Agenda and minutes

Including Video by Cameron Garrett, MSYP

Pippa welcomed all to the meeting for an exciting agenda. Takki Sulaiman, the new Argyll and Bute TSI Chief Executive and Fiona Davies, HSCP were welcomed to the CPP. These changes have been updated to the online CPP Welcome Pack and members are encouraged to look at updated welcome pack online. Apologies were noted.

Pippa introduced a video update by Cameron Garrett, MSYP were he spoke about the work that he has been doing for the Scottish Youth Parliament including work with the SQA on the exams appeals process. He thanked the CPP for being so inviting to include youth membership in Argyll and Bute Community Planning. He spoke about the “bounce back campaign” and how it looks to take a human rights based approach to pandemic recovery and the “pack it up, pack it in” campaign where he encouraged members to read the results of the report on this. Fergus Murray added that the council has launched a new initiative with the GRAB Trust as part of our staycation work that focuses on litter picking equipment working with LiveArgyll, and a re-emphasis on take your litter home and to reduce waste wherever possible. This includes new litter wardens that work with communities.

Cameron spoke of the importance of distance learning and university promotion to youth in Argyll and Bute so they do not have to leave the area to study including the importance of understanding options available i.e. apprenticeships and blended learning. He also felt it was important to ensure the new council Climate Change webpages are open and accessible to youth by including interesting graphics and friendly language, and encouraged promotion the website on social media channels to ensure it is seen by young people.

Morag said it was really interesting, especially around blended learning and being mindful of what more can be done to existing work around that. Anthony is pulling together a skill strategy that could be used to include and highlight blended learning opportunities to employers. Martin Jones said schools need to be equipped for colleges to work with them, and that work has started. He added that an increase in the number of student registering to study at UHI during Covid shows that it is possible to deliver distance learning successfully.

Takki responded to Cameron’s mention of the work on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and added a link to a training module on 10 August that may be of interest to partners. 

Pippa gave thanks to all the MSYPS for their contributions to the CPP and noted that we looked forward to welcoming new MSYPs after elections later this year.

ACTION - Pippa said there was something for everyone to consider from Cameron’s video and encouraged all to look at how we can include youth voices in our work.

ACTION – To share the CPP climate change webpage with young people.

The last minutes were accepted. Rona highlighted to partners that there are still opportunities to engage on the outstanding Gaelic and young people actions on the planner. There is an outstanding action for contacting Western Isles to access their adaptation plans and this information will be shared when it is available. Regarding the action on scheduling ACPG meetings to deconflict with other meetings, Tricia noted that the ACPGs are scheduled so they do not clash with any big meetings that the Governance team are aware of and that Chairs and Vice Chairs can discuss with Governance team if they need ACPG meetings rescheduled to avoid clashes. 

Brian Reid, Interim Head of Service for Children, Families and Justice Social Work presented a slideshow on the Promise made by Scotland to children and young people. This included information on the strategic context - the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 introduced the concept of "Corporate Parents" placing legal responsibilities on all public bodies towards care experienced children and extending these duties up to the age of 26. These duties include working together to promote the interests, provide opportunities and take appropriate action to ensure care experienced children and young people have the same care and chances that all parents would wish for their children. In 2016 the First Minister made a commitment to figure out how Scotland could love its most vulnerable children and give them the childhood they deserve. She commissioned the Independent Care Review and over the next three years the Review worked to figure out how to keep that Promise. The outcome was the Promise "We grow up loved, safe and respected so that we realise our full potential", and a set of seven documents considering the different arenas within which change will be driven to meet the Promise.

Key messages are that Scotland's care system is institutionalised and lacking love, with poor outcomes for those who experience the system; too many children are taken into care as a result of poor supports to families; valued relationships with parents, brothers and sisters are disrupted; and care experienced children and young people are disproportionately criminalised. The Promise also emphasises that improving the experience of care is not an issue for Children's services in isolation just as reducing the Attainment gap is not an issue for Education alone but that tackling poverty, improving supports to parents who experience addictions, mental health and domestic violence are critically important drivers of change.

