Agenda and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence from committee members.

There were no apologies for absence.

Clr Ingrid Tregoing declared a non-pecuniary interest as a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo).

To authorise the Chairman to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2017 as a correct record.

The Committee authorised the Chairman to sign, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2017.

There were no public questions.

A number of expert witnesses will be attending the meeting to discuss this with the committee. 

On conclusion of the discussion, the Committee will be invited to consider next steps and identify what this Council can do to improve the situation.

The following external attendees were present at the meeting:

·        Jacki Parris - Deputy Principal, Swavesey Village College

·        Al Mistrano - Head Teacher at Bar Hill Primary

·        Emma Neagle - Assistant Principal at Cambourne Village College

·        Lee Miller - Head of Transformation and Commissioning (Children and Maternity) at the Cambridgeshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

·        Dr Becky Jones - South Cambs General Practitioner and the CCG's clinical lead for children’s mental health

·        Ann Jones – Allyance

Jacki Parris delivered a short PowerPoint presentation about The Hub at Swavesey Village College featuring

·        A mental health statistics quiz

·        An overview of the implications of funding cuts on the locality team, and the pressure on both CAMHS and Circle 33

·        A description of the work undertaken by The Hub, namely

o   In-School Counselling

o   Special Educational Needs services

o   Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques

o   Behaviour Support

o   Attendance and Medical Needs Support

o   Restorative Conference Referral

·        The process for making a referral

·        An explanation of what happens after a referral is made

·        A ‘Wise Up’ Petition

The external attendees took the opportunity to discuss among themselves how their specific expertise could most effectively be brought together in order to enhance the provision of mental healthcare for young people.

Councillor Ingrid Tregoing stressed the importance of the volunteer sector in dealing with mental health issues. The ultimate aim was one of prevention rather than cure.

For Allyance, operating in Melbourn, Bassingbourn and Gamlingay First Schools, the crucial message was that every child matters. Committee members noted how Allyance was funded, through school subscription, and that its main function was to deal with referrals. Allyance worked both with parents and with South Cambridgeshire District Council through a variety of areas, including music therapy and mental health conferences.

The Vice-Chairman said that the core problem was one of stigma. It was important to create an atmosphere in which children felt at ease discussing issues among themselves.

Councillor Tregoing welcomed the good working relationship between Allyance and locality teams. GPs were getting better at addressing the logistical challenge posed by the demands of mental health referrals.

The Chairman thanked the external attendees for their invaluable contribution to the meeting. The external attendees then left.

Introducing the Committee debate, the Chairman highlighted the urgent need for prompt intervention, and the importance of bonding with peers, as had happened earlier in the meeting. Funding of this resource-intensive area was a significant challenge. He referred to the funding available through the NHS.

Moving forward, it would be important to provide information points, and make it easier for people to access the kind of advice they needed. The Director for Health and Environmental Services said that a good starting point would be for officers to visit schools to ascertain whether or not sufficient resources were in place to consider the expansion of the kind of facility currently offered by Allyance. The Chairman agreed that this would help formulate a report to Cabinet relating to best practice and the need for a resource  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Councillor Hazel Smith has provided an update report on Emmaus Cambridge.

The Committee received and noted a report fro Councillor Hazel Smith, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s representative on Emmaus Cambridge.