Agendas, reports and minutes

Note of Meeting of the Chief Officers’ Group held in Committee Room 1, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 26 March 2015 at 2.00 pm.

Present:

Representing the Highland Council (HC):
Mr S Barron 
Mr B Alexander 
Mr W Gilfillan 
Ms C McDiarmid 
Mr G Hamilton

Representing Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE):
Mr M Johnson

Representing the Highland Third Sector Interface (HTSI):
Ms M Wylie

Representing High Life Highland (HLH):
Mr I Murray

Representing NHS Highland (NHSH):
Ms C Steer 
Mr K Oliver 
Dr J Wares

Representing Police Scotland (PS):
Temp Ch Supt A MacPherson

Representing Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS):
Mr S Hay

Representing the Scottish Government (SG):
Mr J Pryce (Teleconferencing)

Representing Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH):
Mr G Hogg

Representing University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI):
Ms F Larg

Supporting the Chief Officers Group:
Mr P Mascarenhas

In attendance:

Ms S Campbell, Head of Children’s Services, Care and Learning Service 
Miss M Murray, Committee Administrator, Corporate Development Service

Mr S Barron in the Chair

Business

1. Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Ms M Morris, Mr S Black, Ms E Mead and Dr H Van Woerden.

2. Chief Officers’ Group – Note of Meeting

The Note of Meeting of the Chief Officers’ Group held on 23 February 2015 had been circulated and was APPROVED.

In relation to Item 6 - Update and Performance Reporting on SOA3 – it was NOTEDthat the Delivery Plans that had been updated would be published on the Council’s website as soon as possible.

3. Community Planning Board – Draft Minutes

The draft Minutes of the Community Planning Board held on 4 March 2015 had been circulated for comment.

In relation to item 4g –Delivering Partnership Outcomes: Environmental Outcomes – officers commented that the outcome of discussions regarding the Highland Wildlife Crime Conference was that a representative of NHS Highland be invited to attend the Conference. It was confirmed that the decision in the Minutes would be amended accordingly.

The Minutes were otherwise NOTED.

4. Responding to the recommendations in the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report

i. Ms J Wares, Public Health Registrar, NHS Highland, undertook a presentation during which it was explained that the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report was a mandatory report which aimed to improve health and wellbeing for local populations, reduce health inequalities, promote action for improving health and assist with the planning and monitoring of local programmes and services. The 2014 report, prepared in conjunction with a number of community planning partners, focused on the overarching theme of the environment and the recommendations challenged the CPP, individuals and local communities to take collaborative action on climate change. The report was summarised and officers were invited to discuss each recommendation in turn with a view to prioritising and assigning lead agencies to take them forward. Examples of ideas generated through the Highland Environment Forum were provided for information. It was acknowledged that that a lot of work was ongoing but it would be helpful to strengthen partnerships and develop action in those areas that were not already being progressed.

During discussion, the following comments were made:-

Monitor and report carbon emissions across agencies and develop joint approaches to reducing carbon hotspots, such as procurement and travel

There was a process in place, through the Carbon CLEVER initiative and the SOA Environment theme, for monitoring and reporting carbon emissions. All partners had signed up to the Carbon CLEVER initiative, led by the Council, and it was also reaching out to businesses, with over 50 signatories to the Carbon CLEVER declaration to date. In addition, UHI was contracted to the Council, through the Low Carbon Institute at the new research facility, to monitor and report on regional emissions, which included households as well as public bodies and businesses.

It was highlighted that the possibility of developing more of a collaborative leadership role in terms of climate change would be discussed under agenda item 4ii.

