CHILDRENS CENTRE PRACTITIONERS FORUM

SWIFT & EASY ACCESS / PARENTING SUPPORT SUB COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD

BUSHY LEAZE CHILDREN & FAMILIES CENTRE

Present

Alison Cliffe / Alton Buckle
Clare Allen (chair) / Bushy Leaze Children & Families Centre
Karen Cunningham / EH Portage
Ann Blackman / Bushy Leaze
Ella Palmer / Wootey Infant School
Patti Snook / Bushy Leaze Head
Sharon Goodchild / Parent Support
Jessica Hornsby / PCSO Hampshire Police
Rosie Tracey / HCC - Connexions
Anna Rudziak / Drum Housing Floating Support
Jenny Witchard / “It’s A Girl Thing”
Charlie Cranston / “It’s A Girl Thing”
Karen Magill / Amery Hill School
Ruth Rietdyk / PSA Bushy Leaze
Sue Stratford / Alton College
Emma Kelsall / East Hants Locality Team
Alison Cliffe / Alton Buckle
Barbara Langham / Clerk

1.  Welcome & Introductions

1.1 / Clare Allen welcomed all to the meeting and made the introductions. The meeting was informed of the brief – To improve the Partnership.

2.  Remit of the Group

2.1 / Ann Blackman explained the remit of the group and that she had been in post since May 09 to oversee that process. She felt that this was one of the best attended practitioners forum’s she attended.
2.2 / The matter was discussed and the following points noted:
Ø  Practitioners Forums are supposed to work by area, but Alison Cliffe felt it may be beneficial for the Alton area to hold their practitioners meeting as a joint rural & town meeting. We could consider amalgamating the meeting with Treetops CC area. This would link with the LCP area and reduce the number of meetings for practitioners to attend.
Ø  People are currently unsure of where they will be in a few months time with job cuts, and this adds to reluctance to commit at this stage.
Ø  Liss / Liphook / Petersfield / Chase and Alton all have cross border areas. The challenge is to find a way to ensure all practitioners are not having to attend all the meetings all of the time.
Ø  A period of big change is about to happen in the near future. And there is a need to understand that borders and area’s of responsibility will be realigned. Alison, Ann, Rosemary and Doreen could meet to try and influence where those boundaries and areas are set.
Ø  The purpose of this meeting should be about information sharing and who are the vulnerable families, where they are, and how we can reach them to offer services.
Action: Ann Blackman to contact Rosemary Chase to re-examine the possibility of amalgamating the two areas / AB
2.3 / The question was asked about what attendance is needed to for this meeting to be effective. It was noted there was no representation from health. It is also understood that practitioners would not necessarily want to attend a meeting to discuss how well we work together if the working relationship was good.
2.4 / A Key issue for the next meeting is to investigate why so many children are arriving at YR who have never been heard of. This means they are not accessing any early years provision.
The meeting could be advertised more widely, and consideration should be given to naming contacts for particular agenda items
Action: This meeting should become a main agenda item for the Swift & Easy Access Sub - Committee.

SWIFT & EAST ACCESS MEETING

Present

See Above – There were no changes in attendance for this meeting

2. Welcome & Introductions

2.1 / Clare Allen welcomed members to the Swift & East Access meeting.
2.2 / Alison Cliffe explained that the two core strand of this group were Swift and East Access to services and information for parents, and Parenting Support Services.

3. Minutes of Meeting 5th May 2010 & Matters Arising

3.1 / The minutes of the previous meeting held 5th May 2010 were approved as a true record of the proceedings.
3.2 / The only matter arising that did not appear on the agenda was the review of the LCP delivery plan; a copy of which was circulated at the meeting.