The first year since the launch of the Promise saw the review team consult widely and develop a timeline for keeping the promise, with a series of three consecutive plans each covering three year periods from the promise made in 2020 to the promise kept in 2030. The first of these plans from 21-24 was published on 31st March this year. The plan outlines five priority areas with key highlights being a commitment to back up change with legislation which we have already seen with incorporation of UNCRC into Scots Law and the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 placing responsibilities on local authorities and wider public bodies to protect the rights of children and young people to maintain sibling contact and to participate in decision making by the Children's Hearings that may affect contact; and secondly an emphasis on whole family supports.

The Promise Scotland team who delivered the framework have now been commissioned by the Scottish Government to lead the implementation of the Promise, and on 25th June the team published an initial Change Programme outlining supports available for public bodies and individuals to help drive change. This evolving document includes acknowledgement of the impact of the COVID pandemic on the lives of children, young people and their families and includes measures including potential funding streams, support for organisations to realign budgeting structures to a whole system approach and a school for care experienced young people to equip them with the knowledge and skills to enable effective participation in future planning of community services.

Pippa thanked him for the presentation and encouraged members to read The Promise documentation as it is very accessible and sets out compelling aspirations that look holistically across poverty, opportunity, jobs, young people and families’ voice that we need to get into mainstream thinking. Takki noted this is a fascinating area that Scotland are advanced in recognition of and addressing problems. It is a challenging agenda and we need to look at how the CPP can provide a supportive voice and support young people - how do we build that into each of our systems and give the care experienced a voice in plans going forward. Pippa agreed a shift to that type of approach needs courage and requires intention to look at services through that lens. The key is to make sure that trust is built and making communications accessible to the audience that encourage participation. This applies across all CPP themes not just Children and Families.

Rona added that the contributions at CPP are based on conversations with young people around what works for them and have been developed over the last 3 years. A team are looking to create a youth forum structure in Argyll and Bute and that can be used for youth engagement. Rona asked to what extent care experienced children will engage with the new youth structure or does that need additional involvement - mindful of not wanted those youth to be separated from other youth structures, whilst also not diluting their voice. The CPP acknowledged that the CPP has a governance role in overseeing the work to keep the Promise given the breadth of the partnership working which will be required and agreed to continue to revisit this work on a regular basis. Brian advised that the Corporate Parenting Board has appointed a Participation Officer, Sheila Hannan, and Rona agreed to make connections to help ensure that the care experienced voice is fully included in the participation work being undertaken by the CPP with the wider population of children and young people.

Action - Brian to provide contacts to Rona for corporate parenting board.

Patricia asked if this particular group is feeling “left behind” by the pandemic, and is being looked at, especially in respect of children’s mental health. Brian advised that the plan did not look specifically at the pandemic but there has been a lot of work addressing how the pandemic has set the work back of children’s mental health and how they can catch back up is being addressed in the change program. Brian advised more on this will be ongoing over the next year.

Fergus added that Young people need  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3a

Report noted.

Led by Community Learning Services and Rosie Sumsion, MSYP engaging young people to get a structure to help young people’s views to be heard in a central place. Paper will be forwarded with the minutes regarding this. Pippa said that this work will be interesting to see how it develops and help the CPP engage with young people via a clear route.

Tricia said that all 4 area community planning groups (ACPGs) were well attended in April and May, and the transition to virtual meetings had been positive. The ACPGs heard presentations from Police Scotland and on youth engagement that were well received and there was keen interest across all 4 areas on camping and staycations.

The governance and administration of the Helensburgh and Lomond ACPG will now be taken on by Tricia’s team which will bring it into line with the other 3 areas to share resources. Tricia gave thanks to the Police and SFRS for providing that service up to now. This change was accepted by the board. The ACPG chairs and vice chairs met last week and they discussed the work of the climate change working group and that they are keen to share examples of good practice in their areas. The CPP are asked to facilitate that.  Rona asked who would provide the reporting to/from ACPGs as there is no specific climate change officer. She also asked how best to get the messaging to the ACPGs i.e. would a video be appropriate from the working group to inform ACPGs?

