Third Sector Health & Social Care (HSC) Strategic Forum Meeting Minutes
Tuesday 5th May, 10:00-12:00, the Gateway, PKAVS
Present:
Brian Cowie (BC) CATH
Clare Gallagher (CG) Independent Advocacy P&K
Fiona Matthews(FM) Alzheimer Scotland
Helen MacKinnon (HMcK) PKAVS
Hong Zhang (HZ) PKAVS/ Voluntary Action Perthshire (VAP)
Jillian Milne (JM) Mindspace
Nicholas Morris (NM) PKAVS/MEAD
Olivia Robertson (OR) The Home Straight
Robin Falconer(RF) PKAVS/CET
Lorna Petrie (LP) Ark Community Networks
Hannah Shovlin(HS) Enable
Jennifer Kerr (JK) PKAVS/VAP
Gemma McLintock (GM) ARK
Hanna Blair (HB) Homestart
Phil Duncan (PD) CATH
Jill Murdoch (JM) Autism Initiatives
In Attendance:
Alison Garrow (AG) Penumbra
William Wright (WW) Penumbra
Apologies:
Rebecca Dadge Royal Voluntary Service
Mauree Summers P&K Unpaid Carers’ Forum
Kevin Ditchman Trust Higgins
Fiona Cole Alzheimer Scotland
Carole Anderson Age Scotland
Cath Gray Action for Children
Sarah Renwick Positive Choices
1) Welcome and Apologies:HZ welcomed everyone.
2) Minute of Last Meeting and Matters Arising
Minute was approved and will be available on the VAP website.
3) Updates on Integrated Care Fund (ICF)
· A draft framework of ICF Programme Organisational Structure was shared. HMcK explained that governance structure for the ICF included a ICF Board comprising primarily those involved in the assessment process, supporting officers and possibly a public health link. The Board that will oversee 5 workstreams- Older Peoples Development Group, Carers Strategy Group, H&SC Consultation & Engagement, Co Morbidities/Mental Health, and Deprived Communities. Although funded projects have been thematically grouped in different work-streams to aid governance, it was noted that the strong connections between funded projects across work-streams were essential. The Board will meet regularly to consider areas such as performance, finance, risk and overall progress. In addition to the 5 stream works, monies were also allocated to enabling posts that will provide project support and support to funded third sector organisations. The structure will be shared widely once finalised. HMcK noted that in the draft structure, there were a couple of initiatives that she felt would sit better in different workstreams and had made partners aware of this. JM felt this was true of Positive Choices.
· Note of event: there will be an event for the all leads of ICF funded projects at Salutation Hotel on 04/06/2015. Aim of this event is to introduce the Fund’s aims and funded initiatives to each other and to explore what the support requirements of funded projects. The ICF funded organisations will soon receive an invitation of this event.
· It was suggested and agreed that the forum for the ICF workers/funded project can then be discussed after the event in the forth-coming forum meetings.
· It was noted that a Project Development Worker support post was being recruited by PKAVS and would work with funded organisations. The advert was currently live and available via PKAVS website.
Action:
o Forum for the ICF funded workers will be added to the agenda for next forum meeting.
4) Community Engagement: views/inputs of the Forum as a piece of ‘Join the Conversation’ raw data
· HZ noted that the Forum had instigated useful discussion and feedback throughout its recent meetings that would be relevant to the community engagement activity around Health & Social Care Integration. HZ had compiled key feedback from previous meeting minutes and had submitted to the Forum in advance to seek their approval for this to be submitted as a piece of ‘Join the Conversation’ data. The Views/input from the Third Sector Strategic Forum to the ‘Join the Conversation’ was approved and members agreed to put this forward as a piece of ‘Join the Conversation’ Data.
· Members suggested having someone from statutory agencies to attend our meetings to listen to the issues raised, opportunities identified and Third Sector perspective . It was also emphasised that the forum should be guided by forum members. A suggestion was therefore made that the statutory person(s) could attend the meeting when relevant topics were to be discussed. It was hoped that the Forum would become a platform where health and social care colleagues would look to proactively link into for Third Sector views and engagement.
