Integrated Young People’s Support Services

CHILDREN’S SERVICES
WALSALL COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING
Title of Meeting: / PPS Steering Group
Date of Meeting: / 22nd May 2013
Venue: / IYPSS Larger Meeting Room
Present:
Apologies: / Isabel Vanderheeren (IV)
Kay Munday (KM)
Paul Dixon (PD)
ParmiDheensa (PDH)
Mary Mills (MM)
Lesley Wright (LW)
Sandra Forrest (SF)
Jenny French (JF)
Susan Ebbans (SE) / Part Attendance:
AdminSupport: / Sharon Hall (SLH) / (Minute Taker)
ITEM / OVERVIEW OF DISCUSSION / ACTION BY:
Welcome / Introductions / Apologies
PD welcomed all attendees. 2 apologies given.
PPS Operational Update:
Drop-In’s– These are intermittent, Birchills is a great place, but nobody turned up. KM/JS will try once more. KM stated that we need to review the venues and how we promote PPS. We need to rethink the name of ‘Parent Participation’. Next drop in will include confidence & assertive training.
Action: PD/SF to give date to KM for Sept to promote fun day.
Strengthening Families Course – Next course at Leighswood, as this area has a high number of children with special education needs. Only 1 course per year. Other people are running this course and PPS can refer them to these courses.
Action: KM to ask about a ‘Train the Trainer’ course for SF.
Customer Satisfaction Survey–Finalised. We need to identify who needs the survey. IV has a member of staff for 4 weeks starting on Tuesday who will help with this.
Volunteering–The policy still needs to be signed off. We have a new volunteer coming in to help out.
SEN issues arising from New Local Offer
Walsall is ahead of other authorities. A lot of parents have not been involved in this. Darlington & Northampton are good models and they areworth a look at. We could use these as a starting point and develop something better for Walsall. Walsall’s local offer needs to be ‘what do parents want’.
Parent Participation – Update from meetings:
Meeting Mapping – One of the actions from a very positive meeting, are to find out who the lead contacts are and what work is going on. Any meetings can be shared, add these to the Walsall Council Disabilities website and Family Voice website. IV and DShad a discussion about distributing informationvia Social Networking Groups. We need to look at gaps where we not engaging. Sue & Rose are part of the journey, listening to parents. We need to start the mapping process today. One area of work we need to do is SEN Governess – There are 3 months left, and in Sept we need to be engaging with schools. KM is doing training around SEN. MM stated that you could ask a group of SEN Governer’s at EDC. We could ask for a joint delivery slot at EDC – MM & KM. MM will send the name to KM. We need to compare notes to ensure that information isn’t duplicated. We need to write to individual SEN Governer’sand the Chair of Governer’s. IV suggested that this should come in writing from our Head of Children’s Service to the Head Teachers of Schools and Governer’s. Jane Bonner heads the whole service for SEN. We must be very clear on what we need to say. The best slot is at 4.30pm.
Action: Add mapping meetings to the Walsall Council Disabilities website and Family Voice website.
MM to send the name who is the Chair of Governer’s at EDC to KM.
MM & KM - To ask for a joint delivery slot at Governer’s Meeting.
SEN Return – Task & Finish Groups. LW - current priorities for Walsall are being shaped by Children and Families Act 2014 and will come into effect in Sept 2014. A lot of work needs to be done. Parent Carer Forum are involved in this. Revisit the Joint Multi-Agency Policy and Strategy around SEN. Strategy needs to be a 5 year visionand a draft should be ready by end of July. Reps from Parents, School Head Teachers and relevant professionals (Managers). The Lead on the strategy is Linda Bromwich and she will send out dates. There are 2 meetings –The Strategy Group sets tasks and at the following meeting they look at these tasks and share the outcomes. The second group are the Single Assessment Group - Sheila Wood & Yvonne Nolan. A single plan will replace the statement. The Government expects that the single plan will look different everywhere. If a child & family are eligible and they request, they have to have one. Adult Services work to a Single Plan, Single Assessment & Personal Budgets. The team around schools group, look at the needs of the child in school, to put things in place to meet their needs.
Action: IV suggests Wendy Thompson to attend for older teenagers.
Engagement with Schools – SEN Governess – Making sure that the agencies in Walsall that engagement is with is right. This must be consistent across education, health & social care. Sue & Donna Street are the contacts. IV suggested a Governor as the Chair. Kevin Mee (Head Teacher) is leading. LW to lead on review of services. MM stated that you do need to have the support for parents to challenge schools.
Transport – Contracts are due to run out and will be extended pending agreement to changes to contract and retendering for next year. PD what if it’s not the contract, but the managers who run it. There is a big void between parents and the people who run the transport, this needs to be a two way process, but this is not happening. Engagement needs to put a list together with do’s and don’ts.
Action: LW to add PPS to list of services that needs to be reviewed and liaise with IV & KM.
IV will send LW the report.
IV to ask Darrell Harman who the key contact is for transport.
Communication:
Joint Newsletter – IV needs to update and also write an introduction to the newsletter. Need to agree distribution list – email & hard copy.
Press Release – Forward Plan–Launch of Family Voice website. Family Understanding Needs Day coming up on 22nd June 2013 – Possible St John’s Church, Bloxwich.
Action: Send information on Family Voice Website Launch to Rebecca Robinson for press release.
KM to attend the Family Understanding Needs Day on 22/6/13.
SF to provide paragraph on Family Understanding Needs Day (FUN) for press release.
AOB
Action: KM to ask to havea permanent display on PPS, Family Voice Fun Day and ASK at Leighswood.
3 / DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING:
Date / Time / Venue
11/9/13 / 10.00am / IYPSS YJS Larger Meeting Room

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