Community Planning (Jackie Dix, Alison Palmer) [email protected]

Community Planning (Jackie Dix, Alison Palmer) Communityplanning@Caerphilly.Gov.Uk

DNITY PLANNNG BRIEFING Community Planning Quarterly Briefing October to December 08

This is a quarterly briefing designed to give everyone involved in the community planning process across the Caerphilly County Borough, as well as wider audiences, an overview of progress on the Community Strategy. Information has been supplied by each of the co-ordinators leading on different themes of the Community Strategy.

Caerphilly Local Service Board (LSB)

The LSB has endorsed a research report and strategy it has commissioned on developing Shared Approaches to Citizen Engagement. This work is to be rolled out across the borough through a multi-agency group.

Juliet Martinez, Welsh Assembly Government, has spoken to the LSB on the Wales Spatial Plan (WSP). The WSP is an overarching framework document and an integration tool for policy and investment. It shapes the Welsh Assembly Government’s national policy and sets a regional context for local plans and policies and the work of LSBs.

Colin Palfrey, Cllr Lindsay Whittle and Chief Superintendent Alun Thomas from the LSB gave evidence to the National Assembly for Wales Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Inquiry into local service boards in September. The message from the Inquiry has been positive to the benefits of the LSB approach. A transcript of the meeting and the written evidence is available via the following web links: http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-committees/bus-committees- third1/bus-committees-third-hwlg-home/bus-committees-third-hwlg- agendas.htm?act=dis&id=97585&ds=9/2008 http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus- committees/bus-committees-third1/bus-committees-third-hwlg- home/bus-committees-third-hwlg- agendas.htm?act=dis&id=99427&ds=9/2008

Please contact the relevant co-ordinator if you require further information on any of the above or Community Planning, Penallta House Tredomen Park, Ystrad Mynach CF82 7PG

2 Andrew Davies, Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, joined the LSB members for their meeting in October for an informal discussion about the progress of Local Service Boards.

Caerphilly LSB Members at the meeting with the Minister

Front Row: Andrew Davies AM, Cllr Lindsay Whittle, CCBC (Chair), Mike Bridgman, GAVO

Back Row: Chrissie Hayes, tLHB, Stuart Rosser, CCBC, Colin Palfrey, tLHB, Chief Superintendent Alun Thomas, Gwent Police, Richard Davies, WAG and Colin Jones, CCBC.

Members of the Local Service Board and the support team attended the Assembly’s Local Service Board 2008 Conference in November to take part in the workshops and panel discussion as one of the pilot areas. Speaking at the conference Andrew Davies said he has been encouraged by the progress of the pilot LSBs and that LSBs will need to demonstrate ‘ambitious leadership’ in making partnerships work and taking forward a small number of demonstration projects.

Community Planning Officers Network The autumn Network meeting focused on the Proposed Local Government (Wales) Measure concerning community planning and service improvement. The 2007 Local Government Act paved the way for the measure on community planning and introduced a 'duty to cooperate' in community planning. The proposed measure emphasises that councils still have the lead role in community planning and states community strategies must have action plans with monitoring and review built it. A statement on progress with community strategy objectives will need to be published every two years, setting in motion a cyclical process.

Links to relevant documents • Proposed Local Government (Wales) Measure. http://www.assemblywales.org/ms-ld7221-e.pdf • Explanatory Memorandum. http://www.assemblywales.org/ms-ld7221-em-e.pdf

3 The Community Strategy Standing Conference The Autumn Standing Conference continued the review of the Community Strategy with an opportunity to view the strategic and crosscutting partnerships’ achievements over the past four years and to comment on the proposed future actions. It was also an opportunity for the consultants, Navigant, undertaking the review of the Council’s regeneration strategy – “The Smart Alternative” to discuss the regeneration of the county borough with the standing conference members in a workshop session.

Area Steering Group The Upper Rhymney Valley Area Steering Group meeting in September saw the election of a new chair following the resignation of Neil Protheroe (representing Rhymney Partnership) who had chaired the steering group since the re-launch. Congratulations and welcome to Tyrone Powell (representing Fochriw Partnership) who takes on the chairmanship and our best wishes and thanks to Neil.

