Broomhouse Centre

South West & Pentlands Voluntary Sector Forum

Tuesday 5th September 2017

Broomhouse Centre

PRESENT:
Chair: n/a – Between chairs.
Danny Holligan, Barnados -
Margot Mackenzie, Home Start -
Bridie Ashrowan, Broomhouse Centre -
Denise Horn, EVOC -
Grace Mackenzie, Lothian Community Health Initiatives Forum –
Liz Simpson, NHS Lothian –
Denis Dixon, City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/
Brendan Fowler, Prospect Community Housing -
Ricky Henderson, City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/
Allan Farmer, WHALE Arts -
Tirion Seymour, LOOPs Community Wellbeing Team -
Ashley Graczyk, City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/
Donald Wilson, City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/
Rob Henthorn, EVOC -
APOLOGIES:
Gillian Waddell, Edinburgh College -
Catriona Windle, Health All Round -
Sascha Macleod, The BIG Project, Broomhouse Primary SchoolLinda Arthur (LA), Wester Hailes Health Agency
Clare Steer, Wester Hailes Youth Agency -
Lucy Aitchison, Broomhouse Health Strategy Group -
David Marshall, Dad’s Rock -
Keith Noble, Wester Hailes Baptist Church –
Andy Shanks, Health and Social Care Partnership –
Savita Kumar, Nari Kaliyan Sangho –
Abby Boultbee, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust –
Deborah Clark, EVOC –
Bruce, Tiphereth -
Susan Webber City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/
Cathy Fullerton City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/
Gavin Corbett City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/
Andrew Johnston City of Edinburgh Council – http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/

Welcome & Introductions

Thanks to the Broomhouse Centre for hosting us and providing lunch.

Matters Arising

Update to Minutes of previous meeting: Andy Shanks has since moved on from the post of Locality Manager Health and Social Care.

Living Well Updates: Join The Dots Broomhouse, Wester Hailes Community Trust, Gorgie Dalry Forum

Join the Dots – Liz Simpson and Bridie Ashrowan
The group remains strong and creative with good support from a variety of partners including Edinburgh Napier University.
Emerging priorities: young people and poverty, seeking to approach these issues through community consultation with a wide variety of groups.
Ongoing proposals for a Health and Wellbeing Group across the whole locality, engaging with the groups above to ensure a bottom-up implementation process for the new Locality Improvement Plans.
Terms of Reference have been drafted for a South West Locality Health Group, replacing the Health and Equalities group which existed before.
A general feeling that not as much of this collaborative work was reflected in the Locality Improvement Plan as might have been possible, but that scrutiny is still to be had on the LIP itself with publication due at the end of August.
Wester Hailes Community Trust
Living Well Wester Hailes – community partnership approach meeting on a monthly basis to work collaboratively on improving local outcomes, supporting local groups to take forward improvement ideas.
Priorities which were set in 2015/16 are still ongoing, but a review of these by the forum is due soon.
WHCT was not included in consultation directly on the draft Locality Improvement Plan, and there is a sense that their perspectives were not well integrated into the process.
Wester Hailes-wide project addressing food insecurity: getting this formalised and realised soon, with quite a lot of money and 4 new staff members for 16 months. A bottom-up created project that came from the community and came through the trust itself. Challenge will be maintaining momentum to make best use of the work done so far.
Gorgie Dalry Forum
Lots of collaborative activity already ongoing, and still looking for extras.
Intergenerational work and old-people’s services connecting with schools through community events.
Looking for opportunities to hold informal networking events across the area.

