Essex Partnership

The Essex ‘Story of Place’was a comprehensive piece of consultation (involving 25,000 people) designed to inform our public service priorities;  When combined with our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) a multilayered understanding of our citizens needs and aspirations was created.  This information was used to develop both the Essex Strategy 2008-2018 and our Local Area Agreement.  This consultation included the following activity: -

• Best Value General Satisfaction Surveys.
• On-line consultation (Essex Partnership website).
• Focus group research on quality of life, undertaken in each District.
• Local Democracy Week - 115 schools were visited to ascertain the views of children and young people.

In addition to this focused piece of work the partnership recognises the importance of ongoing community engagement.  One example being regular tracker surveys, which include questions relating to customer needs and aspirations.

The Essex Strategy incorporates some overarching tracking measures based on customer perception; progress against these is indicative of overall progress against the Essex Strategies outcomes.

Some other examples of recent community engagement undertaken across the county include: -

• Annual Budget consultations at a County and District level
• Essex Partnership – Online Residents Survey
• Sustainable Community Strategy Surveys (Districts level)
• Local Involvement Networks (LINks)
• Essex Libraries Consultation (2011)
• Local Transport Plan Consultation (2010)
• Minerals Excavation Consultation (2009)

In July 2009 the first Essex Conference was held involving over 300 partners, where the initial findings from a review of the Essex Strategy, informed by community engagement activity, were presented.  The conference hosted multi partner workshop sessions, to discuss the ‘wicked’ issues facing the county, creating an operating environment where these could be discussed and actions identified to address these.   

Following on from the Essex Conference seven themed summits were held in the autumn of 2009, with both stakeholders and the community in attendance, each focusing on one of the seven wicked issues identified. The outcomes of the Essex Conference and the themed summits helped inform a refreshed Essex Strategy. 

In addition to consulting with the community on a generic basis (outlined above) there is also frequently a need to consult with specific stakeholder groups.  Some examples of these are outlined in the following paragraphs.

• The Older People’s Planning Group (OPPG), aims to ensure older people across Essex can attend meetings and represents older peoples views playing a vital role in planning service developments and initiatives to support community wellbeing.  A 2010 Annual Report for this group has been published.
• Essex County Council ran an online consultation in 2009 to canvas the views of Essex residents about the Government’s proposals in its Green Paper “Shaping the Future of Care Together’.  The consultation enables Essex residents and service users to have their say on the Government’s proposals, contributing to a countywide response.
• A Social Care and Support Services survey launched in 2011 for people who receive care and support services that are paid for (at least in part) by Essex Adult Social Care to inform service improvement.
• The Essex Voice Conference was held in May 2009.  People of Essex with an interest in sensory issues were invited to attend a conference to discuss what is happening for people with sensory needs throughout Essex.
• Essex County Council is required by the Childcare Act (2006) to ensure, as far as practically possible, that there is sufficient childcare available to meet parental need and to carry out a county assessment of all childcare at least every three years. Therefore in 2010 a childcare survey was undertaken.
• As an ongoing priority in our CYPP, we continue to support young people’s community leadership through 12 youth forums across the county.  Impact of their work includes successfully sourcing funding for staff and equipment to pilot a youth café in west Essex, delivering successful youth conferences involving young people, partners and local/county councillors in north east and mid Essex.
• Young people’s contributions to service design have included but are not limited to: shaping youth centres’ programmes; sitting on selection panels for senior staff; helping to prepare reports for the countywide Childrens Trust; managing and distributing the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds; 9,000 responses to the annual School Health Education Unit (SHEU) survey; 12,000 responses to District play strategies; and proving feedback on quality of services to help refresh the Children and Young People’s Plan (with 633 responses).

We have a large number of sources of information to enable us to identify and target priority areas, these include the following:

• The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
• The Place Survey
• The Data Interchange Hub
• Crime and Disorder annual strategic assessment of crime
• LAA performance information
• ONS datasets
• Census Data
• The Index of Multiple Deprivation
• Equality Impact Assessments
• Annual Public Health Report
• NHS Health Profiles
• Floor Targets Interactive
• DCLG Places Database

PCTs and Local Authorities have had a statutory duty from April 2008 to produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment of the health and wellbeing of its local communities. Essex brought this date forward to inform the development of the Essex Strategy and LAA.  Essex has subsequently extended the remit of the JSNA to include chapters specifically on Children, Mental Health, Drugs and alcohol, the Local Economy and Crime.  A chapter on Learning Disabilities is currently in development.

Alongside 'objective' measures such as morbidity or crime figures, the JSNA includes perception data, e.g., views on most important quality of life issues in a locality. Reliable data on these is available at district level through the Place Survey.  In this way, the JSNA should continue to deliver the statistical evidence to underpin a valid and compelling 'story of place'.

An important consideration for the partnership is access to this information and is therefore developing the ‘Essex Insights’ system as a data observatory for the partnership. The ability to access, analyse and export data at a local level will assist in creating and commissioning services that match local need.  Data collected once could be used many times by different partners and analysed in any number of ways.  The ability to view existing analysis and research within the system will save time and reduce the inefficiency of duplicated work across the partnership. 

Democratically led organisations across the Essex Partnership recognise the role of their councillors and directly elected representatives of their communities and as leaders of place.

Essex councillors also have a role which transcends the local – engaging in partnership working at sub-regional, regional, national and international levels.   Councillors are active in Eastern Leaders’ meetings and are represented on the board of the East of England Development Agency.  It is recognised that significant benefits can also be achieved by working across administrative and political boundaries, for example an informal ‘ring around London’ group to address issues of common concern for local authorities operating on the periphery of the capital.  Furthermore, some senior Members hold roles of national prominence within their specialist fields and through this actively champion Essex County Council’s interests.

Essex County Council tweets, blogs and Facebooks, along with webcasting scrutiny meetings and hosting a YouTube profile, but now, all of this online activity has been channeled into the new EssexViews website.  EssexViews has been designed to fuse all online activity into a single community portal, which increases online democratic engagement and give residents the opportunity to stay informed about local democracy from the comfort of their own home.  This online community space provides information about new council services as well as offering unique insights into the working lives of locally-elected representatives.  

Young people are participating widely in decision making; the impact of which is felt strongly through the work of the Young Essex Assembly (YEA), now in its fifth year.  Some of these young people are also elected to the United Kingdom Youth Parliament, working on local, regional and national agendas.  Members of the YEA are elected every two years and the next election is due in November/December 2012.  

  Performance Tracking Measures Key Strategies and Plans

Improve Life Expectancy       

          Context and Performance

Essex whilst a relatively healthy county does have some significant health inequalities, shown at ward level on the ‘all age all cause mortality’ map below.  Health across the county has been gradually improving but, as with any county of our size, gains are not uniform.  Localities with shortest life expectancies often include residents who are the hardest to engage with services, certain vulnerable groups are also at risk across the county including those with mental health problems, the traveller community and the homeless.

Both the Community Wellbeing and Health Inequality Strategies describe the vision and plans for promoting healthier lifestyles, supported by clear targets within the LAA to address the complex determinants of poor health, including educational attainment, occupation, income, gender, ethnicity and lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking, exercise and diet.

For more contextual information on the county's health see the attached Health Profile and Public Health Report.

     Actions to Improve Outcomes

There is a long history of collaboration between local authorities and health partners illustrated by the appointment of a jointly appointed Director of Public Health to lead on the health inequalities agenda and head up a Joint Public Health Team.  This team supports the implementation of the Health Inequalities Strategy and develops a coordinated approach to reducing Health Inequalities.

To strengthen joint commissioning a Joint Deputy Director for NHS South West Essex has been seconded to Essex County Council as the Director of the new Joint Child Health and Wellbeing Commissioning Unit from August 2010.  This approach is beneficial in responding to the Government’s decision to make Local Authorities responsible for Public Health. In November 2010 Local Authorities were made responsible for creating Health and Wellbeing Boards to undertake the public health role by supporting collaboration across the NHS and LAs to establish a shared local view about the needs of the community and to support joint commissioning of NHS, social care and public health services.

Combined funding (PCTs, ECC and DoH) has been used to undertake targeted work with the deprived communities of Jaywick and Vange.  The projects, based on the concept of “Connected Care”, trains individuals from the community to undertake audits to inform future service delivery to reduce health inequalities.

Our “Reach Out” service is a door-to-door advice and guidance service which was named as an example of good practice nationally in the Marmot Report on Health Inequalities published in February 2010.  The service targeted the two most deprived wards in Tendring engaging with the communities through targeted leafleting, knocking on doors and holding surgeries.  The project was piloted over a 6 week period and provided practical support to 114 residents on a range of issues. The project was subsequently extended until March 2010 and in total Over 170 people benefited from the scheme through a range of advice and support on welfare benefits, debt management, housing and health related issues. As an example of the outcomes delivered, welfare benefit uptake is estimated to have increased by over £50,000.  The ‘Reach Out’ Programme has subsequently been rolled out to other areas such as Basildon for the next three years. 

The Basildon LSP has used £10.8K of LAA funding to deliver Health MOT sessions.  Led by the Working Neighbourhoods Group, 10 events were held across the district, as part of a Healthy Benefits Road show, between October 2009 and January 2010.  The events brought together partners who were able to advise the community on both financial and health issues.

The innovative ‘Village Agents’ project, involves ECC working in partnership with the Rural Community Council for Essex, Mid Essex PCT, Braintree LSP, District and Parish Councils and the Essex Fire Service, to signpost residents to a range of services and information; helping to improve health, wellbeing and quality of life in rural areas.  The project is targeted towards older people who are less comfortable with technology and travel based options, 12 volunteer agents are now operating across rural communities in mid-Essex.   Performance information for April-June 2010 showed that for this quarter the project affected 493 service users with 180 referrals and 295 activities.   

‘Healthy Chance’, an award winning project run by Disability Essex, focuses on promoting healthy living and raising awareness of factors relating to illness in disadvantaged groups, such as people with disabilities, travellers, the elderly and the homeless.  This project provided advice and information to over 5,000 individuals in 2009 (a 30% increase). The project includes a comprehensive mobile ’one-stop-shop’ service offering blood pressure checks, health advice and support on diet and smoking.

With regard to the traveller population the Health Inequalities Strategy 2009 includes a specific section on the health needs of this group with actions for improvement.  Mid Essex PCT has also undertaken specific research regarding travellers’ health needs (Report). There is an ongoing need to increasingly tailor commissioned services to ensure inclusion and to specifically meet the health needs of this and other vulnerable groups. 

Braintree Community Hospital opened in April 2010 and a similar development underway in Maldon expects to open by 2014.  These are not traditional community hospitals but health campuses (including operating theatres and day surgeries). A new health centre has also opened in Chelmsford which, in addition to having registered customers, provides a 24 hour drop in service.

Reduce Obesity and Increase Participation in Sport

          Context and Performance

A person’s weight is mainly influenced by the food they eat and the physical activity they do.  Obesity contributes to a range of health problems (e.g. heart disease and diabetes) and is estimated to shorten life expectancy by about 11 years.  Across Essex, over 15% of adults are obese, a similar proportion to the regional average.  Obesity did however increase by over 30% from 1998 to 2006, considerably higher than the East of England (5%) and England (8%) averages.  These health costs of obesity are matched by financial costs, with the costs to Essex PCTs of an obese and overweight population forecast to increase from £430 million in 2007, to £480 million in 2015.

Obesity is a major threat to the future health of children.  In 2009/10 obesity at year 6 was 16.0% worsening from 15.9% and 15.4% in the previous two years but maintaining its national best quartile position.  Children may live shorter lives than their parents should this trend be allowed to continue.  For reception aged children, a more positive trend was evident with obesity improving from 8.7% to 8.2% over the last year.

Participation in at least two hours high quality physical education per week is undertaken by 87% of pupils within School Sport Partnerships, greater than the national and regional averages and an improvement from the previous two years. For Essex adults, participation in moderate activity in most areas is worse than the national average, with only 1 in 9 adults participating in physical activity on a regular basis.

One measure of a person’s choices related to how healthy they eat is the number of fruit and vegetables they consume in a day. The recommended level is 5 or more pieces of fruit and vegetables each day.  The Essex average is 40.1% just above the regional average of 39.6%.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

An ECC pledge for 2010/11 is to increase the opportunities for residents to adopt a healthier diet and undertake more physical activity, in partnership with the NHS and District and Borough Councils.  Prioritising this issue will help ensure action is undertaken to address the obesity problem.

Essex has a thriving Healthy Schools Programme  set up in the 1980s, long predating the 2005 national scheme. School Meal Managers have helped schools comply with national standards regarding ingredients and nutrition by developing a catering operation manual and a county recipe book and encouraging whole-school approaches to food, including consulting on school menus.  In 2009/10 98% of Essex schools participated in the programme (compared with 92% the previous year) and 81% of schools have achieved National Healthy Schools Status which matches the east of England average.

In April 2004 school lunch uptake was 27% by 2009/10 this figure had raised to 40.3% for primary schools and 39.5% for secondary schools. Improvement was achieved through the school meals steering group, appointment of a Schools Meals Service Advisor supported by 9 School Meal Managers, and devising a strategy to support school meal development. Improvements include cooking from scratch; placing kitchens in schools as an alternative to using transported meals; reopening closed kitchens and improving staff training.

The Essex Obesity Alliance has been restructured to optimise best practice. New transformative initiatives include the introduction of Mini-Mend concentrating on pre-school children; improving breast feeding levels; ‘Healthy Eating Awards’ for catering businesses, with a focus on school based catering establishments and establishments frequented by young people; and District Councils working with PCTs to optimise exercise opportunities including access to free swimming. The Fitbods programme incorporates a whole school approach to the promotion of physical activity amongst primary and special school children.

‘Essex carrying the Flame’ is Essex County Council’s landmark education programme, inspired by the Games coming to London and Essex in 2012. Through a series of sports, cultural activities and curriculum based projects, every child and young person in Essex will have the opportunity to play a part in their school. Children in Harlow had an afternoon of ‘come and try’ sports events, while Tendring pupils took part in cricket, arts and health activities.

The Team Essex Ambassador's Award has been established by Essex County Council to provide meaningful grant aid aimed at top level athletes in the county who have the recognised potential to compete in the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The latest round of awards has now been assessed and recipients have been notified. A wide range of sports are included, with eight potential Olympians and 4 potential Paralympians. Their ambassadorial duties involve working with schools and the community, helping to encourage participation in sport.

The Essex Strategic Board for the 2012 Games includes a sports group with a rural activities sub-group looking at three areas of work including a walks programme, green gyms and encouraging parishes to organise activities supported by a London 2012 Open Weekend in 2010.

Castle Point Borough Council secured funding in January 2010 for an outdoor gym and sports facility to help residents get into the Olympic spirit. The new adiZone will encourage healthy lifestyles for all. Its facilities include a large outdoor gym, basketball, football, tennis wall and areas for aerobics, dance, martial arts and other activities.

Promoting cycling is part of the Essex London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Legacy Action Plan, using the opportunity presented from hosting the Olympic Mountain Bike event in Essex.  Encouraging cycling recognises that cycling promotes health and also reduces congestion, with knock on environmental benefits. In the last two years more than £1.5 million from Local Transport Plan funds has been spent on cycling infrastructure including improvements to the National Cycle Network in Maldon, Chelmsford and Harlow.  Around a third of Year 6 students (6,000 pupils), have attained Essex Cycle Training Standard and grants have been awarded to numerous groups promoting the pastime.

On the 17 September 2010, 100 of the world’s best cyclists raced through Essex for the seventh stage on The Tour of Britain. Jointly hosted by Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council, the penultimate stage of the Tour of Britain started in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk before weaving its way across the Essex border at Sudbury. The route took riders through Halstead and Braintree, through to Witham, Maldon and Tiptree; before building to an exciting finale in the heart of Colchester.

Colchester has been awarded Cycling Town status after developing a detailed plan to boost cycling, for implementation over a three year period.  The £2.1 million of government investment has been match funded by ECC (totalling £4.2 million).  Improvements are focusing on the four themes of Infrastructure, Education and Promotion, Communication and Partnerships, and Planning and Monitoring. The strategy aims to increase the number of cyclists cycling regularly by 75% and increase the number of residents who cycle to work and school.

Sportessex includes District based community sports networks, where groups of local stakeholders plan local intervention projects to increase participation levels.  Prioritisation through our LAA has enabled SportEssex and its partners to lever additional funds into provision in Essex and to develop an exciting and transformational programme of activity, including initiatives such as ‘Fit for Business’; ‘Harlow Adventure Challenge’; ‘Back to Netball’; Futsal league; ‘Get Back Into’; ‘Mud, Sweat and Gears’; ‘Ultimate Amphibian Coastal Race’ and the Essex Corporate Games.  More information is available through the sportessex Strategy

Through the work of the Sports Development Officer for Disabled People (in post from 2004), significant successes have been achieved including the establishment of disabled sports clubs in every local authority; an increase in the number of sports coaches and teachers for people with a disability; and; the growth of a network of professionals and volunteers to support disabled sport.

Reduce Smoking Prevalence

          Context and Performance

Smoking is the major preventable cause of death in Essex.  Opportunities to support people to quit are of key importance as it is possible for anyone to quit.  In 2009/10 the target of 850 per 100,000 for the number of smokers per 100,000, aged over 16, who quit within four weeks of attending NHS stop smoking services, was exceeded with an outturn of 963 improving from 927 the previous year.  This exceeded both national and regional averages.  Furthermore illegal tobacco sales fell from 21% to 12% in a single year.

The success of the county’s smoking cessation campaign is reflected in the rate of quitters per 1,000 smokers with the five Essex PCT areas ranked 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 6^th for the eastern region.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The Smoke Free Essex Tobacco Alliance leads work on the achievement of stop smoking targets.  The Essex Partnership continues to fully support the Essex Tobacco Alliance to achieve ongoing reductions in smoking prevalence.

To drive improvement in traders’ behaviour, Trading Standards has undertaken an extensive programme of business advice visits, speaking to traders about their obligations and helping them to prevent underage sales. This included asking traders to sign-up to “Challenge 25” contracts (to ask for proof of age from any one who looked 25 and under); and working with vending machine suppliers and traders to ensure proper advice is given on machine positioning.

NHS Mid Essex commissions a range of primary prevention programmes focusing on reducing the prevalence of smoking and obesity throughout the community in order to decrease the risks associated with the development of Cardio Vascular Disorders (CVD).  As part of the performance management of the contract with service providers there are key performance indicators which require providers to focus activity in those wards that include the 20% most deprived Multiple Super Output Areas (MSOAs).

The rate for pregnant women known to be smokers at the time of delivery remains significantly higher in Tendring than in Colchester (22.5% compared to 17.3%), and the national target is 15%.  NHS NE Essex is implementing social marketing interventions in 2009/10 to tackle smoking in pregnancy

Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing

          Context and Performance

At any time in excess of 1 in 6 people experience a mental health problem, covering a wide spectrum of illnesses.  Services historically focus on those with severe enduring problems but there is increasing recognition of the needs of those with less severe but still often debilitating problems. The JSNA identified 12% of the Essex population having a neurotic disorder and 8% having depression at any one time.  Depression is common in older people and diagnosis often overlooked.  Approximately 36,000 people aged over 65 currently suffer from depression, a number forecast to rise to 53,000 by 2025.   Similarly 17,300 people suffer from dementia across Essex; this number is forecast to rise to 27,800 by 2025.  The Mental Health of younger people should also not be ignored, ONS (2000) estimates 10% of children aged 5-15 years have a mental health disorder.

People with mental health problems and learning disabilities often have lower life expectancy, suffer from a range of common diseases including a high incidence of heart disease, and also often find it difficult to access services and employment.  40% of incapacity benefit claimants have mental health problems. Once on benefits the group is then less able to return to work and can suffer further from financial hardship.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Essex PCTs are urged to increasingly develop “Step Care” models enabling people with a wide spectrum of disease to be dealt with via self-help through primary care, including access to ‘Talking Therapies’ through to more specialist services.  NHS Mid Essex has commissioned provision of an IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies) being rolled out across Mid Essex during 2009/10.

A Joint Children and Adolescents Mental Health Service Commissioning Executive (CAMHS) has been formed with an overview of all resources committed to CAMHS at all four tiers.  Budgets are now aligned to ensure more effective and efficient use of those resources and ensure that there is no duplication of provision. Service Level Agreements have also been reviewed and in some cases services decommissioned.  A detailed action plan is now in place identifying where additional funding is required, specifically improving early intervention and supporting those children who are most vulnerable. The CAMHS Strategy has also been updated by the CAMHS Strategy Partnership Group.  In the last year the profile of CAMHS has increased both nationally and regionally following the National CAMHS Review and the 20 recommendations which have come out of that report.

The first ECC interim report on CAMHS produced by a Task and Finish Group was presented to the Children and Young People Policy and Scrutiny Committee in September 2009.  The report found that there is a gap of 189wte for tier 3 provision at Jan 2009, this represents 25,300 children with a diagnosable MH condition who should be receiving Tier 3 intervention (only 10% of need is being met).  PCTs have since been given extra resources allowing them to double the Tier 3 workforce to provide 162wte over the next 4 years.

Many people with mental health problems are able to work but remain unemployed.  People with mental health problems are helped into employment/education by a supported volunteering initiative to enable people recovering from mental health problems, ex offenders and those with drug and alcohol issues to access volunteering as part of a planned pathway into paid employment.  Additionally mental health awareness training for employers is provided to increase employers in the Eastern Region signing the Mindful Employer Charter and in helping to reduce the stigma associated with mental health. 

ECC has funded the Alzheimer’s Society to provide a countywide preventative Community Wellbeing and Leisure service. The service is aimed at people with dementia who may not be in touch with social care services but whose carers need support, or where the person with dementia could benefit from a befriending service.  The service is intended to enable people to remain as independent as possible, delaying the need for more formal support and provides citizens with information and signposting to support services.  The Society also provides an Information Service building upon the National Society’s campaign “Worried About Your Memory”.

Young people with special needs from the Hadleigh Youth Centre celebrated three years work by collecting their Department of Education Gold Awards from the Duke of Edinburgh at St James Palace in November 2010. The group of 8 young people with varying degrees of special needs completed 5 different sections to achieve the Gold Award; volunteering in the community, skills, physical, residential and a 4 day expedition. The group found the expedition proved the most challenging experience of the Award. The expedition consisted of canoeing along the River Wye for four days covering sixty miles of river. The team learnt the value of sharing responsibility, team work and self reliance. Along with the more practical skills of cooking, pitching tents and navigation.Reduce Teenage Conception and the Spread of Sexual Diseases and Infections

          Context and Performance

Teenage pregnancy results in health risks for mothers and poorer outcomes for children.  From 1998 to 2009 Teenage Pregnancy reduced by 15.6% (see graph below). Data for 2009/10 showed the decreasing trend is continuing, mirroring the national trend, with national rates being the lowest for over 20 years. The Essex reduction exceeds that witnessed nationally and by our statistical neighbours. Within Essex there is significant district and borough variation with higher rates in Harlow, Basildon, Tendring and Colchester.  All Districts in Essex have at least one ward where teenage pregnancy rates require a targeted approach.

Nationally levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have increased significantly over recent years, especially levels of Chlamydia. While this is in part due to better recognition of the disease, it is in part due to a very real increase in numbers. Chlamydia can cause infertility, pelvic pain and ectopic pregnancies and often produces no symptoms. 

