Progress Report - Moving Towards a Child Centred System

7/28/2019 Progress Report - Moving Towards a Child Centred System

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THEMUNROREVIEW OFCHILDPROTECTION


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AcknowledgementsIwouldliketothankJo,Sammie,JayandHollyforthedrawingsonthefrontcover.Iaskedthemtosketchimagesthatcapturedwhattheysawasagoodrelationshipbetweenachild

oryoungpersonandahelpingprofessional.

Iamverygratefultothemanypeopleinalloftheservicesthatworkwithchildren,young

peopleandfamilieswhohavesharedtheirideasandexampleswithme.Ihavebenefited

from

feedback

from

so

many

that

I

cannot

list

them

all.

I

would

like

to

acknowledge

the

help

giventomebyAlexBurghartandexpressmythankstoBarnardosforallowingmetohave

somuchofhistime.FromtheDepartmentforEducation,Iwouldliketosingleoutthehelp

providedbyRogerParrandJeanettePugh.

ProfessorEileenMunro

01May2012


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Contents

ExecutiveSummary 3

Chapter1:Introduction 6

Chapter2:Increasinglocalandprofessionalflexibility 9

Chapter3:Redesigningservicesaroundchildren,young 17

peopleandfamiliesneeds

Chapter4:Childrenssocialcareandsocialwork 27

Chapter5:Learninghowwearedoing 42

Chapter6:Conclusion 51

References 55

Annex RecommendationsfromtheMunroreview: 59

Progressupdate


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ExecutiveSummaryMyreviewmaderecommendationsthatwill,together,helptocreateaworkenvironment

thatwillbettersupportprofessionalsingivingchildrenandyoungpeoplethehelpthey

need.Thisreportconsidershowwellimplementationoftheserecommendationshas

progressedintheyearsincethereviewspublication,andhowthechildprotection

landscapeasawholeischanging.

Theoverall

conclusion

of

this

report

is

that

progress

is

moving

in

the

right

direction

but

that

itneedstomovefaster.Therearepromisingsignsthatsomereformsareencouragingnew

waysofthinkingandworkingandsoimprovingservicesforchildren.Thereare,however,a

numberofreformsthatstillrequireimplementation;asthishappensoverthenext12

months,thepaceofchangeshouldbehastenedfurther.

Onefundamentalchangethatisneededisforalltohaverealisticexpectationsofhowwell

professionalscanprotectchildrenandyoungpeople. Theworkinvolvesuncertainty:we

cannotknow

for

sure

what

is

going

on

in

the

privacy

of

family

life,

nor

can

we

predict

with

certaintywhatwillhappen. Toooften,expectationshavebecomeunrealistic,demanding

thatprofessionalsensurechildrenssafety,strengtheningabeliefthatifsomethingbad

happenssomeprofessionalmustbetoblame. Thishascontributedtothedevelopmentof

adefensiveculturethatfocusesoncompliancewithtargetsandrulesinsteadofwhether

servicesareprovidingeffectivehelp. Havingrealisticexpectationsofprofessionalswillmake

iteasierforthemtohavethe confidencetousejudgmentinsteadofapplyingrulesthatdo

notmatchaspecificchildsneeds,andthehumilitytoreflectonweaknessesintheirpractice

sothat

they

can

learn.

IncreasinglocalandprofessionalflexibilityChapter2looksatprogressinreducingstatutoryguidancesothatthereismorescopeforprofessionalandlocalautonomy.Therehasbeensomeunderstandabledelayin

implementingthesechanges,causedbytheneedforproperpublicconsultation.

Akeyissueistheremovaloffixedassessmenttimescales.Theexperienceofthetrial

authoritieswhoweregrantedexemptionsfromthesestatutorytimescaleshasbeen

positive.Theyreportthattheadditionalflexibilityhasencouragedbetter,morethoughtful

workingpractices,andbetterandclearerconsiderationofpriorities.


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RedesigningservicesaroundchildrenandfamiliesneedsChapter3dealswithchangesinthemanyservicesthatplayapartinsupportingfamiliesandimprovingchildrenssafetyandwellbeingbeforetheyrequireattentionbychildprotection

agencies. Theimprovedprovisionofearlyhelpthroughbetterinteragencyworkingwasa

keyfeatureoftheoriginalreport.Thisreporthasfoundmanyencouragingexamplesof

servicesworkingtogetherandwithsocialservicestoprovidebetterunderstandingof

childrensneeds.Someexistingstatutoryguidanceis,however,stillhamperingcoworking

andjointassessmentoncetheGovernmenthasremovedthis,allservicesshouldbebetter

placedto

work

together

to

offer

improved

early

help.

Therearemanyotherreformstakingplaceinparalleltothoseinchildprotection,most

notablyinhealthandpolicing.Becausethesenewworkingenvironmentsarestillevolving,I

emphasisethatitisextremelyimportantthattheGovernmentshouldcontinuetofacilitate

andencourageunderstandingbetweenservices.

ChildrensSocialCareandsocialworkChapter4focusesonchildrenssocialwork,ondevelopmentsinsocialworkexpertisearisingpartlyfrommyreviewbutalsofromtheworkoftheSocialWorkReformBoardandthenew

CollegeofSocialWork.Importantimprovementsarealreadybeingmadetoinitialeducation,

inselectingtherightpeopletotrain,andinmeetingtheneedsofthoseaspiringtobethe

nextgenerationofsocialworkers.Thesereformsareabsolutelyvitaltoensurethatthe

professionisequippedtomakethebestdecisionsforchildren.

Akeyconcernofthereviewwasthattheviewsoffrontlinepractitionersshouldbeproperly

representedtomanagersandbudgetkeepersatcentralandlocallevelsothattheycan

understandtheimpacttheirdecisionsmighthaveonworkwithchildrenandfamilies.

Consequently,ithasbeenencouragingtoseetheGovernmenthastakenstepstoappointa

ChiefSocialWorkerandthatlocalauthoritiesarestartingtorecruitPrincipalSocialWorkers

totheirteams.

Whatisparticularlyencouragingisthatsomelocalauthoritiesarealreadydeveloping

innovativewaysofworkingthatareenhancingthequalityofhelpreceivedbyfamilies;this

chaptergivessomeexamplesofgoodworkalreadyunderway.

L i h d i


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Thechapteralsodiscusseshowlearningcanbe(andisbeing)encouragedatlocallevel

throughpeerreview,atcaselevelthroughcasemanagementanalysis,andbybetter

consultationand

conversation

with

children.

Finally,

it

discusses

the

capacity

building,

methodologicalrefinementandculturalchangenecessarytofullyimplementaSeriousCase

Reviewprocessfocusedonwholesystemimprovement.

ConclusionChapter6emphasisestheimportanceofimplementingalltheproposedreformsinconcert.In

order

to

create

anew

culture

within

child

protection

it

is

necessary

to

increase

the

flexibilitytorespondtoneedsonthegroundbothwithinandacrossservices,tohavethe

skillsandexperiencetotakeadvantageofthisflexibility,andtobeabletoassess,learnand

respondtohowwellwearehelpingchildren.Addressingindividualpartsofthesystemwill

onlysucceedinpushingproblemselsewhere,leavingchildprotectionasweak,orweaker,

thanitwasbefore.Implementingthesereformsasawholewillgiveprofessionalsthescope

andskillstheyrequiretobetterprotectchildrenandtocontinuetoimprovetheirmethods

andmeans.


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Chapter1: Introduction1.1 Now,ayearaftermyfinalreportwassubmitted,isagoodtimetoreflectonthe

progressbeingmadeinimplementingmyrecommendations.TheGovernmentwill

shortlybepublishingradicallyrevisedstatutoryguidanceforconsultation.Ihaveseen

onlydraftversionsandthecommentsinthisreportarebasedonthesebutthe

versionsthatarepublishedmaydifferinsomerespects.Anewinspectionframework

alsocomesintooperationinMay. Thesefundamentalchangeswillmakeasignificant

contributiontohelpingthesystemreorientateitselffromcheckingcomplianceto

learninghow

well

children

and

young

people

are

being

helped,

and

having

sufficient

flexibilitytorespondtotheselessons.Thisisthetimewhenlocalservicesand

professionalsneedtoseizetheopportunitytomovetowardsachildcentredsystem.

Myconclusionisthatthingsaremovingintherightdirectionbutneedtomovefaster.

1.2 Myreportlastyearsoughtaculturechangeinthewaythatchildrenandyoungpeopleareprotectedfromharm. Theyneedprofessionalswhoareabletounderstandand

help

them.

