Agenda item

[Emma Cleary, Programme Manager, to present report]

The Chair invited Emma Cleary, Programme Manager, to present the annual Transforming Children’s Services report for 2020 – 2021 to the panel. The Programme Manager explained that this was the first report on the work done to deliver a range of services improvements which has led to better outcomes for the children and young people across the city. The Programme Manager explained that the programme evolved five years ago from several projects ongoing across the directorate at the time.  The programme has been live since 2016.

The Programme Manager advised the panel that when it was decided to join the directorates of children and education in 2019 under a single portfolio holder and Director it was decided to take the opportunity to refresh the programme and ensure that all the priorities were aligned through the transformation plans. The Programme Manager advised the panel that in July 2020, the Transforming Children’s Services Programme (TCSP) Board collectively agreed to reflect on key achievements from the last five years and refresh the programme to ensure that transformation going forward represents the integrated priorities of Children's Services and Education.

The Programme Manager outlined the key achievements of the programme during the period April 2020 to March 2021 and of the young people involved and advised the panel that many of the projects in the programme have ended with successful outcomes. The Programme Manager advised the panel that when asked in a survey young people commented on their highlights of being working with service, for example, the opportunity to make new friends and gain confidence over the past five years.

The Programme Manager outlined the key strategic policy drivers for the programme and listed the outcomes linked to each of them. The service is working with members of Transforming Children Services Board to make sure that our programme is aligned to the diverse needs of children and young people. The Programme Manager commented on the responses from young members when asked to share views about what ‘good support’ looks like.

The Programme Manager commented that the TCSP Programme will have children, young people, and families at the heart of all its activity and it will be developing ambitious and innovative programme that will improve outcomes for children and young people in Wolverhampton, generating the opportunity equitably and inclusively. The Programme Manager outlined further details of the vision for the programme. The Programme Manager shared a short audio clip of an interview with a young person to share their experiences of the support they had received.

The Programme Manager gave further details of the programme outcomes and the linked key measures that will be used to assess progress. The Programme Manager commented on the priorities moving forward and the importance of celebrating successes and keeping stakeholders informed. The decision to bring the annual report to the panel is example of this.

The Programme Manager commented that the service is learning from the experience of Covid 19, and the key priority is to ensure that where there are changing priorities they are incorporated into the programme. The focus of future work will be adding value and capacity to current statutory provision and maintaining representation from frontline workers.

The Programme Manager invited panel members comments and questions about the annual report and presentation.

The Chair thanked the presenter for the report.

The panel queried the limited references to the impact of Covid 19 on the delivery of programme of activities and services during the pandemic and asked for more details. The Programme Manager commented that the main task for the TCSP programme was to keep it aligned to priorities of the Relighting our City plan, which details the response to Covid 19 and the recovery plans for the City. The programme is learning from the impact of Covid 19 and recognising changes in priorities and understanding the impact on local communities. The Programme Manager added the service will be working alongside members of the Board.

Andrew Wolverson, Head of Service, offered reassurance that all the projects in the programme were able to adapt to the impact of Covid 19, and gave an example of The House Project which started just before the pandemic and the changes made to comply with the restrictions at the time. A flexible approach was taken to the delivery of projects. The Programme Manager advised the panel that the TCSP Board were able to monitor programmes to make sure that they were still delivering what was needed throughout the pandemic.

The panel queried the significance of the increase in Early Help Assessments during in 2019-20 compared to 2020-21 in the report, and if the trend suggests that more work is needed to tackle deprivation levels in the City.

The Executive Director for Families commented that the increase in the number of assessments could be seen in different ways and compared the situation to the reporting of domestic violence cases where you would not want to see an increase in the numbers, but an increase will tell you that it is an issue. The Executive Director for Families added the service would want to see an increase in request for early help as more families would be supported at a lower level of intervention and in the future less families would need to be supported through statutory plans such as Children in Need or Child Protection. The Executive Director ended by commenting that the more people ask for help and to support at that lower level, the better it would be for the families concerned.

The panel discussed the opportunities as programmes funding ends to consider other support to meet the needs of children and young people and working with schools, training providers etc. The Executive Director for Families supported the focus on this area in responding the issues of skills gap and youth unemployment.

The Executive Director for Families commented on the desire among local authorities across the country for longer term Government funding commitment to replace current programmes where funding is ending.

The panel thanked the presenter for the report. The Chair asked for personal congratulations to shared everyone involved with the programme.

Resolved:

The panel agreed to note the report and the progress.