         Actions to Improve Outcomes

For teenage conceptions each local Children’s Trust board has an action plan in place, and a range of targeted programmes have been developed to identify and support those at a higher risk of pregnancy in hotspot areas. For example, health outreach workers target young people in deprived areas on the street in Basildon, there are various foyer projects for homeless young people, and comprehensive primary care is made available in secure children’s homes.

The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy recognises areas where concerted preventative action needs to be targeted. Sexual health nurses are attached to outreach youth provision teams, enabling young people to receive sexual health advice and testing in a more accessible way.

Working with the support of the Teenage Pregnancy Partnership Board a comprehensive approach to sex and relationships education was developed, piloted and evaluated in 6 secondary schools and then rolled out to 20 further secondary schools throughout 2009. One of these educational initiatives is the APAUSE programme.

A Teenage Pregnancy Self-Assessment Toolkit has been developed to enable the Council to develop action planning and inform the review processes.  A detailed needs analysis to identify young women most at risk of teenage pregnancy has been completed.  This has been set out in “Needs Assessment of the Children and Their Families in Essex” published in March 2010.

Key work needs to be directed at access to contraception including wide signposting of availability of emergency hormonal contraception (“morning after pill”).  Initiatives in place to ensure young people are assisted in making positive sexual health choices include the C-card scheme (to increase access to condoms) and maintaining one-stop-shops and personal advisers to schools.  The Braintree Foyer is a good example of how this issue can be addressed successfully (Case Study).

PCTs have a challenging target to hit in terms of screening people for Chlamydia. Hitting this is aided through joint work between partners to ensure services for screening are brought to places where young adults are likely to be, including clubs, events, schools and colleges as well as through healthcare providers.  It is essential that looked after children and young people, where appropriate, have access to screening. The Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has recently produced a list of best practice which should be implemented together with shorter term initiatives to improve the proportion of the population screened.

Reduce Infant Mortality and Improve Infant Health

          Context and Performance

In Essex all but one District matched or bettered the national average for infant mortality.  Castle Point is the one exception; however, numbers are small and not statistically significant. 

Breast feeding initiation in the UK is generally low compared to other countries and especially so in low income groups.  Breast fed babies are five times less likely to be admitted to hospital with a range of common infections in the first year of life. 

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are serious diseases associated with major illness and serious complications. Unfortunately the MMR vaccine received bad press when incorrectly associated with autism. This has now been absolutely disproven but rates remain suboptimal.  Across Essex all areas are below the World Health Organisations recommended level.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The South East Essex PCT has a robust Antenatal and Newborn Screening Programme in place to respond to the issue of infant mortality. In future the five Child Death Review Panels across the county will monitor this area.

ECC and PCTs ensure breast feeding is promoted through children’s centres and their expansion from 11 in Phase 1 to 60 in Phase 2 (April 2008), with 23 to follow in Phase 3 (by March 2011).  The increase will enable an intensive and targeted approach to initiation and sustained breast feeding at 6-8 weeks, which is a more significant indicator in terms of child health. Improvements have been made in data capture.  Breast feeding is also encouraged and promoted by midwives and health visitors throughout pregnancy.

Plans are underway for a national catch up campaign for MMR vaccinations, which should be prioritised locally. ECC is looking at how PCTs may be supported in this work.  In 2009/10 87.2% of two year olds were immunised for MMR.

  Performance Tracking Measures Key Strategies and Plans

Support Older and Vulnerable People to Achieve Independent Living

          Context and Performance

There are currently more than 33,000 people over 85 in Essex.  ECC supports 24,681 service users in their own home and 4,719 service users living in residential and nursing care. Future demographic changes mean these figures are set to increase.

The percentage of vulnerable people achieving independent living in 2009/10 was 77.07%, exceeding both regional and national averages and improving from the previous year’s outturn of 75.26%.  Furthermore the 2009 Homecare Survey reported that 98% of respondents felt that they could continue to live in their own home and 91% felt they had enough help and support to maintain their independence.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

ECC supported an All-Party Parliamentary Local Government Group inquiry into the provision of services for older people. The findings were reported as’ Never too late for living’, launched on 22^nd July 2009. While recognising their critical importance, the report advocated an approach that looked beyond health and social care and considered how the panoply of local government provision including housing, planning, leisure and transport can benefit older people.

The ‘Making My Community Work’ pilot assists older people in deprived, excluded and isolated communities to improve their health and wellbeing, exercise citizenship and greater control over their quality of life, leading and participating in neighbourhood activities and reducing the need for accessing “higher levels” of health and social care services (Case Study)

Essex Cares commenced trading during July 2009.  This innovative business model created by ECC provides services for people requiring care, support and assistance living in the community. Essex Cares is one of the country’s first Local Authority Trading Companies for social care services designed to provide flexible service support to people who may require our services.  The service offers support to around 10,000 people per year across the county covering a range of services such as reablement, sensory support, mental health needs, and day care.  Essex Cares, as a company, can trade and retain surpluses and so allow the expansion and development of new services.  The company’s increased independence allows more freedom to help drive out efficiencies and increase flexibility and productivity.

Since April 2008 domiciliary support staff have offered a ‘Reablement Service’ as a stepping stone for those with the motivation and potential to develop their daily living skills so that they can live as independently as possible in their own homes, relearning and regaining some of the skills they may have lost because of poor health, disability/impairment or after a spell in hospital.  The service is provided by ‘Essex Cares’ and is being extended to ensure more people are able to benefit from it.  From April to December 2009 some 2,180 service users have completed reablement which is already a 10% increase on the previous year.  The service continues to be successful and 46% of people receiving reablement regained their independence and no longer required any further support services, with a further 12% receiving a reduced support package as a result of the independence they regained.  Consequently the service was shortlisted for a 2009 East of England Health and Social Care Award.  The reablement service supported 81.29% of people using the service to remain in their own homes 91 days after being discharged from hospital exceeding national and regional averages in 2009/10.

The county’s biggest ever assembly of health and wellbeing exhibitors came together in January 2010 in an event to show Essex’s older residents how to make the most out of later life. Over a thousand people attended the Expo, where over 50 exhibitors provided lively activities, demonstrations and seminars aimed at Essex over 50s.  Essex radio ran a live feed from the event ensuring messages around health promotion and home safety were communicated across Essex. Attendees were able to try their hand at bowls; take up line-dancing, badminton, cricket, table-tennis or orienteering.  There was also the opportunity to get a personal health check, and find an educational course to obtain new skills.  In addition, a wide range of organisations were on hand to show the attendees how to plan for and enjoy retirement and take advantage of support services available. An evaluation showed that 92% of people questioned said they would recommend the event to a friend. As a result of the overwhelming feedback received plans are in place to run the event in different localities across Essex.

ECC’s ‘Putting Essex People First’ initiative (including the development of an information gateway) brings personalised care services to those requiring support.  A major part of this was the introduction in October 2008 of personal budgets, initially for all eligible people newly referred for ongoing adult social care support. Essex was a pathfinder on personal budgets and having conducted a wide consultation, developed and tested a resources allocation system, offering personal budgets and Self Directed Support to all new service users from autumn 2008.  5,749 service users received a direct payment or individual budget in 2009/10.  The development of Essex own computer workflow support system, known as OSCARS, has enabled staff to focus more time on service users; and enabled the launch of an online ‘portal’ providing information on local services and witnessing a 60% increase in visitors throughout the year have both been key initiatives to the success of personalised budgets.

The next step in a radical shake-up of the way disabled people use state funding took place in March 2010, as Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Disabled People, named Essex County Council as one of the Trailblazer areas which will test the Right to Control.  Right to Control gives disabled adults more choice and control over the state funding they receive – allowing them to shape their support, or use the money to buy their own services or equipment.  Disabled people in the Trailblazer areas can expect a more personalised service joining up housing, support into work and community care. There will also be extra support and advice to help people choose services and decide how to spend their money.

Essex has been chosen as one of the seven national trailblazer sites to pilot the Right to Control initiative and builds on previous success in the county in delivering personalisation of services. The Right to Control pilot went live in Essex in December 2010, changing the way disabled people are able to both access and use funding available to them from a range of organisations. The Right to Control allows information from assessments, support plans, and reviews to be shared amongst partners in the Right to Control pilot. Partners in the project include: Job Centre Plus; Essex Coalition of Disabled People; Independent Living Fund; Uttlesford District Council; and Harlow District Council. The new initiative means users will find it easier to access to a full range of support from the above partners without having to give the same information to different people. This will result in a much improved user experience, through more effective partnership working, and a more efficient process.  Right to Control will provide new opportunities for disabled people to choose services and support which works for them, using the full range of funding sources they are eligible for. Individuals will be given “Indicative Budgets” which will allow them to choose how their needs are met.

Essex County Council’s Inclusive Communication Essex website www.essexice.co.uk has been commended for a Jodi Award celebrating Digital Access for People with a Learning Disability.  Inclusive Communication Essex (ICE) is a service provided by Essex County Council Libraries to help those with learning disabilities utilise every available means of communication to understand and be understood. ICE helps those who cannot communicate solely through speech find new ways to interact; this may include using signs, body language, pictures, objects and high/low tech communication aids. With approximately 90% of people with learning disabilities having some form of communication difficulty the ability to use alternative communication formats is essential.  ICE also provides Essex residents with disabilities the chance to learn about services available to them in an accessible format. It provides care providers and families of people with learning difficulties with training on a variety of different forms of communication. The website is not only accessible to those with learning disabilities and their carers/families but those with learning disabilities help run the site. The judges commented on the innovation of the website and the involvement of those with learning disabilities in all stages of the project.

ECC has opened two more Book Rest Cafes in partnership with Essex Cares Employment and Inclusion Service. The cafes, at Brentwood and Basildon libraries, provide a supported working environment for adults with learning disabilities. The cafes provide work based training to adults with learning disabilities, helping them build the skills and confidence needed to take to the workplace.  All income generated through sales of refreshments will be put back in to the business, providing hospitality and catering skills. There are now four Book Rest Cafes around the County.  To find the nearest Book Rest Café log onto Essex Libraries web pages.Rayleigh, Rochford and District Association for Voluntary Service (RRAVS) laptop scheme is a computer taster courses for over 60s which adds value to independent living strategies as training is provided at local public venues i.e. libraries and in individuals homes for those that are housebound, providing important links to the outside and social networks of families and friends.  90 older people are supported per year and the scheme is now in its 5^th year.

A ‘Meals on Wheels’ service ensures the Council provides 506 clients with 3,010 meals per week. At least 17% of meals are prepared to meet specific dietary or cultural needs, including Kosher, Halal, diabetic, low fat, low salt, gluten free, vegetarian and soft diet meals. 

In February 2010 the Audit Commission highlighted in their report “Under pressure  Tackling the financial challenge for councils of an ageing population”, that Essex County Council was making good use of Telecare technology to enable older residents to stay in their own homes rather than having to move into residential care.

Telecare supports people’s choices around where and how they live and promotes independence and home safety (Case Study).  Telecare is also a great benefit to carers and families of older people, enabling them to live their lives in the knowledge that their loved ones can summon help at the touch of a button.  The eligible age for the take up of Telecare reduced from 85 years old to 80 years old from 15 December 2009.  Take up of Telecare equipment improved from 433 clients in February 2010 to 926 clients in March 2010 - a total of 4,176 clients for the year. Telecare has also been provided to people ranging from the age of 11 months to 107 years old, demonstrating that the service has been mainstreamed for all user groups.  A recent survey also showed that users were 100% satisfied with the service.

Extensive promotional activity has been used to promote the uptake of Telecare more widely, including the delivery of literature direct to 650,000 homes, GP Surgeries, Libraries, Meals on Wheels, Citizens Advice Bureaux and Post Offices and the use of radio advertising, together with a Home Safety leaflet drop to over 48,000 homes in postcodes with concentrations of older people.  Nine road-shows were held across the county in conjunction with organisations providing the Careline service. These were supported by Essex Fire and Rescue Service, Essex Police, Age Concern, Housing Associations, Trading Standards, and the Energy Saving Trust. Voluntary Organisations publicised the events through their websites and promotional flyers as well as organising bus transport on the day.

Maintaining independence depends on appropriate housing and as the population of Essex ages we will see a dramatic rise in the need for housing related support.  73% of older people in Essex live in owner occupied homes but often find it difficult to adapt their homes. Care and Repair Services, private sector renewal, disabled facilities grants and new homes to the Lifetime Homes Standard are important.  Through targeted PRG funding Colchester 2020 has established a service providing gardening and DIY for those who do not have the resources to engage a workman.  ECC has provided £765,000 for 12 Home Improvement Agency (HIA) schemes (District partners provided a further £365,000) plus a further £150,000 for 12 handyperson schemes based on a formula derived from various indicators of need in each District. The HIAs help approximately 10,000 people each year to remain in their own homes in greater comfort and security.

Brentwood ‘Staying-Put’ is an HIA which has been established for over 10 years.  The scheme was originally introduced to help the most vulnerable members of the community to access Brentwood BC and national grants, to carry out disabled adaptations and necessary repairs and improvements to their property.   As part of Brentwood Staying Put, the Brentwood Gardening Project and the Brentwood Small Repairs Services have been launched. These services provide garden maintenance and minor repair jobs about the house respectively to elderly residents who are unable to cope without support.

The Supporting People strategy identified that the number of permanent traveller sites was inadequate and Tendring Council, for example, identified that a further 59 pitches should be found across the District and in neighbouring authorities.  In areas with high numbers of travellers, public attitudes to getting on well with people of different backgrounds become more negative.  Basildon has worked with Essex to set up a Travellers Forum in order to improve relations.

For more information on support for older people to achieve independent living please see the Essex Later Life Strategy.

Provide More Support for Carers

          Context and Performance

The key to promoting independence is recognising the role played by informal carers.  Acknowledging those who look after others is a longstanding priority, as the health and social care system is highly dependant on ensuring their needs are recognised and met. The county document ‘Evaluating Services and Support for Carers’ suggested that in 2004 a third of carers received no support and a third were unsatisfied with the support received.  By June 2008 however, ECC supported in excess of 7,000 carers (17.2% of all clients receiving services) providing either a ‘carer’s break’ or a specific carer’s service.

Carer’s receiving a needs assessment or review and specific carers’ services, advice, or information has improved year on year since 2005/06. Our 2009/10 outturn of 29.98% exceeded the target in the Local Area Agreement of 28%. Our performance compares well with other authorities, exceeding the national and regional averages.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The newly developed Carers Emergency Planning service had by February 2010 been rolled out to Epping, Harlow and Tendring and has 250 carers currently registered.  As a result of the scheme plans were put in place to support a cared for person which ensured that when the carer died support was able to continue uninterrupted.  This forward planning highlights one of the benefits of the service and reduced any additional stress for the cared for person during this difficult time.

Essex County Council in November 2009 invited voluntary and community groups to apply for a number of grants to fund projects and schemes designed to support adults and carers of adults (age 18 and over) living in Essex. To be considered for one of these grants the scheme or project needed to demonstrate how it supports adults and carers to enjoy healthy and active lives in the community, and how the service meets local needs.  The two types of grants available were a Community and Voluntary Grant, which awards up to £20,000 for district or borough schemes and a Carers Grant, which awards up to £30,000 per project or scheme.  This grant also awards up to £180,000 for countywide projects. Whilst the Community Initiatives Fund has been reduced to £500,000 in 2011-2012 a £1.4m Big Society Fund has been set up to provide small, flexible grants at grass roots level.

The Carers' hotline provides an important first contact point for Carers and has taken over 1,979 calls in the year to date; including enquiries about the Carer’s Emergency Planning service.  Self Assessments by carers’ were introduced in February 2009 and take up is being monitored. The Council has continued to work with its partners and GPs to distribute Carers Self-assessment forms to carers they come into contact with. During 2009-10, 10418 carers were assessed or reviewed by the council, 43.5% of these were new carers’ assessments.

ECC now publishes “Connecting Carers” and “Grapevine” magazines which aim to provide advice and information for those who have a caring role.  Connecting Carers provides detailed information on benefits available, how to arrange a carer assessment and other focused initiatives that support the elderly and vulnerable. It has targeted features on preparing for winter, resources available in libraries and financial advice.

ECC has assessed and provided support to over six hundred young carers.  A lead officer has also been appointed to take forward further improvements.  A strategic plan developed with partners, young people and their families ensures provision is effectively delivered within Districts and by a variety of local partnerships including the voluntary sector.  For more information please see the attached information pack for Young Carers.

Fourteen projects across Essex provide respite breaks and personal development opportunities for young carers.  Partnership arrangements with all District Councils enabled all young carers to have access to free swimming and leisure facilities from April 2007.

To help in the ongoing support for carers, an information portal has been developed in Castle Point to increase the information flow about services in the community including the voluntary sector.  Contact is being made with all known carers with self-assessment form for advice/information and carers services.  There is also a voucher scheme for carers and service users to access ACL carers. 

Carer’s week was undertaken for the tenth year this summer (14-20 June).  The theme ‘A life of my own’ helped enable carers to talk about many parts of life that most of us take for granted, such as family occasions, going on holiday, a meal out, even just chilling out for an evening with no worries or responsibilities. Carers spoke about what they need to have a life of their own.

Reduce Poverty

          Context and Performance

The Child Poverty Bill, published on 12 June 2009, enshrined into law the Government's commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.  The Bill places duties on local authorities to work with a wide range of partners to tackle child poverty in their local areas, and in particular to complete a child poverty needs assessment in 2010 and have a child poverty strategy in place by April 2011.

Fuel poverty is an important factor in housing as it has significant consequences, such as cold, damp homes, reduced quality of life, poor health and debt.  Across Essex there is a varied picture for fuel poverty, with the main areas affected unsurprisingly mapping to concentrations of older people and deprivation. The elderly living alone are at greatest risk with about 63% of single pensioner households experiencing fuel poverty nationally.  Future demographic changes coupled with increased fuel costs as supply runs out could see this issue become increasingly prominent.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

An Essex Child Poverty Action Plan will be finalised by the Achieve Economic Well-being Implementation Group for the Children’s Trust by March 2011.  The Implementation Group has responsibility for the priority in the Children and Young People’s Plan to reduce the impact of child poverty in Essex.  An audit tool will be developed and completed by members of the Children’s Trust and Essex Partnership during 2010 and the outcomes from the audit will inform the County’s Child Poverty Strategy 2011/12 and action plan.

Warm Front is the main grant-funded scheme that helps tackle fuel poverty in the private sector in England.  A range of packages of insulation and heating measures are available depending on the needs of the household and subject to receipt of relevant benefits.  There has been a triggering of £1.7m worth of “Warm Front” grants to help tackle fuel poverty and energy efficiency homes in Tendring.  Fuel Poverty is also included within the countywide Health Inequalities Strategy 2009.

Essex Energy Efficiency Advice Centre (EEAC), one of 52 UK centres, is supported by ECC and is available to offer assistance. Its' main role is to provide advice to householders to help them use energy in their homes more efficiently and reduce their energy bills. They also facilitate and manage local and national energy efficiency schemes.

Colchester BC operates a general information and signposting service for residents offering information on insulating and heating homes, and accessing grants.  Other initiatives include a joint project between Colchester BC and the NHS in a pilot scheme to target extra help to people with particular health problems. A council officer also visits people in their homes, assessing whether extra heating or insulation would reduce their fuel bills and improve their health.  Health conditions were chosen as they are often exacerbated by cold or damp housing. The geographic area was chosen for the pilot as it has a high proportion of older private housing and is our ‘Life Opportunities’ target area for improving poor housing stock.  This project is to be extended to include people with other cold-related disorders living in other areas.

Protect Vulnerable Children at Risk of Abuse or Neglect

          Context and Performance

The Children’s Trust was launched in October 2009 and was then restructured by July 2010 to include five local Children’s Trust Boards, with a Cabinet member on each and chaired by PCT Commissioners.  The purpose of the Children's Trust is to provide a countywide strategic lead, bringing together in partnership those authorities with the duty to co-operate and other organisations co-opted in order to secure improvement in the well-being of children and young people in Essex. The Trust is also developing stronger connections with other key partnerships such as the Essex Partnership, Essex Children’s Safeguarding Board, Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), Safer Essex Partnership and 14 – 19 Partnerships to ensure the joining up streams of work where this will add value. The planning and decision making structures and processes are also being rationalised by employing an action orientated and outcome focused approach and developing a sound evidence base on what activity is most likely to be effective in achieving the agreed priorities and this will underpin the models of service delivery design. 

In response to secretary of state intervention following a disappointing JAR assessment in 2008 a Schools Children’s and Families Improvement Plan has been developed.  The plan emphasises remodelling our approach to improvement through six pillars which focus on front door activity, tackle the challenges of workforce shortages and ensure the organisation is fit for purpose.  A recent Ofsted report recognises the impressive progress that ECC has made over recent months and positively highlights the work to clear the backlog of unallocated cases, the improvement in the timeliness of assessments and the clear management grip that is in place.  The report is positive about the overall strategy to recognise and respond to safeguarding issues and comments on the implementation of Initial Response Team (IRT) and the improved processes for vetting and barring of employees.  While the report still rates ECC as ‘inadequate’ overall for safeguarding, one of the most important pieces of feedback from the inspectors, which is evident within the final report, is that the changes that have been made are working.  The report has rated services to Looked after Children as ‘adequate’ with good capacity for improvement. Inspectors specifically commented in their feedback that once the Council makes a decision to look after a child, it looks after them extremely well.  Overall the findings of the report are in line with School, Children and Families’ (SCF) own self assessment of the service and the inspection was helpful in supporting its plan.

An internal improvement board has been established, led by the Executive Director for SCF, and providing support and challenge to staff and senior managers responsible for services and actions contained within the improvement plan.  The board receives progress reports and discusses challenges to agree the best way forward.  Reports are also presented to an external improvement board.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Action has been required to ensure timeliness of initial and core assessments, the first challenge has been to increase staffing in these assessment teams.  Assessment staff returned to their full complement by the end of 2009, work is however required to reduce the dependency on agency staff to 15% by March 2011.  A specific project has taken place to reduce outstanding initial and core assessments by March 2010, this reduction of allocated assessment has meant a drop in performance for the timeliness of initial and core assessment in 2009/10 but in the long term will allow us to meet our target for these measures in 2010/11.  The prior mentioned project to close out of timescale initial and core assessments, in a safe and timely way, by the end of March 2010 ensured initial and core assessments out of timescale numbered 463 and 210 falling from 1,734 and 1,066 respectively.

To resolve unallocated work a lead manager was appointed and a dedicated team established (Jan 2010) to complete assessments of all unallocated work.  With this team in place work was undertaken to clear the backlog of initial assessment and core assessments by the end of May 2010.  To support this, costs required have been established, given political approval and built into the 2010-11 budget and a separate performance report established.

A new Integrated Children’s System (ICS) was rolled out across the county by February 2010 and staff training on this system undertaken.  It is proposed this will be fully integrated and embedded into business as usual by the summer.  This system provides managers with an overview of all cases being held, including the number, type and complexity of each case.  The manager is then able to re-allocate a case and monitor caseloads across the team.