Action - Stan to liaise with Tricia regarding involvement of ACPG into Climate Change Working group. Stan to raise this at next meeting of climate group.

Robin pointed out that COP 26 is not far away and it had been agreed as a council to get involved and stage something for residents. Fergus advised that ACT and Cove Park have been selected as a climate beacon site, which is one of 7 in Scotland.

Willie said this was a good summary, he added that the Argyll Rally went ahead with mixed delight and apprehension as Covid rates have been steadily rising over the last few weeks and he will be looking to see if the event has had any impact on the case numbers. He noted there will be an upcoming review meeting to discuss the event and learn lesson going forward.

John Paterson noted that planned events need to inform Police Scotland.

Action – ALL to highlight to those planning events around climate change that Police Scotland need to be informed of these.

Martin and Ailsa gave a presentation to share their thoughts and experiences in digital improvement over the last 16 months.

Ailsa spoke about the Digital Connections activity which was started around a response to Covid in Kintyre were they identified a lack of access to technology to remain connected digitally. The Digital Connections project was created and over 150 devices were donated by the community for redistribution. It soon became apparent that need outstripped the availability of donated devices, and that this need applied across all areas. Engagement started with the Council which led to increasing donations and obtaining grant funding to purchase 220 refurbished devices. The project ran for over 8 months, including support to users on how to use and connect with devices. This work complimented the Connecting Scotland project perfectly. Ailsa can share a report containing feedback on the success of the project, if required.

Martin spoke about Connecting Scotland. This was ran over 2 phases - 172 devices were issued under phase 1 to those “shielding” and in phase 2, 207 devices were distributed to older people, disabled, families and care leavers.  Education also funded the purchase of 1356 new devices and 254 mifi connections. There is a current round of Connecting Scotland which is open to 5 July 2021 and the main target areas of this phase are employability, fast track for organisations working with up to 10 people with risk of social isolation and loneliness and social housing tenants. A presentation webinar on the 3 new stages can be found here.  

There were challenges in both processes. These included issues with Vodafone connections around Kintyre and Bute (EE mifi devices were obtained for those areas), return of devices due to anxiety in users around the device value and discomfort around using them and questions around what happens after the 2 year mifi contract expires. There was also a low uptake of support for structured learning and Martin noted it would be good to compile a directory of online learning options.

Martin also highlighted the need to better understand who is excluded from Digital inclusion - what the barriers are, what bespoke response is required to that and how to communicate effectively the benefits of using digital options.  Males 50+ are seen as a target group for this.

Ailsa advised that Calmac redistribute old devices for community use and she asked if partners would be able to look if there is scope within their organisation for similar schemes that can be utilised for this purpose, or if they can write in Community Benefit disposal into their contracts with digital suppliers.

Pippa thanked Martin and Ailsa and the work they both did during the pandemic on this. This is a priority area that is perfect for a short life working group to be formed across a number of themes for partners. Robin advised that the council budget in February allocated £250k to digital issues and connectivity. It is hoped a paper on that will go to the Policy and Resources Committee in August to decide how that is best spent. Robin keen to have a further discussion with Martin and Ailsa regarding that i.e. why can devices returned by council users not be utilised for this purpose.

Pippa also noted that Martin leaves the council at end of July and thanked him for all the work he has done and his contribution to Community Learning, support to our MSYPs and Digital Connections.

ACTION - Short life working group to be set up to look at partners can look at Digital Inclusion across their organisations.

