1. Birmingham Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Remodelling of Family Support and Safeguarding
April 2013
Safeguarding and Support Services

2. Birmingham’s vision for our children and young people
“Every child in every part of the City should achieve their potential. We will provide early help and support to those children and families who need it and, working together, will ensure that every child has the belief, aspiration and support to be their best.”
Safeguarding and Support Services

3. Children’s Plan Priorities
Prevention
Integration
Aspiration
Safeguarding
Participation
Excellence through partnership
Safeguarding and Support Services

4. Safeguarding and Support Services
Strategic Intent
Better prevention (public health) services
Increased early support for families
Fewer children in care (1500)
Safeguarding and Support Services

5. Safeguarding and Support Services
Lord Laming 2003
‘it is not possible to separate the protection of children from wider support to families. Indeed, often the best protection for a child is achieved by the timely intervention of family support services’.
further highlighted by Professor Munro, 2011.
‘the provision of early help is vital to keeping children safe’.
Safeguarding and Support Services

6. Early Help Pathway: Principles
Its never too early
Do the basics well
‘begin at the end’
‘no wrong door’
Common Assessment
Evidenced based practice
Clear roles and responsibilities
Invest in pre-natal, early years and parenting
‘Think Family’
Trust professional judgement and collaborate
Needs led (data)
Invest in workforce learning and development
Long term approach
Complexity Multi-faceted multi dimensional problem solving approach
Introduction as BCC grade 7 Managers
Numbers of schools below floor Number below floor (9 maintained) 53,399 children in satisfactory or inadequate provision Aug 2012
6 school in the top 100 most improved school

7. Early Help Pathway: Priorities
Commitment to early help
Improve coordination and reach
Improve availability of information
Invest in our workforce
Embed a common language
Coherent set of procedures
Review the risk management guidance
Develop and integrate targeted services
Embed a Common Assessment
Complexity Multi-faceted multi dimensional problem solving approach
Introduction as BCC grade 7 Managers
Numbers of schools below floor Number below floor (9 maintained) 53,399 children in satisfactory or inadequate provision Aug 2012
6 school in the top 100 most improved school

8. Vision: Safeguarding and Support service
‘through integration we will provide a comprehensive and seamless offer of ‘early help’ through to targeted and specialist services; with the intention of reducing the incidence of significant harm and unnecessary escalation of children and young peoples needs’.
right support from the ‘right service, right time’.
Safeguarding and Support Services

9. Transformation Journey
Today
Transformation/Change
Future
Collaborative and integrated working
More consistent and seamless journey for children and their families
Consistent, needs led and high quality of service
Silo working- internally and across partnerships
Multitude of transfer/referral points
Inconsistent service
Provision
Process &
Performance
ICT
Accommodation
Organisation
People.
Teams &
Culture
Finance &
Benefits
Transformation
Team &
Communications
VISION

10. Safeguarding and Support Services
Principles
Needs led approach
Change the language, services to children not process (e.g threshold, needs a CAF, IA, s47)
No wrong door
Acute and complex not only Social Care response
Encourage a conversation that helps find a solution rather than a stand off
Avoids reframing of a concern to a child protection matter
Safeguarding and Support Services

11. Safeguarding and Support Services
Early Intervention
‘There is a vital role for professionals working in universal services – health, education, police and early years – to identify the early signs of abuse and neglect and to work together to deliver coordinated services to children and families.’
Identify and intervene with children and families which may require help from more than one agency
2. Support integrated working and share relevant information
3. Co-ordinate and deliver a multi-agency service response that is evidenced based which is responsive to the needs of children and their families and informed by a common assessment
Working Together – Consultation Document 2012
Safeguarding and Support Services

12. Right Services Right Time
Meeting
Children’s
Needs
Focused on NEED
Child at the Centre
Support offered to the
family
Birmingham’s model
All agencies use
same indicators

13. Achieving the Vision - proposed new model of service

14. Safeguarding & Support Teams
Child & The Family
Integrated CIC teams
Safeguarding & Support Teams
CIAS
Locality Area Safeguarding and Support Service

15. Proposed locations – Hub Children’s Centres
East
Oaklands Park
Kitts Green*
Dyson Gardens
Fox Hollies/Golden Hillock*
Park Road*
South
Albert Bradbeer (Merrishaw)
Reameadow
Chinnbrook
Doddington*
West & Central
The Willows
Birchfield
St Thomas*
North
Circle
Featherstone*

17. Safeguarding and Support Services
Integrating partners
Responsive to local needs
Potential to improve co-location and integration in Children Centre areas and include Health Visiting Service, Community Midwifery, Family Nurse Partnership and Sexual Health etc.
Key Virtual Partners
Adult and Community Services; Youth and Connexion Services, Housing
Schools
Safeguarding and Support Services 17

18. Benefits of the proposal
Reduction in the multitude of transfer/referral points
More consistent and seamless journey for children and their families
More resources devoted to the needs of children and families
Emphasis on front line practice improvement
Effective integration, economies of scale and considerable more scope for flexibility
Strengthened management oversight and opportunities to develop and retain excellent practitioners
Early Help and access to Social Care expertise, Evidenced based practice and Team around the child; good partnership working
Think family / troubled family approaches
Consistent application of the risk management principles
Safeguarding and Support Services 18

19. Benefits of proposed model for partners
Better and more effective information sharing across partnerships
Reduced duplication of effort
Better coordination and use of resources
Potential for knowledge and skills transfer through co location and strengthened partnership arrangements
Complexity Multi-faceted multi dimensional problem solving approach
Introduction as BCC grade 7 Managers
Numbers of schools below floor Number below floor (9 maintained) 53,399 children in satisfactory or inadequate provision Aug 2012
6 school in the top 100 most improved school

20. Benefits for children and their families
Fewer ‘hand offs’ for children and seamless journey for the child
Access to the right help from the right service and the right time
Consistent, high quality, needs led service provision

21. Any Questions. Feedback can be submitted online via: http://www
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