In response to concerns about how ECC was responding to new referrals Schools, Children and Families has set up a new ‘Initial Response Team’ to cover all parts of the county and to establish consistent thresholds. In future, all new referrals for vulnerable children and children in need will be routed through this team. This will ensure that those in greatest need will receive services promptly and efficiently. This approach will also strengthen other agencies’ ability to meet the needs of the children they work with through improved use of the ‘Common Assessment Framework’ and ‘Multi Agency Allocation Groups’ to coordinate local services for children.  An audit of thresholds was undertaken at the end of May 2010 and by the end of August 2010 the team was reviewed to ensure continued threshold compliance.Protect Vulnerable Adults at Risk of Abuse or Neglect.

A review into caseloads was completed in December 2009, as a result of a proactive decision to reduce caseloads to 20 per social worker; a large number of unallocated cases were generated.  Ongoing work has now reduced these unallocated cases to a manageable level (from 1850 in December 2009 to 420 by the end of April 2010).  Additional staffing capacity has helped reduce caseloads to around 20 children, which is sector best performance.

Multi Agency Allocation Group Panels (MAAGs) originally set up in Basildon and Colchester have now been rolled out across the county.  MAAGs meet in each of the 12 districts on a weekly programme.  These groups are school and community facing and involve a broad spectrum of agencies including the Private, Voluntary and Independent sector, Social Workers, Education professionals, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Children’s Centres, Housing, Primary Health Care workers, Connexions, Youth Service, Youth Offending service and the Police. These groups determine who is best placed to act as lead professional and agree a package of support and intervention in each case. These panels ensure that there are common thresholds and, through the involvement of social care staff, implement robust safeguarding arrangements.  A review of the impact of these groups will be undertaken in October 2010.

Last year Schools Children and Families received 25,000 notifications of domestic violence and abuse incidents from the Police. ECC is actively engaged in exploring ways in which it can improve the way information is shared and how it can best respond to safeguard children.  Protocols have been implemented between Children’s Services and the Police to prioritise risk in cases of domestic violence.  All police officers are being trained in Domestic Violence referrals and thresholds and the initial response team have adopted the protect system with referral to this system beginning by the end of May 2010.  Additionally a new domestic violence incident process has been agreed between Essex, Southend and Thurrock alongside a prioritisation system for domestic violence notifications.

During the last 12 months several changes have been introduced to improve the way in which the learning from Serious Case Reviews (SCR) is disseminated to lead professionals.  These included the launch of a tracking system for monitoring and evaluating actions following these reviews; debriefing sessions for all staff involved in reviews; feedback on key aspects of each case to all people in the Vulnerable Children and Young People (VCYP) service through monthly quadrant meetings; and finally closer links with learning and development to incorporate key findings into the training programme.

A comprehensive training programme and communications strategy are now in place to embed the Common Assessment Framework and lead professional role.  Measurement on the use of the CAF framework is also in place now with data on CAFPoint reported monthly.  Roll out of practitioner training to all frontline staff has also begun informed by a skills gap analysis which was undertaken by the end of January 2010 leading to an expansion of the 2010-11 Social Care development programme.  In addition to this a Management Development Programme has been developed and implemented following a similar skills gap analysis and also the completion of a pilot programme by March 2010.

From 2010/11, electronic safeguarding children training is being rolled out across all Basildon Council staff (beginning with those who have most contact with children). A range of key front-line staff from services such as Housing, Revenues and Benefits, Environmental Health and the Council’s Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) have been trained to use the Common Assessment Framework. The Council is in discussions with the IDeA regarding the potential to work with them on further policy development as well as to provide additional support to Members in this field of work.

An Essex pledge for 2010/11 is to recruit more foster carers and improve the support offered to them.  In order to stimulate foster care recruitment Essex County Council launched a new, countywide, fostering recruitment campaign in Essex in January 2010. There are currently 1336 looked after children across the county and although foster care is not suitable for all these children, approximately 900 are in Essex County Council foster placements.  With 650 homes in Essex currently providing foster care, it is estimated that another 100 placements are required if Essex County Council is to provide a foster family for each looked after child who needs one.  Essex needs a variety of foster carers to meet the needs of Essex’s children and they are particularly needed for older children, sibling groups and children with disabilities.  Essex County Council offers foster carers financial rewards in the form of carer’s fees, expenses and other benefits that vary depending on the type of placement.  Day-to-day support is provided through a 24hr helpline and each foster carer has an allocated social worker.  There are many training and development opportunities with the chance to gain qualifications up to NVQ level 3 Childcare Award.

Essex County Council is urging local residents to help them ensure the safety and well-being of children who are cared for by someone who is not a close relative.  The call to action is part of Somebody Else’s Child, a national campaign by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering which aims to raise awareness of private fostering during private fostering week (22 to 28 Feb 2010).  Anyone intending to foster a child privately is required to notify the council between six and 13 weeks beforehand, or if the child arrives suddenly, no more than 48 hours after he or she has arrived.  Once notified, the council will arrange for a member of the private fostering team to visit the carer and the child within seven working days of the notification. The parents of the child will also be visited where possible.  Work to promote private fostering has been recognised by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) as an outstanding example of first rate regional campaign work.

Protect Vulnerable Adults at Risk of Abuse or Neglect

          Context and Performance

The inspection of adults safeguarding and services to older people by the Care Quality Commission, took place between January and March 2010, and concluded that safeguarding adults was performing excellently

The inspection highlighted the way Essex Adult Social Care actively involves older people in their own care and lifestyle choices, ensuring a wide range of information is provided in accessible formats with a variety of support services offered - from preventative services to assistive technology. The report also highlighted how people who use services and their carers, are free from discrimination or harassment in their living environments and neighbourhoods and are safeguarded from all forms of abuse. Personal Care maintains their human rights, preserving dignity and respect, helps them to be comfortable in their environment, and supports family and social life. The report concluded that people in the council area have good physical and mental health. Healthier and safer lifestyles help lower their risk of illness, accidents, and long-term conditions. Fewer people need care or treatment in hospitals and care homes. People who have long-term needs and their carers are supported to live as independently as they choose, and have well-timed, well-coordinated treatment and support.

         Actions to Improve Outcomes

The Essex Safeguarding Adults Board (ESAB) includes representation from all key agencies e.g. Essex Police, ECC, NHS bodies, District and Borough Councils and private and voluntary organisations and is underpinned by four Local Boards. ESAB has recently considered the appointment of an independent Chair and action has been undertaken to progress this.  ESAB receives funding from ECC, Essex Police, all 5 PCTs and 2 District councils and has access to training facilities as “payment in kind” from 2 other councils.

ESAB has been undertaking Serious Case reviews since 2005 and ensures that review action plans are developed, shared and robustly monitored.  Reviews are also used as ‘living documents’, and form the basis for developing practice and services, for example the instigation of the Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET) guidelines and the development of the SAFE project. ESAB has acted upon national reports where there have been local actions to be taken forward, such as the Cornwall and Six Lives Reports. In response to the Cornwall Report, the Council produced guidance to protect service user’s finances and personal belongings.  The Serious Case Review group has recently widened its remit to include risk management, and partner members will identify their top safeguarding risks and plans on a quarterly basis. From February 2010 the group commenced oversight of an adult safeguarding audit programme, building on the Section 11 audit model used in children’s safeguarding.

During 2009 ESAB facilitated a working group with the DH National ‘No Secrets’ lead to develop a protocol bringing together Safeguarding with other NHS processes, such as complaints and clinical governance. It is expected that the protocol will form part of the NHS guidance being developed as part of the No Secrets review. In the meantime the protocol is being used to develop practice in a number of PCTs across the county and will be incorporated into the revised SET guidelines due to be issued in June 2010.

The Essex ‘SAFE team is the only one of its kind in the UK. SAFE’s primary objective is to trace, identify, assess and support the ‘forgotten generation’ who were associated with the closure of large institutions in the 1980’s and are now living in non-registered accommodation such as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), B&B’s and caravans, in particular along the Tendring coastline. As ex long-stay patients, they are vulnerable and exploitable and likely to have mental health problems or learning difficulties, little or no support, be reliant upon state benefits and have health problems associated with age. The SAFE team reports to the ‘Raising Practice Standards’ group and elected Members, and recent successes include working with a prominent landlord of an HMO in Tendring to improve engagement with health and social care services, improving the quality of life of occupants and establishing safer financial practices.

The AskSal helpline is a unique partnership between ESAB, Voice UK and Action on Elder Abuse and provides a helpline service for anyone concerned about an adult at risk of abuse, similar to that provided by Childline. Launched in June 2009, it is a place to seek information for anyone concerned about a vulnerable adult (or themselves) and also takes safeguarding referrals. 27 referrals have been made to date from over 300 calls and over 1,500 different users have accessed the AskSal websiteReduce Homelessness and Increasing Suitable Accommodation for Vulnerable Groups.

In 2009 the Southend, Essex and Thurrock Adult Safeguarding conference was held, which hosted more than 300 delegates and was the largest adult safeguarding conference to be held in the UK that year.

Training is a key component in embedding a robust safeguarding culture and sound practice, and Essex has had an adult safeguarding training strategy in place since June 2008, together with a dedicated Training and Development Manager. Innovative use of e-learning packages has supplemented more traditional models of training and covers safeguarding awareness and policies and processes as well as the Mental Health Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty.  The 2009 SAS return reported that 90% of relevant adult social care staff received training in the safeguarding of vulnerable adults. This compares well with a regional average of 80.7% and an IPF average of 77.5%.

Reduce Homelessness and Increasing Suitable Accommodation for Vulnerable Groups

Context and Performance

Homelessness is associated with severe poverty and adverse health, education and social outcomes, especially for children. Homeless people often have poorer access to services and often suffer high levels of mental health problems, physical illness and substance misuse.  Likelihood of homelessness is higher in certain vulnerable groups including frequent movers, those who have been in care or lived with a step parent at age 14, Black Caribbeans, and runaways under aged 16.

The number of households living in temporary accommodation has reduced steadily from 1887 in 2005/6 to 904 in 2009/10.  The number of official homeless households in Essex is also dropping but higher rates can be found in Harlow, Colchester and Braintree.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

ECC has launched a supported lodgings scheme providing vulnerable young people with a room in a home and the support and guidance of an adult or adults living there. The support and guidance covers a range of areas including helping young people to use public transport, use a bank account and to shop and cook for food.  It can sometimes cover more challenging areas such as making sure they keep to probation terms or a curfew. The greatest area of need is in the placements for young people in the 16-18 year old bracket.  Where possible the young person is encouraged to move on to independent living from the age of 18. Supporting lodgings providers receive a weekly payment and regular training and support.

ECC has completed a Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessment and an equality impact assessment on the delivery of services following extensive engagement with this community. In recognition that much of the discrimination and harassment experienced was between traveller groups of differing ethnic origin, the 11 official sites have been structured to take into account these cultural differences and remove this risk. A dedicated team works with these traveller sites to support registration with GPs and schools and access to Council services.  A visiting bus provides health check-ups including blood pressure testing and likewise a mobile library is also provided. Finally the team provides easy-read documents and information about dealing with bureaucracy and on-site information about fire safety from the fire service.

ECC works with partners to provide accommodation and support for vulnerable people, including through the Supporting People programme, helping those with complex needs to access suitable accommodation and prevent homelessness; and other initiatives such as a self-build accommodation programme for care leavers.

 Performance Tracking Measures Key Strategies and Plans

Children Progress Well and Achieve at All key Stages

          Context and Performance

Social class is a key determinant of future health, and academic attainment in turn is a key driver for future affluence and social position. Educational qualifications and skills are a determinant of an individual’s position in the labour market, influencing income, housing and health.  Special focus on attainment is required on deprived geographical populations as well as on vulnerable and potentially excluded groups.

The percentage of primary school pupils achieving Level 4+ in both English and Maths at KS2 in 2009/10 was 72% matching the national average but falling well behind our own target of 80% and worsening from 73.3% the previous year.  Our overall ranking reduced from 55th in 2007 to 75th in 2009.

For the achievement of 5 or more A* - C Grades at GCSE or Equivalent Including English and Maths, Essex achieved 50.2% in 2009/10 which exceeded the national average but still meant that 5000 16 year olds failed to achieve this, indicating further improvement is required.  However, steady improvement has been witnessed since 2005.  In terms of the national ranking, this has slipped from 60th in 2007 to 76th in 2009, placing Essex in the third quartile nationally.

One problem with educational attainment in Essex being comparable with national averages is that Essex is a comparatively affluent county with far lower levels of deprivation than England average. This means relative educational attainment is poorer than one might expect and if such attainment is a strong driver for future social position and affluence, then children may not be able to aspire to the same relative level of affluence enjoyed by their parents. 

The Local Authority has reduced and maintained low numbers of primary schools in Ofsted categories. As a result, there were only 2 schools in Special Measures in 2009/10 falling from 3 in 2008/9. 

The progress of children and young people with Learning Difficulties (LD) is satisfactory or better in 98% of primary schools with 69% being good or better compared to 64% in similar authorities. For secondary schools satisfactory or better progress is made in 92% of schools and good or better progress in 56% compared to 62% in similar authorities.

The educational attainment of Looked after Children is an area for concern with results for those reaching level 4 in 2009/10 being 46% against a target of 61.1% for maths and 42.9% for English against a target of 59.3%.  Whilst for mathematics the national average was still exceeded this was not the case for English.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Support has been concentrated on those primary schools not achieving Key Stage 2 floor targets. The decrease in the number of such schools indicates the success of the Primary National Strategy targeted intervention programmes such as the Leadership Programme and Intensifying Support Programme.  Staff in the aforementioned targeted schools, have benefited from continuing professional development activities. There has been targeted support to improve the achievement of boys in English such as the Essex Writing project now integrated into ‘Screen to Page’, as a result Essex saw a 2% improvement in boys’ writing and in English overall at level 4 or greater (now 1% above national). Targeted support has been provided to improve the achievement of girls in mathematics such as the Essex Mathematics Support Programme; the evidence of positive effects of this project on improving standards in Maths in targeted schools is an average of 7% improvement across all targeted schools. As a result Essex saw a 1% improvement in girls Maths results and in mathematics overall at level 4 or above (still, however 1% below national).

The county’s first Collaborative Learning Centre opened in Wickford on 9 July 2010.  The £3million centre was funded through the Primary Capital Programme. The centre provides an enhanced learning environment for primary age children. The centre features technology unavailable in mainstream primary schools including Apple Mac Laptops, music and film software (including recording booth and broadcasting equipment), video conferencing, commercial printing facilities, plasma screens and modern projection facilities. The highlight of the centre is the “Theme Room” with temperature, sound, smoke and smell programming; perfect for helping children gain the experience of being in different environments such as the Arctic or Sahara desert.  The centre will be used in term time by the eleven infant, junior and primary schools of Wickford and those attending Castledon Special School. A special curriculum team of teaching staff from each of the schools will develop a teaching plan which incorporates full use of the centre’s resources on a rotational basis.  During evenings, weekends and holiday periods the Collaborative Learning Centre will be available for community use, combining extended services activities with mainstream and specialist clubs. The centre is also available for use by the commercial or public sector for conferences and meetings.

The secondary school improvement team has done much over the course of the year to alert headteachers and governing bodies to the importance of progress measures as well as threshold measures. Schools have been using data more effectively, particularly RAISE online.  The improvement team has taken on the challenge of the Gaining Ground (Coasting) Schools programme which tasked local authorities with identifying schools where (despite often positive GCSE outcomes in English and Maths and indeed Ofsted ratings of good), progress overall was poor or poor within a significant number of pupil groupings within the school. Eight schools were identified and School Improvement Partnerships identified to work with them. Each school receives £60,000 over the next two years to spend on curriculum development and academic-focused study support.

The Essex Schools Initial Teacher Training Partnership received two exemplary "Outstanding" judgments in their recent Ofsted Inspection in 2010.  In particular, the Inspection team noted: “The overall effectiveness of the provider in securing high quality outcomes for trainees is outstanding. The partnership has outstanding capacity to improve further and build on its existing high quality.” The Inspection team judged that schools and trainees were overwhelmingly positive about the effectiveness of the partnership and there was a high consensus of opinion about perceptions of key strengths – including organisation, support from the centre, the impact of the work of external tutors and the effectiveness of communication. The programme management team was also praised for being highly experienced, working in school and initial teacher education development and inspection, regionally and nationally.

In September 2008 ECC’s Cabinet approved the business case for wave four of the Essex Building Schools for the Future programme, encompassing £130M of capital works across five secondary schools in the south of the county and three special schools. The first schools will be open in January 2012. The major programme will provide new or restored buildings, modern facilities, improved technology and opportunities for greater community use.  The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, made a statement in the House of Commons on 5 July 2010 relating to the future of the national BSF programme.  The outcome of this for schools in Essex is that wave 4 schools will proceed but projects in waves 5 and 6 will be stopped.  In the light of the loss of BSF funding Essex County Council has worked with secondary headteachers to review how to take forward the Colchester Secondary Education Transformation Programme.  Between November 2010 – January 2011 consultation will be taking place on the proposal. 

As part of its pledges to residents for 2009/10, Essex County Council is investing an additional £10m in maintenance and refurbishments to improve the quality of school buildings. The funding has been set aside to deal with the highest maintenance priorities in schools across the county, dealing with works such as strengthening and re-covering of roofs, re-cladding of buildings and window replacements, re-wiring, playground resurfacing and renewing heating systems. Around 170 schools are expected to benefit from this funding in 2009/10, with works times to minimise any disruption to teaching. Despite improvements in attainment for Looked After Children (LAC), further improvement remains possible. All schools have a designated teacher and receive a dowry to support individual LAC. A headteacher has been appointed to the Virtual School and a computerised system has been implemented to track school attainment. The Virtual School has procedures to set and monitor targets and encourage high expectations. This gives confidence that Key Stage 2 outcomes in particular will continue to show a strong improvement.

With regard to education for the Gypsy and Traveller Community in Essex a report has been produced following a detailed scrutiny review.

Reducing Absence and Expulsion from Schools

          Context and Performance

The percentage of persistent absentees in local authority maintained secondary schools has improved from 7.2% in 2006/7 to 5.0% in 2009/10. This, however, remains slightly above the national average.  The percentage of persistent absentees in local authority maintained primary schools is also performing well at only 1.4% in 20089/10 reducing from 1.6% in 2006/7.  This is below the national average.

In terms of permanent exclusions from Essex schools the 2009/10 rate was 0.10% which is just below the national average.  However, a relatively large percentage of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have fixed term exclusions, 10.2% of pupils with statements had fixed term exclusions from mainstream schools in 2006/07.  Permanent exclusions from mainstream schools has a contradictory pattern, the number rose from 80 in 2004/5 to 148 in 2006/07 for secondary schools but reduced from 44 in 2004/05 to 31 in 2006/07 for Primary Schools. 

While most LAC have a school attendance similar to that of other children, there is a small but increasing group missing substantial periods of school. From 2002/03 to 2007/08 the percentage of those looked after by Essex for over 12 months missing at least 25 days of school rose from 6.7% to 17%, greater than statistical neighbours and the England average which over this time increased from 12% to 13%.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Current actions to improve attendance include monitoring monthly and sharing good practice, updating the penalty notice policy, improved data flow and a publicity campaign to encourage good attendance. A parent/carer guide to school attendance has also been produced alongside a draft attendance strategy.  Improving attendance is a key role for the Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs). Behaviour and Attendance Partnerships (BAPs) have also been established in nine localities, and all Essex secondary schools are now working with these. The county also plans to develop discrete local teams with a focus on difficult attendance issues. These teams will add to capacity and enable EWOs to undertake more preventive work.

A fair access protocol is in use across all nine BAPs and efforts are being made to standardise hard to place arrangements. A number of the BAPs have also identified and commissioned additional provision from the private and voluntary sector to support cohorts of vulnerable pupils. Examples of the additional provision commissioned include extra funding to employ a Parent Support Advisor; funding for the employment of a Mental Health Project Worker; establishment of nurture groups in ten secondary schools and bespoke alternative provision at local college.

Termly persistent absentee workshops are held for secondary priority schools and a 7 week persistent absentee initiative was undertaken during the spring term focusing on a whole school approach to reduce absence. The termly meetings are well attended and good practice is shared. Schools at risk also attend these meetings. Governor Services are also engaged with the attendance agenda. Workshops have been held for secondary governors on school attendance and exclusion. Governor training now includes ‘attendance matters’ training sessions held quarterly.

Attendance Matters training is provided to all front-line staff in schools. In 2009 over 400 schools accessed this training. This training has improved the understanding of the need for concise register coding, data analysis and actions to improve attendance. It has also highlighted the need for children not in education to be reported to the Senior Children Missing Education Officer.

Children missing from education settings are systematically monitored. An xporter software system has been purchased to extract school attendance data direct from schools registers to enable prompt interrogation and analysis of data to inform actions and provision of support to schools. The system has been in place since September 2009. System improvements and awareness raising exercises have inevitably seen a rise in the numbers identified and as a consequence of the added attention and publicity this number may rise.

The Education Welfare Service case management policy and procedures have been reviewed and updated to include the use of penalty notices to parents who fail to respond to a restricted period of case management and EWO involvement, rather than taking the matter before magistrates. The process begins with a school attendance meeting where parents, school and EWO come together to consider the problem and work out an action plan for improvement. If no improvement is achieved, penalty notices are being issued and if parents fail to pay these, the matter proceeds to prosecution. Evidence indicates that greater than 50% of these meetings are successful in improving attendance without the need to move to formal referral to the EWS.

Uttlesford Futures Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) supports the Essex Association of Boys and Girls Clubs Respect programme which provides young people at risk of being excluded or lacking in confidence with opportunities and encouragement to develop a sense of self worth. Members of the partnership also support the Alternative Education Project for young people excluded from school.

Reduce 16-19 year olds who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)

          Context and Performance

A statistical modelling exercise using Essex data has identified risk factors for NEET at year 11 with teenage parents 28 times more likely to be NEET; those under Youth Offending Team supervision 3 times more likely; those with less than 80% school attendance 3 times more likely; those of white ethnicity 2 times more likely than other ethnicity and those in highly deprived areas 12 times more likely than most affluent.

The recent economic situation means NEET figures increased and therefore a focus of both prevention at Key Stage 4 and reduction at 16-19 was and remains a high priority. With a greater influx of young people joining the NEET cohort from employment, plus a reduction in the number of available opportunities targets are increasingly difficult to achieve. The recession and relatively recent university fees means for the first time students will come out of university with difficulty in finding a job alongside heavy debt.

The percentage of 16-18 year old NEETs in Essex, by the end of 2009/10 was 6.9% which matched the same time last year and was a reduction from a peak of around 9% in September 2009. The largest concentrations are in Basildon, Colchester, Tendring and Braintree.  A significant proportion of these are from ‘disadvantaged groups’.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Young people aged 16-18 in Essex who are not currently in education, training or employment are being given the opportunity to participate in Personal Best, a unique national training and volunteering programme linked to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The Personal Best programme is funded by Essex County Council, and is being delivered by SEEVIC College at venues in Basildon, Colchester and Braintree from February 2010. The ten week training programme covers a range of subjects including health and safety, customer relations, equality and diversity, developing teams and interpersonal skills and leads to a level 1 qualification in Preparation for Event Volunteering. Participants in the programme will also have the opportunity to meet athletes in training for the London 2012 Games and will be guaranteed an interview to become a London 2012 volunteer, as well as a guaranteed interview for a place on Essex County Council’s Apprenticeship programme.

