PAPER B
EDUCATION,
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LIFELONG LEARNING SELECT COMMITTEE - MONDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2003
ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE ISLE OF WIGHT SOCIAL INCLUSION STRATEGY AND
OPTIONS FOR DEVELOPING THE INITIATIVE.
STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
REASON FOR SELECT COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
The purpose of this
interim paper is to update members on initial progress made on actions recorded
in the Island’s Social Inclusion Strategy 2002-2005 adopted by the Council on
10th December 2001.
In addition the paper
raises a number of questions for consideration by the committee to take forward
the development of the initiative.
ACTION REQUIRED BY
THE SELECT COMMITTEE
For members to
review the options for progress outlined in this paper and to make
recommendations to the Executive on the best way forward for the implementation
of the Strategy.
BACKGROUND
Social exclusion is a key national priority
that extends to fundamental issues of unemployment, experience of poor health,
crime and poor public services.
In May 1999 the Council established a Social Inclusion
Working Group, chaired by the Director of Education and Community Development
of the Isle of Wight Council. Initially this Group consisted of representatives
from all the Council’s service directorates and the Isle of Wight Partnership.
This was later broadened to include representation from other key service
provider agencies. Membership of the Group was drawn from the following
agencies: -
·
Isle of Wight
Council (all directorates)
·
Health
Authority & Primary Care Trust
·
Isle of Wight
Partnership
·
Crime and
Disorder Partnership
·
Rural
Community Council
At a meeting of the Education, Community Development and Lifelong Learning Select Committee on 10th December 2001 it was recommended that the Executive adopt the Island’s Social Inclusion Strategy as produced by the group.
The Select
Committee recognised that it had been tasked to take the lead on Social
Inclusion although it was recognised that it affected all Council matters
across the board and involved other key agencies.
At the same
meeting it was resolved that the Social Inclusion Strategy be reviewed by the
Select Committee on an annual basis.
In 2002 the Select Committee members held a
series of development days. At these days members prioritised those items for
their future scrutiny. One of the agreed actions was that they wished to
undertake a monitoring and review of the Island’s Social Inclusion Strategy in
2003.
The Community Partnership Team within
Corporate Policy Unit undertook initial primary research in January 2003 to
establish what quantifiable outputs had been achieved by those key agencies and
departments of the Council specified within the Strategy.
What emerged from this exercise is that much
good work has been done and this information on outputs is presented in Appendix A
However several shortcomings in the present
arrangement came to light during the research stage of the process and they are
outlined below:
·
Delivery and
monitoring of outputs was not consistent across agencies and departments.
·
Absence of a
coherent strategic mechanism to ensure delivery of identified actions.
·
During the
period identified by the research the Government focus on outputs had moved
from the hard and quantifiable figures set out in the Strategy to the softer
and less quantifiable achievements in areas of process and development.
The task now before the committee is to
recommend how best the initiative can be reviewed and taken forward.
Some priority questions for the Select
Committee to consider are laid out below:
·
Given the
diversity of the monitoring and review task to be undertaken is the Select
Committee and the Council best placed to undertake the task?
·
Given the
priority assigned to Social Inclusion, what is the best mechanism to move the
process forward with sustainable success?
·
In taking
forward the Island’s Community Strategy and the emerging role of the Local
Strategic Partnership what linkages can be forged to ensure efforts are not
duplicated and best value good practice prevails?
OPTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION
1. That a progress report is
submitted to the Directors Group outlining the options. This report should
raise the question of where the responsibility for Social Inclusion lies within
the Council’s process of performance management and within the Corporate Action
Plan.
2. That an identified officer is tasked to convene a working group of
those people responsible for monitoring the policy delivery in each
organisation.
3. That this working group, together with councillors represented
review the role of the council in the monitoring and review process.
4. That the working group
research the option of referring the Social Inclusion Strategy to the Local
Strategic Partnership.
RELEVANT PLANS, POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
·
The National
Strategy Action Plan sets out a clear long-term goal of narrowing the gap
between the most deprived communities and the rest of society. The Plan
describes how new policies, funding and targets together with better
co-ordination and community empowerment can make this a reality
·
Social
exclusion is a priority issue at a regional level particularly marked in many
of the peripheral coastal parts of the region stretching from Thanet in the
east to the Isle of Wight.
· The Social Inclusion Strategy is fundamental to the corporate mission of the Council to improve Island life and links directly to the six key objectives of the Corporate Plan see Appendix B.
The Strategic Director of Education and Community Development involved key stakeholders in formulating the Strategy.
This
process involved consultation with the Primary Care Trust, Crime and Disorder
Partnership, Isle of Wight Partnership, Rural Community Council and Business
Link.
The Strategy contains nine key aims that assist in the attainment of an inclusive community on the Island.
The Council
is only one of many stakeholders signed up to implementing the actions. Its
role is to influence and encourage change in the key areas.
FINANCIAL, LEGAL, CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
·
The multi-agency approach to Social Inclusion
focuses on key agencies using their existing services to develop initiatives
and produce outcomes by using a combination of existing resources supplemented
by various targeted grant aid funding.
·
This strategic review of actions and outputs
assumes that if there is any change in priorities that those individual
organisations involved will incorporate these into their business/funding
plans.
·
There are no legal implications at this stage.
·
The Crime and Disorder Team are fully involved in implementing the
Strategy actions under Aim 8: Creating Safer Communities.
APPENDICES ATTACHED
Appendix
A Outputs from research.
Appendix B
Corporate Diagram
BACKGROUND PAPERS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF
THIS REPORT
Isle of Wight Social Inclusion Strategy
2002-2005
Minutes of Education, Community Development
and Lifelong Learning Select Committee of 10th. December 2001
Contact Point: Paul Higginbotham Policy
Officer, F 01983 823345
DAVID PETTITT