This

requires

intelligence

and

good

skills

in

getting

on

with

family

members,incopingwiththestrongemotionsthatarestirredup,inhelpingpeople

solveproblems,andinmakingdecisionsaboutwhat,onbalance,isinthechildor

youngpersonsbestinterests.Suchimportantandcomplexworkneedsgood

guidance,goodmanagement,andgoodrecords.However,asmyreviewconcluded,

thesystemhadbecomeunbalancedsothattherewasanundueemphasison

recordingandcompliancewithtargetsandprocedures.Consequently,professionals

hadtoolittletimewithfamiliesandtoolittlescopetousetheirexpertiseandmake

judgments.

1.3 Thepositiveresponsetomyreviewshowshowmanyagreewiththisanalysis.Thereisrealenthusiasmforchange.Butitisnoteasytoshakeoffthecomplianceculture.At

heart,thisworkinvolvesuncertainty:wecannotknowforsurewhatisgoinginthe

privacyoffamilylife;wecannotpredictwithcertaintywhatwillhappentochildren;

wecanonlymakejudgmentsanddecisionsthat,ontheevidenceavailable,lookthe

best.Yet,toooften,expectationshavebecomeunrealistic.Governmentandlocal

documentsare

peppered

with

the

word

ensure

on

matters

where

no

one

can

realisticallydoso.Publichorrorwhentragediesoccurhasstrengthenedthebeliefthat

ifsomethingbadhappenssomeonemustbetoblame.

1.4 Thecompliancecultureisanunderstandableresponsetothisimpossibleexpectation.The need to avoid and deflect blame ripples through the system encouraging people


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fornotseeingthehandwritingonthewallforgettingthatitwaswrittenininvisible

inkthatbecamelegibleonlyafterward.Actionsthatseemedprudentinforesightcan

lookirresponsibly

negligent

in

hindsight

(Kahnemann,

p.203.)

1.6 RecentcommentsfromtheGovernmenthavebeenhelpfulinencouragingamovefromablametoajustculture.InrespondingtotheSeriousCaseReviewonthecaseof

theJChildreninEdlington,MichaelGove,theSecretaryofStateforEducation, wrote:

Peopleworkinginthesecircumstancesneedtohavetheconfidencethattheywillbe

backedbytheirmanagerswhentheytakedifficultdecisionswithgoodintentand

soundjudgment,

whatever

the

outcome

(2012).

1.7 TimLoughton,theParliamentaryUnderSecretaryofStateforChildrenandFamilies,hassoughtfeasiblegoals,forexample,endinganintroductiontonewguidanceon

tacklingsexualexploitationwiththeambitiontomakechildrensaferratherthan

safe(DepartmentforEducation,2012).Althoughitmayseemasmalldifferencefrom

ensuringthatallchildrenaresafe,itisanexampleofwhatIhopewillbeamore

realisticcultureofexpectation.

1.8 TheGovernmenthasacceptedalltherecommendationsfrommyreview,withsomeprovisos.AppendixAliststheactionstakeninresponsetoeachrecommendationbut,

withinthisreport,Iwanttolookathowtheyareinteracting. Untilthemajorchanges

instatutoryguidanceandinspectionareimplemented,localagenciesarelimitedin

theirfreedomtoredesigntheirworkpractices.However,therearemanyexamplesto

reportofsignificantdevelopmentsbothplannedandalreadyunderway.

1.9 Therearealsoothermajorchangesgoingonthatarehaving,orwillhave,amajorimpactonchildprotection.InthereformsIdiscussinthisreport,itisdifficultto

separateouttheimpactthatmyreviewhashadfromseveralotherinfluences.

1.10 Thecutsinpublicsectorfundingareclearlysignificant.Thismeansthatservicesareattemptingtoimplementmyrecommendationsalongwithotherchangesneededto

livewithintheirbudgets.ThereisariseinreferralstoChildrensSocialCarethatmay

belinked

to

cuts

in

support

services

for

families.

The

financial

problems

and

welfare

reformsalsoaffectfamilieswithestimatesofincreasingchildpoverty(Bradshaw,

2011,Browne,2012).Althoughparentsonlowincomescanprovideexcellentcare,it

iswellestablishedthatpovertycorrelateswithneglectinparticularandsotheremight

beanincreaseinreferralsbecauseofthis.


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beensentmanyexamplesofreforms.ThesurveyofLSCBChairsprovidedvaluable

informationonhowpeoplewereimplementingmyrecommendationsbutthe

responserate

was

only

39%

so

it

may

not

be

representative

of

the

whole

country.

The

ChildrensImprovementBoard(CIB)hasprovidedusefuldataonwhatlocalareasare

doing.TheCentreforExcellenceandOutcomesinChildrenandYoungPeople's

Services(C4EO)hasbeencollectingexamplesofsuccessfulinnovationsinfamily

supportthatillustratetherangeofactivitiesgoingon.Theinformationgatheredfrom

allthesesourcesprovidesinsightsintowhataspectslookfeasibleandwhatisworrying

people.Italsoconveysawelcomesenseofenthusiasmforthechanges.

1.13 Thisreportprovidesanoverviewofprogressonthesetofrecommendationsthatwilltogetherhelpcreateaworkenvironmentwhereprofessionalshaveincreasing

confidenceandcompetence,andwheretheprimaryfocusisonwhetherornot

childrenhavebeenhelped. ThenextchapterlooksattheGovernmentsactionsin

reducingstatutoryguidancesothatthereismorescopeforprofessionalandlocal

autonomy.Changeshereallowchangesintheinspectionprocesswhichmanyhave

seenasaprimedriverofthecompliancecultureandthenewinspectionframework

couldalsobeaprimedriverinencouragingalearningculture.ChapterThreedeals

withthe

changes

in

the

many

services

that

play

apart

in

supporting

families

and

improvingchildrenssafetyandwellbeing. Theextentofpolicyreformandfunding

cutsmakechangeunavoidableandmanyareasareredesigningtheirservicesto

improvefamiliesaccesstotherighthelpinatimelymanner.Theyare,however,

hamperedbythecontinuedpresenceofthestatutoryguidanceandbytheinspection

process.ChildrensSocialCarefiguresinthischapterintermsofhowitworkswith

otherservicesbutChapterFourisspecificallyonitandondevelopmentsinsocialwork

expertise

arising

partly

from

my

review

but

also

from

the

Social

Work

Task

Force.

Changesareneededinthewaythedifferentservicesmonitorthemselvesanddefine

goodpractice. ChapterFivelooksatprogressinwaysoflearninghowwellweare

doinginhelpingchildren.Finally,(ChapterSix)Iofferanassessmentofprogress.

1.14 Thesereformsareonlythestartofanongoingprocessbywhichthechildprotectionsystemcanbetterservechildren;takentogethertheyshouldcreatework

environmentsinwhichbetterpracticeislikelytoflourish.Thereisverymuchfurther

togo

but,

one

year

on

from

the

publication

of

my

review

Iam

delighted

to

be

able

to

reportthatthejourneyhasbegun.


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Chapter2:IncreasinglocalandprofessionalflexibilityIntroduction2.1 Therehasbeenconsiderableprogressinplanningtorevisestatutoryguidance.Radical

changestothisguidanceandtoinspectionwererecommendedinmyreviewbecause

theyhad,overtime,beenabsorbedintoadefensivecultureandbeengivenundue

prominence.Thiswasseentodistractattentionfromchildrenssafetyandwelfareby

becomingthe

focus.

Data

such

as

timescales

that

began

life

as

intelligent

indirect

measuresofthequalityofhelpchildrenreceivedbecamethedirectgoalofpractice.

Theguidancealsoproliferatedovertheyearswiththeoriginalprescriptionofgoals

beingincreasinglyaugmentedwithprescriptionofhowtoachievethem,thereby

creatingincreasingobstaclestoflexibilityandreformatthelocallevel.

2.2 TheGovernmentacceptedmyrecommendationsonthisbuthasnotyetpublishedrevisedstatutoryguidanceforconsultation. Thisdelay,albeitforgoodreasons,has

causedsomeproblems,withsomehesitatingtostartreformsincasetheGovernment

changesitsmindandothersfeelingfrustratedbecausetheycanonlypartlyimplement

reformsuntiltheguidanceallowsthemmorefreedom.Thereformoftheinspection

processisfurtheraheadwitharevisedframeworkhavingbeenpublishedfor

consultationinJuly2011,pilotedinfivelocalauthorities,andcomingintoforceinMay

thisyear.

2.3 Movingresponsibilityfordecidinghowtomeetthestatutorydutiestolocalandprofessionalcontrolrequireschangeinhowprofessionalsworktogether.Thereare

manyexamples

of

formal

and

informal

mechanisms

being

developed,

and

we

can

drawontheevidencefromthelocalauthoritieswhoweregrantedexemptionsduring

myreview(seebelow)tobecomemorefocusedonthequalityofhelpchildrenare

receiving.

2.4 Inmovingfromacompliancetoalearningculture,professionalsneedmorespacetoexercisejudgmentandrespondtothevarietyofneedsofchildrenandfamilies.

