Present: Debbie, Amanda, Jill, Emma, Carrie, Tim, Ruby, Juliette, Nicky, Sam, Doreen, Marion

PaCC meeting

8th February 2012

Present: Debbie, Amanda, Jill, Emma, Carrie, Tim, Ruby, Juliette, Nicky, Sam, Doreen, Marion,

Apologies: Sarah, Gilli and Martin

1) Minutes from 29th Nov:

Accepted as correct.

Actions:

Access to the wave. Use Rachel’s login for now
Facebook –ACTIONS: Amanda to post message about changing settings to ensure members get email if a message is posted. Add some disclaimer/guidance to info section of pacc group. All reps to check at end of meeting if OK to post 3 key discussion issues and say minutes to follow. Fortnightly reminder to where links are
Communications strategy subgroup – ACTION: Juliette, Emma, Tim, Sam – to develop comms strategy for PaCC ASAP.
Widening membership – on agenda

2) Steering Group Business

a) Budget update:

£15k from PCT for 2012/13 – due to be recommissioned in Autumn so may not get this level again. Carrie said this was the only PCT directly giving this much to a parent’s forum
£9k to do rep work (expenses) and partnership charter audits
£7,500 from DoE/CAF – every penny needs accounting for incl. receipts. Very tightly controlled. DoE delayed payments during 2011/12 so only got £7,500 for 6 months – lost out on £2,500 as needed to spend by end March’12. Debbie meeting with Zoe today to check how much spent and to decide whether to apply for extra £2,500 for this year (however, would need to be able to spend before end March).
Could we look at more training in public speaking for reps (Kate Honeyford) ACTION: Juliette to get costs from her contact
More of Carrie’s training for wider membership
Legal framework training (David Wolfe).
Advice about mediation. Also for printing bulletins and travel costs for distributing to wider membership.
ACTION: Debbie to update after reviewing budget with Zoe and pursue funding application if can spend. Reps to keep coming up with ideas for training of spending budget on as keep these in a log for either 2011/12 or 2012/13.

b) Membership:

Thought it would be a useful time to review the Terms of Reference.

States PaCC will represent views of foster carers, adoptive parents, grandparents – try to ID a grandparent to approach to join steering group.

Reflection about role as reps on steering group.

Reps need to complete standard feedback form to summarise 3 key issues coming out of their meeting. ACTION: All reps to complete these and share.

ACTION: Reps to ask the person chairing their meeting if anything on the upcoming agenda that they need to gather views on in advance.

Reps need to feel informed about views of parents – need to know what they want us to say. But also need to report back to them what has been done. Reps might be put on the spot in meetings to give the ‘parent carer view on xxx’ in which case rep can give from their knowledge but might need to ask for more time to gather more views and bring back to the next meeting. Compass database holds details of 1500 children in the City. Can search this by age/diagnosis/school etc

ACTION: Debbie to do a short guide on how to gather views from parents e.g. how to survey the wider membership by email/survey monkey. Also can canvass views on facebook – ‘need your comments on 3 things…’

ACTION: Amanda to update steering group membership table with who is reps on what and what the role of that group is. Take to regional parents meeting in March. Create a one page document. Ensure link to this from Amaze website and PaCC facebook.

ACTION: Need to urgently check why PaCC membership not all receiving Amanda’s bulletins. Amanda to ensure all bulletins are posted onto Facebook. Also need to email to all and print out and post up in Children’s Centres, GPs etc.

Outreach to increase PaCC/Compass membership amongst seldom heard groups issues might be: language barriers, multiple disadvantage, parental disability, lack of information.

Rachel submitting a bid this week to CDC to try to get some funding to work in 2 pilot areas to find out barriers and increase membership. Tim also offered to do some work about this and is meeting Rachel later today.

ACTION: Rachel/Tim to update at next meeting.