A joint meeting of the Area Steering Groups took place in October. The meeting brought together ASG members from across the county borough for a presentation on the Local Development Plan and an opportunity to discuss the plan with officers. The meeting also gave members an opportunity to be part of the Community Strategy review, specifically looking at the progress since it was published in 2004 and the proposed actions for the next four years.

Voluntary Sector Liaison Committee A special Voluntary Sector Liaison Committee was held in November to enable members to look at progress with the Community Strategy since it was published in 2004 and the proposed actions for the next four years. The review of the Community Strategy will be complete in Spring 09.

Working with the Voluntary Sector in the Caerphilly County Borough 2008 to 2012 – is a new Compact agreement between Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO), Caerphilly CBC, Gwent Police, Gwent Police Authority, Caerphilly Teaching Local Health Board with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service joining for the first time. This is a key document for community planning which provides the framework for the voluntary sector and other Compact partners to work together. The Compact was launched in November at the One Beat Voluntary Sector Awareness Day.

7922-47 Compact 7922-47 Wlsh3.pdf (3 M... Compact3.pdf (3 MB)

4 Living Environment (Paul Cooke & Natalie Davies) [email protected]

New Partnership Structure As part of the review of the Community Strategy, the Living Environment Partnership has been undertaking a major review of its achievements to date, structure, membership, objectives and future priorities. As a result, some significant changes were agreed in September. The Partnership Group has become more streamlined, consisting of 13 representatives from 8 key organisations, and will provide strategic direction and guidance. There is then a broader set of Partners forming a collective which will be known as the All Partners Group, which will develop operational action plans and deliver the practical work of the Partnership. The new structure will enable the Partnership to engage a broader set of Partners equally, and in a more efficient and manageable way than before.

Election of a Partnership Chair and a Vice Chair In September, Anthony O'Sullivan, CCBC Director of the Environment, was elected Chair of the Partnership and Sue Mabberley of the Countryside Council for Wales was elected Vice Chair.

Working Groups The review of the work of the Partnership has resulted in a focus on 3 priority areas, local environmental quality, the great outdoors and climate change with the following working groups being set up: • Local Environment Quality - bringing together work on sustainable homes, community involvement in environmental improvement and community safety • Great Outdoors - a Beacon project focusing on improving accessibility of the countryside, enhancing public transport links, identifying and removing barriers to countryside activity, and creating new opportunities for visitors. The project links with the Valleys Regional Park programme, Mentro Allan, the Health Social Care and Well Being Partnership and the Regeneration Partnership • Climate Change - leading on the county borough’s response to climate change. It will research and prepare a Climate Change Strategy for the county borough and will identify and initiate priority projects. Climate Change was approved as a Beacon project in 2007.

Living Environment Annual Report 2007/08 and Action Plan The Living Environment Partnership has published an annual report and developed a strategic level action plan.

Communications Strategy The Partnership are beginning to develop their Communications Strategy, which will set out the principles for how they will ensure that the work of the Partnership

5 reflects the outcomes of consultation with residents, and also how successes will in future be communicated to the public.

Regeneration (Jane Roberts- Waite & Jan Bennett)

Regeneration Programme The Council, in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government Department for Enterprise and Innovation have appointed Navigant Consulting to develop a new regeneration strategy for the County Borough.

Regeneration Strategic Partnership At the last meeting of the Strategic Partnership in November members received a presentation on the new Mental Health and Well Being Action Plan and took part in a discussion with Navigant Consulting about their role and purpose in relation to delivering the regeneration element of the Community Strategy.

The first Caerphilly Employment Expo was held on 3rd September at Ystrad Mynach College. The event, funded by Jobcentre Plus attracted over 500 people all of whom were seeking help, support and access to employment opportunities. Over 50 standholders were also present including local and national employers, local voluntary organisations including the CAB and GAVO as well as training organisations and representatives from Jobcentre Plus, Want 2 Work and JobMatch. Max Boyce was on hand to signpost people to the most relevant stand for them as well as taking part in the Brookes Avana healthy cookery demonstration.

The event included a jobs fair and opportunities for those attending to have one- to-one help with CV preparation, interview skills and techniques, presentation skills, financial literacy, basic skills and debt and welfare advice. Transport was provided by CATS from each of the eligible wards (Pengam, St Cattwg, St James, Hengoed, Cefn Fforest and Aber Valley).

