Joint Adult’s and Children’s forum
10am – 12.30pm, Thurs 17 July 2014
Cambridge House, 1 Addington Square, London, SE5 0HF
Attendees (54)
See Appendix 1.
Presenters (4)
Jane Senior, Southwark Council; Jayne Bullough, RASASC; Peta Smith, Southwark Council; Simon Mitchell, Southwark Council.
Meeting notes
1. Welcome & introduction
· Phil Mawhinney, Senior Policy Officer at CAS, opened the meeting, welcomed the group, and outlined the agenda for the joint forum in the morning, followed by lunch and the CAS members’ day in the afternoon.
· PM explained that this meeting was a ‘joint forum’, rather than the usual separate forums – Adult Health & Social Care forum and Children, Young People & Families forum. This was due to the focus on all-age commissioning and as a trial to break down age barriers between voluntary & community sector (VCS) organisations/groups. He also introduced CAS’ new policy officer Rachel Clarkson.
· PM highlighted a number of items –
o Following the recent local election, Southwark Council continues to be governed by the Labour Group with an increased majority. The new council cabinet recently released its ‘Fairer Future Promises’, which include affordable childcare, an age-friendly borough and education, training and jobs for young people as local priorities.
o Southwark Council is due to agree a new Ethical Care Charter for homecare services in July. This will ensure that care workers are better treated (e.g. paid for travel time) and will influence how the council procures care services.
2. All-age integrated commissioning
· Simon Mitchell, Senior Commissioning Manager in Children’s & Adult’s Services at Southwark Council, gave a presentation on the new All-Age Integrated Commissioning Strategy (Health & Wellbeing).
· The strategy will guide commissioning from 2014-20, based on seven ‘strategic commissioning intentions’:
o Personalised health and social care services that can follow a resident through their lifetime.
o Improve resilience of communities, families and individuals to support residents to maintain or regain their independence and be able to live in their home.
o Identify and commission effective preventative or early action services that reduce or delay the need for specialist services.
o Quality specialist services for those that require support when no longer able to live in their own home.
o Commission for quality and improved outcomes for residents, utilising views expressed by residents on the services they receive to develop and inform future approaches.
o Develop a diverse, innovative and adaptable health and social care market.
o Develop a single integrated approach to commissioning services wherever possible.
· There is also a focus on co-producing services with residents, family, carers, service users.
· See the full presentation slides for more information.
· In the following discussion a number of points were raised:
o How can the council minimise disruption to the support/services people receive, for example where there is a change of provider organisation.
o Southwark Council commissions only a small number public health services, e.g. sexual health, obesity. Some of these are on a multi-borough basis.
o With the intention to commissioning once, where possible, this could include consortia of organisations getting together to bid for contracts, or a framework agreement involving multiple contractors.
· Jane Senior, Market Development Manager in Children’s & Adult’s Services at Southwark Council, gave a presentation on developing the local market of providers, including her current work producing a Market Position Statement (MPS).
· JS explained that – ‘[The] MPS sets out the council’s approach towards shaping and developing the local care and support market, in order to ensure sufficient supply, to meet the requirements of individual choice and population demand.’
· It is a market-facing document that will help VCS organisations make informed decisions when planning their Southwark-based business. It will address the relationship between the council and suppliers (i.e. the VCS). It complements the All-Age Commissioning Strategy.
· See the full presentation slides for more information.
· This was followed by group/table discussions on what organisations wanted to see in the MPS, including the key challenges they face around commissioning. Key points include –
o How can the MPS ensure that small, local providers will not be excluded from commissioning opportunities, due to size of contract, bidding process, monitoring burden etc.?
o How can the MPS safeguard against low value contracts leading to undercutting or enforced low wages or poor staff treatment?
o Council systems are constantly changing (‘moving the goalposts’). This makes it difficult for organisations to plan ahead and retain staff.
o Small organisations would like feedback on contract/funding bids, in order to improve. CAS can fulfil this role.
· Contact Simon or Jane with queries: ,
3. Personalisation
· Peta Smith, Commissioning Manager (All Age Disabilities) at Southwark Council, gave a presentation on ‘Focussing on Personal Budgets’.
