Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, and to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision to adopt “Working Together to Improve Outcomes: Kent Children and Young People’s Framework 2016-2019”, as Kent’s partnership strategy for children and young people.

Mr T Wilson, Programme Director and Ms K Sharp, Head of Public Health Commissioning were in attendance for this item.

1.         Mr Wilson introduced the report.  Ms K Sharp then responded to comments and questions from the Committee, as follows:

(a)  Each Local Children’s Partnership Group (LCPG) had selected their priorities from a set of 17 indicators. 

(b)  Small pots of grant funding were available to be allocated through Local Children’s Partnership Board, and the grant process had now opened, with a decision due early in 2017.

(c)  It was recognised that there were wider funding disparities between areas, and the government was looking at reshaping the Free School Meals scheme.

(d)  LCPGs had been set up in a way to focus partnership working in districts, preventing them from becoming ‘talking shops’.  The use of the dashboard and prioritisation was designed to track process, encouraging a link with and feedback from the groups.  Partnership working was tricky, but the LCTPs seemed to be going in the right direction. Priorities varied between the different partners which was a fundamental issue.

(e)  There were 12 LCPGs across the county, and each one was different.

(f)   Members played an important role on the LCPG as they had a good understanding of the issues affecting local people.

2.         Members agreed that it could be useful to have a local members’ briefing where good examples of the LCPG, such as Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells, could be shared.

3.         RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services to adopt “Working Together to Improve Outcomes: Kent Children and Young People’s Framework 2016-2019”, as Kent’s partnership strategy for children and young people, be endorsed.