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MEETING ON 16 MARCH 2000 AT HALTON
REPORT OF THE CO-ORDINATOR
1. Matter for Consideration:
To consider the current position of Social Services North West in relation to issues concerning children.
2. Information:
2.1 Quality Protects and Children Issues was selected as one of the four key themes for the Annual Work Programme in 2000-01. A successful conference was held in September 2000 on Good Practice in Foster Care, and pressure was placed on Government to appoint a fully-fledged Children's Commissioner. At the December 2000 meeting, members decided that Social Services North West should not, in the long term, seek to prescribe the rates of allowances which member authorities pay. There was however a need to look again at regional level at good practice in foster care, addressing afresh the question of the appropriate role for a regional organisation to play in this field. The ADSS NW Lead Directors on children's issues are happy to work jointly with Social Services North West to undertake such a review.
2.2 Further discussion has now taken place with the Lead Directors about how this and other developmental issues relating to children and young people can be taken forward. The focus of planning at regional level by officers has moved away from ADSS on its own to the multi-agency Quality Protects Reference Group, chaired by Richard Jones, Director of St Helens. This includes representatives from Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate, the North West Regional Office of the NHS, ADSS, Education, etc. There is to be, under the NHS Modernisation Plan, a Regional Task Force for Children, but every effort will be made to integrate existing work with this initiative.
2.3 At its January meeting, the Reference Group identified a shared set of priorities to form a work programme, which will be finalised at the next meeting at the end of March. Social Services North West has been invited to have officer representation at that meeting. Following this, a report could be made to the June meeting of Social Services North West, including recommendations as to how the resolution of December 2000, referred to in 2.1 above, should be addressed. It is likely however that any such task will take some time to complete.
2.4 A number of more specialised groups are also meeting regionally to address specific issues such as family placement, adoption, leaving care, children with disabilities, and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
2.5 From this very broad and demanding agenda, it would be useful to consider an event for members and officers towards the end of 2001, content being identified with the assistance of the Reference Group from the work programme mentioned above.
3. Recommendations:
3.1 That this report be noted.
3.2 That a further report be presented to the June 2001 meeting of Social Services North West, on how the various issues relating to services for children should be progressed.
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