Children Young People and Families Executive Steering Committee

The first meeting of the Children Young People and Families Executive Steering Committee (CYPFESC) was held on 8 February 2022. CYPFESC will provide system-wide strategic advice to strengthen NSW Health services for children and young people and families and to oversee the implementation of the Henry Review recommendations.

CYPFESC members are listed in the October 2021 Henry Review Communiqué.

Welcome from Secretary of NSW Health

The Secretary of NSW Health, Elizabeth Koff, opened the meeting and welcomed the establishment of CYPFESC, which will steer the children, young people and families health services system. She recognised the breadth of CYPFESC's portfolio and the good representation and diverse membership of the committee.

The Secretary identified that pockets of excellence need to be applied systematically across the system. CYPFESC will have the levers to achieve change across the system.

The Secretary recommended CYPFESC consider key elements from the Future Health Strategy as it progresses its work, including focusing on the outcomes that matter for children, young people and families. 

Key outcomes of meeting 

• The CYPFESC discussed its ambitious role within the system and endorsed its terms of reference.
• CYPFESC agreed to the current membership. Members will leverage their linkages and relationships to inform the committee's perspective and activities. Members were pleased by the strong consumer representation in CYPFESC.
• The Henry Review Implementation Plan (HRIP) will be CYPFESC's work plan for its first year. CYPFESC is in the final stages of endorsing the HRIP, which builds on work already underway to respond to the Henry Review recommendations. The HRIP highlights focus areas to address and identifies leads for all activities. The HRIP will be published once endorsed. CYPFESC will report regularly on delivery of the HRIP.
• CYPFESC considered the Henry Review Response: CYPF Committee Refresh report on a review of the governance of NSW Health child youth and family committees. Members discussed CYPFESC's role in ensuring a strategic system wide focus to improve outcomes for children and/or young people and families in the NSW Health system, with appropriate escalation and reporting pathways. CYPFESC members are providing final feedback on the Henry Review Response: CYPF Committee Refresh report.
• The CYPFESC relies on strong links between service systems and communication between all parts of the service system. The CYPFESC agreed to:
• develop a communication strategy to include regular reporting on committee work and communication with all key stakeholders
• provide communiques after their meetings.
• Once the HRIP is endorsed, monitoring and reporting on delivery will be established. This monitoring and reporting should not be onerous for the service system to support.

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