A

1

LS.ScrutinyTrustReport.Nov09


A

AGENDA ITEM:

1

LS.ScrutinyTrustReport.Nov09

CHILDREN, families & learning scrutiny paNEL

25TH NOVEMBER 2009

MIDDLESBROUGH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S TRUST

GILL ROLLINGS – DIRECTOR: CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND LEARNING

PURPOSE OF REPORT

  1. To provide members with information on the background and current Children’s Trust arrangements in Middlesbrough along with progress made and future plans to strengthen these arrangements.
  1. To demonstrate that government requirements on the implementation of Children’s Trust arrangements have been met.
BACKGROUND
  1. In 2003 the Government published a Green Paper called Every Child Matters. This was published alongside the formal response to the report by Lord Laming into the death of Victoria Climbié.
  1. Following consultation on the Green Paper, the Government published Every child matters: The next steps, and passed the Children Act 2004, providing the legislative spine for developing more effective and accessible services focused around the needs of children, young people and families. The Act received Royal Assent on 15th November 2004.
  1. The Government then published ‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ in November 2004, which made further proposals for improving outcomes for children and young people. The changes focused on five key outcomes for children:

Be healthy

Stay safe

Enjoy and achieve

Make a positive contribution and

Achieve economic well-being

  1. The Children Act 2004 placed a number of statutory duties on local authority areas including:

A duty to co-operate to improve the well-being of all children for named key partners;

Having Children’s Trust arrangements in place by 2008;

Production of a Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) by April 2006;

Appointment of a Director of Children’s Services by April 2008;

Appointment of a designated Lead Member for Children’s Services by April 2008 and

Establishment of a Local Safeguarding Children Board by April 2006.

  1. Section 10 of the Children Act provides the statutory basis for Children's Trusts (the duty to cooperate). Revised Children's Trust guidance on the 'duty to cooperate' was published on 18 November 2008. The 'relevant partners' currently under the 'duty to cooperate' are: district councils, the police, Probation Services, Youth Offending Services, the Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Connexions partnerships, and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
  2. The scope, process and form of Children’s Trust arrangements are left to local discretion, and therefore each local authority area can decide whether new structures are required to support them.
  3. Appendix A, details the Government and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) view of Children’s Trusts in action (‘onion’ diagram), which is taken from the ‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ publication and provides a framework in which Children’s Trusts can operate.
  1. The Government published the National Children's Plan in December 2007, a ten-year strategy to make England the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up.
  2. The Children’s Plan acknowledges that Children’s Trusts will be the key to delivering the Government’s ambitious targets. Ministers therefore announced in consultation published in July 2008 proposals to strengthen Children’s Trust arrangements, including the introduction of further legislation.
  1. Following the consultation the Secretary of State announced plans to legislate to strengthen Children’s Trusts and in particular to:

Extend the duty to co-operate in promoting children's well-being, under the Children Act 2004, to include schools, Academies, non-maintained special schools, FE and sixth-form colleges, short stay schools / Pupil Referral Units and Job Centre Plus;

Require every local area to have a Children's Trust Board and therefore establish them as statutory bodies;

Require Trust Boards to produce, publish, review and revise the local children and young people's plan, which was previously the responsibility of the local authority and

Leave the responsibility for implementing the CYPP to Board partners.

  1. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 received Royal Assent on 13th November 2009 and the DCSF is now consulting on statutory guidance on co-operation arrangements, including the Children’s Trust Board and the Children and Young People’s Plan. This consultation will close on 29th January 2010.

