Agenda item

To receive the Children’s Emotional Wellbeing Strategy. (15 mins)

Hayley Rees, Category Manager, Prevention & Early Intervention, presented the Children’s Emotional Wellbeing Strategy.

During the discussion of this item the following points were made:

·         The Strategy had been developed in order to promote an integrated and holistic approach to Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing. 

·         Consultation had been undertaken with stakeholders.

·         Hayley Rees highlighted some of the key priorities and next steps.

·         The priority areas that the Strategy focused on had been grouped together under four themes; better intelligence to aid and improve decision making; support for schools and additional universal settings; early identification and self-help; and improving access.

·         Resilience at the earliest opportunity would be promoted.

·         The Strategy looked to develop stronger links between the local authority, voluntary sector and health, with regards to delivering on the health and wellbeing agenda for children and young people.

·         The Board was informed of the School Link Project.  Officers would be meeting with schools in the near future to discuss its delivery.  Training would be provided.

·         The Needs Assessment would help to inform commissioning decisions.

·         It was noted that one of the priorities was to improve and better coordinate the offer of services within the community in order to help identify and support emotional wellbeing and mental health in the right place and at the earliest opportunity.

·         Nick Campbell-White commented that Healthwatch had previously undertaken a piece of work with St Crispin’s School on young people’s emotional wellbeing and the data produced did not wholly agree with that in the Emotional Wellbeing Strategy.  More children than expected had been identified as carers.  He felt that greater use could be made of data that Healthwatch provided.  Hayley Rees indicated that there was a commitment in place to collect better data.  Healthwatch Wokingham now had a new contract in place and the Council would receive this data as a matter of course as part of the contract monitoring meetings. 

·         Nick Campbell-White stated that there was a high turnover in staff at the Council and Healthwatch did not always know who to address its concerns to.  Hayley Rees advised that questions should be addressed to herself.

·         With regards to working with schools, Councillor Helliar-Symons asked if the schools were willing to participate, if it had been made clear who they should contact if they had any issues and whether the work included information on cyber bullying and social media.  Hayley Rees indicated that the lead officer, prior to leaving the Council, had undertaken a lot of work with the schools to agree the principles.  It was appreciated that the school staff were not mental health professionals. Officers would discuss with the schools how specific actions could be achieved and discussions would be had about the response towards cyber bullying.

·         Clare Rebbeck stated that that things had moved on with CAMHS over the last three years and that she felt that the Strategy pulled together what had happened in the past, the current picture and also looked to the future.

·         Katie Summers agreed that it was a good document.  She asked when an action plan would be produced.  Hayley Rees indicated that there had been a gap between approval of the Strategy and the lead officer leaving the Council.  A wider action plan would be brought back to the Board.

·         Councillor Dolinski requested that the impact of the Strategy be reviewed in a year’s time.

RESOLVED:  That the report and the new Emotional Wellbeing Strategy be noted.