Agenda and minutes

The Chair, Councillor K Caan, welcomed everyone to the meeting, thanking the Moat Family Hub for hosting and advising the theme of the meeting was children, young people and families.

The Chair thanked Ruth Light, Healthwatch Coventry for her contribution to the Board over the years as she had recently moved on from her role.  He welcomed Fiona Garrigan, Healthwatch Coventry and Matthew Stanton from West Midlands Fire Service to the Board.

The Chair welcomed representatives of the Voluntary and Community Sector, A Baker (NCT Parents in Mind), H Cox (Hope Coventry), S Mair (Fatherhood Solutions), C McNaught and N Bukhari (Foleshill Women’s Training) (FWT), to the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Minutes of the meeting held on 2^nd October 2024 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Minutes of the meeting held on 2^nd October 2024 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Further to Minute 21 – Independent Annual Public Health Report 2024 – Migrant Health and Wellbeing in Coventry – Councillor Lapsa recorded an interest in the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre.

Further to Minute 21 – Independent Annual Public Health Report 2024 – Migrant Health and Wellbeing in Coventry, it was noted that the actions of the Director of Public Health, in that report, had been prioritised.

Further to Minute 28 – Health and Wellbeing Board Members Headline Updates and Future Work Programme Items – it was noted that Suicide Prevention would be part of a Mental Health themed meeting planned for 2025/26.

Verbal update of the Chair.

The Chair, Councillor Caan, updated the Board on his useful recent meeting with the Mayor of the West Midlands, R Parker, at which he discussed health work and gaining support for local communities through him.

The Chair had a recent positive meeting with Sir Michael Marmot, where  the key items were progression of the framework of Marmot in Coventry whilst supporting all organisations.

The Health Determinants Research Collaborative (HDRC) was providing personal and professional development opportunities related to research for residents and staff in Coventry.  A community citizen science course delivered by Coventry University was available to residents.  This course would help link residents lived experience with research.  The Chair requested the community citizen science course be brought to a future Health and Wellbeing Board meeting.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board note the Chair’s update.

Verbal update of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing.

The Board received a verbal update of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing highlighting the prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB) in the city.  The Director explained that recent epidemiology data had shown the West Midlands to have some of the highest number of cases of TB in the country, and how it was driven by the wider determinants of health, in particular, asylum seekers and the homeless.  Public Health were working in collaboration with partners to bring down the number of cases.

The Director updated the Board on her recent meeting with the Chair, Councillor Caan, to discuss the devolution deal with regard to Public Health.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board note the verbal update from the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing.

Briefing Note of the Early Help Operational Lead

The Board received a Briefing Note and presentation from the Early Help Operational Lead.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, described the expectations for multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children.  The current expectations were for partners to work together within early help through a collaborative, multi-agency approach to support children and families through shared responsibility, information sharing and continuous improvement.

Early help was a support for children of all ages that improved a family’s resilience and outcomes or reduced the chance of a problem getting worse.  It was a system of support delivered by local authorities and their partners working together, taking collective responsibility to provide the right provision for them.

In Coventry, the Early Help and Prevention system of support was arranged and governed by the Early Help Strategic Partnership, who were responsible for the development, activation and evaluation of the Early Help Strategy.  This was mobilised across the partnership and community of practice through 10 Early Help Outcome Groups, as well as the Family Hub Network and other local community based Early Help and prevention forums.  There were several other strategies and plans across the sector, including an early intervention and prevention focus including the Domestic Abuse Strategy, Housing and Homelessness and the Vanguard Programme.

In ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ guidance, the expectations were described for strategic leaders, senior and middle managers and those delivering direct practice.  For those involved in direct practice, the expectations were to: collaborate, learn, resource, include and mutually challenge.

The process in Coventry involved undertaking an Early Help Assessment, leading to a family plan, supported by a team around the family approach. The role that practitioners across the system were expected to undertake was detailed in the Coventry CSCP Work Force Table.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was introduced in Parliament in December 2024 and was expected to report in February 2025.  The bill contained reforms to children’s social care and provision relating to education in England.  Key features included: child safety, education tracking, home education safeguards, financial relief for parents and school admissions.  There were also key expectations for safeguarding partners including local authorities, NHS integrated care boards and the police, aiming to create a more integrated and responsive system to protect children from harm.

Coventry, recognised as a trailblazer in the National Family Hub and Start for Life programme, had 8 Family Hub buildings and delivered a comprehensive offer of support in the local communities across Coventry and through a new digital platform.  Notification of an additional years funding for 2025/6 and report of progress and request to accept the grant would be taken to Cabinet and Council in March 2025.

The Family Hub and Start for Life Programme Board currently oversaw the work of each funded workstream, with workstream leads representing the partnership agencies and teams delivering on this programme. The Public Health Consultant responsible for inequalities and children currently attended and supported the board.

There were new elements to the Coventry offer  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

Briefing Note of the Head of SEND & Specialist Services.

The Board received a Briefing Note and presentation of the Head of SEND & Specialist Services providing an overview of the activity and focus of the SEND and AP Partnership Board during 2024 and highlighting the strength and cross agency partnership working in Coventry, setting out partnership priorities and providing examples of Coventry’s partnership response to the nationally recognised systemic challenges all local areas faced.

