Agenda item

Helen Riley - Deputy Chief Executive and Director for Families, Staffordshire County Council

Helen Riley, Deputy Chief Executive and Director for Families and Communities, Staffordshire County Council provided a presentation on Staffordshire Families Strategic Partnership (FSP) Board, supported by Mick Harrison, County Commissioner for Children and Community Safety, Staffordshire County Council. In the course of the presentation the establishment and membership of FSP Board was discussed along with the governance arrangements and interaction with Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board.

It was highlighted that;

-       The FSP Board would set the direction of travel.

-       A Families Executive Partnership Group had been established to take forward the strategy.

-       An Integrated Commissioning Sub Group would bring partners together in commissioning which would improve the outcomes for children.

-       Short life task and finish groups would be set up as and when required.

-       The FSP Board included schools, community and voluntary sector representatives. The Board was considering how to include provider representation.

-       Demand management encouraged interdependence. It was important to avoid duplication and address the route causes of issues and not the symptoms.

-       The strategy inherited from the previous Children’s Strategic Partnership Board was being refreshed by the FSB Board. It was important to have one strategy and include within this the Early Help Strategy and the Hidden Harm Strategy so that there could be one integrated plan.

-       A Children and Families Transformation programme was building on approaches that were known to work. It was recognised that it was important to build resilience in families and communities. Early help was fundamental.

-       There were a number of Pilot proposals. These would be initiated by partners to explore the delivery of different aspects of the model outlined within the report which included a whole system partnership approach that considered the whole family.

-       It was important to consider how to prevent children, young people and their families coming into the system.

-       All contracts across the system would be considered and opportunities to avoid duplication and to commission in partnership around route causes explored. The drugs and alcohol Intensive Prevention Service was referred to as an example of commissioning that had effectively brought services together to collectively work with families.

In the conversation that followed it was confirmed that;

-       One thousand three hundred families had been turned around in the first two years of the Building Resilient Families and Communities (BRFC) programme. Only six percent of these families had come back into the system. The programme operated on a payment by results basis. The second phase of the programme had been broadened to included health and domestic abuse. It was anticipated that over the next five years, five thousand families would be supported.

-       It was important for partners to work together to address the route causes of problems, what interventions could help and to measure the outcomes. It was a challenge to ensure health improved also.

-       It was requested that a system wide matrix be developed to demonstrate independencies.

-       The development of a young people’s Healthwatch was being considered.

-       It was suggested that progress of the FSP Board be reported back to the Health and Wellbeing Board in six months time.

-       BRFC work should include health outcomes as well as wellbeing outcomes in the performance matrix.

-       The Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee had recently completed a review of Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Services.

Resolved:

-       That the Health and Wellbeing Board approve the working protocol for the Health and Wellbeing Board, Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board and the Families Strategic Partnership Board.

That the Health and Wellbeing Board request a further update from the Families Strategic Partnership Board on its strategic intent, integrated commissioning protocols, delivery plans, outcomes framework and progress on the Children and Families Transformation Programme in six months time.