The Essex Partnership Forum agreed in March 2009 to commit £4million of PRG money into developing skills for young people; £2million to support the development of vocational centres in each District (such as the one at Colbaines) and £2million to support apprenticeships. Furthermore the Reduction of NEET in Essex (RONIE) programme is helping to prepare young people for an apprenticeship.

Enhanced vacancy matching service and use of texttools alerts has been adopted. Increasing contact with employers and training providers to develop suitable opportunities and training provision and commitment from employers in supporting educational activities has also been undertaken alongside setting up of Employer Engagement Team who contacting employers and undertake canvassing of larger companies for summer leavers vacancies.

In June 2010 Essex County Council launched a scheme to have 30 new apprenticeships employed in the aviation industry as part of its pledge to create 1,750 apprenticeships over the next two years.  Essex County Council will be paying the wages of the 30 recruits and is looking to companies operating in the aviation sector to come forward and offer them work placements.

Essex County Council’s Essex Apprenticeship scheme has also offered to part fund the weekly wage of 60 Essex Apprentices in the retail, hospitality and catering and health and social care sectors in Tendring and invited interested businesses to join them at a breakfast meeting in May 2010.  Tendring has been selected as an area of special focus due to it having one of the highest levels of NEETs in Essex.

In addition Essex Apprenticeships will also be available in the following fields: heating, refrigeration and ventilation, engineering and manufacturing, IT, construction, creative and cultural industries, environmental technologies, energy sector, marine sector, sport and leisure, ports and logistics, youth work, outdoor education, social care, parks and leisure, business administration and customer service.

Twenty top performing engineering and manufacturing ‘Essex Apprentices’ have recently returned from an insightful study tour in Northern Germany, provided in recognition of their commitment and achievements. Funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and programme partner Essex County Council, the visit gave the apprentices a unique opportunity to study at the RBZ Engineering College and visit local engineering companies in Itzehoe near Hamburg. The German experience revealed the leadership role that local businesses take in developing the skills of the next generation of technicians.  The visit comes towards the end of the scheme’s first year which has already seen almost a quarter of the 120 apprentices recruited gain employment with local businesses and as a second intake of 20 apprentices begin their vocational training at Harlow College.

In Essex we have chosen two themes to pilot the “Total Place” approach, one of which is tackling the high numbers of young people who are not in employment education and training in Tendring district and across the county.  We have interviewed representatives of over 100 stakeholders in these areas and documented current processes, looked closely and best practice elsewhere and analysed available data to get a full picture of the problems.  Next steps are working with partners to explore new ways of service delivery and new allocations of resources.  For more information please visit Total Place NEETs website.

The CYPSP undertook a project focusing on working with 22 secondary schools that had the highest number of young people leaving compulsory education and entering the NEET cohort at the age of 16. Each school has been allocated approximately £7,000 over a three year period (2008-2011) to develop and implement local actions to improve pathways for young people. The Delivery of ‘GOALS’ programmes have also been undertaken aimed at young people at risk of disengaging to build up confidence and progress motivation.

The numbers of care leavers in education, employment and training has shown a steady upward trend.  Data analysis indicates that NEET care leavers live in most cases in areas of deprivation. Local issues are being addressed by offering Looked After Children greater support in education and working with training providers and employers to provide greater opportunities and raise aspirations for care leavers.

The Government funded a January Guarantee (an extension of the usual September Guarantee where every young person leaving school should have an offer of training) for those young people NEET in December 09 to have an offer of training by end March. Using that funding First Contact Training was funded to run a Business Admin with Retail E2E course at The Hermit in Brentwood. It has been really successful with 23 young people originally recruited and 16 who are still on course. It runs for 12 weeks and young people will get a Level 1 Bus Admin plus a Retail Certificate.

Essex Outdoors  is ECC's outdoor education service, offering a range of high quality and high impact learning opportunities to young people.  The service has been awarded the 'Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge'. The national accreditation recognises organisations that provide safe, good quality learning outside the classroom experiences.

Improve Educational Attainment and Skills in the Adult Population

          Context and Performance

The Essex workforce is slightly older than the national average and older people tend to have lower qualification levels. Essex is also ‘a net exporter’ of 16-24 year olds who tend to have more qualifications.  The result is that the percentage of the working age population with no qualifications is worse than the national median in all Districts.  Furthermore local employers offer relatively few training opportunities (10.5% of the working population received job related training in the past 4 weeks) and as a result, fewer Essex adults participate in learning than in neighbouring areas (Cambridge received 11.9% and Suffolk 10.8%).

Relative to our peers and neighbours, skills levels in Essex have been historically low.  However, successes over the past few years have brought Essex closer to its neighbour’s and even now above Suffolk. Yet, Essex does still remain lower than the national average and has a lower proportion of high skills levels than its nearest neighbours.  The problem is also more pronounced in certain localities such as Tendring.

At levels 2, 3 and 4, skills attainment is lower than England and the East of England averages. Essex needs an additional 20,000 adults to gain a level 2 qualification for us to meet our 2011 LAA target, which becomes an additional 50,000 or 65,000 if we want to reach parity with regional or national levels respectively.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The Adult Learning service has undergone a major transformation in the last three years. It was once delivered by nine colleges and is now delivered as one service with 250 centres delivering 4,000 courses, to 41,000 learners and employing 2,000 staff.  The service runs a very wide range of provision to deliver skills, including working with some large employers such as Boots, Argos and the Fire Service and works with a diverse range of learners who want to keep fit, use their computers to communicate, need skills for a job, want to help their children with their homework, want to use their creative skills to make money, and a range of reasons that will improve their quality of life. The service has won the “Basildon Business award for Customer Excellence!” and recently received an Ofsted result of “Outstanding”.  Adult Community Learning has been awarded a Matrix Excellence Award at the 2009 Awards Ceremony. The Matrix Standard is the national quality standard for any organisation that delivers information, guidance and advice on learning and work.  This is the second Matrix Excellence Award for Adult Community Learning in Essex, having previously won in 2007. Adult Community Learning is only the third organisation in the country to have ever received the award twice, and Essex is the only local authority to have ever done so.

Essex County Council's Adult Community Learning service won national recognition for its excellence in March 2010 - when it received the prestigious accolade of Beacon Award Status.  Nominated by Ofsted for outstanding leadership and management, and proposed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the Beacon Award recognises outstanding service and professionalism.  While there are over 1,800 learning and skills providers in the UK, just 164 have been presented with the highly acclaimed Beacon Award Status during its seven year existence.  This places Essex County Council amongst the top 8% of providers for learning and skills in the country, which includes further education colleges and private enterprises.

Over 175 adult learners sat an A Level exam with Adult Community Learning this year, with the overall pass rate reaching more than 85%. A number of these are now expected to progress to Higher Education or University.

A Colchester Life Opportunities target for 2009/10 targeted three wards with low skills levels to increase the number of adults taking up learning opportunities by 60.  This target has been delivered.  We are currently looking at new targets around worklessness to include in the Life Opportunities targets for 2010/11.  Targets around skills will also be included, aimed at increasing the number of adults taking numeracy and literacy skills and IT skills.

 Performance Tracking Measures Key Strategies and Plans

Individuals and Businesses are Supported Through the Economic Downturn

          Context and Performance

The world economy is experiencing turbulent times and it is unclear how long they will last. Undoubtedly, new issues and opportunities will emerge that will have a lasting impact on the economy, regardless of the duration of the recession.

Between the second quarter of 2008 and the summer of 2009 economic output in the UK had fallen for six successive quarters for the first time since records began and with an overall impact on GDP which was greater than anticipated.  This decline has affected public finances and has also increased the demand for services. While improvement has been evident the risk of a double dip recession still persists.

Essex is, however, a county where residents enjoy above average wages and a Gross Value Added of more than £20 billion with an economy larger than 136 countries and therefore well positioned to weather the recession, a firm response is required with ECC embracing its role as a community leader to support individuals and businesses.

A joint Kent, Greater Essex and East Sussex Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has now been given the green light and will be fully implemented on 1 April 2011.  Bringing together the best in businesses and local government across all three counties, the LEP will promote economic growth and tackle the economic issues that matter most to businesses and residents, including skills, housing, tourism, transport and infrastructure.

The LEP will harness the huge opportunities presented to all three counties including:  

• New development in the Thames Gateway which has the potential to create an additional 113,000 jobs in North Kent and South Essex over the next 20 years. 
• Support for a third Thames Crossing. 
• The continuing growth of international sea port trade through established world class assets.
• Regeneration and renewal in our coastal towns. 
• The potential of offshore renewable energy. 
• The expansion of air services at Manston and Southend to provide greater aviation capacity in the Greater South East and support regeneration.

      Actions to Improve Outcomes

In October 2009 ECC published the ‘Essex Economy Recovery Action Plan’ outlining what the council is doing to support residents and businesses during the downturn and beyond. The 37 measures have been split into three main areas, which provide help for businesses, help for residents and look toward positioning Essex beyond the recession. These were initially proposed following a Special Session of Essex Management Board and some examples include: -

• The Meet the Lenders events, which took place in early 2010, were organised to help local businesses with planning for the year ahead and beyond. Businesses could meet Banking on Essex partner Santander Corporate Banking to discuss their business plans and any financial requirements. An array of other business support organisations was also on hand to provide information on the advice and support available to Essex businesses.
• The provision of direct financial assistance in the form of a lump sum payment was made available to around 30,000 of the county’s most vulnerable households in 2009, and particularly targeting those over 80 years of age. This is equivalent to relief of £100 off Council Tax bills.
• The creation of a countywide 'Essex Apprentice' scheme, building upon the existing programme run and funded by the public sector but, crucially, making available apprentices to small businesses that may otherwise be unable to take young people on in the current economic conditions. In recognition of the project ECC was awarded a share of £7 million in October 2009, by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to help set up the apprentice scheme. The number of 16-18 year olds taking apprenticeships in Essex has increased by 44% over the last academic year statistics reveal.  During the 08/09 academic year 2,242 16-18 year olds were taking apprenticeships, this increased to 3,229 during 09/10.  The increase equates to 987 young people who are now choosing to take an apprenticeship as a route into work.  Since September 2009 Essex County Council’s pioneering Essex Apprenticeship scheme has overseen the creation of 1,250 new and additional apprenticeships across the county by incentivising local businesses with a wage subsidy – a technique endorsed by a recent report produced by Professor Alison Wolf on behalf of the Department of Education.
• Essex County Council announced in October 2009 that it will increase its own efficiency savings target to £300 million by 2012, representing approximately a third of its annual net budget and making it the largest savings target in local government history. This figure represents an increase by £100 million on the previous savings target announced in 2008.  One of projects aimed at improving efficiency has resulted in the Essex Shared Services department being recognised with a Government Business Award for the progress and benefits that the “Purchase to Pay” scheme has delivered. The system was launched in 2007 and savings have so far averaged £500,000 a year and the project is set to achieve a total of £2.5 million in efficiency savings. The County Council now procures electronically from 97% of its suppliers.

Districts in Essex also have separate plans in place to help residents and businesses through the recession including in Basildon and also the Colchester Credit Crunch initiative.

ECC’s complex business support system has been simplified in a brochure ‘where can I go for help with my business?’, and approximately 10,000 copies have been shared with the business community. Essex has also run a range of well attended business network events, with around 750 businesses having attended the sessions.

In recognition of the economic advantages it will bring to the region Essex County Council has stepped-in with an essential cash investment to secure aircraft maintenance training facilities at Southend Airport in January 2010. Following difficulties with funding, the likelihood of the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) training venture becoming a reality was uncertain.  Now thanks to the commitment from a number of stakeholders including Essex County Council, Prospects College and Southend Airport, MRO employers across the county will be able to benefit from a skilled pool of aircraft maintenance apprentices who have the advantage of unique, on-site experience. Locating the training facility on-site will also have additional benefits in attracting local young people who are not currently in education or employment and thereby reducing the carbon impact of the workforce commute.

Stimulate the Creation of More High Value-Added Jobs

          Context and Performance

The Essex Strategy sets out to promote sustainable growth with high value jobs while ensuring adequate infrastructure is in place to support this growth. With a high employment rate indicative of a strong economy Essex wants to see more high value-added jobs, more business start-ups and for businesses to view the county as an attractive investment destination.

London’s growth to the East; the 2012 Olympics and the perennial draw of Tower Hamlets to the east of the city will all continue to benefit our commuter catchment in terms of the availability of jobs. Conversely, these very developments (including the impressive growth of Stratford as a business destination) will pose a threat to the future location of businesses in Essex.

Data for median earnings for 2009/10 shows that for Essex this is £491.1 which is above the regional average and in line with the national average. The rate of improvement in the last year for Essex, however has been 5% compared with 2.1% and 2.3% for regional and national averages.

           Actions to Improve Outcomes

The joint proposal for a Kent and Greater Essex Local Enterprise Partnership was submitted to Ministers on 6^th September 2010, and with Government approval, will be fully implemented on 1 April 2011.  The LEP will promote economic growth and tackle the economic issues that matter most to businesses and residents, including skills, housing, tourism, transport and infrastructure.  If successful, the joint proposal could lead to the creation of the largest LEP in England, which working in partnership, will support the business community, attract investment and create jobs.

 To improve the local economy, it is essential to develop more local high value jobs and to ensure the workforce have the skills to match. This will include further development of apprentice schemes and other skills initiatives mentioned in the “Education and Skills” section of this report.

Thames Gateway South Essex and Haven Gateway at the south and north of the county show a high proportion of lower level skills and much lower proportions of high level skills.

The Chelmsford Showcase is being organised by Chelmsford Borough Council’s Inward Investment, Economy and Growth team in partnership with the Chelmsford Business Forum and takes place this autumn. Designed to show the extent of activity, support and the wide range of commercial opportunities in Chelmsford, it will be an opportunity to experience everything Chelmsford has to offer to the business community and of major benefit to existing businesses, start-ups and those intending to expand or relocate here. The event will feature a series of informative seminars and a showcase of 30 or more exhibitors, who will be providing advice, help and guidance to businesses.

Attract Inward Investment

          Context and Performance

Essex’ position on the edge of a global city, with good transport networks including international air and sea ports means the county has a lot to offer as a business destination and is keen to continue to attract inward investment.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

An action plan is in place which includes proposals for supporting the growth and competitiveness of the manufacturing and engineering sector in Essex.

Inward investment activity has increased and as a result, the number of successes has continued to grow. Activity has included overseas trade fairs, publications and UK events. Clearly the retention element of this work has increased in importance because of the economic downturn. In addition to this, international trade work has increased further by the setting up of a working group including members from ECC, the Chamber of Commerce, Business Link and UK Trade International. Along with the EMIGP, these both impact on the earnings target.

Jiangsu Sainty Bancom Pro Trading Co. Ltd, a substantial Chinese manufacturer of construction materials, has set up a UK office in Essex, opening its doors on the 22^nd September 2008 and expanding its operations by setting up a warehousing and distribution centre in the south of Essex in 2009. The county’s 20 year relationship with the Jiangsu province was one of the catalysts for the expansion of the company’s operation.

An Essex – India Summit took place in June 2010 and the keynote speaker was Mr. Anil Verma, Minister (Economic), the High Commission of India in the UK. The Summit included four workshop sessions - Marketing and Selling in India; Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals; Higher Education and Vocational Skills and The Green Economy.  This was the first Essex-India summit to be organised following the successful trade mission to India in March 2010 where Essex County Council, in partnership with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), took 4 Essex companies to Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Stimulate Business Expansion and Innovation

          Context and Performance

Essex businesses are some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial in the country and should be encouraged to expand.  The size of the county’s business base has increased at a slightly faster rate (+6%) than the regional and national growth rates (both at +5%).  Essex also has a slightly higher business density than the national average, there are 68 businesses per 1,000 working age residents compared to a figure of 60 for GB as a whole.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

In support of common aspirations, the Greater Essex Economic Framework addresses the broader issues of economic development for the county. On the back of this an environment is being established in which all citizens have the opportunity to enjoy the financial, social and personal benefits work can offer.

The Essex Economic Board is a sub-regional partnership bringing together the private, public and voluntary sectors. The board is managed by the Essex Development and Regeneration Agency which oversees the delivery of a range of services including business innovation, inward investment and skills development. The Essex Development and Regeneration Agency has attracted over £1.5 million of new funding to support research and development for small and medium-sized enterprises. Over 130 companies have been supported through the innovation programme and the Essex Technology and Innovation Centre provides facilities for innovative start-up companies.

In Brentwood the BID (Business Improvement Districts) Scheme has been established where businesses in a defined geographical area vote to invest collectively in local improvements to enhance their trading environments.

Help Jobless People and Disadvantaged Groups to Enter the Workforce

          Context and Performance

In December 2009, around 37,100 people (4%) were unemployed in Greater Essex, although these levels were higher earlier in the year as a result of the economic downturn. These levels are now beginning to stabilise, and decrease, as the recession gradually ends.

The number of people with mental health problems helped into education or employment in the county is showing significant improvement increasing from 101 in 2006/7 to 296 in 2008/9 and 664 in 2009/10.  Currently 447 people with learning difficulties or physical or sensory impairment are also in paid employment, with a further 540 in work based training.

Youth unemployment specifically has soared of late, and Essex has been as hard hit as anywhere. Nationally, the number of young claimants (18-24) accessing Job Seekers Allowance for more than 6 months rose from 40,000 in October 2008 to 105,000 in October 2009.  This figure fell back to 84,200 by July 2010 and 1,185 of these were from Essex.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

‘Workstep’ is a roll on, roll off programme supporting disabled people back to work or assisting them should their job be at risk due to their disability or deterioration in their condition.  By assisting individuals to re-enter or remain in the workforce, programmes such as these add greatly to an individual’s quality of life. Workstep is helping 21 people and of these 19 achieved a qualification since starting the programme. On a larger scale since 2001, the availability of money from the European Social Fund (ESF) has helped over 5,500 disabled and disadvantaged people access the labour market.  Another initiative supporting people with disabilities is ‘Ways to Work’ which encourages and enables disabled people to find jobs rather than rely on Incapacity Benefit.

ECC works with partners from the Department of Work and Pensions, JobCentre Plus and Mental Health Trusts to increase the number of people from disadvantaged groups taking up employment opportunities locally. Initiatives being used to do this include - work experience, supported employment schemes, welfare to work initiatives, job tasters and Direct Payments to provide personal support to users in employment. Dedicated employment schemes also operate for people with Learning Difficulties and people with mental health needs.

ECC has made a £142,000 contribution towards the expansion of Theatre Resource a disabled-led arts education organisation based in Ongar.  The new centre, opening in 2011, will provide 13 housing flats for long-term students engaged in vocational training projects in the centre, a nationally unique 25 bedroom residential education centre, a new studio theatre and conference facility, as well as a gallery, cafe and shop.  There will also be facilities for training, social enterprise activities and supported employment. This is in addition to the 72 performance events during the year.

A new skills team was set up by ECC in April 2009, to focus on skills as a priority area. Areas of focus will include apprenticeship development, facilitating links between schools and industry, implementing the skills pledge within ECC and developing vocational facilities in Essex. Essex County Council’s new pledge to create a further 750 apprenticeships for Essex residents and businesses by 2012 was launched in February 2010 at an event that brought businesses together from across the county and means Essex County Council will now be creating 1,750 apprenticeships over the next two years, an increase of 75% on its previous target.  Essex Apprenticeships are becoming available in the following fields: heating and ventilation, IT, aviation, construction, creative and cultural industries, environmental technologies, marine sector, sport and leisure, ports and logistics, windscreen maintenance youth work, outdoor education, social care, parks and leisure, business administration and customer service.

Essex County Council has recruited 120 apprentices for its construction programme. These Apprentices have taken part in an army style boot camp held at Bassingbourn Barracks, Royston, Hertfordshire. The purpose of the day was to develop strong communication and team-work skills as well as improving the apprentices’ confidence; all part of the mentoring programme that makes the Essex Apprentice scheme unique. The apprentices started their day with a tough schedule of physical training before progressing on to activities that replicated situations that soldiers may face whilst in combat such as orienteering and bridge building. The Essex Apprentice Engineering and Manufacturing programme is an innovative two year project that is part funded by the European Social Fund and has seen 120 young people placed in apprenticeships where they will gain an NVQ Level 2 qualification.

Essex County Council’s Essex Apprentice programme welcomed its 1000^th apprentice to the scheme in November 2010.  Shaun Webb, 18 has recently started his Essex Apprenticeship with Anglia Sports Management Ltd (ASM) where he hopes to gain a NVQ Level 2 as an Activity Leader. His duties include assisting other coaches in delivering PE in primary schools, after school clubs and holiday activities. Shaun also helps with coaching under 9s and 14s youth teams. He also assists in coaching the newly formed girls’ football club. Shaun secured his role through the Essex Apprenticeship scheme which was created by Essex County Council as part of its pledge to create 1,250 apprenticeships across the county; to date over 1,000 Essex Apprentices have been placed in businesses in industries such as engineering and manufacturing, construction and IT.  

ECC is celebrating helping the over 45s beat the effects of the recession through the "50-not out!" project" (Case Study). The project offers people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment the chance to speak with a specialist advisor to discuss employment opportunities, improving or updating skills or changing career direction. Courses also on offer include computing, CV writing, interview skills and confidence building. The services provided are completely free. Over 1,000 people have used the scheme and 36% of these have gained employment as a result. A survey of participants was overwhelmingly positive, 91% of people were satisfied or very satisfied with the advice and guidance they received and users commented that they are now more confident, more aware of their abilities and better prepared to rejoin the workplace.

 ‘Pathways’ is a new learning guide published by the Chelmsford Partnership to help Chelmsford residents gain more workplace skills and qualifications to improve their employment prospects. ‘Pathways’ also illustrates training opportunities for companies and staff to help improve performance.

Ensure Affordable Homes are Available

          Context and Performance

The gap between supply and demand of housing has widened and it is estimated that as much as 40% of all new housing in Essex now needs to be affordable.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Although not a housing authority, ECC works with partners locally and regionally, playing an important community leadership role in promoting sustainable development and affordable housing.  Essex has also exceeded the target of homes built to the lifetime homes standard.

The Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England had included the requirement for 127,000 new homes to be built in the county by 2021.  However, in May 2010 the new Government announced the abolition of Regional Strategies.  They were formally revoked on 6^th July 2010.  Essex had been a vocal opponent of this level of growth but now local planning authorities are responsible for housing growth projections for their area.

The world renowned Essex Design Guide and Urban Place Supplement provide guidance for public and private sector partners to ensure new developments are sustainable and high quality. Most Essex Districts have adopted the Urban Place Supplement in support of their Local Development Frameworks.

In Maldon a Rural Housing Task Force has been established to look specifically at affordable/sustainable rural housing, involving key partners including the LSP, parish councils and RSLs.

 Performance Tracking Measures Key Strategies and Plans

Manage the Countryside

          Context and Performance

The county has a strong record of effective leadership and partnership working on significant environmental issues, the ‘Sustainable Essex Partnership’ has been established to integrate the Essex Partnership’s approach to managing a range of sustainable community issues.

