Ms Fiona Johnstone, Director of Health and Well Being introduced her report that provided an update on the Improving Life Chances (ILC) Strategy to date. The Strategy, a 5-year partnership document, published in March 2016 articulated the ambition of the Wirral Plan People Pledge  to ‘Reduce child and family poverty’,

The Chair also welcomed Ms Bev Morgan, Chief Executive of Home Start (Wirral) and Ms Jo Burrell, Constituency Manager, Birkenhead to the meeting.

The report informed that the Improving Life Chances Steering group is led by Bev Morgan, Chief Executive of Home Start (Wirral) and how organisations from the public, private, and voluntary sectors had been fully engaged and involved in shaping its development. Since publication, partners had worked together in new and innovative ways across Wirral to deliver the strategy.

The Director of Health and Well Being’s report provided an update to the Committee on the progress of the strategy to date.

Prior to consideration of the report the Chair invited the Constituency Manager, Birkenhead to deliver a presentation on recent ILC community projects. Members were informed that projects were delivered by a local partnership of residents, Councillors, community groups and agencies who meet every six weeks. They develop and monitor a joint action plan of events and activities, over one year that:

• Improves life chances for children
• Supports families to be financial resilient
• Tackles the immediate impacts of poverty
• Supports parent into sustainable employment

Ms Burrell further informed the Committee on a number of activities recently undertaken and information on funding, namely:

• Christmas holiday food hamper project across each community pilot also extending into Rock Ferry and Central Birkenhead.
• Partners delivered over 2000 hampers across all areas (retail value well over £30 each).
• Levered in almost £7K already throughout the three areas and negotiated a good deal with Fareshare for surplus food, Magenta, His Church, Park hampers.
• Promoted services through the inclusion of an info pack inside each hamper.
• Galvanised partnership working. Information on: How to report on ASB, Crimestoppers contact information, Energy advice, Magenta news, Fairforyou, Credit Unions, School Uniform swaps etc.

The People Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the planned ILC meetings for the week commencing 27 March that included plans for the joint delivery of summer activities that included:

• Clearing of grotspots, partnership days and ‘in bloom’ projects
• ASB sports sessions and youth sessions
• Food projects – holiday food
• Lifelong learning offer over summer
• Work with fire service on chip pan fires
• Involvement of ‘connectors’

Bev Morgan, Chief Executive of Home Start (Wirral) apprised the Committee on a number of issues relating to Child Poverty, and encouraged Members to access the ‘Childhood Poverty’ e-learning package available via the Council’s intranet.

The Chair thanked attendees for their reports and presentations, and stated that information on the training module would be circulated to all Members after the meeting. 

Resolved – That the report be noted.