Includem Impact Report 2014

ACTIVITY AND IMPACT REPORT 2014

There for young people 24/7There for young people 24/7

Includem delivers community alternatives to custody and secure care, and diversion from formal youth justice measures, reducing reoffending and keeping communities safe.

Includem prevents family breakdown and the unnecessary use of residential care. We address problematic behaviours and underlying support needs and help parents/carers to better support young people.

Includem responds immediately to provide crisis support, reducing immediate risk of harm, and stabilising difficult situations while assessments happen and longer term plans are made.

Includem empowers young people during transitions to engage with other services, build independent living skills and strengthen family and other support networks.

We are a specialist Scottish charity established in 2000. We remain solely focused on delivering support to the most vulnerable and challenging young people in society. Our 1-to-1 support at the times of need helps young people, parents and carers make positive changes to their attitudes, behaviours and relationships.

GIRFEC STAGED MODEL OF SERVICE PROVISION

ALL YOUNG PEOPLE

VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES

YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK

HIGH RISK

COMPLEX NEEDS

INCLUDEM SPECTRUM OF SERVICES

Increasing complexity

of risks and needs.

Increasing cost to society of

unmet needs.PREVENTING FAMILY BREAKDOWN

OR COMMUNITY PLACEMENT BREAKDOWN

COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVE

TO RESIDENTIAL CARE,

SECURE CARE OR CUSTODY

CRISIS

RESPONSE

AND PREVENTION

OF IMMEDIATE HARM

Includem services are reducing risk, addressing

immediate and underlying support

needs, and reducing the potential cost

to society.

TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT

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CONTENTS Message from the Chief Executive 04/05

Impact numbers 06

Includem Through the Year 07

Influencing Leadership 08

Foster Care Support 09

About Transitional Support 08

Understanding Transitions 11

Transitional Support

- Embedding Service Design 12

The Reality of Transition

- Connor’s Story 13

Harnessing Technology 14

Leading the way on partnership working 15

Fun with young people and families 16

Message from the Chair 17

Accounts / funders 18

Excellent work. This young lady might likely have been accommodated if the intensive support from Includem had not been available.

SOCIAL WORKER

They listened to me and were interested in what I had to say.

YOUNG PERSON from Clackmannanshire

ACTIVITY AND IMPACT REPORT 2014 3

There for young people 24/7

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The work of this post continues to develop and bed in alongside a similar process for the Includem MAPS database which provides increasingly sophisticated information on all our activity with targeted reports for all levels of staff through to the Board.

Through this combination of qualitative and quantitative information we are therefore continuing to translate our commitment to a learning and improvement culture into practice.

A key theme for ongoing scrutiny will be quality of supervision for frontline staff as the crucial activity to support their personal and professional use of self in helping young people and families with complex problems.

In regard to this we are pleased to be connected into a significant focus on leadership skills for staff at all levels through the SSSC workforce development initiative and look forward to participating in the strengthened learning and identity for the wider social care workforce which Social Work Scotland presents.

In the 2012/13 report I highlighted our innovative approach

to Quality Assurance and the purpose of our unique post of

Practice Champion.

We were therefore delighted this year to receive recognition for this

investment through the SSSC Chairman’s Award.

Professor Jim McGoldrick, Chair and SSSC Convener said at the time our

“Practice Champion project demonstrated a very innovative approach

to organisational learning taking into account conventional quality

assurance measures, but also took in more qualitative measures

around ‘compassion’”.

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We have also over this year (re)established relationships with the lead universities for professional social work training given our shared interests in professional and practice development.

All of the above is not new but builds on and develops the strategies we identified 5 years ago when we made the clear decision to remain a specialist organisation with a commitment to evidence and improvement.

So whilst our core values and the fundamental features of the Includem model remain, our development and diversification activity has been through effective service targeting to support our Local Authority partners in the objective of prevention and early intervention at all life stages – not just early years.

For example working with young children and whole sibling groups to keep families together; supporting foster care placements where there is risk of breakdown; maintaining young people at school whose home circumstances indicate risk of exclusion. All of which fit our core purpose to support young people who have the most challenging and complex problems to have the best life they can.