3) New chair:

Need a new chair to replace Amanda (at end of 2012) but would like to have a vice chair sooner to work alongside and get to grips with it from April’12. Amanda said would need to have flexibility during working week and able to do the hours on either Tues, Wed, Thurs.

A vice chair would share the workload, bring a different skill set, help cover for Amanda if Livvy has difficult time again.

ACTION: If you are keen please complete a proforma and send to Debbie.

Consider opening opportunity up to wider membership but they would need to join the steering group. Members to shadow Amanda if interested.

4) Rep Feedback:

ACTION: All reps to complete 3 issue feedback form after each meeting and share these with steering group. Use these to do short update on Facebook.

ACTION: When you get formal minutes for your meetings – please forward these to Debbie so they can be uploaded to Amaze website.

a) Disabled Children’s Strategic Partnership Board (Rep = Sam)

AHA (Aiming High Advisory group) consultation group has produced a report about growing up in the city, independence training, careers opportunities. Sam raised the issue that we need to invite mainstream YP as they often missed out on independence workshops that are provided in specialist settings. Adrian C reported they had created an A-Z guide to independence. Sam asked this be shared with other organisations e.g. befrienders and for Janet Felkin to pilot using in Blatchington Mill. Suggested investment in this, might make savings in transportation later.
ACTION: Sam to chase Sharon about AHA budget and if group will continue. If so, then we need clarify membership.
ACTION: Clarify connection to the Youth Council. Rachel to ask if AHA member could have seat on new Health and Well-Being board.
Transformation plan – Alison Nuttall fedback that not all work streams started as focussing on Individual Budgets. ACTION: Rachel to chase Alison on her update report to check not losing any of the key recommendations out of the commissioning strategy. Emma Parker has agreed to be another parent on the IB group that Sharon Sartin is leading.
ACTION: Sam/Rachel to find out what’s happening to the equipment group.
Therapies update – still long waiting times for physio and OT appointments. Alison Nuttall has submitted a bid to the PCT for additional funding for these services as well as some equipment
Capital funding worth £380k was available for funding - £93k allocated so far. ACTION: If other ideas for this funding please email Rachel or Sharon Garcia.

b) SE7 (Debbie)

Debbie working with Jacqueline Coe on this pathfinder.
Work on improving support for parents:
This workstream should pick up the majority of the recommendations from the 2010 PaCC Education report. We have met twice with Adrian Carver, Bob Wall, Jacqueline Coe, Janet Felkin, Rachel Travers.
So far we have tabled out all the recommendations and asked the heads to think how these could be delivered. Next meeting after half term. ACTION: Debbie to ask if parent of mainstream child can attend and also a mainstream primary school head.
Also Blatch parents and school staff meeting as the Inclusion Group – some issues about school trips etc already being discussed. Really positive example of good practice. However, some feedback that TAs not aware of this group. ACTION: Debbie to ask if a TA could join the group.
One idea we want to pilot is rolling out a version of the Partnership Charter within schools i.e. assessing how well schools communicate and involve parents and how this impacts on parental confidence.
ACTION: need to clarify work on this group within the bulletin.
Work on developing a single plan:
Workshop held already with parents who have been through the statutory process
Workshop running to get views from parents (school action and school action plus) Debbie organising this
ACTION: Debbie to do a one sided context summary of what we need to know from parents to feed in their views/priorities on the single plan. Add this as one strand of current issues to Facebook and next bulletin.
Work on developing a local offer:
Circulated update from Ros and questionnaire
Ros asked if any parents would be willing to get more involved in this workstream (could be paid a few hours)
Parents need to know exactly what is needed and that they are going to be listened to (some concern that input that was made a few weeks ago was a waste of time..)

c) SEN (rep = Nicky)