Rona provided some background the group which was created under the overall council recovery framework on the back of working with community groups while responding to the pandemic. A number of work streams were created under this group as a direct result of engagement in autumn 2020 with community groups to identify what was important to them. These needs may now have changed and work is ongoing to further engage and identify issues with groups. Current issues raised by partners for communities include scam prevention (this was in direct response to police statistics on scamming victims to inform and provide call blocking devices). The CPP is funding two partnership projects to prevent fraud and scams. Any questions on this can be passed to Rona.

Takki said there has been a bit of a hiatus on this due to Covid, however he has attended a couple of meetings since March looking at bringing in a resource to help map - what has been done, by who and what still needs to be done. It is important to mesh all existing initiatives together, and seek expert guidance, and ensuring that they are not repeating work that is being done elsewhere. Fergus added that CWB is important and agreed that it is important to identify the priorities going forward to ensure no one is left out of a prosperous future. Further information can be found at https://www.inclusivegrowth.scot/our-work/community-wealth-building/2019/11/community-wealth-building/ and

https://cles.org.uk/the-community-wealth-building-centre-of-excellence/.

Fergus Walker, Revenue and Benefits Manager presented information about the Council’s proposals to procure a poverty awareness training programme. The slides were circulated within the agenda pack for information.

Fergus is seeking information from Community Panning Partners regarding the number of staff that they would like to receive the training, this data will be used to support the procurement process to attain a training provider. Once the training provider is identified Fergus will return to the Community Planning Partnership for staff details so that the programme of training can be finalised.

ACTION - Partners to send Fergus estimated numbers for people within their organisations that would be interested in this training.

Pippa asked Fergus to include elected members to the attendee list. Pippa suggested the presentation goes out with the minute and a survey monkey be created to return responses. Pippa noted the papers in the agenda pack by Mandy Sheridan and that there has been a lot of work around Child Poverty, highlighting the work of the Child Poverty Action Group which was started by the CPP and has been going from strength to strength. 

https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/cpp-climate-change

Partners are invited to look the new council Climate website which has a map linking to climate change projects across the area.

The Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) works with communities and the partnership on climate work. Stan provided an update on the work of the group. The CCWG met recently to review the purpose of the group and to identify what projects the group can take forward. The ideas and merits of these will be discussed further at the next meeting to identify priorities. They are looking to welcome new members to the group and diversify the membership. They are especially keen to increase representation from youth members. Ann noted that she is happy to chat with Stan on that.

Action - Anyone interested in joining the CCWG can contact Stan stan.phillips@nature.scot.

Stan advised that an Education Climate Summit, scheduled for October prior to COP 26, is being worked on. The intent is to have one online and one face to face event planned. Ross McLaughlin is the contact on that work as it is council led, and Stan will provide more details on this to the CPP once known. He also noted that the Scotland Climate Assembly have complied a report to Scottish Government and they have tabled 81 recommendations. The report can be accessed here and all partners are encouraged to read this. Partners can also have a look at the new council Climate website which has a map linking to climate change projects across the area.

John asked if there will be a central repository of events and activities being planned  as this would be useful, from a policing prospective, to be aware of what is going on to provide advice on the work being undertaken by Police Scotland.

ACTION - CCWG to feedback to Police contacts on what event are taking place. 

Pippa thanked Stan for the update on this important work. Fergus Murray stated that climate change is a huge issue and was keen to look at how to bring the work of all the various groups together to create a cohesive approach. He also noted how funding can be particularly difficult to obtain. Robin agreed completely and asked who the audience for this work is and who knows what we are doing? Robin felt it was important to get the work we are doing out there (such as the council decarbonisation plan and initiatives by partners). Rona pointed to existing links between the Council Climate Board and the CPP working group, and the new webpage showcasing work taking place across Argyll and Bute. Robin also asked why the Education Climate Summit was being staged prior to COP 26, and not during it? Stan responded that across the board there are really big issues that need to be tackled and he agreed that messaging is key.

Action - Stan to liaise with Ross McLaughlin and provide a response regarding the Education Summit event scheduling.

