CPP Board Members were delighted to be invited to host their June meeting at Gargieston Primary School in Kilmarnock.
There was a short business meeting which covered our emerging Anti-Poverty and Inequalities Strategy, and the action plan arising from the recent Inspection of Services for Children at Risk of Harm.
Although the Inspection had focused on children and risk, Council Chief Executive Eddie Fraser was quick to point out that the work of the Integrated Children’s Services Partnership was about getting things right for all of the children and young people in East Ayrshire – and being in a school was a good opportunity for Members to hear directly from some of our Children and Young People (and their carers) about the things that are important to them.
Four of our Gargieston P7s gave a really professional presentation about how they were putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice in their school, and how even the youngest pupils had been involved in this work. The rights that they spoke about were the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live, the right to an identity (name) and the right to rest, relax and play. We heard about how this last one is being implemented at Gargieston PS with a half hour wind down at the end of the school day on a Friday afternoon, and a gentle half hour on Monday morning to ease back into the school week, both of which seemed popular!
We also had an insightful input from 2 young people and Ryan from East Ayrshire Carers Centre about the experiences of young carers, how caring responsibilities impact on their lives and how the Young Carers groups and activities help them – even just being around other people who understand what it feels like to be in that situation. There are great programmes and supports available to young carers, but one of the big challenges is identifying those young people – and this was their ask of partners. When the council, health and other services are engaging with members of our community we can be alert to situations where there might be a young carer involved and help to signpost them to the Carers Centre. To people who know and understand the challenges that they are facing, and the things that they are missing out on. To people who can help.
Finally, we had a heartfelt contribution from a parent of a child with additional support needs, reflecting not only the experience of her family but also many other families with similar challenges. Again, we wanted to know what partners need to do better, and one of the key messages was about communication, about the need to be listened to and responded to, even if the message was not always positive. At a practical level they were also looking for more support and less red tape at important transitions and life stages. There was an ask for partners to be more collaborative in their approach to delivering services ensuring the voice of lived experience is always heard and recognised with services codesigned in partnership with children and families.
And that’s what community planning is all about – understanding that no one agency has all the answers, and that working more effectively together is the best way to improve things for local people.
Ian McMeekin, previously our Area Commander/Local Senior Officer for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), was also at the Board meeting. Ian has recently been promoted to a national role as Deputy Assistant Chief Officer with SFRS and received a presentation in recognition of his work with our CPP (pictured with Cllr Cowan).
Our next CPP Board meeting is in September, when we will present our annual performance report for 2024/25.