Minutes –Unconfirmed
The Central Locality Forum
25th September 2014, 10am
Jim Cooke Conference Suite, Stockton Central Library, Stockton-on-Tees
Members: Suzanne Fletcher (Chair, Fairtrade Partnership), Anne Howard (Vice Chair, Newtown Residents Association), Marilyn Surtees (Elm Tree Community Centre), Tina Williams (Community Partnership),Abdul Khan (BME Rep/Becon), Steve Brock (Stockton Town Pastors), Cllr Michael Clark (SBC), Paul Thomas (Tilery Residents Association), Verna Pickering (Roseworth Residents),*Members are representing their nominating body.
Advisors: Sarah Robinson(SBC),James Hadman (Catalyst), Chris Peters (Thirteen), Steve Rose (Catalyst)
Observers:
Apologies:Janet Stubbs (Job Centre Plus), Pam Birtle (Love Stockton), Cllr Cooke (SBC), Chris Carter (Primrose Hill Football Club), Denise Ross (Disability Advisory Group), Gareth Rees (Thorpe Thewles Residents), David Headland (Salvation Army), Cllr Jim Beall (SBC), Insp Brown (Cleveland Police), Cllr David Coleman (SBC), Janice McColm (TVRCC), Cllr N Wilburn (SBC), Cllr Woodhead (SBC), Glen Holmland (Thirteen), Liz Rooney (Business Forum), Aishah Waithe (Catalyst)
ITEM/ISSUE / ACTION
- Welcome and Apologies
2. Declarations of Interest
DOI procedure was noted. / Noted
3. Minutes of the Meeting held on 25h September 2014
The minutes were agreed. / Agreed
4. Feedback from Task and Finish Groups
Apprenticeships
Meeting to be organised for the second task and finish group.
Foodbanks
The pro forma on feedback from the task and finish group was circulated with the papers.
The following discussion took place:
-How are BME communities targeted, how are they supported if they needed food support.
-Justice First offer food support with a drop in for asylum seekers
-Coordination needed in terms of what is going on in communities and what organisations are doing. Following the last task and finish group meeting, information on which foodbanks are operating across the Central Locality Forum during the week has been developed
-Bridges, Trussell Trust and CAB share data which is inputted to CAB
-Important to engage with people with underlying issues. It is important to engage with people who need help. May be a gap in help/advice for those presenting with mental health issues.
-Following feedback from the last task and finish group, AK noted that need to look at how to put something in place in Parkfield. Have volunteers on the estate who would want to be involved so need to look at how to progress this
-Would be interesting to know the demographic of those accessing the Trussell Trust service in Stockton.
It was agreed that a final task and finish group meeting would be held with the invite extended to Justice First, Fairer Start and the Mary Thompson fund. It was requested that data be collected on those who currently access services with a breakdown of those with mental health issues, ethnicity and sex. There was a further discussion around anything needing to be done specifically for the BME community on foodbanks. JH noted that Catalyst are having ‘Big Conversation’ sessions with the BME community and the topic of foodbanks could be picked up in this.
Tees Credit Union – Forum Wide
-The Community Engagement team has met with Diane Patterson to go through the actions from the first task and finish group meeting.
-Since the Central Locality Forum meeting, Tees Credit Union attended Voice Forum. Catalyst are looking to invest reserves in the Tees Credit Union
-Second task and finish group meeting to be set up.
Breastfeeding – Forum Wide
-Since the initial meeting of this forum wide task and finish group, Public Health have now adopted the new breastfeeding friendly model.
-A further task and finish group meeting is taking place on 16th October with Public Health representation. / JH to feed into the foodbank steering group feedback from the Big Conversation
T&F meeting to be arranged.
5. Housing & Neighbourhood Partnership Nominations
Following a vote, the representatives from the Central Locality Forum on the Housing and Neighbourhood Partnership will be Suzanne Fletcher and Anne Howard. If either Suzanne or Anne are unable to attend the meeting, it was agreed that Paul Thomas would deputise for them. / Noted
6. A Fairer Start – Steve Rose, Catalyst
An overview of the Fairer Start project was provided. The Fairer Start project focuses on improving three key outcomes for 0-3 year olds living in the Stockton Town Centre ward: 1. Cognitive development 2. Speech and language development 3. Nutrition. The overarching outcome is for all children to the ‘School Ready’ by the age of five. The management of the project will be led by Catalyst with additional senior support from Public Health to help shape services and build on current relationships and multi-agency working. The approach will be based on the ten recommendations/action streams set out by the WAVE Trust in their ‘Conception to Age of Opportunity’ report, with the 2 key actions being Focus on Improving Attunement and Promote Secure Attachment.
