Minutes:
R Lobel and L Pettitt from Leicestershire County Council’s Children & Families Wellbeing Service (CFWS) introduced themselves to Members, and provided an overview of the CFWS’ work as per the minutes of the previous meeting for the benefit of new Forum Members.
Following this overview Members enquired about the recent work of the CFWS’ IMPACT Team in the Borough. It was confirmed that Glen White is the IMPACT Coordinator, and that he represents the team at the Borough’s JAG meetings. It is through the JAG meetings held across the County that the IMPACT Team’s services are directed.
The Forum heard that the IMPACT Team had been running sessions in or around Bell Street, Wigston since November 2018, and at Blaby Road Park, South Wigston, since January 2019. Overall the team had engaged with 36 young people aged between 10 and 17 over 28 sessions, all taking place between 6pm and 9pm.
The IMPACT Team also provided 3 ‘twilight sport sessions’ during this period, engaging with 26 young people within the same age range as above.
The current IMPACT Team referral for the Borough is now coming to an end, and a full report covering the work undertaken during it by the team is awaited. The current success measures for the IMPACT Team include a reduction in reports of anti-social behaviour, and ‘soft intelligence’ from business owners, partner agencies, etc. Members expressed a keen desire for an update on the IMPACT Team’s outcomes when available.
Members also heard that in terms of ‘Family Work’ undertaken by CFWS, every piece of work is assessed and creates a baseline for comparison. Case studies will be made available as part of the assessment of this work.
Members of the Forum raised that much of the work that CFWS undertakes in the Borough takes place in either Wigston or South Wigston, with very little taking place in Oadby. With this in mind Members asked if the background to this could be explored further, breaking away from the ‘Bigger Picture’ data of ‘Oadby & Wigston’. It was noted that the County Council should be able to drill their datasets right down to Ward level, but that staff capacity is a barrier to doing so.
Part of the interest in looking at the three settlement areas in the Borough in isolation is that the student population of the Borough travel between school catchment areas more, and that reports are not always accurate for the areas’ population because of this.
The Forum was informed that CFWS is organising a number of summer events across the County, including an event taking place on 31 July at Parklands Leisure Centre. This will be a free, family focussed event. Additional events are being organised by the IMPACT Team, with details to be shared once available, and both CFWS and the IMPACT Team will be represented at Supersonic Boom in August 2019.
In terms of working locations for the CFWS team, Members heard that the team will be utilising buildings at All Saints Primary School, Wigston, and on Bassett Street, South Wigston. Hot desking is also available to the team at the Council Offices. The Bobbin Factory will be closing next week.
Members enquired as to whether the CFWS team would at any time be based in Oadby, and heard that Brookside Primary School had been used as a base previously, as well as Beauchamp College. Both the Walter Charles Centre and Parklands Leisure Centre have also been suggested as potential bases. The team is still seeking venues across the Borough.
Members also enquired as to how closely the CFWS team is working with schools, and heard that the team is working closely with secondary schools and colleges in the Borough given that they are key contacts for young people in education. The CFWS team is keen to avoid taking young people out of school for meetings, and recognise that schools hold a lot of family information useful to working with individuals.