Issue - meetings

It was RESOLVED that:

1.     A meeting be arranged between the Chair, Vice Chair, Cllr Johnston-Franklin and the Executive Director for Children and Young People to discuss Youth First and potential changes to contract specifications.

2.     When COVID-19 restrictions permit, that Member visits to children and young people hubs both within Lewisham and examples of best practice elsewhere, be arranged.

Pinaki Ghoshal, Executive Director for Children and Young People, made a short presentation and tabled a set of slides.

The following was noted in discussion:

1.     One Member explain that, prior to the appointment of the current Executive Director for Children and Young People, they had repeatedly requested a joint service needs analysis (JSNA) for early years services but this had not happened.

2.     The motivation behind broadening the Children’s Centre offering to create Family Hubs was not financial. The intention was that the hubs would cater for families with children over 5 as well as under 5s. These hubs would be delivered from a range of community venues, potentially as a ‘hub and spoke’ arrangement.

3.     The approach to wider family work was being informed by best practice from other boroughs and nationally.

4.     Officers were working to a tight timetable and testing a range of scenarios with families.

5.     One Member was concerned about progress to date with targeted youth. It was explained that work was needed to better define what ‘targeted youth’ meant. Officers were in discussion with Youth First and a session was arranged in October which would provide clarity, it was hoped. There was concern from Members that changes to the contract specification would be destabilising for Youth First.

6.     It was AGREED that a meeting be arranged between the Chair, Vice Chair, Cllr Johnston-Franklin and the Executive Director for Children and Young People so that this could be discussed in more detail.

7.     There were plans to create a steering group or coalition to include members of different BAME communities and statutory services including schools to work together to improve Black Caribbean academic outcomes and to address the gross overrepresentation of Black Caribbean children – boys especially – in the criminal justice system.

8.     Work had already started in schools to look at inequalities and racism in schools.

9.     One Member requested that when OVID-19 restrictions allow, Member visits to hubs and other relevant site visits to look at best practice be arranged. 

It was RESOLVED that:

1.     A meeting be arranged between the Chair, Vice Chair, Cllr Johnston-Franklin and the Executive Director for Children and Young People to discuss Youth First and potential changes to contract specifications.

2.     When COVID-19 restrictions permit, that Member visits to children and young people hubs both within Lewisham and examples of best practice elsewhere, be arranged.