Proposal: To defer the establishment of
the Isle of Wight Children’s Trust from 1st April 2006 to between
October 2006 and April 2007.
A. National
Requirement
·
The 2004 Children Act
set out the statutory requirement for Local Authorities to integrate services
for children and young people by 1st April 2008, Children’s Trusts
are the preferred model.
·
The 2004 Children Act
set out the statutory requirement for Local Authorities to lead on the creation
of The Children and Young People’s Plan by 1st April 2006.
B. Local
Requirement
The development of a Children’s Trust
is stated within Aim High:
The aim is to ensure high quality outcomes for
children and young people from all partner agencies.
The goal to create new and effective partnerships
with service providers to improve the outcomes for children and young people.
The measure of success is to implement the provisions
of the Children Act (2004) within statutory timescales.
The original action was to create a Children’s Trust
by 1st April 2006.
·
New Interim Director of
Children’s Services in place.
·
New strategic
partnering arrangement established with a clear mandate to address the issues
from the Annual Performance Assessment.
·
Consultation has begun
on the draft Children and Young People’s Plan having been approved by The Commission
for Children and School Results.
·
The Isle of Wight
Children and Young People’s Plan will be published by 1st April
2006.
·
Preparation for the
Joint Area Review (JAR) underway as part of the Council’s preparation for the
Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).
The Children’s Trust Advisor is supporting the Service Management theme
within the JAR
* The Isle of Wight agreed to call the Children’s Trust ‘the
Isle of Wight Children and Young People’s Trust’ (the Trust).
D. Suggested Reason for deferment of the
Trust from 1st April 2006 to October 2006/April 2007.
The governance arrangements for the Trust
need to relate to the Local Strategic Partnership, the Public Service Board and
the Health and Adult Social Care Trust.
It is appropriate to wait until the design for these structures have
reached a more advanced stage.
E.
Suggested Revised Timetable
·
Children and Young
People’s Trust programme management established in three phases:
Phase 1: August 2005 to March 2006
Development Phase (identifying progress and piloting
ways of working in each of the 5 geographical clusters).
1.
Involvement,
participation and consultation with children and young people
2.
Integrated
commissioning
3.
Information Sharing and
Assessment
4.
Common Assessment
Framework, integrated referral and care pathways
5.
Interagency governance
and accountability
6.
Workforce Development
7.
Local Safeguarding Children Board.
Phase 2: April 2006 to March 2007
Implementation Phase (implement these seven functions
across the Island learning from each Cluster with a proposed launch at the Big
Day Out 2006).
Phase 3: From October 2006/April 2007
Operational Phase (Fully functioning Trust as a legal
entity).
2.
Establish the
governance of the Trust and Member involvement in line with the Local Area Agreement,
Aim High, the proposed Health and Social Care Trust and Local Public Service
Board.
3.
Ensure the development
of the corporate performance management system provides the performance
management for the Children and Young People’s Plan and the Children and Young
People’s Trust.
4.
Ensure that the
development and implementation of Strategic Partnering arrangements secures the
necessary support for the development and implementation of the Trust.
5.
Build the Trust around
implementing the Children and Young People’s Plan.
6.
Mature the functions of
the Trust over the next 12 months to resolve any operational issues that may
emerge before the Trust becomes a legal entity.
7.
Align the priorities
and resources for children and young identified in the Safer Communities,
Healthier Communities and Economic Development and Enterprise blocks of the
Local Area Agreement (including the Local Public Service Agreements) with the
Children and Young People’s Trust to maximise resources to raise achievement.
8.
After the JAR focus
resources and capacity on implementing the JAR Action Plan whilst maintaining momentum
in Trust development that strengthens working relationships with partners such
as schools and GPs.
9.
Demonstrate what all
services are doing across all 5 outcomes for children and young people that contribute
to raising achievement.
10.
Develop the Children
and Young People’s Trust arrangements through strengthening the senior
management team capacity.
11.
Have ready a fully
functioning Children and Young People’s Trust management team by April 2007.
12.
Establish the Children
and Young People’s Trust Commissioner Role.
Contact
point – Mr Simon Dear, Children and Young People’s Trust Adviser.
IAN SANDBROOK
Strategic Director of Children’s Services