Purpose
Somerset Children’s Trust is a local area partnership, which will become a statutory body when the
Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill is enacted. It is led by Somerset County Council,
which brings together the key agencies responsible for commissioning and delivering services to children,
young people and their families in Somerset. Some of these agencies have a statutory “duty to co-operate”.
Somerset Children’s Trust is an “unincorporated association”. This means that it is not a legal entity and
does not own assets or employ staff. However, its members share a common purpose, which is:
“To improve the well-being of all children: improving their prospects for the future and redressing
inequalities between the most disadvantaged children and their peers.”
All partners in Somerset Children’s Trust work together to ensure that children are healthy, stay safe,
enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well being.
Role
Somerset Children’s Trust is both a commissioner of services for children and young people and, through
the work of its partners, is a provider of some of these services. Its role is to make the five essential
features of a Children's Trust a reality. These are:
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Developing a child and family centred outcome focussed vision, clearly informed by their views and the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
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Embedding inter-agency governance
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Developing an integrated strategy for joint commissioning and the use of pooled and aligned budgets, based on the Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan.
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Supporting the above through integrated process and joint working
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Developing and implementing integrated front line delivery, organised around the child, young person or family
Links to other strategic partnerships
Somerset Strategic Partnership (SSP)
Somerset Children’s Trust (SCT) is a thematic partnership within Somerset Strategic Partnership, the body
which is responsible for the strategic vision for the local area, as set out in the Sustainable Community
Strategy and for agreeing the priorities for inclusion in the Local Area Agreement (LAA.) Somerset Children’s
Trust is accountable to the SSP for the delivery of the LAA priorities relating to children and young people. The
Chair of SomersetChildren’s Trust is a member of the SSP and informs and influences the work of the SSP
as it relates to children and young people. Somerset Children’s Trust leads on children and young people
issues for the SSP.
Somerset Safeguarding Children Board
Keeping children safe is the top priority for Somerset Children’s Trust. It therefore works closely with
Somerset Safeguarding Children Board, which is responsible for co-ordinating procedures and monitoring practice
to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Somerset Safeguarding Children Board will challenge and
influence Somerset Children’s Trust as the commissioning body for children’s services.
The Director of Children’s Services (DCS) must ensure that work by Somerset County Council and its partners
to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in Somerset is operating effectively. The DCS is held to
account for the effective working of the Somerset Safeguarding Children Board by the Lead Member. The
Lead Member and DCS will meet regularly with the Chair of the Somerset Safeguarding Children Board to
agree the work programme and priorities as well as to maintain an overview of any serious case reviews.
The DCSF stock take on LSCBs will consider the relationship between Children's Trusts and LSCBs further
and will make recommendations in spring 2009.
Somerset Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs)
The two Somerset CDRPs (East and West) are local partnerships whose members have a duty to work
together to develop strategies to tackle crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour and the misuse of
substances. There is common membership between the partnerships to ensure that local plans are
aligned and potential policy conflicts addressed. Somerset Children’s Trust and the Somerset CDRPs
will work together to prevent and reduce youth offending, as highlighted in the Youth Crime Action Plan.
Somerset Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT)
Somerset Drug & Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) and Somerset Children’s Trust work together with partner
agencies to prevent the onset of substance misuse in young people, and to provide services to minimise
harm and provide treatment for those who reach that stage of need. Commissioning takes place though
the Young People’s Substance Misuse Commissioning Group (YPSMCG) which is a shared subgroup of
both the DAAT & Somerset Children’s Trust. There is crossover in the membership of both groups thus
ensuring a thorough strategic ownership.
Area Planning Groups (APGs)
There are four APGs in Somerset, covering South Somerset, Mendip, Sedgemoor and Taunton Deane and West Somerset. They are multi-agency groups, whose membership mirrors that of Somerset Children’s Trust at a local level. The Chairs of the APGs are all members of the Somerset Children's Trust.
APGs are local partnerships, responsible for identifying needs specific to a local area, helping to inform the priorities for improvement within the Children and Young People's Plan and implementing those priorities in their own areas. They may also commission services in their own right, within the broad priorities determined by Somerset Children’s Trust.
Links between Somerset Children’s Trust and Schools
Somerset Children’s Trust relates to schools via a number of school partnerships:
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Somerset Education Policy Team (SEPT) – made up of Head Teachers and Local Authority officers who determine education policy for Somerset schools
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Somerset Schools Forum – also comprises Head Teachers and Local Authority officers, who decide how to allocate schools’ budgets, within the policy framework set by SEPT
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Somerset Governors’ Strategy Group – made up of Chairs of School Governing bodies and local authority officers, which provides the governors’ perspective on priorities and policies
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Area Planning Groups – on which representatives of schools are key partners (see above).