Support communities to develop resilience to extreme weather events through use of sustainable local resources, community empowerment and recognition and development of the role of volunteers

• some local resilience plans were being developed and supported by the Council’s Ward Managers and Emergency Planning team, with contributions from other Services;
• from a third sector perspective, it was necessary to understand how to filter communication out to the sector in terms of what it could do;
• there might be a role for a Police lead, through the Emergency Liaison Group process, in terms of lessons learnt and which communities to prioritise;
• it would be helpful to have a register of communities that had signed up for resilience plans and were being supported;
• there was good practice taking place in Lochaber in terms of supporting communities and making them feel less intimidated by the resilience plan process;
• reference was made to discussions regarding how communities could assist in identifying vulnerable people. However, it was highlighted that the caring for people structure dealt with vulnerable people and the suggestion of community emergency hubs was questioned;
• the Highlands and Islands Local Resilience Partnership (HILRP) was the appropriate forum to take forward this recommendation and, given that it was chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive, it was confirmed that the Council would be the lead agency;
• there was a lack of third sector representation at community level on the HILRP and it was requested that this be raised; and
• within the SOA, there was an environmental outcome relating to wildfires, which were seen as something that might increase in frequency due to climate change. The Fire and Rescue Service was leading on this issue, looking at how to reduce the incidence of wildfires and deal with them more effectively.

Develop joint infrastructure and services across agencies wherever possible, particularly in relation to transport, catering and procurement

• there were strong links to the first recommendation and the work being progressed by the Carbon CLEVER initiative;
• there was an Integrated Transport Plan and reference was made to the pilot community transport scheme underway in Lochaber, which was being well promoted and used, predominantly by people attending hospital;
• it was noted that school meals used locally sourced produce and recent budget decisions would not change that specification;
• new legislation had been implemented which required procurement to be more sustainable and that might address some of the issues in terms of local sourcing, healthy choices etc;
• the Council had proposed some joint procurement work, particularly in relation to environmental greening issues, and this was likely to be the subject of future workstreams;
• there was a lot of good work taking place in terms of agencies working together to deliver good practice and efficiencies but this was not in response to the Director of Public Health’s report; and
• as the COG previously agreed that partner agency procurement managers should meet, they should be asked to discuss one or two themes, ascertain whether there were areas for common working to support the Director of Public Health’s report and report back to the COG.

Consider schemes to reduce fuel poverty by reducing fuel cost as well as improving energy efficiency

There was a significant amount of work underway to reduce fuel poverty and this recommendation would be taken forward by the Health Inequalities Group.

Raise awareness of the changing natural environment, and the goods and services it provides, through school curricula, public engagement, high level inter-agency support and inclusion of climate change and sustainability issues in integrated impact assessment of all service changes and major developments

The Highland Environment Forum was the appropriate lead for this recommendation.

Promote physical activity and mental health and wellbeing

This was being taken forward by the Health Inequalities Group. The current Physical Activity and Sports Strategy ended this year and High Life Highland was working with NHS Highland’s Head of Health Improvement to develop a new strategy focusing solely on physical activity and including the countryside, outdoor education, being more active on the way to work etc.

In addition, the Council’s Ranger Service and Access Officers had a role to play and there were links to Eco-schools.

Help reduce overweight and obesity levels

NHS Highland would be the lead agency for this recommendation.

In addition, High Life Highland would be keen to be involved, particularly in relation to working with older people.

Reduce unintentional injuries and hazards

• the Council produced leaflets on Lyme Disease;
• NHS Highland had discussed holding an event on Lyme Disease in May 2015 and they would be in touch with partners in that regard; and
• there were many common themes in terms of hazard identification and reduction and a significant amount of work was ongoing.

Thereafter, having welcomed the strengthening of links between health and the environment, the Group AGREED:-

i. to take forward the recommendations in the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report on the basis of the points raised during discussion; and

ii. that progress be reported to the Group in six and twelve months’ time.

ii. There had been circulated an email describing an offer of support from the Scottish Leaders’ Forum for collaborative leadership on climate change. In addition, a Briefing Paper had been circulated which provided background information on the Enabling Collaborative Leadership Pioneer Programme 2015.

It was explained that the offer was to attend between three and five meeting of the COG, assist officers in identifying a question on which to base a collaborative leadership exercise and support them, both individually and as a team, in carrying out that exercise. Whilst initial discussions had centred around climate change, there might be other topics that partners wished to collaborate on and the Group was invited to consider the offer and what the collaborative question might be.

