to be implemented on a commissioning basis, split between the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Tina Long asked how it was intended to deal with hard to reach and vulnerable young people. Peter Edmondson replied that there were already representative groups for young people with learning difficulties and looked-after children but the Youth Service was also deliberately aiming to draw in young people from those groups. The Director added that provision would also be aimed at meeting the needs of geographical areas, and there was a pilot scheme in operation through Tranmere Together. Funding was available through the Neighbourhood Management programme for that area, but other funding sources would have to be examined in order to roll the programme out across the Borough.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Peter Edmondson stated that the next step would be to take the recommended strategy to the Cabinet, via the Youth Service Advisory Committee, in July.

Minute Decision :

Resolved -

(1) That Steve Chan be thanked for his presentation.

(2) That the strategy, when completed, be circulated to the members of this Board.

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Minute 49 - SCHOOLS HEALTH BEHAVIOUR QUESTIONNAIRE

Minute Text :

Further to minute 42 (20 April), the Board received a report on the Schools Health Behaviour Questionnaire. The Chair referred to the concern expressed that the context and content of certain questions had not been properly explained. Peter Edmondson, Head of Branch (Participation and Inclusion), stated that the questionnaire constituted an important piece of research. It had been shown to the Wirral Association of Secondary Headteachers (WASH), who had raised two issues: the possibility of requests about the findings under freedom of information legislation and the specific, additional, questions about alcohol consumption and sexual activity. WASH was keen to have the support of the Partnership Board in the matter, and he reminded the Board of the level of autonomy under which schools currently operated.

Paul Roberts, the School Drugs Adviser, and Deborah Williams, the Health Promotion Strategy Manager, explained that the School Health Education Unit (SHEU) questionnaire had been used in Wirral schools on two previous occasions, and was nationally validated and widely used. Funding was available through Wirral PCT and DAAT for the SHEU questionnaire to be run in Wirral schools in 2007. The proposal was to run the standard questionnaire on-line (the full version was circulated to members) with three pupil groups - Years 4, 6, and 8; for Year 10 only it was proposed to include the additional questions relating to alcohol consumption and sexual experience, again on-line. A key part of the research was to establish the significance of the link between drink and sexual activity.

Ms Williams stated that her role included dealing with risk-taking behaviour, and a particular issue had arisen with the increase in conceptions among under-16s; the increase also applied to numbers of infections and terminations. Access to alcohol appeared to be a cause but that needed to be properly verified through statistical evidence, and the new questions would help to fill a gap in the current knowledge. The information obtained would support action under the Children and Young People Plan to target particular hot-spots affecting children's health and well-being. She emphasised that progress could not be made without the necessary data - although much anecdotal evidence was available, it was necessary to have baseline data to justify expenditure.

Councillor Clarke stated that the matter had been raised with her by school governors, and at the time she had not been in a position to explain the content of the questionnaire. She asked the extent to which parents had been made aware of it and also how the information, once gathered, would be stored. Ms Williams replied that the schools had been advised of the rationale for the various questions. It was expected that the Partnership Board would receive the aggregated data, without any school being identified. Individual schools would receive their own report; it would be their intellectual property and they would be responsible for maintaining confidentiality. They would not be under any duty to share it, but the expectation was that they would do so.

Paul Roberts added that it was important for the validity of the data that as many schools as possible took part in the exercise. However, parents would have the opportunity not to participate. Individual schools were subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, which could apply to any survey in which they were involved, but there was no way in which a single pupil's answers could be identified. The Director went on to emphasise how the information, in its aggregated form, was important in terms of the Children and Young People Plan (it could also be applied on a district basis, in that the first four digits of the postcode would be asked for on the form). In terms of giving a view, he felt that the Board should weigh the benefits against the risks, which could include possible press interest. Tina Long stressed the need to target activities and resources, which required the appropriate information.

The Chair felt that, whilst the benefits to the Board were apparent, it would still have to be left to each school and each parent to decide on the extent to which they were able to participate. Paul Roberts stated that it was optional as to whether schools, or parents, took in the additional questions. The large number of other questions would, none the less, provide a valuable picture of health issues among pupils. Deborah Williams referred to the experience in another authority, where all but one [Catholic] secondary school had accepted the additional questions (and where there had been no freedom of information requests). In Wirral, one Catholic school had already indicated a willingness to participate. In relation to primary schools (which would not have the additional questions), approximately 30 had agreed to use the questionnaire to date.