Participation of Children, Young People and Parents/Carers
Somerset Children’s Trust has adopted the Participation Strategy 2009-12.
Somerset Children's Trust Board
Role
Strategic Planning
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To lead the development of and determine the overall vision, priorities and strategy for children and young people’s services
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to sign off the Children and Young People's Plan and ensure that it is reviewed annually
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to ensure the Children and Young People's Plan aligns with and informs those of other strategic partnerships.
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to contribute to the development of LAA priorities and targets and the Annual Refresh.
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To enable the voice of children, young people and their families to be heard
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To work together to foster robust and constructive relationships between partners, ensuring that any gaps or overlaps in service delivery are addressed.
Strategic Commissioning
To agree the strategic priorities for commissioning, based on recommendations from the Executive.
Performance Management
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To ensure a robust and embedded performance management framework
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To take overall responsibility for monitoring the implementation and delivery of the Children and Young People's Plan
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To hold partners to account for achieving the five Every Child Matters outcomes
Membership
Organisation & Position
Somerset County Council - Lead Member (Chair)
Somerset County Council - Portfolio Holder for Strategic Children’s Services
Somerset County Council - Portfolio Holder for Education
Somerset County Council - Director of Children’s Services
Somerset County Council - Head of Service – Schools and Achievement
Somerset County Council - Head of Service – Partnerships
Somerset County Council - Head of Service – Children’s Social Care
Somerset County Council - Interim Head of Service – Education and Individual Services
NHS Somerset - Deputy Chief Executive / Director of Strategic Development
NHS Somerset & Somerset County Council - Joint Director of Public Health
Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust - Divisional Director - Emergency & Urgent Care Division
Yeovil District Hospital NHS FoundationTrust - Director of Nursing
Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - Director of Operations / Deputy Chief Executive
Somerset Community Health - Lead Officer, Children and Young People
NHS Somerset - Lead GP
Connexions - Somerset Chief Executive
Youth Offending Team - Manager
Voluntary & Community Sector - Chief Executive Somerset Rural Youth Project
Voluntary & Community Sector - Youth Adviser Diocese of Bath and Wells
Avon and Somerset Police - Chief Superintendent
District Council representative
FE Colleges representative
Learning and Skills Council - Partnership Director / Executive Director Dorset & Somerset
SASH representative
SAPHTO representative
Avon & Somerset Probation - Assistant Chief Officer
Jobcentre Plus - Childcare Partnership Manager
Schools Forum
Somerset Local Safeguarding Children Board - Chair
Young People representatives
Somerset Fire and Rescue Service - Somerset Area Manager
Avon and Somerset Police Authority - Lead Member for Children and Young People
Officers in attendance
Organisation and Position
Somerset County Council - Group Manager – Joint Commissioning
Somerset County Council - Group Manager – Finance, Children’s
Note: Relevant officers from the Community Directorate will be invited to attend for agenda items on transitions from children’s to adult services.
Responsibilities of Director of Children’s Services, Lead Member and Board Members
The Director of Children’s Services has the lead role in establishing and maintaining the inter-agency governance arrangements.
The Lead Member for Children’s Services has responsibility for ensuring that sound governance arrangements and a clear framework of accountability are in place, and has a leadership role in engaging local communities within the local authority and across partner agencies.
All Board members are expected to:
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Attend meetings or send nominated substitute
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Read the papers in advance
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Take an active part and use their expertise and knowledge
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Represent the views of their organisations
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Report back and ensure 2 way communication
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Champion the Every Child Matters agenda and actively promote the work of the Somerset Children’s Trust
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Ensure recommendations and decisions are evidence based
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Follow through on actions and decisions
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Promote change, shift views, negotiate and sell ideas
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Lead on pieces of work
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Listen to and take account of the views of children and young people.
Accountability
The Board consists of senior representatives of key partner agencies. Representatives will have sufficient seniority within their own agencies to make decisions, commit funding and resources and drive and manage change.
Members of the Board have collective responsibility and accountability for its decisions. Members should strive to make decisions that further the aims of the Trust in improving the outcomes for children and young people in Somerset rather than the interests of their own agency.
However, Somerset Children’s Trust is a collaborative strategic partnership. This model determines dual accountability. Board members with statutory responsibilities retain responsibility for meeting their individual statutory duties and responsibilities and remain accountable to their own statutory organizations. This means that recommendations made by the Board will be formally referred to the relevant statutory decision making bodies for approval where appropriate.