A workwear fashion show also took place showcasing local retailers including Dorothy Perkins, Asda, Select, Stead and Simpson, Tesco and Bon Marche. Clothing for the workwear fashion show was also donated by St David’s Foundation and Barnardo’s, Bargoed.

JOBMATCH The Heads of the Valleys JobMatch programme have recently secured £16 million from the Wales European Funding Office through convergence monies to finance the continued operation of the JobMatch, City Strategy Pathfinder. The total cost of implementation throughout the Heads of the Valleys to March 2011 amounts to £30 million. In Caerphilly, 11 staff are currently employed to deliver the programme within the Heads of the Valleys part of the County Borough. To date, 438 people have been engaged in the programme of which 181 have been

6 matched to an appropriate employment opportunity. The team are currently based in the Institute Building in Bargoed. Outreach surgeries are currently operating in:

Markham Community Centre Tuesday 2-4 pm

Phillipstown Community Centre Thursday 2-4 pm

White Rose Centre – New Tredegar Monday 2-4 pm, Tuesday 10 am – 1pm, Friday 10 am – 1pm + appointments

Rhymney Community Furniture Enterprise Tuesday 9 am – 1.30 pm and 2pm, Wednesday 9 am – 1.30 pm and 2-5 pm (3 weeks in 4)

Fochriw Community Centre Thursday 10 am – 12 pm

BCTC Office Friday 10am – 12 pm and 2-5 pm

Deri Community Centre Thursday 10 am – 12 pm

Abertysygg Community Centre To be confirmed

Bargoed Working Links Tuesday 1-5 pm, Thursday 9am -12pm

Cantref, Bargoed To be confirmed

Blackwood Rugby Club Tuesday 8.30 am – 12 pm

Hollybush To be confirmed

Should you wish to obtain further information on the JobMatch Programme or require help in seeking and obtaining employment please contact the local team on freephone - 08000665452

Want 2 Work Want2Work have been successful in its Convergence fund bid of £32 million over a six year period. Locally the Want 2 Work Team will be operating within the wards of Pengam, St Cattwg, Cefn Fforest, Hengoed, Aber Valley and St James as of October 2008. The Want 2 Work manager has also agreed to extend the programme into the wards of Crumlin and Bedws, Trethomas and Machen.

St David’s Development, Cardiff The Leader of the Council, Cllr Lindsay Whittle signed the St David’s Training and Employment Charter on 30th July along with Rodney Berman - Leader of Cardiff Council, Linda Badman - Wales Director, Dept. Work & Pensions, Peter Badcock – Director, Capital Shopping and Jeremy Collins - Head of Retail Development John Lewis Partnership.

7 St David's 2 is a joint development between Land Securities, and Capitol Shopping Centres. Together, as the St David's Partnership, they are to spearhead a £675 million development in Cardiff. The Partnership also own and manage the existing St David's Shopping Centre, which is to be modernised and refurbished as part of the development works.

The St David's 2 development will bring new stores (John Lewis is the anchor store), cafes, bars, restaurants and luxury residential apartments to Cardiff, as well as enhanced public areas and facilities, a new central library and a modernisation of the existing St David's Shopping Centre.

Currently the St David’s 2 development is the largest single investment in the region hence there are clear employment benefits for the residents of Caerphilly, particularly those residing in the south of the County Borough. Efforts are being made to explore the potential of offering the Skills Smart Retail Works course locally so to enable work-ready residents to participate in the course which is recognised amongst retailers as the accepted ‘finishing school’.

For further information on the St David’s development and the employment opportunities resulting from the construction and operational phase of the development please contact: Rachel Evans at the St David’s 2 Jobshop, 02920 395141 or Log onto the website via the link: http://www.stdavids2.com/jobscontact.asp?pageid=117

New Hospital, Ystrad Fawr DTZ have been appointed to undertake an Economic Impact Study, which will seek to examine the economic impact of Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr. The study will also seek to identify what interventions may be necessary and by whom to maximise the impact of the development. A draft report is expected to be received before Christmas.

New Communities First Areas Following the redecoration of the new Communities First offices in Pantside and Trecenydd the engagement officers have now been able to move into the offices and are working from within the community several days per week.

