Agenda and draft minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Crime and Disorder Panel held on 25 October 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive an introduction to the Troubled Families Programme from Neighbourhood Development Officers.

The Panel invited the Neighbourhoods Development Team Leader and the Community Safety Officer to introduce the Troubled Families Programme and answer members’ questions.

The Panel received an information pack on the Troubled Families Programme, which provided current data on the programme, the Terms of Reference and working documents for the Havant Local Coordination Group and a list of partners that the Council works with.

Members were given an overview of the processes in place and the plans used within the programme.

The Council was expected to identify/engage with 160 families in 2016/17; this figure was allocated centrally based upon previous performance and the demographics of the area. The Council was currently involved with 72 families. The current projection for 2016/17 was that Havant would fall short of the Department of Local Government and Communities (DCLG) target by approximately 30 to 40 families which reflected the slowdown in nominations experienced across the County: the officers were comfortable with this position as they were focussing on the families that were most in need of support, some of which required more support because of the extended number of relatives and complexity of the presenting issues.

In response to questions raised by members of the Panel, the Officers advised that:

(a)             the Council’s target was based on statistics provided by the DCLG which identified  Havant as having higher levels of deprivation than other Hampshire areas

(b)             56% of the nominations were for single parent families;

(c)             there was no evidence to show that the scheme proved more successful with younger children: motiv8 had been successful with older reclusive children;

(d)             the scheme sought to identify/engage with families at an earlier stage than previous schemes;

(e)             nominations for the scheme could only be made by a participating agency; neighbours or friends wishing to nominate a family had to report their concerns to Children Services, who would then investigate the matter and nominate, if considered appropriate;

(f)              service providers from the voluntary sector had adopted a more selective process on targeting families due to recent funding cuts;

(g)             progress had been made in encouraging schools to become more involved in the scheme;

(h)             Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) were struggling to cope with the increase in the number of referrals relating to adolescents, which consequently delayed the provision of psychiatric treatment;

(i)               measures had been taken to reduce the risk of children losing their psychiatric treatment once they achieved adulthood;

(j)               On Hayling Island the scheme worked closely with schools, church groups and the Lions

(k)             involving general practitioners into the scheme was problematic; the Council was currently piloting schemes whereby a volunteer would hold surgeries at doctors’ clinics to offer help and advice to troubled families.

It was AGREED that;

1)               The Chairman after consultation with the Neighbourhoods Development Team Leader submit a list of potential interviewees to discuss their experience of the working relationship within the Safer Havant Partnership; and

2)               The Panel choose three partners from the list referred to 1)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.