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PRESENTATION BY CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE THEMATIC BOARD
A presentation was given by J Trainer, Head of Early Years and Inclusion relative to Corporate Parenting.
The presentation gave a brief overview of the Corporate Parenting duties under Part 9 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and highlighted the corporate parenting responsibilities which extended to all looked after children from birth to when they ceased to be looked after.
N Davidson, Development Officer (GIRFEC) spoke to the Board and gave a brief overview of the Children’s Champions Board and intimated that it provided a platform for young people to talk directly to local authority staff, elected members and service providers to ensure that decisions which affected their lives were informed by their own experiences. It was noted that through Champions Boards, care experienced young people themselves could influence improvements in the services and support available to them and Renfrewshire had been developing its Champions Board for several years and had already created strong partnerships with care experienced young people.
PRESENTATION BY JOBS & THE ECONOMY THEMATIC BOARD
A presentation was given by R Cooper, Economic Development Manager relative to the employment challenges for young people in the transition from school to progression routes and vocational pathways.
The presentation summarised a comparison of the annual participation measure by age and gender between the local authority and Scotland; highlighted additional resources for priority groups; gave a brief overview of the Renfrewshire employability pipeline; detailed targeted programmes and priority groups; summarised claimant count rates for 2013/16; and outlined the key issues and challenges.
PRESENTATION BY SAFER & STRONGER RENFREWSHIRE THEMATIC BOARD
A presentation was given by C Robertson, Warden Services Manger relative to the Street Stuff, a partnership divisionary programme.
A short DVD was shown which gave a brief overview of the programme and highlighted the strong partnership working within Renfrewshire; the presentation then outlined the difference the programme had made to the young people and the communities they lived in; detailed some of the underlying causes and symptoms and what had been achieved; and indicated the challenges for the programme going forward.
There then followed a general discussion which centered around the issues of the three presentations; what were the likely challenges the partnership faced; and what was seen as the way forward.
Particular concern was raised with regard to young people with learning and/or physical disabilities who were attempting to gain employment and the difficulties that they faced. Project Search, an employability programme for young people between 17 and 26 years old with a learning disability or autism was discussed and it was noted that this type of approach could work well with other groups.
It was highlighted that helping young people with physical disabilities was a significant challenge and it was agreed that funding and tailored programmes, both within the public and private sector, for young people with disabilities would be investigated with a view to ensuring that young people with physical disabilities gained meaningful employment in their local area.
Discussion turned to the “Family Firm” approach which was a model of employment for looked after young people and a working framework for Community Planning Partners and employers to support all looked after young people and care leavers into positive destinations. It was agreed that the Children’s Champions Board would develop a model on what the family firm model would look like and submit a report to a future meeting of the Children & Young People Thematic Board.
DECIDED:
(a) That it be agreed that funding and tailored programmes, both within the public and private sector, for young people with disabilities would be investigated with a view to ensuring that young people with physical disabilities gained meaningful employment in their local area; and
(b) That the Children’s Champions Board would submit a report to a future meeting of the Children & Young People Thematic Board on what the family firm model would look like.