Issue - meetings

To consider a report describing the arrangements for the Children and Young People Partnership and noting the progress made by the group so far.

The Chair introduced the item confirming that the partnership is a subgroup of the HWBB.

Councillor Penny-Anne O’Donnell introduced the item and confirmed that the first meeting of the children and young people partnership had taken place over the summer. The focus of the first meeting had been SEND; arrangements for moving forward and streamlining the workstreams involved. Terms of Reference for the SEND & Inclusion partnership were circulated following the first meeting and comments invited, to be returned by the October meeting. The October meeting will also look at mental health and health visiting as part of the agenda.

Nigel Minns, Executive Director for People reminded the board that the partnership was set up as a response to a gap in service provision, identified from looking at children’s services across the council.

The key elements to the partnership strategy will be looking at how services can work together and collaborate. The strategic priorities are –

•   Early Years (first 1001 days) – recommendations from the Warwickshire 0 – 5 JSNA.

•   Children and Young People’s mental health and wellbeing.

•   Problem solving streams to allow children and young people to focus on current challenges. 

The board acknowledged that the complexity of mental health concerns can involve partnership working from very different services and that it will be key to embed the partnership working into the strategy.

It was confirmed that the HWBB will receive regular updates from the group in relation to the Children and Young People’s agenda, partnership working and what progress has been made.

Following a question from Councillor John Holland in relation to the Public Health 2022 annual report, and the recommendation that all primary school children have free school meals, it was confirmed that monitoring this recommendation was within the remit of the HWBB, but schools did not. However, officers confirmed that there are issues around the capacity of schools to provide free school meals, but one school has been asked to take part in a pilot. Dr Shade Agboola confirmed that work has started to look at the feasibility of the recommendation.

The Chair thanked the group for the work they are doing. It was noted that part of the HWBB is commissioning and monitoring JSNAs; a request for analysis and updates in relation to JSNA’s carried out by the Children and Young People Partnership was made to be provided to the board at the meeting in January 2024.

Resolved

That the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1) Notes the progress made by the Children and Young People Partnership.

And

2) Approves the reporting arrangements of the Children and Young People Partnership to the Health and Wellbeing Board; and the proposed escalation route related to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)