Thursday, 16 May 2013

Hampshire County Council is encouraging parents to swap their car for a ticket to stride on the school run instead, with their children, during Walk to School Week (20- 24 May).

Over ninety thousand Hampshire-based school children have signed up to take part in Walk to School Week 2013, encouraging parents and children to take the opportunity to try walking to school and putting into practice good pedestrian road safety behaviour. All children taking part in Walk to School Week will receive a log book, certificate and stickers.

Walk to School Week is the initiative of national charity 'Living Streets'. According to the charity, by walking to school, parents say they find the journey to school less stressful, their petrol bill goes down, their children perform better at school and both they and their children feel healthier and fitter.

The aim of the initiative is to encourage as many school children and their families across the county to give walking a go during Walk to School Week. It is a more active way to start the day and can help improve concentration in the classroom. It can also be beneficial in helping children develop life long road safety skills and their sense of independence, as well as being fun.

Number of children participating by district.

East Hants 7,860
Basingstoke 13,170
Eastleigh 9,060
Fareham 8,435
Gosport 5,995
Hart 6,860
Havant 7,705
New Forest 9,980
Rushmoor 6,835
Test Valley 8,265
Winchester 6,455

Total 90,620

• Walk to School Week

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

The outline terms for proposals that could lead to a groundbreaking strategic partnership between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to deliver Children's Services on the Island were approved today 25 March.

The decision by Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Children's Services, Councillor Roy Perry provides a formal basis for the proposals, which are designed to strengthen child protection and education services on the Island.

Substantial further work is now required before an agreement can be finalised and the Councils are engaged on a steady and considered approach to ensure all challenges, risks and solutions are identified, in what could be a significant opportunity for both local authorities.

Cllr Perry said: "It is a credit that Hampshire County Council with its reputation for strongly performing Children's Services should be approached by the Isle of Wight Council, with the support of the Department for Education, with a view to establishing such a partnership. It is an opportunity for us to offer assistance to our neighbour and an opportunity for us to develop an area of work as an extension of our capacity - the prospect of this type of partnership is something that's been under informal consideration nationally for some time in view of general financial and performance concerns."

"While it does represent a significant opportunity for both councils, uppermost in my mind is that I have a first and unequivocal responsibility to the children of Hampshire. I will be seeking full assurance that these proposals are subject to very careful assessment and that there can be no question of Hampshire's Children's Services budgets being utilised."

Broadly, the outline proposals for a strategic partnership, which would be unlikely to start before end of May 2013, would mean that Hampshire County Council's Director of Children's Services and Children's Services Departmental Management Team would take full operational responsibility for Isle of Wight Children's Services, including education and social care, as per the terms of Children Act 2004 as part of an improvement programme under the auspices of Government. The Isle of Wight Council would retain political authority and accountability. Line management and operational responsibility would rest entirely with Hampshire County Council. The Isle of Wight Council would remain financially accountable and fund all relevant costs of the arrangement.

Isle of Wight Council Leader Cllr David Pugh said: "It is imperative that these arrangements to improve our child protection services are put in place swiftly and also that they are effective. We also look forward to the potential of working with our colleagues in Hampshire to drive forward continued improvement in our schools.

"We welcome this step forward and will continue our discussions with Hampshire to ensure the arrangement is the very best one for Island residents and, most importantly, the children and families who deserve the very best support."

• Children's Services in Hampshire

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Pupils at a Winchester school are to have new permanent classrooms as part of plans unveiled by Hampshire County Council to cater for the school's ongoing growth in pupil numbers.

At his Decision Day (25 March), Executive Lead Member for Children's Services, Councillor Roy Perry instructed officers to progress a scheme at All Saints Church of England Primary School in St Catherine's Road, Winchester to replace the temporary classroom and provide the school with permanent accommodation for a one form entry school.

The plans form part of the County Council's £10million long term investment to provide hundreds of additional primary school places in the city from September 2014 to meet the pressures from rising birth rates, new housing developments and parental preference, as more and more young families move to Winchester.