We therefore look forward to supporting young people and families to contribute their voice and experience to implementation of the C+YP Act, particularly the potential for “Relevant Services” to further shape provision which enables children, young people and families to fulfil their potential as full members of their communities. In

that context our “Aye Naw Mibbie” initiative to ensure young people entitled are registered to vote in the 2014 Referendum and supported to develop their own judgement on this.

Lastly we were very appreciative of the support and recognition Includem received from the First Minister this year when he opened Includem’s new Head Office and met staff and young people.

5ACTIVITY AND IMPACT REPORT 2014


MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

hours of contact with young people out with normal working hours

31,466Prevented

young people going into care

106

hours of contact with young people

100,189

Awarded

grants from our Young Person’s Fund, totalling £2,864.

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calls to our free 24/7 support helpline

9,984

Supported

families to prevent breakdown

73

IMPACT NUMBERS

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We had tried just about everything but until Includem, nothing had worked. The focus and the “not giving up” made a huge difference.

SOCIAL WORKER

I found Includem beneficial - my son needed some one on one support. All the staff were very supportive and he feels

more confident now.

PARENT

They helped keep me safe and feel safe

YOUNG PERSON from Glasgow

It was a blessing knowing that there was someone there

for my daughter, giving her the help and support she needed when I could

not. Forever Grateful.

PARENT

ACTIVITY AND IMPACT REPORT 2014 7

INCLUDEM THROUGH THE YEAR


This project is designed to recognise the importance of leadership in driving forward transformative change at a time of increasing pressure and change across the social services. It is also about looking at the way services are designed for the people who use them – not just focusing on processes and procedures.

Includem is doing a lot on service design at the moment, particularly around our transitional support programme, and I have been able to draw on many of these experiences. There are also some lessons to learn for all organisations working in the sector – around the language we use, and about how we empower people who are leading in their field. From an organisational point of view, it’s also about adopting a culture that takes measured risk – not being averse to innovation or change.

Our aim is aligned with other recent work including the Christie Commission which recognises that leadership is a key driver in implementing the changes that are needed to solve contemporary challenges – for example around welfare reform. The work from this project will be ongoing for a number of years, and our aim is in many ways to professionalise the social care sector so that people see themselves as working to a shared goal – whether in the public, private or voluntary sector. Ultimately it’s about ensuring that what we are all doing is addressing the problems and challenges we come across on a daily basis in the sector and showing leadership in how we address them.

INFLUENCING LEADERSHIP

Our Head of Corporate Services, Michelle Nairn has been seconded one day a week to the Coalition of Care and Support Providers working on a project about leadership in social services as part of the Workforce Development Network.

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We have been involved in providing support to foster placements within Glasgow since April 2013, with the aim of providing direct support where the placement has been assessed as being at risk of breaking down.

This service is specifically targeted to support the Council’s strategy to work at earlier levels of intervention and prevention.

One such placement was Lucy* who was 12 when referred to Includem with the aim of preventing family breakdown and reducing her risk taking behaviour. Both Lucy and her brother have been diagnosed with microcephaly, which led both to have special needs.

Lucy’s carer had been struggling with her challenging behaviour and she had been creating difficulties with other foster children so that the carer had to continually intervene to diffuse conflict.

However, through regular structured activity in the local community and sustained work on identifying the causes of her behaviour and solutions to it, we were able to build a much more positive relationship between Lucy and her carer. This resulted in reduced incidences of difficult behaviour and better communication about issues in the house.

In addition to supporting Lucy, Includem also supported her carer, offering advice, guidance and encouragement as part of a dual remit to support both young people and their carers to sustain the foster placement.

By achieving the desired outcomes we were able to leave her in a placement that was stable and secure – reducing the future risk of it breaking down.

FOSTER CARE SUPPORT

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ACTIVITY AND IMPACT REPORT 2014


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Transitional Support ensures continuity of support on a voluntary basis for young people whose continuing vulnerability may be due to their past histories of abuse, neglect and deprivation and the present deficits in family and environmental supports at a critical time in their adolescent development, when entitlement to state funded support from Includem is at an end.

