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The Chairman opened the item by advising the Committee that
he had been part of the Working Party which had considered this Strategy and he
wanted to thank the Officers for their work on its development. The Chairman noted that some minor changes
requested at the last working party still needed to be updated.
The Portfolio Holder, Children’s Services also thanked the
working party and Offices for their hard work and advised that the Strategy
would be considered by Cabinet in February.
The Service Director for Inclusion and Family Services
advised the purpose of the Report a copy of which had been circulated to each
Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'D' to these Minutes in the
Minute Book was to gain the Committee’s views on the aims, objectives and
elements of the strategy which would be presented to Cabinet in February.
The Committee discussed the Strategy and comments were made,
including:
- A Committee Member gave gratitude for the Strategy and the
work that had clearly gone in to its creation. She felt it showed very positive
aspirations and intent for wanting to provide the best for the children of
BCP.
- In response to a concern regarding the inclusion support
for children who were home educated and how these children were monitored,
the Committee was assured that whilst not monitored through a school
environment, the local authority still had a safeguarding responsibility
towards them. The Corporate
Director, Children’s Services advised she would arrange a briefing
regarding the local authorities statutory duties for home educated
children.
- A Committee Member welcomed the improved youth offer, both
targeted and outreach, and felt this would be very beneficial for the
young people within BCP
- In response to a query regarding the ‘Targeted
Opportunities’ and the reference to ‘Dads’ under the ‘Ready Families’
section of the Strategy, detailed at Page 71 of the Agenda Pack, the
Committee was advised that this section referred to families where
additional support was needed and how parents were a key factor in
improving children’s wellbeing
- A Committee Member requested further work be undertaken
regarding referral times for Child and Adolescents Mental Health Service
(CAMHS)
- It was clarified that the nine family hubs referred to
would be spread across the BCP conurbation and already established
community settings, such as Children’s Centres, would be used for this
purpose
- A Committee Member praised the Strategy and expressed the
importance of ensuring communication and signposting of the Services was
vital to ensure it was a success.
The Committee was advised that the approach toward communication
was being considered and that it was imperative that the information was
disseminated to the wider community through a variety of mediums.
The Chairman summarised the Committee’s overall view that
the BCP Family Support Strategy was very positive and championed holistic
progress, with enthusiasm around the new multi-agency hubs. The Committee expressed concerns regarding
the monitoring of home educated children within the area and referrals to the
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and it was felt that
further investigation was needed in these areas.
RESOLVED that the
Committee positively supported the Strategy for recommendation to Cabinet.