Essex promotes access to natural green spaces while protecting and enhancing biodiversity, with ECC managing 7 country parks which collectively have high levels of customer satisfaction (96%) and over 750,000 visitors per year.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

An EssexWorks pledge in 2009/10 involved planting 250,000 additional trees across the county; this was in fact exceeded with 421,313 trees planted. This was achieved working in partnership to improve the ecology and appearance of the county’s green spaces for future generations of residents and visitors, as well as local wildlife.  21,574 of these were planted by 200 BTCV volunteers who gave their time to environmental projects and contributed 2700 workdays to the cause.  The BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) will again be supporting ECC’s pledge for 2010/11 to provide payback to the community by working with the probation service to improve road side verges, coastal paths and gateways.  The tree planting initiative has resulted in ECC winning two prestigious environmental awards at the BTCV Green Hero’s Award – Best Partnership and Best Project, in the East, London and South East categories.  

Essex has now agreed a new pledge for 2010/11 to promote the establishment of a new generation of orchards and allotments. The initiative will see 50 new or re-established community orchards and allotments created across Essex, as well as 5 demonstrator sites across country parks and partner sites in the county. It aims to train around 500 community volunteers in allotment and orchard tending and support 50 communities in helping to promote healthy eating, through raising the profile of fresh fruit and vegetables.  Furthermore the project aims to engage with schools across the county, through the provision of 66 “orchards in a box”, encouraging them to develop their own gardens and allotments.  The project will be delivered in partnership with, Essex Wildlife Trust, Essex County Council Country Parks, the National Trust, the Woodland Trust, BTCV, the RCCE, Essex Community Foundation, East of England Orchards Project, Essex outdoor, Essex Biodiversity Partnership, the Allotment Association, Countryside Training Services, Essex Districts and Parishes.

In terms of the percentage of Local Wildlife Sites (LOWs) where Positive Conservation Management (PCM) has taken place, Essex was the lowest performing authority last year with only 4% of the 1440 LOWs in PCM at the start of the LAA.  Essex in partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust has now delivered 417 LOWs into PCM and increased the number of LOWs to 1,566. The aim is to achieve 34% of LOWs into PCM by 31 March 2011. From 2008 to 2011, Essex County Council and a wide range of partners have been working with the Essex Wildlife Trust as part of the Sustainable Essex and Biodiversity Partnerships to provide refuge to much of our most valued wildlife. Working together through Sustainable Essex, partners passed their final year target of 530 Local Wildlife Sites (LoWS) in Positive Conservation Management. There are over 1,600 LoWS in Essex; together they form a very important reservoir for wildlife and great places for local people to visit. The indicator has been a triumph of partnership working with the third sector, local authorities and a wide range of national organisations all contributing to the target as part of the partnership. The contribution from volunteers has also been crucial in the restoration of many of the wildlife sites.  By the reporting deadline in March, the number of important wildlife sites in positive conservation management will have increased almost tenfold from the baseline of 62 in 2008. 

Canvey Wick is a 100 hectare brownfield site that was originally grazing marsh and was then partially developed in the 1960's as an oil refinery. Left undisturbed the site has now been colonised with an array of plants and animals and became a wildlife haven; designated as the first brown field site to be protected specifically for its invertebrates.  The HCA has supported funding of £2,564,569 to support the management of the site and protect the special wildlife interest.

From 2008 to 2011, Essex County Council and a wide range of partners have been working with the Essex Wildlife Trust as part of the Sustainable Essex and Biodiversity Partnerships to provide refuge to much of our most valued wildlife. Working together through Sustainable Essex, partners passed their final year target of 530 Local Wildlife Sites (LoWS) in Positive Conservation Management. There are over 1,600 LoWS in Essex; together they form a very important reservoir for wildlife and great places for local people to visit.  

The indicator has been a triumph of partnership working with the third sector, local authorities and a wide range of national organisations all contributing to the target as part of the partnership. The contribution from volunteers has also been crucial in the restoration of many of the wildlife sites.  By the reporting deadline in March, the number of important wildlife sites in positive conservation management will have increased almost tenfold from the baseline of 62 in 2008.

A major £1.2 million access scheme to help secure the future of Walton's historic Naze is nearing completion.  The walkway will be punctuated by five interpretation boards that will provide information on the Naze Heritage Project; geology and fossils; the Naze Tower; wildlife at the Naze; and coastal processes.  Work on those is due to take place towards the end of March 2011 and it is hoped to open the site to the public in April 2011.  The Crag Walk initiative is part of the Naze Heritage Project.  It has come about following pressure from The Naze Protection Society which has campaigned for more then 25 years to "Save the Naze".  The implementation of the project is a partnership between the Coastal Renaissance Partnership Board (CRPB) - which is jointly led by TDC and Essex County Council (ECC) and includes the Haven Gateway Partnership and the Environment Agency.  Other important partners are the Essex Wildlife Trust; the Naze Protection Society; the Naze Tower and the owners of Walton Hall Farm and Stone Point and it is supported and partially funded by Frinton and Walton Town Council.  The main aim of the Naze Heritage Project is to conserve the unique characteristics and heritage of the Naze for future generations.  The cliffs contain 50 million year old fossils and are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.  In addition to viewing the geological importance of the cliffs, Crag Walk will also enable visitors and students to see and understand the erosion process affecting the coast. Reduce our Carbon Footprint and Adapt to Climate Change

          Context and Performance

Essex residents are already choosing a greener lifestyle to help the environment, save money and reduce their carbon footprint.  ECC is doing the same and the target for CO₂ emissions in tonnes arising from Council activity has reduced from 72,364 tonnes to 69,831 tonnes in the last year.  CO₂ emissions (total tonnes) in the local authority area will be reported from September 2010 onwards.

In the local area the per capita CO₂ reduction compared to a 2005 baseline has shown a 4.2% decrease placing Essex in the upper quartile.  On average, Essex performs better than the East of England and the UK averages in terms of carbon emissions. The real anomalies here are Brentwood and Uttlesford. It is with the latter that the impact of Stansted Airport is marked.

In relation to the "Assessed preparedness for the local authority to manage climate risks and opportunities against 5 levels of performance", ECC and District/ Borough partners have met the planned level of achievement in year 1 (08/09) and are on track to meet target level 3 by end of LAA2.  

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

ECC’s Sustainable Essex Partnership has at the Edie (Environmental Data Interactive Exchange) Awards 2010 won the “Environmental Excellence Local Government Initiative Award” for several projects that took an innovative and sustainable approach to enabling communities to lower their carbon emissions.  The projects included free thermal imaging of homes in pilot Districts; smarter driving roadshows for local businesses and District and Borough Councils; making energy monitors available form libraries for homeowners to loan; and energy advice surgeries being provided in libraries.  A further project delivered training to all Home Improvement Agency staff in Essex and resulted in them becoming City and Guild qualified home energy advisors.  The projects were deemed to be an exceptional example of partnership working delivered through the LAA and that its customer focused approach ensured energy efficiency advice was delivered in an accessible and efficient way.

ECC was commended in the MJ 2009 Achievement Awards for Energy Efficiency Achievement of the Year. ECC is recognised nationally as a leader in carbon reduction with innovative Business Area Scorecards tracking how services are delivering carbon reduction, in addition to leading nationally on the development of community carbon reduction measures.Ensure Development Avoids Adverse Impact on the Environment

Essex County Council has been named as the greenest in the public sector in relation to transport. This was announced at the Green Fleet awards in October 2009 where the Council was awarded Public Sector Fleet of the Year in the 500 plus vehicle category. The achievement is in recognition of the progress made across a host of areas in reducing business mileage and the environmental impact of travel. The approach has enabled mileage and emissions reduction through providing alternative, more sustainable travel options. Essex County Council also triumphed at the Fleet World Honours in May 2010 winning the Fleet Safety Award for Large Fleets, an accolade which sees ECC recognised as being among the safest fleets in Britain.  Judged by a panel of industry experts, these awards recognise organisations that have achieved the highest possible level of excellence in their sector.

Essex has produced an in-house waste and carbon tracking toolkit to enable National Indicators performance to be accurately measured on the waste and carbon emissions LAA workstreams.  The tool has been highlighted nationally as an example of best practice and Essex has subsequently shared this tool with other local authorities within the region and beyond via the Government Office (GO) network.

Although the GO acknowledges that Essex is considered to be doing a lot of good things on climate change, some of which are described as ‘exemplary’, achievement of this target is considered to be difficult without a fundamental shift in behaviour by people in Essex.  The mitigating actions are threefold.  Firstly all partners will engage with their staff to encourage them to reduce their own CO₂ emissions, thus influencing a substantial proportion of the Essex population.  Secondly, there will be a mailing campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the benefits of CO₂ reduction and explaining how to access help and advice in doing this.  Thirdly, the staff of all partners will be asked to conduct home energy audits to help ascertain current performance and areas for improvement.  An Essex pledge for 2010/11 is to expand the delivery of sustainable energy advice throughout Essex.

Essex has been successful in delivering tailored energy efficiency services to the community; including thermal image surveys for residents (the pilot in Rochford District is now complete). Energy monitors are available for free loan from all libraries; Energy efficiency advice surgery sessions are available in libraries.  The Essex Buy With Confidence Scheme is in place enabling the public to access vetted energy efficiency and renewable technology installers.  There is energy efficiency training for Home Improvement Agency and local authority housing staff. Smarter driving training and competitions for local businesses and local authority staff are available.  ECC and partners promote insulation and energy efficiency in town centres, and at community and partner events.  Services are provided for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises by a range of organisations such as Resource Efficiency East, the Carbon Trust, the Energy Saving Trust, ECC and Environwise.  The services can be found in a published leaflet.

In terms of preparedness for climate change actions underway include the EPACC (Essex Partners Adapting to Climate Change) web forum set up on IDeA Communities of Practice website, providing examples of best practice, useful documents, information sharing and a discussion forum; comprehensive risk register of potential impacts on ECC and district services being developed and prioritised; ECC and District policies, strategies and plans being reviewed to include appropriate adaptive responses.  A county-wide Local Climate Impact Profile (LCLIP) is in progress while for Braintree and Tendring LCLIPs are complete.  Work has commenced on the development of an electronic climate change risk tool; and an Essex conference on adapting to climate change will be developed with partners as part of the work on level 3.

Air quality action plans have also been established, working with District partners to improve air quality.  A new Essex Air website has been launched by a partenrship which includes County, Unitary, Borough and District Councils as well as the University of Essex, the Environment Agency and other interested organisations.  The web site aims to provide residents and visitors to the County with comprehensive information about air quality in the region.  The web site can be found at www.essexair.org.uk.

Braintree District Council has signed up as an organisation to reducing its carbon emissions by 25% by 2013.  The Braintree District Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan details a series of Climate Change objectives and related actions for the Council to make progress towards achieving the CO₂ reduction targets and climate change adaptation requirements.

Colchester Borough Council has been chosen as one of a select number of Councils in the Eastern Region to be formally accepted on to the Energy Saving Trust’s One-to-One Support Programme. This opportunity will allow the Council to further reduce Colchester’s carbon emissions and to tackle climate change.  The programme began in September 2009 and will last for two years. Over this time a dedicated consultant will offer the Council a bespoke service to help improve the environmental impact of services such as transport and housing on the Borough, as well as developing activities to engage the wider community. The programme may also allow the Council to bid for a ‘grants for action’ fund to develop new and exciting projects across the Borough.

 The Climate Change Steering Group also produced the Climate Change Strategy 2010-2016 for Tendring Council.  This sets out a framework for what will be a continuous improvement process to reduce carbon emissions and ensure as a district as well as a Council we are preparing for predicted changes to the climate and reduce our use of fossil fuels.

Ensure Development Avoids Adverse Impact on the Environment

          Context and Performance

Sustainability is about managing and enhancing the environment and improving the quality of life for existing and future generations. The Essex Partnership is committed through its policies and decision making to protecting and improving the environment and ensuring its decisions are sustainable in environmental, social and economic terms.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The world-renown “Essex Design Guide” and “Urban Place Supplement” have been adopted by Districts as the prime planning guidance for creating sustainable homes and developments.  This protects the character of Essex towns and countryside while ensuring sustainable, high quality growth for the future.  The guidance also ensures that quality, attractive open spaces, such as pocket parks, are integrated within new development schemes, and that they inherently encourage active lifestyles through the provision of cycling paths and pedestrian walkways.

Improve and Increase the Uptake of Public and Community Transport

          Context and Performance

The number of bus journeys in Essex has decreased from 45.66 million in 2008/9 to 44.22m in 2009/10, this is the first time in a number of years that passenger numbers have dropped and is due to the economic situation and job losses in the region. However, the 2009/10 passenger journey numbers are still an increase of 12% over the last 3 years.  More people traveling by bus and fewer traveling by car is a major contributor to reducing both congestion and CO₂ emissions.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Over the last two years Essex County Council has secured £300 million for 10 major transport projects including highway improvements, innovative public transport schemes and important schemes to support regeneration and growth.

ECC also submitted a Local Transport Plan progress report to Government, describing the transport improvements made since 2006 and were commended for our “first rate” report that “demonstrated good progress is being made in Essex across the full range of the Plan, improving transport services for everyone living and working in Essex”.  We are now building on this excellent performance to develop our new Local Transport Plan for 2011. The LTP consultation document has been published on line and the consultation period ran from 13 December 2010 to 11 February 2011.

At the 2009 National Transport Awards Essex was the winner in the ‘access for all’ category, acknowledging the success of the Travel Training Scheme.  The Travel Training Scheme helps people with special needs to get more from life by giving them the confidence to travel independently using public transport or walking.  The team work to develop skills such as coping with traffic on major roads, confidence in using buses and trains and familiarisation of travel routes and timetables.  Many people take these skills for granted but they open up a wealth of opportunities for the people ECC works with

In 2009 Essex piloted the Super Traveller Scheme in two schools. The aim of the scheme was to reward students travelling sustainably to school. An evaluation of the pilot showed a reduction in car use at the schools of 38% and 36%. This was so successful that it was included in the LAA action plan to deliver in other Districts. 

294 primary schools across the County signed up to take part in Walk to School Week (17 to 21 May 2010), which means 65,999 children aged 5 to 11 took up the challenge of walking to school.  The theme this year is ‘Searching for explorers’, encouraging children to use their journeys to and from school as a time to explore and appreciate their local area. In addition to this, it also helps children to learn important road safety skills and increase their physical activity, leading to a better quality of life.  Over the past two years, the number of primary schools pupils walking to school in Essex has increased by 17,896, so now over half (51% based on Annual School Census Data January 2009) walk to school.

A Park and Ride scheme has transformed travel from the A12 into Chelmsford.  In its first year the Park and Ride scheme in Chelmsford helped citizens avoid making 250,000 car journeys into the town. It has been so successful that provision has been extended to meet extra demand and work on a new Park and Ride has begun to the north west of Chelmsford and will be opened in April 2011. The new Chelmer Valley Park and Ride will officially open on Monday 4 April 2011. The Chelmer Valley terminal is located on the A130 Essex Regiment Way at Pratts Farm Roundabout, and will be operated by Chelmsford Borough Council and First Essex Buses Ltd.

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Children and young people in Colchester are benefiting from a major new initiative following the approval in December 2009 by Essex County Council’s cabinet of the pilot of a young person’s concessionary bus fare scheme throughout the district.  The scheme, launched in early 2010 entitles 5 to 19 years olds who live within Colchester Borough to half price bus fares on all registered bus journeys starting and finishing within the county.  The move comes following consultation with the Young Essex Assembly and its representatives that identified a number of barriers to younger people making use of public transport. A major factor was the cost and perceived complexity of fares.  Following a thorough evaluation of the scheme a decision will be taken on whether the scheme is suitable to be rolled out across the county.

From February 2010 Harlow residents have benefited from improved public transport and facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, following the completion of the multi modal corridor scheme on First Avenue. The improvements on First Avenue support the delivery of sustainable travel in Harlow through the construction of new bus priority routes, bus shelters, cycle lanes and improved pedestrian facilities.

Birch residents will soon benefit from the introduction of a new shopper bus service, which will provide a convenient, personal service for passengers. The service is a direct result of Essex County Council working in partnership with Birch Parish Council and Colchester Community Transport. Residents in Stanford Rivers and Hop Gardens Travellers site will also soon benefit from the introduction of a new shopper bus service, which will provide passengers with convenient and regular access to local shopping and health facilities. The service is a direct result of Essex County Council working in partnership with Stanford Rivers Parish Council, Hop Gardens and Community Link. In relation to both services, although there are timetables and starting places, the services are flexible allowing the driver to give a more personal service picking up residents with mobility problems close to their home. The driver will also be available to help with boarding or leaving the vehicle, or with shopping bags. Improve Street and Environmental Cleanliness

          Context and Performance

LAA targets for improved street and environmental cleanliness have been achieved with a 2009/10 return of 6% for litter and 11% for detritus.  This is a dramatic improvement on the figures for 2007/8 which were 21% and 25% respectively.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Street scene community champions within the voluntary sector act as the District and County Council's 'eyes and ears' reporting environmental issues, for example. litter, fly-posting, defective street lighting, abandoned vehicles, damaged footpaths, fly-tips, graffiti, etc.

Reduce Waste and Recycle More

          Context and Performance

The Essex Waste Management Partnership has ensured that the County and District Councils have collaborated effectively to increase year on year recycling rates from 21% in 2000/01 to 46.24% in 2009/10.  Related to the increased recycling the kilograms of residual household waste collected per household have reduced from 803 in 2005/6 to 586 in 2009/10.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Since 2002, ECC, all twelve Districts and unitary neighbours Southend-on-Sea have been working together to create a sustainable strategy for waste management (Case Study). After 6 years of public consultation, intensive analysis and financial modelling, the Essex Waste Management Strategy was approved by Full Council in July 2008.  This strategy details a 25 year plan of how the 14 partner authorities will collaborate to address one of the key challenges facing local government and deliver an approach to waste management which is financially, environmentally and operationally sustainable.

ECC has secured the use of Courtauld Road, a location in Basildon, for a new waste and recycling facility which uses Mechanical Biological Treatment technology.  This means that, in addition to two potential sites in the north of the county, planning permissions are in place to allow for the management of waste from south Essex. The availability of a south Essex site is a key plank in ensuring cost-effective delivery of the waste strategy.

There are 23 recycling centres for household waste which provide easy to use public facilities which promote recycling, composting and reuse, achieving a high diversion performance of 60%. There is a dedicated website www.recycle-more.co.uk which the public can use to identify the site nearest to their home. Results of a mystery shopping exercise reported the waste and recycling sites as providing excellent customer care. Site reports have been discussed with the contractor and actions have been agreed and are in the progress of being implemented, such as the introduction of new uniforms. The success of the trial has led to the mystery shopping exercise being carried out as an ongoing process throughout the life of the contract to ensure the implementation of continuous improvements to the service.

Rubbish Free Week took place between the 9^th and 15^th of March 2009, and aimed to help residents think about the things they buy and the waste they throw away as a result.  ECC worked in partnership with Districts to encourage as many residents as possible to take part in the campaign and see just how far they can cut down on the rubbish they produce.  A series of roadshows encouraging residents to sign up and get thinking about ways they reduce their rubbish took place across the county with great success.

The Young Essex Assembly (YEA) Green Pledge Awards recognise primary and secondary schools that have been working hard to increase recycling and preserve the environment. Schools are presented with ‘Green Stars’ and certificates by ECC in recognition of their achievements since signing up for the YEA’s Green Pledge. The 10 pronged Green Pledge was drawn up by the YEA in a bid to make Essex the most environmentally friendly county in the country.  Schools which have signed up to the Green Pledge, have a maximum five star rating to strive for.

‘Choose2Reuse’ events were held at County Hall, with the first in October 2008. The early events proved very popular with local residents and due to the success of these they have now been made a monthly occurrence.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has awarded £100 million to a partnership between Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council that will help deliver a more sustainable, cost-effective waste strategy for dealing with waste in the future. The funding will enable Essex and Southend to treat up to 350,000 tonnes of waste a year in a more environmentally friendly way and will see the prevention of approximately 95,000 tonnes of harmful gasses from being released into the atmosphere a year. The investment is a vital part of a programme which sees local authorities in Essex work closely together to deliver better and cleaner ways of managing our waste. The programme’s aim is to increase the amount of waste recycled from the current levels of just over 40 per cent to 60 per cent by 2020. The programme demonstrates the value of local authorities working in partnership together to create an ideal outcome for all.  The tendering process for developing a waste management facility is set to begin in November 2009, with the contract scheduled to be awarded in winter 2011 and the new facilities operational in 2014/15.

Essex has reduced the amount of rubbish put out for collection in the last year by four-and-a-half black sacks per household, according to latest figures. Households have reduced, reused and recycled, enough waste to fill 26,042 double-decker buses which would otherwise have been dumped in landfill and waste sites this year.  In the last six months alone there has been a 6.1 per cent reduction or 67kg per household or 40,000 tonnes countywide in the amount people are throwing away.  The county council has also been working to reduce the amount of unnecessary and un-recyclable packaging produced in Essex.  Trading standards officers have carried out an 18-month initiative with 23 local packaging companies to achieve a 12,622-tonne reduction in the amount sent to landfill.  Plastic was down 8 per cent, steel dropped by 5.8 per cent, glass was reduced by 3.7 per cent and wood was down 7.8 per cent.

Brentwood Borough Council has bid successfully for funding from ECC for 3 recycling initiatives to provide recycling pods in schools to promote recycling on the go. This will complement the provision of recycling containers behind the scenes; to assist with the provision of recycling in multiple occupancy dwellings and Trade Waste Recycling pilot scheme, to divert waste from landfill and encourage sustainable and environmental approaches.

In Harlow A weekly food waste service sees scraps such as fruit and vegetables, meat and bones, fish, bread, pastries as well as tea bags and coffee grounds put into a green container rather than in with the non-recycling and sent to landfill. All food waste collected is taken to an in-vessel composting plant where it is turned into compost. In March 2010 15% of residents' household waste was food waste sent for composting. Food waste collection started in October 2009.

 Performance Tracking Measures Key Strategies and Plans

Protect People From Road Accidents

          Context and Performance

The multi-agency Casualty Reduction Board, convened in 2006, has been successful at reducing killed and seriously injury (KSI) casualties on the Essex road network, with KSIs reducing from 963 in 2005/6 to 651 in 2009/10 a faster reduction than all statistical neighbours and national best quartile performance.

However, four target groups remain over represented and require particular attention, these are younger drivers (aged 17–25), motorcyclists, and those who are drink driving and speeding.  Motorcyclists account for 26% of all Essex KSIs despite only accounting for 1% of traffic, 6% above the national average.  Young drivers are most likely to fail a breath test and 25% of young car driver crashes involve excessive speed. Drink drive KSI in Essex now account for 9% of the total, and have been increasing.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Particular emphasis has been given to protecting children in the highway environment by working closely with schools through the Safer Routes to Schools initiative and the continued provision of school crossing patrols.

Over the summer of 2010, the Student Behaviour and Safeguarding team, part of the Passenger Transport Co-ordination Centre, visited over 70 primary schools across Essex, speaking to Year Six students about safe and responsible travel.  The pilot project, was delivered with Essex-based theatre company Arc, it included a showing of the interactive B Safe B Cool DVD followed by a theatre session with actors taking place on a bus.  The two hour programme gives students who are beginning the transition from primary to senior school the practical skills needed to travel safely and responsibly, in a fun and effective way.  

