Agenda item

Julia Cramp, Associate Director, Quality Assurance, Commissioning, Performance, Schools & Early Years Effectiveness, will introduce and explain the Draft Early Help Strategy 2013-16 prepared by Wiltshire Children & Young People’s Trust and Wiltshire Safeguarding Children Board. The Strategy is out for consultation until 27 December 2013.

The Committee has agreed that Early Intervention is one of its work priorities for this Council and an information briefing for members will be provided prior to the meeting (9.30am in the meeting room).

Julia Cramp, Associate Director (Joint with CCG)for Commissioning, Performance and School Effectiveness introduced and explained the Draft Early Help Strategy 2013-16 prepared by Wiltshire Children & Young People’s Trust and Wiltshire Safeguarding Children Board.  This followed on from an information briefing which was provided for Members immediately prior to the start of this meeting. The Strategy was out for consultation until 27 December 2013. Members were reminded that the Committee had previously agreed that Early Intervention was one of its work priorities for this Council.  

Julia Cramp explained that the Early Help Strategy set out the improved outcomes the Council wished to see implemented for children and young people and the following priority objectives to achieve this:

Objective 1: Ensure the best start in life

Objective 2: Gaining the skills required to begin school

Objective 3: Being ready for adult life

Objective 4: Develop a family-based approach to early help

Objective 5: Develop effective structures and processes to access early help

It was noted that the Early Help Strategy would play a pivotal role in securing the high level outcomes set out in the Children and Young People’s Plan 2012-2015.  A range of early intervention and prevention key impact indicators were being developed as follows:

·       Tackling inequalities in low birth weight to improve health outcomes in childhood and adulthood

·       Readiness of children to start school at age 5

·       Improving foundation stage profile results for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups

·       Improving literacy and numeracy attainment at ages 11, 16 and 19

·       Success in closing the gap in educational attainment between children and young people from different socio-economic backgrounds

·       Reduction in the number of children and young people missing school

·       Reduction in persistence absence

·       Reduction in the rate of teenage pregnancies

·       Reduction in the number of children and young people experiencing poverty

·       Increased numbers of children and young people self-reporting a high level of wellbeing

·       Increased numbers of 16-18 year olds participating in education, employment and training

·       Increased numbers of young people engaging in positive activities

·       Reduction of anti-social behaviour

·       Reduction in the number of young people offending including first time entrants to the criminal justice system

·       Reduction in re-offending rates

·       Number of contacts made to children’s social care

·       Percentage of referrals to children’s social care going on to initial assessment

·       Number of children requiring statutory child protection intervention

·       Reduction in the number of children and young people in residential home placements including a reduction in the number placed in homes rated as less than “good” by Ofsted

·       Reduction in the number of SEND young people going to residential, out of county, educational or social care settings

·       Analysis of patterns and trends in young people attending GUM (Genito Urinary Medicine) clinics

·       Analysis of patterns and trends of Child Trafficking Investigations

·       Levels of children and young people admitted to hospital for non-accidental injuries including self-harm

·       Reduction in substance abuse

·       Reduction in inappropriate caring responsibilities

·       Improving attendance and attainment of looked after children

·       Number of children in need under Section 17 of the Children Act

·       Supporting parents in to work and sustaining employment

During discussion the following points were raised:

Ø  Concern was expressed that networking was beginning to fall apart due to inconsistencies in partners’ training, especially Police.   However, it was explained that the Police were keen to work with other partners and also take part in partner training that was still ongoing.  It was pointed out that l partners were signed up to the Workforce Development Programme.

Ø  The proposals for early intervention were warmly welcomed but it was stressed that help and advice especially to parents should be made available even before the child was born so as to provide the best possible environment for the child’s development.

Ø  It was considered that a single point of access for early help should be provided centrally in Wiltshire from where the most appropriate help or advice could be drawn down. 

Ø  It was pointed out that there was a need to continue to improve the CAF (Common Assessment Framework) and TAC (Team Around the Child) processes by:

(1)  Linking the CAF (Early Help Assessment) with the Social Care Single Assessment to support the child from early help to Children’s Social Care and ‘step down’ back to early help where appropriate.

(2)  Improve the capacity and quality assurance role of the CAF Coordinators to create additional resource to support effective early help.

(3)  Improved training, advice and support offer to lead professionals.

Ø  There was a need for all targeted services to be linked and also for primary schools to work very closely with children’s centres in order to create a seamless move for children from pre-school to primary education.

It was noted that the key impact indicators being developed, as set out above, would be reviewed at six monthly intervals and after further discussion,

Resolved:

(1)            To note the contents of the Draft Early Help Strategy 2013-16.

(2)      To request the final Strategy and draft implementation plan for the next meeting in May 2014 following the closing date for representations.

(3)      To request progress reports immediately after the key impact indicators had been reviewed at about six monthly intervals.

(4)             To thank Officers for the excellent draft report and to support the ‘invest to save’ approach of Early Intervention as an effective use of Council money, particularly its focus on outcomes.