Issue - meetings

Surrey County Council has been working together with partners across the County and in Epsom and Ewell to transform the system of early help that supports children, young people and families who are in need. We need to do this to both improve outcomes for local families and also address more effectively a number of the demand pressures we are facing across the public sector in Surrey.

This report provides local Members with an update on the new model that Surrey County Council and partners have been developing for early help for the county overall and how this is progressing locally in Epsom and Ewell.

That the Local Committee [Epsom & Ewell] agreed:

(i)    To support the latest early help developments in Elmbridge, including proposed early help priorities for re-commissioning and the location of Local Family Partnerships;

(ii)   That Cllrs Mrs Jan Mason, Neil Dallen and Lucie Dallen be appointed to sit on the Epsom & Ewell Early Help Advisory Board, to provide member input into local discussions and a link back to the committee for the remainder of 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Reasons: We want Local Members to be informed about the proposals that we have been developing in partnership for the early help system in Surrey. We believe these proposals will help us realise better outcomes for children and young people within the early help resources we have available. We also know however that early help is most effective when it is planned and delivered locally, so we are seeking the advice of the Local Committee to inform our identified local priorities.

Declarations of Interest: None

Officers attending: Richard Leary, Family Service Manager, Epsom & Ewell

Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

Member Discussion – key points

It was noted that Cllr Dallen and Cllr Mason had agreed to host the local family partnerships, although there was no specific requirement for these to be chaired by a councillor.  Members queried who else had been invited to these meetings and whether other local members could attend.  Other members are welcome to attend, but care will need to be taken to ensure these meetings don’t become too unwieldy.  It was suggested that the notes of the Advisory Board meetings could be circulated to all members so that they can feedback if they see something they feel they would like to contribute to.

Resolved:

(i)    To support the latest early help developments in Epsom & Ewell, including proposed early help priorities for re-commissioning and the location of Local Family Partnerships;

(ii)   That Cllrs Mrs Jan Mason, Neil Dallen and Lucie Dallen be appointedto sit on the Epsom & Ewell Early Help Advisory Board, to provide member input into local discussions and a link back to the committee for the remainder of 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Reasons: We want Local Members to be informed about the proposals that we have been developing in partnership for the early help system in Surrey. We believe these proposals will help us realise better outcomes for children and young people within the early help resources we have available. We also know however that early help is most effective when it is planned and delivered locally, so we are seeking the advice of the Local Committee to inform our identified local priorities.