Agenda and draft minutes
PDF 204 KBVenue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2DN
Contact: Andy Spragg, Democratic Services Officer
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Minutes: Apologies were received from Tim Evans and Peter Szanto. There were no substitutions. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 6 September 2017
To agree the minutes of the previous meeting as a true and accurate record of proceedings. Minutes: The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
All
Members present are required to declare, at this point in the
meeting or as soon as possible thereafter:
I.
Any disclosable
pecuniary interests and / or II. Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting
NOTES: ·
Members are reminded that they must not participate
in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest ·
As well as an interest of the Member, this includes
any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the
Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the
Member is living as a spouse or civil partner) · Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial.
Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
To
receive any questions or petitions. Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (13 November 2017).
2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting(10 November 2017)
3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received.
Minutes: One question had been received from Jonathan Essex. The response was tabled at the meeting and is attached as an annex to these minutes. Jonathan Essex expressed concern at the delays around providing services for children and asked for clarification around aspects of the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). It was clarified by witnesses that there were several pathways for targeted services, including an Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder pathway, an Autistic Spectrum Disorder pathway and Crisis Care pathway.
It was acknowledged that there were delays, though witnesses from Surrey and Borders Partnership (SABP) highlighted that high needs cases were prioritised. It was acknowledged that this would be covered in more depth in item 7 on the agenda. The Cabinet Member for Education highlighted that CAMHS had seen additional investment from both the council and the NHS in the last year, and that the waiting lists were the result of excessive demand, rather than cuts to services. |
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RESPONSES FROM THE CABINET TO ISSUES REFERRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE
No referrals were made to Cabinet at the last meeting. Minutes: No referrals had been made at the last meeting so there were no responses to report. |
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INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN'S SERVICES UPDATE
Purpose of the report:
To receive an update from the new Interim Director for Children’s Services. Minutes: Witnesses:
Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children Mary Lewis, Cabinet Member for Education
Declarations of Interest: None
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee was informed that the interim Director for Children’s Services had given her apologies, as she had been asked to prioritise a series of meetings with frontline practitioners across Surrey. An update was tabled at the meeting.
2. The Committee expressed a series of concerns and disappointment at the non-attendance of the interim Director, and commented that it had not been possible to ask questions. The Cabinet Member for Children informed the Committee that the decision to prioritise the meetings with frontline practitioners had been made by the Leader of the Council and herself.
3. The Committee was informed that the monitoring visit findings from Ofsted would be published at the end of November 2017, and that Members would have an opportunity to ask the Cabinet Member any questions at full Council. Verbal feedback had indicated that there remained concerns with the consistency of practice, and this was being addressed through the meetings with frontline practitioners. It was noted that Ofsted were expected to conduct a re-inspection in 6-8 weeks, and this would likely be January 2018.
Recommendations
None. |
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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN SURREY
Purpose of the report: Scrutiny of services
This report provides an overview of commissioned Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Surrey. The report will outline: · national context · overview of commissioning responsibilities · overview of key commissioned services · overview of pathways to services · key challenges and performance management · financial summary · the experience for children, young people and families · next steps Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
Sam Morrison, Principal Commissioning Manager, SCC Frank Offer, Head of Market Strategy, SCC Sue Robertson, Acting Deputy Director of Children’s Commissioning, Guildford and Waverley CCG Gavin Newby, Associate Director of Contracts and Income, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Laura Hoyles, CAMHS Service Development Manager, SCC David Izatt, Family Voice Matthew Parris, Healthwatch Justine Leonard, Director of Children’s services, SABP Dr Phil Ferreira-Lay,Clinical Director & Consultant Child Psychiatrist, SABP Charlotte Williams, Rights and Participation Team, SCC Danni Wilkinson, CAMHS Youth Advisor Lorna Payne, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children Mary Lewis, Cabinet Member for Education
Declarations of Interest:
None
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee was given a presentation on the targeted services for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Surrey. Members expressed concern that access to CAMHS had been a longstanding issue, and that the recommissioned contract had not delivered the changes required. Witnesses acknowledged that there were unacceptable delays, and reiterated a commitment to address these. Commissioners commented that the first issue had been in data quality, and that this had begun to be addressed. The Committee was informed this would now mean a focus on improving the areas where delays were being experienced.
2. Members commented that there was a need for robust data monitoring, and challenged why steps had not been taken by commissioners to address the issues emerging from the contract sooner. Officers explained that discussions around performance data had first been progressed through an informal mechanism, with monthly management meetings put in place, before a contract notice was issued. It was recognised that there had been some improvement as a result of this notice being issued. Members challenged on the transactional nature of the commissioning process, and commented that more should be done to reflect on the experience of children and families in order to drive improvement.
3. The Committee highlighted that delays impacted on individual children and families at a significant time in their lives. Representatives from Surrey and Borders Partnership (SABP) highlighted that the new contract had focussed on advocating that there was no threshold to making a referral to CAMHS, though this had created additional demand above the contracted level. It was noted that the contract had been costed for 6,000 referrals for targeted services, and the services had received 11,000 referrals for targeted and specialist services. The demand had impacted on what could be delivered by SABP. The Committee noted this but also that the activity level was significantly lower than what had been contracted.