Somerset Children’s Trust overall is accountable, as a thematic partnership, to the Somerset Strategic Partnership for the delivery of Local Area Agreement priorities and relevant aspects of the Somerset Sustainable Community Strategy.
As part of the wider accountability arrangements, Somerset Children’s Trust Board is held to account by its member bodies and the community of Somerset for delivering the Somerset CYPP and related LAA targets. The Board holds its individual members to account for delivering their agreed part of the shared plan and publishes a review of progress against the CYPP every year.
Meetings and proceedings
Frequency of meetings
The Board meets four times per year, including an Annual Conference to review progress to date and influence future direction and strategy.
Chair and Vice Chair
The Chair and Vice Chair will be nominated by the Children’s Trust Executive and endorsed by the Board.
These arrangements should be reviewed annually.
Support Arrangements
Administrative support for the Board is provided by the Children and Young People’s Directorate of Somerset County Council.
Agendas and papers
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Agendas are posted on the Somerset Children’s Trust website at least 5 working days in advance and notes within 2 weeks of each meeting.
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Items of business will, as far as possible, be identified at each meeting of Somerset Children’s Trust Board for the next and subsequent meetings. Items will be included on the Work Programme.
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Urgent items of AOB only will be accepted at the meeting.
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Notes of the meetings will be circulated to all Somerset Children’s Trust members and the posted on the Somerset Children’s Trust website - http://www.six.somerset.gov.uk/scypp/default.asp
Funding
Duty to co-operate partners will be asked to contribute to the running costs of the Children’s Trust Board, to cover for example the annual conference, stakeholder events and communications.
Scrutiny Arrangements
The Local Government Act 2000 introduced the scrutiny function for County Councils, giving non-executive members a role in examining executive decisions and service provision by the local authority and other organisations which affect local residents. The primary purpose of Somerset County Council’s Scrutiny Committee is to review actions or decisions taken by the authority in the course of its business. One of its key functions is to work with partners to ensure shared aims and objectives are mutually understood and achieved.
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 strengthened the role of scrutiny, enabling scrutiny committees to scrutinize any public sector partner who has signed up to the Local Area Agreement. The Scrutiny Committee has a number of sub committees to assist with this function, the relevant ones in this case being the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Sub Committee and the Health Scrutiny Sub Committee.
One of the key functions of the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Sub Committee is to work with partners and young people to oversee the Somerset Children’s Trust and ensure joined up working to deliver the five outcomes for children and young people. The Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel was set up in 2006 to undertake this function. Its membership consists of County Council members who are on the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Sub Committee, parents and carers, children and young people and co-opted members. It has an independent chair.
These arrangements were reviewed between January and April 2009, and it has been agreed that, in order to avoid duplication, specific areas of work should be allocated to the Scrutiny Panel, through discussion between the Chairs of the Sub Committee and Panel. These could include safeguarding (via regular reports from Somerset Local Safeguarding Children Board) and priority issues for Somerset Children’s Trust identified via external inspection and self-assessment. The Panel can also suggest possible subjects for scrutiny. Since the Panel’s way of working is to scrutinise services using a “plan, do, review” model, the areas of work allocated should lend themselves to this method of operation.
Somerset Children’s Trust Executive
Role
Strategic Planning
- To carry out a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) that is a full and accurate reflection of children and young people’s needs in the area and takes account of other partners’ views.
- To oversee the preparation, review and implementation of the Children and Young People's Plan to meet statutory requirements and reflect local need.
- To develop and maintain a rolling programme for reviewing the roles, objectives and targets of the commissioning sub groups.
- To ensure that the voice of children, young people and their families is heard through the development of a robust participation strategy.
Strategic Commissioning
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To determine commissioning priorities, based on evidence and identified needs, for sign off by the Board.
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To jointly develop and endorse relevant Somerset County Council and NHS Somerset commissioning plans, ensuring each is informed by and consistent with each other.
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To ensure a cost effective commissioning process, based on evidence and identified needs.
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To support and facilitate the engagement of the private, voluntary and independent sector in the planning of services for children and young people.
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To identify and set out the financial contributions of partners for implementing the CYPP.
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To allocate available resources to agreed priorities, including developing aligned and pooled budgets where appropriate.
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To develop mechanisms for realigning resources and commissioning new services.
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To agree a local approach to joint commissioning which provides a framework for practice based commissioning or commissioning by schools.
Performance Management
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To monitor progress against the delivery of the Children and Young People's Plan via the commissioning sub groups.
