Agenda item

The Board is asked to:

·  Note the key recommendations from the health and wellbeing network discussion:

o  Responsibility for skills and workforce development - enabling people to make the most of their life chances is not the role of one particular agency but requires a commitment across schools, employers, providers and public services. This includes actions such as endorsing the value of volunteering as a valuable and beneficial life skill, promoting positive role models, and signposting to the diverse range of local providers who offer support and training. Other simple steps such as constructive feedback from employers on why applicants are unsuccessful can help to reduce barriers to work.

o  Resilience – delivering and promoting activities that help raise confidence and self-esteem, tackle isolation and improve people’s broad social skills can make a valuable contribution to a person’s development.

o  Access - improving accessibility in relation to information and IT would significantly reduce barriers that many people experience in being able to work and make the most of their life chances.

o  Specialist support - The workshops all highlighted gaps around specialist support including support for children aged 5-11 and for disabled people.

The Chairman invited Ronnie Wright (the Care Forum) to introduce the report.

The Healthwatch B&NES Health and Wellbeing Network meeting on 18 September 2013 was an opportunity for health and social care providers and other interested parties to discuss, in more detail, the benefits of work and wellbeing. Conversation included looking at potential gaps in support as well as how joined up working and an understanding of the different elements of support available can help to promote skills and employment opportunities locally.

Website link for the Health and Wellbeing Network Feedback from 18th Sep 2013 documents is available here - http://www.healthwatchbathnes.co.uk/services/working-and-wellbeing

Ronnie Wright invited the Board to note the key recommendations from the health and wellbeing network discussion:

• Responsibility for skills and workforce development - enabling people to make the most of their life chances is not the role of one particular agency but requires a commitment across schools, employers, providers and public services. This includes actions such as endorsing the value of volunteering as a valuable and beneficial life skill, promoting positive role models, and signposting to the diverse range of local providers who offer support and training. Other simple steps such as constructive feedback from employers on why applicants are unsuccessful can help to reduce barriers to work.
• Resilience – delivering and promoting activities that help raise confidence and self-esteem, tackle isolation and improve people’s broad social skills can make a valuable contribution to a person’s development.
• Access - improving accessibility in relation to information and IT would significantly reduce barriers that many people experience in being able to work and make the most of their life chances.
• Specialist support - The workshops all highlighted gaps around specialist support including support for children aged 5-11 and for disabled people.

The Chairman said that he attended the network event and that he was involved in conversation with some of the care providers who were very keen to collaborate.  Some of the issues that came up from the event were about the information signposting and the IT access.

Pat Foster (Healthwatch) said that another issue that was raised from the event was about the apprenticeship scheme and willingness of all organisations to share the apprenticeship programme.

Jo Farrar commented that some of the findings in this report will be useful for the Economic Strategy and agreed that seems to be a specific recommendation about the signposting that needs to be acknowledged.  The Council is involved in the project search within the apprenticeship scheme and the Council would be happy to share its experience with those who are interested in this issue.

Councillor Dine Romero brought two points to Board’s attention: gap in support for 5-11 years old – this is tackled by the Place Services which could be missed in the signposting of services; and the link between the schools and employers - employers should be linked not only with Council schools but also with academies.

Ronnie Wright agreed with Councillor Romero on the link between the school and employers, whether the schools are Council or independent.  Ronnie Wright also acknowledged the point raised by Councillor Romero on the gap in support for 5-11 years old. These issues were discussed with one of the groups at the event.

John Holden commented that the real question, and challenge, is on how to drive better outcomes without the additional resources.  One way to do that is to work smarter and aim for greater efficiency and for joined-up working. 

The Chairman commented that usually it is the case of culture change in order to work smarter and get better outcomes without the need for additional resources. 

Ashley Ayre commented that the Council has just started with the project Connecting Communities.  Connecting Communities is an initiative taken by Bath & North East Somerset Council, Avon and Somerset Police, Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Bath & North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, and Curo - working together through the Public Services Board - for better joint working with local communities. This in order to meet shared challenges of declining resources, increasing public expectations and the need for a “joined up” approach to tackle the concerns that local people raised.  Ashley Ayre suggested that the Board could look at this project in 6 months’ time.

Diana Hall Hall (Healthwatch) asked about the worklessness and Job Centres.

Ashley Ayre responded that the Council is working on that issue though it is also how the national system works.  It is not a criticism of Job Centres; it is about the way that the government structured the support for those individuals who are going back to work.

The rest of the Board welcomed the feedback from the network event and highlighted the importance of the links between the employers and schools/children.

It was RESOLVED to note the key recommendations from the Health and Wellbeing network discussions: Responsibility for skills and workforce,

Resilience, Access and Specialist support.