New Tredegar White Rose School The White Rose School was awarded the 'investors in families' award on 7th October. The award recognises their outstanding achievement in the following areas: - To value and support the role that families play in the life of the child - To support families in developing their children's achievement and self- esteem - To promote social inclusion and a sense of well-being through positive participation in family life

8 Showcase Event The Community Partnerships Showcase Event held on 15th and 16th October 2008 at Markham Community House was extremely successful with 24 partnerships exhibiting the work that had been undertake during the last 7 years, plus the Youth Sub Group, Community Strategy and the 50+ Forum. The overall aim of the event was to publicise and raise awareness of the regeneration work led by community partnerships throughout the County Borough.

Over the 2 days 173 guests attended including from the Welsh Assembly Government, community partnership, partner organisations and some Cabinet and local members.

Official Opening of Penybryn Woodland The Cabinet member for Regeneration Cllr Ron Davies was present at the formal opening of the Penybryn Woodland together with local residents and agencies involved in the project. Significant effort has gone in to establishing this natural environment for local people to enjoy. A consultation event was held in Penybryn Village Hall in April 2005 for local people to look at the ideas for the project and give their comments and suggestions before funding a grant of £150,000 was secured from Cydcoed. The project has received full support from Caerphilly County Borough Council and would like to thank Gelligaer Community Council for being the lead body in the application.

Official Opening of Penllwyn Multi Use Games area Over 50 guests attended the official opening of the Penllwyn MUGA on 3 November. Pupils from Pontllanfraith Comprehensive and Penllwyn Primary took part in activity sessions arranged by the authority’s sports development officers. The Mayor, Councillor Anne Collins performed the official opening and thanked the community regeneration team, Gwent Police, the Welsh Assembly Government and Lightmain Contractors, who all worked together to deliver this £84.5k project.

Wavehill Report Wavehill Consulting was commissioned in May 2008 to undertake a programme of stakeholder research and consultation in deprived wards in Caerphilly County Borough. Wavehill Consulting conducted 576 survey interviews with a random sample of residents and 48 in-depth semi-structured interviews with members of the community partnerships in the target areas. The research was carried out to assess the success of the projects that have arisen as a result of the work of the Community Partnerships and gather perceptions from members of the public on regeneration work in the area. Questions focused on Quality of life, Perceptions of the local area – has it improved in the last 5 years and awareness / perceptions of the Community Partnership and its work. The findings are now being disseminated.

9 Town Centres A new Town Centre Action Plan for Bargoed is out for consultation. Angel Way relief road is progressing to completion and a new developer has been identified to take forward development of the Bargoed retail plateau. In Newbridge work is under way on a footbridge across the river and railway line. A new study of Blackwood town centre has been commissioned while the private sector has come forward with plans for several sites in and around Risca/Pontymister town centre.

Caerphilly County Borough Council Local Development Plan The Caerphilly County Borough Council Local Development Plan (LDP) provides the strategy and policy framework for the development and conservation of the County Borough for the fifteen-year period, from 2006 to 2021. The LDP will be used by the Council to guide and control development, providing the basis by which planning applications will be determined consistently and appropriately. The draft Deposit LDP is now approaching the end of the statutory six-week public consultation exercise which commenced in October 2008. Alternative sites to those identified by the local authority, will be published for consultation in the new year and a report on the responses to the consultations will be presented to councillors for consideration in mid 2009.

Heads of the Valleys Programme

Sustainable Regeneration Fund A package of projects has been submitted to the Heads of the Valleys Programme for approval. It is anticipated that the package, which includes a number of community projects developed by local partnerships, will be approved shortly.

Holistic Area Regeneration Plans Caerphilly County Borough Council contains 9 wards that are within the Heads of the Valleys Programme Area. The Heads of the Valleys Spatial Strategy suggests that 2 separate HARPs should be created to cover the 9 wards within the Borough that are within the Heads of the Valleys programme area, one for the Upper Rhymney Valley (which includes Bargoed) and one for the ward of Argoed – the Mid Sirhowy Valley HARP. The logic behind the creation of two separate HARPs is based upon the spatial function of settlements within the Heads of the Valleys Programme Area. Argoed, although within the Heads of the Valleys programme area, looks mainly to the sub-regional centre of Blackwood, outside the Heads of the Valleys area, for employment and services; whereas the Upper Rhymney Valley looks mainly to Bargoed as the hub of the district, supported by the secondary hub of Rhymney.