A number of members of the Board gave their individual views on the matter.

Minute Decision :

Resolved -

(1) That, whilst the Board recognises the value of gathering information of the type sought in the survey, it believes that ultimately it is a matter for each school, the governors and parents to decide the extent to which they wish to participate in it.

(2) That a letter to headteachers be drafted on those lines and in the first instance circulated to the members of the Board for comment.

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Minute 50 - CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S PLAN - REVIEW OF PROGRESS IN 2006/07

Minute Text :

Further to minute 43 (20 April 2007), the Director of Children's Services submitted the draft review of progress on the Children and Young People Plan, the final version of which would have to be submitted to the Government Office North West by 14 June. He explained that Ofsted had changed the assessment arrangements again: it was no longer necessary to provide a full self-assessment but, instead, a review of progress on the Plan, indicating where a difference had been made in relation to the five outcomes and the specific areas of looked-after children and children with learning difficulties and disabilities. A session had been arranged to take place at Thornton Hall on 12 June, at which all members of the various multi-partner strategy groups would come together to sign-off the review. The occasion would also serve to re-emphasise the focus of the groups for the future (the Director felt that whilst they had been working well up to the last Joint Area Review, there had been some loss of focus, but now it was felt things were getting back on track).

Part of the review involved the Chair of the Board and himself formally signing the review and grading services under the five outcomes, together with "Capacity to improve" and "Council's contribution to children's services". The initial view was that services had reached the following standards (graded 1 to 4, the higher the number the better):

* Being healthy 3
* Staying safe 3 (indicating progress from the score of 2 in the APA)
* Enjoying and achieving 3 (although the fact that a number of schools had been placed in Ofsted categories had
had a negative impact)
* Making a positive contribution 4 (but seeking further improvement and embedding good practice)
* Social/economic well-being 3 (up from 2, but NEET figures presented a problem and further evidence was required to
support the view of performance within the 14 - 19 strategy)
* Capacity to improve 4 (partnership arrangements were working well, the budget was secure, and the staff
and structures were in place)
* Council's contribution 4

Keiran Gordon referred to economic well-being, where he felt that performance had dipped but was currently improving. The Government Office was likely to pick up on the NEET data for the period November/January, which did not look good, and there was a requirement to achieve a reduction of two percentage points by 2010. He felt it might be difficult to justify Wirral's assessment in view of recent findings by Government Office inspectors, which indicated that there was some way to go in relation to 2010 targets in the 14 - 19 Strategy. There were some positive points - better statistics in relation to young people in education, employment and training, and better tracking. The Director replied that he had met with the Government Office and Ofsted and felt that they now understood the Wirral context better, in particular the fact that the current 16 - 19 age group was the largest that Wirral had ever had.

Keiran Gordon stated that the numbers of 16- and 17-year-olds going into employment was reducing, and one reason was thought to be the effect of immigration. There was also the impact of the extension of EMAs into the jobs area, so young people were voting with their feet. The Director added that the figures for NEET among 17-year-olds were significantly higher in Wirral, though he was not clear why that should be the case, and he was particularly concerned about the impact on vulnerable groups.

With regard to the form of the review document, Moira Curran explained that the Government Office guidance stated that it needed to be concise and to define the impact of current policies. The five Strategy Leaders were being asked to pare down the document, but in advance of that, she sought the Board's endorsement of the draft. Keiran Gordon envisaged some significant changes in relation to the section on economic well-being.

Minute Decision :

Resolved -

(1) That the draft review be endorsed and the revised version be circulated to all Board Members as soon as it becomes available.

(2) That all Members of the Board be invited to attend the Strategy Group's session on 12 June (1.30 to 4.00pm)

(3) That Moira Curran and the Strategy Leaders be thanked for their contribution in the compilation of the review document.

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Minute 51 - DATES FOR FUTURE MEETINGS

Minute Text :

Minute Decision :

Resolved - That the next two meetings be held at the end of September and November/December and members be notified of the dates as soon as possible.

Footnote :

The two dates subsequently agreed are Friday 28 September and Friday 14 December, both at 9.00am.

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(Minutes Published: 5 September 2007)