Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The following apologies for absence were received:

Corinne Edwards – CCG

Mary Kearney Knowles – B&NES Council

Kirsty Matthews – Virgin Care – Substitute Joanna Scammell

Bernie Morley – Bath University

Vanessa Scott – Healthwatch

Andrew Smith – Primary Care – Substitute Julia Griffith

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting.

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officer or a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no public questions or statements.

To confirm the minutes of the above meeting as a correct record.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as a correct record.

This report seeks to highlight to the Health and Wellbeing Board the progress and approach being taken regarding the development of the new Children and Young People Plan and to seek their views on areas of particular concern for children and young people that Partner agencies are seeing emerge.

Sarah McCluskey and Lesley Hutchinson – 11.35am - 15 minutes

The Board considered a report which highlighted the progress and approach being taken regarding the development of the new Children and Young People Plan and sought views on areas of particular concern for children and young people that partner agencies were seeing emerge. 

Lesley Hutchinson, Director of Adult Social Care, presented the report.  She stated that, although the current strategy is in place until 2021, Officers are aiming to either refresh it for 2021 – 2024, removing completed priorities, retaining continued ones and adding in some new or to carry out a larger review and rework the Strategy.  The Children and Young People Sub-Committee’s proposal is to refresh, and this has arisen as a result of two recent development sessions.  The current outcomes are still considered to be fit for purpose.  It is important to consider inequality issues, to tackle and narrow the achievement gap and to consider matters such as food poverty and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Sub-Committee recommend that the number of priorities also need to be reduced.  The training programme has also been reviewed.  There has been a change in the complexity of needs and there has been an increase in mental health needs; the aim is to specifically incorporate mental health into the plan going forward.  It is also important to provide more support for practitioners working with children and young people with complex needs.

The following issues were discussed:

·  Jo Scammell stated that the priorities are all-encompassing.  It is important to focus on outcomes and key areas.

·  Paul Harris applauded the effort to reduce the number of priorities and to focus more narrowly in order to more deeply address these issues.  He also welcomed the proposal to incorporate inequalities and mental health issues into the existing priorities. 

·  Richard Smale supported a refresh of the Plan rather than a wholescale review and queried how the measures are captured from the perspective of young people.  It was confirmed that the Youth Forum and in-Care Councils are involved in shaping the Plan and that there is direct feedback from service users.

RESOLVED:

(1)  To note the overview of the Children and Young People Plan 2021-2024 development session.

(2)  To note and approve the proposed areas of initial focus for the Plan and to confirm that these fit with the forthcoming Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy.

(3)  To note the evaluation of the Children’s Workforce Training Programme.

(4)  To agree that the Children and Young People Plan should be refreshed rather than completely reviewed.

(5)  To extend the existing Plan to 2022, in line with the new time frame for the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The B&NES Community Safety & Safeguarding Partnership (BCSSP) have prepared the Annual Safeguarding Report for 2019-2020. The Partnership was set up in September 2019, though the report sets out the work of the previous Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults’ Boards up to September 2019. The Annual Report also includes the Partnership priorities for 2020-2021.

Kirstie Webb and Sian Walker – 11.50am - 20 minutes

The Board considered the Annual Report of the Bath and North East Somerset Community Safety and Safeguarding Partnership (BCSSP) for 2019/20.

Sian Walker-McAllister presented the report and explained that it covers the transitional period as the BCSSP became operational in September 2019.  New arrangements have been established and groups and sub-groups have been set up.  The B&NES arrangements are very innovative.

The report contains a great deal of data and it is hoped, in future, to produce a “punchier” report which will be easier to understand and therefore more accessible.

It was noted that County Lines do have an impact on both Children’s Services and vulnerable adults.  There will be a single strategic approach to tackle this issue at all levels.  There is an Exploitation Group which monitors County Lines activity both at an operational and strategic level.

RESOLVED:  To note the Annual Report of the Bath and North East Somerset Community Safety and Safeguarding Partnership for 2019/20.

The Board is asked to consider the attached report regarding a review of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and feedback from the working group.

David Trethewey – 12.10pm - 20 minutes

The Board considered a report regarding the review of the Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy and proposals from the Strategy Working Group.

David Trethewey, Director of Partnership and Corporate Services,informed the Board that the Working Group has concluded that the Health and Wellbeing Board should move away from solely focusing on acute services and health based solutions, and that there should be more emphasis on inequalities and mental health.

The following issues were discussed:

·  Bruce Laurence pointed out that inequalities and mental health issues are often related and that it is important to think of mental health in the broadest sense.

·  Cllr Rob Appleyard stated that this is an ideal time to refresh the overall direction of the Health and Wellbeing Board.  He welcomed the proposal to pay particular attention to inequalities and hoped that this would lead to positive changes.

·  Kate Morton welcomed the wider co-ordinated response to the equalities debate and stated that the Working Group has reflected the relevance and influence that equalities issues should have.

·  The Board thanked the members of the Strategy Working Group for the work they had carried out.

RESOLVED:

(1)  To extend the Health and Wellbeing Strategy until January 2022.

(2)  To conduct a refresh of the Strategy focusing on inequality and mental health.

(3)  To approve the recommendations of the Strategy Working Group (attached as Appendix 1 to the report).

To note that the next meeting will take place on Tuesday 24 November 2020.

It was noted that the next meeting will take place on Tuesday 24 November 2020.