Agenda item
Keeping Families Together
The Board will receive a short presentation setting out the changes to the arrangements for the delivery of children’s social care services in the City.
This presentation will focus on the vision for these services and how this will safelysupport a continued reduction in the number of children who become looked after and improve the quality of provision for those children and young people who are looked after.
This agenda item necessitates a short pause in the Board’s forward plan; however, it will set the policy and practice landscape for the City’s future work to achieve the best possible outcomes for its Looked After Children.
Minutes:
Members received a presentation from the Assistant Director (Children’s Specialist Services) entitled “Keeping Families Together – Keeping Children Safe” which set out changes to the arrangements for the delivery of children’s social care services in the city in response to the social work reform challenges. It focused on the vision for these services and how they would safely support a continued reduction in the number of children who became looked after and improve the quality of provision for those children and young people who are looked after. The presentation provided Members with the following information.
· National drivers behind the changes include:
o The Munro Review of Child Protection – Final Report – this began a comprehensive process of shifting children’s social work from compliance to a learning culture.
o Changes to the regulation of social work – all social workers are now required to register with the Health and Care Professions Council.
o Introduction of the College of Social Work – responsible for quality of social work programmes and promotion of high professional standards
o The work of the Social Work Reform Board (SWRB)
o The new Ofsted Inspection Framework - shifting the focus from process to outcomes
o Family Justice Review – speeds up public law process and emphasises the voice of the child and the role of professionals working together.
o Revised Working Together 2013 – streamlines previous guidance documents
o Further Action on Adoption – sets out our proposals for the next steps in tackling dely.
o Early Intervention – The Allen Review
o Our local learning - will shape our approach to delivering our service vision
· The vision for the service and how it would be achieved
· Summary of the new style of delivery – changing the way things are done and agreeing what the new “style” will be.
· Two new roles have been created. These are Principal Officer Strategy and Performance and Principal Social Worker
· Flow chart detailing the structure of the service under the Assistant Director (Children’s Specialist Services), Head of Early Intervention Services, Head of Service Safeguarding and Head of Service Resources. (Majority of resources and energies are directed close to the front line by removing layers of hierarchy.)
· A suite of services has already been developed to support the outcomes sought. These include the following:
o Single Front Door – a single point of contact for all referrals to CSS for advice and for safeguarding concerns for children and young people.
o Integrated Family Service – a family support service (incorporating York’s “Troubled Families” Programme) which seeks to provide early help and support to families across the city.
o Looked After Children’s Support Service – a dedicated support service to looked after children including addressed and supervised contact and direct work with looked after children. This team will move into a new, specially designed, facility in September 2013.
o Review and Re-procurement of Children’s Home Provision –The provision of children’s home beds has been contracted to Northern Care. This includes the block purchase of four beds at Wenlock Terrace in York and a further two external placements in Northern Care’s other homes.
o A New Deal for Foster Carers – a new fees and allowances scheme that is closely linked to a foster carer’s development pathway has been introduced.
o Strengthened Independent Challenge – Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) have been located within the City of York Council of York Safeguarding Children Board (CYSCB) and a new IRO post has been created.
o Creation of Separate Fostering and Adoption Teams – Both services have been strengthened and each team will have a dedicated service manager and advanced practitioner to lead the delivery of these services.
The Assistant Director provided additional information in response to particular issues raised by Board Members.
In response to a query about vacant posts, he advised that they had had a very good response to external advertisements for social workers posts, from newly qualified social workers to principal social workers, including some internal applications, and they hoped to be able to fill most posts.
A concern was raised that having police based within West Officers may deter some looked after children from visiting West Offices. Members were assured that police officers would not be in uniform and would be based back office so this should not be a problem.
RESOLVED: (i) That the presentation be noted.
(ii) That an update be provided to the Board in approximately 18 months time.
REASON: In order that the Board is kept informed with regard to the changes which have taken place in the arrangements for the delivery of children’s social care in York.