4. Family Support Team - Update

4.1 / There are currently 30 open cases to the Family Support Team. They have resolved or escalated 43 cases. Incoming new referrals are slow, but this is reflective of last year at the same time. Referrals had picked up by Half term.
4.2 / Triple P parenting courses for both primary and teen are planned for this term, starting on the 12th and 13th October.
4.3 / It was noted that the team are meeting a lot of people who are struggling to pay for school trips. It is putting a lot of stress on families, and results in some children being excluded. Reach Out & Have a Go subsidy will cover holiday activities, but the money won’t last long if it is used for residential trips.
Some schools do have welfare funds that can subsidise costs for families in need for curriculum trips only.
4.4 / Reach Out and Have A Go subsidy money is holding out quite well, but does need to be spent by March 2011.
4.5 / The LCP delivery Plan has a lot of actions around parent support, but under the planned cuts in budgets for Hampshire County Council, there will be no funding for the team. Bushy Leaze is very keen to keep Ruth and Barbara, and are currently looking at ways to fund them. To help with this process case studies are being built up, and alternative funding is being investigated.
A piece of work needs to be done around the need for early intervention.
Action: A working party to be set up involving police, health, locality teams, and PSA’s to look at the evidence and successes of early intervention.
Sharon Goodchild informed the meeting that County opinion is that PSA’s and FSOW’s will be devolved into the Children’s Partnerships, and they will secure the funding.The matter was discussed at length and the following points noted:
Ø  It is important that the experience and training is not lost in order to meet the targets in the LCP delivery plan.
Ø  This is an advantage as the LCP is a locally focused group, and not subject to a massive, county wide agenda.
Ø  Other areas are doing as we are and taking the issues to the Head Teachers associations.
Ø  A lot of discussions are going on around the future of the service.
Ø  Alternative funding could include contributions from ASB, police, health and Drum housing.
Ø  Student services and pastoral care are in house for Alton College and Amery Hill but could PS save them both work by becoming the CAF experts for the county? Early Intervention should exist in secondary and college education.
Action: Sharon Goodchild will list what Parenting Support exists currently, where the funding comes from, and the end dates.
Alison Cliffe, Ruth Rietdyk and Barbara Langham to work together with locality teams and police on case studies / AC/ RR
SG/AC
RR/BL
4.6 / There will possible be one more training session for Triple P qualifications, but certainly no more. Alton Buckle needs to look at ways to work in partnership for funding to send people.

5. 21st Century Learning – Sue Stratford, Alton College

5.1 / Education Improvement Partnership (EIP) has funded £5 per child to improve college life for students. Extended Services are part of this. Several strands of funding come out of this funding and 21st Century Learning is one of them
5.2 / A diagram was circulated and the partnership was asked for opinions on how to improve things that are likely to be dropped in new curriculums, for example: happiness, social conscience. The diagram was discussed and the following points noted:
Ø  The new National Curriculum is likely to be very knowledge based.
Ø  The diagram should be extended down to Early Years level.
Ø  The top three priorities to improve should be Transitions, Building Aspirations and Self awareness and social intervention.
Action: Sue Stratford to forward handouts on 21st Century Learning and Transition to be circulated with the minutes. / SS

6. Swift & Easy Access / Parenting – Where are we and next steps

6.1 / The Delivery Plan was circulated at the meeting, The following notes refer to specific areas of the delivery plan.
6.2 / Ø  P4 - Job Centre Plus (JCP) links with Children’s centres ends in May11. Connexions and Drum Housing continue to work well with JCP.
Action: Ann Blackman to contact Clare Crutchenden to strengthen links for the time left.
Ø  CAB can no longer do outreach work, but anyone sent to them by Bushy Leaze will be prioritised.
Ø  In Touch will do outreach work but only if referred by other professional agencies.
Ø  P6 – Need to add in Specialist teachers who are involved all the way through. The “after Alton Course run at Alton Collegeis about volunteering. The plan is in early stages but letters have gone home to parents very recently.
Ø  Need to add into the plan volunteering, mentoring and one to one work..
Action: Need to provide training for mentoring, and look into CRB clearance status before taking this any further. Clare Allen to get in touch with HCC Accredited Community Safety Officers.
Ella Palmer will ask about anything happening in Education Zone.
Ø  P9 – Family Learning needs to be developed. Most people with no qualifications live around Wootey, Eastbrooke and Westbrooke roads, but won’t attend college. Is outreach possible at the schools?
Ø  P17 – All parents of transition aged children from KS1 – KS2 to be made aware of triple P Teen courses. A work shop could be considered rather than a full blown course.
Action: PSA and FSOW to discuss with schools. / AB
AC/CA
/EP
RR/BL

7. Any Other Business

7.1 / Jenny and Charlie outlined their plans for “It’s A Girl Thing” A scheme aimed at young women. They are looking for accommodation in Alton, and plan to provide an after school drop in centre including counselling, nurses, social workers, and be linked to the pregnancy crisis centre. The groups will also work with teenage mothers and pregnancy prevention.
7.2 / Construction work on the long awaited Community Rooms at Wootey Infants will finally start on October 10th.
7.3 / There is a new Community Room facility at Medstead school.

Date and Time of Next Meeting

The date, time and venue for the next meeting will be advised in due course.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 11:45.