However,thosefeedingbackonmyreviewhaveaskedmetoclarifywhenrulesare

stillessential.

Morejudgment,fewerrules2.5 Whyshouldtherebemorejudgment? Asdiscussedinthefinalreportofmyreview

( 3 1 3 5) l d d f ti l f t f th


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thathasbeenembeddedinEnglandisimpressivenotjustinrelationtoconcerns

aboutabuseorneglectbutalsoinsupportingfamilieswhoarereceivinghelpfrom

morethan

one

service.

2.6 Rulesarealsodesirablewhendealingwithsimpleactionswherethereisarightwaytodothings,e.g.insomeaspectsofpreparingacourtapplication. Butsomedegreeof

professionaljudgmentisneededwhendealingwithcomplicatedtasks,forexample

whendecidingwhetherareferralrequiresanurgentresponse.Guidancemayoffer

suggestionsoffactorstoconsiderbut,ultimately,thecompetentprofessional

exercisesjudgmentindetermininghowtorespond.

2.7 Overtheyears,theincreaseinstatutoryguidanceandoflocallycreatedruleshasmeantthatthescopeforjudgmenthasbeenerodedwithcomplicatedtasksbeing

treatedassimple.Asaconsequence,professionalsabilitytobechildcentred,tomake

decisionsthattakeaccountofthespecificcircumstancesofthechild,hasdiminished.

Thefixedtimescaleforassessments,forinstance,hasformanybecometheoverriding

concernsothatanassessmentisconcludedbecausethedeadlinehasbeenreached

notbecausetheworkerthinkstheyhaveacquiredagoodenoughunderstandingof

thechildsneedstomakeasounddecisionaboutwhattodo.

Revisionstostatutoryguidance2.8 TheGovernmentfeltitwasnecessarytoconsultwidelybeforemakingsuchradical

changes.Atthetimeofwriting,revisedversionsofWorkingTogethertoSafeguard

ChildrenandFrameworkfortheAssessmentofNeedofChildrenandtheirFamilies

shouldshortlybepublishedforformal,publicconsultation.Thissetofdocuments

containaradically

reduced

amount

of

central

prescription,

with

Government

retaining

theresponsibilitytosetouttheduties,roles,andprincipleswhileprovidingmorelocal

andprofessionalcontrolofthewaythatthesewereimplemented. Thismajor

reductioninGovernmentcontrolhasstrongendorsementfromMinistersand

indicatesaconfidenceinthesectortotakemoreresponsibility.

2.9 Itisimportantthatthisguidanceleavesnooneinanydoubtabouttheirresponsibilitiestosafeguardandpromotethewelfareofchildren.Itmustmakeitvery

clear

what

must

be

done.

However,

it

should

free

professionals

from

the

degree

of

prescriptiononhowtomeettheirresponsibilitiesthattakesawayspacefor

innovation,judgment,andtheflexibilitytomeetthespecificneedsofindividual

childrenandyoungpeople.

Taking more responsibility sharing and learning


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inlinewiththewaysthattheychoosetoredesignthewaylocalserviceswork

together.

2.12 Ihaveheardsomeconcernthatlocalautonomywillleadtoaproliferationofassessmentformsandproceduresthatwillcomplicatelifeforservicesthatworkwith

manydifferentareas.Inrelationtoassessmentforms,thesearenotcurrentlycentrally

prescribedandsothechangesinstatutoryguidancethatIrecommendedmakeno

difference.TheCommonAssessmentFrameworkhasneverbeenstatutoryandhas

beenmodifiedinmanyplaces.ChildrensSocialCarehavebeenfreetochangethe

assessmentformsusedbysocialworkerssinceJune2009whenthelimitationsofthe

formsinICSwererecognisedand,actingontheadviceoftheSocialWorkTaskforce,

theGovernmentagreedthatICTsystemsshouldbelocallyownedandlocally

implemented.Inrelationtoprocedures,variationwillbelimitedbythefactthatthey

refertoimplementingthesameduties.Somedegreeofflexibility,however,is

desirable.Therearemanyexamples,discussedinthefollowingchapter,ofmajor

reformstothewaythatservicesworktogetherinengagingandsupportingfamilies

and,currently,thereareunintendedrestrictionsarisingfromstatutoryguidance.In

areasadoptingtheSignsofSafetyapproach,forexample,theycurrentlyhaveto

duplicatedocumentation

instead

of

just

using

the

forms

designed

for

the

approach.

2.13 Standardisationhasvaluewhenweknowhowtodosomethingtoahighstandardbut,insafeguardingchildren,westillhavemuchtolearnandsoitisprematuretocreatea

detailednationallyprescribedwayofworking.Itisimportanttohavetheflexibilityto

allowlearningandimprovement.TheexperienceoftheICSsoftwareinChildrens

SocialCarehasbeenalessoninthenegativeimpactofpoorlydesignedtoolson

professionalpractice.

2.14 TherearealsoconcernsthatthereducedguidanceinWorkingTogethertoSafeguardChildrenhappeningatthesametimeastheradicalreformofthehealthservicemayleadtoalossofattentionbeingpaidtosafeguardingchildreninthehealthsector.This

isdiscussedinthenextchapter.

2.15 Thereisconsiderableevidenceofprogressinpreparingtoexercisethisgreaterresponsibilityandofservicesdevelopingmechanismsforworkingtogethertolearn

andimprove. ItisnotthecasethateachLSCBorservicehastoactalone.

2.16 TheChildrensImprovementBoardplaysasignificantpartinsupportingreform.Ithassetoutitsproposedactivityasfollows:

Localimplementation,ifitistobeeffectiveandsustainedovertime,needstobe

collectivelydrivenbythesector,notjustbyindividualCouncils.CIBwillplayakey

roleinthisatbothnationalandregionallevelsthrough:


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2.17 ThetraininginleadershipforDirectorsofChildrensServices(DCSs),formerlyprovidedattheNationalCollegeforLeadershipofSchools,isbeingcontinuedbutisnow

providedby

the

Virtual

Staff

College.

This

provides

on

going

support

to

DCSs

and

trainingtoaspirantDCSs.

2.18 TheCollegeofSocialWorkisnowinoperationandisdevelopingservicesthatsupportprofessionaldevelopmentinlinewiththerecommendationsoftheSocialWorkTask

Forceandmyreview.Theotherprofessionalcollegescontinuetohelptheirmembers

understandandmeettheirresponsibilitiesinrelationtosafeguardingchildren,

providingtrainingandguidancefortheirmembers.

2.19 Whilethereisgreatvalueinprofessionalgroupsbeingabletoadaptguidancetosuitthespecifictasksandcontextsinwhichtheirmemberswork(andindeedmanyof

themdothistosomedegreealready),thereisalsoaneedtokeepacheckonwhether

thisvariationleadstoincompatibilitiesintheguidancebeinggiventothedifferent

groups.IsuggestthattheChiefSocialWorkertakesonaleadroleincoordinatinga

groupofrepresentativesfromtheprofessionsinvolvedtofacilitatediscussionofany

emergingproblemsintheWorkingTogetherguidanceandsuggestrevisionsasneeded

inthefuture.

2.20 Aswellasthemoreformalmechanismsforsupport,Ihavebeengivenmanyexamplesofservicesgettingtogethertohelpeachother.Thefollowingisbynomeansa

comprehensivelistbutindicativeofthetypeofactivitiesgoingon.Manyofthese

groupsareregional,usingthegroupingsoftheformerGovernmentOfficesforthe

Regions.Theyhavebeenmeetinganddiscussingplans,withsomemakingplansfor

jointdevelopmentwork.TheLondonSafeguardingCouncilsgroupcontinuestoco

ordinateservicesacrossLondon.IhaveattendedregionalworkshopsforLSCBsinthe

NorthEast,

North

West

,and

the

East

Midlands

where

discussions

highlighted

the

challengesandopportunitiespluswaystheycouldworktogethertoencourage

reform,withsomeofthemusingtheCIBasaforuminwhichthiscollaborationcanbe

maintained.TheEastMidlands(2011),forexample,areplanning/implementinga

schemeofUnannouncedSafeguardingAssuranceVisitsdesigned

toprovidesupportandchallengetoeachlocalauthorityintheleadershipandmanagementoftheirsafeguardingpractice.

tosupporttheregionalaspirationtodevelopastrongercultureofreflectivesafeguarding

2.21 TheNSPCCorganisedaseriesoffreemultiagencyeventstoprovideopportunitiesforconsiderationoftheworkforcechallengesarisingfromtheMunroreview.The

feedbackreported:


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Evidencefromthetrialauthorities2.23 Anotherconcernhasbeenthatreplacingthestatutoryguidanceontimescaleswitha

judgmentofqualityandtimelinessforthechildwillleadtodrift.Thisisamajorissue

andevidenceofdriftwastheoriginalreasonforintroducingguidanceonaverage

timescales.However,thereissomeevidencetocounterthisconcern.Duringmy

review,Iwasabletoobtainpermissionforsomelocalauthoritiestobegranted

exemptionsfromsomerules.Theexperiencesofthesetrialauthoritiesprovidegood

evidenceofthepositiveeffectsofincreasinglocalautonomyandshouldhelptoallay

someanxiety.