This service builds on the outcomes achieved in our core programmes based on our proven delivery model which helps young people build confidence, sustain a non-offending lifestyle and ultimately move towards employment through incorporating the learning points identified.

A key role for Includem has always been to engage and support young people in processes of constructive change. Our model of practice is rooted not just in research and theory but in hard earned practice experience and emphasises the positive potential of young people and the importance of finding a way to release it.

At the core of this is the establishing of a constructive, caring relationship which will support a young person to make changes towards a better life.

ABOUT TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT

Since 2005 Includem’s Transitional Support Service has worked with over 500 young people from within Includem’s core client group identified as most in need of additional support.

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So far, the study highlights how tough the lives of these young people have been. They come from chaotic backgrounds often where substance abuse, loss and hopelessness meant that they have had to grow up quickly. Includem comes into their lives at the point when they are needed most, and therefore offer crucial support.

The relationship between the worker and the young person is valued most and underpins any success achieved. As well as providing practical support, Includem workers try hard to build a connection, mutual respect and trust with young people who can be weary and as a result initially difficult. One of the key early findings of this study is the importance of instilling belief in these young people that they can and are worth a better future. It is sad to say, but actually for many of those interviewed this encouragement is otherwise not there, and without hope, ‘getting there’, wherever ‘there’ may be is unlikely.

This is a collaborative 3 year PhD study with Includem, Glasgow University School of Social Work and Edinburgh University Department of Criminology, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Wide dissemination of findings is planned when the study completes next year.

A ground-breaking qualitative longitudinal study of Includem’s Transitional Support Programme is being carried out by Briege Nugent.

Case Study

John was referred to Includem at aged 13 for committing violent offences with the local gang. At the time he felt that everyone viewed him as a ‘bad person’. Includem saw John almost every day for a few months and he was supported to get into a construction course at college and to get a gym pass.

He became interested in boxing which he describes as a ‘turning point.’ At the local boxing club he met new friends and was busy training rather than getting involved in offending behaviour.

He has just had his seventh successful boxing fight, and was both shocked and proud when he recently visited his granny and saw a framed picture on her wall of him winning his last fight. John feels that four years on he sees himself differently, not as a ‘wee boy jumping about the streets’ but as a young man with a future ahead of him. He is grateful to Includem for the support offered and looking forward to the next chapter of his life.

By researching in detail the transition of young people into adulthood and for those with an offending background, this study is designed to understand how young people can move away from their chaotic and challenging lives and begin a new and better one.



UNDERSTANDING TRANSITIONS

TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT - EMBEDDING SERVICE DESIGN

Getting our transitional support service right is a key priority. We are engaged in a partnership with service design agency Snook to develop a transition support service for the future. Our ‘Snookster’ Keira Anderson explains what has been achieved.

Since May I have been working closely with the Transitional Support Service team and the young people they support, with an aim to explore, define and develop the service provided. Inclusivity, empowerment and skills transfer are at the heart of Snook’s core practice. We firmly believe that a co-design approach produces the best results for our clients and, more importantly, service users themselves.

The very people who interact with services are, of course, the most important in any project, which seeks to comment on or improve a service. Throughout this venture, I have aimed to put the young people working with Transitional Support at its heart, and to ensure that they, their needs and creativity, are at the forefront of any outcomes.

In total, 17 young people have engaged with the project, across both Glasgow and Fife. They have generously shared their journeys though Includem, identified barriers along the way and suggested

opportunities for improvement. We then worked together to develop some of these opportunities and solutions further.

A majority of the young people were happy to be involved throughout the project, allowing them to see the progression of their ideas - from barriers first identified in their journey with Includem right through to more realised solutions.

Through this process it is hope that the young people involved have gained some insight into how and why change comes about, how they can influence it, and how it can be implemented.

The next step is to facilitate a hands on, participant led workshop at Includem’s staff conference. Attendees will be supported, encouraged and emboldened to discuss, develop and define solutions for Includem’s future. Bring an open mind.

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TRANSITION SUPPORT IN PRACTICE

At the age of sixteen Conor’s mum died suddenly, he had lost his world. He moved in with his older sister, and realised that without his mum he had to make a choice, continue as he was, or live his life, and he chose the latter. Conor tried to re-engage with education, it was tough, and at times he felt it was too tough. The school helped him get support by Includem, and he worked closely with his workers to build self-confidence and become clear about what he wanted for his future.

