Agenda item

To receive a verbal update from the Cabinet Members for Specialist Children’s Services and Adult Social Care and Public Health, the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and the Interim Director of Public Health.

Children’s Social Care

1.            Mr P J Oakford gave a verbal update on the following:-

Meeting with Barnardo’s at Crawley – 4 December

Tunbridge Wells Youth Group, Swattenden – 13 December – this had been well attended by 30 young people. Activities had included a zip wire, wheelchair basketball and work on an allotment, followed by a Christmas lunch and presents under a tree.  Some young people attending had commented that that would be the only Christmas lunch they would have.

Member briefing on Child Sexual Exploitation on 18 December – this had been excellent, and very useful, and should be made a quarterly event. 

Operation Lakeland – the court cases for this had now started and were receiving much media attention.

Visits with Principal Practitioners – Ashford & Canterbury – during regular visits it had become clear that standards of office accommodation around the county varied greatly, from very old to very modern. However, the staff everywhere was very dedicated.

Newton Europe Implementation – a report on this would be considered later on the agenda.

Meeting with Essex County Council on 22 January – this would be an informal meeting of officers and key Members from the two authorities, but a meeting could be arranged later with interested Members of this committee to tell them what had been discussed.

2.            Mr A Ireland then gave a verbal update on the following:-

Emotional health and wellbeing summit – at this summit, the new emotional health and wellbeing strategy had been discussed. The event had been well attended and young people had participated by showing a DVD they had made and by giving first-hand accounts of their experiences of using emotional health and wellbeing services.

Peer review of the Kent Safeguarding Children Board (KSCB) – this had been undertaken by Windsor and Maidenhead Council and had been very interesting, with favourable comments being made about the new Board Chairman and the Board’s subgroups. The practice of peer reviews between local authorities was very useful and should be continued.

He responded to comments and questions, as follows:-

a)    the emotional health and wellbeing summit had been attended by key agencies including GPs, NHS Trusts and youth organisations, and a full list of participants could be sent to any Member who wished to have it.  The strategy was multi-agency and the attendees of the summit would work with the County Council on developing it; and

b)    the KSCB annual report had not included reference  to Ofsted’s comments on focussing on child sexual exploitation as the publication dates of the two reports did not allow time for one to take account of the other.  The KSCB would now look at how it would address Ofsted’s comments and concerns, although some things it had suggested were already being done.  Although some things could not be referred to so close to the start of the court cases, Ofsted had been very complementary about the agency work involved in Operation Lakeland.

Children and Young People’s Public Health

3.            Mr G K Gibbens gave a verbal update on the following:-

20 January - Health and Wellbeing event at County Hall – he encouraged Members to attend the event which was taking place, once the committee’s meeting had finished. .

4.            Mr A Scott-Clark then gave a verbal update on the following:-

Answers to questions arising at the previous meeting:

a)    the number of family liaison officers (FLOs) currently in Kent schools was 260, and some schools having other staff performing a similar function but without the FLO title;

b)   case studies which were offered to accompany the emotional health and wellbeing strategy would be included in the final version of the strategy and would be sent to Members at that point. Before being included in the strategy, they would be carefully checked to ensure that they maintained anonymity; 

c)    examples of materials used to promote breastfeeding, and to identify premises which welcomed breastfeeding, were available in the meeting room and Members were encouraged to take them.

Healthy Child Programme Transfer – a key concern of this was to ensure that sufficient funding was available to cover the full length of all contracts over the whole programme.

Media campaigns – these were being tackled jointly by the public health and communications teams and external partners, mostly the NHS. Topics included late diagnosis of HIV, ‘dry January’ (giving up alcohol for January) and its impact on children, national obesity week, starting on 19 January, noro virus and work with Public Health England on research into the health impacts of incidences of flooding. Members made the following comments:-

a)    no public premises in Maidstone were currently displaying a ‘breastfeeding friendly’ sticker, yet some were known to welcome breastfeeding on their premises.  Support was offered to spread the campaign locally and it was suggested that local radio stations, Mumsnet and local pressure groups could also help.  

5.            The verbal updates were noted, with thanks.