2.24 TheexemptionsgrantedtoeachlocalauthoritybytheDepartmententailedthesettingasideofthefollowingrequirementsofWorkingTogethertoSafeguardChildren

(HMGovernment,2010):

(i) therequirementthattherebeatwostageprocessofassessment,aninitialassessmentfollowedwhereappropriatebyacoreassessment(8LAs);

(ii) Thetimescalesforcompletinginitialandcoreassessments(10and35working

days

respectively)

(6

LAs);

(iii) Removalofthe15workingdaytimingfromdateoflaststrategydiscussiontotheinitialchildprotectionconference(1LA):

(iv) The10workingdaytimescalebetweenaninitialchildprotectionconferenceandfirstcoregroupmeeting(2LAs).

2.25 Oneclearlessonfromtheseauthoritiesisthatchangeisnotsimplyaquestionoftaking

away

intrusive

rules

and

allowing

good

practice

to

flourish.

One

authority

commentedontheinitialslownessofchangethoughthissubsequentlyaltered:

Therewasevidencethatfirstlinemanagersarestillprescribingastricttimescalefor

assessment,withreferenceinfourcasesto,forexample,completecomplex

assessmentwithin35days.Thiswasdisappointingbutnotunexpected.Itsuggests

that,despitebriefingsforallstaff,thetraditionalcultureoffrontlinedutyservicesis

solidlyentrenchedandwilltakesometimetodispel.Suggeststhatourbriefingand

rationalefor

the

change

was

not

communicated

clearly

enough.

Somesocialworkersstatedintheirauditinterviewsthattherewaslimitedfeelof

significantchangeinthewaytheyfelttheywereassignedassessmentswithaplanof

workbymanagerstheyfeltthattheirmanagersremainpreoccupiedwith

timescales,asopposedtotimelinessandquality.(Wandsworth)


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Islingtonreported:

Workersreportkeyimprovementsintheirpracticeas:

* Moretimetoconsiderthehistoricalfactorsinthecase.i.e.readingpastfiles

andcompilingchronologies.

* Moretimetoplanhowtoconducttheassessmentandreflectonthe

informationgathered.

* EverythingdidntneedtobedoneononlyonevisitLesspressuretovisit

thefamily,conductchecksandwriteareportinthe10dayIAtimescale.Thispractice

previouslyled

to

pressurising

the

family

to

comply

with

these

timescales

and

make

decisionssometimesbasedonlimitedinformationfromonevisitand/orwithoutall

thestandardinformationchecks.WorkersreportspecificallytheconflationofIA&

CAandtheredefinitionofthe10daytimescalemeanstheyareabletospendthefirst

visitdoingbasicsafetychecksandbuildingarapportwiththefamily,whichthey

believeleadstoabetterworkingrelationshipandbetteroutcomes.

Buttheyalsowarn:

Itishighlyimprobabletherelaxationofassessmenttimescalesalonewillsignificantly

improvethequalityofassessingandplanning,itisonepartofajigsaw(Islington).

2.27 Onepainfullessonthatsomehavereportedisthattheyfoundtimescaleshadbeenoperatingasasmokescreenand,onceremoved,theylookedbeyondthemtothe

qualityofworkbeingdoneandfocusedonimprovingit.Thisis,ofcourse,adesirable

lessonsinceitledthemtofocusonenhancingskill.Lookingatqualityalsodraws

attentiontothepurposeofassessments:toprovidethebasisformakingadecision,afactthatseemstohavebeenforgottenbysometowhomcompletingformswithinthe

specifiedtimehadbecomethetaskitselfratherthanameanstoanend.

2.28 Inhavingthestatutorybasisfortimescalesremoved,theauthoritieshavenotabandonedthembutreturnedtousingthemasoriginallyintendednotasafixed

timeforallchildrenandyoungpeoplebutasindicativeofthetimewithinwhichmost

assessmentsshouldhavebeencompleted,someshouldbedonemoreurgently,

othersneed

longer

to

be

good

enough

to

form

asound

basis

for

decision

making.

Managersmonitortheoveralltimeandexaminewhysometakesignificantlylonger.

Thismayormaynotcauseconcerndependingonthereasons.Itisimportanttokeep

familiesinformedofwhatishappeningandwhentheymayexpectadecisionorto

explainthereasonsfordelay.


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revisedtheframeworkforinspectionofthelocalarrangementsfortheprotectionof

children.ThesenewinspectionsbegininMay2012.

2.30 Theframeworkhasbeenthesubjectofdevelopment,consultation,pilotingandrevisionduringthepasttwelvemonths.Centraltothechangeisaveryclearintention

onthepartofOfstedtofocusonboththeimpactandeffectivenessofhelpand

protectionforchildren,youngpeopleandtheirfamilies,inadditiontoamorerigorous

examinationofthequalityofprofessionalpractice.Inspectorswillbeexamining

closelyhowwellchildrenandyoungpeopleareprotectedfromsignificantharmbut

alsohoweffectivelythoseatriskof,orthosesuffering,harmareidentifiedand

helped.Ofstedhavemadeclearthatearlyidentificationandearlyhelparefirmly

withinthescopeofthenewinspectionsandthatthedegreetowhichagenciesworktogethertoconstructaneffectivelocalsystemaresignificantaspectsofthenew

approach.

2.31 Newelementsoftheinspectionmethodologyincludedirectobservationofpracticeandcasetrackingandsampling,whichinvolveanexaminationofthequalityof

managementoversightandcasesupervision.Inspectorsalsoattendchildprotection

planning,reviewandcoregroupmeetingswherethisispossible.Thenewframework

describesan

inspection

focused

on

the

childs

journey

from

needing

to

receiving

help.

Criticallytheirexperiencesonthatjourneyarereviewed(includingwhethertheyfeel

theyhavebeenhelped)andthedifferencethatismadebytheprofessionalshelping

andprotectingthemandtheirfamiliesistobeevaluated.

2.32 Thepilotinspectionsinsupportofthenewframeworkprovidedencouragingfeedback.Thenewandstrongeremphasisontheeffectivenessofhelpandprotection

andthequalityofprofessionalpracticedidsecurethebasisforjudgmentsabout

impact,children

and

young

peoples

direct

experiences,

and

the

change

that

was

beingeffectedinfamiliesthroughthearrangementstohelpandprotectthem.Local

authoritiestakingpartconfirmedthattheexaminationofpracticeatthefrontlinewas

refreshingthoughdemanding.ThedecisiontoinvolveDirectorsofChildrensServices

inthejudgmentbuildingmeetingattheendoftheinspectionwasparticularlyvalued

andconfirmedtheadvantagesofatransparentmechanismtoevaluateobserved

professionalpracticeaspartoftheseinspections.(PreviouslyDCSswereonly

presentedwithagreedinspectionfeedback,ratherthanbeingabletohearthenature

anduse

of

evidence

in

reaching

judgments.)

Tracking

and

sampling

the

cases

of

childrenandyoungpeoplewaswellsupported,particularlyasameansofjudgingthe

qualityofprofessionalpractice.Inspectorsinvolvedintheseearlypilotinspections

alsosaidthattheirincreasedclosenesstopracticebroughtthemclosertoevidence

aboutthedifferencethatprofessionalinterventionsweremaking.Thelinkbetween

plans for children management oversight and the quality of supervision was reported


17/64

thatthesenewinspectionsareconcernedwithchildprotectionandnotwider

safeguarding.Creatinganinspectionexperiencethatisnotbasedonadeficitmodel

andthat

identifies

good

practice

and

improvement

is

also

achallenge

that

Ofsted

have

committedtocontinuetoevaluateduringthefirstyear.Theyhavealsoconfirmed

theirintentioninthenewframeworktofocusonwhatmakesthebiggestdifferenceto

thelivesofchildren,youngpeopleandfamilies.Thisfirstcyclewillbesignificantin

establishingthatexpectationsarenottoohighbutarerealisticandambitiousabout

theprotectionofchildrenandyoungpeople.Ofstedsroleindescribingandsharing

emergentandstrongpracticewillbeimportantinanewsystemthatisbeginningto

establishstronglocalarrangementsintheabsenceofnationallyprescribedrules.

Weakerauthorities

will

need

to

learn

from

those

performing

strongly

and

making

moreimpact.Regularevaluationandsharedlearningofthesedevelopmentsisarich

resourcethatOfstedwillwanttomakeavailableinsupportofchildrensservices

takingtheleadintheirownimprovement.