Three years on, Conor has just completed his probationary period with a firm working as a computer technician, and has been told that he has been accepted onto a full time course at college. It is difficult to describe in words what Includem were able to do for Conor. He admits that he might have been able to get things together himself, but he feels that the encouragement given to him, particularly by his main worker to believe in himself and to have confidence to even be able to talk to people again cannot be underestimated.

Chris: They have boosted my confidence... compared to from the start when I was very quiet and wouldn’t talk to anyone, and now I would talk to anyone who spoke to me.

Calvin: I feel that talking about my future goals made me motivated, and they made me confident again.

Conor’s* background is one of loss and pain. His father and mother were both alcoholics, and as the older brothers and sisters had moved out when he was very young, he dealt with the chaos more or less on his own. His father died when Conor was only thirteen, and he became withdrawn and stopped going to school, at the time struggling to see any point to his life. His mother worked alongside services to get herself sober, and she and Conor became very close. She sheltered him, and allowed him to stay off from school and remain for most of his day in his sanctuary, his bedroom, playing computer games.

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THE REALITY OF TRANSITION - CONNOR’S STORY

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Claire Barton, one of our Team Managers talks about our new database and it’s important role in delivering an effective frontline service.

At Includem we have always utilised technology to enable more efficient working. In the past year we have invested in a new database – MAPs. This database is now fundamental to how we operate. It provides flexibility and is responsive to the needs of young people and families, and crucially, it allows us to respond immediately when situations arise.

Our 24/7 helpline – a lifeline for many young people and their carers – is now able to offer an immediate response with up to date information on the young people concerned. Having accurate risk assessments available instantly allows frontline staff to make informed decisions about the type of response which in turn provides the best possible service for our young people. It flags up risks, and for instance, if a young person has gone missing, there is a list of everywhere they might be.

This database isn’t a distant resource for head office staff – it is a living information tool utilised by all staff including frontline workers and is ahead of the game in terms of being future proofed for GIRFEC and the Children and Young People Act.

Euan’s Story

Includem worked with a young person, Euan*, who was suffering from PTSD symptoms from childhood abuse and was a risk of suicide and self-harm as well as a risk of physical abuse to his brothers.

We worked with Euan to prevent his adoptive family placement from breaking down and to support him to overcome his anxiety issues and to build his self-confidence.

Euan and his carers regularly used Includem’s 24/7 helpline to report threatening behaviour and self-harm. Helpline staff were able to use the MAPs database to identify risks and to provide appropriate support. In one particular case, as a result of notes which MAPs provided, a frontline worker was able to intervene and take Euan to accident and emergency following an attempted suicide. The database allowed a speedy and appropriate response.

HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY

LEADING THE WAY ON PARTNERSHIP WORKING

Our IMPACT programme was piloted in 2010 to support 14 to 18 year olds embroiled in gang violence. In 2013 it was expanded as a Public Social Partnership backed by two years funding from the Scottish Government’s Reducing Reoffending Change Fund.

Independent research from the Dartington Social Research Unit has found that four-fifths (81 per cent) of the young people involved in the project reduced their offending and 62 per cent reduced the frequency of it compared to their behaviour in the six months prior to working with the Includem project. Overall there was a 38 per cent reduction in offences – including assault, serious assault and weapon possession. Violent offences dropped from 20 to 6.

A further report from the Dartington Social Research Unit is to be released next year, but as Superintendent Alick Irvine of Police Scotland points out, initial findings “provide evidence that effective collaboration across a range of agencies to help support the focused interventions provided by Includem can deliver dividends for the young people involved and improve the safety of people in our communities”.

Includem is interested in demonstrating value for money and contributions towards the preventative spend agenda. This evaluation will therefore complement our Public Social Partnership focus on translating better outcomes to social and economic cost savings and ultimately cashable savings for statutory funders.

Includem IMPACT is an initiative to help reduce teenage violence in Glasgow and is proving to be a success.

