Issue - meetings

Mary Kearney-Knowles

Mary Kearney-Knowles, Director of Children’s Services and Education introduced the annual report of the Children and Young People (CYP) Sub-Committee as summarised below:

1.  The CYP Sub-Committee was a formal sub-committee of the Health and Wellbeing Board and produced an annual report for the Board to review.

2.  Appendix 1 set out a review of delivery during 2021/22 and demonstrated that significant progress had been made despite the impact of the Covid pandemic.

3.  The majority of items were RAG rated amber or green, and it was a testament to partners that the priorities had been progressed.

4.  Appendix 5 gave an overview of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) participation.  There had been an increase in the number of children eligible for Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP) and more cases relating to social and emotional issues.

5.  Appendix 6 set out the priorities of the Education Inclusion Service.  A big priority was emotional health and wellbeing and there was still a lot of work that needed to be done in this area.

6.  The CYP Sub-Committee reviewed its terms of reference on an annual basis and was asking the Health and Wellbeing Board to approve the changes.  However, as the Board’s terms of reference were also being updated, the Sub-Committee was asking for provisional agreement subject to any changes to the Board’s terms of reference.

7.  The focus of the Youth Forum had changed to move away from supporting a single member of the Youth Parliament towards engaging more participants.  This change had been supported by the Children, Adults, Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Commission.

In response to questioning by Board Members, Mary Kearney-Knowles responded as follows:

1.  The reason that some of the priorities were RAG rated amber was that the increasing complexity of experiences of children and young people had been challenging during the Covid pandemic and an amber rating was a fairer refection on the ability of partners to deliver.  There could be more narrative to make this clear in the report.

2.  She concurred with the view that the gap in inequalities was widening and that the cost-of-living crisis would put greater pressure on the system and have an impact on the employment of SEND young people. 

The Board RESOLVED to;

1. Note and approve the CYPP Year 1 Review progress report on the priorities identified in the plan for 2021-2023.
2. Approve in principle the revised Terms of Reference for the CYP sub-committee.
3. Incorporate the CYPP Year 1 review and the priorities into the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy, currently under development.
4. Note and approve the Participation Standards.
5. Note and approve the overview of Participation/SEND Standards report.
6. Note and approve the Education Inclusion Report.