Edinburgh Network of Organisations Working with Children, Young People and Families

Edinburgh Network of Organisations working with Children, Young People and Families

Network Meeting Minutes

7th December 2017

Present

Katherine Anderson / EVOC
Brodie Ashrowan / Broomhouse Centre and Enterprises
Kevin Brown / The Ripple Project
Sean Byrne / City of Edinburgh Council
Suzanne Campbell / The Junction
Anna Chrystal / Stepping Stones North Edinburgh
Gary Dewar (Chair) / Children 1st
Adam Fuller / Safe Families for Children Scotland
Anna Gray / In Your Corner Young Carers
Rhona Hunter / Circle
Brock Lueck / One Parent Families Scotland
Hawys Kilday / Barnardo’s
Margot Mackenzie / Home-Start Edinburgh WSW
Graham McCulloch / Lothian Association of Youth Clubs
Mark Merrell / EVOC
Andrew Murray / Safe Families for Children Scotland
Alexis Robertson Cumming / Volunteer Edinburgh
Alison Roxburgh / Edinburgh Women’s Aid
Carol Targett / Pilton Community Health Project
Andy Thomas / Citadel Youth Centre
Kerry Watson / Cyrenians
J Woodward / Speech, Language and Communication Company
Louise Young / Edinburgh Women’s Aid
Action
1 / Network Meeting – apologies and introductions
Apologies: Paula Swanston, Home Link Family Support, Emma Brown, YMCA Edinburgh, Andrew Waldie, Dr Bell's Family Centre, Susan Veitch, Positive Realities, Bev Read, Firsthand Lothian, Glenn Liddall, People Know How, Gaby Nolan, Move On, Sion Pickering, Friends of the Award, Niki Powers, HOT and Emile van Loo, WithKids.
The Chair introduced Sean Byrne, Lead Officer, City of Edinburgh Child Protection Committee.
2 / Thematic Discussion: Child Protection, Sean Byrne, Lead Officer for Child Protection, City of Edinburgh Council
SB gave a presentation covering the following: Edinburgh City Protection Map; Demographic Context; Child Protection Registration; Child Protection Committee; Self-evaluation and Quality Indicators; Learning and Development; Public Awareness; Quality Assurance; Key Priorities; EVOC Contribution.
Discussion themes: trends in child protection registration; Interagency Referral Discussion and CEC online tool; improving level of service regarding welfare and neglect concerns and need for broader Children’s Partnership involvement; variation in extent to which Network members encounter ‘high tariff’ service users; variation in capacity of Network members and value of mutual support; shared understanding of safe threshold for statutory involvement in child protection; systematic approach; revisiting what is meant by concerns; training around newly emerging child protection issues and impact on reporting.
SB values ‘third sector challenge’, voluntary sector has supported learning and development- ‘huge amount of work’. CELCIS looking at impact of child protection training.
SB:Children and Young People Information Sharing Bill- continue to share child protection concerns.
3 / Minutes of Network Meeting Thursday 2nd November 2017
The minutes were agreed.
4 / Matters Arising
Homelink and others setting up a joint referral service for homebased family support- information will be sent to EVOC. / KA
5 / Partnership Working- feedback

(KA) Children & Young People Improvement Collaborative conference: mainly attended by CEC and NHS. Voluntary sector organisations can work with health visitors to prevent problems escalating for families. Current Holiday Hunger Project could draw on improvement methodology.
Edinburgh Child Protection Committee:

Edinburgh Child Protection Learning & Development Sub-Group (AM):

Barnardo’s presentation on sexual exploitation; reported confusion among young people about what sexual activity is and is not illegal; taxi drivers have to do guilds training; learn pro could be useful as way of ticking level 1 box though it is very basic; KA is on distribution list for CEC child protection training; childrenandfamilytraining.org conference across sectors on 5th March, plus training of trainers day on workbook produced by organisations on 6th March (workbook is on the website); CEC child protection training of trainers- committee keen to give to voluntary sector- will be offered next year.

Children’s Partnership (HK)

Children & Young People’s Mental Health Review (SC)

6 / Network Development
(SC)Emotional Wellbeing and Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service Review Outcomes: agreed that points 4 and 14 should be priorities for the Network.
(KA) Choose Youth Work: young people can sign up for Young Scot cards to vote; disappointment expressed that position paper has still not been signed off by EVOC board; thinkSpace report is on EVOC website.
(ARC) Consultation for the New Volunteering Strategy: Volunteer Edinburgh are currently asking for views on new volunteering strategy.
(KA) Volunteer Training:Home Link Family Support have asked that organisations send details of training they are able to offer to volunteers in other organisations. Please send these to KA and she will compile a calendar of training opportunities.
(MM) CEC Subsidised Childcare Project Board: MM represents EVOC on the Project Board. Following recent email from EVOC, no Network members had expressed interest in being involved with this work. GM offered to forward report from previous review to MM. Importance of considering additional support needs highlighted. Rationale for concentration of funding on current locations questioned.
(MM) thinkSpace:3 members of Network had offered to join working group.
Future meeting topics-

Winston Churchill Travel Scholarship (NP & LF)- Feb 2018
Integrated Children’s Plan
Police Scotland & the Third Sector
BME Engagement- Hard to reach communities

/ SC/KA
KA/MM
KA
GM
7 / Child Protection
Covered in 2 and 5 above.
8 / Voluntary Sector News
Covered in 6 above.
9 / Any Other Business
Pupil Equity Funding can be used for early years; framework has not been published to head teachers; framework recognises family learning as development area. / KA/MM
10 / Next Year’s Network MeetingsHeld on Thursday, 2pm.
11th January, 1st February, 1st March, 5th April, 3rd May, 7th JuneNO JULY MEETING2nd August, 6th September, 4th October, 1st November, 6th December