2.34 Whilstmyfinalreportrecommendedthatthenewinspectionsshouldconsiderthecontributionofallprofessionals,Inotethatthenewframeworkisasingle

inspectorateframeworkonly.IampleasedthatwhenOfstedpublisheddetailsabout

the

new

arrangements

in

January

of

this

year,

they

also

announced

the

development

overthecomingtwelvemonthsofanewsharedinspectorateframeworkduefor

implementationin2013.Thiswillbeanimportantextensionofthesignificantnew

foundationsthatIbelievethesefirstinspectionsthisyearwillestablish.Ofsted,the

CareQualityCommission,HMIProbation,HMIConstabularyandHMIPrisons,haveall

publiclyconfirmedtheirintentiontodevelopandbepartofamultiagencyinspection

programmewithpractice,effectiveness,andchildrenandyoungpeoplesexperiences

atitsheart.Itwouldalsobedesirablefortheseinspectionstofocusonthe

effectivenessof

the

LSCB

and

the

contribution

of

all

partners

to

it.

Inspection

that

is

focusedontheeffectivenessofpractice,thedevelopmentofprofessionaljudgment

andadeepreflectiononthedifferencethatthisismakingforchildren,youngpeople

andtheirfamiliesissignificantprogressandaconsiderableleverinthesystem

changesthatmustcontinuetodevelopandimprove.

Conclusion2.35 Therecommendationsrelatingtochangesinstatutoryguidanceandtheinspection

processareimportantcomponentsoftheculturalchangeneeded.Therehasbeen

considerableworkdoneonallofthesethoughsubstantivechangeshavenotyetcome

intoforce.Thisdelayhasobviouslylimitedservicesabilitytoreviewtheirwaysof

working,revisedocumentation,andimprovetheirsoftware(andtheimpactwillbe


18/64

Chapter3:Redesigningservicesaroundchildren,youngpeopleandfamilies

needs

Introduction3.1 Inmyreview,Iusedtheconceptofthechildsjourneytolookatserviceprovision

fromtheviewpointofthechildoryoungpersonratherthantheprovider.Thisdraws

attentiontothenumberofdifferentserviceswhomaybeincontactwithfamily

membersandhaveaninfluence,directorindirect,onchildrenandyoungpeoples

experiencesastheygrowup.Thereactivechildprotectionservicesdealwithonlya

smallpercentageoftheproblemsthatchildrenandyoungpeopleexperience;most

formalhelpisprovidedbyuniversalservicesortargetedservices.Thathelp,besides

improvingtheirwellbeingingeneral,alsosignificantlyreducestheincidenceand

severityofabuseandneglect.Servicestoadultswhoareparentsareasimportantas

thosedirectlyworkingwithchildrenandyoungpeoplesincetheycanimprovethe

qualityofparentingthatthechildexperiences.

3.2 TheimportanceofworkingtogetherhaslongbeenappreciatedinEnglandandgoodprogresshasbeenmadeinrecentyears.Inrelationtoearlyhelp,althoughtherehas

beenlessstatutoryprescriptionthaninchildprotection,myreviewhighlightedthat

increasedflexibilityisstillneededtoallowthemtofindbetterwaysofworking

constructivelytogetherandwithchildprotectionservices.Bycreatingthespacefor

servicestoworktogetherandbyencouragingthatworkthroughLSCBs,Healthand

WellBeingBoards,andmultiagencyinspectionsitshouldbepossibletoimprovethe

qualityof

early

help

for

vulnerable

children

and

young

people

EarlyHelpandFlexibility3.3 Earlyhelpisgivenassoonasaproblememergesandisintendedtoprevent

escalation.Itcreatestwochallenges(a)decidingwhatlevelofskillisneededtohelp

thefamilythevisibleproblemmaybelowlevelbutbeduetocomplexcausesthat

arehard

to

change

and

(b)

whether

the

concerns

are

evidence

of

actual

or

potential

abuseorneglectandwarrantreferraltoChildrensSocialCare.

3.4 TheGovernmentspoliciesonCommunityBudgets,FamilyInterventionProjects,andTroubledFamilieshavebeendevelopedinresponsetoevidenceoffamilieswhohave

numerouscontactswithservicesbutshowlittlebenefit.TheDepartmentfor


19/64

3.5 Researchonneglectfulfamiliesproducessimilarfindingsofineffectiveresponses,often

linked

to

inadequate

assessments

of

the

degree

of

harm

that

the

children

were

suffering.

Itisthechronicnatureofneglectthatisknowntobeparticularlycorrosivetochild

development.However,protectivesystems,likethoseacrosstheUK,havedeveloped

aroundaforensiccore,andarenotoriouslyclumsywhenitcomestodealingwith

sustainedproblemsratherthanoneoffevents.Neglectasdefinedbytheofficial

systemhasbecomeoverlycomplicatedandprocessbound.Adistancehasdeveloped

betweencommon

sense

empathy

with

the

unhappiness

of

hungry,

tired,

un

kempt

anddistressedchildrenandanoverlybureaucraticandanxietyriddensystemfor

reachingouttohelpthem.Thereseemtobemanydelaysandbarrierstochildren

receivingaswiftandcoordinatedresponse

Somerespondentsidentifiedtheproblemthatchildrenandfamiliescan

bebombardedwithservicesthatappeartohavelittleappreciableimpactonthe

qualityofthechildsdaytodaylife(ActionforChildren,2011,p.2021).

3.6 TheSeriousCaseReviewonFamilyZ(HaringeyLSCB,2012)providesaclassicexampleofrepeatedreportsofconcernaboutthechildrenandyoungpeoplescareandwell

beingfailingtotriggeranadequateassessmentoftheharmtheyweresufferinguntil

theyhadhadprolongedexposuretoneglect.

3.7 Therefore,thegreaterflexibilityarisingfromtherevisionofstatutoryguidancemayleadtobetterwaysofrespondingtoconcernsaboutneglectand,inparticular,to

tacklingthe

problem

that

the

current

child

protection

guidance

is

better

designed

for

respondingtoincidentsofabusethantochronicpatternsofparentingthatharmthe

childsdevelopment.Inwritingofmyreviewinrelationtoimprovingearlyhelp,Matt

DunkleyDCSofEastSussexsaidimportantly,itoffersanopportunitytodothings

differently(EastSussexCountyCouncil,2011).

3.8 ThemanyexamplesofreformsIhavereceivedshowhowareasandservicesaregrappling

with

the

complexity

of

children

and

young

peoples

needs

and

are

already

workingthroughwaysofgettingtherighthelptotherightfamiliesasquicklyas

possibleandofhelpingthoseworkingwithfamiliesoutsidechildprotectiontomonitor

andmanagerisktochildrenandyoungpeople.

3.9 Forexample,inSuffolk,theIntegratedAccessTeamthatiscolocatedwithpolicewas


20/64

Theimportanceofworkingtogether3.11 Arecentsummaryofmessagesfromresearch(Davies&Ward,2012)hasawealthof

valuablematerialandendorsesthesoundnessofthepreventiveagenda,keymessages

include:

Programmesthatpreventtheoccurrenceofabusearelikelytobemoreeffective

thanthosethataddressitsconsequences.

and

Apopulationbasedapproachtopreventionisnonstigmatizing,morelikelytoreach

familiesearlyandpreventescalationofabuse,andmorelikelytoreachthose

childrenwhosemaltreatmenttendstopassunnoticed(p.71).

3.12 TheEveryChildMatterspolicyofthelastGovernmentdidmuchofthegroundworkinestablishingthevalueofservicesworkingbettertogether.Davies&Wardsreviewof

researchonprogress,includestheobservationsthat:

Importantadvanceshavebeenmadeinrecentyearsatthepracticelevelthroughinnovativeapproachestoservicedeliverysuchasmixeddisciplinary

teamsandcolocationofworkers.

Therearealsoslowbutimportantadvancesinasharedsenseofresponsibilitybetweenagenciesandreductionsinthesilomentalityto

working.Itisimportanttobuildonthesegains.

LocalSafeguardingChildrenBoardshaveplayedanimportantpartinbuildingstrongerrelationshipsthroughprovidinghighqualityinteragencytrainingandbuildingnetworkingarrangementsbetweenandacross

disciplinarygroups(2012p.137).

3.13 Theyalsowarn:Therearerisksthattheseadvancescouldbelostasaresultofradicalrestructuringofservices.Itwillbeimportantthatservicesaremindfuloftheserisksas

therestructuringbedsin.