Pippa said there are a number of points for the working group to consider. There will be a number of voices and methods needed to get the climate change message across.

https://youtu.be/fhICuACmh9g

Ann explained that the film was made as part of competition for Keep Scotland Beautiful competition, and their submission received commendation. The film had to be produced using free app and mobile device. The youth forum worked to identify a theme and create a storyboard. The idea of coastal communities was identified but this changed after weeks of discussion. Ryan advised that they had been inspired to target the video at Cowal regarding plastics use, impact of fires on the beach and how immediate action is needed to be taken by everyone to limit the rise in global temperature. The film focusses on the consequences of what is happening and how it will only get worse if humanity do not make a change and highlights the importance of the joint effort that is required to effect this.

Luke added that the film idea had to change as it was initially hard to get the relevant people together and they faced other challenges, such as realising that type of filming they needed in the theme of coastal areas was not going to be workable using only smartphones/mobile devices. The focus then changed to “climate impacts”. They wanted to get across the duty on humans to prevent the situation from worsening.

Pippa said the film was impactful with great images and soundtrack, and that it was great to hear of the challenges and changes they made during the creative process. Many partners congratulated Ryan and Luke on their commendation.

Nicola Hackett introduced the work of Community Learning and Development (CLD), advising that it is a method of working with learners and wider communities to support the most disadvantaged. Their work covers adult learning and literacy, youth work, community development and partnership with wider community development team, the family based learning and early intervention agenda and wider volunteering opportunities to build capacity in Community Learning.

There is a statutory obligation on local authorities to deliver CLD with partners and to produce a development plan. The current plan finishes this year and a new plan is being developed for 2021-24. This needs to have a programme of learning activity in place that meets the needs of our communities. To do this the local needs has to be identified and then measures need to be put in place to measure its effectiveness. 

CLD were transferred to LiveArgyll on 30 June 2021 and a new strategic partnership has been formed which includes a breadth of representatives from HSCP, Council education, drugs and alcohol partnership, Argyll TSI, Argyll College community representatives, strategic housing, SDS, DWP, CPP and the Community Development team, SFRS, Police and the outdoor learning sector. They will report to Outcome 3 in the CPP, report direct to the Community Services Committee and into each area locality plans to ensure effective support to communities. The partnership will look to raise the profile of community learning and how a huge range of organisations and partners contribute to this work and foster collaboration.

A workgroup has been progressing well reviewing data and mapping and has undertaken a consultation exercise. The themes emerging from this are developing confidence around coming out of Covid, developing core employability skills, mental health and wellbeing, youth voice, closing attainment gap, access to devices and affordable internet and knowledge of what learning opportunities are available in communities. They are working on an action plan, and partners are pulling together information on the work being done under the key themes, this will then be used to align roles and responsibilities then present to the Community Services Committee on 26 August.

Pippa thanked Nicola for her update and noted how we talked about Digital Inclusion earlier and how this is an ongoing area of focus. Nicola will raise at next meeting of the group the request for the CLD partnership to facilitate further discussion across partners and what could sit with them. Nicola noted that it’s not realistic for CLD partnership to lead on those wider strategic aspects of digital but they are comfortable to look at a multi-agency plan around devices and support.

Action - Pippa asked for Nicola to feedback after her meeting to the CPP via Rona.

-       Data to inform vulnerability

-       Seeking leads for Outcome 5 (People live active, healthier and more independent lives) and Outcome 6 (People live in safer and stronger communities)

CPP Annual Performance

The Annual Performance Information of the CPP is now on the council website. We are interested to know if there are partners who have dedicated people in their organisation looking at data. Please share names of these contacts with Rona as we are looking to improve the data to inform our CPP plans and actions.

Seeking leads for Outcome 5 (People live active, healthier and more

independent lives) and Outcome 6 (People live in safer and stronger

communities)

We welcome volunteers please get in touch with Rona if you have an interest in those roles.

Pippa thanked everyone for attending the meeting and for their input. Special thanks were given to the young people who participated in the meeting.