Adding to the Children's Services existing overall £256million capital programme over the next three years, the enhanced facilities will see the temporary classroom removed, and two new permanent classrooms provided. There will also be a new internal link that connects the upper and lower parts of the school so that staff and pupils no longer have to go outside, as they do now. A new level main entrance will also be provided for the school, as well as improved staff facilities and in particular, a larger staffroom.

Commenting, Councillor Perry said: "The Capital Programme report on this agenda makes reference to the recent Government grant announcement. The report identifies £256million for investment in schools and other Children's Services establishments over the next three years. Such a considerable investment will offer many new and enhanced facilities for Hampshire children.

"In the Winchester city area, there has been a significant and rapid demand for primary places which mirrors the national trend, and one which we expect to continue. Much work is already underway to help address this in the years ahead, and I am pleased that we are in a position to move forward with plans to provide two permanent classrooms at All Saints Church of England Primary School, which will deliver an extra 70 places, and bring total pupil numbers up to 210. This represents a significant investment by the County Council so that children attending the school in future can enjoy enhanced facilities that support their learning and provide them with the best possible start in life."

• Children's Services Capital Programme 2013/14

Monday, 25 March 2013

A number of outstanding young Hampshire citizens have been recognised at a ceremony to mark their exceptional efforts in helping to make a positive difference in their local community.

The 'Hampshire Making a Difference Award' was presented by the Chairman of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Andrew Joy, rewarding young people aged between five and 18 from across Hampshire who, by being active, good citizens, have done something exceptional to help others.

A special presentation was held on 22 March and a total of 51 young people from Romsey, Chandler's Ford, Southampton, Winchester, Gosport and Farnborough (13 individuals and 38 young people from four groups) were commended for their work and awarded a certificate and letter of congratulations from the County Council Chairman.

These award-winning efforts to make a positive difference in their community have included; providing care, help and support to disabled family members, volunteering at a project to support young people with disabilities and special needs, volunteering at a local Beavers group, and providing volunteer coaching to local gymnastics clubs. Other examples are fundraising for various charities and for those with special needs, refurbishing a local community centre in North West Fareham, developing and safeguarding youth provision for the local community, representing the voice of young people in the New Forest and changing the perception of young people in the community in Fareham and Gosport.

Councillor Joy said: "We received dozens of nominations for these Awards which goes to show the immense amount of good work being done in Hampshire by some wonderful young people, who are making a really positive difference in their local communities.

"This work can so often go unnoticed and certainly unrecorded, so these Awards are a real opportunity to recognise their contributions and say thank you for their acts of exceptional active citizenship. Congratulations to all the young winners and I would like to thank them on behalf of Hampshire County Council for setting such a fine example and for helping to make our county an even better place to live."

Friday, 22 March 2013

A massive £256million investment over the next three years for Hampshire's children and young people, including one of the biggest ever programmes for creating new school places has been approved by Hampshire County Council within its budget for 2013/14.

Now that Government has announced details of local authority grants for education capital spending for the next two years, the Council can plan with more certainty and Councillor Roy Perry, Executive Lead Member for Children's Services, is being asked to approve the detail of this substantial investment plan on 25 March.

It includes a commitment to spend £165million creating around 8,000 new, high quality school places that will meet the heavy demand from rising birth rates, new housing developments and more families moving into the county. It's also expected to give a big boost to Hampshire's economy by creating new jobs in the building industry and safeguarding others.

Other significant plans include the investment of £3m in Gosport Skills Centre, a centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training on the Daedulus Enterprise Zone site. The technical training centre will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics technologies and wider engineering disciplines and will be led by Fareham College supported by St Vincent College and private sector employers. It is anticipated it will create sustainable employment opportunities by attracting investment and employers to the area while providing vital vocational skills to the district's young people.

The investment programme will also include improvements to the highly valued outdoor study centre at Stubbington, enhancements to education centres around the county to support vulnerable children and young people as well as the strategic review of children's residential homes which will see the relocation and replacement of homes to ensure they better meet the needs of the most vulnerable children that they support.

Commenting Councillor Perry said: "This planned programme represents a very significant investment into children's services, especially education, across Hampshire. Thousands of additional school places will be created, enhancements will be made to schools and education centre facilities as well as accommodation for children in care who are among the county's most vulnerable.

"A particularly innovative development is the Gosport Skills Centre, which will ensure young people have the right skills to meet the needs of the Hampshire employment market. This will not only improve opportunities for young people but will also help to ensure sustainable development of the local economy."

The 8,000 new school places will help meet forecast demand that is based on calculations not just about rising birth rates but housing growth and parental preferences that add further pressures. Population movement is hard to predict and some parts of Hampshire are becoming increasingly attractive for young families to move to after their children are born. There is a developing trend with parents attracted by the general quality of life in the county but also by the high quality schools, with more than 75% of children attending a primary school ranked good or outstanding by Ofsted.

Earlier this month Hampshire County Council was able to offer a record high 99.5% of parents a place for their child at a secondary school of their choice this September - with 96.2% getting their first preferred school, around 10% higher than the national averages released by the Department for Education last year.

The admissions team is now handling primary school applications with offers due to go out on 16 April. In total the department will have dealt with 33,000 applications this year for children who are either starting primary or secondary school or transferring from infant to junior school.

Councillor Perry added, "The pressure on school places is a national challenge and the popularity of Hampshire schools adds to that challenge. We have dealt with these pressures to date as the figures bear out. This significant investment plan means that we will continue to be able to offer parents high quality schooling in high quality accommodation."

• Children's Services in Hampshire

Monday, 18 March 2013

Children with disabilities and their families in Basingstoke look set to benefit from more than £100,000 funding support from Hampshire County Council for specialist play activities in the coming year.

Subject to the agreement of the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services Cllr Roy Perry on 25 March, funding for 'short breaks' specialist play schemes in the borough will not only be maintained but there will be more choice offered to local families, with an extended range of providers in line for support.

The short breaks scheme ensures that children can take part in a range of safe, fun and interesting play schemes during school holidays and weekends, giving their carers much-needed breaks.

More than 3,500 children across Hampshire can take part in recreational and leisure activities each year thanks to the programme.

A panel that includes local parent representatives from Basingstoke has recommended that Cllr Perry awards three grants this year to provide a good mix of specialist play schemes that would be sustainable and offer more choice to local people.

They are:

• Basingstoke Play Council, £30,689 recommended for holiday and some Saturday play sessions for children with learning disabilities and autism aged between 4 and 11 years.
• Kids - Pebbles Holiday Play Scheme, £10,000 recommended towards a holiday play scheme for early years and primary-aged children, based at Kids Pebbles' site, Popley.
• Disability Challengers, £65,000 recommended for holiday and Saturday play sessions for children aged 4-12 with complex needs and disabilities.

Councillor Perry said: "I know how important these short breaks services are to the families of children and young people with disabilities and additional needs and it's my aim to ensure that all children in Hampshire whatever their ability have the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in a range of educational and leisure opportunities.

"Funds awarded in this way enable voluntary sector organisations to continue to develop their services to meet families' needs, while achieving value for money and that's why I'm pleased to see that the proposals before me for Basingstoke give a good mix of provision for different ages, abilities and needs as well as maintaining activities that are successful and valued by local families."

• More information about short breaks services

Friday, 08 March 2013

Children with speech and language difficulties will benefit from specialist support now available through Hampshire County Council's Children's Centres.

A team of speech and language professionals started work this term to provide additional support to children with speech and language difficulties. Working closely with the NHS speech and language therapy services to support individual children they will also help parents and Children's Centre staff to better support children's communication development, ensuring they have a language rich environment.