LOCAL TRUST ARRANGEMENTS

  1. Middlesbrough produced its first CYPP in 2006 and formally established the Children and Young People’s Trust on 15th October 2007. A Director of Children’s Services and Lead Member were also appointed, all within the timescales required by Government and the Children Act 2004.
  1. The Children and Young People’s Trust Board is an action group within the Middlesbrough Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) arrangements and is responsible for the Supporting Children and Young People Theme.
  1. Membership of the Trust Board includes all those partners with a statutory duty to co-operate as set out in the Children Act 2004 and is supported by five themed groups addressing each of the Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes. There is also a Joint Commissioning Group, Engagement and Communications Group and a Workforce Development Group. The structure is detailed in Appendix B and a full list of members of the Trust Board and associated themed groups is shown at Appendix C.
  1. The Trust Board members include key decision makers within partner organisations with a statutory duty to co-operate, Chairs of the Themed Groups and representation from the voluntary and community sector. The Board is responsible for setting the vision and strategic direction for the Trust including the development and production of the CYPP.
  1. The ECM Themed Groups are the strategic planning groups within the Trust and are responsible for assessing needs, identifying priorities and appropriate actions, overseeing the implementation of the CYPP and performance management. The groups are chaired by Senior Managers in Children, Families and Learning and in the case of the Be Healthy Group by the Director of Public Health.
  1. The Joint Commissioning Group is a relatively new group responsible for the development and implementation of a Joint Commissioning Framework and Strategy to facilitate the joint commissioning of services. The group is chaired by the Director of Health Systems, Middlesbrough PCT.
  1. The Engagement and Communications Group is responsible for ensuring the voices of children and young people are listened to and are able to influence service planning and delivery. A significant amount of work has been achieved in this area for which the Trust has received local and national recognition.
  1. A Workforce Development Group is overseeing the development and implementation of a Workforce Development Strategy that will drive forward the Government’s national agenda to create a world class integrated children’s workforce.

PROPOSALS TO STRENGTHEN TRUST ARRANGEMENTS

  1. The Trust has an important role locally in improving outcomes for children and young people and in the delivery of the National Children’s Plan and local CYPP.
  1. Middlesbrough Children and Young Peoples Trust agreed to postpone a planned review of Trust arrangements locally pending the outcome of the national consultation. A formal review of current arrangements began in March 2009 and a draft report on recommendations was produced in October 2009 and is subject to formal Trust Board agreement. The review was facilitated by an independent consultant and funded by the PCT.
  1. The review acknowledges that significant progress has been made in developing local Trust arrangements and the commitment shown by key organisations to working in partnership to improve outcomes for children and young people in Middlesbrough.
  1. It has also highlighted key areas for future development, which reflect those identified nationally by Government and the Audit Commission’s recent publication ‘Are We There Yet?’. These have been identified as:

Strengthening governance arrangements;

Clarify its strategic role;

Commissioning and delivery;

Strategic management of key priorities and

Staff engagement.

  1. Strengthening Governance arrangements – The Trust will begin to develop its position of strategic leadership, which will include the establishment of an Executive Group to ensure the decisions and recommendations of the Trust Board are effectively implemented. This will follow a similar approach taken recently by the LSP.
  1. Joint Commissioning - At the present time many of the budgets are held by discrete agencies such as Middlesbrough Council or the PCT. However, there are a number of examples where pooled Children’s Trust partner budgets have been used to commission services including, speech and language services, drug and alcohol services and a range of support services through the use of the Children’s Fund Grant.
  1. Services for children and young people are currently funded by a range of different budgets held by different organisations. These organisations are subject to different financial pressures, accountabilities, timescales and budget processes. This makes joint commissioning a complex process requiring an agreed framework that will secure improved outcomes for children and young people as well as providing value for money.
  1. The table at appendix D gives an indication of the level of investment in 2008/09 across various service areas and activities within the Trust.
CONCLUSION
  1. Middlesbrough has met all of the government requirements relating to the introduction and implementation of Children’s Trust arrangements.
  1. There is a clear commitment from partner organisations to improving outcomes for all children and young people in Middlesbrough and to contributing actively to the Children and Young People’s Trust.
  1. The Trust has recognised that Trust arrangements in Middlesbrough need to be strengthened and has identified key areas for improvement.
  1. The draft action plan that has been developed following the review of the Trust will strengthen current arrangements and subject to agreement by the Trust Board will help ensure that Middlesbrough is able to meet the challenges and requirements that the new legislation will bring.