· The group agreed that a strategic planning contact link would be a good first step. HMcK will take this forward with Perth & Kinross Council.
· JK called for Sense Checkers from third sector organisations to aid the ‘Join the Conversation’ analysis. The role of these workers would be to analyse samples of data collected through the ‘Join the Conversation’ and themed by locality engagement groups. The Sense Checkers would provide a layer of scrutiny to help ensure that data analysis was not affected by inbuilt professional biases. CG noted that the Independent Advocacy has workers would could take up this role. It was suggested the people are involved in analysing the data to gain understanding of the issues.
· HMcK noted that Health and Social Care contacts had asked for early thoughts on how Third Sector Organisations could best interface with locality-based management structures as they developed. Members made suggestion:
o It was noted that this would be difficult for Perth & Kinross-wide organisations due to capacity.
o Organisations would have to make informed choices about best use of their time depending on meeting agendas. For example, making papers available in advance would allow input to be generated. This would particularly help those people who would not be able to attend the meeting to put their views forward.
HMcK will feed initial thoughts around locality linking to Integration Leadership Group contacts.
Action:
o HMcK will make contact with and invite a strategic planning group link to come to the next forum meeting.
o HMcK will feed initial thoughts around locality linking to Integration leadership Group contacts.
5) Penumbra’s talk on Self Directed Support
AG and WW give a talk on the following:
· Penumbra’s 3 areas of work in P&K:
o To support service providers with SDS
o To support practitioners who work within the area of mental health and wellbeing
o To support service providers in the work of prevention and early intervention of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
· Findings of the SDS Questionnaires for providers were shared with the forum.
· The two-hour POWWOW workshop facilitated by Penumbra on 14th April was very successful.
· Penumbra is hoping to help capturing stories of SDS in P&K. For those organisations who know any clients that would like to share their experience of SDS journey (both positive and for those that came across barriers/difficulties), please get in touch with Alison Garrow or William Wright on sdsdev.perth&.
6) Responses of Survey on Third Sector H&SC Strategic Forum
The result of the above survey was shared. 8 responses were received. The overall feedback were very positive in terms of the Forum supporting organisations in the process of influencing policy, and updating with policy, events and opportunities and so on. Open comments had included:
• Unfortunately I can't attend the Forum in person but the email updates are a good way of keeping up-to-date with what's going on.
• It links in us to all that is going on at a local and national level. Good connections and information we would otherwise not have or perhaps even know about.
• Hearing issues and concerns raised by other third sector organisations is a useful means of establishing how the system currently operates and our hopes / fears / expectations for the future. I would hope that the discussion and sharing of experiences at the forum and the knowledge that this will be taken forward to more strategic level implementation groups will help ensure that the third sector has a strong and informed presence in the integration process.
• Hold regular meetings: provide opportunities for discussion and feedback amongst third sector organisations : provide updates from other integration groups / conferences / events: presentations from other agencies.
• Invite statutory agencies to present at meetings
• unsure if the forum can do less and I am not sure what else it could do. There is a good deal of work being undertaken at present.
• I feel it is less relevant for me to continue my attendance at this Forum than others in our field of work at this stage.
• I think it would be very useful for the forum to have a role in monitoring and evaluating the impact of integration on the people it affects- I imagine this will be part of the agenda anyway, going forward.
Whole findings of this survey will be available upon request. A similar survey will be carried out every 6 months.
8) Promoting, Connecting and Developing the Forum
HMcK highlighted that after several months in action, there was an opportunity to review progress on the back of the survey and direct on the strengthening of the Forum in terms of profile and membership going forward. Discussion included:
· It was also acknowledged that the growing of the forum might make the forum too large to have for manageable meetings. It was proposed that theme-based forum meeting, locality-based, or thematic groups might be future vision of the forum.
