|
City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
|
|
Meeting |
Decision Session - Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care |
|
|
Date |
15 November 2023 |
|
|
Present |
Councillor Coles |
|
|
Officers Present |
Angela Padfield, Joint/Executive Head of Service, Adult Learning & Skills, York and North Yorkshire Ruth Hine, Public Health Specialist Practitioner Sharon Stoltz, Director of Public Health
|
|
5. Declarations of Interest (10:01 am)
The Executive Member was asked to declare, at this point in the meeting, any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests or any prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests they might have in respect of the business on the agenda.
None were declared.
6. Minutes (10:02 am)
That the minutes of the Decision Session held on 18 July 2023 be approved as a correct record.
7. Public Participation (10:02 am)
It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the session under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
8. York Learning Annual Strategic Plan 2023-2024 (10:02 am)
The Executive Member considered the Annual Strategic Plan for York Learning, as presented by Joint/Executive Head of Service, Adult Learning & Skills.
The report presented York Learning’s strategic aims for 2023/24 and identified areas for development to meet the Accountability Agreement.
In response to the Executive Member’s questions, officers explained efforts to widen participation and advised about progression and pathways.
It was reported that:
· Successful working partnerships with Kyra, CVS and Menfulness and explained that these differentiate the offer from a school.
· Users could re-engage in a non-pressured way through non-accredited learning which was more accessible than formal education.
· Learning started at Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE) Level 3 courses, were kept to a minimum so as not to overlap college provision.
The Executive Member clarified the requirement to include the new council priorities before she approved the report and associated plan.
Resolved: That the York Learning Accountability Agreement 2023/23, and its publication, be approved, subject to the realignment to the new council priorities.
Reason: To help monitor the service and provide sound governance arrangement for York Learning Services.
9. Investment of 2023/4 Council Budget Growth Money - Substance Misuse (10:14 am)
The Executive Member considered an overview of the allocation of resources from the 2023/24 Council Budget growth funding, presented by the Public Health Specialist Practitioner.
This report provided the context for investment in York’s Drug and Alcohol Partnership priorities and programme.
The Director of Public Health noted a correction to the report; Paragraphs 1 and 18 of the report stated that the schemes had been funded by one-off growth money in the 23/24 budget, whereas, the finance had come from the Public Health reserves.
Officers outlined the proposed spending plans contained within the report and reported that the York Drug and Health partnership brought a range of initiatives and partners together as a single point of contact.
The Chair approved the £75,000 funding as proposed by the report and offered her continued support to officers.
Resolved: Approved use of £75,000 for the purposes outlined in the report to fund the following:
i. £50k funding for York in Recovery, a peer-led recovery charity working with those in recovery to maintain abstinence-based social and community participation.
ii. £25k funding for the Alcohol Care team at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust.
Reason: These investments are in line with partnership and council priorities and constitute a strong level of additional support from the council to support those with substance use disorder and tackle health inequalities.
10. Director of Public Health Annual Report 2023 (10:24 am)
The Executive Member considered the Director of Public Health’s Annual report 2023, which focused on domestic abuse.
This was presented by the Director of Public Health.
The Officer highlighted several areas of concern such as the impact on children, families and the wider society, and noted the aim to provide more relationship education in schools. She also emphasised the importance of taking the needs of perpetrators into account when services were commissioned.
It was reported that multi agency work that focused on prevention
and intervention for high risk families had proved successful in
the city.
The Chair approved the report and in doing so acknowledged the outgoing Director of Public Health’s contribution to the Local Authority throughout the pandemic and thanked her for her collaboration with both the current and the previous Executive Members.
Resolved: The Executive Member approved publication of the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2023.
Reason: So that the statutory duty of the local authority to publish the report is met.
Councillor J Coles, Chair
[The meeting started at 10.00 am and finished at 10.43 am].