Road safety education is targeted at hard to reach groups such as young drivers and leisure motorcyclists with tens of thousands of drivers, riders and pedestrians receiving safety education in the past year. More roadside education has taken place than ever before.  The Essex Casualty Reduction Board (ECRB), in conjunction with Chelmsford College, has come up with an innovative way to ensure young riders and drivers stay safe whilst on campus.  During the Fresher’s Fayre in September 2010, students who wanted to park their vehicles on campus were required to take part in four combined theory and practical activities before their college parking permit could be issued. For motorcyclists this included a presentation about the typical accidents involving motorcycles and the importance of wearing the right clothing. Drivers were given an interactive presentation by road safety officers and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and given the opportunity to have their skills tested with the Essex Police Subaru Simulator.Teenagers from schools throughout Essex learned the importance of staying safe on the roads at a special symposium in Braintree In February 2010.  Around 200 teenagers came together at Towerlands in Braintree to participate in a number of workshops taking them through the effects and consequences of a real life road incident which left one teenager dead, one in a coma, eight injured and the driver jailed for six years. Youngsters heard about how an accident in which a car hit a group of a round 20 teenagers in Tyrone Road, Thorpe Bay, in March 2008 has affected the lives of the victims and the driver and their families. It included a DVD in which the driver, who was 17 at the time of the collision, speaks for the first time about what happened, the events leading up to it and the after effect of the crash. The day was organised by Essex County Council’s Young Essex Assembly.

Biking enthusiasts from Basildon and beyond enjoyed ‘Essex Ride and Survive’ a jam-packed family friendly day for riders who are interested in motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and bicycles. In 2009 over 4,000 people from all over Essex attended ‘Essex Ride and Survive’ and another hugely successful event took place on Sunday 6 June 2010 at Gloucester Park South, Basildon Activities included: test rides, bike checks, riding skills courses, the latest demo bikes, motorbike dealers, clubs and trade stands, cycling skills for children and free bicycle tagging and passports.

The Bike Safe campaign ran through the summer of 2010 when a large number of motorcyclists took to the roads of Essex.  Essex Police motorcyclists also run college days for younger riders and young rider pit stops where officers check the bikes and ensure they know what to check safety wise, talk to them about safety kit and try to ensure that they are as safe as possible.  The fifth Essex Bike Safe Show was held at Millfields, Burnham-on-Crouch in April 2010, 1,220 riders attended the show and 33 signed up for the Bike Safe Training scheme. The show, organised by Essex Casualty Reduction Board, Essex Air Ambulance, Maldon Community Safety Partnership and Essex Police, included stands featuring the latest motorcycles and biker clothing and equipment. While the whole event was in support of the Essex Air Ambulance, there was also a strong emphasis on road safety with bikers getting the chance to ride out with qualified instructors and police motorcyclists and an opportunity to sign up for further training.

'FireBike' is a partnership project where advice is provided to motorcycle riders by firefighters.  It was re-launched in 2010, featuring as one of its two bikes the fastest production motorbike on the roads today – the BMW S1000RR.  FireBike was first launched in 2009; to make motorcyclists think about the best ways to keep themselves, and their passengers, safe on the roads of Essex.  FireBike2010 is now underway, its riders are operational firefighters qualified to at least RoSPA Gold motorcyclist standard. They will use their experiences as both firefighters attending RTCs and as motorcycle enthusiasts themselves, to engage with riders and their pillion passengers at motorcycle venues and events throughout Essex through the summer of 2010.  The key FireBike2010 messages are: Train as if your life depends on it. Protect yourself and your pillion rider. Learn to share the road.

A number of high-profile campaigns have been run, focusing on safety for older people outside the home, such as the ‘Be Smart-Be Safe’ and ‘How Safe is Your Scooter’ initiatives (Case Study). Road Safety Officers also carry out safety education for older road users, including information on how medications can affect driving, and providing eyesight checks.

The West Area Office Road Safety Team has been working in partnership with the Essex Casualty Reduction Board in making a difference in the districts of Brentwood, Epping Forest, Uttlesford and Harlow. This has resulted in a projected 16% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) across the West Area this year, on top of the 27% reduction last year.  A “Battle Plan”, formulated by the West Area Office Road Safety Team in August 2009, targeted work with partners on “Educate and Enforce” days. Sites were selected to address target groups and behaviours on routes identified using accident trends and statistics. Drivers who were caught either speeding, driving whilst not wearing a seatbelt or whilst on their mobile phone, were stopped and asked to participate in a driver education package.

Essex County Council’s Trading Standards in 2009 joined partners at Braintree College to give young future drivers advice on road safety. The activity formed part of the Road Runner scheme - a day-long instructional programme for young and provisional drivers aged 16 to 18 years. Essex County Council’s Trading Standards provided advice to help young people when they come to purchase their first car.  The overall aim of Road Runner is to place students in challenging scenarios, which aid them in understanding, evaluating and finding solutions to situations they could encounter as drivers. Information and encouragement is shared in an active, realistic environment. The scheme, run by Essex County Council in partnership with local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships also covered other areas such as: hazard perceptions, peer pressure, drink driving, seat belts and legal issues. Those attending the event also got the chance to drive a car under the supervision of a professional driving instructor.

In 2009/10 Safer Chelmsford is supporting 4 Road Safety dramas to promote road safety to young people, these are targeted for those in years 7 to 13.

Protect People From Fire and Reduce Incidents of Arson

          Context and Performance

The number of deliberate primary fires per 10,000 people was 4.42 in 2008/9. This is below the target of 5, below the national average of 8.3 and an improvement on the previous year’s outturn of 5.76. A similar story exists for the number of deliberate secondary fires where the outturn was 10. This is below the target of 12.65, below the national average of 21.1 and an improvement on the previous year’s outturn of 13.4.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Effective prevention measures, including education and training programmes reduce antisocial behaviour, arson and hoax calls. The Fire Service aims to reach each child of school age three times within their school life with fire safety messages. In the last year 13,000 activities have been delivered involving 81,200 young people, programmes, delivered included: Arson About; Backfire; Crucial Crew; Firework Safety; school assembly/class visits and others.

The Juvenile Firesetter Scheme is a non-punitive educational intervention offered to young people aged 3 to18 with a fascination with fire. The scheme has a success rate of around 97% of referrals not re-offending.  Advisors meet the parents or carers of young people following referrals from themselves, or any agency including the police, local fire stations, social services and Youth Offending Teams. After the initial contact the advisors speak to the child about fire safety and firesetting behaviour.  Additionally ‘Firewatch’ has been established, through the CDRP including a confidential telephone line for reporting anti-social behaviour and small fires.

The Firebreak programme targets young people at Key Stage 4, aiming to promote a culture of safety and citizenship by providing a range of vital life skills whilst undertaking the various disciplines of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS). Last year there were 35 courses attended by 416 young people, with 87% successfully completing the scheme. All of the young people attending the course were selected because of a history of, or potential for, school exclusion, youth offending, or associated disruptive behaviour or backgrounds (Case Study).

In March 2010 ECFRS Youth Engagement Team was named runner-up in the Fire Service Equality and Diversity Awards for their pioneering work with Down's Syndrome youngsters. The team held the country’s first ever Firebreak scheme for teenagers with Down’s Syndrome. A group of 12 youngsters from across Essex and East London took part in the four-day course at Hawkwell Fire Station, which was organised in conjunction with charity Down's Syndrome Extra 21. The course taught the youngsters some of the skills and disciplines needed to become a firefighter. The aim was to assist in improving the youngsters' communication skills and to show them how to work in teams and problem solve along the way, giving them new confidence and motivation.

ECFRS’ new, £4.5m community fire station at Rayleigh Weir opened in November 2009. The station will not only provide a base for fire crews but will also house Basildon and Castle Point Community Command staff. The new station also provides expanded facilities for ECFRS’ highly successful youth intervention schemes, like FireBreak, intended to promote positive behaviour in children and young people who have, for example, had difficulties at school, or have been involved in petty crime and anti-social behaviour. Construction of the new station has been funded through a public private partnership with Essex Ford. This has delivered excellent value for money from a fire service perspective, as Essex Ford provided the land free-of-charge and, additionally, contributed a significant 'cash' figure to support construction costs.

ECFRS’s Activ8 is an exciting people power initiative, which aims to make communities better educated and better informed and to build on ECFRS consultation and engagement with the public. The scheme will help get the service’s messages across to the public and ensure that they connect with vulnerable, hard-to reach groups. Activ8 Community Volunteers met for the first time at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service headquarters on Thursday 4th February 2010, with attendees from throughout the County. Volunteers met with some of the senior officers involved in the scheme who delivered an overview of the extensive Community Safety work that ECFRS provide and explained how they can become involved.

Dale Farm is the largest traveller site within Europe and is located within Basildon District.  A fire and fatalities study at the Dale Farm site identified a number of gaps in service provision to this community and ways in which the traveller community could be supported more effectively, there were fire risks present at the traveller site with barriers to the fire service being able to access the site and there were barriers to health services for the travellers (Case Study).

Reduce Substance Misuse

          Context and Performance

Substance Misuse is both a health and social issue. In addition to the possibility of physical and psychological dependency, heavy or long term use of some illegal drugs may cause permanent damage through overdose. Drug misusers can suffer from blood borne viruses (Hepatitis, HIV), injection related injuries, poor diet, personal neglect and mental illness such as depression and paranoia. Social problems include acquisitive crime, prostitution, unemployment, family breakdown and homelessness.

Heavy drinking causes cirrhosis, certain cancers, heart muscle damage and alcoholic dementia. It raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart attack and strokes. Binge drinking affects physical and mental health in the long term and can lead to coma and even death.  Alcohol misuse is also linked to crime, particularly violent crime, assaults and ASB.

The percentage of young people reporting either frequent misuse of drugs/volatile substances or alcohol, or both in 2009/10 was 10.3% which was an improvement from the previous year of 10.9% and achieved the target of 10.5%.  The SHEU survey in 2010 showed that 23% of secondary school pupils say they drink alcohol occasionally or regularly (reducing from 32% in 2008 AND 27% IN 2009). The survey also showed 8% of 15 year olds said they had taken drugs in the last month; (this was a 2% decrease from the 2009 survey).

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The Essex Drug and Alcohol Partnership (EDAP), programme manages work with Local Authorities, the NHS and voluntary sector partners. The Partnership was rated as excellent by the Healthcare Commission in driving the local delivery of the National Drug Strategy. EDAP published its 2009/10 Annual Report in June 2010 which sets out progress that has been made by the partnership and looks forward to 2011.  

EDAP has now teamed up with ECC's Permanency, Leaving and After Care to become the Drug and Alcohol Referral Team (DART), a new support service available for looked after children and young people. The team will be working hard to reduce the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol by looked after children and young people, and will provide them with confidential advice, information and access to relevant support services in Essex. DART will also be helping professionals and carers, by improving their understanding around the issues and needs of children and young people affected by drugs and alcohol. It will provide training and support as well as a confidential helpline.

Reducing alcohol misuse is a priority over the next few years. Partners are engaging in a wide range of interventions including a focus on education within schools and also undertaking assessment of harm and offering support to heavy drinkers in a primary care setting.  ECC Trading Standards has also overseen a reduction in traders supplying alcohol to young people from the base line figure set in 2005/6 showed that 34% premises when tested, sold alcohol to children, our 2009/10 year to date figure shows the level of sales are down to 15%, and with partners, Essex has made huge strides in managing the night-time economy, such as the Harlow based Criminal Justice Alcohol pilot.

Essex is part of the national Drug Systems Change Pilot, and is leading the way in developing a systems approach to substance misuse commissioning and exploring innovative commissioning approaches to inform national standards and guidelines from 2012. Involvement in the pilot is a testament to an impressive track record of improvement.  The pilot has presented an opportunity for the EDAP to reshape the way that intelligence based needs assessment for drug misuse is undertaken.  New analyses have been used to identify a clear overview of the wider impact of drug misuse on our communities enabling partners to prioritise appropriately and target resources in the most effective way. A practical example is that the assessment has highlighted a previously unidentified cohort of 15–24 year olds who are committing drug related acquisitive crime but not entering the treatment system, and this has enabled the partnership to tailor its interventions over the coming year to meet their needs.

A new and innovative engagement service within the whole criminal justice system has been established. Bringing together two separately commissioned services from the community and HM Prison Service; the new service delivers targeted and quality interventions to drug related offenders. The new service commenced in April 2010 and is the first of its kind in the country. It focuses on breaking the cycle of crime and ultimately seeks to reduce the harm caused to our communities by tackling the causes of drugs misuse, offending and reoffending whilst increasing reintegration. The partnership will deter those who are most at risk from becoming future problematic drug users, continue to make strides to disrupt supply and build resilience, and increase public confidence in local services to tackle the issues of substance misuse.

To reduce substance misuse, particularly by young people in Colchester the SOS bus has been used to provide a day time education resource for primary and secondary schools to highlight the dangers of alcohol and drug use.  Investment has also been made to increase the volume of test purchases of underage alcohol sales and to recruit a schools liaison worker to co-ordinate activities designed to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol misuse and to provide advice and support (Case Study).

In Tendring the ‘KEEP’ Project employs an Open Roads Floating Support worker to work with specialist police officers to address the most prolific drug and alcohol misusing offenders. This worker will help to reduce crime and substance misuse among adults referred whilst also providing a support structure to enable them to obtain employment/training, housing and debt management.

Reduce Re-offending and First Time Entrants to the Criminal Justice System

          Context and Performance

Local adult reoffending rates for 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 in Essex was 8.33% which reduced by 1.12% from the 2007/8 baseline and bettered the regional average of 9.29%. The rate for the whole of England and Wales for the same period was 9.71%.  Whilst this is an improving trend there still significant improvement required to meet the final year Local Area Agreement target (2010/11) for Essex which is a rate of 7.4%.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The Safer Essex Partnership sponsors an exciting programme to transform the support available to ex-offenders and reduce re-offending. Changes include increasing offenders’ visible repayment to their communities by employment of an Unpaid Work Community Liaison Officer; redesigning the education, training and skills programmes for offenders; reducing the number of short-term, ‘revolving door’, prisoners in Essex by increasing the provision of volunteer mentors from the community, and redesigning ‘pathways’ for offenders in relation to mental and physical health.

One of the ECC pledges for 2010/11 is to support and promote initiatives to rehabilitate offenders and provide payback to communities.  From September 2009 to March 2010, offenders from Colchester, Chelmsford and Basildon have worked three days a week on community projects such as maintaining special verges where wildlife flourishes, clearing back bushes, and improving access to coastal paths. By the end of the project it is estimated that 120 offenders will have taken part and made visible reparations to communities as part of their court order. The work also forms part of a wider strategy across Essex the Community Payback scheme - where offenders undertake a number of set hours of work in the community under court order.

Epping Forest District Council called in the services of Essex Probation Community Payback to rid a wall in Epping of graffiti in February 2010. The District Council had received complaints from local residents about graffiti on the wall, which runs along the footpath linking Centre Drive to the Underground Station.  After discovering the wall was owned by a local residents’ association, the Council’s Safer Communities Team purchased paint, brushes and rollers and worked with the Essex Probation Team to arrange for the painting over of the full length of the wall. As part of their sentence, offenders are often ordered by the court to carry out hours of work to pay back the community, as was the case for this wallReduce Serious Violent Crimes and Assaults Causing Injury.

Braintree LSP is delivering a ‘Community Reparation’ project to reintegrate low level offenders back into the community by undertaking a variety of unpaid projects that benefit the wider community in order to reduce re-offending by both adults and young people.

Essex is currently one of four local authority partners involved in the Innovation Catalyst programme on youth crime (formed by the IDeA, Innovation Unit and the Young Foundation). The results from this will inform the effectiveness of interventions with non-offending siblings from families with at least one sibling who is a repeat offender.

A Youth Justice System business plan is in place, delivered through the youth crime prevention group. This ensures more effective commissioning of services for children and young people, ensuring the best use of resources and that projects/services target 'at risk' groups, to reduce the likelihood that they will commit offences.  For more information please see the attached Youth Justice Plan.

ervice redesigns being implemented to reduce first time Youth Justice System entrants, aged 10 – 17, include the provision of a countywide Social Worker to work with Looked After Children placed in residential care to prevent them from offending; and a swift response service to specific offending patterns by young people such as localised fire setting or knife crime.

In Chelmsford there has been investment in Prison No Way, which is organised and run in conjunction with the Youth Offending Team and is targeted at young people on the outskirts of criminal activity from aged 10 and upwards. This project includes a visit to Chelmsford Prison and a meeting with reformed prisoners.

As part of the Home Office funded ‘Operation Vigilance’ programme running between October 2009 and March 2010, the Basildon Community Safety Partnership developed ‘operation Brightshadow’. Between October and December 2009 this operation targeted persistent offenders within the Basildon District.  Analysis shows that Brightshadow was effective and the number of burglaries would have been higher without that Operation (results analysis suggests there would have been 31 more offences). ‘Operation Brightshadow’ has had a positive impact on not just burglary dwelling offence levels but also on all offences where Police presence would act as a deterrent.

Reduce Serious Violent Crimes and Assaults Causing Injury

          Context and Performance

The assault with injury crime rate for 2009/10 was 4.9 (based on 12 month rolling results) which exhibits a slight rise from the previous year (4.8) but is considerably better than the national average which was 7.6 in 2008/9.  The serious violent crime rate was 0.54 per 1,000 or the population in 2009/10, this had worsened from 0.47 the previous year.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Identified actions to improve outcomes include night time economy pilots (Chelmsford and Colchester), use of banning orders, increased deployment of On Track and knife archways at specific premises/locations, test purchasing, dispersal orders and seizure of alcohol.  Essex also received additional resources for 2008/09 and 2009/10 through the Home Office TKAP in support of preventative work around knife crime.

A multi-agency Night Time Economy (NTE) strategy has been produced by Essex Police for use by partners. This provides a framework for responding to problems in the NTE in a consistent and targeted way. Pilot work being undertaken in Colchester includes: the deployment of a multi agency ‘SOS Bus’ targeting the town centre area to reduce opportunity of violent offences occurring; regular licensing checks, which include test purchasing to ensure that high risk groups are not exposed to possible violence and associated injury; high visibility patrols in target areas at key times to deter violence; provision of education programmes in schools that focus on risk taking to promote sensible behaviour and thereby preventing offences, and; developing a crime reduction ‘Toolkit’ that identifies specifically what actions each partner of the CDRP can do practically and easily to combat violent crimes and assaults causing injury.

In Braintree in order to reduce serious violent crimes and assaults causing injury, “Operation Pressure” was undertaken, a covert police operation in the NTE covering three town centres aimed at preventing serious offences occurring and deterring anti-social behaviour.

Reduce Domestic Violence

          Context and Performance

The Government defines domestic violence as "Any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality."

Domestic abuse occurs across society, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, wealth and geography. There are also established links between domestic abuse and child abuse. Domestic abuse accounts for as much as 15% of violent crime nationally. Two women, on average, are killed by a current or former partner each week of the year; 89% of victims who suffer more than four incidents of domestic abuse are women and one domestic abuse incident is reported to police every minute of every day.

The British Medical Association estimates 75-90% of incidents of domestic violence have children in the same or next room. Around 10% of under 16 year olds have lived with domestic violence in the last year. A conservative estimate is that 30% of children in these circumstances are themselves physically abused by the perpetrator and also use violence against their mothers. 

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Essex recognises that domestic abuse is a top priority, as reflected in the LAA and Community Safety Agreement. To help inform our local development, and Home Office research to build a national Coordinated Community Response to domestic abuse, Essex is one of 10 areas taking part in a piece of work from March 2010 ‘Standing Together Against Domestic Violence’, which will build on the review of the Domestic Violence Service that was commissioned by Safer Essex in 2008 and give ECC an opportunity to consider progress and areas for development.

Essex Police is committed to tackling domestic abuse, hate crime and abuse against vulnerable adults. In 2009 it employed a co-ordinator to ensure the successful roll out of multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARACs) across the county. In 2010 work continued with partners to ensure that the quality of this service reaches the highest level and improves the ability of all agencies to protect those victims and their children at most risk of harm.

Additional PRG funding was awarded by Essex Partnership Forum in March 2010 to increase capacity for the support and administration of MARACs across Essex for the next 2 years. The six MARACs in Essex currently each deal with over 80 cases a month.

Essex Police will also be launching a partnership with the National Centre for Domestic Violence, a charity that provides all victims with the opportunity to access free, independent advice and access to emergency injunctions to protect them from future abuse. It has worked with a range of partners and the new ‘Safer Essex’ Board to review the services available to victims, perpetrators and their children and has been integral in setting up the new strategic county group to tackle domestic abuse. Over the next year the new group will seek to advance the multi-agency approach to safeguarding victims and working with perpetrators to reduce their offending behaviour. 

Essex Police and partners are also working to drive performance improvements, including formation of the Essex Police Domestic Abuse Delivery Group, which scrutinises the performance of Essex Police in relation to domestic abuse.

Perhaps one of the greatest recent successes has been the development of a Multi Agency County Strategic Domestic Abuse Group. Building upon the successes of groups such as Essex Against Domestic Violence, the group has embarked upon a programme to roll out the Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) service across the county. The service seeks to provide independent chaperones to vulnerable victims as they seek to end the abuse suffered to date. Essex currently has IDVA coverage across Basildon and Brentwood, and PRG funding was allocated to support the roll out of this service across Essex.   Essex Police are leading on the procurement of this service which aims to be operational by September 2010.

November 25 2010 was White Ribbon Day and partners across Essex including Essex County Councillors and officers from Essex Police showed their support by pledging to never to commit, condone or remain silent about men's violence against women.  White Ribbon Day falls during Domestic Abuse Awareness Week and a range of organisations throughout Essex including Essex County Council, Essex Police, local domestic abuse forums and voluntary agencies joined forces to raise awareness of the issue, challenge perceptions and highlight support available for victims across the county.  One in four women and one in six men will be victims of domestic abuse in their lifetime - although women are more likely to be repeat victims and suffer serious injury; on average two women a week are killed by a male partner or former partner.  In Essex alone in the last year there have been 22,579 incidents of domestic abuse reported to the police (October 2009 – September 2010) and the number of women accommodated in refuges has increased by 15%. 

Harlow and Broxbourne Women’s Aid is establishing a specialist unit where more intensive support can be provided to support women with complex needs. The introduction of the scheme also enables victims of domestic violence to remain in their own homes and feel safe and also prevents homeless applications. From January to March 2009 one property has been converted and since April four further requests have been received, one of which is going ahead. However, the Sanctuary Scheme is expensive with an average cost to convert a property of £2,000.

Training for frontline staff has been identified as a key area of work both nationally and locally. Essex Police has invested in training for a range of frontline staff, from probationary constables, through to specialist domestic abuse investigators and victim care officers to staff at the force information room control centre. The programme of training is now moving to multi-agency training coordinated by the County Strategic Group.

Chelmsford LSP has introduced domestic violence awareness training in schools. Chelmsford and Maldon Domestic Violence Forum has also planned and is implementing a training programme between 2009 and 2011 to enable front line staff to effectively signpost enquiries. The forum also plans to increase the number of initiatives in relation to raising awareness of support available to victims of domestic violence, and plan to deliver leaflets to GP surgeries and health centres and give talks to communicate messages and identify and support other community initiatives.

