Agenda for Children & Young People's Trust Board on Monday, 7th September, 2009, 5.00pm
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Agenda, decisions and minutes
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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 either that it is confidential or 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 categories of exempt information is available for public inspection at Brighton and Hove Town Halls. Minutes: 19a Declarations of Substitutes
19.1 There were none.
19b Declarations of Interest
19.2 Councillors Alford and Fryer declared a personal, but non-prejudicial interest in Item 23 in so far as they worked for FE Colleges locally and out of the area, respectively. Denise Stokoe, PCT, also declared a personal, non-prejudicial interest in the Item as she is a governor of a FE college.
19c Exclusion of Press and Public
19.3 In accordance with section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (‘the Act’), the Children & Young People 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 or public were present during that item, there would be disclosure to them of confidential information (as defined in section 100A(3) of the Act) or exempt information (as defined in section 100I(1) of the Act).
19.4 RESOLVED – That the Press and the Public be not excluded from the meeting. |
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Minutes of the Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2009 (copy attached). Minutes: 20.1 Councillor Alford noted that he was still waiting for some information in relation to paragraph 15.5, which he had not yet received. The Chairman indicated that she would see that a response was sent to him.
20.2 RESOLVED – That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 20 July 2009 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
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Chairman's Communications Minutes: 21. 1 The Chairman welcomed the following people to the Children & Young People Trust Board membership: Denise Stokoe, as the Interim Chair of the PCT and Deputy-Chairman of the Board; Graham Bartlett, as the new representative of the Sussex Police on this Board; and Councillor Alford, who would be replacing Councillor Kemble from now onwards.
21.2 On behalf of the Board, the Chairman recorded her thank you to Councillor Kemble, who had been a member of the Children & Young People’s Trust Board since its founding. She thanked Councillor Kemble for his work, involvement, and contribution to this committee. |
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Brighton & Hove Youth Council Update and Presentation
Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1. That the information in the report be noted. Minutes: 22.1 The Board considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services concerning the Brighton & Hove Youth Council (BHYC). The report and presentation provided an overview of Brighton & Hove Youth Council 2008/09 (including the UK Youth Parliament) – why it existed, how it worked, its current campaigns, its achievements in the last 6 months, and the challenges for the future (for copy, see minute book).
22.2 The Youth Council representatives noted the budget and finance constraints that the BHYC currentlyfaced. In answer to questions, the representatives clarified that food and travel were compensative in the activities and events they organised and participated in; however, there seemed to be less and less money available to support their work. They reported that the more successful the group became, the more challenging the budget also became. It was explained that the number of people involved with the Youth Council project had doubled, but the budget had not followed that increase. They also advised that they would continue to apply for a variety of funds to be able to carry on with their work.
22.3 Members very much welcomed the report and the presentation. They congratulated the BHYC for the work they were doing and for the engagement and dedication the group demonstrated. Members also noted the importance of the work this group undertook, and hoped that the two representatives sitting on the Board were getting something out of this work for themselves as well.
22.4 The Youth Council representatives noted they were pleased with the opportunity to, through their involvement with the Youth Council, have a say on what goes on in the city. They welcomed the education and the support available for young people.
22.5 Members noted the constraints in budget, which they recognised was a general concern to many, and agreed to, collectively, look into ways of supporting the BHYC’s financial needs.
22.6 The Chairman thanked the two representatives for their presentation and their participation as members of the Board.
22.7 RESOLVED - That the information in the report be noted. |
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Reform of Education for Young People Aged 14-19 Years
Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1. That the contents of the report be noted. Minutes: 23.1 The Board considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services concerning the reform of education for young people aged 14-19 years. The report updated members of the Board on the work that was in progress in relation to the structure of education, training and qualifications for young people aged 14-19 years, and the plans for introducing the new curriculum (for copy see minute book).
23.2 The Senior Secondary and Special Schools Officer presented the item and highlighted the main points relating to the reform of education for this age group in terms of the aims and priorities from the DCSF (see appendix 1 to the minutes).
23.3 The Senior Officer also referred to an event, which was being organised for November 2009, aimed for young people to show them the array of choices available to them. She indicated that the event was the first of its kind in the city and had been signed up by all schools and had taken different employers and other agencies on board. She noted that councillors and members of the Board were welcome to attend, and indicated that an invitation would be circulated to all in due course.