During discussion, officers welcomed the offer of support. In relation to the collaborative question, it had originally been understood that the topic would be climate change and it was suggested that this be clarified. Climate change was high on all partners’ agendas and linked to a number of other themes, particularly health, as discussed during the previous item. Other potential topics were suggested as follows:-

• Effective Community Engagement and Community Led Initiatives
• Reducing Inequalities
• Joint Resourcing and Prevention

Thereafter, the Group AGREED to accept the offer of support and that facilitators be invited to attend the COG on 27 May 2015 to explore which of the topics raised during discussion would form the basis of the collaborative question.

5. Local Community Planning: Principles and Values

Arising from discussions at the Community Planning Board on 4 March 2015, there had been circulated Report No COG/07/15 dated 17 March 2015 by the Council’s Head of Policy and Reform which aimed to prompt discussion on the values and principles to support the development of local community planning arrangements.

At this point, Mr P Mascarenhas, Community and Democratic Engagement Manager, presented a number of slides in relation to item 6 which, it was explained, would also aid discussion on this item. They provided information on the Community Empowerment Bill, enabling communities and the criteria developed in Dundee for supporting communities.

Officers were invited to discuss the information provided in small groups and suggest values and principles that could be used in discussion with community representatives to guide proposals for local experiments.

Feedback was provided as follows:-

• local community planning was about engaging with, listening and responding to communities and there should be a roots-up approach;
• there should be a bias towards the most deprived communities;
• there should be a solutions-driven approach;
• it was necessary to be helpful, positive and make it easy for people to engage;
• innovative thinking was required in terms of engagement processes – for example, going out in to the community, not having a specific agenda, utilising technology and social media;
• there should be an emphasis on involving new people, particularly younger people, in local community planning;
• there was a need to get the principles right the first time;
• the CPP should demonstrate effectiveness, accountability and a willingness to share resources;
• outcomes should be measurable in order to demonstrate tangible benefits;
• the activities and objectives within the SOA should set the boundaries for decision making;
• fairness and equality were key;
• it was important that there was two-way communication between strategic and local forums;
• Elected Members had different roles at different forums and it was necessary to be explicit about that and support them;
• it might be necessary to accept that there were different geographical boundaries for some issues;
• it was essential to avoid duplication and inefficiency; and
• forgiveness of false starts and wrong turns should be included.

During further discussion, officers shared concerns regarding the stage at which decisions would begin to be made. However, it was recognised that there was an element of risk and it would not be appropriate to prescribe answers at this stage but rather it was necessary to continue the dialogue, based on the values and principles and drawing upon examples of good practice, and allow matters to evolve locally. It was suggested that officers participating in local forums provide feedback on the discussions to the COG. In relation to third sector and community groups, it was emphasised that there was a need for transparency in terms of how and where to engage with the local community planning agenda and the common language being used.

Thereafter, the Group AGREED:-

i. that the points raised during discussion would form the basis of the values and principles to support the development of local community planning arrangements;

ii. that they be shared with staff, Board Members and Elected Members participating in local forums as they developed local proposals; and

iii. that officers provide feedback to the COG on the outcome of local discussions.

6. Local Democratic Experiments and Community Empowerment: Proposal for learning from community groups – what works and what would make it better?

There had been circulated joint Report No COG/08/15 dated 17 March 2015 by the Chief Officer, HTSI, and the Council’s Community and Democratic Engagement Manager which set out the key issues to consider in continuing the development of a more supportive, beneficial and productive partnership between community planning partners and the community sector. It suggested new actions that the CPP could initiate and highlighted areas of work already in progress.

The issues highlighted in sections 3 and 4 of the report contributed to the CPP Board priority “Engage in dialogue with communities in order to empower them to participate in service planning and delivery”.

The Group AGREED to take forward the actions set out in the report and that progress be monitored through updates on the SOA Development Plan.

