Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2018 were confirmed as correct.

The Board received a report from Ian Winter, Independent Chair of the Local  Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) which included a presentation on the approach to the Board’s Annual Report for 2017/18, which in a change of direction will incorporate details of the core activities planned for 2018/19 and beyond. He referred to the considerable support he has received from the Board and Members and officers of the Council in his role as the Independent Chair.

The presentation also covered outline proposals to develop the future arrangements for the Safeguarding Partnership in accordance with the ‘Working Together 2018’ statutory guidance issued by the Department for Education which incorporates some significant changes since the last guidance was published in 2015, crucially the abolition of the requirement for Safeguarding Children Boards, which were to be replaced by a model of independent scrutiny.

The Director of People and Resilience pointed out there is a danger in reviewing the Partnership of focusing on structures rather than the purpose and aims of this Board. Importantly therefore the Council and its statutory partners should use this as an opportunity to ensure any changes do not undermine the Board’s democratic accountability. 

The Board support the approach being taken with the Annual Report format and the planned response to the duties outlined in the statutory guidance regarding Safeguarding Partnerships, which includes the procurement of short-term specialised support to deliver the programme of work. A further report on the progress and direction of this work will be presented to the Board in the New Year, prior to producing an outline of the proposed arrangements for submission to the DfE by June 2019 for implementation by September 2019. 

(The Chair agreed that this item could be considered at the meeting under the provisions of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 as a matter of urgency in order for the Board to be appraised of the latest issues relating to the work of the Local Safeguarding Children Board.)

The Board at its meeting in March 2018 endorsed the process for the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2019-2023. In September 2018 the Board were updated on the development work including the outcomes and measures which emerged from a series of workshops based on the three strategic themes, namely: 

·  Best Start in Life

·  Early Diagnosis and Intervention

·  Building Resilience

In total nine outcomes emerged which were presented to the Board to consider and prioritise. A number of observations were made and the overall view was that the objectives were too broad in definition and would benefit from grouping together, and from which specific measures could then be agreed.

Taking the above into account the Director of Public Health presented an update on the work to develop the Strategy, through which the Board confirmed its wish to include a tenth objective on Domestic Abuse. This will be an important focus, and the Chair emphasised that all agencies needed to be challenged, together with the local community to give this the priority it deserves. 

The Chair felt that the format of the Strategy is now shaping up as an easy to understand document with the associated measures linked to each of the objectives continuing to evolve. The CCG will be using it to shape its own approach as it works towards achieving financial sustainability over the next 2/3 years. An update to the Board on progress in this respect will be presented in January 2019. 

A range of observations were made on the implementation of the Strategy as a way of engaging the local community. The Board sought to have the concept of ‘trauma informed’ approaches clarified so that it was easier to understand what this means. Comments were also expressed on parts of the narrative of the document which the Director of Public Health will take onboard, in the light of which

The Board resolved to approve the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2019-2023, as set out at Appendix 2 to the report, for an eight-week period of public consultation, subject to the inclusion of a tenth outcome of ‘Domestic Abuse’ as well as a number of word changes as highlighted at the meeting.

Following approval to the content of the above Strategy by the Corporate Strategy Group and in the light of a consultation with the Community Safety Partnership the Board received a report and presentation from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.  The Strategy has been developed through a number of stakeholder workshops, survivor engagement and testimony and supported by the Council’s Delivery Unit who undertook a priority review specific to domestic abuse.

The Borough is regarded as the “worst” in London for domestic violence, a message regularly borne out in statistics, but a headline narrative that also raises concerns for victims and may dissuade them from reporting abuse. The strategy highlights four priorities namely:

·  Support Survivors

·  Educate and Communicate

·  Challenge Abusive Behaviours

·  Include Lived Experience

The strategy promotes a gender informed approach to improve outcomes for all people including those who identify outside of the gender binary, underpinned by trauma informed ways of working.

If this strategy is to succeed it is vital to address what is seen as fragmentation in dealing with domestic violence amongst the various agencies, namely the Council, the Police and Health including GP’s. Furthermore, one of the major factors compounding the issue concerns isolation and therefore how this is tackled in the community will be important. In this respect it was suggested that the Board reach out to the faith sector to help deal with the complexities of the associated cultural issues. 

The Commissioning Director, Adults’ Care and Support, indicated in his introduction that the work had run in parallel with the development of the Health & Wellbeing Strategy, and its focus on resilience, and that this  highlighted the extent to which domestic violence, and violence against women and girls were fundamental to the challenges faced by many people in the Borough. Therefore, the strategy was not presented for adoption in the conventional way by all partner agencies, but instead what was sought was an indicative approval, a commitment to implementing it, and then to receive a further draft with a strong commissioning plan which could have the greater impact that was sought.    

The Chair confirmed that she will be making a public statement at the forthcoming White Ribbon event calling for a programme of positive action to end domestic violence. 

Accordingly, the Board resolved to recommend:

(i)  that implementation of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2018 – 2022, as set out at Appendix A to the report begins, and pending the refinements that will follow from the agreement of the more ambitious Health & Wellbeing Strategy; and

(ii)  that partner organisations also take the steps necessary to ensure that they are implementing the strategy and supporting the development of the Commissioning Plan through their individual organisational arrangements.

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018 is based upon presentations given to three themed workshops which informed the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy in July 2018, which has provided the evidence base for the 2019-2023 Strategy. 

A further report and presentation updated demographic and health data in the context of the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2019-2023. The presentation focused on three findings to example how the JSNA will support the commissioning of services, namely population growth, domestic violence and mental health. Three specific questions around these areas were highlighted which generated a debate at the meeting, in the light of which the Board resolved to:

(i)  Approve the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018, as set out at Appendix A to the report;

(ii)  Agree that the findings of the JSNA should be taken into account in the development of strategies and the appraisal of strategies developed by partner organisations; and

(iii)  Support the commissioning of services by partner organisations that align with the JSNA findings.

The Board were presented with the dashboard of performance information for the second quarter (end of September 2018) upon which the Director of Public Health highlighted a number of specific positive indicators.

The Board received and noted the report of the Mental Health Sub-Group including details of the actions and priorities for the coming period.

The Chair will present her report at the meeting.

The Board received and noted the Chair’s report which included:

(i)  an update on the outcomes of the Integrated Care Partnership workshop which took place on 31 October, and

(ii)  the success of the “Breezie” pilot to combat social isolation, a specially adapted tablet device handed out to more than 60 elderly residents allowing them easy connection with friends and family, or local services. 

The Board received and noted the Forward Plan for the remainder of the 2018/19 municipal year.