Telecare initiatives in the county also support community safety by promoting the service to people at risk of domestic violence, racial harassment, repeat victimisation or distraction burglary, as well as those with direct care needs.

Reduce Serious Acquisitive Crime

          Context and Performance

Serious acquisitive crime performance is monitored against Essex Police force targets of a 5% reduction. Levels reduced to 11.5 per 1,000 in 2009/10 but based on current data, performance is currently not likely to reach the police target, however the national average of 19 per 1,000 has been bettered.  In the 12 Months to December 2009 14.9% of serious acquisitive offenders were brought to justice, an annual improvement of 2.7%.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

To help reduce serious "economic"-based acquisitive crime a Trading Standards Intelligence Officer has been appointed. The Trading Standards Accredited Financial Investigator has completed training with Essex Police and now has a caseload. ECC Trading Standards continues to target investigations into deliberate, dishonest, fraudulent criminal trading activity as a priority.

Up to 30% of all acquisitive crime such as burglary is estimated to be drug related and the Essex Drug and Alcohol Partnership ensures that substance misusing offenders have access to treatment, reducing the likelihood that they will offend again.

Operation Christmas Cracker, the multi-agency initiative backed by Essex County Council, Essex Police and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, has been hailed a resounding success after acquisitive crime fell by 31% during the period of the operation. The activity, which ran from 30 November 2009 to the 31 December 2009, focused on shoppers in Chelmsford, Basildon, Colchester, Maldon, Braintree, Clacton, Brentwood and Harlow. Advice was given on how to minimise their risk of becoming a victim of purse thieves during the busy Christmas shopping season. Purse bells and security chains were also handed out along with tips given on how to keep belongings safe whilst out and about. In addition there was an increased police presence with plain clothes and uniformed patrols being deployed during shopping hours; areas where known purse thieves or ‘dippers’ operated were also targeted and mobile CCTV units stationed in key areas. In total 190 arrest were made; 106 stops were conducted; 27 intelligence reports were generated; 19 final penalty warnings and 28 dispersal orders issued.

In Tendring a project called TENBAC (Tendring Business Against Crime) is being implemented by using PRG to focus on reducing business crime.

Provide Specialist Support to Victims of Serious Sexual Offences

          Context and Performance

Between 2006 and 2009 the proportion of serious sexual assault offences in Essex which were solved deteriorated from 30 to 24, despite this current performance matches that of peer forces.

Essex Police continues to work closely with partners to protect the public from organised criminality and violent offenders. There is a commitment to tackling serious violent crime, including serious sexual offences and bringing offenders to justice.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Arrangements to monitor known sex offenders are good. The Probation Service takes the lead role in managing the countywide infrastructure that is supported by local groups within the safeguarding arrangements. One County Council officer attends all meetings to ensure that information is collated and available to staff. The same service manages the database of adults posing a risk to children and responds to enquiries from other local authorities.

Oakwood Place will become the first Sexual Assault Referral Centre in the county when it opens in the grounds of Brentwood Community Hospital later in 2010. The safe and confidential centre will give the best care available in Essex to anyone who has experienced sexual assault and violence by bringing together health professionals, police officers, paediatricians and crisis workers under one roof.  The centre, which has been commissioned by Essex Police and primary care trusts through the county, will provide a 24-hour service seven days a week.  Sexual violence advisors and sexual health nurses will be available at the centre to help and, if clients agree, evidence can be collected to help police in their investigations.

Additionally, Essex Police has taken steps to improve performance in this area in recent years, including a review of Sexual Offence Trained Officers (SOTOs) and establishing a Rape Investigation Steering Group which has reviewed and re-written policies and procedures regarding police response to victims of rape.

Reduce the Number of Children and Young People Experiencing Crime or Bullying

          Context and Performance

The impact of crime on children can be considerable in terms of mental health and emotional well being. Bullying is also a particular concern. The last ‘Tell-Us3 survey’ found only 31% of children felt schools dealt with bullying ‘very or quite well’ compared with a national average of 35%. 46% believed it was “not very well/badly” handled (England figure is 44%)

The 2010 SHEU survey found that 9% of secondary school pupils in Essex have been a crime victim in the last 12 months (down from14% in 2008). 4% of these were attacked and 2% had a mobile phone stolen.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

An Anti-Bullying Strategy has been approved by Essex Safeguarding Children Board and an Anti-Bullying Coordinator champions the strategies roll-out. Conferences have been held at schools on cyber bullying and homophobic bullying.  Peer mentoring is established in many secondary schools and the play leader scheme is in many primary schools.  The anti-bullying steering group meets regularly to drive forward the strategy and targets, and work on anti-bullying was also described as a major strength in the county’s 2008 JAR Inspection.  

A parental complaints procedure has been re-vamped resulting in a more consistent and speedy response; training has also increased levels of confidence and skills in dealing with bullying.

An anti-bullying conference was held at Towerlands Conference Centre in Braintree in November 2009. The conference was planned, organised and run by members of the Young Essex Assembly’s Beat Bullying group. Pupils and teachers from 24 schools across Essex attended, including primary, secondary and special schools.  Training sessions around bullying and performing arts workshops were held to inspire the young people to create a performance around bullying in their own schools, with the final performance being showcased at the Mercury Theatre in 2010.

A new anti-bullying DVD has been sent to every school in Essex following a special premiere at the Empire Cinema in Basildon on Wednesday 17 March 2010.  The DVD shows what it is like to be bullied, but finishes with a positive message on how to unmask a bully.  The teaching pack and DVD, titled ‘The Last Laugh’, was developed to present the findings and recommendations made by the Essex Youth Scrutiny Committee (EYSC) on bullying, and to help stimulate discussion in schools.  In the summer of 2009 EYSC consulted over 1,600 young people at events across Essex, and discovered that bullying was the issue that caused them the most concern. The EYSC then carried out further investigations into bullying, and produced a report with 12 recommendations, which was endorsed by the County Council’s Scrutiny Board.

Reduce Anti-Social Behaviour and the Fear of Crime

          Context and Performance

British Crime Survey polling shows the people of Essex have more confidence in their police force and councils than anywhere else in England and Wales.  Crime in Essex in 2009 fell by 6.3% per cent which meant that there were 7,243 less crimes and anti-social behaviour was down by 5 per cent.  Despite the fact that Essex is one of the safest parts of the country, we are aware that perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour have a negative impact on residents' quality of life, and public surveys highlight that crime is one of Essex citizen’s top concerns. 

Perception of anti-social behaviour from the 2009 Place Survey, showed an outturn of 14.9% which is better than target (20.8) and the national average (20), improving from 21.5% in 2006/7.   Furthermore the percentage of people who think that the police and local councils are dealing with antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter in this area’ improved from 49.0% for the year ending 31st December 2008 to 57.9% for the year ending 31st December 2009, placing Essex second in the country.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

In June 2010 Essex County Council, Essex Police and the Safer Essex Partnership agreed an Essex-wide set of minimum standards that will apply when dealing with reports of anti-social behaviour. The standards define how community safety partnerships work together to respond to reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and how a complaint should be dealt with in the longer term.  An ASB strategy has also been produced to outline key priorities and areas of work. Quarterly meetings also take place for ASB practitioners to promote key areas of work, share best practice and raise issues of concern. 

The realisation of Essex County Council’s pledge to deliver ten operations to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the county has been hailed a success.  All ten operations, which were planned and implemented in partnership with Essex Police and other organisations, targeted very specific areas of need within the county.  The operations took place in all districts and have been successful in improving safety and feelings of safety in local areas.  The Stow in Harlow saw the number of anti-social behaviour reports reduce by 86% following intensive activity in the area, that’s 14 less reports from September to December 2009.

Following consultations with the local residents to identify their key concerns, Essex County Council and its partners on the Coastal Renaissance Partnership Board, have announced in August 2010 that CCTV cameras will be installed in the Brooklands Garden area.  Recent crime prevention and detection activities under the Operation Impact banner have had a significant impact on the numbers of incidents in Jaywick, with 50% less burglaries being recorded and a 20% reduction in criminal damage.

The Children's Trust, Essex Police, Heart FM and the University of Essex joined forces in 2010 to bring the 2Smart Summer roadshow to hundreds of young people in Essex. Year seven pupils watched the 2SMART performers in action while learning important messages about how to be 2SMART for bullying, alcohol, knives and drugs. The 2SMART shows allow young people to be better informed to make them stop and think before taking the wrong direction in life.

The “Be Smart Be Safe” booklet is a key mechanism for communicating with our older population and was distributed to the homes of all older people in Essex in 2009 (over 100,000 homes and 150,000 people). It contains advice on healthy living, falls prevention, staying safe and warm (including benefits advice), details of the “buy with confidence” safe tradesman scheme and contact details of local support organisations. Over 10,000 older people provided feedback on the booklet and their priorities and 95.5% said that the booklet was ‘useful’ or ‘very useful’ and helped to put them in touch with local services that can provide the advice, care and support needed for them to continue to live in their own homes. It also identified a particular need in rural areas and this led to the development of ‘Village Agents.

Essex has been involved in the national “Not in My Neighbourhood” initiative to spell out this message clearly to criminals, which saw a series of events, organised in partnership between local crime and disorder reduction partnerships, the police, EDAP and residents’ groups, across the county. During the week police also cracked down on crime and ASB hotspots. Examples of the other work have included an intensive week long graffiti removal campaign and a recruitment drive to create new Neighbourhood Watch groups in Epping Forest, a litter pick by teachers and pupils from local schools in Braintree to tidy up the town and an educational theatre production about road safety that will tour Chelmsford schools.

Essex has a co-ordinated Older People’s Community Safety programme which includes home safety checks for both health and personal safety and the extension of ‘no cold calling zones’, as well as actions to improve feelings of safety such as a review of street lightning and ensuring advice, information and guidance about community safety is actively promoted. 19 new No Cold Calling Zones have already been established in 2009-10, taking the total to 58. New zones are prioritised based on data on frequently targeted areas and Neighbourhood Watch and Parish Council requests. 96% of citizens responded positively when asked “Do you feel reassured now that your area is designated a ‘No Cold Calling Zone’.

Essex County residents in September 2009 voted for the community project they feel is most deserving of funding from the new Community Cashback scheme. The scheme gives local people a say in how £4million of recovered criminal assets, such as confiscated cash or property, should be spent in their communities. The four community projects being taken forward in Essex are as follows:

• Respect, Colchester – Essex Boys’ and Girls’ Club’s 12 week programme for young people aged 14 – 15 showing signs of disengaging from education and either falling into crime or becoming victims of crime.
• Ninefields Community Centre, Waltham Abbey – Renovation of the community centre which has been subjected to vandalism and criminal activity over the past five years. 
• Basildon SOS Bus – The bus will be used at weekends at Festival Leisure Park for a safe haven for anyone feeling vulnerable, cold or who has become separated from friends, and also helps look after revellers who have drunk too much or taken drugs. Braintree Prevention, Outreach and Development – A multi-purpose outreach vehicle providing first aid, education, kitchen and toilet facilities. Its aim is to tackle anti-social behaviour hot spots in Braintree town centre.

A young man from Basildon who turned his life around thanks to the Basildon Community Safety Partnership funded ‘Firebreak’ scheme, has won a regional award and is now in the national finals. V Youth Volunteering have named 20 year-old Craig Warren as the regional Legend Award Winner in their Vinspired Awards for his work volunteering for Essex County Fire and Rescue at community events. He will now go on the shortlist for the national award which will be announced in January 2011.  Five years ago Craig’s school recognised that his behaviour was getting out of control and put him forward to take part in Essex County Fire and Rescue’s Firebreak course, which is funded by the Basildon Community Safety Partnership. Craig said: “I was taking drugs, drinking and stealing cars. Basically I was completely off the rails. But then I got invited onto Firebreak and it changed my life. I gave up all of my bad ways and am now in a happy and stable relationship and working towards a public services course at college as well as volunteering as a youth worker. “Firebreak has changed my life, I no longer drink or take drugs and am now working to become a firefighter myself.” Firebreak takes groups of twelve 14 and 15 year-olds and puts them on a week long intensive course takes them through the same disciplines that recruit firefighters learn including using breathing apparatus, taking control of the high powered jet hoses, ladder rescues and the importance of teamwork.  The week culminates in a pass-out ceremony where the students get a chance to show off the new skills they have learned in front of an audience of their parents and teachers.

In Castle Point the Third Avenue Community Initiative is a multi agency action group tackling issues in geographical areas of most concern.  Improvements included clearing litter more effectively, fire proof litter bins, gating, eviction of persistent troublemakers, parent support, high profile underage drinking operation, covert surveillance, out of hours noise reporting, dispersal order and new NHW scheme.

Colchester Borough Council and Essex Police joined forces in January 2010 to set up an anti-social behaviour telephone hotline. The hotline will allow victims of anti-social behaviour to speak to a specialist team who will be able to deal with their call more efficiently. Using a dedicated team to receive complaints ensures that each call is dealt with by the most appropriate agency.

Tendring funds SAAIF (Stopping Aggression and ASB in Families) to reduce ASB and aggressive behaviour by young people in the family home and in turn reduce the levels of ASB these young people exhibit in the community.

Respond to Emergency Situations

          Context and Performance

In the aftermath of any disaster there can be an enormous amount of distress, not only for the immediate victims, survivors and family and friends of those involved but also the wider community and responders. The experiences of these people in the immediate aftermath may significantly influence how they cope with the effects of the disaster and how quickly the community is restored to normality.

The needs of people affected by a disaster should be the focus of any emergency response. The effectiveness of that response is dependent upon the commitment and resources of the relevant agencies in accepting their responsibilities. This requires training, adequate resources, and an acceptance of the need to incorporate the social and psychological effects of disasters in every aspect of emergency planning.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The Essex Resilience Forum (ERF) sits at the apex of Essex' local civil protection arrangements. Its overall purpose is to ensure that there is an appropriate level of preparedness to enable an effective multi-agency response to emergencies which may have a significant impact on the communities of Essex.

This Community Risk Register is the first step in the emergency planning process; ensuring that planning and other work is carried out in proportion to the risk. Whilst the requirement to produce this is recent, responders within Essex have always been proactive in identifying risks and in working to mitigate the effects of the risks should they cause a major emergency.

Over the last five years ECC’s Emergency Planning Team has spearheaded the development of a Package of Care to minimise the impact that disasters might have on Essex residents, and address shortfalls in existing care and support frameworks. The Package of Care tracks people through each stage of recovery and includes Reception Centres, Telephone Support Line, Public Information (leaflets, web pages), Longer Term Support and Crisis Support (Case Study).

In a joint move to save money and combine expertise, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is to develop a service-level agreement with Essex County Council to take over the running of its existing emergency planning activities and to create a single, consolidated organisation. The decision to create a powerful partnership operation to mastermind the County’s response to emergency or disaster and to deal with the effective recovery from any such incident is an innovative move and builds on the Fire Service’s lead resilience role in chairing the Essex Resilience Forum.  The agreement was announced at the annual meeting of Essex Fire Authority in June 2010.

More than 150 aviation enthusiasts have joined forces with police to provide extra 'eyes and ears' for security around Stansted airport.  The enthusiasts who regularly visit the airport to watch and photograph passenger, private and cargo-carrying aircraft, have signed up to Essex Police's PlaneWatch scheme which was officially launched in July 2010.  All 150 members of the group have been vetted and issued with identity cards so that they can be recognised by officers who patrol the perimeters of the airport.

 Performance Tracking Measures Key Strategies and Plans

Improve Access to Services and Community Facilities

          Context and Performance

Research shows that issues rural communities face, include poor accessibility; closures of shops; and fewer services. 50.5% of rural Essex also falls within the most deprived 10% nationally for access to housing and services (IMD 2007).  Access to services is also an issue for specific vulnerable groups and our many diverse communities. There is a commitment across the county to developing strong, inclusive communities which enable all Essex residents to achieve their potential by removing barriers that prevent fair access to services and participation in public life.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

The Essex Rural Commission met for the first time in October 2008. It is backed by a number of nationally recognised experts and provides guidance regarding how best to support rural areas. The Essex Rural Commission (ERC) officially unveiled an innovative report featuring 60 recommendations for supporting rural communities and economies in October 2009. This is a unique initiative, and marks the first time a report of this kind has been produced anywhere in the country.  The Commission has looked into the substantial environmental, economic and social changes facing the county in the future. Many of these similarly affect rural communities in other parts of the UK, while some are distinct to Essex itself. The recommendations made by the Commission have been split into 12 priority areas to form the ‘Essex Rural Clock’. This illustrates the broad range of possibilities that the ERC has addressed, and the scale of the challenge ahead.

A key strand of work for the Essex Rural Commission, is to ensure the delivery of broadband to Essex' more remote communities. Within the strapline 'to expand rural enterprise in Essex' the recommendation is for the expansion of New Generation Access Broadband via all available technologies, with a view to making it easier to run a rural business in the county.  Residents and businesses across Maldon District will soon be able to experience ultra fast broadband without the need for a phone line.  The pilot will enable the Maldon District to connect to broadband with aggregate throughput speeds of 100Mb/s. Coverage across the Maldon District has been available from June 2010.

In April 2010 ECC rolled out an expansive broadband upgrade and introduced Wi-Fi connections into every library, ensuring all library customers have access to state-of-the-art internet.  The people’s network computers in Essex Libraries have also been updated making them much faster, with upgraded screen menus to make accessing email, information and social networking (for over 16s) easier. The new, reliable Wi-Fi connections will also allow anyone with a laptop or smart phone to access the internet free of charge during library opening hours eliminating waiting time for library computers, ending time limit on ‘surfing’ and letting users save work straight to their personal device. This action provides flexible working for Essex residents as well as the opportunity for businesses to use any Essex Library as a meeting venue or base for working remotely.

Many local communities in Essex believe that they are unable to access basic services using public transport. Whilst this is true in many instances this feeling of rural isolation is often a result of not knowing where the local bus goes or what services can be accessed using the local bus. RCCE is working in partnership with ECC to try and help local communities utilise existing service provision to its full potential by developing new “Route Maps to Key Services”. Following a similar format to current bus timetables the new route maps will also include information on the average cost of journeys, average journey times, how to use the bus to access hospitals and an easy to follow route map that indicates which services are available within a 10 minute walk of each bus stop.

One project currently being worked on is Pub is the Hub, a new innovative partnership has been formed in December 2009 to help retain and improve the Essex village pub. Pub is the Hub, a “not for profit” advisory body has teamed up with Essex County Council and the Rural Community Council for Essex to help village pubs in the county to diversify and become stronger by providing essential services to their communities. Pub is the Hub was inspired by HRH the Prince of Wales in 2001 and is affiliated to His Royal Highness’s Rural Action Programme. It works across England and Wales on projects ranging from providing local shops to encouraging the local sourcing of products, accommodating Post Office services, providing local school meals, IT training or community centres.

Essex’ programme to reopen a number of Post Offices put the county firmly at the forefront of articulating neighbourhood concerns about the loss of these valuable community assets.  Essex was the first local authority to reopen a post office branch back in September 2008 and has opened a further 9 since. Community Information Points providing access to and information about, local council services have also been included in each re-opened Post Office branch. 

Some 200 other local authorities have looked to Essex for advice and guidance and Post Office Limited has issued guidance for other councils wanting to follow the Essex approach,. Representatives from Essex were also invited to the ‘Supporting Local Post Offices’ Conference in January 2010 to explore how local councils and the post office network can work together more effectively in order to sustain the network and prevent further closures.  The post office campaign has gained national recognition by winning several awards from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the Public Relations Consultancy Association (PRCA) and the Municipal Journal (MJ).

Essex County Council has announced the launch of an exciting ‘Big Society’ pilot project exploring how community groups can make better use of council buildings. The pilot is a joint venture between the council and Walton Pre-School, and is one of three national pilot projects commissioned by DCLG following applications made in June 2010.  This project aims to promote community involvement in the running of local public services and is supported by a government grant of £25,000.

“A Modernisation Review of Public Libraries” published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sports in 2010 commended the Essex Home Library service for the service it delivers:  The service visits people who are unable to reach the library because of disability, age or long-term illness. Volunteers deliver books, CDs, DVDs and information to customers in their homes, and chat to them about reading.

The Community Initiatives Fund (CIF) is split between the county's 12 Districts and successful bids can range from a few hundred pounds to many thousands. The highly successful CIF has funded over 1000 projects and has seen £9m invested by ECC (worth more than £62 Million). These schemes might not have happened without this kick-start. The local projects included those centered on public open spaces and refurbished community centres to skate parks and playbuses. CIF was shortlisted in the Community Involvement category of the 2009 LGC Awards. Whilst the CIF has been reduced to £550,000 in 2011 – 2012, a £1.4m Big Society Fund has been set up to provide small, flexible grants at grass roots level.

Over the next four years Essex County Council will be supporting residents as they decide how they will spend £100,000 to benefit their community. The People’s £100k Community Chest will be awarding twelve £100,000 grants to projects that will make a considerable difference to neighbourhoods in Essex. During 2009/10 the fund awarded three grants to the districts of Harlow, Castle Point and Tendring.   Once the finalists were selected by an independent judging panel they were then be subject to a public ballot, with every household in the selected wards eligible to vote.

The Council’s Information Portal has been further developed in 2010 and during the last year over 7,000 citizens have accessed the portal, and 29% of all visitors have returned for further information.  The portal provides access to a wealth of information relating to health, housing, transport, leisure, community safety and local services and has been expanded through working with over 40 3^rd sector organisations, and consulting with over 1,000 residents, to broaden the range of information in a way that is easily accessible and user friendly.  Multiple language and easy read options have been made available. The customer centric design provides a feedback loop which maps customer pathways into the system and enables gaps to be identified and filled. A supplier directory has been added to the portal with contact details for a range of health and social care providers, local organisations and clubs and learning and training opportunities.

The Options of Independent Living (OIL) Transport Partnership has been awarded the Claudia Flanders award for accessibility at the recent National UK Bus Awards. Essex County Council’s Options for Independent Living (OIL) partnership with access groups, bus operators and CPT Essex has worked for a number of years to increase travel choice for individuals. Its ‘Try a Bus’ initiative helps older people and those with disabilities, many of whom will have last used public transport many years ago, to try the bus and engage with transport personnel again, thus giving them the knowledge and confidence to return to regular public transport use. This, together with the Council’s initiative to improve access to key services for isolated and disadvantaged residents in rural areas through its Accessibility Planning Strategy, and in particular its ‘Access Braintree’ project, appealed to the judges as simple and practical ways by which older and less mobile residents could be encouraged to use conventional bus services, improving their quality of life.

The ‘My Home Life’ project in Essex is helping to improve the quality of life for older people in residential and nursing care. The project involves working directly with care home managers through relationship-centred evidence-based practice to develop sustainable initiatives that will ensure older people in residential care remain engaged with the community. These include inviting the community into residential care homes, as well as ensuring residents are able to access local amenities.

The Life Opportunities initiative in Colchester and the Addressing Inequalities initiative in Chelmsford are examples of targeting small geographical areas where inequalities exist including access to Education Health and Housing (Case Study).

