Agenda and minutes

The evacuation procedure was noted.

There were no interests declared.

To approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 25 September 2025.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the Community Safety Select Committee meeting which was held on 25 September 2025 for approval and signature.  Attention was drawn to the following items:

·       Stockton-on-Tees Community Safety Strategy: Members were reminded that a response from Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) officers relating to a query raised at the September 2025 meeting was relayed via email on 20 October 2025.

·       Scrutiny Review of Children affected by Domestic Abuse: Members were reminded that responses from NHS Trusts relating to queries raised at the September 2025 meeting were relayed via email on 20 October 2025.

AGREED that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 25 September 2025 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Progress report for the previously completed Outdoor Play Provision review.

Consideration was given to the assessments of progress on the implementation of the recommendations from the Committee’s previously completed review of Outdoor Play Provision.

Presented by the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Director of Community Services, Environment and Culture, this was the second progress update following the Committee’s approval of the Action Plan in June 2024.  Emphasising that the information being relayed at this meeting demonstrated the value and effectiveness of the scrutiny function, and welcoming the Committee’s previous acknowledgement of the challenges between balancing the creation of new outdoor play sites against the ability to maintain existing areas (potentially impacting upon quality), Members were informed that all statements referring to the new ‘Strategy for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Outdoor Play Provision 2025’, which had been adopted by SBC Cabinet earlier this month, were subject to the recently received call-in regarding that Cabinet decision.  Key developments in relation to the outstanding actions were then highlighted as follows:

·       Recommendation 2 (To encourage a greater sense of community ownership, consideration be given to approaching relevant Town / Parish Councils and the local business community within the vicinity of existing outdoor play spaces to potentially support the development / maintenance of a site): Following Cabinet’s adoption of the full strategy on 16 October 2025, the principle had been established that adoption of sites by Town or Parish Councils would be explored where a site was at risk.  In addition, officers would engage with Town and Parish Councils on an ongoing basis, as time allowed, to determine willingness to provide financial support to maintain / develop play provision in their local area – this recommendation was therefore deemed ‘fully achieved’.

·       Recommendation 5 (Regarding inequality of outdoor play provision across the Borough, SBC clarifies where it is deemed there is little / no provision and possible steps to address these inequalities (including, in exceptional cases, the provision of new play spaces): After a significant amount of analysis (not just through a geographical lens but also from a quality perspective), the strategy document, agreed by Cabinet in October 2025, highlighted areas of inequalities and over-provision.  Following Cabinet’s decision, officers had identified specific sites in which to invest, and others which would be decommissioned at the end of equipment life – this recommendation was therefore deemed ‘fully achieved’.

·       Recommendation 6 (As part of a required rationalisation process in relation to the existing outdoor play offer:

a)    Informed by the recent (March 2024) RoSPA assessments and an analysis of the distribution of existing outdoor play provision, proposals for the removal / repurposing of sites be developed with the aim of reducing pressure on the overall parks budget): On 16 October 2025, Cabinet agreed to 1) approve the full strategy document; 2) approve the site-specific recommendations, subject to financial approvals of the additional £150,000 per annum contained within the 2026-2027 Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) report to be presented in February 2026 (this would enable 23 Council-owned play areas to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/28/25

To consider submissions in relation to this scrutiny topic from:

·       NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board

·       Primary Care Networks (PCNs)

The fourth evidence-gathering session for the Committee’s review of Children affected by Domestic Abuse considered information from the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB), as well as survey feedback from local Primary Care Networks (PCNs).

NHS NORTH EAST AND NORTH CUMBRIA INTEGRATED CARE BOARD

The NENC ICB Strategic Head of Commissioning (Tees Valley) gave a presentation in response to the Committee’s lines of enquiry which covered the following:

·       Our Statutory Duties: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 officially recognised children affected by domestic abuse as victims needing specific care and support.  From a health perspective, the Health and Care Act 2022 required ICBs to develop five-year strategic plans addressing needs of domestic abuse victims, including children.  As commissioners of care, ICBs must actively safeguard vulnerable individuals by integrating healthcare services focused on domestic and sexual abuse victims.

·       Safeguarding Children: Requirements were met through the appointment of executive leads to ensure safeguarding responsibilities were prioritised at the highest governance level, compliance with statutory guidance ('Working Together to Safeguard Children') to co-ordinate multi-agency protection efforts, and active participation in local partnerships to ensure adherence to safeguarding standards across services.  Furthermore, healthcare services must be safe and responsive to children's needs, promoting their welfare and protection, and the ICB had to ensure that services were aware of their own duties of care and that these were reflected within a service specification.

·       Commissioning & Service Planning: ICBs must commission trauma-informed services which centre on supporting children affected by domestic abuse, and domestic abuse considerations should be integrated into strategic planning and needs assessments by ICBs.  Services must identify and respond to domestic abuse early, particularly in primary care, maternity, and emergency departments.  Additionally, ICBs must ensure accessible and effective referral pathways for children and families affected by domestic abuse.

·       Workforce Training & Accountability: Staff roles and responsibilities in safeguarding were defined by the NHS England Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework (SAAF).  Healthcare staff must be trained to identify domestic abuse signs and understand referral pathways for victim support, and it was acknowledged that training needed to be continuous and tailored to specific staff roles to ensure confident and appropriate responses to safeguarding issues.  Effective monitoring ensured compliance and maintained safeguarding as a priority across all organisational levels.

·       Multi-Agency Collaboration: Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) brought together professionals from various sectors to share information and develop safety plans for high-risk victims, and ICBs participated in Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) to learn from past incidents and improve future safeguarding responses (it was noted that communication between agencies can sometimes fail).  Collaboration among Local Authorities, the police, and voluntary organisations ensured comprehensive support for children and families – Stockton-on-Tees was well served in terms of partnership-working.

·       National, Regional, Local: Key safeguarding contacts were highlighted.

·       NENC ICB – Internally: Domestic Abuse was one of the main priorities of the ICB and was recognised within all NHS contracts, with Trusts expected to ensure that the workforce could prevent,  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/29/25

CHAIR’S UPDATE

Regarding the Committee’s ongoing Children affected by Domestic Abuse review, the Chair noted further scrutiny which was currently being undertaken by the People Select Committee on Partnership Working in Early Help.   A request had been made for any information which may be relevant for the Community Safety Select Committee’s domestic abuse-related review to be relayed accordingly.

WORK PROGRAMME 2025-2026

Consideration was given to the Committee’s current work programme.  The next meeting was due to take place on 27 November 2025 where the fifth evidence-gathering session for the ongoing Scrutiny Review of Children affected by Domestic Abuse would be held.  Members would also receive a presentation on the new Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Air Quality Strategy 2025-2030 which had recently been adopted by SBC Cabinet.

AGREED that the Chair’s Update and Community Safety Select Committee Work Programme 2025-2026 be noted.