Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of the Children and Young People’s Service to provide the Health and Wellbeing Board with a summary of the draft Children and Young People’s Plan 2013-2016 for discussion, to inform the Health and Wellbeing Board of the consultation and sign off arrangements for the plan and to propose a public ‘promise’ or offer to children, young people and families.

The Chair agreed to vary the order of the agenda to take the Children and Young People’s Plan next, presented by Lisa Redfern and Helena Pugh, Strategic Partnership Manager.

·        The intention was for this to be a full partnership plan. Partners were encouraged to contribute, and those who had already done so were thanked. The Board was also asked to think about its role in developing and refining the plan.

·        It was noted that the plan represented a shift in core focus towards early intervention and prevention, and was underpinned by the vision ‘Haringey is known to be a place where children and young people are known to thrive and achieve’.

·        Outcome 1 of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy ‘Every child has the best start in life’ had been taken as the starting point for developing the Children and Young People’s Plan.

·        The report outlined the partner discussions that had taken place to date around the development of the plan, which sought to build a picture of the needs of children and young people in the borough within the national context.

·        Five initial outcomes had been proposed:  Every child has a healthy start in life, thriving families, raised educational attainment, children and young people are safer from risk of harm and quality services. Details of these outcomes and the associated priorities and principles were set out in the report.

·        It was noted that a number of the issues covered in the Children and Young People’s Plan were cross-cutting, for example housing and domestic violence.

·        In respect of the outcome ‘Children and young people are safer from risk of harm’, Claire Kowalska, Community Safety Strategic Manager, suggested that there was scope to strengthen this with regards to the work of the Youth Offending Service and agreed to discuss this with Helena Pugh outside the meeting. 

·        Sharon Grant suggested that Healthwatch may be able to assist with regards to engaging with some of the communities within the Borough that it had traditionally been harder to engage with, particularly the Muslim community. It was agreed that she would speak with Helena Pugh outside the meeting regarding how to progress this.

·        Fitzroy Andrew suggested that HAVCO might be able to facilitate a meeting with the Council and relevant people within the voluntary sector for an in-depth discussion on the strategic approach to voluntary sector involvement in the Children and Young People’s Plan, and it was agreed that this would be valuable.

·        An event organised by young people for young people had been proposed at a previous meeting of the Board, and it was suggested that linking consultation on the Children and Young People’s Plan in with such an event could be explored.

·        Board Members were invited to provide any thoughts or comments on the Plan after the meeting directly to Helena Pugh, for incorporation into the draft plan.