Agenda and minutes

There were none on this occasion.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Safe and Strong Communities Select Committee meeting held on 12 December 2016 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

The Children and Families System Transformation Programme worked to address the challenges identified within the children’s social care system and the broader children’s system. The approach had been agreed through the Families Strategic Partnership to implement the system transformation through a place-based approach, which Members had considered at their 12 December 2016 meeting.

A number of pilot projects had been developed to explore and test the delivery of different aspects of the Children’s Transformation Model, with the potential to expand provision and practice where evidence demonstrated projects had been successful in delivering intended aims and where they represented effective use of resources. The Select Committee had last been updated on developments with these pilots at their 8 July 2016 meeting.

Since their July Select Committee all of the eight pilots were now active. All pilots were beginning to demonstrate positive outcomes, with those individuals who had benefited from the pilots giving positive feedback where hard data was not yet available. Five of the projects (Tamworth, Newcastle, Moorlands, Stafford and South Staffordshire) had indicated they incurred delays in implementation. Cannock and Lichfield pilots, which had been in place for longer, were able to demonstrate positive outcomes at the end of this reporting period. The East Staffordshire pilot was endeavouring to develop grass roots change to culture and attitude as a means of addressing the issues which had arisen within a community and it was recognised that this would take some time to embed.

The Pilots had changed and developed to meet local need and enable effective partnership working. Additionally the creation of the place based approach could see a further evolution in the Tamworth and Newcastle pilots. Strong partnership approaches had been crucial in terms of sustainability, with Tamworth, Newcastle and Stafford pilots having secured either match funding from partners and/or a commitment to consider further support to maintain the approach.

Angela Schulp, District Commissioning Lead for Cannock, shared a case study example from the Cannock pilot. This pilot had been designed to deliver a coordinated community led family intervention service for children and families who required universal or Tier 2 interventions, helping build resilience and prevent escalation. The West Chadsmoor Family Centre (WCFC) and Community Engagement Support Services (CESS) were both commissioned to support families. Members heard of a successful early intervention case. The intervention had been relatively brief, a few hours each week over a five week period, but the results had been significant, improving the mental wellbeing, behaviour and confidence of the family.

Whilst applauding the success of this pilot Members asked for clarification over the time commitment needed from key workers to ensure its success and whether there was the capacity to maintain this in the longer term. The commitment varied dependent on the family need, with some families requiring only one visit whilst others may require a greater level of support. Work was ongoing with both WCFC and CESS to ensure they had the capacity to manage this work and to review if necessary. Local Support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

[The Chairman welcomed Ellen Washington, Scrutiny Officer, Stoke-on-Trent City Council (observing the meeting). External Officers attending the meeting for this item were David Pattison, Director of Legal and Public Health Protection, South Staffordshire District Council, Robert Simpson, Regulatory Services Group Manager, Stafford Borough Council and Detective Chief Superintendent Tim Martin, Staffordshire Police.]

At the start of this item Members watched “Kayleigh’s Love Story”, a film produced by Leicestershire Police sharing a case from 2015 of on-line grooming and its tragic consequences. Members agreed this film had an immense impact.

The Select Committee receive a report updating them on progress to address Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Staffordshire on a bi-annual basis, with their last report being received on 8 June 2016. Members now considered developments since their June meeting.

CSE was a very complex area and work was ongoing through the Staffordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (SSCB). The Child Sexual Abuse Forum (CSAF) was established jointly by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Children’s Safeguarding Boards (LCSB) and their partners in January 2015. The CSAF was a way of sharing information, co-ordinating and driving the work on CSE through their CSE Action Plan.

Members noted reference to the Government review of LCSBs by Alan Wood and the wide-ranging reforms recommended to multi-safeguarding arrangements. Members asked whether there were plans to combine the Staffordshire and the Stoke-on-Trent Children’s Safeguarding Boards as a result of these recommendations.  The Boards remained separate at present and Members were informed that combining them would need a political decision.

Detective Chief Superintendent Tim Martin informed Members that there was a partnership response and good joint working in tackling CSE.  Three Police Teams were responding to CSE issues: Preventing CSE; On-Street Child Exploitation; and On-line Child Exploitation. Members received details of work within each of those teams. Nationally there had been an increase in CSE reporting. Operation Safenet worked to proactively target groups or individuals who were seeking to distribute indecent images of children and those who were grooming children online. The Operation had been involved with 209 children, had issued 162 warrants and had resulted in 141 arrests. Members were also updated on two further recent operations, Operation Linear and Operation Shade.

Members noted that a CSE co-ordinator post, funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), had been vacant since 22 July 2016 and queried why this post had remained vacant.  Members were informed that the post had been allocated but that the individual had not been released until January, although work had continued without the co-ordinator in post.

Members noted that following the trial of four men charged with a total of twenty-three offences, three had been convicted of sexual offences against four girls and one had been cleared. Members asked whether the availability of further resources would have secured the fourth conviction. Resources were always a challenge, however Member’s heard that resources were moved to ensure there was adequate support for CSE as required on a daily basis.

Members asked whether membership  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

The Select Committee considered their work programme and noted that the lead officer for the Adult Social Care Market Failure Policy item was now Andrew Jepp, Care and Commissioning Lead.

RESOLVED – That the change to the work programme be noted.