Increase Participation in Volunteering

          Context and Performance

There are at least 10,000 voluntary and community groups across Essex, all of which do amazing work within their communities but rely upon volunteers in order to survive. 

The Essex Partnership understands that volunteering is an essential building block of community cohesion, a gateway to training and employment, a source of pride, self-esteem and well-being for volunteers, and a provider of essential services to the community.  The participation in regular volunteering for Essex was 24.5% against a target of 26% in 2009/10.

         Actions to Improve Outcomes

ECC has developed a single funding gateway, to include PCTs and Districts, for both grant and tendering opportunities. ECC has championed the role of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in delivering the second LAA, including ensuring VCS representation on the EMB.

The Essex Partnership has agreed with the voluntary and community sector an Essex Compact and codes of practice which apply to partnership working and cover public engagement and consultation, grants, contracts and procurement, volunteering, and marginalised groups.

To increase the level of volunteering radically in Essex, the Sustainable Essex Partnership is sponsoring the development and implementation of employee volunteering policies and best practice networking, across the public sector. Additionally, Chelmsford, Braintree, Brentwood, Rochford and Colchester LSPs are directing PRG into schemes that will transform the scale of volunteering in their areas.  For example a new post of Funding Officer has been created in Basildon  within the Council’s Sustainable Communities Service, to administer not only the Council’s own grant schemes and Service Level Agreements, but also to support voluntary and community sector organisations to identify and apply for other sources of funding.

During July 2009 Community Voluntary Services Tendring hosted and co-ordinated the ‘First Thriving Voluntary Sector Conference’.  The day enabled those attending to take advantage of the many services and facilities on hand to help develop organisations.  Following the success of the first event a second conference in July 2010 had the theme ‘It’s Only Money the Great Debate’.

The Mersea Island Festival ran from Sunday 22 August to Monday 30 August 2010 attracting over 400 visitors. Its aims were to enable young people age 13 to 25 to increase their participation in sporting, leisure and volunteering activities, which are key for improving confidence levels, independence and achievement levels amongst those with disabilities.  Those young people attending from Essex who have a disability were provided with respite care, enabling them to be fully involved in all activities and event.

ECC is encouraging its employees to make a difference to their local community through volunteering. Under the ‘Essex Volunteers’ scheme employees may take up to two days’ paid leave to volunteer. It is expected that this may spark a longer-term interest and commitment. ECC launched the scheme to help develop and strengthen its links with the local community, to help its employees develop and build a range of skills and abilities that can be brought back to the workplace and to make a difference to the local community.

Promote Participation in Arts and Cultural Activities

          Context and Performance

2008/9 was a bumper year for cultural activity in Essex. During the recession, visits to Essex attractions increased by 13% as against a 10% increase regionally and a 1% decline nationally.  This was helped by the year long Jiangsu Festival celebrating our 20 year relationship with the Chinese province.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Building on the success of last years Jiangsu festival is the launch of the One World arts festival, an 8 month celebration of cultural activity, running from March to October 2010, which will see hundreds of county-wide events taking place (Case Study). The festival will champion everything that’s inspirational about Essex and the way its people, diversity and traditions have contributed to its culture. It will raise awareness of the region’s cultural offerings, remembering the contribution that black and ethnic minority groups make to Essex culture, as well as forming part of Essex’s contribution to the Cultural Olympiad for London 2012.

OneWorld’s first event on 17th March saw Germaine Greer debate cultural identity with Sarfraz Manzoor, at a panel event chaired by BBC Essex’s Dave Monk.   Other planned events will allow people to watch a play in the park, Morris dance in the streets, learn to sing gospel or escape the rain and enjoy a bit of Spain with salsa classes. A large part of the programme will emerge from partners around the county, raising awareness of some of Essex’ biggest annual events, such as the Ganesh Festival on Shoeburyness beach, one of the biggest Hindu festivals outside India. There’ll be Bollywood in Tendring, Vaisakhi celebrations in Chelmsford and lessons in what it’s like to be an artist-in-residence in the Antarctic.  The festival’s closing event will be a celebration of Black History Month in Essex.

ECC has redeveloped its tourism website so that it is integrated in the regional and national tourism websites and has put together a website marketing plan. The website was re-launched in July 2009 and has received positive feedback. So far the site has 72,570 unique users. The website called Explore Culture allows users to check out all of the cultural events and activities taking place across the County. It features an innovative Explore Machine where users can input their favorite activities and it will produce a tailor made list of the things they are interested in.

The Essex Book Festival was nationally recognised in 2008 as the model for other library services. An impressive host of award-winning writers have signed up to appear at venues across the county as part of the Essex Book Festival 2011.  The line up for next year’s spectacular festival, now in its 12^th year, is one of the best yet and features a number of well-known writers as well as new and up-and-coming authors, both nationally and internationally. Top names include comedian David Baddiel discussing his fourth novel “The Death of Eli Gold”, US crime writer Sara Paretsky creator of V.I. Warshawski, TV broadcaster Peter Sissons and novelist Michael Dobbs creator of Francis Urquhart. Bestselling authors include: Julian Stockwin – author of the Naval Kydd series which includes “Seaflower”, “Mutiny”, “Command” and the latest book “Victory”; Andrea Levy – author of Small Island, her new novel “The Long Song” is has been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize; Aminatta Forna – author of “Ancestor Stones”, “The Devil that Danced on Water” and “The Memory of Love”; Kim Edwards – the US author of best selling novel “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter”; Lesley Pearse – popular UK novelist who has written “Stolen”, Faith” and “Secrets”. National columnists include: Simon Heffer from The Daily Telegraph; Peter Stothard – Editor of the The Times Literary Supplement and previously Editor of The Times; Elizabeth Day from The Observer; Will Hutton from The Guardian.  As usual the Festival also features many Essex authors including: Jojo Moyes writer of “The last letter from your lover”; Patricia Burns – The Southend author of “Follow your Dream”; Bernadine Kennedy – author of “Shattered Lives”, “Past Chances” and “Taken”; Kimberley Chambers – described as the new Martina Cole, books include “Billie-Jo”, “The Feud” and “Born Evil”.  The Essex Book Festival runs throughout March 2011 and covers a wide range of themes from history to poetry to thrillers.  The Essex Book Festival will be working with a whole host of partners to ensure it maintains its reputation as one of the very best literary festivals in the country. The festival is managed by Essex Libraries in partnership with district and borough councils and Thurrock Unitary Council.

A series of spectacular handovers were arranged for Essex’ first ever Summer of Art relay baton in 2010. The inaugural art baton has made its way between each art trail via a series of innovative carriages, including RNLI boat, horse, goosewagon and classic car. The batons forms part of the celebrations for the Essex Summer of Art, a county-wide cultural fest which saw 18 trails bring art into the community and showcase the very best of Essex’s thriving cultural scene. The Summer of Art relay baton, a scroll of paper passed around the 18 art trails and decorated by an artist from every trail. Celebrating the relationships between the trails, and in support of the upcoming Olympics, the baton will eventually unfurl to form one long continuous piece of art, which will be exhibited at the end of the Summer of Art in October 2010. Essex Summer of Art is a partnership project between Colchester-based visual arts organisation “firstsuite”, Essex County Council’s Arts Development, tourism and 2012 Legacy teams and participating districts boroughs, and unitary councils.

Geocaching programmes have now been installed at 9 country parks in Essex, with equipment available to hire or purchase. Geocaching involves the use of modern GPS technology to lead people to caches, normally small boxes hidden around the local area. These boxes contain a logbook to record visits and often some “treasure”, which is usually a small souvenir contained within the cache. On the hunt for treasure, visitors will take in sites such as ancient trees or learn about the mysteries of secret formations which are often overlooked. All the caches for this project will be located close to sites of specific historical or cultural interest and additional information regarding these sites will be available on the geocaching website, www.geocaching,com. The move comes after the Essex County Council and Trailnet were awarded a £50,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to install geocaching.

Providing Play Facilities and Support Parents to Raise Their Children Well

          Context and Performance

Parents not raising their children well and having no access to play facilities has knock on ramifications with possible impacts on educational attainment and attendance, links with crime and antisocial behaviour and also the health of those children in question through obesity, smoking and the misuse of drugs and alcohol as they move into adulthood.  Given the significant cost to the public purse that these associated problems can bring, taking preventative action early is appropriate for social and economic reasons.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) focus on families with multiple problems to provide intensive parenting and family support in order to improve outcomes for the families in question while also providing significant savings in local public service costs.  This preventative approach focuses on a broad range of negative causal factors rather than individual risks and can prevent problems escalating to crisis level where public service costs in providing a solution can escalate.  While 15 pathfinders for this initiative have been established, every local authority has also been given some “pump priming” through the previous Government to set up projects to work in a different way with these families and have shown some fantastic results.  In Essex two FIPs have been set up including work under the DCSF’s Youth Crime Action Plan in Tendring and also the Home Office Respect Agenda which is looking at Anti-Social behaviour in Harlow.

Children's Centres are the next stage in the ongoing development of Sure Start programmes and are being established in many areas across Essex.  A Children's Centre can offer the following services for children under five and their families – Education and Childcare; Family support and outreach work; Child and family health services; and links to jobcentres and training providers.  From April 2008 these children’s centre’s were made available to 50,000 children aged up to 5 covering all of the 30% most deprived areas.

The Extended Schools Strategy Group is multi-agency and recognised by the Government Office as an example of good practice. The Extended Schools Strategic Action Plan drives activities including summer play schemes. There are twelve Play Strategies, led by district councils but developed in partnership.

Groups of young people in Essex have the chance to apply for the next round of cash grants via the county’s YouthBank.  A pot of £1.35 million is available to fund hundreds of projects in Essex in the next funding round which was announced in January 2010. The funds are provided by the Department for Education and Skills and administered by Essex County Council. Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Fund grants are open to all young people aged from 13 – 19 or for young people with disabilities up to the age of 25.  Applications are considered by a panel of young people who volunteer to be part of Essex YouthBank. Last year 271 projects were funded including drama workshops, camping trips, skate parks and the set up of a new youth club.

2 Smart Summer tour has been underway throughout 2010.  Led by Essex Police this show features acts and performers to entertain but also to teach something interesting about hot topics such as bullying, alcohol, drugs and knives.  

Children and young people can access a range of recreational and voluntary activities in Essex. Youth workers deliver a range of activities in each area including supporting the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award through schools and open award centres with over 2,000 young people involved. The voluntary sector is supported by the Council to deliver voluntary youth provision. A group has been set up to work with young people to overcome financial barriers to involvement, for example in relation to transport.

Free leisure cards for looked after children are being made available across the county. Local Delivery Groups are aware of the looked after children in their area and are targeting the provision of extended school activities at these children. Similarly, the county libraries service targets information about out of school activities, such as The Great Summer Read. ‘Team Read’ is a summer reading challenge running in all libraries for children aged up to 10, this takes inspiration from the Olympic Games and focuses on sports. Children will be challenged to collect medals for reading books, at bronze, silver or gold levels.

The ‘Fun in the Sun’ fair featured a range of organisations, each providing family activities, courses or attractions in Chelmsford and beyond during the school summer holidays. Attendees could find out about wildlife parks, farm parks, museums and play-schemes or sign children up for holiday clubs and sports courses.

Undertake Regeneration

          Context and Performance

In support of developing sustainable communities, Essex has one of the most significant regeneration agendas in the country, focusing on major growth areas, such as the Thames and Haven Gateways, and those with significant deprivation, such as Jaywick in Tendring (Case Study).

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

Essex County Council puts the regeneration of South Essex at the top of our priorities. As a major public sector landowner we work hard to ensure that what do with our assets, and the way we commission new projects such as schools, contributes to the continuing improvement of the area as somewhere to live and work.   We programme manage the South Essex Parklands programme, are active members of the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership and promote the benefits of investment in the area across many national fora (Case Study). Looking ahead, despite tighter public finances, our new partnership with public and private sector colleagues in the Kent and Essex Local Enterprise Partnership will continue to prioritise the development of South Essex, championing key investments and new  legislative freedoms and flexibilities to help the area grow.

ECC has also led an innovative sports approach to regeneration and with Basildon DC and Basildon Renaissance Partnership has embarked on an ambitious project to regenerate the town centre, using the redevelopment of the town's key sports facilities as a pivotal element of this master plan. Inspired by the successful London 2012 Bid, the Basildon Sporting Village has now been approved by Basildon Councillors and work on the project began on the 12th October 2009. The new centre, which will include the only 50 metre pool in Essex will be up and running for residents in April 2011. The facility that will also include a regional gymnastics centre has already been named in London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games official Pre Games Training camp guide for London 2012. Having the facility completed in time for the venue to be available as a Pre Games Training Camp has been the catalyst that helped maintain the project's momentum.

The Brentwood town centre enhancement scheme was completed in December 2009 (Case Study).  The enhancement of Brentwood High Street has transformed the quality of the town centre for all its users from businesses, shoppers, pedestrians and visitors alike. Reactions to the scheme have been positive at all levels of stakeholder ownership.

A new Regeneration Strategy is being developed by INTend which will have a clear and focused delivery plan to drive forward regeneration across the Tendring District.  Some speculative development, including small business units is also taking place.

Although much regeneration activity takes place in urban areas, it must also be noted that the majority of Essex is rural. Essex has long realised the potential of its rural economy in delivering a sustainable economy for the County as a whole. To promote rural entrepreneurship Essex County Council, has worked with Writtle College and Business Link for Essex, to help a range of businesses grow their leadership, marketing and business development skills. The recent campaign to save Essex Post Offices recognises the importance of postal services to rural businesses that are otherwise at risk of exclusion from the market place.

Maximise Benefits from the 2012 Olympics.

          Context and Performance

The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are getting closer.  Essex is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the vast range of opportunities and maximise the benefits that the 2012 Games will bring to the county.  Our long tradition of delivering community sports participation projects and securing external funding has been carried forward into the 2012 Legacy work.

In March 2009 Essex was awarded Beacon status for outstanding work in using the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to encourage communities to be more active. The award recognises local government’s excellence and innovation in improving quality of life for residents and communities. As a result Essex now has a share of £3m of Government funding and will be working alongside the other Beacon councils and with the support of the IDeA, to help improve standards in all authorities in this area.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

As a result of the advocacy carried out by ECC, eight authorities now have full Legacy Action Plans of their own and have budgets allocated for their implementation. Of these, Southend and Basildon have recently made appointments for Legacy Officers to drive their programmes. Braintree District Council has written Legacy activities into the job description for their Sports Development Officer post which is currently being reappointed. The Action Plans of these authorities are aligned to the Essex Legacy Action Plan but also reflect their own local drivers and circumstances.

ECCs commitment to maximising the 2012 Olympic Legacy has included actively developing its related volunteering strategy in partnership with district and borough councils. This, in conjunction with the pan Essex Volunteering Strategy, is the springboard for a more coherent approach to achieving higher levels of initiation of volunteering and community support.

Essex Legacy from the 2012 Games, led by Essex County Council, has made grants of up to £500 available for rural community groups to organise events during this year’s Open Weekend on 23-25 July 2010. Now in its third year, Open Weekend is a nationwide event which marks the date of the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Games. It enables people across the UK the chance to take part in sport, arts and cultural activities in their local area. The theme for this year’s Open Weekend is ‘set a challenge’ to encourage people to participate in any sporting or physical activity. Local community groups are being invited to organise an event that challenges the public to participate. The event could be anything from a treasure hunt to tai chi, wrestling to walks – as long as it involves getting people physically active. Six local groups have been awarded grants of up to £500 each to help deliver community projects inspired by the London 2012 Games. Essex County Council teamed up with Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS) to offer grants to voluntary groups in the surrounding areas of the Olympic Mountain Bike venue at Hadleigh to create cultural, sporting and community projects that take inspiration from the London 2012 Games. The successful projects include creating a stain glass window for St. Michael’s new church in Daws Heath, a mini Olympics at Little Tewkes Children’s centre on Canvey Island and the Arts Ministry who plans to bring together different groups throughout Castle Point, Rayleigh and Rochford to create a community collage. Essex County Council is also offering a number of small grants to arts groups interested in staging 2012 Games inspired cultural events and is offering funds to rural communities to encourage them to host an Open Weekend activity this summer.

45 young people have been selected from Brentwood secondary schools as Young Ambassadors for the 4 year celebrations in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games. The group will lead key celebratory projects with their school; they will also ensure that children in primary schools and people within the local community are included.  They will be invited to take part in key events in the area and will be consulted as to how young people can become involved.

On 2 July 2010 it was announced that plans for the Olympic Mountain Bike Event had been fully approved and that the London 2012 Olympic Games will have a physical presence in Essex.  The recent announcement is the latest development of the Essex Olympic story, which began in 2008 with the announcement of Hadleigh Farm being selected as the preferred venue.  Local schools, businesses and residents are already engaging in initiatives which are bringing the benefits of hosting the London 2012 Games to Hadleigh.  Two local Specialist Colleges, The Deanes School and Appleton School, have been accepted into London 2012’s ‘Get Set’ educational programme, having demonstrated how they have used the Olympic and Paralympic values such as determination, respect and equality to support achievement in their schools. A number of local businesses have successfully registered on the London Games procurement database, enabling them to compete for London 2012 Games-related contracts.

Relocation of the Royal Opera House production facility to Purfleet in Thurrock was an early gain to Essex from the clearance of the Olympic site in Stratford. The maximum benefit is being made of this move. Through partnership work with the Learning and Skills Council for Essex, the National Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills will be co-located on the site and in addition to providing a new range of learning opportunities to the communities of South Essex; the whole venture will hopefully provide significant capacity for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2012 Games.

An art exhibition inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and celebrating Essex athletes who have been identified as having the potential to compete in the 2012 Games has now opened in the county. The ‘Journey to the Podium’ exhibition is a group show of 14 artists from a variety of disciplines who have been paired with local athletes to create a piece of work that marks each athlete’s personal journey to London 2012. The athletes, including Beijing Olympians Alex O’Connell and Sarah Claxton and 2010 Commonwealth medal winners James Huckle, Alex Dowsett and Chloe Rogers, chose to take part in the arts project as part of their role in promoting sport in Essex through the Team Essex Ambassador scheme. Essex County Council commissioned the project which will be exhibited at the Gibberd Gallery, Harlow until January 27, 2011. Admission to the gallery is free. The project will be exhibited around various Essex galleries and Essex Pre-training Camps, with a view to being shown at London 2012.On 2 December 2009 the Cultural Delivery Group from the Essex Strategic Board for the 2012 Games hosted a culture themed conference at the Wat Tyler Centre Pitsea.  The event was a sell out with over 200 delegates signed up from a range of public, private and third sector professionals who all united with the shared objective of 'Delivering a successful Cultural Olympiad in Essex.' “Unlimited” is a new Cultural Olympiad programme that will celebrate disability, arts, culture and sport on an unprecedented scale, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

On 6 November 2009 Olympic Fencer Alexander O'Connell and sculptor Ben Dearnley visited Shenfield High School to be the subject of their art class and host a fencing competition as part of 'Journey to the Podium' an innovative art project collaborating Essex based athletes (with London 2012 potential) with professional artists.  Ben has been commissioned to work with Alex to create a work of art based on him and his aspirations to compete at London2012 to the highest possible level.  A fencing competition with students was inspirational in motivating the pupils to try a new sport.

The launch of the Essex Legacy 2012 website offers information about the benefits that the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring to Essex.

Improve the Condition of Roads and Minimising Congestion

          Context and Performance

Essex maintains 5000 miles of roads, 4000 miles of public rights of way and 1,400 highways structures (culverts, subways etc).  The annual cost of this maintenance is £75m.

A report released from the East of England Development Agency found that congestion costs the regional economy about £900 per worker per year. This is predicted to rise to a total exceeding £2 billion per year for the region by 2021.

The A12 is a major trunk road passing through our county which causes a lot of misery to those who use it.  It is one of the most heavily used ‘A’ routes in the country, with more than 66,000 vehicles using it daily and is often severely congested. The road which is at capacity and shamed as ‘Britain’s worst’ road in a recent survey operates as a lifeline to the Eastern region and future growth in Essex which is expected to accommodate over 100,000 new homes and major infrastructure developments over the coming decades.

          Actions to Improve Outcomes

In July 2010 the Highways and Transportation (H&T) service area took a significant step towards bringing to life the Highways Strategic Transformation vision and changing the way that ECC will work and deliver its H&T services from 2012. The 2012 vision for H&T is that one single integrated service provider will be selected to work with to deliver all of the H&T services currently provided by several contractors.  The tender for this work has now been published via the OJEU (the Official Journal of the European Union), allowing potential providers to express their interest in working with us.  The procurement process takes about a year, and the intention is to appoint a provider by September 2011.

The Snow Summit, which took place in Essex in March 2010 was hosted by Essex County Council and provided a forum for discussion and debate about the harsh winter of 2009, the impact on our transport network and our ability to deal with similar conditions in future years. In Essex' view local authorities across the UK have proven themselves to be both prepared and dedicated in dealing with the condition. The Snow Summit gave them and other interested parties the chance to share their experiences, identify best practice and learn directly from those working internationally. Representatives from Scandinavian countries were invited to share their expertise.

The Highways Maintenance Initiative has delivered improvements through an extra £45m investment over 3 years and is now amongst best in UK (96% of our A roads and 94% of our B / C roads are in good condition (up from 92% and 82% respectively)).  Last year 185 miles of the county’s road network was resurfaced.

ECC was the first local authority to commission an independent inquiry into improving the current and future performance of a trunk road (A12 Report).  The Council exercised its community leadership responsibilities by responding to users’ frustration and advocating the need for a fresh, independent review of improvement options for what is a key route for many communities and businesses in the county. The Council has recommended the introduction of Traffic Management Officers, a new ‘A12 Alliance’ and the commencement of work on a business case for a £60 million package of improvements for the A12, with the new alliance considering further proposals in the future.  Stemming from the recommendations of the report ECC became the UK's first local authority to fund enhanced road patrols to help tackle congestion on the A12. The patrols began in September 2009 and are operated by Essex Police officers and will be dedicated to reaching and dealing with incidents quickly to ensure that congestion is kept to a minimum.

Alongside work to improve the user experience of the A12, Essex is about to launch more detailed public consultation into the South Essex Rapid Transit system. Given the levels of growth anticipated in what is the largest regeneration project in Europe, it is important that any new transport system for the south of the county is capable of meeting primarily local transport needs, using the latest advanced transit technology, providing full access for all travellers, overcoming congestion problems, and offering flexibility.

Reducing congestion is a high priority for the people of Essex and members of the Sustainable Essex Partnership have an impressive record of service transformation that has a real impact on journey times. The Essex Traffic Control Centre offers real time information to drivers, public transport users and cyclists.  The Transport Board for TGSE has attracted significant external funding for infrastructure improvements.

Research indicated that tackling congestion is important to Essex residents. As part of EssexWorks, a programme of 12 ‘congestion busting’ schemes has been delivered, one in each District in the county. All the projects were designed to reduce delays, either by better use of existing road space, creating more capacity through localised widening, or through technological innovations such as congestion activated signals.

The Park and Ride scheme has transformed travel from the A12 into Chelmsford. In its first year the Park and Ride scheme in Chelmsford helped citizens avoid 250,000 car journeys into the Town. It has been so successful that provision has been extended to meet extra demand and construction of a further Park and Ride site is underway to the north west of Chelmsford.