Agenda item

Corporate Parenting Strategy Review

Minutes:

The director of children & families introduced the report and explained the need for a new corporate parenting strategy review and welcomed the attendance of young people at this committee meeting to begin the process. Additionally, the director explained the impact of the Black Lives Matters (BLM) movement and Bright Spots and how these would also feed into this strategy review.

 

Arising from the report and presentation by the director of children and families the following points were made:

 

·  Query on the timeframe and the importance to ensure that the strategy deals with the emerging issues and changed landscape (Covid-19 pandemic and BLM)

·  Mental health and wellbeing challenges

·  Comment on the resilience of local authority children services and work undertaken with foster care placements, which has shown a real demonstration of commitment in these challenging times

·  The planned ‘refresh’ of the Council’s Plan to respond to BLM and COVID-19

·  Big task to ensure that no-one slips through the net

·  Concern about the economic and social mobility impact on children and young people; intervention remains key in terms of education and training and that these result in actual jobs and ongoing learning. Important to focus on how to bridge the gap between education and training. The ‘old style’ apprenticeships previously provided a basis for good training and resulting to jobs but the future is not clear. 

·  Good opportunity to align council and clinical care commissioning (CCG) objectives and the chance to think about joint priorities

·  Issue of ensuring break-out plans/health and support discussed at the health and wellbeing board and to involve more public involvement on these issues via the board (to be more public facing)

·  Concern about the absence of children and young people from the main strategic plan. Important discussions to be had to ensure that children and young people are better reflected in these strategic plans (including the council and the NHS). Need to apply co-production in the design of strategies to ensure that their voice is clear and reflected

·  Access of children and young people to services and addressing their difficulties

·  Child mental health, difficult to find in the plan

 

The director of children and families concluded by welcoming the involvement of all partners, children and young people and the community in taking this strategy forward, which will take time. Continuing commitment to ensure that the strategy is owned by this partnership and joint working to continue.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  That the contents of the report be noted.

 

2.  That the schedule for delivery of the new corporate parenting strategy be developed (a summary of the main issues raised set out above).

Supporting documents: