Comprehensive Area Assessment A new way of assessing local public services

1. Comprehensive Area AssessmentA new way of assessing local public services Salford Area Assessment Audit Commission Update May 2009 James Foster & Anna Crowther

2. We will cover • Emerging Picture • Initial impressions from the Audit Commission’s work • Discussions with joint inspectorates • Using this to help shape the first CAA – proportionate/focused • Next Steps • Response • Further work by regulators and local partners • Updates from inspectorates

3. Stage 1 AC work • Presented Initial Impressions to SSP on 4th March 09 • Our work to date has focused on • Background notes/research • Inspection activity including direction of travel and APAs. • Local performance information • Key documents which you provided • Overview of LSP thematic papers • Continual update - including • NIS • Place survey • Self evaluation • Working towards a Joint inspectorate view • Views will change over time

4. How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations?

5. How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations? Early Positives - • Partners are ambitious for the City and the diversity of its population • Good understanding of local inequalities and a clear strategic commitment to addressing this issue • Examples of good engagement with local residents – such as the big listening survey and future searches work • Community cohesion is a clear priority - significant work has been undertaken to understand potential challenges and to inform community development activities • Good understanding of the key challenges Salford faces – improving prosperity and local aspirations while tackling deprivation and inequality • Clear alignment between previous SCS and LAA

6. How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations? Need to develop further understanding:- • Whether there is a clear understanding and response to the needs of diverse communities at a local level • How engagement is helping to improve outcomes and influence the new SCS, LAA and key strategies. • How partners are translating engagement and understanding into appropriate targets, action plans and desired outcomes. • Scope and sustainability of engagement in deprived communities • Link between local ambitions and those across Greater Manchester and beyond • Response to the findings from the Place Survey

7. How well are outcomes and improvements needed being delivered?What are the prospects for future improvement?

8. Outcomes and improvements/Prospects • A healthy city • Outcomes and improvement • Poor health and widespread inequalities are major issue in Salford. Health outcomes are poorer than many areas in the country and inequalities are widening. • The impact of alcohol on poor health is significant and rising – hospital admissions; binge drinking • Smoking clearly identified as the biggest reason for early death – inequalities across city • Progress being made to reduce childhood obesity • Prospects for improvement • Clear focus on tackling inequality • Good use of the LAA to add impetus to reducing obesity (healthy weight) • Increased levels of adults participating in sports and active recreation • Assessing whether the approach to tackle widespread health inequalities is sufficiently joined-up across partners • Are you making sufficient progress to address issues such as obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse? E.g. Reducing smoking prevalence for manual workers • Are you doing enough to align health spend to areas of greatest need? Potential red tag

9. Outcomes and improvements/Prospects • A Safe City • Outcomes and improvement • Crime rates have fallen in recent years, but still high compared to other areas and significant inequalities across the city (Boothstown versus Irwell Riverside) • Some success in improving resident’s perceptions of safety – likely to receive LAA reward target • Partnership working being tested by recent rises in crime – especially burglary (e.g. Salford East) – potential red tag • Good partnership working to address alcohol related crime – including work with criminal justice system • Positive examples of work undertaken to address the concerns of specific groups within the community • Prospects for improvement • Good track record of partnership working and neighbourhood working to improve community safety • High aspirations to reduce crime – are these realistic and achievable? • Do you understand and are adequately addressing recent rises in crime across communities?

10. Outcomes and improvements/Prospects • A learning and creative city • Outcomes and improvement • Educational attainment is improving - all schools now have at least 50% of pupils achieving at least 5 A* to C grades (2008) • Developing pathways for residents into employment within MediaCity • Positive improvements in the number of persistent school absences • 40% of residents do not have a level 2 qualification and insufficient improvement in level 3+ skills • The highest proportion of incapacity claimants in GM, although previous good progress in reducing young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) • Strong cultural offer in Salford, although still opportunities to engage with all sections of the community • Prospects for improvement • Is sufficient progress being made to raise attainment to the levels needed and link residents to exciting opportunities ? Red or Green? • Inconsistent improvement trend across schools; are you doing enough to reduce inequalities between areas? E.g. Cadishead versus Little Hulton • Role of higher and further education in meeting ambitions – supporting local people?

11. Outcomes and improvements/Prospects • A city where children and young people are valued • Outcomes and improvement • High number of children live in poverty compared to other areas • Reducing teenage pregnancy is a high priority, but not making sufficient progress to reduce high rates • Prospects for improvement • Signs of progress to improve services for looked after children and safe guarding • Inconsistent track record of reducing teenage pregnancy • Will recent progress to improve safeguarding be sustained? • Unclear whether there is joined up approach and interventions to address high numbers of teenage pregnancies • No clear understanding of equality implications of new projects such as BSF Potential red tags

12. Outcomes and improvements/Prospects? • An inclusive city • Outcomes and improvements • Narrowing the gap is a key priority for partners – there is an extensive gap between more affluent and deprived communities • Some success in tackling inequalities - narrowing the attainment gap (though it widens as children move through the education system); and reducing levels of NEETs • Improvements in social care indicators for instance self directed care, carers needs assessments and independent living for vulnerable people • Unlikely to reach targets for communities getting on well together and community participation • Good examples of community cohesion work – examples include work with migrant communities, older people and Muslim groups • Prospects for improvement • Whether partners are working effectively to address inequalities including worklessness, reducing NEETs, tackling child poverty, supporting lone parents, and community safety • Examples of innovative partnership work to address connect local people to jobs? Potential Green? • Understanding the impact and outcomes of local community cohesion work

13. Outcomes and improvements/Prospects? • An economically prosperous city • Outcomes and improvements • Extensive historical and on-going regeneration to existing and new communities • Track record of business growth and steady rises in employment rates, helping to close the gap with the regional and national average • Improvements in the number of self employed, 133 additional business created (Q3 08/09) • 51.5% increase in Job Seeker Allowance claimants between Sep 08 and Mar 09 • Prospects for improvement • Partners are responding to the downturn, through initiatives such as flexible tenure, flexibility in mortgage products and tackling worklessness • NEET successes • Do future ambitions remain realistic and achievable? • Impact and approach to tackling the recession – worklessness; earnings – potential red or green tag • How is economic growth and recession impacting on different communities? E.g. Cadishead, Swinton and Langworthy

14. Outcomes and improvements/Prospects? • A city that’s good to live in • Outcomes and improvements • Regeneration of estates is taking place with aim to create desirable neighbourhoods to retain and attract residents – E.g. HMR programme, although extensive overall change required • Improvements in cleanliness of public spaces including graffiti, dog fouling, litter and fly tipping, but further improvement is required • Improving recycling levels and composting levels and likely to receive full LAA stretch reward grant. • Effective use of neighbourhood management teams to support local communities • Prospects for improvement • Are you able to keep momentum in the housing market and make sufficient progress to deliver affordable, decent and a better choice of homes? • Achieving target reductions for Co2 emissions is a tough challenge. Not clear whether approach is shared across partners and balances competing ambitions • How will transport plans link deprived communities to employment, to help ensure that local residents benefit from economic success? Potential red tags

15. Summary • Key themes from this stage of the work are • Do you fully understand and empower local communities? • Are partners making sufficient progress to address inequalities in the city? • Success in responding to the recent rises in crime • Sustainability of progress to improve children’s safeguarding • Are partners working together with the right interventions to reduce teenage pregnancies? • Impact of the economic downturn on the local economy and communities • Progress towards creating desirable neighbourhoods – accessible, safe and well-maintained? • Is there a clear understanding of sustainable development – linking ambitions regarding environment, housing, transport and economy?

16. Next Steps • Discussion with partners about the issues raised • Update us on progress • Performance information – NIS, Place Survey, local information • More work with other inspectorates to develop our understanding