AUTHOR:Gill Rollings

TEL:01642 728700

Children’s Trust in Action

1

LS.ScrutinyTrustReport.Nov09

MIDDLESBROUGH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S TRUST

1

LS.ScrutinyTrustReport.Nov09

APPENDIX C

CHILDREN’S TRUST BOARD
Name / Organisation / Job Role
Gill Rollings - Chair / CFL / Executive Director - CFL
Colin Wilson – Vice Chair / Youth Offending Service / Head of Youth Offending Service
Bill Robinson – Chair Positive Contribution / CFL / Deputy Director, Performance & Young People’s Services
Lesley Spaven / CFL / Children’s Trust Manager
Neil Pocklington – Chair Stay Safe / CFL / Assistant Director Intervention & Safeguarding
John Keelty – Chair Economic Well-being / CFL Connexions / Connexions Manager
Cllr Hazel Pearson
OBE / Cleveland Police Authority / Cleveland Police Authority Policy and Resources Panel Vice Chair
Cheryl Hodds / Learning & Skill Council / Partnership Director
Cllr Michael Carr / MBC / Executive Member
Dave Smith / GONE / Regional Advisor
Lucia Saiger / Probation Service / Director of Offender Management
Mark Davis – Chair Workforce Development / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Manager
Martin Phillips – Chair Joint Commissioning / Middlesbrough PCT / Director – Health Systems Development PCT
Peter Heywood – Chair Be Healthy / Middlesbrough PCT / Director for Public Health
Raj Pandey / NHS Middlesbrough / Consultant
Steve Sugden / Middlesbrough Police / District Commander
Yvonne Bradbury / Jobcentre Plus
Tees Valley Care / Partnership Manager
POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION THEMED GROUP
Name / Organisation / Job Role
Bill Robinson - Chair / CFL / Deputy Director, Performance & Young People’s Services
Jeff Watson / CFL / Substance Misuse Strategy Coordinator
Anthony Ruddy / CFL / Information Officer
Ian Thompson / CFL Connexions
John Keelty / CFL Connexions / Connexions Manager
Lesley Spaven / CFL / Every Child Matters
Project Manager
Lisa Brett / CFL / Engagement of Children & Young People
Project Manager
Sally Danks / CFL Sure Start / Play Strategy Manager
Sue Little / CFL / Children’s Participation Officer
Wendy Kelly / CFL / Voluntary Sector Liaison & Grants Manager
Helen Williams / Cleveland Fire Brigade / (David Atkinson attends on her behalf)
David Atkinson / Cleveland Fire Brigade / Community Health & Well-Being Manager
(On behalf of Helen Williams)
Diana Simon / MBC Sports & Leisure
Elaine Daglish / MBC / Parenting Strategy Manager
Emma Thomas / North Tees PCT / Children’s Public Health Partnership Manager
Geoffrey Bush / Cleveland Police
Jane Hill / MBC Community Protection Service / Neighbourhood Safety Team Manager
Graham Strange / Safer Middlesbrough Partnership / SMT Co-ordinator
Gill Durdan / The Children’s Society
Julia Bracknall / MCN The Junction / Chief Executive
Peter Carter / Safe in Tees Valley
Louise Morrison / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Officer
Mark Davis / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Manager
Pat Estall / Middlesbrough Partnership / Cluster Rep
Simon Healey / Shape Training
Nigel Sayer / MBC / Chief Executive’s Office Manager
Stephen Bray / Fabrick Group
Sandra Mitchell / South Tees Youth Offending Service / Deputy Head of Service
Steven Percival / National Youth Advocacy Service
ECONOMIC WELL-BEING THEMED GROUP
Name / Organisation / Job Role
John Keelty – Chair / CFL Connexions / Connexions Manager
Cheryl Hodds – Vice Chair / LSC / Partnership Director
Christina Jones / CFL / Curriculum Advisor
Jane Young / CFL / Leaving Care Team Manager
Lesley Spaven / CFL / Children’s Trust Manager
Linda Harries / CFL / Senior Standards Advisor
Patricia Miller / CFL / KS3 Science Consultant
Steven Garvey / CFL Sure Start / Business Support Manager
Alison Joynes / Erimus Housing / HR Manager
Julie McNaughton / Erimus Housing / Homelessness Manager
Stephen Bray / Fabrick Group / Development Manager
Sharon Caddell / MBC Strategic Housing / Strategic Housing Services Manager
Lawrence McAnelly / Community Campus 87 / Development Manager
Brian Glover / MBC Transport / Head of Transport & Design Services
Claire Elliott / MBC Regeneration / Employment Initiatives Officer
Sarah Brannen / MBC Regeneration / Homelessness Advice Co-ordinator
Julie Farrar / MBC Cultural Services / Development Manager