7. Proposal for a revision and re-launch of the Highland Compact

There had been circulated Report No COG/09/15 dated 17 March 2015 by the Chief Officer, HTSI, which provided a brief outline of the current situation in relation to the Highland Compact and possible options for future activity. Specifically, the report asked for a collective view, on behalf of the public agencies in Highland, on the future of the Highland Compact.

During discussion, it was emphasised that, if the Highland Compact was re-launched, it should include all CPP agencies. Officers considered the role of the Compact, including issues relating to third and private sector commissioning arrangements. Times had moved on since its inception and it was suggested that there was greater value in the ongoing activity in terms of community empowerment, local community planning and developing a federated model for the third sector. From a third sector perspective, there was a need for a discussion in terms of developing a framework for third sector representation. Further consideration was required before a final decision was reached and support was expressed for the proposal in the report that a short-life working group, chaired and administered by the Highland Third Sector interface, be established.

Thereafter, the Group AGREED that:-

i. a short-life working group be established to consider the need for a third sector Compact in Highland, taking in to account the points raised during discussion; and

ii. a further report be presented to the COG on 13 August 2015.

8. CPP View of “Fragile Areas” – recommendations from the Health Inequalities Group

The Head of Health Improvement, NHS Highland, provided a verbal update on the approach to recommending a CPP view of fragile areas. It was explained that, at its last meeting, the Health Inequalities Group had reviewed some of the work already undertaken, particularly by the Council and HIE, in relation to fragile areas. The intention was to then overlay the existing mapping with additional information on health inequalities, fuel poverty etc and agree the indicators that would be used to define a fragile area. A meeting was scheduled to take place on 14 April 2015, at which it was hoped to agree the indicators and methodology. A report would then be presented to the COG followed by the Board on 3 June 2015.

The Group NOTED the update.

9. Champions Board

There had been circulated Report No COG/10/15 by the Council’s Resource Manager, Looked After Children and Child Protection, which explained that the Scottish Government had developed a national strategy for Looked After Children, “These are our Bairns”, which promoted the engagement of young people in the process of defining policy and developing services that impacted on their lives. Following visits to Dundee Champions Board and conversations with Who Cares? Scotland, the development of a Champions Board was recommended for the Highland Council Area and care experienced young people.

During discussion, officers welcomed the proposals and highlighted the links to other issues such as employability and health inequalities. The personal commitment of those involved was key to the success of the Dundee model and it was emphasised that participants should have no pre-conceived ideas and be willing to accept the challenge of doing something that was not on the agenda. The involvement of people in a voluntary role, such as Panel Members, was welcomed and it was suggested that Non-Executive Members of the NHS Highland Board might be interested in participating. At a later stage, there might also be a role for students as role models. In terms of managing the size of the Champions Board, support was expressed for the proposal to have a core membership, with additional officers being invited based on the agenda.

Thereafter, the Group AGREED:-

i. to endorse the proposals for a Champions Board, as set out in the report; and

ii. that at least one representative from each of the CPP agencies be invited to attend the proposed workshop.

10. Inverness Response Team

There had been circulated Report No COG/11/15 by Temp Ch Supt A MacPherson, Police Scotland, which provided an update on the progress of the Inverness Community Safety Partnership initiative, namely, Inverness Response Team, which was designed to address local antisocial behaviour issues on a daily basis, sharing resources to ensure early intervention in preventing and tackling community concerns, thereby freeing up resources invested in dealing with acute problems, delivering better outcomes and achieving value for money.

During discussion, officers praised the initiative as an example of significant results being achieved through partnership working and highlighted the potential for award submissions.

In response to questions, it was explained that there was a real willingness to roll out the initiative throughout Highland. The model was simple, not resource intensive and the benefits were evident. Whilst there were challenges in rural areas in terms of co-location, they were not insurmountable. Work to identify potential sites would be taken forward by the Anti-social Behaviour Strategy Group and updates would continue to be provided to the CPP. The initiative had been publicised under the community planning banner rather than being attributed to any single agency and there would be opportunities for further publicity as significant milestones were reached.

Thereafter, the Group NOTED the report and that updates would continue to be provided.