DATA SHARING

Part of the success of IMPACT has been the collaboration between the third sector and Police Scotland, but also the innovative use of data gathering and sharing.

As part of the evaluation of the project protocols have been put in place to share Includem data – SHAANARI outcomes, helpline statistics, and descriptive records of our work and police data – lists of charges for young people and qualitative feedback from a comparison group who have not been involved in the IMPACT project. A police analyst has been undertaking this task with advice from Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services.



YOUNG PERSON’S FUND

Our Young Person’s Fund was established in 2011 to provide young people with experiences they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access or with help towards their life aspirations.

However it soon became apparent that some families and young people needed much more basic items. The fund has been used to provide necessities such as furniture and warm winter clothing – items which most of us would take for granted, alongside special experiences and activities.

This year, the fund has provided young people with support including:• replacingsomeessentialitemsafterahousefire• supporting a young person in transition from being homeless to his own house• buying boots to allow a young person to take part in a football training programme• takingafosterfamilyiceskating–thefirstdayoutasafamily• buying ingredients so a young person could cook his mum a meal to say thank you for dealing with his challenging behaviour

CREATING MEMORIES, ADDING VALUE

Includem’s annual fun day this year involved over sixty young people and their families. Since 2006, this free event has been a highlight of the year, organised by Includem staff to create lasting memories for young people and their families.

There were activities for all ages from face painting and bouncy castle to caricature and henna painting along with a nail bar, birds of prey demonstrations and a mini sports day. Our popular family photographer provided family portraits – and lasting memories for families to take away.

One parent said on the day – “we don’t ever get to spend time doing things as a family. Today let us let our hair down and have some fun together. The wee one’s had a great time”.

The day is funded by Includem and provides a fun and safe environment in which young people and their families can spend time together. For many, this is an important time to spend together that is not centred around family problems.

FUN WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES

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Leadership and professional practice development have been key themes for Includem this year. We continue to provide support for leadership development in the Scottish Social Care Services Workforce (including the secondment of a senior staff member), and internally we continue to challenge ourselves to achieve the highest standards of professional practice. Our work has received significant external recognition.

We were particularly proud to be awarded the SSSC Chairman’s accolade for our work through the Practice Champion role. We were also hugely honoured to have the First Minister formally open our new offices and spend some time with our young people. As a board we are proud to be associated with Includem’s achievements and work hard to support the leadership team achieve their goal of delivering outstanding professional practice.

Our core belief in sticking with young people and being there when they need us continues to be delivered with commitment and passion through the professional leadership skills of our Team Managers and the dedication of our frontline staff in what are almost always complex and challenging situations. It is through this skill and commitment that we have been able to develop sufficient trust between staff and young people, that during this significant year for Scotland, we have been able to support and encourage the eligible young people we work with to participate in the referendum.

As always, my sincere thanks go to all of Includem’s staff, my fellow Board Members and our funders and supporters without whom we could not be able to make the positive difference that we do in so many young lives.

JIM GIBSON



MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

FUNDERS

• The Robertson Trust • Big Lottery Fund Scotland • • The Scottish Government • Strathclyde Police •

• Glasgow City Council • West Dunbartonshire Council • • Fife Council • Clackmannanshire Council • Stirling Council •

• Dundee City Council • East Renfrewshire Council • • Argyll and Bute Council

Copies of our full audited report and accounts along with current board members are available on request.

INCOME

Local Authority Service Fees £3,034,924Grants £729,846Other £58,801Total £3,823, 571

EXPENDITURE

Staff £2,920,189Direct client expenses / travel £326,462Premises Costs £200,106Administration costs £202,538Professional CostsDepreciation of Assets cost £74,761Governance costs £26,374

TOTAL £3,750,430

BOARD MEMBERS

Jim Gibson ChairmanJohn McCaig Deputy ChairmanBruce Marks Secretary / TreasurerSheena Brown Alison PetchJo NoblettAbigail KinsellaCaroline InnesDavid Wallace

ACCOUNTS AND FUNDERS

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FIND OUT HOW INCLUDEM CAN HELP YOU e-mail: [email protected] call: 0141 427 0523web: www.includem.org

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Documents

Includem Impact Report 2014