The Joint Consultative Committee with Ethnic Minority Organisations was scheduled to discuss co-production of adult social care services, Merton Talking Therapies, and the Big Conversation. The meeting was due to include interactive sessions using Slido, an online polling platform. Representatives from various ethnic minority organisations, including Mrs Nasim Shah from the Asian Diabetic Support & Awareness Group (ADSAG) and Mr Assad Nawaz from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK, were expected to attend.

Co-Production of Adult Social Care Services

The committee was scheduled to discuss developing a co-production strategy in partnership with Merton communities. The report pack included handouts on the Ladder of Co-Production and the principles of co-production as defined by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

The report pack stated that the Care Act 2014 specifically includes the concept of co-production in its statutory guidance, defining it as:

partnership working between people who draw on care and support, carers and citizens to improve public services.

It was noted that definitions of co-production vary, but the term generally describes partnership working between people who draw on care and support, carers, and citizens to improve public services. The material stated that co-production involves professionals and citizens sharing power to plan, design, and deliver support together, and can include co-design, co-decision making in the allocation of resources, co-delivery of services, and co-evaluation of the service.

The report pack also included a section on when not to use co-production, suggesting that other approaches such as engagement, consultation, and informing may be more appropriate in certain situations, such as when co-production has already been undertaken at a national level, the outcome has already been largely predetermined, or time constraints prevent quality co-production.

The meeting was scheduled to include group discussions, with participants invited to consider:

• What matters most to them about Adult Social Care and how it supports them (or people they care about).
• How the council can work together in a way that feels fair, respectful and meaningful for everyone involved.
• What would help them feel confident and supported to take part in shaping services.
• What a good Adult Social Care service looks and feels like to them – now and in the future.

The planned next steps were to meet with all groups within the voluntary sector, take feedback from all groups and start to draft a co-production strategy, send slides to the group to share with their forums, and send the draft strategy to all participants for their comments before finalising.

Merton Talking Therapies

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on Merton Talking Therapies ¹ perinatal support. The report pack noted that pregnancy and the postnatal period are times of significant psychological and emotional upheaval, and that perinatal mental health difficulties have been linked with adverse outcomes for children and families. It was estimated that approximately 20% of mothers experience depression and/or anxiety during the perinatal period.

The report pack stated that Merton Talking Therapies offers a range of interventions, including:

• Preparing for Parenthood (PfP): Aims to support the transition to parenthood and prevent perinatal mental health problems.
• Emotional Wellbeing for New Parents Guided Self Help: Addresses symptoms of mild to moderate post-natal depression or anxiety using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques.
• Individual CBT/IPT & BCT for moderate to severe postnatal depression.
• Trauma Focused CBT for perinatal PTSD.
• CBT for tokophobia², moderate to severe OCD and anxiety. The report pack also identified barriers to referrals, such as time scarcity, stigma, under reporting symptoms, the perception that it's 'just the baby blues', childcare issues, and fear that social services may take away the infant. It suggested ways to overcome these barriers, such as involving family in the mother's care and support, offering more flexibility, and normalising the struggles of early parenthood.

The Big Conversation

The committee was scheduled to discuss the We Are Merton Big Conversation, a consultation running from 4 April 2025 to 5 January 2026. The stated aim of the Big Conversation was to gather feedback from residents and those who work in Merton to shape future council services.

The consultation was designed to gather feedback via face-to-face interactions at borough events, a borough-wide survey, library stands, and small focus groups and interviews with specific stakeholder groups.

Participants were asked to answer three key questions:

• What has changed in your local neighbourhood in the time you've lived or worked here? Is it positive or negative? Why?
• What three words would you use to describe your local neighbourhood?
• What should Merton Council prioritise for the future?

A list of potential priorities was provided, including crime prevention and community safety, clean streets, contacting the council, culture, heritage and libraries, help finding a job, training or apprenticeship, help with the cost of living, people's health and wellbeing, affordable housing, parks and open spaces, schools, learning and education, sports, leisure and physical activity, support for businesses, support for community and voluntary organisations, support for children and families, support for vulnerable adults, sustainability, climate change and the environment, town centre improvements, traffic and transport, quality of roads and pavements, listening to residents, and waste and recycling.