, AND EASTER ROSS SERVICE MANAGERS GROUP

Friday 2nd July 2010 10am Room 1, Ben More , Drummuie, Golspie

PRESENT: Dawn Grant (Chair) Area Childrens Manager, C, S & ER Graham Nichols Education Culture & Sport Area Manager Joe McKeown Reporter to the Childrens Panel Georgia Haire Locality Manager - NHS Alistair MacKinnon Northern Constabulary Katrina Beaton Acting Integrated Service Co-ordinator

APOLOGIES: Pamela Ross Northern Constabulary Moyra Gordon Authority Reporter SCRA (Kirkwall)

IN ATTENDANCE: Maggie Tytler Admin Assistant, Ross, Skye &

1. Welcome and Apologies Apologies received from Pamela Ross and Moyra Gordon. Sally Williams has been appointed Administrative Assistant for Integrated Childrens Services, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross as of 21st July.

2. Minutes of Last Meeting – 7th May 2010 As read.

3. Matters Arising Child Concern Forms – Senior Practitioners are happy to stand in for Team Managers when they are unavailable. There needs to be a process in place where police know who to contact. There are two PPUs for C, S & ER. Action Dawn will try and sort this out.

Steve James and Karen Otter to update staff on the new system at Lawson Memorial and then visit Caithness General.

4. GIRFEC Action Plan Sections in red were updated but not confirmed and discussed. Liaison Meetings – Katrina, ISOs, Team Managers, Bill Couston and Rodger Bamfield produced a guidance document for the Liaison Meeting. The plan is to have one Liaison Group and review once this has been tried and tested. Guidance to be distributed to schools. Next meeting is July. Lack of CSW and CSW(EY) is not noted as a constraint. Unable to create posts. It was suggested that part time workers would be willing to do extra hours. Graham was happy with the concept as long as ISOs had control over who was the most appropriate person to be given the hours. This would be funded from NCSA budget. The group agreed to advertise. Action Dawn to find out from ISOs where the gaps were. • Childs Plans – meeting to be held on 12th July to look at contents and how to improve plans. Reviewing Officers to attend. Education and Health need to have more information in plans. Joe asked if he could attend this meeting. Action • Katrina to discuss with Joe. • Police Youth Development Co-ordinator is providing useful information. • Staffing – Both Senior Clericals post, QAR team, have been filled. Administrative Assistant post is a one year secondment. One of the Reviewing Officers to go on maternity leave from September – not sure if this will be back filled. GIRFEC:- Action Katrina to look at Practitioner Forums.

Plan to launch the GIRFEC guidance at Practitioners Forum.

5. Updated draft guidance – Liaison Meeting Katrina to Chair these meetings.

6. RPG Changes to RPG dates – now 3 weekly rather than 4 weekly. There has been occasion when cases cant wait for SMG. In these instances, Dawn, Graham and Georgia would discuss before going to RPG. Team managers can now attend RPG with Area Managers. RPG membership has been extended. Focus on getting children back to . SMG will be asked by RPG to review out of authority cases.

8. Child Care Partnership Dawn suggested inviting Childcare and Family Resource Officer (Fiona Morrison) to SMG to give an updated on funds spent and on what resources. Partnership have a large budget – for playgroup, nursery, out of school clubs and training. Action Group agreed to ask for a written summary of information.

9. NCSA Budget There will have to be a saving from this years budget. Action Katrina and Dawn to bring back to next meeting in August.

10. Serious Case Review – Action Plan Delay in bringing to SMG as review was sent to Pol. Dawn suggested disseminate within services and any issues arising to bring back to SMG. Action Katrina to send a copy to Alistair.

11. AOCB COG:- • Bill Alexander reported that the GIRFEC/MAPPA process had not been progressed. • Bernadette Cairns agreed to write guidelines on LMs. • Discussion around new structures for HALL 4 (Health for All Children). • FHC3 – will become more fundamental and know the actions and kpi which should looked up. Guidelines will be issued. • GIRFEC issues to be taken to SMG – LOG – COG.

Dawn requested funding from NCSA budget for Grandmother to transport her Grandchild. This would be at parental contract rate.

12. Date of Next Meeting:- 6th August 2010. Cancel - resume in September.