A Fairer Start will further develop and enhance links to existing programmes and services helping to ensure that children and their families receive well-coordinated, holistic support to achieve improved outcomes. The active involvement of the local community has been identified as crucial in both the design and implementation of the project. Stockton Town Centre Ward was chosen for the first year of the pilot based on its distinct geographical communities, various other demographics and the volume of children in receipt of social care services.
It was discussed that an intrinsic part of the success of the project will be the active participation of the community. The community will have key roles in shaping this project, they will help inform the development of a model of community champions and set the direction of interventions and services commissioned. A model for the development of Community Champions is currently under development.
The following discussion took place:
-People need to live in the ward, not just access services in the ward to be involved in the project
-A lot of mothers do not go to children’s centres so looking at other community venues to provide services
-Not one size fits all – there will need to be a different narrative with each mother and child
-TW informed that 80% of children taken into care is due to drugs and alcohol issues with parents. JH noted that there is a Hartington Road focussed meeting taking place and Police are represented on this group and she will raise the discussion taken place during this meeting and ensure that this is linked back to a Fairer Start. Housing Options have a worker directly involved with Hartington Road.
-Harbour are involved and discussed this was important and have to get the community involved in cycle of unacceptable behaviour and about changing culture/attitudes towards this
-The pilot is taking place in Stockton Town Centre Ward however when this becomes professional practice and is working it will be rolled out across the borough, potentially with different models needed in different areas.
It was requested that regular updates are provided on a Fairer Start to the Central Locality Forum. In the future, representatives from the Central Locality Forum involved with Fairer Start can provide these updates as it is hoped that the project will be owned by everyone in the community.
It was requested that Steve Rose feedback support from the Central Locality Forum on what organisations are doing to develop this model. / Noted
Noted
SR to speak to Aishah Waithe re regular updates to Central Locality Forum
7. Next Steps – Locality Forum Action Plan priorities
The following discussion tool place:
-At the last meeting issues around private homeless accommodation and standards were discussed
-SF suggested Foetal Alcohol Syndrome as a potential future priority
-TW suggested drug availability and crime as a priority area. It was suggested that this is fed in through the new way of working for the Safer Stockton Partnership. If it is felt that this has not been addressed then look to what the Central Locality Forum can do in the future. Catalyst are also working on an event with A Way Out to look at some of the impacts of this.
-Discussed support for those seeking asylum and the seemingly high numbers of those seeking asylum who are placed in Stockton Town Centre Ward. It was discussed that research has been commissioned talking directly to asylum seekers and refugees about their experience in Stockton. It was discussed that there is a national policy on dispersal. SF and AH will note the outcome of the report at the Housing & Neighbourhood Partnership and raise at a community level.
No priorities from the Action Plan were agreed. To be decided at the November 2014 meeting. / Noted
Noted
8. Items for Information
-Safer Stockton Partnership Feedback – Following a meeting with the Chairs of the Locality Forums, Steven Hume and Steve Rose, it was agreed that the input from the old Area Partnerships was not strong and a more effective way of hearing grassroots concerns/issues would be for Steve Rose to feed concerns and community issues into the SSP as representative of Catalyst and the VCS. SR will meet with forum members if they wish to share the SSP agenda prior to the meeting and SH will hold issue based meetings with the Locality Forums if and when necessary.
-Probation meeting – Monday 6th October, 10am, Jim Cooke Conference Suite
-Stockton Strategic Partnership Annual Business Meeting – 9th December. Invites will be circulated shortly for a workshop session with visual artists prior to the event
-IAG – The Chair of the IAG has written to the Central Locality Forum Chair requesting a representative from each Locality Forum attend the IAG meeting. Steve Brock and Anne Howard currently attend this meeting so it was agreed that they would be the reps from the Central Locality Forum on this group. / Noted
9. Date and Time of Next Meeting
Thursday 27th November, Stockton Business Centre, time to be confirmed. / Noted
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