Minutes –Unconfirmed
The Central Locality Forum
29th January 2015, 10am
Jim Cooke Conference Suite, Stockton Central Library, Stockton-on-Tees
Members: Suzanne Fletcher (Chair, Fairtrade Partnership), Anne Howard (Vice Chair, Newtown Residents Association), Tina Williams (Community Partnership),Cllr Michael Clark (SBC), Verna Pickering (Roseworth Residents), Pam Birtle (Love Stockton), Glen Johnstone (Our Place), Cllr Cooke (SBC), Gareth Rees (Thorpe Thewles Residents), Steve Brock (Stockton Town Pastors), Paul Thomas (Tilery Residents Association), Cllr S Nelson (SBC), Roy Parker, Josie Bailes, Claire Naylor (Job Centre Plus)*Members are representing their nominating body.
Advisors: Sarah Robinson(SBC),James Hadman (Catalyst), Sue Scoon (Thirteen), Emma Agiadis (Thirteen)
Observers:
Apologies:Chris Carter (Primrose Hill Football Club), Cllr Jim Beall (SBC), Insp Brown (Cleveland Police), Cllr N Stephenson (SBC), Insp Tony Cross (Cleveland Police), Janice McColm (TVRCC), Cllr N Wilburn (SBC), Cllr Woodhead (SBC), Abdul Khan (BME Rep/Becon), Joanne Heaney (Public Health – SBC), Marilyn Surtees (Elm Tree Community Centre), Aishah Waithe (Catalyst)
ITEM/ISSUE / ACTION
- Welcome and Apologies
All present provided information on what they had been up to recently as organisations/groups across the community. Following this there was a discussion on the mental health strategy and the suicide rates in Stockton, especially for young males. Cllr Clarke to put it forward as a potential scrutiny committee agenda item.
2. Declarations of Interest
DOI procedure was noted. / Noted
3. Minutes of the Meeting held on 27th November 2014
The minutes were agreed. / Agreed
4. Feedback from Task and Finish Groups
Tees Credit Union – Forum Wide
A task and finish group meeting took place on the 1st December 2014. The notes from this meeting were circulated. The Tees Credit Union are currently in the process of moving to a central Stockton location. Following feedback from the events, task and finish groups etc held with the Tees Credit Union they have rebranded. Members of the Locality Forum requested to continue promoting the Tees Credit Union. If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer at a collection point then get in touch with the TCU. SR to circulate information when available of when the community champion training is taking place.
Breastfeeding – Forum Wide
A further meeting to be organised. It was requested that we raise at the next meeting if churches are breastfeeding welcome. JH to ask about this at Marlborough House.
Paul Thomas enquired how the Willows can be become breastfeeding welcome.
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Following a discussion at the last meeting, it was agreed that FASD be added as a priority to the Central Locality Forum Action Plan. A task and finish group meeting has been organised for the 3rd February 2015 and feedback from this will be provided at the next Locality Forum meeting.
Foodbanks
Following the last task and finish group for this, this priority has now been completed. The Task and finish group provided an opportunity for the first time for all foodbanks operating in the Central Locality Forum area to come together. Following discussions SDAIS are putting together a pack, with the information provided by the task and finish group, for frontline services/referral organisations so that all foodbanks have advice attached to them. TW highlighted that this is working currently at Bridges with a complete link around accessing all services. GR is aware of 2 people in the community who would be interested in volunteering at a foodbank. / Noted
SR to send PT contact details of Ros Nunn, breastfeeding coordinator to register for the scheme.
SR to send GR contact details of how these volunteers could get involved.
5. A Fairer Start – James Hadman, Catalyst
Aishah Waithe is leaving Catalyst to start a new job in public health, Steve Rose will be taking a lead on this in the future.
JH provided an overview of a Fairer Start and background to the Synergy report on community engagement work in the town centre. The key messages from this were:
-Community pride exists in the town centre
-Significant concerns in the ward about bringing up children – isolated young mums and BME mums
-Barriers – finance, money, attitudes to breastfeeding
-Lack of knowledge on what support services are available
Community champions model is still under construction. Ongoing meetings with consultees are taking place to move the conversation on. Key to this is for the cohort to take forward a Fairer Start for example to test the way to consult/support people in the community. Have co-designed sessions with resident input to inform the workforce development plan.
There was a focus group recently with women from the town centre and they discussed that they would like the opportunity to be trained so that they can be community champions.
The Central Locality Forum can help get the message out to the community through having organisational champions as key contacts in organisations. It was noted that community champions need to be operating in the town centre ward.
It was agreed to keep a Fairer Start as a standard agenda item on the Central Locality Forum. It was requested that at the next meeting a map to be provided of which areas are covered by Stockton Town Centre ward for a Fairer Start. / Noted.
6. Items for Information
-SF fed back from the Stockton Strategic Partnership Annual Event. The visual minutes produced for the event were circulated. Good to see what the other Forums had done and share what the Central Locality Forum had done. The Chairs to meet following this.
-Feedback was provided on the Loan Sharks Training. The posters and information were provided for Forum members to provide to the community and display in community centres. Following this training, SR has organised for the training to be provided to the Community Centre Forum.
-Stockton Town Centre residential issues – this was an issue raised previously due to perceived anti-social activity predominantly in the Hartington Road area. Catalyst represents the VCS on the Safer Stockton Partnership and part of the way to get this into the agenda is a quarterly community safety forum meeting with the VCS and Steven Hume and Geoff Lee (if available). Community reps were present at the last meeting and there was a good discussion. It was agreed that this issue sits better with the VCS community safety forum as it feeds into the Safer Stockton Partnership. As a result of this there is a wider debate taking place on reporting issues and how to encourage people to report incidents. If Locality Forum reps are talking to the community, feed into this forum about what is preventing them from reporting. It was suggested that ‘mythbusters’ be produced with details of numbers to contact for Police, SBC, Enforcement, Care For Your Area etc. Cllr Nelson to ask Steven Hume if have mythbusters available and how to circulate them. The New Walk project in the area was acknowledged as good work taking place.
-Celebration Event – Stockton Town Centre Completion – taking place Saturday 21st March 2015, 10-3pm.
-Energy Savings Network session taking place on 12th February, 10-11am at South Thornaby Community Centre and 2-3pm at the Education Centre. / Noted.
Cllr Nelson to speak to Steven Hume re mythbusters.
7. Date and Time of Next Meeting
Thursday 19th March 2015, 10am, Stockton Business Centre. / Noted
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