· Specific points included:
o With the start of new integrated assessments for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), from September 2014 there will no longer be SEND Statements for young people.
o The Local Offer is a directory of all local support, services and activities, which personal budget holders will use to purchase and review services. It is also due to start in September and it is important that organisations get their details on it. Information on how to do this will be circulated by CAS shortly.
o The council is implementing the recent Care Act, which maintains the drive towards personal budgets. (CAS will hold an event on this in September).
· Broader points about how organisations should adapt to personal budgets included:
o Personal budgets pose challenges but are also an opportunity for organisations to get more business and respond specifically to users’ needs, not council specifications.
o Changes to core funding are a big challenge. There is no ‘new’ money so personal budgets will be financed through reductions to core contracts. Organisations need to plan for this shift, including by thinking about how to cost services. CAS can support this.
o Organisations also need to be better at marketing and promoting their services, including by establishing a clear unique selling point (USP).
· See the full presentation slides for more information.
· In the following discussion a number of points and questions were raised:
o How are the 377 people currently on direct payments broken down, in terms of age/user
group/service? Answer to follow.
o In the combined Education, Health & Care (EHC) Plans, how will the three separate teams (EHC) be co-ordinated? There will be a single co-ordinator to pull together the separate strands.
o CAS and council officers will give instructions and support to help organisations get their details included in the local offer.
o Are there examples of organisations who have successfully made the transition from block contracts to personal budgets? Best practice and lessons learned elsewhere to be circulated.
o What proportion of personal budgets money is spent on services provided by the VCS? Response to follow.
· Contact Peta with queries:
4. Sector representation
· PM explained that this session would be done different from the usual way at forums, where VCS Reps report the latest local policy developments and take comments in discussion. Participants got into groups at tables to discuss and write down their responses to three questions:
1. What are the key challenges facing your organisation?
2. What are the key issues facing your service users, now and in the next 5 years?
3. Give us an example of success with your services users (best practice).
· Key challenges facing organisations include –
o Maintaining income is a major challenge, with less public funding and more competition for contracts, at a time of increasing demand for support.
o Smaller organisations do not have the skills and capacity to find out about commissioning opportunities, write quality bids and meet heavy monitoring obligations.
o Short contracts and unclear council communications towards the end of a contract mean it is difficult for organisations to plan future services, recruit and retain staff and maintain staff morale.
o Some organisations struggle to deal with the pace of change, in terms of council priorities and structures, commissioning strategies.
o Personal budgets (PBs) present challenges, including slow decisions in who is entitled to a PB mean organisations have gaps in their cashflow and the need to address administrative skills gaps as organisations move from receiving income through block contracts to PBs.
o Service users need to be informed to better understand the system of PBs and the range of services available.
o The needs of deaf people are not being fully met in Southwark.
o Challenges around maintaining affordable and quality premises. Some organisations have had to move following rent increases, resulting in disruption for service users.
· Key challenges facing local residents now and over the next five years include –
o Loneliness and isolation, e.g. among older people.
o Poverty and low standards of living, e.g. living on an inadequate pension.
o Lack of skills and job opportunities.
o Welfare reforms, changes to benefits, including Universal Credit.
o Basic needs of new arrivals not being met.
o People no longer being eligible for support as thresholds for social care and other services are raised.
o Low understanding of personal budgets and the risk of finance.al abuse.
o The need for clear information and guidance to access support in a complex and changing landscape.
· CAS will write-up these points in full and has committed to taking forward them forward in strategic discussions with the council and other policymaking bodies (e.g. Clinical Commissioning Group).
5. Project showcase: Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC)
· Jayne Bullough, Training Co-ordinator at RASASC, gave a short presentation.
· RASASC is an independent organisation providing a range of professional and confidential support services to female survivors of sexual violence aged 14 years and over, who live/work in south London.
· RASASC is shortly opening a centre in Southwark/Lewisham/Lambeth. They provide training to organisations who may work with women at risk of sexual violence.