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To provide a high level traffic light report on outcomes to the Board, based on the National Indicator set and take action as required.
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To support agencies, individually and collectively, to prepare for and respond to inspection.
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To develop a risk register which identifies the key barriers which could prevent the achievement of the Trust’s strategic priorities.
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To work together to develop and ensure solutions to serious performance or delivery issues.
Membership
Organisation and Position
Somerset County Council - Director of Children’s Services
Somerset County Council - Lead Member for Children’s Services
Somerset County Council - Head of Service – Schools and Achievement
Somerset County Council - Head of Service – Partnerships
Somerset County Council - Head of Service – Children’s Social Care
Somerset County Council - Interim Head of Service – Education and Individual Services
NHS Somerset - Deputy Chief Executive
NHS Somerset & Somerset County Council - Joint Director of Public Health
Avon and Somerset Police - Chief Superintendent
Schools Forum
Note: if the Lead Member, Chair and Vice Chair of the Children’s Trust Board are not included in the above list, they would be members of the Executive.
Officers in attendance
Organisation and Position
Somerset County Council - Group Manager – Joint Commissioning
NHS Somerset - Consultant in Public Health
South West One Group Manager - Finance
Somerset County Council - Performance Management and Information Manager
Responsibilities of members
All Executive members are expected to:
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Attend meetings or send nominated substitute
-
Read the papers in advance
-
Take an active part and use their expertise and knowledge
-
Represent the views of their organisations
-
Report back and ensure 2 way communication
-
Champion the Every Child Matters agenda and actively promote the work of Somerset Children’s Trust.
-
Ensure recommendations and decisions are evidence based
-
Follow through on actions and decisions
-
Promote change, shift views, negotiate and sell ideas
-
Lead on pieces of work
-
Listen to and take account of the views of children and young people
-
Challenge each other on delivery against the 5 Every Child Matters outcomes.
Accountability
The Executive consists of senior representatives of key partner agencies with commissioning responsibilities. Representatives will have sufficient seniority within their own agencies to make decisions, commit funding and resources and drive and manage change.
However, Somerset Children’s Trust is a collaborative strategic partnership. This model determines dual accountability. Executive members with statutory responsibilities retain responsibility for meeting their individual statutory duties and responsibilities and remain accountable to their own statutory organizations. This means that recommendations made by the Executive will be formally referred to the relevant statutory decision making bodies for approval where appropriate.
The Executive is accountable, via the Children’s Trust Board, to the Somerset Strategic Partnership for the delivery of Local Area Agreement priorities and relevant aspects of the Somerset Sustainable Community Strategy.
Recommendations made by the Executive will be formally referred to the Board for approval where appropriate. There is an expectation that Executive recommendations will be endorsed as all key stakeholders will have been involved in the development process.
Meetings and proceedings
Frequency of meetings
The Executive meets a maximum of eight times per year. For 2009 meetings in February, April, and October will take place on Friday mornings (8.30 to 10.30 am) and meetings in March, June, September and December will take place immediately before Children’s Trust Board meetings (8.30-10 am).
Chair and Vice Chair
The Chair and Vice Chair alternates between the Director of Children’s Services and NHS Somerset.
These arrangements should be reviewed annually.
Support Arrangements
Administrative support for the Executive is provided by the Children and Young People’s Directorate of Somerset County Council.
Agendas and papers
- Agendas are posted on the Somerset Children’s Trust website at least 5 working days in advance and notes within 2 weeks of each meeting.
- Items of business will, as far as possible, be identified at each meeting of Somerset Children’s Trust Executive for the next and subsequent meetings. Items will be included on the Work Programme.
- Urgent items of AOB only will be accepted at the meeting.
- Notes of the meetings will be circulated to all Somerset Children’s Trust members and the posted on the Somerset Children’s Trust website - http://www.six.somerset.gov.uk/scypp/default.asp
- Because of the confidential nature of the business (for example in relation to commissioning decisions) agendas and notes will be posted on a restricted section of the Somerset Children’s Trust website to which only Executive members and their PAs will have access via a password.
Commissioning Sub Groups
The work of the Board and the Executive is supported by a network of commissioning sub groups, which are responsible for the delivery of specific priorities in the Children and Young People’s Plan. (See structure diagram attached.) Each of the Commissioning Sub Groups is chaired by a Children’s Trust Board member. There are also a number of “Enabling Groups” (also chaired by CT Board members) which are responsible for ensuring that the necessary processes to deliver the CYPP priorities are in place.