The Mid Sirhowy Valley HARP is a Heads of the Valleys document prepared on behalf of the Heads of the Valleys Management Board by officers of Caerphilly County Borough Council. The Mid Sirhowy Valley HARP was subject to consultation in June / July and contains a large number of projects that reflect the aspirations for the area, which contribute to the strategic programmes in the

10 Heads of the Valleys Strategy. The Mid Sirhowy Valley HARP will be supplemented by a further document which will prioritise projects for a three-year programme for targeted funding 2009-2012.

Officers are currently in the process of preparing the Upper Rhymney Valley HARP.

Health Social Care and Well Being (Samantha Greenidge) [email protected]

The HSCWB Partnership continues to work together to carry out actions to implement the Health, Social Care & Well Being (HSCWB) Strategy 2008-2011 - Better Outcomes for Healthy Living in Caerphilly County Borough. Partners continue to make progress and a variety of actions are taking place to reduce health inequalities, help local people take greater responsibility for their health and well being and expand and develop services within the community. The focus is on enabling people to live as independently as they are able and strengthen preventative services to prevent crisis.

Modernising Adult Community Mental Health Services – Delivering Theme 2 of the HSCWB Strategy – 2.2 Integrating Mental Health Services Mental Health Services within Caerphilly County Borough are currently being developed to ensure they support mental well being as well as respond to mental illness. Developments are underway to consider all the factors that can affect an individual’s mental well being and what support an individual may need to achieve a better quality of life. The aspiration is to create integrated services that are not driven by the needs of existing organisations but by the needs of individuals.

Stakeholders have been working throughout 2008 to redefine services so that they ensure that service users have the opportunity to live as independently as possible and gain access to care and support as close as possible to the community where they live. There will be a focus on recognising that recovery from mental illness needs to be part of a wider social context involving the family, carers, housing, employment and leisure. To achieve this stakeholders have reviewed how services are currently provided and have developed new service models detailing how services will need to operate in the future. The proposed service model and draft service specifications are currently out to consultation until the 24 December 2008. In addition to distributing copies of the service model documents for comment, a Stakeholder Workshop event was held on 11th November 2008.

Improving the Health of Homeless and Specific Vulnerable Groups Standards – Delivering Theme 2 of the HSCWB Strategy 2.3 Increasing co- ordination of housing and housing related support Partners from the Homeless Forum, NHS, Council and voluntary sector are working together to improve joint working across key agencies in relation to homeless and vulnerable groups including asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers and Gypsies – Travellers. A small Task and Finish Group has been working to develop a Local Progress Report, which once completed, will be submitted to the Welsh Assembly Government by 31st December 2008. This piece of work has strengthened working across organisations, increased understanding of different roles and improved communication.

The Group has actively canvassed views through 2 ‘snapshot’ surveys, one to service users and the other to service providers on problems associated with current access to health and social care services by those who are homeless or specifically vulnerable. Work has also been carried out through health visitor and district nurse service provision to identify gaps in service provision and to raise awareness of the issues through the participation in Gwent wide training being offered by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Supporting Hospital Discharge for vulnerable people – Delivering Theme 3 of the HSCWB Strategy 3.4 Improving joint working through the development of integrated teams The Partnership continues to work to enhance services in order to ensure that the service experience and quality of life of service users improves. Work has been on-going to make the necessary improvements for vulnerable people leading up to and during their discharge from hospital. Significant progress has been made resulting in increased performance through working more holistically through renewed efforts of partner agencies and the introduction of the Joint Hospital Discharge Team. During October 2008 the number of people delayed reduced to 12. This is a significant reduction given the number of people delayed was 82 in June 2008.

The work of the Joint Hospital Discharge Team has strengthened the multi-agency approach improving inter-agency responsiveness through improved communication and information sharing. Making sustainable improvements in this area of work is important in ensuring that all vulnerable patients receive timely support and care in the appropriate setting and all opportunities to maintain and develop independence are utilised.

The Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA)

• The Area Adult Protection Committee (AAPC) Annual Report for 2007-2008 was agreed at Scrutiny in October and is now available on the Council’s website. • The AAPC has agreed to undertake its first serious case review with a report expected back to AAPC in January 2009. • The Council host the Social Services Improvement Agency (SSIA) Protection of Vulnerable Adults website - this continues to be updated through liaison with the all Wales POVA coordinators group. • Leaflets about the protection process for vulnerable adults who receive a service from social services and those who are directly involved in the POVA process following an incident of abuse or neglect have been developed and are currently being printed. • The POVA Practice Improvement Forum continues to meet monthly. Issues explored through speakers and practice discussion during this quarter include MAPPA and MARAC, the use of intermediaries, POVA investigations and the issues of pressure ulcers and neglect. • Following a collaborative project with partner agencies an interactive DVD Abuse : tell someone has been developed and will be launched with the Council’s POVA team and learning disability service and the Caerphilly People First group on 25th November 2008. • A positive step forward was the appointment of a named nurse for vulnerable adults, Annette Morris, by the Gwent NHS Trust. This will greatly assist collaboration between agency partners involved in POVA and help us to begin to consider consistency across health and community settings. • Significant changes are anticipated within Gwent Police Service with the introduction of the Protection of Vulnerable People Unit, discussions are underway with officers who will lead on the POVA service.

Education for Life (June Davies) [email protected]

During this period June Davies, the Education for Life Coordinator, has retired and we thank her for all her hard work and contribution to community planning since 2004.

The Partnership met in October and drafted a response to the Assembly consultation Skills that Work for Wales- a new approach to Adult and Community Learning.

13 Education for Sustainable Development & Global Citizen Beacon update

Eco School Award Programme 100% of schools in the county borough are taking part in the Eco Schools programme. 86% of schools have achieved an award to date, broken down into 28 green flag awards, 26 silver awards and 26 bronze awards.

A celebration event was held at Bedwas High School, the top secondary eco school in Wales to congratulate the 28 green flag schools on their eco achievements.

Three eco school project groups are being run this year to support schools working through the eco schools programme. The groups will support schools working to achieve the bronze award, schools working towards the prestigious green flag award and secondary schools, to ensure they achieve a whole school approach to the eco school programme.

Eco Day at Welsh Water Education Centre, Cilfynydd 90 year 5 pupils attended an eco challenge day held at the Welsh Water Education Centre in Cilfynydd. The event was organised in partnership with the CCBC Sustainable Development team to promote the education centre to local schools and identify opportunities to incorporate sustainable development into the curriculum. The eco day provided the pupils with an opportunity to develop their sustainable and environmental knowledge.

Action Speaks Louder Conference 40 year 10 pupils attended the Action Speaks Louder conference held at Ty Penallta to raise awareness and understanding of sustainable development and global citizenship. The conference addressed the consequences of our lifestyle choices and identified ways to improve our lives and the environment to create a more sustainable future.

Resource Boxes Nineteen resource boxes have been developed to support schools and youth groups incorporating Education for Sustainable Development & Global Citizenship into the curriculum and youth work programmes. The resource boxes contain books, CD’s, DVD’s, artefacts, curriculum links, and lesson plans.

The following resource boxes are available for free hire to schools and youth groups: School grounds, mini beast grab & go kits, fairtrade & global citizenship, waste audits, music, composting, recycled papermaking, energy, generic recycling and recycling displays.

For further information contact: Tracy Evans, Education for Sustainable Development Officer. Telephone 01495 235141 or email [email protected]

Sustainable Development (Paul Cooke) [email protected]

Sustainable Development Strategy The Authority’s new Sustainable Development Strategy, Living Better, Using Less was formally launched by Jane Davidson, Assembly Minister for Environment, Housing & Sustainability, and Cllr Colin Mann, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources & Sustainability on the 14th November 2008. The event at Penallta House included an exhibition of sustainability in action highlighting projects within the county borough that contribute to sustainability. The exhibition was attended by over 300 people, and an audience of 100 representatives from the Council and local organisations attended the official launch ceremony.

The Strategy identifies the key sustainable development issues within the county borough, and how this fits into the global context. It acknowledges the need for long-term thinking and planning, and sets long-term objectives, and targets for 2030.

