Journey to Excellence thriving children – strong families

Journey to Excellence Together, the Council, its partners and families will focus our effort on using our available resources and partnerships to ensure: Assertive and co-ordinated Early Help - build on strengths & pull children away from vulnerabilities Excellent and nurturing care - pushes children & young people to succeed in adulthood WHOLE SYSTEM

Increasing numbers of children needing care and protection Why now..? Increasing numbers of children needing care and protection Limited implementation of evidence based interventions Excessive demands on the ‘front door’ of specialist services No clear public access to Early Help Repeat calls for services and multiple assessments Lack of consistent model & clarity across agencies

Children’s Plan principles… Think family Act early (and assertively) Take responsibility Work together (relationships are key) Use best practice and interventions that work  

Early Help – co-ordinated & assertive Journey to Excellence Early Help – co-ordinated & assertive Excellent nurturing care & placements in Bradford District Rapid and effective response when young people are in crisis Integrated support to prepare young people with disabilities for adulthood SIGNS OF SAFETY

Early Help Early Help offer required under ‘Working Together’ Our local Early Help needs to: Improve outcomes Be more focused & assertive Be better co-ordinated Provide a single point of access We will build on Families First Better Start (Pilot area alongside Keighley) Children’s Centres

Director’s 5 questions Whole family approach Q.1. What are priorities for the family? Health-safeguarding Q.2 Are there any health/Safeguarding issues for the family? i.e. Are the family registered with GP – Dentist Or have they missed any appointments i.e Speech and language Actions Offer advice -support Monitor Seek specialist help if required Liaise with all agencies supporting family to ensure improved outcomes Education Q.3 Are all the children attending school ? Do the family have any concerns about their child’s education Offer advice-support Focus on all children-young people in family Crime/anti-social behaviours Q.4 Are any of the family involved in crime and anti social behavior ? Do the family have any concerns about its impact on the local community Support Families on benefits out of poverty into training and work. Q.5 Do adults in family want help into work? Offer advice and support into training and work Consider volunteering Director’s 5 questions

Early Help - delivering improved family outcomes Tier 1 UNIVERSAL & EARLY HELP NEW Multi agency approach to early help Early Help assessment Whole family approach -Directors 5 questions Early response to problems Reduce repeat referrals Build resilience for families in local areas Support families out of poverty into training & work Clear step up entry point into targeted Early Help Tier 2 TARGETED EARLY HELP FAMILIES FIRST Multi agency approach to Targeted Early Help Co-located Early Help access point for public & staff Targeted Early Help assessment linked to signs of safety Range of interventions focused on need delivered in locality setting Strengthen family resilience to reduce repeat referrals Families First support into training & work out of poverty Performance contributing to Families First outcome plan Clear step up & down process Tier 3 SOCIAL CARE –CHILD IN NEED Co-located Early Help access point for public & staff Risk based approach based on repeat contacts Assertive outreach for high risk non engaging families Early Help assessment linked to Signs of Safety Range of interventions focused on need delivered in localities Tier 4 CHILD PROTECTION LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN Clear step down process Signs of safety assessment process

Early Help contacts estimate Early Help Provision Monthly Social care 25,000 (s/c) Family information service 5,200 (fis) New 5,200 (est) Existing-refocus services /commissioned provision 300 a month Step down (from s/c) 832 (est) annual Total 36,232 Monthly total 3020 New/refocus -Early Help drop in centres 2 a week in each constituency 10 people x2 a week x4weeks x5cconsituencies Plus 4 contacts to resolve issues 400 participants a month Monthly flow 600 families do not follow thro (20%) 600 families advice/signposting universal/Early Help (20%) 600 families advised to be dealt with by universal/Early Help services (20%) New/refocus -Multi agency Early Help clinics May include the following Children's services, police, Health, Camhs, Youth .Offending .Team . Entry into work advisors, housing advice, vcs New/refocus - Drug & alcohol clinics 2 a month in each constituency 10 people per clinic x 2 month x 5constituencies 100 participants a month Once a month in each constituency 5 clinics x 5 appointments =25 a month 300 families already have a worker who will work with the family in whole family way (10%) 150 families require assertive outreach Targeted Early Help –Families First tier 3 (10%) New/refocus – to respond to incidents of domestic violence ‘ Keeping your family safe course’ Once a month each constituency 10 adults 4 week course x 5 const.= 50 participants Targeted Early Help Families first tier 2/3 monthly needing intervention 1070 New/refocus –to respond to incidents of repeat Marital custody disputes which impact on the children ‘working together to raise happy children meetings’ 3 sessions a week per const x 5= 60 participants New/Refocus to issues which can be addressed by Parenting courses & Enough is Enough (Child violence towards parents course) 5 parenting courses per month per cont=50 1 Enough is enough course per month x10 adults per month =10 Revised 14 October 2015 Families First /team around family/yot restorative justice clinics 150 a month

Signs of Safety Developed in West Australia in 1990s Solution-focused with a robust focus on risk & safety Key principles Safety is always the goal Changes happens when there are constructive working relationships Everyone should take an enquiring approach Developed from what practitioners and family members said works best  

Signs of Safety Assessment and planning tool − Three columns: What we are worried about (past harm, future danger, complicating factors), What is working well (existing strengths and safety) What needs to happen (family and child protection authority goals and next steps for future safety) Scaling question: where are we on a sale of zero to ten (where ‘ten’ means safe to close the case and ‘zero’ means the child must be removed)

Engaging children in assessment and planning: Signs of Safety Engaging children in assessment and planning: Three Houses (good things, worries, wishes) Words and pictures tool for explaining what’s happening

Signs of Safety - outcomes Families more empowered - understand the concerns & what needs to change Work more intensively to build child safety Practitioners report greater job satisfaction: clarity of the approach usefulness of the tools and the impact for children • Number of children removed from families reduces

Looked after children placements within Bradford Integrated support for: Steps to success in learning & education Good health & emotional well-being Safe, nurturing & aspirational care Resilient families, carers and children Well matched care & placements Smaller children’s homes More foster carers for teenagers

Rapid and effective response to crisis Building on Mental Health partnerships More safe spaces Integrated Rapid Response/emergency ‘all ages’ hub Focus on Missing & Child Sexual Exploitation

Integrated support to prepare for adulthood Integrated service lead by Adults Services Young people with disabilities aged 14 plus Integrating Social care, Occupational Therapy, health transitions & Continuing Health Care Personal Budgets & more use of Direct Payments

Integrated support to prepare for adulthood

Success… Increase access to health services Improve educational attendance and outcomes Reduce domestic violence More families out of poverty Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour More children and young people with disabilities directing their own support  

Success… Reduce contacts and re-referrals to social care Reduce numbers of Child Protection Plans More children safely remaining/returning home Reduce numbers of looked after children Reduce children cared for outside of the Bradford District  

Board is asked to: Endorse the overarching Journey to Excellence programme Endorse partnership support to the overarching programme Endorse the Early Help model Note plans for pilots in Keighley & the Better Start areas Endorse and provide partnership support to the use of Signs of Safety from Early Help through to Child Protection. Discuss sharing costs of training. Note further consultation will be undertaken between January to March 2016 Agree to take a further report and Early Help Plan following consultation