23.4 Councillor Alford noted the increased figure of pupils leaving education at the age of 17. He sought clarification about the exact number of 17 year olds who had become NEET. The Senior Officer agreed to look into this information and respond directly to Councillor Alford.
23.5 Members also sought clarification about the process of apprentices and how these were going to work. They noted that, in the past, the system had not been very successful and enquired whether officers were looking into getting further commitment from employers, in particular the local authority and the NHS as the city’s major employers.
23.6 The Senior Secondary and Special Schools Officer reported that work was currently under way to develop this area. She indicated that further update and development on this matter would be brought to a future meeting of the Board.
23.5 In answer to questions, the Senior Officer also explained that, in the process of transfer of responsibilities, FE colleges would not be integrated within the Local Authority (LA). She noted that only the funding and the commissioning system process would be done via the LA.
23.8 RESOLVED - That the contents of the report be noted. |
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Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy attached). Additional documents: Decision: 1. That the recommendations of the report from CYPOSC be noted.
2. That the work of the CYPOSc Committee be acknowledged.
3. That a further report be requested from the CYPT, setting out proposals for a Youth Alcohol Action Plan as part of the Brighton & Hove Alcohol Strategy.
4. That it be agreed that further work, in respect of the recommendations from the CYPOSC which fall beyond the remit of the CYPT, be taken forward through the Local Area Agreement. Minutes: 24.1 The Board considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services, which provided a response to the report of the Children and Young People’s overview and Scrutiny Committee Report relating to reducing alcohol related harm to children & young people. The report proposed further action in respect of the CYPT response to the issue of young people and alcohol (for copy see minute book).
24.2 The Assistant Director, Strategic Commissioning and Governance, noted that the one of the functions of this report was to acknowledge the work carried out by CYPOSC. The Assistant Director pointed out that this was the first time that a report from the CYPOSC had been received at the Children and Young People’s Trust Board and noted the importance of cementing the relationship between the two bodies.
24.3 Councillor Marsh and her colleagues in the NHS and PCT noted the various implications completed in the ‘Financial and Other Implications’ section of the report. They drew attention to the relevance of including and referencing health implications alongside all the other information provided therein. It was felt that this information would contribute to a more integrated approach in relation to the Board’s work and recognise the contribution that the different partnerships brought to it. They sought clarification about how this information could be integrated in the future.
24.4 The legal adviser noted the comments raised in relation to health implications. She advised that this matter needed to be resolved elsewhere, outside the Board’s remit.
24.5 Darren Grayson, PCT, noted that this particular report had alluded to some health considerations in the information contained in its appendix. He accepted, however, that because the Board was committed to the health and well being of young people, a clearer expedition of this issue should be a matter of course on all the reports that were considered at this Board. He volunteered to work with the Director of Children’s Services to take this matter forward.
24.6 Graham Bartlett, Sussex Police, noted that the Operations Parks, which dealt with a combination of youth related disorders, had seen a decrease in the number of interventions among the youth by 5%. He noted that this had been a result of the engagement work carried out with all partners together with parents and other agencies.
24.7 Members drew attention to the possibility of children drinking either with their parents or with their parents’ knowledge, and sought clarification as to whether there were any statistics available about the damage caused to health as a result of drinking practices.
24.8 The Service Manager, RuOK, reported that officers were aware of the possibility raised above. She noted that one of indicators shown in the information collected from surveys her team conducted was that a youth was more likely to get alcohol through an adult than through off-license premises. She reported that work was being carried out around proxy-purchasing, which involved a joint work from the Police, the Licensing team and the Trading Standards Team, to target adults purchasing alcohol for children and under age individuals.
24.9 In terms of the statistics about health damage caused by drinking, Darren Grayson stated that he was aware that the NHS collected information relating to alcohol misuse, although he did not have all the details about that practice.
24.10 Councillor Fryer noted the scope of Recommendation 10 and welcomed the practice of asking young people about their views about this matters. She also enquired whether there was any research available, which taught about responsible drinking and promoted its benefits.
24.11 The Service Manager, RuOK, Indicated that she was aware of such reports in the USA; she was, however, unaware of such research nationally.
