Issue - meetings

The Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018 is available on the Council’s website at the following link:

http://cds.bromley.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=559&MId=6529&Ver=4

Report CSD18160

The Board received a presentation from Dr Jenny Selway, Consultant in Public Health on the draft Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018.

The Local Authority and NHS Primary Care Trusts had a statutory requirement to produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment which aimed to develop an understanding of the current and future health and wellbeing needs of the population to support the setting of strategic priorities in the short and longer term and to inform local commissioning across health and social care.  The Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018 explored factors affecting health and wellbeing of children and young people in Bromley and had identified a number of key issues including health, mental health, social and lifestyle issues of parents and carers, a reduction in some protective factors including breastfeeding and immunisation rates, and health, mental health, social and lifestyle issues of children and young people including childhood obesity, substance misuse and mental health and wellbeing issues such as self-harm. It was proposed that the findings of the Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018 contribute towards the new Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy in 2018.

In considering the report, the Chairman was concerned to note the findings in relation to substance misuse.  The Consultant in Public Health Medicine confirmed that schools had a number concerns around substance misuse by young people and that work would be undertaken with schools to further explore this issue. The Chairman suggested that the Bromley Youth Council be approached to contribute towards this exploration.  Another Member noted that previous work by the Bromley Youth Council had identified a ‘disconnect’ between young people and the police, and that it was important to support young people to build good relationships with the police.  A Board Member commented that in his personal experience as a General Practitioner, young people were often referred to support services before the involvement of primary care services but General Practitioners should be made aware of emerging health issues for children and young people in the Borough, as well as the full range of support available.

The Chairman noted that the findings of the Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment would contribute towards the Draft Health and Wellbeing Strategy that would be considered at the next meeting of Health and Wellbeing Board on 27^th September 2018 along with a number of other items relating to the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The Chairman led Members in thanking Dr Jenny Selway for her presentation which is attached at Appendix B.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The draft Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018 be approved; and,

2)  The findings of the Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2018 feed into a new Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy in 2018; in particular the Board highlighted the need for the strategy to address the issues of childhood obesity, adolescent mental health, misuse of drugs and the anxieties over violence.