TOPSS ENGLAND
NORTH WEST
REGIONAL
TRAINING FORUM


MINUTES (UNCONFIRMED) OF THE MEETING OF THE

TOPSS ENGLAND NORTH WEST REGIONAL TRAINING FORUM

held on WEDNESDAY, 25 APRIL 2001

AT THE PRESTON GRASSHOPPERS RUGBY CLUB

LIGHTFOOT LANE, FULWOOD, PRESTON

PRESENT: Vic Citarella - Chair- TOPSS Board

Annette Baines - TOPSS North West RDO

Peter Viggers - Social Services N.W.

Elaine Trotter - Social Services N.W.

Fiona Taylor - Anchor Trust

Rita Flanagan - NCVCCO (Barnardos)

Thea Seville - Cumbria Learning

Disability Partnership

Yvonne Furze - ARC

Elizabeth Harkness - North West People First

Jozi Brown - North West People First

Bill Nixon - Further Education

Peter Williams - TOPSS – Service Users

Jim Middleton - Social Services N.W.

Joe Godden - N.W. Principal Training

Officers Group

Ged Taylor - ADSS

Pat Hastings - ACTAN

Janet Glover - City & Guilds, Affinity

Judy Foster - Mental Health -TOPSS

Apologies: Peter Hewitt - Social Services N.W.

Peter Munro - DoH SSI

Elizabeth McQue - North West Employers

Elizabeth Glynn - National Organisation for

Practice Teaching

INTRODUCTION

Vic Citarella, Chair for TOPSS England North West Regional Training Forum welcomed all the members to the meeting, in particular Janet Glover, City & Guilds, Affinity, who would be sitting in on today’s meeting, also to Judy Foster, TOPSS Mental Health, who would be doing a presentation.

 

1. APOLOGIES

Noted as above.

2. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

Members accepted these as a correct record.

3. MATTERS ARISING

3.1. It was noted by Elizabeth Harkness that the size of script for minutes was too small and asked for a larger typed script.

Resolved: That it would be altered from Pitch 11 to 14 for future mailings and Elizabeth Harkness would receive hers in Pitch16.

3.2. PERSONAL ASSISTANTS / DIRECT PAYMENTS

Peter Williams updated the group on the issue of personal assistants working within Direct Payments schemes.  A research project is to be set up looking at competence and training needs and independent learning schemes are being developed. He informed the group that progress had been made and Annette Baines and Tracey Wharvell will be meeting on 8 May 2001 to finalise the bid for the project.

Annette Baines informed the group that there is to be a research project linked in with Level 2 NVQ which would be carried out in three phases:

1. Service Users

2. Learning sets– Service Users, Personal Assistants and Local Authority input.

3. Paper on research

The purpose would be to ascertain the understanding of personal assistant’s roles and to look competency requirements and training needs. Peter Williams said that there could be problems regarding the costing - who was to pay the 15% employers contribution for example? There would be standard programme but at the present time it was a question of trial and error. The project would take three years to complete but there would be a research paper in twelve months time.

3.3. NHS Confederations

Work on the above was continuing and Vic Citarella informed the group that he was looking to meet with the Chief Executives of the above and he would follow up this and report back to the Forum.

3.4. Minority Ethnic Representation

Vic Citarella said that as yet he had not received a reply from North West Black Workers Group on a representative to join the Forum. He asked the Forum of any other Ethnic representation that might want to join the group. Pat Hastings said that Sahara, Preston might be a possibility and Peter Williams said that EDGE might be another.

Action: Pat Hastings and Peter Williams would provide the Forum with contact details and this would be pursued and reported back to the next meeting.

3.5. Venue

Cllr Middleton said that arrangements had been made to hold the next Forum meeting at Tameside on 24 July 2001.

Thea Seville mentioned that the next Forum meeting is the first week of the summer holidays for schools and asked if this could be avoided in future.

Action: Vic Citarella said that the next meeting could go ahead but noted that in future the summer date for the Forum meeting would avoid a clash with school holidays.

4. Administration of the Forum – Annette Baines

Annette Baines said that there were no objections for Administration for the TOPSS England North West Regional Training Forum to be continued by Social Services North West for the next financial year, and thanked Social Services North West for their continued efforts. In terms of the next financial year it was decided to confirm the arrangements earlier.

5. Update of activities of sub-groups

(a) Data Sub Group

Peter Viggers said that there had been two Data Group meetings as noted in the attachments to the agenda. Data input had commenced and at present 2050 inputs had been done. There were still ten Local Authorities and seven Health Authorities to reply but it was anticipated that there would be a final input of at least 5000 employers when the Data Base was finalised.

Vic Citarella said there was a need for this information to be completed as soon as possible and information sent out to employers regarding TOPSS. It was noted that completion of the Data Base would be sometime at the end of May.

Rita Flanagan expressed concern that there was a danger of Voluntary Organisations not being linked up and there might be a possibility of their exclusion from the list, but is necessary for all the Voluntary sector to be informed of TOPSS.

(b) Publicity and Promotion

Peter Viggers said that there had been a meeting with Kevin Thomas – Communications Manager,TOPSS, and that the first Regional Newsletter was due to be published by the end of May. Peter said that the Data Group was now to be renamed Workforce Communication. It was important that more volunteers from the forum group were involved in the Sub- groups.