SEN Strategy group is now the SEN Partnership board – but now also including parent carers (Nicky and Martin), mainstream head (Janet Felkin), SENCOs (Patcham High, Peter Gladwin) chaired by Jo Lyons
Key discussion is about updating the new SEN strategy and new priorities for 2012/15.ACTION: Nicky and Rachel to ensure we communicate their consultation on this as far as possible
Needing to keep reiterate the local authority still has statutory duty with regards to SEN.
Focus on closing the gap in attainment for SEN/non-SEN. New consultant (Regan Delf) working on attainment. Need a new rep for this subgroup. ACTION: Debbie to approach Sarah Pickett about doing this.
PRESENS and literacy unit being recommissioned at the moment

d) Therapies Qualities and Standards Group (rep = Debbie)

Debbie challenged a decision to not inform parents about current waiting times fro physio and OT. The therapy leads have agreed to now do this. More information about therapies needs to be put on the internet and put in accessible place and kept up to date.
Discussed importance of the parent ambassador work (Partnership Charter) – Carrie suggested that we should be keeping track of how these influence practice and effect change. ACTION: Debbie to consider how to keep track of this.
Thank you to those who responded to the SALT survey. This is going to be used for surveys for physios and OT.

e) CYPOSC (rep = Amanda)

Disbanding under the committee system.
Will be new Health and Well-being board – currently suggesting minimal membership. Need to lobby again that PaCC should have a seat (as disabled children are a key priority for NHS and Child Poverty; use expensive services; parent partnership key in SE7 pathfinder etc). ACTION: Rachel and Amanda to lobby again on this.
Carrie suggested an EDCM report on health matters in useful.ACTION: Rachel to read.
Will be a new Health and Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Board – need to ensure we get a seat on this. ACTION: Rachel and Amanda to lobby again on this.
New Child Poverty Strategy – disabled children have been identified as a key priority.

e) Learning Disability Partnership Board (rep = Juliette)

Juliette shared new flyer for
Fed in parents views about transitions meetings – schools not opening up meetings enough to think about health and social care, not thinking enough about the future. Nor were they getting written up plans
Newly formed Transition Forum – will now be chaired by Sue Winter. ACTION: The Transition group needs to write a Transition Plan by end March’12.
Someone came to discuss young people with autism and learning difficulties in the youth offending system.
Some money for Victims and Justice support work, Interact.
Discussed the budget – council needs to save £3.4m across adult social care. No change to eligibility criteria. However, will be selling off Day Centre buildings. Looking at supported housing. Need to prioritise those with more complex needs.

f) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) (rep = Doreen)

From 27th Feb there will be a new self harming group. Alison keen for parents to be involved – to feed into the working group.
Useful presentation about CAMHS structure and workstreams ACTION: Doreen to circulate copy of the presentation to steering group
Doreen has checked local website about CAMHS and ‘recent developments’ sheet which was dated 2009. ACTION: Doreen to feedback to next meeting.
CPA programme – more structured process to deliver care but which has more
Doreen asked if they had spaces on workshops for professionals that these could be opened up for parent carers of CAMHS patients. This was agreed as a good idea ACTION: Doreen to gather together views of training required

5) Regional Update

Good news is that parent participation has been agreed as top priority. Carrie handed out a regional update summary.

ACTION: All to look at website for latest information.

Carrie looking for parents who would be willing to discuss medical procedures within schools. ACTION: Let Carrie know if interested. Amanda to put into the bulletin.

For current issues see

6) Health event

So far 19 signed up but will be more booking on after newsletter sent out this week. ACTION: All reps to remind their contacts to book on. 9.30 for 10am – 1.30pm at Brighthelm.

Debbie reminded everyone of the jobs on the day.

ACTION: Sam to write up the ground rules.

Subgroup meeting next week.

7) AOB

Requests for help at:

-Interview panel for Tudor House – Feb 28th(Nicky agreed)

-City CampHealth and Wellbeing event – 2-4th March

-Engagement workshop – 27th feb at the Dome 9.30-10.30 stand

-Carers Challenge in June – need to know ASAP