HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

CHILDREN’S SERVICES AND CORPORATE PARENTING

CABINET PANEL

WEDNESDAY 6 JANUARY 2010 AT 10.00 A.M

DRAFT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S PLAN 2010/11

Report of the Director of ChildrenSchools and Families

Author: Janice Mottram

Performance and Improvement Manager, CSF

Tel: 01992 555921

Executive Members: Jane Pitman (Children’s Services)

Richard Thake (Education andSkills)

1 Purpose of Report

  • To update the Panel on the development of the 2010/11 Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP).
  • To present the consultation draft version of the CYPP Priority Action Plans.
  • To invite comment and feedback from the Panel on the draft action plans.

2Summary

2.1The CYPP is the key strategic document for all partners delivering services to children, young people, and their families in Hertfordshire. The 2008/09 and 2009/10 plans focused on two key areas for improvement: safeguarding children and young people and narrowing the gap between vulnerable children and all children.

2.2The 2010/11 draft plan continues to focus on the current twelve key priorities across these themes.The emphasis this year has been on refreshing the action plans, rather than a complete re-write.

2.3Following a series of workshops attended by stakeholders and partners from across Hertfordshire, draft action plans for each of the priorities have been developed and a wider range stakeholders are now being invited to comment and provide feedback on the document (attached as Appendix A).

3Recommendations

3.1The Panel is asked to review and comment on the draft CYPP 2010/11 priority action plans (attached as Appendix A). Any further feedback is invited until 8February 2010.

3.2The final version of the CYPP 2010/11 will be considered by HCC Cabinet on 22 March 2010 and by County Council on 30 March 2010.

4Background

4.1The CYPP is the key strategic document for all partners delivering services to children, young people, and their families in Hertfordshire.

4.2Following a revision to the structure of the CYPP in 2008/09, the plan is now a more focused and concise document that identifies key priorities for improving outcomes for children and young people, robust performance measures, actions, and accountable named leads.

4.3The current plan is shaped around two overarching themes where improvements are most needed:

  • Safeguarding children and young people
  • Narrowing the gap between vulnerable children and all children

4.4The 2010/11 draft CYPP will retain the emphasis of these themes as well as continuing to focus improvements on the twelve priorities in the current 2009/10 plan and 3 service management priorities.

4.5The priorities are outlined below:

Theme 1: Safeguarding children and young people

1 / Children and young people are safe from abuse and neglect
2 / Children and young people achieve their full potential whilst in and moving on from care
3 / Children and young people are confident to respond to bullying

Theme 2: Narrowing the gap between vulnerable children and all children

4 / Children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health is well supported
5 / Children and young people have a healthy weight
6 / Vulnerable under fives are well prepared for life
7 / Vulnerable children and young people achieve as well as others
8 / Children and young people with learning difficulties and disabilities are empowered to reach their full potential
9 / Young people get a wide range of opportunities to learn
10 / Children and young people make a positive contribution to decisions about services
11 / Children and Young People thrive in spite of poverty
12 / Children & Young People keep on the right track

Service Management Priorities

SMP
1 / Develop shared systems and processes to deliver effective services
SMP
2 / Ensure services make best use of resources and provide good value for money
SMP
3 / Strengthen performance management and evaluation systems

4.6During focused Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership (HCTP) workshops in November 2009, stakeholders from a wide range of organisations across the HCTP used an outcomes-based accountability approach to identify for each priority:

  • the positive conditions we wish to see for children and young people
  • key performance indicators that will tell us if our performance is improving and other related Local Area Agreement indicators
  • the focussed actions that will make the greatest contribution to improving outcomes for children and young people in 2010/11

4.7Priority Leads have used the output from these sessions to produce draft action plans for each priority and these were considered by the HCTP Executive at its meeting on 8 December 2009.The emphasis this year has been on refreshing the action plans, rather than a complete re-write.

4.8The draft priority action plans are attached as Appendix A. A period of wider stakeholder engagement is now underway with comment and feedback being invited by 8February 2010.

4.9As part of this engagement, the Panel is asked to review and comment on the draft CYPP 2010/11 priority action plans. Any subsequent feedback is invited until the 8February 2010; responses may also be made online at where further copies of the draft plan are available.

4.10 Following the period of comment & feedback, Priority Leads will produce a final draft of the CYPP to be presented to HCTP Executive on 3March 2010, before being considered by HCC Cabinet on

22March 2010 and full County Council on 30 March 2010.

5 Financial Implications

There are no direct financial implications arising from this refresh of the action plans in the CYPP. The cost of the preparation and issuing of the CYPP2010/11 will be met from existing HCTP budgets.

100106 05 Draft of the CYPP 2010-11 1