· Forum for front line workers will help to expand the network opportunities
· Involving statutory colleagues in meetings
· The forum should be firmly established as the avenue between the third sector organisations and the health and social care partnership
· It was noticed that apart from members who attend the forum regularly, there are still a large number of health and social care focused organisations, particularly commissioned organisations, that have an interest in Integration, however, have not yet gotten involved in this forum.
· It was also noted that, previously, some group/organisations attended but did not feel that the forum suits their circumstance e.g. it was too strategic for their group.
· It was agreed that the forum needs more people from a wider range of services to join in.
· Work around profile building could be undertaken – ‘giving the Forum clout’.
· When attending other meetings, e.g. SPG, our representatives should introduce themselves as present as the rep from this group and to give feedback to that group. Vice versa, our reps should also give this group feedback from other meetings to keep the forum members informed about the practice elsewhere.
· It was agreed that as a Sector, we could be undertaking joint work to demonstrate impact around health and social care as a theme, particularly around early intervention and prevention. Ideas included a showcase event or a piece of impact work that could present as a report.
· There was an element of mapping work e.g. interactive board activity to show the connections, networks and pathways we have with clients and between organisations. It was noted that we have rich evaluative data that is shared with funders/ commissioners but that we do not collectively explore and present this.
· It was suggested that in the next forum meeting, we could spend time to consider how an impact report would work and host a separate workshop to develop our thinking.
Action:
o Include ‘ Third Sector Impact Report’ on the next Agenda.
9) Meeting Feedback
• HZ gave the feedback of the Promoting Choices Steering Group Meeting on 14 April 2015
The last meeting was mainly focused on the reflection of
o SDS Awareness Week
§ It was noted that there was positive feedback from other groups
§ Good to see many social workers attended the event
§ Very few service users took part in the event
§ It was agreed that personal story is powerful. Penumbra is interested to help to capture personal stories by videoing people who take SDS. If anyone who knows people who would like to share personal experiences could contact Penumbra.
§ Feedback of the language barrier for people from minority groups was raised by HZ.
§ HZ also noted that one Carer from Highland Perthshire (Pitlochry or Aberfeldy) was disappointed that there was no pop up stops available in her area.
o The SDS funding bids.
No one, by far, had heard any news of funding being granted. However, a few might heard in the case of not been granted. Lesley Sinclair will contact the SG Policy Team to check the updated information about the bids.
· HMcK gave feedback on Tayside Multi-agency Suicide Review Group
o The Suicide Prevention Collaborative Group for Angus and Dundee agreed to pursue work with Perth and Kinross and its partners to develop a Multi-Agency Tayside Suicide Review Group. The role of the Group is to review completed suicides across Tayside. The primary aim is the establishment of a Tayside Suicide Database enabling the collation and triangulation of information on the deceased from a variety of agencies. This information will then be reviewed by the Tayside Multi-Agency Suicide Review Group to determine any lessons to be learned and to advise on both operational and strategic responses, with the overall aim of reducing suicide deaths in Tayside.
o The lead has reached out to the three Third Sector Interfaces in Tayside to connect into the group, both in terms of representation on the group and in terms of connecting wider Third Sector involvement. We have been asked to nominate a representative and an alternate for the TMASRG from the three TSI in Tayside. Continuity in attending the meeting is vital.
o Size of the TMASRG is important in terms of efficiency. Two factors need to be taken into consideration:
§ It should cover as good range of organisations/parties as possible and
§ It should be as few people involved as possible. Information can be spread out after the meeting.
o HMcK noted that the two challenges TSIs are currently considering are
1) managing to attend the very regular meetings
2) how to support the Sector in connecting to this work through robust information sharing protocols
HMcK asked if the Forum had initial thoughts around connecting to this work. Forum members raised queries over data protection and deceased clients and noted that protocols around data sharing would be essential to enable their consideration of engagement.