Appendix 7(j)
BLACKPOOL COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
Report of:
Cabinet Member for Younger People –
Councillor Cross
at the Council meeting held on:
14th September 2011
This report updates the Council on actions within my portfolio.
Parenting and Outreach
All early intervention Parenting, Family Support and Outreach Services have been integrated
to ensure a consistent service across the town linking the work through Children’s Centres
and Schools. This will also enable families who require support across transition stages to
access a consistent and seamless service.
The Parenting and Family Support Service will have an emphasis on a family focused
approach. Practitioners will undertake full Family Assessments to ensure that all the family
requirements are met leading to improved outcomes for children and young people. All
practitioners will hold an identified case load and coordinate a multi agency approach and at
times contribute to cases held by others. The new structure will include two new Advanced
Practitioner posts which will each have a lead responsibility area in either Teenage
Pregnancy or Vulnerable and Transient Families. These posts will hold a complex case load
of families in their specific lead area whilst supervising and case managing other
practitioners.
It was recognised that to ensure a quality service there was a need for workforce
development. In response, a comprehensive training package has been designed to enable
practitioners to refresh and build on the underpinning principles of work with families. This
process has started with the main programme due to begin in October 2011.
Blackpool Young People’s Service
We are currently inviting expressions of interest from “not for profit” organisations who may be
interested in working with the Council to develop youth activities across the Borough. The first
stage of this process has been to issue a Prior Information Notice and to invite interested
parties to one of two “market sounding” sessions in September. It will be essential and I shall
ensure that our young people are actively involved in helping to steer the future design and
delivery of their services.
A summer activities programme was delivered over the summer for vulnerable young people
across different settings in Blackpool. The programme included a variety of theme based
activities in a variety of youth and community centres, supplemented by an outdoor education
experience at the Waterpark Lakeland Adventure Centre owned by the Eric Wright Trust.
Vulnerable young people targeted include looked after children and young people at risk in
their transition from primary to secondary school. The aim of the programme was to increase
self confidence and self esteem. An evaluation of the summer programme is in the process of
being formulated and will be used to influence future programme planning.
Appendix 7(j)
Student/School Support teams working in Localities North and South are now in place and
stem from the previous Integrated Teams in schools (this follows a downsizing exercise due
to budget cuts). This includes EWIST (Emotional Well Being in Schools Teams), Pupil
Welfare Officers, Youth Workers, Careers Advisers, PCSOs and Health Mentors. The teams
will provide a single point of contact for each school to support young people in overcoming
barriers to engage fully in their education. A common training programme was delivered over
the summer period to prepare the teams and for them to fully operational for the starts of this
term.
Officers are currently supporting Barnardos in submitting a bid to address substance misuse
related offending through early interventions. The bid, which has to be submitted in a very
tight timeframe, is likely to focus on the further development of a family based approach to
early intervention.
Under the umbrella of Connexions, further work has been undertaken with the Guidance
Community (the leads in schools, colleges and training providers for careers education and
guidance and work experience) in response to national policy and legislation. The two key
developments are that it is no longer compulsory to provide work experience for young people
in schools (coupled with the funding being withdrawn) and that, pending the completion of
legislation; schools will have responsibility, not the Local Authority, for providing careers
guidance to young people in schools from September 2012. Blackpool Council is providing a
careers service to schools during the transition year 20011/2012. Ideas were shared at an
away day in July which set out a potential programme of work from September. The aim is to
provide an “employability offer” for young people which covers careers education, advice and
guidance, work related learning and enterprise education. The Guidance Community group
will from September be chaired by schools with support from the Council.
Support for young people in the NEET group (not in education, employment & training) is
currently going through the implementation of a service re-design due to the significant
reduction in resources. The core of the new model of delivery is a revised tiered approach to
need. The Community and Early Intervention Service has secured European Social Funding
over 2 years to deliver support to KS4 pupils at risk of disengaging from education and to
education, employment or training (EET).
A programme of “outdoor learning” activities was run over the summer for targeted young
people, some of which is taking place in and around Blackpool and some at Water Park on
Lake Coniston. Many young people have been out and about around the country on practice
and qualifying Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions and day walks in recent weeks. The
number of young people who have joined the Award programme, either through their school
or through the open access groups, has grown enormously this year and there is also a
significant number who will be starting in September. Around 50 Blackpool Council staff and
teachers, including all the full time youth workers, received OEAP accredited visit leader
training between April and July and two OEAP accredited Educational Visit Co-ordinator
courses were delivered in May and July. This shows the commitment by staff to delivering
safe, high quality learning outside the classroom.
Child Poverty
To complement the analysis in the Child Poverty Needs Assessment, a further consultation
session has been held with young people yesterday to discuss views on the main causes and
symptoms of child poverty, together with possible solutions to these problems. This will feed
into the ongoing work to develop a Child Poverty Strategy for Blackpool.
Thank you Mr Mayor, I will be pleased to invite any questions or comments from Councillors
in relation to the Younger People portfolio.