24.12 The Board welcomed the report.
24.13 RESOLVED - That, having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Board accepted the following recommendations:
(1) That the recommendations of the report from CYPOSC be noted.
(2) That the work of the CYPOSc Committee be acknowledged.
(3) That a further report be requested from the CYPT, setting out proposals for a Youth Alcohol Action Plan as part of the Brighton & Hove Alcohol Strategy.
(4) That it be agreed that further work, in respect of the recommendations from the CYPOSC which fall beyond the remit of the CYPT, be taken forward through the Local Area Agreement. |
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Brighton and Hove Children and Young People’s Plan
Report of the Director of Children’s Services (copy to follow). Additional documents: Decision: 1. That written feedback be provided by all partners to the Draft CYPP (as set in Appendix 1 to the report) from their respective organisations.
2. That it be agreed that a final CYPP be received for approval at the next meeting of the Board on 2 November 2009. Minutes: 25.1 The Board considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services, concerning the draft version of the Brighton & Hove’s second Children & Young People’s Plan (CYPP). The draft plan, which was based on extensive consultation with service users, partners and staff, brought together the city’s shared vision and concerns, and set out the improvements in outcomes the city want to make and how these would be achieved (for copy see minute book).
25.2 The Assistant Director, Strategic Commissioning and Governance, presented the item. He highlighted the main points about the draft CYPP (see appendix 2 to the minutes). He noted the particular emphasis given to safeguarding at national level, which also needed to be reflected locally and had primary focus in the current draft.
25.3 The Director of Children Services noted the statutory status under which this plan had to be constructed. She reported that the plan aimed to build on what had been achieved by the first and previous CYPP, whilst also incorporating new legislation. She referred to the sharper focus on the Children & Young People’s Trust’s objectives and noted that the plan also reflected and took account of the view of service users. The Director also recognised the importance of the plan being owned by all partners, and noted that the plan had been delayed in order to ensure that it contained everything required of it.
25.4 Discussion took place and members noted that budget constraints, alongside the increasing number of children in care, would be at the background of this plan and concerns were raised as to whether the plan could deliver within its budget; members also requested that closer consideration was given to the issue of child poverty and requested that focus was also not detracted from issues such as special needs and disabilities.
25.5 Members further noted the deprivation scales shown for the city, which seemed to indicate that there had been no improvement in tackling this issue. It was recognised, however, that even though the process seemed to be long and slow, the city had been much more focused than before and it needed to continue to improve its focus in order to turn around those statistics, continue to do well, and have better outcomes for young people.
25.6 Gail Gray, Women’s Refuge, referred to the issue of domestic violence. She noted that this was a matter which had not yet been considered at the Board, and noted that the matter seemed to have been overlooked in the current report as well.
25.7 Members agreed that there was a need for the Board to consider the issue of domestic violence, which occurred not only at adult level, but also among young people, and requested that a report be brought to the Board about this issue. 25.8 The Chairman noted the attention drawn to the issue of domestic violence and agreed to the request of bringing this matter to the Board at a later stage.
25.9 The Assistant Director, Strategic Commissioning and Governance, also noted the issue raised about tackling child poverty and the issue of domestic violence, and accepted that a more targeted focus was required on those areas.
25.10 Members welcomed the report, noted the plan’s focus and intentions, and welcomed the opportunity to have a conversation about the plan’s aspirations and how all partners could commit to delivering it. They noted that the initial deadline of 18 September, given for the return of the responses to the questionnaire in appendix 2 of the report, might be too close for an adequate response and requested an expansion of this deadline.
25.11 The Chairman and the Director of Children’s Services were agreeable to this extension. The deadline for the return of responses was extended to the end of September 2009. The Director indicated that she would welcome considerations on how the plan could be introduced as the CYPT’s and the Board’s plan.
25.12 The Assistant Director, Strategic Commissioning and Governance, also agreed to circulate an electronic copy of appendix 1 and 2 to all members.
25.13 RESOLVED – That, having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Board accepted the following recommendations:
(1) That written feedback be provided by all partners to the Draft CYPP (as set in Appendix 1 to the report) from their respective organisations.
(2) That it be agreed that a final CYPP be received for approval at the next meeting of the Board on 2 November 2009. |