Sustainable Development Website The Strategy launch also included the launch the Council’s new sustainable development website www.sustainablecaerphilly.co.uk which provides tips and links to advice on how to become more sustainable as well as information about what the council is doing. The site also includes the Caerphilly Sustainability Index which allows individuals to complete a short questionnaire to work out how sustainable they are.

Equalities (John Ware) [email protected]

• Fast Forward delivered a briefing and Q&A in the September meeting informing of potential income generation routes / return to work opportunities. P/A, Induction Loop and BSL interpreter available to assist attendees. • Monitoring and evaluation forms were on trial at Communities First events and project initiatives are continuing to raise awareness by asking the equalities question in framework document. • Communities First areas have held a number of community-based events with equalities in focus, with activities offering a taste of diverse cultural differences, via food, dance or dress mediums. • A deaf advocate is due to hold a Deaf forum with the police • Disability Sports Development Officer has been undertaking disability awareness training with staff in sports centres.

15 • Guidance document showing the Foundation Standard for Access to buildings is being developed. This will give advice on the layout of buildings and the workplace to ensure accessibility for disabled people. • An information Booklet on Equalities in the delivery in Council Services has been produced and distributed. • BSL Taster classes have been held and attended by 16 people • Deaf Equality class held, 8 people attended • Foundation & Intermediate BSL courses attended by 6 • Welsh language taster class attended by 7 people • Understanding Sight Loss class attended by 12 people • In the November edition of Newsline the Council published its Language survey to obtain information about the different languages spoken in the community. This is believed to be the first time this has been done in Wales so will provide a unique insight into the diversity of local people. The language survey form will also be available on the Council website. • In November a Graffiti project run in Caerphilly to celebrate Black history Month. The project is sponsored by Caerphilly CBC and involves Valrec in Partnership with the Youth Offending Service. Its aim is to educate young people about black history month. Participants will attend anti discrimination and race awareness classes to raise awareness followed by sessions in graffiti design.

Community Safety (Howard Rees) [email protected]

The three Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership (SCCSP) Priority Action teams continue to deliver on the following themes: • The Reduce anti-social behaviour and improve the Street Scene Action Team chaired by Chief Inspector Joanne Bull, Gwent Police. • The Reduce harm caused by alcohol Action Team chaired by Colleen Bright, Director of Strategic Planning and Modernisation, Caerphilly Teaching Local Health Board. • The Broaden partnership delivery Action Team chaired by Steve Delahaye, Head of Public Protection, Caerphilly County Borough Council.

Some of the initiatives/projects delivered via these Action Teams are detailed below. • Building on the success of the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership (SCCSP) in reducing British Crime Survey crime (BCS) between 2005 and 2008 by 22.8% (2298 fewer victims of crime in the County Borough), during the second quarter (June to September, 2008) BCS crime continued to fall by 2.7%. • The SCCSP has been successful in securing £28.5K from the Home Office to deliver its Tackling Violent Crime initiative across the County Borough, which essentially concentrates on the night-time economy and the negative

16 effects of alcohol. Both the Police and CCBC Public Protection Division are heavily involved in this initiative which is ongoing into the New Year. • The SCCSP has also been successful in achieving Pioneer Area status within the Home Office Neighbourhood Crime and Justice initiative, who identified SCCSP as an achieving partnership. This initiative identifies areas that can move more quickly in implementing actions that lead to "improving public confidence in the criminal justice system". As a Pioneer Area the SCCSP will receive up to £50K to employ a Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Co-ordinator to deliver the project, and an opportunity for between £20K and £100K to assist local initiatives. SCCSP intends to build on its success in reducing crime, its evolving PACT process, its Neighbourhood Policing Teams supported by CCBC Community Safety Wardens and CCTV, and developing and effective community payback schemes administered by the Youth Offending Service and Probation Service. • Recently the SCCSP held a further award winning CANDO initiative in the Risca area. This multi-agency initiative was complimented by a successful Pick or Pay Up campaign run by CCBC, involving Environmental Health Enforcement officers, Community Safety Wardens and CCTV, and Street Cleansing, which concentrated on the 'street scene' and in particular litter and dog fouling. • The Welsh Assembly Government has recently published its 10 year All Wales Substance Misuse Strategy 2008-2018 with a greater emphasis on the most prevalent substance of misuse in this County Borough - alcohol. As a result, the SCCSP is now in the process of identifying further opportunity to enhance its service delivery in this area, as evidenced above.