Sarah Metcalfe / MBC Regeneration Local Economy Action Group / LEAF Support & Policy Officer
David Ward / Pertemps
Emma Thomas / North Tees PCT / Children’s Public Health Partnership Manager
Helen Stokes / LSC
Janice Webster / Teesside University / Creative Arts & Cultural Enterprise Consultant
Joanne Fryett / NECC / Chief Executive
Julia Bracknall / MCN The Junction / Chief Executive
Mark Davis / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Manager
Louise Morrison / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Officer
Simon Healey / Shape Training
Wayne Mason / Fairbridge / Manager
Yvonne Bradbury / Job Centre Plus / Partnership Manager
BE HEALTHY THEMED GROUP
Name / Organisation / Job Role
Peter Heywood (Chair) / North Tees NHS / Director for Public Health
Emma Thomas – Vice Chair / North Tees PCT / Children’s Public Health Partnership Manager
Alyson Harker / Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland Community Services / Community Nursing Manager
Carol McArdle / Middlesbrough PCT
Carol Murrish / South Tees Trust / Head of Midwifery
Chris Davis / TEWV – NHS / General Manager for Tier 3
(Steven Clarkson attends on his behalf)
Chris Nugent / NHS / LAC Nurse
Claire Robinson / NHS Middlesbrough Health Improvement / Sexual Health Lead
Rebecca Laidler / NHS Middlesbrough Health Improvement
Dr Deborah Beere / Health Trust / Lead Consultant Contraception & Reproductive Health
Jane Wiles / South Tees Trust / Children Services Manager
Jill Stewart / Middlesbrough PCT / Stop Smoking Specialist
Julie Armstrong Wilson / Middlesbrough PCT / Children’s Commissioning Manager
Kamini Shah / North Tees PCT Public Health / Dental Health Consultant
Lindsey Johnson / NHS Middlesbrough Health Improvement
Mark Reilly / Middlesbrough PCT
Sue Perkin / NHS Middlesbrough Health Improvement / Head of Health Improvement
Tina Walker / NHS Middlesbrough Health Improvement / Team Leader
Michelle Larkin / Middlesbrough PCT / Head of Community Nursing Services
Steven Clarkson / CAMHS / Representative for Chris Davis
Gillian McGready / CFL / Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Lead.
Jannette Bainbridge / CFL / Healthy Schools Manager
Jeff Watson / CFL / Substance Misuse Strategy Coordinator
Lesley Spaven / CFL / Children’s Trust Manager
Trish Fewster / CFL – Children with Disabilities / Children with Disabilities General Manager
Jenny Dalby / CFL Social Care / Team Manager
Lynn Lang / CFL / Children’s Services Locality Manager
BE HEALTHY THEMED GROUP
Lisa Flanigan / Middlesbrough Mind / Project Manager
Sandra Egleton / Barnardos / Regional Manager
Wendy Shepherd – Vice Chair / Barnardos- MCN / SECOS Manager
Louise Morrison / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Officer
Mark Davis / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Manager
Becky Scorer / Teesside Hospice Care Foundation / Project Manager
David Atkinson / Cleveland Fire Brigade / Community Health and Well-being Manager
Jackie Riley / Middlesbrough Partnership / Cluster Rep
Jackie Mason / School Sports Partnership
STAY SAFE THEMED GROUP
Name / Organisation / Job Role
Neil Pocklington (Chair) / CFL / Assistant Director Intervention & Safeguarding
Wendy Shepherd / Barnardos / SECOS Manager
Becky Rogerson / My Sisters Place / Manager
Gill Durdan / The Children’s Society
Julia Bracknall / The Junction / Chief Executive
Louise Morrison / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Officer
Mark Davis / MVDA / Planning & Partnership Manager
Cherry Baker / CFL / Behaviour Support Officer
Gary Watson / CFL / Planning Officer
Jan Bainbridge / CFL / Healthy Schools Manager
Jacqui Callaghan / CFL Sure Start / Service Manager
Jane Kochanowski / CFL / Service Review & Development Manager
Jeff Watson / CFL / Substance Misuse Strategic Coordinator
John O’Boyle / CFL / Behaviour & Attendance Advisor
Lesley Spaven / CFL / Children’s Trust Manager
Trish
Fewster / CFL / Children with Disabilities
General Manager
Chris Davis / TEWV – NHS / General Manager for Tier 3
(Steven Clarkson attends on his behalf)
David Atkinson / Cleveland Fire Brigade / Community Health and Well-being Manager (On behalf of Helen Williams)
Helen Williams / Fire Service / (David Atkinson attends on her behalf)
Rachel Beard / Safer Middlesbrough Partnership / Older People & Physical Disabilities Communities Co-ordinator