Another plan to ‘Have Your Say’ on! Childrens’ Services

Another plan to ‘Have Your Say’ on! Childrens’ Services this time. The words Sustainability and Transformation Plan have been dropped but looking through the gloss, this is the Childrens’ equivalent of the adult plan that has been doing the rounds. I think a Mental Health one is to follow …… Did someone suggest integrating Health and Social Care?

The Official Press release is set out in full below and then the link to find the wonderful plan and the a chance to give ‘feedback’. Quick look is that do we want the world for children to be wonderful? The word ‘Transformation does creep back in at the end of the press release so I suspect someone missed that!

“One Vision” Partnership Plan aims to improve services for children, young people and their families

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED: 31 January 2017

An ambitious plan aimed at radically changing the way services work together to improve the lives of children, young people and their families in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is being consulted on over the next two months.  Senior leaders of the main agencies have come together to agree how to change the way education, health and social care services are provided in future.

The “One Vision” Partnership Plan sets the foundation for a Children and Young People Transformation Plan 2017-2020, which will shape the future integration of education, health and social care services for children, young people and their families in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“This is not about cutting services for children, young people and families in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly” said Andrew Wallis, the Council’s Lead Member for Children and Young People. “Itis about improving services and building on the success of projects such as the Early Help Hub and our Multi Agency Referral Unit ( MARU) where we are already working closely with our partners to deliver ground breaking services which are changing lives. ”

“We know that parents and carers and young people are not interested in which organisation runs a service – they just want to know that the service will be there when they need it.  We already have strong relationships with our partners in health, schools, the police and the voluntary and community sector.  Developing the One Vision Plan will help us to deliver improved joined up services which meet the needs of our children, young people and families. “

The “One Vision” Plan has been produced jointly by Cornwall Council, the Council of the Isles of Scilly and NHS Kernow, in partnership with Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust.  It is also fully in line with Cornwall’s Devolution Deal.

It covers a wide range of education, health and social care services commissioned by Cornwall Council, NHS Kernow and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.  These include education and early years’ services, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, community child health services, including child and adolescent mental health services, early help services, and children’s social care, including child protection, children in care and care leavers.

The Plan is based on consultation with children and young people, parents and carers, along with the participation of practitioners and clinicians from a wide range of services.  The thinking behind the Plan has been discussed at community engagement events throughout January and the draft is being considered at meetings of the key partners over the next few weeks.  This approval process will be followed by a series of engagement events for service users and the wider public between April-June.

“The needs data show that most of our children and young people are in need of a wide range of high quality universal and preventative services, including accessible information, advice and guidance for them and their parents and carers about how to keep safe and well” said Jack Cordery, Service Director for Cornwall’s Children & Family Services

“Some need more specialist help and support due to the impact of adverse childhood experiences.  We have found that this help is more effective when needs are identified early and services work together in an integrated way.  This is what children and young people, parents and carers want”. 

More than 1 in 3 children and young people in some areas of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are living in poverty – higher than the national average.   Children and young people are experiencing more and more problems and threats to their health and welfare arising, in part, from parental mental health problems, alcohol and substance misuse, and domestic violence.   There are a higher than average number of young people with emotional wellbeing and mental health problems, with up to 17,000 young people reported to have deliberately harmed themselves by the age of 25, and a higher number admitted to hospital for alcohol and substance misuse conditions.

These problems have a negative impact on the ability of children to do well at school and make a better future for themselves.   There is also a gap in the number of young people achieving at school, with only 37% of 11 year olds reaching their goals in reading, writing and Maths, compared to 51% nationally.

“Research shows that childhood poverty has a significant impact on the health and educational outcomes of children and young people,” said Kathryn Hudson, Director for Integrated Commissioning at NHS Kernow.

“The aim of our “One Vision” Partnership Plan is to ensure that partners work together for all children and young people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, to support parents to keep them safe and healthy and achieve a brighter future.  We are also committed to enabling families and our staff to close the gap between those who are doing well and those who are doing less well. “

The Plan will be achieved by partners working together through five priority outcomes:

• Strengthening families and communities – by providing high-quality preventative services for all and targeted early support those who are vulnerable
• Promoting and protecting children’s physical, emotional and mental health  – by developing improved early years services, promoting healthy lifestyles and emotional resilience and providing support to help children and young people recover from adverse childhood experiences like neglect and abuse
• Helping and protecting children from the risk of harm – by providing services to support children at risk of neglect and abuse arising from parental problems like mental health problems, alcohol/substance misuse and domestic abuse
• Raising the aspiration and achievement of children and young people towards economic wellbeing – focusing on providing support in early years to improve school readiness, raise progress and achievement at all stages above the national average, and improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities, children in care and care leavers
• Making a positive contribution to the community  – supporting parents to find employment through coaching, education and training opportunities; working with partners to reduce anti social behaviour, homelessness, and drug and alcohol problems; providing guidance and support to young people at risk of not being in education, employment and training and providing educational, housing and employment support for care leavers.

The Partnership Plan is also supported by Devon and Cornwall Police, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership and the Safer Cornwall Partnership.

The feedback from the partner meetings and the engagement sessions taking place during the Summer will then be considered by the key partners before the Transformation Plan is agreed later in the year.

Link for the One Vision Plan

Link for giving feedback but it does require you to read the plan! Just to give you a clue to the ‘motherhood and apple pie’, the feedback asks for your top priority between:

• Strengthening families and communities
• Promoting and protecting children’s physical, emotional and mental health
• Helping and protecting children from risk of harm
• Raising the aspiration and achievement of children and young people towards economic wellbeing
• Making a positive contribution to the community

Thought you might need some warning for that as 4 of those things are not going to get your vote!