Locality Update, Draft Locality Improvement Plan: VSF Chair and Denise Horn (EVOC)

Paul Laurence (Locality Manager for the South West) has now heard loud loudly from the VSF that the Voluntary Sector felt left out and should be treated as an equal partner.
The previous Locality Leadership Team was not attended by Voluntary Sector Forum reps, as these meeting being held within school holidays makes it difficult for the VS in particular to guarantee attendance.
The ongoing ask from the VSF is for VSF reps to be included in the Action Groups going forward, contributing to future iterations of the Plan and to its overall implementation.
Various Councillors present (including Donald Wilson, Convenor of the Culture and Communities Committee overseeing the LIPs’ development) assured the meeting that there was still opportunity for scrutiny and changes to the Plan. Focus from the Council is on the governance of the Localities in order to implement the Plans, finding a balance between structured support and flexibility in these arrangements. There is a recognition that Neighbourhood Partnerships were an important form of engagement which included the Voluntary Sector, but that these bodies were hamstrung as Advisory Committees to ensure equal voting power between Councillors and other partners. Future role of the Neighbourhood Partnerships still uncertain at this point.
VSF members raised the point that it was important for Councillors and Council Officers to remember that there is no ‘command and control’ structure in the Voluntary Sector as there is with statutory partners, and this can sometimes mean that decision-making in the Voluntary Sector is a little delayed.
Specific issue of Older People's Services in Balerno (etc.), preventative support: the LIP identifies emerging themes in this field, but geographically the area some voluntary organisations cover are not captured in the specific areas of deprivation. So how will the needs of those service user be met specifically? There is a recognition from Councillors that City-wide services will also need to be captured in the considerations of action groups going forward.
ACTION:

Organisations should be ready to put in their own response to forthcoming consultation on Neighbourhood Planning, as should the VSF itself when opportunity arises.

Neighbourhood Partnerships Update

Largely covered by item above. Additionally should be noted that no current proposals exist for future Neighborhood Partnership meetings, but the possibility is left open.

CSMG Update – Danny Holligan

Report from Knowing Me. Knowing You event held in June
First event took place in June. Concept of ‘Sophie’s Pathways’ worked really well. Now being used in agencies/teams to talk about what they’re doing. Contacts made which have led to joint working. Knowing who we are, and what each other does means we can more easily pick up the phone and seek advice. Families say they don’t want to see multiple agencies. It is expected that by better joined-up working, referrals can be reduced and that families will get better quality from services. Another ‘Sophie’ event planned for 5th October 1.30pm-3.30pm at WHEC (TBC). Inputs being sought from a few other agencies: e.g. schools/EWO; 3rd sector. Offers have so far been received from WHEC/Firrhill to contribute. Danny to discuss with 3rd sector colleagues.
Child Friendly Edinburgh: Restorative Practice
Donna Anderson SW Practice Team Manager and Chair gave a presentation. All Social Work managers have seen presentation and this will also be shared at 31st August event at Murrayfield for Children & Families Leaders. This based upon practice developed in Leeds started in Social work Department 5 years ago after a poor Inspection. It was subsequently rolled out until it became a city – wide approach. It is mainly about how we behave towards each other; how we work with children & families. It is about doing work ‘with’ rather than ‘for’ or ‘to’. Relationships and conversations are key. It requires cultural shift. Currently the main focus is within the council but needs to involve participation of police, 3rd sector and NHS from an early stage and could look at Jt Training in December with lead for restorative practice at WHEC facilitating. It is also intended that it remains a regular agenda item for the meeting and that progress is linked to the Locality Improvement Plan.
Locality Improvement Plan (LIP)
This will be a 5-year plan which will be reviewed annually. Drawn together with tight timescale. It is anticipated that the ‘Leeds’ approach will inform part of it feedback sought from the community through informal ‘light’ engagement sessions. This is not a fixed plan but will develop over time.
1) Action Plans to be ready for 1st October and CSMG will meet again on 20th September to discuss further. There is some leeway on how many actions are worked on at a time.

VSF Chair Succession

Caroline Richards is stepping down as chair, and we have so far received one expression of interest in taking up this role.
Possibility of having co- and depute- chairs is also open, if people would be interested in a lower level of commitment.
ACTION:
2) RH to circulate call for chair and/or depute/co-chairs.

Attendees briefly considered future invitees to the VSF, but noted that this would be dependent on the future structures of locality governance and LIP implementation.
ACTION:
1) Return to this question at a future date.
Date of Next Meeting
The date of the next South West & Pentlands VSF meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 5TH December 12-2pm. Venue: TBC