On the 3 April 2018, the Council’s Executive agreed to implement the Family Hubs model for delivering prevention and early help to babies, children and young people from October 2018.

On the 9 June and 9 July 2019, the Council’s Executive also agreed a number of recommendations to implement changes across the 41 children centre sites.

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services will submit Document “M” which provides an update on the implementation and Children’s Centre estates changes.

Recommended-

That the Committee note the report, progress to date and provide

support and guidance on the on-going co-production of the

Family Hubs offer.

(Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny)

                                                            (Anne Chester-Walsh – 01274 432904)

On the 3 April 2018, the Executive agreed to implement the Family Hubs model for delivering prevention and early help to babies, children and young people from October 2018.

On the 9 June and 9 July 2019, the Executive also agreed a number of recommendations to implement changes across the 41 children centre sites.

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services submitted Document “M” which provided an update on the implementation and Children’s Centre estates changes.

Members commented on the following:

·         Now that the Early Help Gateway provided a first point of contact for requests for Family Key Work and this team was now integrated with the Front Door line management how was it working?

·         Could parents refer themselves to the Early Help Gateway Service?

·         How do people know about the Early Help Gateway?

·         Where was the service in terms of recruiting additional staff?

·         How were family hubs and public health joined up with Primary Care? where was the link between various partnerships? It seemed as if Primary Care partnerships and other partnerships were duplicating work but not working together.

·         There was concern that there was an absence of the Talking Together programme in Eccleshill, Fagley, Bolton and Undercliffe.

·         How was the Service tracking children who had a funded early education place who were using it infrequently or refused to attend?

·         Where people being educated on not using A & E frequently and using other services such as their local pharmacy, NHS Direct etc?

·         What was being undertaken in Wards where there was a high number of Young People not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)?

·         There was concern that advice services were not available to families in their area and people were having to travel a distance away which meant they could not afford the travel costs and were unable to get to the advice centre; there was a need for community based advice services.

·         How much was received through payment by result and what was the maximum that could have been achieved? Was Bradford the lowest achiever of payment by results? Were all the systems in place to collect the money that could be achieved?

In response to Members comments it was reported that:

·         In relation to the Early Help Gateway all appropriate key workers (Social Workers, Police, Health) were now located in one place in Sir Henry Mitchel House which would speed the process for referrals.

·         Parents could refer themselves to the Early Help Gateway.

·         Information about the Early Help Gateway was available in a number of places such as on the Councils website, Bradford Information online, face book, family hubs etc.

·         12 additional staff would be recruited as new Early Help Co-ordinators who would work across schools and VCS to help them in their early help work with families.

·         There had been success with Health Visitors and School Nurses based at two sites;  more work needed to be undertaken to get the various partnerships working together.

·         The Prevention and Early Help programme was designed to track families at an early stage.

·         There was a post of Access and Take up Officer in each hub who could identify 2 year olds who were not taking up the early education offer.

·         Book Start materials were offered to parents by Health Visitors; people falling through the net needed to be picked up. Home visits to provide Book Start were made to those in the 0-5% most deprived population.

·         There had been success around working with parents in Keighley who were not using the chemist or doctors and going to A&E; parents were informed of other options that could be explored and were being equipped with basic knowledge.

·         In terms of NEET, work was being undertaken with families at an early stage so that young people were not disadvantaged later on; young people would be a priority; key workers were focusing on any young person that was NEET as well as targeting parents of young children.

·         There would be an element of centralising advice services online due to the cuts to advice services.

·         There was still time to achieve further money from payments by result; the service would continue to work closely with key partners and maximise the income achievable to the district; there was a further 12 months to collect the payment by results funding.

Resolved-

(1)       That the progress to date be noted and the Committee continue to provide support and guidance on the on-going co-production of the Family Hubs Offer.

(2)       That a report be submitted to the Committee within 3 months on the work to reduce NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) across Bradford East with specific focus on Eccleshill and Little Horton.

(3)       That a further progress report be submitted to the Committee within 12 months.

Action:           Strategic Director, Children’s Services

Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny