| Present | |
| Leah Swain | Community First Yorkshire (chair) |
| Richard Webb | North Yorkshire County Council |
| Dale Owens | North Yorkshire County Council |
| David Sharp | North Yorkshire Youth |
| Angela Crossland | Selby DC |
| Joanne Crewe | NHS Harrogate and Rural District CCG |
| Barbara Merrygold | North Yorkshire County Council |
| Liz Meade | North Yorkshire County Council |
| Kate Senior | Craven DC |
| Caroline O'Neill | Community First Yorkshire |
| Claire Lowery | North Yorkshire County Council |
| Matt Clothier (part) | North Yorkshire County Council |
| Apologies | |
| Neil Irving | North Yorkshire County Council |
| Ann Byrne | Harrogate BC |
| David Watson | North Yorkshire Sport |
| Jan Garrill | Two Ridings Community Foundation |
| Marie-Ann Jackson | North Yorkshire County Council |
| Karen Weaver | Harrogate and Ripon Councils for Voluntary Service |
1. Minutes of last meeting - 5 June 2018 - and matters arising
Leah asked for a word change in Section 4 – for the word pushing to be replaced with supporting.
ACTION: Claire to amend minutes.
The minutes were otherwise agreed as an accurate record.
2. Social value
Matt Clothier talked through his paper on social value.
Social value is important and increasingly so. North Yorkshire County Council launched a new Procurement and Contract Management Strategy last year which has social value as one of the 6 key themes.
The team are working on the NYCC approach to social value and have set targets for improvement particularly around local organisations, small and SMEs and the voluntary and community sector. There is a belief that social value could account for an extra 20% of contracts, around £70m.
The Council have complied with the Social Value Act but how it has been applied has been inconsistent. Questions on Social Value are used in Invitation to Tender documentation and social value issues are discussed in contract review meetings but currently are unable to quantify the value received. To improve consistency a toolkit is in development and training is planned. The overall aim is to see more benefits from Social Value.
Work has been done looking at contracts to see how SMEs and CCS organisations can apply. Looking at how can encourage these organisations to bid by making the contacts more appropriate.
Have been engaging with markets for some time and aim to do more often and frequently as this helps define requirements and provides a better understanding of how to approach the market. An area for improvement is doing these earlier. Considering more ways of engaging.
Caroline commented that it was an excellent strategy. She queried how social value links in with the LEP priorities as there is concern that the industrial strategy does not see rural, VCS and health and wellbeing as key. She also highlighted that Community First Yorkshire had worked closely with the Commissioning Manager from HAS on tenders for the VCS. It would be good for Development Officers to be part of the process to ensure better quality bids.
ACTION: Caroline to share information on funding for rural areas and the commissioning action plan with Matt.
Angela highlighted the need to quantify the impact on employment of bringing in external organisations and the money that is spent locally as a result of the contract. The financial impact on the area should be assess.
ACTION: All to share their social value policy / guidance.
Joanne highlighted the need to share expertise across health and social care. She is currently looking at her organisation’s procurement strategy and would like to join up with others.
ACTION: Matt to share a link to the NYCC forward procurement plan (http://hub.datanorthyorkshire.org/dataset/contracts-and-framework-agreements)
David asked how commissioners can assess if the benefits levels in a bid are accurate.
Matt explained that work is ongoing looking at how benefits can be quantified. They are exploring the National-TOMS framework and a number of other tools. These should allow the commissioner to evaluate all bids on the same basis.
Leah highlighted that there are a number of tools that she will share for quantifying social value.
Richard asked if there was any opportunity to work with a University on building the evidence base.
ACTION: Caroline and Leah will pick this up in a conversation they’re having with York University.
ACTION: Matt will share the National TOMS framework with the LEP.
3. Tackling Loneliness Strategy update
Wider partnership conference
Claire provided feedback on the Wider Partnership Conference held in October 2018 which was focused on loneliness. The conference had been well received, particularly the key note speaker Kim Leadbeater. There was mixed feedback from the workshops, a cut in time available had been an issue. Information on the conference and the outputs from the workshops can be found on the North Yorkshire Partnerships website. Leah highlighted it would be useful to fed anything coming out of the conference into the loneliness strategy.
Claire highlighted that it would be good for members of the group to be involved in the organisation of this years’ conference. There was a discussion around the possible topics for this year. It seems that it would be useful to do something around poverty / inequalities. Particular issues highlighted included ill health in the workplace, carers (economic and community aspects), rural diversity, BME, skills, employment and economic contribution.
Loneliness Strategy
Leah provided an update. Although we were working on a loneliness strategy for North Yorkshire with governance from the Health and Wellbeing Board, this was not quick enough and a bid had to be made to the Big Lottery quickly without the strategy. The bid, entitled ‘Nowt but a brew’ was successful and awarded £99k.This is being match funded by Achieve from Stronger Communities plus in kind support from Public Health to help with data and evidence.
The project will cover a number of elements:
- Developing a tacking loneliness strategy for North Yorkshire in line with government strategy. In addition, some districts will have their own strategies. This will report to the health and wellbeing board.
- Campaigns to get people to think about loneliness:
- ‘Nowt but a brew’ – what can you do to help
- Social pension planning – need to plan for what you do when you retire as well as financial planning
- Stay connected – opportunities to do online and face to face e.g. Men’s Sheds. Link to existing and asset based community development which will be funded by Achieve
- Support materials for all to use will be developed including collaborate workshops and facilitated connected conversations.
The outputs of the project will be:
- Tackling Loneliness Strategy
- 3 campaigns
- 20 workshops
- 15 new activities
- 500 individuals engaged
There is to be an initial project meeting on 21st January with representatives from the VCS, public sector, York University and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. There will be an advertisement going out for a Project Worker and a Consultant to support the development of the strategy. In addition, Leah and Caroline are meeting with research directorate are York University.
It was suggested that partners may have a member of staff that could be seconded to develop the strategy rather than employing a consultant.
ACTION: Leah to provide information on what they would want from a secondment.
Considering an overarching brand for the project such as “Friends First”.
This is not a direct delivery project and is the only award for North Yorkshire. There is an understanding that the Big Lottery has gone back to some of the direct delivery bids in North Yorkshire about the possibility of funding them through other funds.
Richard suggested that an interactive workshop session with the health and wellbeing board should be arranged.
ACTION: Leah to talk to Louise Wallace about workshop with Health and Wellbeing Board.
The funding is for a 2 year period starting from 1 January 2019 and 20% of the funding needs to be spent by the end of March 2019.
Dale highlighted the need to consider what causes loneliness in the first place and prevent it from happening. It’s about how connect people, perhaps digital could be utilised.
There was a discussion about how loneliness affects different groups, which lead to the thought that the strategy would need to consider communities of interest and communities of place.
ACTION: Anyone wanting to input into the project should contact Caroline O’Neill.
4. District priorities
Leah highlighted the area information that had been circulated with the agenda. She asked if any proactive action was needed, such as a layering with individual organisation’s intelligence or if there are any district forums that the information needs to go to?
Angela explained that in Selby area information has been provided for the CEFs for the district as a whole and their CEF area. They are encouraging thee groups to look at issues in their areas highlighted by the data. In addition they have found the coop Community Wellbeing Index community wellbeing index to be useful.
Kate explained that in Craven projects are in smaller areas.
Liz highlighted that in Harrogate the PSLB (Public Sector Leadership Board) has been going through a process of collecting areas data from all partners. This information will be discussed in a couple of weeks’ time. It has been a mapping exercise to look at what Harrogate will be like in 2036.
Joanne said the information was useful and it would be good to share with the other CCGs. It was agreed that it was worth noting the information but no further work is needed at this time.
ACTION: Joanne to email CCG colleagues with information on this meeting and then Caroline will forward the reports to their infrastructure contacts.
5. Health and social services
Richard provided an update on developments in HAS:
2020 Savings:
- HAS have identified £4.5m of savings so far
- Aim to protect VCS spend
- Implementing prevention contract changes
Mental health
- Need to consider what need to do to support statutory work. A possibility would be an alliance between mental health partners something which has been done in Lambeth
Harrogate Partnership
- Good VCS involvement
- Joint management of 270 frontline staff
- GP Hub / Community Hub5
Asset Based Practice
- Constant and consistent practice, useful to talk to VCS
- Contract currencies – spot / block – conversations needed
Reduction in public health grant
- Stronger Communities and Living well will be protected
- Savings will be needed on statutory contracts
Richard highlighted that he will develop a more structured problem solving approach with the NHS and VCS.
Dale set out:
- The Commissioning team has changed, the team will now have a locality focus to enable relationships to be built so the team will have information before procurement.
- There is now a market position statement online which highlights where the pressures and sets out commissioning intentions.
- Homeless prevention needs to be procured by September 2019. Engagement will start shortly.
ACTION: Dale to circulate information on Commissioning team.
Joanne highlighted the developments in health:
- Amanda Bloor is now the single accountable officer for Scarborough and Ryedale, Harrogate and Rural District, and Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCGs. The leadership team to support her is still to be developed but the direction of travel is that there is likely to be a senior leadership team across the 3 areas but there will still need to be a locality focus. It is expected that the details will be agreed by the summer.
- Place will be important and this should present opportunities to work with partners.
- As part of their mental health transformation work the CCG are looking at possible co-production with the VCS.
ACTION: Joint management meeting (CCG & NYCC) to discuss homelessness prevention.
6 Civil Society Futures Final Report
Leah highlighted the Civil Society Futures Final Report has been published. This concludes that the VCS need to change and commit to a shared PACT (power, accountability, connection and trust).
Community First Yorkshire are working on a Leadership Hub. The skills requirements in this report will be used to develop the leadership development work.
The section of the report that it would be worth all partners reading is, Ecosystem and structures (pages 96-98 or 57-60?) which sets out accountability for all partners.
This should be used to develop future meeting topics. Leah would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used the report.
7 Harnessing the power of communities
Leah talked through the report on Harnessing the Power of Communities in North Yorkshire. This is a new strategic Programme funded by NHS England and currently available in Craven and Harrogate districts via the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health Care Partnership. The Programme takes a community health asset based approach where the VCS has a key role 6 to play with at the neighbourhood, local strategic levels as part of the collective effort of improving health and wellbeing.
Craven has received £30,000 of investment whilst Harrogate has received £60,000. This money has to be spent by March 2019.
Kate noted that Nurture Development is a business not charity.
Angela said there is a need to share the learning from this project to see how it could be applied in other areas such as Selby.
8 Any other business / updates
Angela (Selby DC):
- There are some major events in Selby; the Tour de Yorkshire on 2 May, the UCI Para-cycling event in September and a services of events to mark the Abbey being 950. These events all provide potential for getting people together and hopefully can lead to a legacy.
- The Selby Disability Action group has been doing some work on Street Scope which could be applied elsewhere – happy to provide more information to anyone interested.
- A new £675 million Future High Streets Fund has been set up to help local areas to respond to and adapt to changes. Applications are open for phase 1. Selby will be doing some stakeholder engagement to understand the issues of the town.
Barbara (NYCC CYPS):
- Children & Family Services are almost at an end of a restructure which will restructure in 3 teams: East / West / Central. There will be a focus on early help / prevention. The aim is to publish the strategy in March. It may be worth bring to a future meeting of this group
Kate (Craven DC):
- Craven are piloting a new web platform COMPASS which as well as being a directory of organisations it also provides back office functions and social networking. It is hoped this will help organisations to get to know each other and collaborate. It has been funded by Stronger Communities and was developed in Cumbria by Age UK (https://www.compassehub.com/ ).
- Dementia Friendly Communities has had a very positive impact and is spilling into the wider community development. There has also been good support from businesses including Tesco, Skipton Building Society and Weatherspoons. There are still some small grants available in Craven.
David (North Yorkshire Youth):
- Have received funding to do youth volunteering in Selby, Harrogate and Hambleton.
- Youth Mentor Project in Scarborough – looking at a bid to do countywide
- About to start work on Youth in Mind a mental health project in Craven. This will be early intervention work to prevent the need of referral to CAMHS.
Caroline (Community First Yorkshire):
- The North Yorkshire Equality and Diversity Strategic Partnership (NYED) will be sharing information once a quarter via the ‘Together’ newsletter which can be accessed on the website. Anyone wanting anything included in the newsletter or to send anything out to the partnership mailing list should email info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk
Liz Meade (Stronger Communities, NYCC)
- There has been a very positive response to the launch of the Go Local brand with a round 40 people signed up as volunteers.
Leah (Community Frist Yorkshire):
- The Community First Yorkshire Conference will take place on 16th May at the Cairns Hotel, Harrogate and will be titled ‘Creating a culture of curiosity’.
ACTION: Kate to send small grant information to Caroline so that Community First Yorkshire can publicise their availability
ACTION: David and Caroline to discuss how the VCS can support the implementation of the agreed principles for looked after children (LAC)
ACTION: Liz to send information on the Go Local project for inclusion in the Community First Newsletter.
9 Future meetings
20th June 2019 at Selby DC Possible agenda items:
- Civil Society Futures
- Wider Partnership Conference
- Quality for health (Joanne Crewe)