The purpose of the SEND and AP Strategic Partnership Board was to:

·  Improve outcomes and tackle inequalities for children and young people with SEND in Coventry

·  Ensure that co-production was embedded culturally across the local area and that the voice of children, young people and their families was heard and informs all we do

·  Provide strategic oversight of the SEND & AP JSNA (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment), the joint self-evaluation assessment, the SEND and AP action plan the SEND & AP Strategy

·  Model and promote shared responsibility and accountability across all partnership services, and where it improved outcomes for children and young people promote integrated working

·  Build system capacity and expertise across the local area, endorsing and monitoring innovative practice

·  Oversee the effectiveness of the local offer for SEND across all services and intervene in a timely and effective manner where appropriate

·  Identify opportunities for joint commissioning and integrated working, where there is evidence that it would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the identification, assessment and provision pathways

·  Champion the entitlement to an ordinary life for children and young people with additional needs with a focus on transition to adulthood, employment and independent living ‘lifting the cloud of limitation’

·  Have oversight of sufficiency issues including workforce challenges and the sufficiency of specialist placements, provision including therapies, short-breaks, supported internships and employment and training opportunities

·  Agree the cross agency key performance indicators and monitor progress against improvement targets

·  Hold partners to account when required.

Members of the Board, having considered the Briefing Note and Presentation, asked questions and received information from officers on the following:

·  A dry run in response to Ofsted’s Annex A included information gathering in readiness for an inspection. Information regarding the governance of SEND, children missing in education and all children and young people in the city with an EHP and in receipt of SEN support would also be required for the inspection.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1)  Note the progress made so far.

2)  Consider and endorse the priorities identified by the SEND and AP Strategic Partnership Board.

Briefing Note of the Strategic Lead for Corporate Parenting & Sufficiency and Strategic lead for Children in Care, Care Leavers and Children with disabilities services

The Board received a Briefing Note and presentation of the Strategic Lead for Corporate Parenting & Sufficiency and Strategic Lead for Children in Care, Care Leavers and Children with disabilities services, which provided an update on:

·  Sharing information with the Health & Wellbeing Board in relation to the role of Corporate Parents and Corporate Parenting Board.

·  Provide feedback from children and young people in relation to services and areas they identified as gaps.

·  Update on the work undertaken linked to the meeting, the needs of children and young people in care and those who had left care.

The Chair welcomed the presentation, highlighted his support for free prescriptions for care leavers and called on health partners to provide support.

Members of the Board, having considered the Briefing Note and Presentation, asked questions and received information from officers on the following:

·  Work had already begun relating to the provision of support to progress a joint review of all services working with children in care and care leavers in meeting their mental health and emotional wellbeing and addressing any inequalities in accessing services.  It was important that children and young people knew about the support services available to them and their accessibility.

Councillor Seaman congratulated the Corporate Parenting Board, welcoming hearing directly from the children and young people what it was they wanted, taking actions and providing feedback to them.

The Chair welcomed the motion passed by Coventry City Council in September 2024 regarding care leavers becoming a protected characteristic, welcoming the council being a corporate parent and looking forward to other partners coming on board to be part of the positive journey.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1)  Request all Partners consider care experienced (care leaver) as a protected characteristic.

2)  Provide support to progress a joint review of all services that work with children in care and care leavers in meeting their mental health and emotional wellbeing and to address any inequalities in accessing services.

3)  Consider free prescriptions for care leavers.

Briefing Note of the Director of Public Health and Consultant in Public Health, A Baker

The Board received a Briefing Note and presentation of the Director of Public Health and the Consultant in Public Health regarding the Public Health, Insights and Migration Business Plan for 2025 – 2028 which discussed the work of the team and the principles the team had used to identify priorities going forward.  Five areas of work were identified for the team to prioritise in terms of improving the population for Coventry residents.

Members of the Board, having considered the Briefing Note and Presentation, asked questions and received information from officers on the following:

·  A focus was required on ensuring women were healthy prior to pregnancy to improve infant mortality deaths.

·  Data had been captured for each infant death including which community the family was from and reasoning behind the death.

·  UHCW and Coventry City Council’s joint appointment post had proved beneficial however, early prevention was key to infant mortality and opportunities were being sought to influence outcomes earlier.

·  MAMTA, a programme aimed to improve child and maternal health outcomes for black and minority ethnic women in Coventry, supported ethnic women post and pre pregnancy.  Each ethnic woman in Coventry was offered MAMTA as a route during their pregnancy

The Board requested:

-  The Public Health Business Plan be circulated to Members and feedback provided by Members to shape the future direction of priorities.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1)  Note the content of the Public Health, Insights and Migration Business Plan for 2025-26 and provide feedback to shape the future direction of priorities.

Verbal update of the Chair – Health and Wellbeing Board Members Headline Updates

The Board received a verbal update of the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board requesting Members feedback, guidance and support on any future items or themes.

The Board noted the date of the next meeting which was 24^th March 2025.

The continuing themed meetings were as follows:

• 24^th March 2025   Very Vulnerable People

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1. Notes the update to the future work themed meetings.

2. Notes the date of the next meeting - 24^th March 2025.

3. Community Citizen Science Course to be brought to a future meeting.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no other items of public business.