Children, Young People, Education and Skills: Enable implementation of a three-point Covid-19 wellbeing and recovery plan: Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Alllocation of reserve funding

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A decision made on 4 September 2020

Decision reference: MD-TR-2020-0108
Decision Summary Title:	Allocation of Reserve Funding to CYPES to enable implementation of a three-point COVID-19 wellbeing and recovery plan - CAMHS		Date of Decision Summary:	25th of August 2020
Decision Summary Author:	Head of Cost-Benefit Analysis and Investment Appraisal		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Allocation of Reserve Funding to CYPES to enable implementation of a three-point COVID-19 wellbeing and recovery plan - CAMHS		Date of Written Report:	25th August 2020
Written Report Author:	Head of Cost-Benefit Analysis and Investment Appraisal		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The allocation of up to £536,000 in 2020 from the General Reserve to CYPES (Children, Young People, Education and Skills) to enable the implementation of a three-point COVID-19 wellbeing and recovery plan – CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services).
Decision(s): The Minister approved the allocation of up to £536,000 in 2020 from the General Reserve to CYPES to enable the implementation of a three-point COVID-19 wellbeing and recovery plan – CAMHS.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 15(3) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the approval by the States of a government plan authorises the Minister to direct how an approved appropriation for a reserve head of expenditure in the plan may be spent (including on another head of expenditure) in the first financial year covered by the plan. The current Policy for Allocations from the Reserve agreed by the Minister for Treasury and Resources (published as R.80/2020) sets the requirement that all proposed allocations from the General Reserve (Covid-19), once recommended for approval by the States Treasurer (taking into account comments from the Principal Accountable Office), are referred for review to either the Council of Ministers or the relevant Competent Authorities Ministers prior to submission to the Minister for approval. The Investment Appraisal Team has recommended this request for approval and further to these reviews the Treasurer, having consulted with the Principal Accountable Officer and the Council of Ministers, recommends this allocation to the Minister.
Resource Implications: The General Reserve head of expenditure to decrease by up to £536,000 and the CYPES head of expenditure to increase by the identical amount in 2020.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Specialist – Business Cases and the Head of Finance Business Partnering of CYPES that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy S J Pinel Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision:

Children, Young People Education and Skills: Enable the implementation of a three-point Covid-19 wellbeing and recovery plan: Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Allocation of reserve funding

Treasury and Exchequer

Ministerial Decision Report

Allocation of Reserve Funding to CYPES to enable IMPLEMENTATION OF A THREE-POINT COVID-19 WELLBEING AND RECOVERY PLAN - camhs

Purpose of Report

To enable the Minister to approve the allocation of up to £536,000 in 2020 from the General Reserve to Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) to enable CYPES to implement a three-point COVID-19 wellbeing and recovery plan delivered through the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Background

Funding provisions were made in the Government Plan 2020-2023 in the General Reserve for funding needs that cannot be met from existing heads of expenditure in 2020. The Minister has increased the amount available in the General Reserve by transferring £65.3 million for the Treasury and Exchequer head of expenditure (MD-TR-2020-0035); approving an additional £99.99 million of expenditure (MD-TR-2020-0047) and approving the transfer of £28 million from the Stabilisation Fund, with associated authority to spend from the General Reserve (MD-TR-2020-0055).

The Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest health crisis for generations, and the measures that the Government of Jersey has taken to limit the spread of the virus, including restrictions on movement and the closure of schools to most students, have been necessary to save lives. However, the crisis has had significant consequences, increasing child and adolescent mental health related referrals and enquiries to CAMHS, increasing referral waiting times and the backlog of caseloads, and placing additional significant pressures on front line staff (impacting service delivery), carers and families.

The Children’s Minister, the Education Minister and the Accountable Office for CYPES are desirous, having considered the circumstances, to urgently implement a three-point COVID-19 wellbeing and recovery plan that includes:

The immediate emergency funding requirement to increase children, young people's and families’ access to emotional wellbeing and mental health support following COVID-19 through youth organisations, charities, helplines and statutory services. Including the capacity to manage the backlog of assessments, tests and support for our most vulnerable children and young people
Support, tools and techniques for parents, carers, children and young people to promote self-management
A well-being support package for front line services to support practitioners to manage their own mental health and to provide them with the tools to better support both the increase in need and complexity of children, young people and families as they recover from the effects of COVID-19

An allocation of £536,000 for the period to the end of 2020 has been requested to enable CYPES to implement the three-point COVID-19 wellbeing and recovery plan. This is split approximately £302,000 in respect to staffing requirements (including child psychiatrist, mental health practitioners, support workers / healthcare assistant, part time educational psychologist and teaching assistants) and £234,000 for wellbeing support, training and specialist programmes and treatments.

This requested allocation is separate to the allocation approved by Ministerial Decision dated 28th April 2020 (MD-TR-2020-0050) whereby the Minister approved a non-recurring allocation from the General Reserve in 2020 of up to £357,000 to HCS and up to £287,000 to CYPES for CAMHS inpatient services. To the end of July, £158,876 and £287,000 has been transferred to HCS and CYPES respectively, a further £198,124 is available under the allocation for HCS.

Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to approve the allocation of up to £536,000 in 2020 from the General Reserve to CYPES to enable the implementation of CYPES proposals.

Such amounts to be released from Reserves upon confirmation by CYPES of implementation and actual costs of proposals.

Reasons for Decision

Article 15(3) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the approval by the States of a government plan authorises the Minister to direct how an approved appropriation for a reserve head of expenditure in the plan may be spent (including on another head of expenditure) in the first financial year covered by the plan.

The current Policy for Allocations from the Reserve agreed by the Minister for Treasury and Resources (published as R.80/2020) sets the requirement that all proposed allocations from the General Reserve (Covid-19), once recommended for approval by the States Treasurer (taking into account comments from the Principal Accountable Office), are referred for review to either the Council of Ministers or the relevant Competent Authorities Ministers prior to submission to the Minister for approval.

The Investment Appraisal Team has recommended this request for approval and further to these reviews the Treasurer, having consulted with the Principal Accountable Officer and the Council of Ministers, recommends this allocation to the Minister.

5. Resource Implications

The General Reserve head of expenditure to decrease by £536,000 and the CYPES head of expenditure to increase by an identical amount in 2020.

Report author: Head of Cost-Benefit Analysis and Investment Appraisal	Document date : 25th August 2020
Quality Assurance / Review: Group Director, Strategic Finance	File name and path: L:\Treasury\Sections\Corporate Finance\Ministerial Decisions\DS, WR and SD\2020-00108 - Reserve funding to CYPES Wellbeing CAMHS
MD sponsor: Treasurer of the States