3.14 Thereissimilarriskfromtheothermajordriverofreformatpresent:fundingcutstoallservices.Localauthorities,forexample,arehavingtoaccommodateto28%

reductionintheirfundingonaverage,butestimatesofthecutsinchildrensservices

vary(ADCS,2012). Theevidencesofaristhatareasaremakingsignificantattempts

to protect early and preventive childrens services but do not think this can be


21/64

assessmentoftheeffectivenessofthehelpbeingprovidedtochildren,youngpeople

andfamilies(includingtheeffectivenessandvalueformoneyofearlyhelpservices,

including

early

years

provision)

(recommendation

6).

3.16 TheGovernmenthasconcludedthatanewdutyisnotnecessarybecausetheexistingdutyonlocalstrategicbodiestocooperate(Section10oftheChildrenAct2004)

meetstheneedalready.IntheirresponseinDecember(DepartmentforEducation,

2011),theysaid:

TheGovernmenthasbeenworkingwithpartnerstoconsiderthebest

routeto

secure

Professor

Munro's

vision

of

atransparent

and

co

ordinated

offer

of

earlyhelpforchildrenandfamilies.WehaveengagedwithpartnersinADCS,health,

policeandeducationandhaveconcludedthatwedonotneedanewstatutoryduty

todeliverearlyhelpandthatthereissufficientexistinglegislationtorealise

ProfessorMunro'srecommendation.Wewillcontinuetoworkwithpartnersto

clarifyexistinglegislationtoemphasisetheimportanceofearlyhelp.Inthe

meantimeweencouragelocalareastocontinuetoworktoprovideearlyhelpforthe

compellingargumentsthatProfessorMunroarticulated.

3.17 Continuedcommitmenttoworkingtogetherwillalsobepromotedbytheimplementationofanotherofmyrecommendations(recommendation2)thatthe

InspectionFrameworkshouldexaminetheeffectivenessofthecontributionsofall

localservices,includinghealth,education,police,probation,andthejusticesystemto

theprotectionofchildrenandyoungpeople.Thishasbeenacceptedbytherelevant

inspectoratesbut,becauseofthediversityintheirwaysofoperating,workisneeded

tocreateasharedapproachandthisisplannedtocomeintooperationinJune2013.

Relatedpolicies3.18 Thereareseveralrelatedpoliciesthatmakeavaluablecontributiontoeffective

safeguarding.TheGovernmentsappreciationoftheimportanceofearlyhelpled

themtosetupareviewheadedbyGrahamAllenofearlyinterventiondelivery.This

reportedin2011(Allen,2011).Theprimaryrecommendationarisingfromthese

reportswas

the

establishment

of

an

Early

Intervention

Foundation.

Graham

Allen

outlinedthepurposeoftheindependentFoundationas:

Beastrongvoicetopromoteandfostertheimpactofearlyinterventionworkandaddvaluetothosewhoalreadyworkinthefield.

Evaluate and validate the evidence based programmes and practises in the


22/64

3.20 RecognitionoftheimportanceofcollaborationbetweenservicesisalsoevidentintheGovernmentscontinuationoftheFamilyImprovementProjects(FIPs)andthe

introduction

of

the

Community

Budgets

and

Troubled

Families

scheme.

Evidence

from

themonitoringofFIPs(DepartmentforEducation,2011a)hasalreadyshown

encouragingresultsinimprovingchildrenandyoungpeoplescare.

3.21 ThenewTroubledFamiliespolicybuildsonthethinkingbehindFIPsandalsoseekstoharnesstheeffortsofthemanyservicesthatcanbeinvolvedwithonefamilytocreate

amoreconstructivecollaborativeeffort.Itisinnovativeinthatitwill:

runprimarily

on

apayment

by

results

basis

to

incentivise

local

authorities

and

other

partnerstotakeactiontoturnaroundthelivesoftroubledfamiliesintheirareaby

2015.TheGovernmentwilloffertopayupto40percentoflocalauthorities'costsof

dealingwiththesefamilies(PaymentbyResultsModel)payableonlywhentheyand

theirpartnersachievesuccesswithfamilies.

TheGovernmentwillalsofundanationalnetworkoftroubledfamily'trouble

shooters'ineach(uppertier)localcouncil.Thetroubleshooterswilloperateata

seniorlevel

to

oversee

the

programme

of

action

in

their

area

(Dept

for

Communities

andLocalGovernment,2012).

3.22 Anotherrelatedaspectofgovernmentpolicyishealthreform.Healthservicesmakeamajorcontributiontothehealthandwellbeingofchildren,youngpeopleandtheir

families,andtheirreformwillhaveasignificanteffectonsafeguarding.Itwillbe

extremelyimportantthatLSCBs,HealthandWellBeingBoards,andprofessional

bodiescooperatetoensurethatsafeguardingdoesnotgetlostinthemix.

3.23 Currenthealthpoliciescontainmanydevelopmentsthatwilldirectlycontributetoimprovingthequalityofsafeguarding.TheMarmotReview(2010)highlightedthe

inequalitiesinhealthoutcomesandtheimportanceoftakingalifecourseapproachto

planningservicesthatemphasisesthevalueofpreventionandearlyhelp.TheHealthy

ChildProgramme019hasambitiousgoalstoimproveallchildrensdevelopment.The

plannedincreaseof4,200additionalhealthvisitorsby2015(DepartmentofHealth,

2011a)willsignificantlyimprovetheirabilitytosupportfamilies.Theexpansionofthe

FamilyNursePartnership(2012)willhelpsomeofthemostvulnerableparents

throughpregnancyandtheearlyyears.Mentalhealthpolicyisalsoofrelevance,both

forchildren,youngpeopleandtheirparents(DepartmentofHealth,2011b).The

relevanceoftheNHSoutcomesframeworkisdiscussedinChapter5whenlookingat

feedbackonhoweffectiveservicesarebeing.


23/64

partnersandcommunitiessharedprioritiesforaction.Theprioritiesshouldreflectthe

issuesthatmattermosttocommunitiesandwherethegreatestimpactcanbemade

on

health

and

wellbeing

outcomes.

3.25 TheJointHealthandWellbeingStrategies(JHWS)willsetouthowtheNHS,localgovernment,widerpartnersandcommunitieswilladdressthepriorities,andimprove

bothservicesandhealthandwellbeingoutcomes.Thiswillincludeplansforhowthey

canworktogether,forexampleusingsharedbudgetsandjointcommissioningto

integrateservices,aswellasthecontributionindividualpartnerscanmake.Itwould

alsobebestpracticetoincludeactiontoaddresswiderfactorsthatimpactonhealth

andcare

outcomes,

such

as

housing,

education,

the

economy,

or

crime.

3.26 Howevertheradicalscaleofchangeintheorganisationofthehealthservicethatisnowinprogressisalsocausingconcern.Fearhasbeenexpressedthattheembedded

mechanismsforkeepingaclearfocusonsafeguardingchildrenandyoungpeoplemay

getlostorreducedintheprocessofchange. TheRoyalCollegeofPaediatricsand

ChildHealthisconcernedabouthowsafeguardingstandardswillbemaintainedand

improvedinthereformedhealthserviceandrecommendedthatNICEshoulddevelop

aquality

standard

for

safeguarding

to

drive

service

improvement

(RCPCH,

2012).

This

wouldbeavaluablemeansofhelpingthenewsystemkeepaclearfocuson

safeguardingastheradicalreformsareimplementedandIendorsetheir

recommendation.

3.27 Thenewhealthsystemgivesweighttousersviewsbutgivingchildrenandyoungpeopleameaningfulvoiceisadistinctchallenge.Unlikeadults,theydonothaveany

leveragethroughthevotingsystem;theyhavelittlevoiceintheusualchannelsof

communication.On

many

issues,

one

can

expect

their

parents

to

represent

their

needsandviewsbutthisclearlydoesnotapplywhentheissueischildprotectionsince

parentsareunlikelytocomplainthattheirabusivebehaviourisgoingundetected.

Thereforeitisessentialthattheconsiderableexpertiseonsafeguardinginthehealth

serviceismaintainedanditshouldbereadilyavailableasthenewentitiescomeinto

operation. Thesystemofnamedanddesignateddoctorsandnurseswillbe

maintainedbutthereshouldbeformalarrangementsforlinkingthemintothenew

systemsothattheyinformmanagerialdecisionmaking.

3.28 InmyreportIrecommended:TheGovernmentshouldworkcollaborativelywiththeRoyalCollegeofPaediatrics

andChildHealth,theRoyalCollegeofGeneralPractitioners,LocalAuthoritiesand


24/64

thetimeofwritingthisreport,itwasstillunclearwherethisframeworkwillbe

published.

Examplesoflocalreforms3.29 PartlyasongoingimplementationofthelastGovernmentspolicyandpartlyin

responsetotheAllenreviewandmine,therearenumerousexamplesoflocal

authoritiesandpartneragenciesseekingtoimprovethewaystheydecidewhatlevel

ofhelpisneededandtoimprovetheamountofhelpofferedtofamilieswhohave

significantproblemsbutwhichdonotmeetthecriteriaforaservicefromspecialist

services,including

child

protection.