11. Potential breakthrough achievement for the Highland CPP 2015/16

Chief Officers were invited to propose a potential joint achievement for 2015/16 that all partners could collaborate on. It was explained that it should be something remarkable that engaged all partners and made a tangible difference for all or part of the Highlands. The preferred proposal could be developed and presented to the next meeting of the Board on 3 June 2015.

Detailed discussions took place on the following themes:-

• applying tangible outcomes to the Champions Board in terms of employability;
• broadening the scope of the Inverness Response Team model to include other geographical areas and community safety issues;
• growing and supporting the third sector;
• developing a successful model for community engagement/local community planning that was valued by the community; and
• working together and providing funding to enable High Life Highland and partners to expand the preventative work taking place in terms of improving older people’s mobility/falls prevention.

In particular, whilst support was expressed for the development of a successful model for community engagement, further discussions were required in terms of describing a measurable outcome that would be a breakthrough achievement. In addition, this had been on the partnership agenda for some time and it was suggested that a further proposal should be taken forward.

In relation to employability, it was proposed that the CPP ensure that every care experienced young person in Highland had at least one job offer from a CPP partner. However, it was highlighted that smaller employers such as HIE could not make such a commitment directly but might be able to support it through their grant/investment conditions and it was suggested that the proposal be widened to include organisations within partners’ networks– for example, New Start Highland, ILM and Calman Trust, as well as the private sector. This fitted well with the Wood Commission and the Scottish Government’s drive in terms of youth employment. The Champions Board could facilitate to ensure that the outcome was achieved.

Thereafter, the Director of Care and Learning having undertaken to carry out further work on the number, location and age of care experienced young people in Highland, the Group AGREED that:-

i. the proposal that every care experienced young person in Highland have at least one job offer from a CPP partner or an organisation within partners’ networks be developed and a report presented to the Board on 3 June 2015; and

ii. that an item on potential breakthrough achievements be placed on every second COG agenda.

12. Future Agenda Items – Chief Officers’ Group

The Group AGREED the following list of agenda items for future meetings of the Chief Officers’ Group:-

i. Partnership approach to improvement methodologies – NHSH lead

ii. Proposals for Conference on CPP Anti-Poverty Strategy - recommendations from the Health Inequalities Group

iii. Local Democratic Experiments and Community Empowerment - Planning time with Dr Oliver Escobar and Fiona Garven at June Board

iv. Update on Partnership Action to Tackle Digital Exclusion

v. Future Model for Community Justice in Scotland

Following discussion, it was further AGREED that:-

i. participation requests and asset transfers be added to the COG agenda for 27 May 2015;

ii. a report on the Biodiversity Action Plan and how it fit in to the wider partnership agenda be presented to the Board on 3 June 2015; and

iii. given that it was the Year of Food and Drink, a report on the issue of food and drink and how it cut across a number of SOA themes be presented to a future meeting of the Board.

13. Future Meeting Dates

The Group NOTED the following meeting dates for 2015, as previously notified:-

Wednesday 27 May, 2.00 pm 
Thursday 13 August, 2.30 pm 
Wednesday 11 November, 2.30 pm

In addition, it having been confirmed that the new Inverness College UHI premises would open in September 2015, it was AGREED that a future meeting of the Group and potentially the Board take place in the joint HIE/UHI research building.

At this point, it was explained that the Council would be surveying the Citizens’ Panel shortly after the forthcoming General Election. In addition to questions regarding satisfaction with Council Services and community life, there was a section on community safety which had been prepared in conjunction with Police Scotland and SFRS. It having been highlighted that the number of questions would be limited, partners were invited to consider whether there were any questions or topics that could usefully be included in the survey and notify the Head of Policy and Reform by Friday 3 April 2015.

In addition, it was explained that HIE had commissioned consultants to survey young people in the Highlands and Islands. An email containing further information would be circulated to the Chief Officers’ Group and partners were asked to cascade it to relevant staff and networks to encourage young people to follow the link and complete the questionnaire. The findings would inform awareness of youth issues and would be shared with partners.

The meeting ended at 4.35 pm.