Agenda item

Report of the Chief Officer for Children’s Services (CS/19/21), seeking approval on the Devon Children and Families Partnership Children and Young Peoples Plan, attached.

An Impact Assessment is also available for the attention of Members at this meeting.

(Councillors Biederman, Connett, Dewhirst, Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

(Councillor Parsons declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of having a child in care at home).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Chief Officer for Children’s Services (CS/19/21) seeking approval for the Devon Children and Families Partnership Children and Young People’s Plan, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The Devon Children and Families Partnership (DCFP) was established in 2018 in response to the Wood Review reforms and subsequently set out in statutory guidance ‘Working Together 2018’.  The DCFP strategic plan set out the vision and priorities for children and families in Devon for the next three years.  It was led by three local safeguarding partners, being the Council, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Devon and Cornwall Police, although membership spanned education, schools, social care, public health, health providers, District Councils, voluntary sector, police and children and families. The partnership had a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in Devon. 

The full Plan was attached at Appendix A of the Report. The development of the Plan had been coordinated through a range of multi-agency events and refreshed the commitments made and direction that had been set in 2017. The voice of children and families had been a critical foundation to the priorities. 

The vision and priorities identified in the Children and Young People’s Plan included all children / young people having the right to:

1. Life Chances – including a good education for all, better support for children in care and care leavers and improving the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) offer.

2. Be Healthy and Happy – including emotional wellbeing, mental health and self-harm, early support for autism and improving speech and language services.

3. Feel Safe – including better identification and prevention of neglect, support for vulnerable young people at risk and helping more people stay out of care.

4. Be Protected from Harm – including protecting and supporting children where there was domestic or sexual violence and abuse, helping children in crisis and reducing the impact of self-harm and preventing exploitation.

The Partnership would continue to engage with children and to refine interventions and demonstrate impact. It had also reviewed population data taken from the Joint Strategic Needs Analysis and Devon Children and Young People’s Sustainability and Transformation Plan Data Pack which informed the priorities.

The Plan broke with tradition and moved towards total digital communication, putting the purpose and priorities in the hands of staff and children, accessible through mobile devices and accessible in language and design. The Report further highlighted how the plan had been shared and the positive feedback received.

The Plan would be supported by more detailed documents such as an Outcomes Framework a Workforce Development Strategy and a Joint Commissioning Plan and there were multiple sub-strategies and plans.  The priorities were focused on areas of increased demand or high spend and the preventative and early intervention support required to prevent increased demand in the future, which was challenging in current financial conditions.

The Head of Services Report incorporated an Impact assessment for the attention of Members at this meeting which had been undertaken to inform the plan.  A successful implementation of actions and priorities had the potential to support development of children and young people in Devon, protect them from harm and harmful behaviours and allow them more opportunities to thrive, with good health, developing and acquiring more skills, qualifications, training. All of this would positively impact on wellbeing and improve social value in the years ahead.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability, carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Chief Officer’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

It was MOVED by Councillor McInnes, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED that the Devon Children and Families Partnership Children and Young People’s Plan be approved.

[NB: The Impact Assessment referred to above may be viewed alongside Minutes of this meeting and is available at:  http://new.devon.gov.uk/impact/].