Agenda item

To resubmit in order to receive a presentation from Professor Sally Holland.

To accept the report which is the fourth quarterly report from the Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board.

The report was submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys. 

DECISION

To accept the report which is the fourth quarterly report from the Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board.

DISCUSSION

It was stated that the intention by re-submitting the Report to this meeting was to receive a presentation from the Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board, and the Chair was welcomed to the meeting.

It was explained that this was the fourth quarterly report by the Chair of the Board, to update Cabinet on the work of the Response Plan Programme Board.

The opportunity was taken to acknowledge the courage of the victims and survivors, reiterating that they were at the forefront of everyone's minds when discussing this topic.

It was confirmed that the Board had met again since July, noting the Board's high attendance and engagement, as well as the high quality of the written materials. It was highlighted that progress had been reported in all areas, with all reports being subject to discussion and scrutiny by independent observers and the Cabinet members who were part of the Board. It was emphasised that the members of the Board kept the victims at the forefront of their mind, and the need to make real changes to practice to regain the trust of children and young people in Gwynedd was reiterated.

The progress that has been made at Ysgol Friars was recognised and this could be seen in the recent Estyn report. The progress made in relation to the Child's Voice Strategy was reported, with particular reference to the development of the Youth Forum. In addition, it was stated that progress has been made in trying to ensure that safeguarding training was available in different formats to meet the needs of staff. Pride was expressed that further Focus Group discussions with different stakeholder groups had been planned, and that the work on restrictive practices was becoming more established following the receipt of an independent audit of the policies. It was revealed that the Government had re-established the Ministerial Assurance Group as well. The need to focus on measuring impact and ensuring that changes were incorporated going forward was identified. 

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       The Chair of the Board was thanked for her ongoing work, and it was welcomed that all of the Board's documents were now public so that the public could see the work that was in progress. The need to measure the impact of this work in due course was emphasised, and it was asked how the Council intended to do this. In response, it was explained that the Council was in the process of carrying out the work and trying to embed this change. It was mentioned that the impact of the work could not be measured immediately, but that it was now possible to proceed to look at the impact. It was mentioned that there would be an opportunity to listen to and obtain the views of stakeholders through focus groups, and to give people the opportunity to express confidence in the Council's arrangements. 

It was mentioned that the Chair of the Board met with officials outside meetings of the Board to provide input on the ongoing work that was underway in this area. The importance of measuring impact was also noted, and the importance of implementing long-term measures so that their impact could be measured. The opportunities for comparing the impact of this work with other local authorities through national children's surveys were discussed. 

·       In response to a question as to whether there were any further support or resources that the Board required from Cabinet to maintain the momentum of the work, it was confirmed that the Board was running smoothly and the quality of the reports and support provided to members was commended. Reference was made to the investment required for this work, and the Council's desire to provide these necessary resources was recognised.

·       Pride was expressed that the Cabinet had secured permanent funding for this area. It was hoped that other local authorities would be able to prioritise this work as well.