In addition to the above, the SCCSP and its constituent responsible authorities of Gwent Police, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Caerphilly Teaching Local Health Board, the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the Gwent Police Authority, together with other public and voluntary sector colleagues, continue to deliver core activity and services, striving to reduce and prevent crime, disorder, the impact of substance misuse, domestic violence, etc., and in doing so make Caerphilly county borough a safer place to live, work and visit.

50+ Positive Action (Mandy Sprague) [email protected]

• The three year action plan for the 50+ Positive Action Partnership is now in place to implement Phase 2 of the Strategy for Older People (2008 – 2011) • In line with one of the partnership’s action plan priorities, the partnership linked in with Communities First at the showcase event in Markham community house, with the 50+ Forum providing a stand (see regeneration section) • Silver Surfer events have been held in partnership with Libraries, Community Regeneration, British Telecom and Community Education. Events were held at Blackwood, Bargoed and Abertridwr.

17 • The partnership has been involved the development of the draft 50+ Housing strategy and currently questionnaires are being developed for wider consultation. • Here to help events were held across the borough in partnership with Community Safety and other partnership stakeholders. Plays were performed at the events to raise awareness of doorstep crime which were well received. • The partnership had a presence at the employment expo which providing a lot of exposure for the partnership and enabling the 50+ Forum to recruit 20 new members (see regeneration section). • The partnership was represented at the Association for Public Sector Excellence’s first Citizen Engagement network meeting in Manchester, which is open to service directors and senior managers from across Local Government. A presentation was given by Steve Thomas (GAVO participation officer) to outline the Positive Action Partnership led 50+ Citizen Engagement research project, The Right to be Heard. • The Digital Lobbying project continues to develop, which includes 2 pilot projects on the horizon, with the Welsh Ambulance Service (PPI) and the British Deaf Association Wales. • The Digital Lobbying project has been approached by the Welsh Assembly to appear in a DVD which highlights innovative ways to engage the voice of the citizen. This will be shown at a building common purpose event on developing a creative approach to public service delivery.

Children and Young People (June Davies) [email protected]

June Davies, the Children and Young People Coordinator, has retired. Lynne Bosanko-Williams has been appointed to take up the post of Children & Young People's Partnership Co-ordinator with an interim Co-ordinator, John Killick covering until Lynne takes up her duties. The final version of the Children and Young People’s Plan is now available. Work is being undertaken on a children’s and a young person’s version.

Caerphilly Safeguarding Children Board

The Caerphilly Safeguarding Children Board (CSCB) is now well established and has seven sub groups: Governance; Training and Development; Promotions and Communications; Quality Assurance and Performance Management; Serious Case Reviews; Protocol Review; Practitioner Forums.

Key achievements during the period October to December 2008 include: • Launch of the CSCB website (www.caerphillysafeguarding.org.uk) that contains information about keeping children safe for parents and carers, children and young people and professionals. The website also has

18 downloadable copies of the documents produced by the Board and information about training courses. • Completion of the Annual Review 2007-2008 and Business Plan 2008-2009 (both of which are available on the website). • Awareness raising about the work of the Board and safeguarding children has been undertaken with various professional groups and will continue over the forthcoming year. • Currently reviewing the safeguarding protocols relating to parental substance misuse and parental mental health issues. Due to be completed and launched in January 2009. • The first Multi Agency Practitioners Forum will be held on January 30th and will include a presentation on the work of the CSCB and the impact of domestic abuse on children and young people and the opportunity for professionals from the statutory, voluntary and private sector to get together and discuss the issues that matter to them. • Continued work with other partnerships in the Borough to ensure a joined up approach to keeping children safe. • Contributing to the planning and delivery of a Pan Gwent Safeguarding Children Conference which will take place in February 2009.

The CSCB remains committed to engaging children and young people in the planning and work of the Board and is currently considering how to work with the Communities First Research Officers and Co-ordinators and the Participation staff of the Children and Young People’s Partnership to ensure this happens.