The team is part of just under £1m committed to improve and develop speech and language support services added to this year's budget as an initiative from Hampshire County Council's Leader Councillor Ken Thornber. The new services are part of a wide range of services available to young families being delivered through Hampshire's Children's Centres from 81 locations around the county. As well as the early help through children's centres targeted support for children with speech and language difficulties is being offered at the county's special schools.

Councillor Thornber committed the additional funding to creating the dedicated Speech and Language Therapy Service to complement services provided by the NHS and the work already being done by the County Council to support the development of children's speech and language. This work includes projects such as Hampshire's Keep on Talking project which works with children in their early years to prepare them for school.

Councillor Thornber said: "I am personally delighted to see this new service come into existence. The County Council has always been dedicated to providing the best service it possibly can for all our children and families because we must give our young the best possible start in life.

"The development of good speech and language skills is vital if a child is to achieve its potential. Research shows that children who are not able to communicate successfully are at risk of low educational attainment, increased behavioural and emotional difficulties, poor employment opportunities or training prospects and increased likelihood of mental health problems.

"The new service being delivered through our 81 Children's Centres will build on the positive work already being undertaken in Hampshire and it will ensure that even younger children, those aged 0-3 will be supported, and that parents will be better equipped to support their child's language development."

• Children's Centres in Hampshire
• The Early Communication Support Service

Friday, 08 March 2013

An innovative dance project run by Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Youth Offending team is getting national recognition at two prestigious events in London next week

On Monday 11 March, HRH The Princess Royal will be presenting representatives from The Wessex Dance Academy with a Commendation at the Butler Trust Annual Awards at Buckingham Palace.

Wessex Dance Academy aims to transform the lives of young people, aged 14 - 18, who have offended or are at risk of offending, have been excluded from mainstream education, or are looked after children. It is run by Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Youth Offending Team, in conjunction with professional dance company Dance United. It has been running as a termly programme, with three cohorts a year since last September having developed from a pilot project between 2009 and 2011.

One of its key aims is to reduce re-offending rates. The re-offending rate for the pilot project from 2009 to 2011 averaged at 34%. This compares favourably with similar programmes in Leeds and Bradford, evaluated by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) Centre for Research on Socio-cultural Change at the University of Manchester which found combined re-offending rates there averaged 50%. The full impact of the Hampshire service will be evaluated later in 2013 when the Wessex Dance Academy has been fully running for one year.

The Butler Trust Awards were launched in 1985 in memory of the reforming former Home Secretary, RAB Butler. The awards celebrate outstanding dedication, skill and creativity by people working in prisons, probation or youth justice settings across the UK.

Two days later, on 13 March, the Wessex Dance Academy will be at the LGC Awards 2013 ceremony in London, where they have been shortlisted in the category of Children's Services.

Commenting Councillor Roy Perry, Hampshire County Council's Executive Lead member for Children's Services said: "I am delighted to see the positive impact that this programme is having is being recognised in this way. To be commended by the Butler Trust annual awards is extremely encouraging and a measure of the commitment which both our staff and the young people attending the Wessex Dance Academy give to the programme.

"The Dance Academy can help transform young people's lives. It provides them with a unique opportunity and a positive focus for their lives, helping them find out just what they are capable of achieving through hard work, dedication and commitment. I wish the team the best of luck for the LGC awards later in the week."

• Wessex Dance Academy

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Hampshire County Council has appointed a consortium of specialist national and local organisations to deliver an Intensive Family Support Service as part of its three year Supporting Troubled Families programme.

This follows an extensive procurement process involving a wide range of local voluntary organisations.

The consortium comprising Barnardo's, Family Lives, Motiv8 and Step-by-Step has a proven track record of working with children and families in Hampshire and will provide targeted support to some 500 families by 2015.

Beginning in April, the support will be aimed at improving children's school attendance, cutting anti-social behaviour and supporting adults into work.

