Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 29^th September, 2021 were agreed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

Briefing note of Alison Coles, Senior Joint Commissioner for Disabilities and Autism

Members of the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Councillors P Seaman and B Gittins, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Councillor K Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

The Board considered a briefing note of Alison Cole, Senior Joint Commissioner for Disabilities and Autism, concerning the Coventry and Warwickshire All Age Autism Strategy 2021-2026, a copy of which was set out at an appendix to the briefing note. Members of the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) attended the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Councillors K Sandhu and P Seaman, Cabinet Members for Education and Skills and Children and Young People. Councillor M Mutton, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Councillor G Hayre, Deputy Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport also attended for this item. Helen Stephenson, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust was also in attendance.

The briefing note indicated that Local Authorities and CCGs had statutory responsibilities to support autistic people. In recognition of these statutory responsibilities and the inequalities faced by autistic people, the Coventry and Warwickshire Collaborative Commissioning Board approved the development of a joint all age strategy for autistic people. This was a joint five-year strategy owned by Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council and NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

The Strategy built on the previous joint commissioning plan developed by Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council in 2017. The Boards were informed that publication of the local strategy was delayed while the national strategy was being developed, however, work had continued to work towards delivery of the strategy in the meantime.  Significant progress had been made since the previous joint commissioning plan to develop diagnostic pathways for adults and children; pilot new support services for autistic people pre and post diagnosis and those in mental health crisis; improve support for young people in education with communication and sensory needs; and deliver autism training for parents, carers and the wider workforce. However, autistic people continued to experience inequalities due to gaps in services and support, hence the need for the strategy.

The autism strategy had been informed by a range of co-production and mapping activity which was completed in 2019 and 2020 with experts with lived experience and key professionals, which was undertaken to build our shared understanding of the experience of autistic people of all ages and their families in accessing support appropriate to their needs and getting a formal diagnosis of autism.  An accessible and easy read version of the strategy was being developed and would be published following sign off of the Strategy.

The Board noted that the strategy gave overarching objectives for the next 5 years.  These would be delivered in a co-ordinated way across Warwickshire and Coventry and some elements would be delivered differently in the different places to take account of the different services and communities across the area. 

In line with the Coventry and Warwickshire Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Inclusion Strategies, the Autism Strategy emphasised the importance of promoting inclusive practice and supporting young people to access their full potential through education. Delivery of the strategy would therefore be aligned with the Warwickshire SEND change  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

Briefing Note of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing

The Board considered a briefing note and presentation of Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing which presented the Director of Public Heath’s Annual Report 2020-2021, ‘Connecting through Covid-19 – Making a difference by working together in unprecedented times’. A copy of the report was set out at an appendix to the briefing note. Councillor M Mutton, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Councillor G Hayre, Deputy Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport attended the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Councillor P Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People.

The report focused on the value of relationships and connecting with people and communities. It offered a reflection on the city’s approach to engagement and working with communities through the pandemic and demonstrated how this had shaped the Covid-19 response, recovery and ongoing defence.

The briefing note highlighted that the One Coventry approach and values had been at the heart of the way the Council had worked. The pandemic had shone a light on the engrained health inequalities that existed in Coventry. Covid-19 had led to 682 deaths in the City by September 2021 and caused long-term health problems which affected the day-to-day activities for thousands of residents. The Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions had disrupted the daily lives of all 379,000 Coventry residents. The Director’s report brought together data that showed the impact of Covid-19 and provided an overview of the Council's strategy on communications and engagement. It demonstrated how services and the Council’s response was guided by community-led activity. 

As residents learnt to live with Covid, the report offered recommendations for improvement and future practice. These recommendations augmented and looked to consolidate the good practice that had taken place over the last 12 months. The pandemic had required a different approach to be taken to engagement which had heavily relied upon true partnership working in an unprecedented way. The Board noted that the relationships built during the pandemic, laid firm foundations for future growth and joint work.

The report also provided an update on the progress made on the recommendations in the 2019-20 report ‘Resetting our Wellbeing’.

The report set out the following five recommendations:

i) Harness the work of the Community Messengers approach established during our Covid-19 response, as an ongoing method of working with communities and a central component of engagement for public health and wider programmes.

ii) Build on the engagement structures created and strengthened during the pandemic such as the Places of Worship and Community Centre Network, and grass-roots community organisations who were funded to support COVID-19 response efforts. Further understand the reach of these community organisations and networks to enable the targeting of work in areas with limited availability of community resource.

iii) Strengthen the existing relationships with GPs, other health professionals and those working with populations at higher risk of a range of poorer health outcomes due to inequality, deprivation, ethnicity and underlying health conditions – building upon the work started through the Vaccinating Coventry Programme.

iv)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Board noted their work programme for the current municipal year.

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 additional items of public business.