Ican

only

give

asample

of

the

reform

here.

Many

morecanbefoundontheC4EOwebsitesincetheycalledforexamplesoflocal

practicearoundearlyhelpandthesearenowbeingpublishedastheyarereceived.

(http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/earlyintervention/default.aspx?themeid=12&access

typeid=1)

3.30 Colocatingservicesisacommonstrategyandthesemultidisciplinarygroupsseembetter

able

to

answer

the

question

what

help

does

this

family

need

and

who

is

best

abletoprovideit?ratherthanthemoreindividualquestionshouldmyserviceaccept

thisreferral? Therearemanyexamplesofnewwaysofdiscussingconcernsand

managingreferralsthatseemtobeimprovingthespeedwithwhichfamiliesare

gettingtotherighthelpandreducingthenumberofreferralstoservicesthatresultin

noofferofhelp.

3.31ThepoliceledinitiativeMultiAgencySafeguardingHub(MASH)thatImentionedinmy

final

report

has

now

been

evaluated

by

the

National

Foundation

for

Educational

Research(Goldenetal,2011).Theteam,comprisingpeoplefrompolice,healthand

ChildrensSocialCare,worksinasealedintelligencehub,meaningthattheycan

shareinformationwithintheteambutthereareagreedrulesinplacecoveringthe

releaseofinformationtostaffintherestoftheorganizationsinvolved.Theteam

providesadviceandinformationonsafeguardingmatters.Itmakesaninitial

assessmentofriskbeforedecidingonappropriateactionandallocatingcases

accordingly.Theevaluationisclearthattheworkisstillinitsearlystagesbutinitial

findingsare

promising.

3.32 Policehavealsobeeninnovativeindevelopingaservicetohelpchildrenandyoungpeoplewhoarethevictimsofdomesticviolence.OperationEncompass,developedin

DevonandCornwall,hastrainedkeyadultsinschoolstosupportchildrenandyoung

people who witness domestic violence When police are aware of an incident of


25/64

3.34 WhiletheCommonAssessmentFrameworkpolicyremains,manyareashavemademodifications

to

the

original

form

to

suit

local

needs

(56

per

cent

in

the

LSCB

questionnaire)and,insomecases,toimprovecompatibilitywiththeChildrensSocial

Caresoftware,ICS. Somehavealsoalteredthefocusfromtheindividualchildtothe

familysotheCAFhasbecomeaFAF(FamilyAssessmentFramework)andtheTAC

(TeamaroundtheChild)hasbecometheTAF(TeamaroundtheFamily).

3.35 Hertfordshireprovidesanevaluatedexampleofimprovingaccesstoservices.ThisreportistakenfromtheC4EOwebsite(downloadedon25.4.12):

The Right Response, by the Right Service at the Right Time,

HertfordshireBackground and drivers for change

The Right Response project was set up in July 2009 to develop and

embed multi-agency arrangements which best support how children

and families receive services and where revised arrangements couldmake best use of available resources. The driver was high social

care referral rates and some families were not receiving a promptresponse (where the needs were for family support, as opposed to

safeguarding). Findings supported the view that some referrals

could have been better addressed in other ways, including the use

of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and this would alsosupport social care colleagues in providing an improved service to

the most vulnerable children.

The overarching focus was to ensure a multi-agency approach to

achieving the best outcomes for a child or young person, without

delay, and where their needs are met at the lowest possible tier ofservice (wherever safe to do so) and for all practitioners to take

full responsibility for ensuring that everything possible is done to

prevent unnecessary escalation of issues or needs. A threshold

document was developed to ensure that thresholds of need for


26/64

families including an increase in CAF activity, where this provides

co-ordinated multi-agency support to families.

There had also been an increase in CAF activity since theintroduction of the Targeted Advice Service. There were 451 CAFs

recorded in the first quarter of 2010, compared with 171 in the

first quarter of 2009. The number of CAFs started in March 2011was the highest to date, at 188. The work of TAS has been

considered a significant contributing factor to this increase.

From a sample audit of 22 cases received and progressed by TAS,the findings were that

In 17 cases (77%), the young person and family had receivedthe required support and their needs were being addressed

or have been met;

In three cases (14%), needs were not addressed due tofamily refusal to engage and practitioners agreed to monitorthe needs of the child/young person;

In two cases (9.1%), additional information was gathered andthe needs for the child considered to be particularly

complex and of concern, requiring a referral to social care.

The audit included feedback from referrers about the service they

received from the Targeted Advice Service. Of the 22 cases

audited, 95.5% of referrers felt that they received good adviceand support (referrers were: 59% health, 13.6% police, 13.6%

family, 9% schools and 9% Voluntary & Community Sector).

In addition, the stigma felt by families being referred to social

care should not be under-estimated and the changes made in

managing contacts and referrals means only those cases meetingthreshold are referred to social care.

3.36 Attentionispaidtochildrenandyoungpeopleacrossthelifecourse,notjustintheearly years In Walsall there is an interesting example of a multi agency service for


27/64

youngmensproject.Withthechild/youngpersonastheirfocus,theylistentothem

andworkalongsidethemtorecogniseandunderstandwhatishappeningtothem,

and

the

impact

that

exploitation

in

the

widest

sense

has

on

their

lives.

Conclusion3.37 Childabuseandneglectneedstobeseenwithinthewidercontextofhowsociety

supportsfamilies.ChildrensSocialCareisjustoneofmanyservicesthatworkwith

oneormorefamilymembers.Manyofthepolicydevelopmentsatpresentseekto

integratetheeffortsofdifferentservicesbettersincethereisconsiderableinefficiency

ineach

working

separately

and

possibly

duplicating

efforts

in

some

cases

while

other

familiesreceivenothing.Therearealsoeffortstoofferhelpatanearly(orearlier)

stage.However,thisdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatproblemsneedlowerlevelsof

skilltosolve.Itisnecessarytohavegoodqualityassessmentsandmonitoringto

identifywhichproblemsarehardtodealwithandneedamoreskilledresponse.The

greaterfocusonoutcomesshouldmakethiseasiertoachieve. Anotherproblemisto

identifywhichchildrenandyoungpeoplearesufferingabuseorneglectandneeda

referral

to

Childrens

Social

Child

Care

because

of

this

(referrals

may

be

made

for

other

reasonstoo).Creativeinnovationsareproducingnewmultiagencywaysofdealing

withthischallengingjudgment.

3.38 Therearemanyexamplesofgoodprogressandcreativeinnovationsothatfamiliesreceivehelpinamorejoinedupway.Asthesenewmethodsofworkingtogetherare

developed,itisimportantthatChildrensSocialCarecanadaptandfitin,reducingthe

problemsthatarecurrentlyoftenreportedofdepartmentsbeingoverlybureaucratic

andremote

in

their

relationships

with

other

services.

Therefore,

the

increased

local

controlallowedintherevisedstatutoryguidanceshouldbeofgreatbenefithere.

3.39 ThemultiinspectionprocessandtheLSCBsproposedroleinmonitoringtheeffectivenessofearlyhelpshouldencouragethesedevelopmentsandtheplanned

HealthandWellBeingBoardswillmakeasignificantcontributiontoprioritisingand

coordinatingpreventiveservices.

3.40 Thefutureofearlyhelpliesverymuchinthehandsofservicesthatworkwithyoungpeopleandfamilies,theauthoritieswhocommissionthemandtheprofessional

bodieswhorepresentandregulatethem.Allmustcooperatewitheachother,and

withsocialservicesinordertohelpchildrenandyoungpeoplereceivehelpthatmight

preventseriousconcernsfromescalatingtochildprotectionissues.


28/64

Chapter4:ChildrenssocialcareandsocialworkIntroduction4.1 Thecomplianceculturethathadbecomesowidespreadhadmademanysocial

workersfeelthattheywerenolongerabletodorealsocialwork.Theorganisational

prioritiesweresofocusedoncomplyingwithtargetsandperformanceindicatorsthat

frontlineworkersoftenfelttheywerenotsupportedenoughbytheirmanagersin

keepingaprimefocusonchildrenandyoungpeoplesbestinterests.Thedataentry

demands,too,hadtakensomuchtime thattheyseverelyhamperedtheirabilityto

formconstructiveworkingrelationshipswithfamilymembers. Effortstoimprovethe

qualityofpracticehadplacedundueweightonthecontributionofguidancemanuals

andthisincombinationwiththeperformancemanagementregimehadledtothe

coreskillsandknowledgeintheindividualworkerbeingundervalued.

4.2 Freeingupsocialworkersfrombureaucracyisnecessarybutnotsufficienttoproducehigh

quality

practice.