Vic Citarella asked members to put their names forward on the flip chart to volunteer for the various sub groups identifying the particular strands in which they were interested, namely data/information and promotions / communications, funding or commissioning.

Members discussed Website information and Vic Citarella said it was important for a web site to develop links with other relevant organisations. He suggested that photographs could be taken and put on the web site to identify forum members for the North West. It was also asked that material was required for the newsletter and the deadline was given as 15 May 2001.

( c) Operational Strategy Group

Ged Taylor from this sub group handed out a proposed operational plan as drawn up from their previous sub group. He said there were three main objectives were:

1. To develop and sustain an effective forum

2. Produce Regional Workforce Development plans

3. Develop regional commissioning structures and monitoring processes.

Joe Godden said there was a danger without a framework and suggested that a mapping out process could be useful.

Vic Citarella said that the Operational Strategy Group was dependent on Data information.

Click here to email the office and request a copy of the proposed Operational Plan

The next item - 6 European Social Fund Bids - was left until after lunch.

7. Induction

Annette Baines updated the Forum on this issue and said that there was to be funding of £249,100 for the North West share. It appeared that 16,000 people required induction in the next twelve months. The cost had been worked out at approximately £200 per person.

It was proposed that Individual Learning Accounts would be used and there would be a need for an employers contribution.

Annette gave a breakdown of induction costs:

Individual Learning Account £150

Employers contribution £ 30

Employee’s contribution £ 25

TOPSS Contribution £ 16

Total per person inducted £220.62p

There would be a pilot scheme undertaken in the North West from ten home owners for the Individual Learning Account Scheme. The Pilot scheme will commence on 24 May 2001.

The account for induction is £220 per person but on completion of induction TOPSS will pay back to employer £150. Concerns were made from the Forum Group that the £25 contribution from employees will have a big effect on recruitment.

It was also noted by Annette that at present there is no North West Forum Account. All the accounts are held at Headquarters in Leeds.

Discussion took place about a number of issues including Quality Assurance and groups to be prioritised – initially elderly residential care - Rita Flanagan emphasised that childcare provision should not be overlooked.

It was resolved between now and September small pilots would be established and a brief paper on results of these pilots would be circulated. Ged Taylor raised the issue of funding and it was agreed that he Annette Baines and SSNW Admin progress this matter.

At this point of the meeting there was a break for lunch.

 

6. (Deferred from before lunch)  European Social Fund Bids

Annette Barnes informed the Forum that Brian Wilson, a Bid Writer has had a meeting with a small number from the Forum to discuss a bid from the European Social Fund, the deadline of which was 25 May 2001. The deadline had been considered too tight but after discussion with Andrea Rowe, it was decided to put the bid in. It will be known by 1 July 2001 whether or not we have been successful.

8. Matching Qualifications to Job Roles

Vic Citarella informed the group that due to information on the Cube method (previously circulated) not being in the possession of that present and the absence of Richard Banks to do a presentation on this, it was decided to defer this item to the next meeting.

Click here to email the office and request a copy of paper on the Cube method (please specify paper copy or PowerPoint file

9. Mental Health – Judy Foster

Judy Foster was welcomed to the Forum meeting by Vic Citarella. In her presentation, Judy Foster highlighted the unstable environment in Mental Health with all the legal, financial and service delivery changes and the fact that TOPSS Mental Health Steering Group has a 3-year plan agreed by the Board. The key points of which are:

    1. to promote social models of intervention through developing occupational standards, inputting into the Workforce Action Team and spreading the word wherever possible (for instance at this meeting);
    2. Completing a comprehensive workforce analysis;
    3. Matching qualifications to job roles;
    4. Supporting local and regional mental health training initiatives.

The value of working in partnership with the new confederations was also emphasised (the Confederations will be getting substantial funds for NVQs in 2002/3). After the presentation discussion occurred about relevant issues and Vic Citarella thanked Judy Foster for her presentation.

10. Any other business

10.1. Social Work Qualifications

The TOPSS Steering Group will be next meeting on 1 May 2001. The group is working to a tight timetable. There may be opportunities for practitioners to get involved.

Resolved that there is a need for the FE/HE representatives, the Chairs of the Programme Provider Boards and possibly the Open University to get together in the region to prepare for the SWQA.

10.2. Funds – Student Support

Rita Flanagan informed the Forum that it was difficult for many voluntaries to access TSP Student support money. Vic Citarella said that this was an issue for local authorities.

10.3. TOPSS Board Meeting – 16.5.01.

Vic Citarella said that the next meeting would be held on 16 May 2001 and any issues for this meeting should be sent to Annette Baines.

10.4. Voluntary Agencies

Rita Flanagan said that if there was any PQ award money available, the smaller Children’s Voluntary Agencies, should not be overlooked.

11. Date, Time and venue for next meeting

Wednesday, 25 July 2001 – 11am – 2pm

(Committee Room 1)

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Council Offices, Wellington Road

Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, OL6 6DL

Vic Citarella thanked the Forum Group for attending and closed the meeting.

 

VC/ET/minutes

10 May 2001