While the package of support will differ from family to family according to their needs, measures could include visits from a key worker to deliver crucial parenting support, helping families establish daily routines which ensure children attend school regularly, while helping parents get back into work, and enabling families to manage their household budgets more effectively.

The service will also help to better coordinate the existing services families receive, ensuring a more consistent and effective service focused on the whole family not just individual family members.

The Supporting Troubled Families programme in Hampshire is a significant three year programme bringing together representatives from 11 district and borough councils, the County Council, police, prison and probation services, youth offending teams, health services, the fire and rescue service, the voluntary sector and the Department for Work and Pensions.

The programme is targeting more than 1,600 families across Hampshire over the next three years Some of the families will have multiple problems which may include adults out of work, family members involved in crime and anti-social behaviour, issues with substance misuse, and children not attending school regularly, incurring high costs to the taxpayer.

The County Council is chairing the partnership programme, through the Executive Member for Communities, Cllr Keith Mans.

Commenting Councillor Mans said: 'The Intensive Family Support Service will target key problems such as anti-social behaviour, truancy, repeat offending and long term unemployment. It is about working intensively with families to get them back on their feet, helping them establish structures and routines to turn their lives around and break cycles of deprivation and dependency.

"We are extremely pleased to be working with a mix of well established local and national voluntary sector providers, who we believe can successfully engage with these families and work with them and our public sector partners in new ways to deliver real lasting positive changes to their lives.

"The work will be challenging, but the benefits potentially significant, not only for individual families but for the wider community as families will be less dependent on public services and benefits and will be making a positive contribution to community life.'

Michelle Lee-Izu, Director, Barnardo's South-East, said: 'Barnardo's is delighted to have been selected by Hampshire County Council to work in partnership with the Council and partner agencies so that together we can make a real difference to families and the communities that we will be a part of.

'We are confident that by working as a consortium and with our partners, we will be able to empower vulnerable groups in society, enabling them to make a step change in their lives. Our focus is to deliver the service in a co-ordinated, family centred and evidence based way.

'We have no doubt that this individual approach and unique partnership will deliver truly positive results, enhancing many people's lives in the area as well as working to assist local organisations to grow."

• See Motiv8 for more information
• See Step By Step for more information

Tuesday, 26 February 2013

JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL AND HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

A number of steps designed to strengthen child protection and education services on the Isle of Wight have been announced.

The Isle of Wight Council has outlined a series of measures to swiftly address concerns raised by the recent Ofsted inspection that found arrangements for the protection of children to be inadequate.

Plans are currently being developed to enter into a strategic partnership with Hampshire County Council, with proposals for Hampshire's Director of Children's Services John Coughlan, to assume the statutory role of Director of Children's Services for both councils.

This arrangement, which requires endorsement by the Isle of Wight Council's Employment Committee on 11 March and Full Council approval on 20 March, proposes that both local authorities share the statutory senior leadership and management of Isle of Wight's Children's Services over the next three to five years. This will be also be subject to Hampshire County Council's decision-making processes and approval by the Department for Education (DfE).

The move comes as the Island's council confirmed that the Deputy Director for Children's Safeguarding and Social Care had resigned from post.

The steps are in addition to an additional £375k announced in the proposed budget to bolster child protection services.

Cllr David Pugh, Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said: "We have moved swiftly to develop these new proposals. By sharing a Director of Children's Services with a neighbouring local authority, which has considerable expertise in this area, we would have the opportunity to achieve the step-change in performance which the Isle of Wight Council urgently needs.

"Under the proposal, if agreed, John Coughlan and his team will provide strong senior management to both children's social care and education. This support to our frontline staff would ensure sound decisions are made for rapid service improvement.

"This represents a model of joint working in Children's Services which is already operating to good effect in other parts of the country.

"As a small local authority we continue to have difficulties in attracting a sufficient calibre of senior management to oversee complex service areas such as these. Many councils of our size have also acknowledged this, and are moving to similar shared management arrangements.

"I would stress this proposed partnership with Hampshire is not part of a budget savings strategy, on the contrary, significant additional resources are being invested in support of strengthening our child protection arrangements. This partnership is entirely focused on sharing and strengthening the leadership of Children's Services on the Isle of Wight and drawing on Hampshire's experience in this field.

"Both authorities would remain responsible for their own political leadership, policy decisions and accountability for their respective services, but by working together we can ensure that our priority to safeguard and improve the education of children and young people on the Island is driven forward.

"We have also separately agreed with the DfE, as part of our response to the inspection, to the establishment of an Improvement Board. The Board will be independently chaired by Professor Ray Jones, who has significant experience in leading both Improvement Boards and a Local Safeguarding Children's Board in other parts of the country, and will hold all agencies to account in matters relating to the safeguarding of children."

Cllr Ken Thornber, Leader of Hampshire County Council said: "Whilst the Isle of Wight Council will clearly remain accountable for its Children's Services, we hope that our expertise in this field can help them improve the quality of their services and in doing so, help safeguard children on the Island by developing and maintaining high quality safe and effective services.

"Hampshire County Council has a proven track record in providing high quality safeguarding services and support for looked after children, having obtained excellent outcomes in its last inspection.

"Shared management between nearby councils is a growing trend in local government and is a sensible way forward. This arrangement will make best use of existing strengths of Hampshire's Children's Services' senior management to support the Isle of Wight's Children's Services department to strengthen its practices, whilst maintaining the individual responsibility in each respective local authority.

"I am sure our senior management staff will be able to offer strong and meaningful support to the Isle of Wight, but this will also provide mutual learning opportunities for both Councils. The two authorities share the same aim of improving outcomes for vulnerable children and their families which will form the binding principle of this partnership."

• New measures to improve children's services on the Island

Friday, 15 February 2013

Members of the Hampshire Senate have given their top-level backing to a multi-agency scheme to improve the lives of almost 1,600 troubled Hampshire families by 2015, which has already begun to provide help to hundreds of vulnerable families.

At its latest meeting (13 February), the Senate heard how as part of the Government's three year Troubled Families Programme, some 1,600 families across Hampshire, will be helped over the next three years. Families are characterised by there being no adult in the family in work, children not regularly attending school and family members involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. It is estimated that these families cost the public purse on average £75,000 each, per year and they often have a detrimental effect in their local communities.

By using a multi-agency approach to provide early help, and by more effectively coordinating work of a number of public sector and voluntary groups, the aim is to provide better prospects and lasting positive outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in communities, while delivering financial savings to the public purse.

The Hampshire Senate agreed to make this scheme a priority and to commit its member organisations to working in a more joined-up and coordinated way. This will be crucial towards meeting the key objectives of the scheme; to tackle worklessness, to increase school attendance and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

In the first year of the Hampshire programme, around 530 families have been identified and so far, plans to support around 300 entire families have been developed which will allow partner organisations to build on their already close working arrangements and agree key steps to make a lasting difference to the identified families. The programme aims to support a further 700 families in the second year.

Chairman of the Hampshire Senate, Councillor Ken Thornber, said: "No one organisation alone can provide all the help that these families need. By working together more effectively with our partners within the Hampshire Senate and our schools, we can help to change the lives of these very troubled families and improve their futures in our communities.

"It is recognised that there will be challenges along the way, particularly when it comes to engaging with families who have resisted offers of early help in the past. However, it is crucial that we provide effective, sustained and relentless leadership in this difficult area. With the right commitment and a focused collaborative approach, based on early and co-ordinated intervention, we will be much better positioned to improve the lives of the families involved, and the communities that they call home. By engaging families who need early help to avoid escalating problems, this will help to reduce the need for other agencies to assist at a later date to address more serious problems. This will also mean that we can help avoid significant costs to public funds in the longer term."

• Supporting Hampshire's Troubled Families Programme