· The Rape Crisis National Helpline are recruiting for Helpline Volunteers. Please email Rosa at or call 0208 683 3311 to be forwarded an application pack with full position details.
· Find out more about RASASC and contact Jayne with queries at , or 0208 683 3311.
6. CAS Development support + Healthwatch Southwark
· Graham Collins, Head of Sustainability & Development at CAS, outlined various support currently on offer to local VCS organisations:
· Find out more about the training, advice, consultancy, newsletter, events and other support on our website.
· Contact Graham to find out more: [E] [T] 0207 358 7011.
· Alvin Kinch, Healthwatch Southwark Manager, gave a short update.
· There will be a public meeting on Social Care on 22 July, 4-6.30pm at Cambridge House. Case studies will be discussed included one looking at safeguarding.
· Healthwatch also has an ‘issues log sheet’ to capture the experiences of service users and patients using health and social care services and invited those present to complete the sheet to provide feedback to Healthwatch. AK asked PM to send the document out to the group.
7. Information sharing
· Attendees shared information about their projects, upcoming events and other opportunities. See the items below, including links and contacts.
o Look Ahead – Not sure:
o Blackfriars Settlement – Older people?:
o Three Cs –
o United St. Saviour’s – grants?
o Dulwich Helpline & Southwark Churches Care – volunteers?
o Cambridge House – support planning sessions,
o Solace Women’s Aid –
o Together, Your Way – mental health support,
o Actionplus Foundation – volunteers in churches re HIV?
o i i Child – summer projects?
o Thames garden bridge research – research at University of Birmingham on the proposed Thames Garden Bridge, contact Jess Glover:
Appendix 1: Attendees
First Name / Surname / OrganisationAbi / Todd / Look Ahead
Alex / Margolies / Toucan Employment
Alexander James / Simon / Furniture Aid South Thames
Alison / Paule / Paxton Green Timebank
Alison / Miles / Southwark Parent Carers Council
Andrew / Rice / CAS
Andy / Hirons / Headway
Angela / Woodley / Three Cs
Beatriz / Dominguez / Cambridge House
Bill / Stewart / Blackfriars Settlement
Bushra / Akhtar / Refuge
Carmen / Lindsay / Camberwell After School Project
Carol / dalton / Southwark Council
Debbie / Hollis / Blackfriars Advice Centre
Eduardo / Chiesa / Latin American Disabled People's Project
Elaine / Joseph / ii Child
Fiona / Costello / Look Ahead
Franca / Ubogagu / Step-up Services
Fred / Annin / ActionPlus Foundation
Gemma / Juma / Dulwich Helpline & Southwark Churches Care
Godfrey / Edwards / The Flood Group Project
Grisel / Tarifa / Pembroke House
Hazel / Saunders / Faces in Focus
Ian / Redding / Peckham Voluntary Sector Forum
Izzy / McElhinney / Solace
Jayne / Bullough / RASASC
Jean / Tucker / Pre-school Learning Alliance
Jess / Glover / Birmingham University
Jim / Wintour / United St. Saviour's
Joy / Grimshaw / The Bridge
Kat / Osborn / Time & Talents
Kate / Hewitt / Southwark Parent Carers Council
Les / Alden / People Care Association
Mark / Parker / Resident (CAS)
Matthew / Allgood / United St. Saviour's
Michael / McEntee / Bede House
Natalia / Sali
Rajvi / Patel / Age UK Lewisham & Southwark
Rebecca / Knowles / Crystal Palace Community Development Trust
Rita / Andrews / Southwark Irish Pensioners Project
Roger / Thompson / Action on Hearing Loss
Ross / Baker / Together Your Way
Seema / Sodhi / Homestart Southwark
Stephanie / Correia / Southside Rehab
Stephen / Gudgeon / BITC Connect
Steve / Howe / Look Ahead
Susan / Underhill / Blackfriars Settlement
Susie / Nankivell / Together Your Way
Susie / Goss / The Bridge
Suzanne / Worrica / Paxton Green Time Bank
Vicky / Hartell / Metropolitan
Yvonna / Ryszkowska / Work Wise UK
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