Issue - meetings

To receive a presentation on the Children’s Trust.

The Committee was briefed on the role of the Children’s Trust.   The Trust had a statutory basis in that Section 10 of the Children Act 2004 placed a duty on local authorities and their Statutory partners to co-operate in making arrangements to improve children’s well-being, this would mean partners working together to improve commissioning and delivery of services for all children, young people and families in a given area.  The local authority would have a leadership role in the Children’s Trust but would not control it.

The outcomes of the Trust included:

      A shared child-centred outcome-led vision;

      Integrated front line delivery organised around the child, young person or family rather than professional boundaries or existing agencies – Multi Agency Teams;

      Integrated processes, effective joint working sustained by a shared language and shared processes – Common Assessment;

      Integrated strategy, joint planning and commissioning, pooled budgets – The Children’s Plan;

      Inter-agency governance, with robust arrangements for inter-agency cooperation – the Trust.

The Trust comprised the Director of Children’s Services; the Lead Member with Cabinet responsibility and one representative from:

      the Association of Primary Head Teachers;

      Association of Secondary Head Teachers;

      Children and Young People’s Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector Hub;

      Cheshire Police;

      Police Authority;

      Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust;

      Director of Public Health.

RESOLVED:  that the presentation be noted and a training session be organised to explain further the role of the Children’s Trust.