4. The Committee was informed that those families awaiting support from the Behavioural and Emotional Neurodevelopmental (BEN) pathway were offered interim support from Barnardo’s and the National Autistic Society.
5. The Committee commented that schools were referring via GPs as this was believed to be the quickest way to get a child assessed. SABP responded that there was an online form that takes ten minutes to complete to ... view the full minutes text for item 1917. |
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UPDATE ON SHORT BREAKS RECOMMISSIONING ACTION PLAN
Purpose of the report:
To scrutinise progress in mobilising new short breaks services in Surrey and implementation of identified actions in the agreed Short Breaks Service Development Action Plan.
Additional documents: Minutes: [Alex Tear left the meeting at 11.45am] [Chris Townsend left the meeting at 12 noon]
Witnesses:
Chris Tisdall, Principal Commissioning Manager (Early Help &Early Years) Sandy Thomas, Assistant Head of Countywide Services David Izatt, Family Voice
Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children Mary Lewis, Cabinet Member for Education
Declarations of Interest:
None
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. Officers updated the Committee on the recommissioning of short breaks. It was commented that the new services would start from 1 December 2017. It was highlighted that of 29 actions, 24 were on track and 5 were taking longer to achieve though making good progress. There were key themes that had emerged from the family feedback, including access to information and clarity, Family Voice would be issuing a short break statement that described the offer and how to access services for families. Providers had been informed that they needed to increase access for children with complex needs, and in response a joint-funded Nurse Trainer role was being recruited to.
2. The Committee was informed that the Beeches was to close, as the provider had taken the decision not to bid for services. All families affected had been offered and agreed to alternative provision. The Committee sought clarification about short break foster carers, and it was noted that there were difficulties recruiting to these roles.
3. The Committee commended the plans, and asked how learning would be captured from the recommissioning. Officers advised that there would be a review from January to March 2018. It was commented that one learning point was the need to support providers in order to prepare the market for future recommissioning exercises.
Recommendations
It is recommended that:
1. The Short Breaks, Market Strategy and Quality and Experience Teams continue with implementing the actions set out in the Short Breaks Service Development Action Plan, with a particular focus on the five actions that have been identified as in progress, but where deadlines have been revised; and
2. A brief update report is brought to the Children’s and Education Select Committee in May 2018, to feedback on first four months of the new commission from December 2017 to March 2018, and a fuller report following the first full financial year of the new services (April 2018-March 2019) in May 2019. |
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EARLY HELP: CASE FOR CHANGE
Purpose of report: Policy Development and Review
To update the committee on proposals to develop the Early Help services in Surrey. Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
Ben Byrne, Head of Early Help & Family Services Tom Newman, Programme Manager David Izatt, Family Voice
Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children Mary Lewis, Cabinet Member for Education
Declarations of Interest:
None
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Cabinet Member for Children introduced the report, noting that many of the proposals were driven by a need to strengthen the Early Help offer in Surrey. The Committee was informed this was done in partnership with schools, health, the voluntary sector and others. It was recognised that there was a challenge in making all these services visible and accessible for those requiring Early Help. It was also acknowledged by officers that there was a need to deliver savings and reorganise services, and that these two drivers were the primary factors in creating the new proposals.
2. Committee Members shared their experiences of being on the Early Help Advisory Boards and praised the approach to date. It was recognised that there was to be a 20% reduction in funding to Children’s Centres, though officers expressed the view that there was still scope to produce better outcomes and optimise services. The Committee commented that better use of capital assets and improved governance would support the children’s centres in this respect.
3. The Committee discussed how partners could be held to account, and their respective roles. There was a particular focus on district and boroughs in regard to housing, though it was commented by officers that these organisations had been forthcoming and motivated to help work in partnership. The Cabinet Member highlighted that the Council needed to play an influencing role, rather than directing external organisations. It was highlighted that officers had met with a number of different forums, and had also met with every district and borough chief executive individually to explore the contribution they could make around Early Help and housing.
4. The Chairman made several comments regarding the complex Early Help offer, and reflected that he would like to see a clear breakdown of different services and the funding. Officers offered to share the supporting documents in order to clarify the detail. The Cabinet Member commented that steps were being taken to improve tracking and reporting, and to measure service impact in relation to Early Help.
[Simon Parr left at 12.59pm]
Recommendations
The Cabinet is asked to note that the Committee endorses the approach taken to developing the Early Help offer to date. It recommends: - That the Early Help strategy, programme plan and Early Help needs assessment are circulated to the Committee for information. - That an update is brought to the Committee in early 2018. |
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FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME AND RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER
The Board is asked to review and approve the Forward Work Programme and Recommendations Tracker and provide comment as required.
Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
None
Declarations of Interest:
None
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee reviewed the Forward Work Programme and Recommendations Tracker. There were no further comments. |
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DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
The next public meeting of the committee will be held on 20 February 2018at 10am in the Ashcombe. Minutes: The Committee noted its next meeting would be held on 20 February 2018, 10am at County Hall. |