As

the

many

examples

Ihave

been

given

illustrate,

managers

in

ChildrensSocialCarerecognisethatsocialworkersneedtobegivenongoingtraining,

coaching,andsupervisiontoexerciseprofessionaljudgmentwell. Theneedformore

robusttrainingandongoingdevelopmentwasattheheartoftheSocialWorkTask

Force(2009)recommendationsaswellasmyown.

4.3 Progressisbeingmadeonstrengtheningtheprofessionasawhole,creatingacareerstructurethatrewardsthosewhochoosetofocusonincreasingtheirexpertise,and

onredesigning

childrens

social

care

services

so

that

they

reflect

this

greater

priority

beinggiventotheorganisationsabilitytohelpchildren,youngpeopleandfamilies

effectively.Thischapterlooksatprogressonbothissues,beginningwithprofessional

developments.

ProfessionaldevelopmentsSocial

Work

Training

4.4 ThechangesadvocatedbytheSocialWorkTaskForcerelyfortheirsuccessfulimplementationonthepracticalframeworksandtoolsdevelopedbytheSocialWork

ReformBoardwhichcanstrengthenthesocialworkprofessionanddevelopabetter

qualityofpractice.Theseincludeimprovementstoinitialeducation,inselectingthe

right people to train and in meeting the needs of those aspiring to be the next


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allowbothlecturersandcourseleadstoreviewcontent.Newstandardsforpractice

placementshavealsobeendeveloped.

4.6 TheSocialWorkReformBoardisnearingitsendandwillbepublishingareportwhichwillgivefulldetailsofprogressandcontinuethemomentumofreform.Future

progresswilldependonlocalauthoritiesandotheremployers,highereducation

institutes,andtheprofessionusingtheframeworkstodriveimprovements,whichwill

take5 10yearstoembed.

4.7 TheCollegeofSocialWorkhastakenownershipofanumberofframeworksdeveloped

by

the

Reform

Board

with

the

sector.

Key

aspects

that

will

improve

training

are:

Aprofessionalcapabilitiesframework(PCF)whichestablishessharedexpectationsofsocialworkersateachstageoftheircareers.Theseexpectationswillunderpin

thesocialworkdegree,asocialworkersfirstyearofemployment,andtheir

continuingprofessionaldevelopment;

PartnershipworkingsothatHigherEducationInstitutes(HEIs)andemployerssharethe

responsibility

for

degree

courses,

including

the

practice

learning

in

which

studentsspendalmosthalftheirtime.

Socialworkregulationchanges

4.8 On1stAugust2012,theHealthProfessionsCouncil(HPC)willbecomethenewregulatorforsocialworkers,includingregistrationofsocialworkersandapprovalof

socialworkdegreeprogrammes.

4.9 AspartofmeetingHCPCstandards,educationprovidersmustreflectthephilosophy,corevalues,skillsandknowledgebasearticulatedinanyrelevantcurriculumguidance.

SocialworkeducationproviderscanusetheProfessionalCapabilitiesFrameworkand

educationrecommendationsfromtheSocialWorkReformBoardandCollegeofSocial

WorktoinformthedevelopmentoftheirprogrammetomeetHCPCstandards.In

additiontoHCPCapproval,theCollegeofSocialWorkisplanningtoofferan

endorsementschemeforeducationprovision,whichwillprovideakitemarkofquality

in

professional

standards.

CollegeofSocialWork

4.10 EstablishingaCollegeofSocialWorkwasarecommendationoftheSocialWorkTaskForce:


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4.12 ThethreeFacultiesareforChildandFamilySocialWork,Adults,andMentalHealth.Theywillfocusonencouragingsocialworkersthroughoutthecountrytobecome

involvedintheworkofTheCollege.Theywillbringtogetherthewisdomandexpertise

ofsocialworkerstodeveloptheirprofessionalspecialisms,discussandresolve

problems,produceguidance,andinfluencechangesinlaw,policyandpractice.Ihave

acceptedtheroleofTransitionalChairoftheFacultyforChildandFamiliesSocialWork

forthefirstyearand,todate,wehavecreatedoneCommunityofPracticearoundthe

SignsofSafetyapproach,providingamechanismforthemanyauthoritiesworking

withthisapproachtoformanetworktosharelearning.MoreCommunitiesofPractice

willbedevelopedasmembersgenerateideas.

4.13 TheCollegewillmonitortheimplementationofthereformagendasetoutbytheSocialWorkReformBoard.ThiswillactalongsidetheHPCsregulatoryprocesses.

ChiefSocialWorker

4.14 MyrecommendationtocreatethepostofChiefSocialWorkerhasbeenacceptedandthepostadvertised.HeorshewillbeanadvisertotheGovernmentonadultandchild

socialworkissuesandthedevelopmentofrelevantpolicies,andwillprovide

authoritativeexternal

leadership

and

challenge

on

the

professional

development

of

thesocialworkprofession.ThepostwillreportjointlytotheDirectorGeneralof

Children,YoungPeopleandFamiliesinDfEandtheDirectorGeneralforSocialCare,

LocalGovernmentandCarePartnershipsintheDepartmentofHealth.

4.15Keyresponsibilitieswillinclude: advisingtheSecretariesofStateforEducationandHealthandwiderGovernment

onsocialworkpracticeandpolicydevelopment;

promotingvaluesandstandardsofprofessionalpractice; encouragingtheuseofresearchandevidencetoimprovesocialworkpractice; performingachallengeroletothesectoronraisingstandards,andinformingthe

improvementagenda;

raisingpublicawarenessandunderstandingofsocialwork; workingwithdisciplinesbeyondsocialworktoencourageeffectiveinteragency

practice;and

advisingtheGovernmentonstrengtheningthesocialworkroleinsupportingandsafeguardingthoseinvulnerablecircumstances.PrincipalChildandFamilySocialWorker

4.16 MyrecommendationonencouraginglocalauthoritiestohavearoleofPrincipalChild( )


31/64

4.17 Ihavelearnedfromfeedbackthatitisgenerallyagreedthatprofessionalknowledgeaboutsocialworkandchildprotectionneedstobeanintegralpartofthesenior

managementteam. Effectivedecisions aboutfamiliesthroughtoservicepolicy,to

structuralchange,toresourcemanagement needtobebasedonseniorprofessional

socialworkadvicesothatboththepositiveandnegativeconsequencesonpractice

arefullyunderstood,andproperpublicaccountabilityfordecisionmakingisheld.This

isgenerallyaddressedatpresentthroughtheappointmentofaseniorofficerwhoisa

qualifiedsocialworkerandwhohasresponsibilityforcommunicatingtherealitiesof

frontlinepracticeindecisionmaking.ThisismostoftenanAssistantDirector/Headof

Service/DeputyDirectorwhoseportfolioincludeschild&familysocialworkservices.

Many

consider

that

this

arrangement

is

adequate

but

my

recommendation

was

inspiredbythefindingsinotherfieldsthatoncepeoplehavestoppedengagingin

frontlinepracticethenthevividrealityofitstartstofadeandprioritiesstarttoshiftto

themanagementagenda.Ididnotrecommendthattheycarriedacaseloadbutthat

theycontinuedtodosomedirectworkandIhaveheardofexamplesthatshowsome

dothisatpresent.OneDirector,forexample,doesahalfdayondutyamonth.

AssistantDirectorssometimeshelpwiththemorechallengingfamilies. Therefore,

therecommendationonappointingaPCFSWmaynotbenovelinsomeauthorities.

4.18 Itisreasonabletoassumethatthefirstissueisalreadyaddressedwherelocalauthoritiesalreadyhaveadesignatedseniorofficerrolewhoseprimaryfocusison

effectivechild&familysocialworkpractice,whoissignificantlyinvolvedincasework

aspartoftheirdaytodayrole,andwhohasadesignateddutyandauthoritytoapply

theirknowledgeabouttheconditionsinwhicheffectivesocialworkcanflourishinall

significantorganizationaldecisions.

4.19 TheroleofPCFSWshould,however,alsobeusedtoaddressthesecondissuei.e.theneedtocreateextendedpracticecareerpathways.Thiswillmakemostsensewhere

thereisacompletereviewofcareerandrolestructures.Insomeofthemore

fundamentalredesignsofservicethatIshallreportonlaterinthischapter,thisroleis

morereadilyincluded.

4.20 Currently,therearerarelypracticebasedopportunitieswhichextendbeyondthesenior/advancedpractitionerroles.Fortalentedpractitionerstoremaininpractice

throughouttheir

careers,

opportunities

which

attract

increasing

financial

reward

need

tobecreated.Withinthehealthservicetherearealreadyeffectiveworkingmodels

whereclinical(practicebased)careersarecommonplace.Inseniorclinicalroles,

significantamountsoftimemaybespentoncasesupervision,researchandteaching,

servicedevelopmentsetcbut,critically,thepersonalwayscontinuestopractice.


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advancedpractitionerroleandtogethertheycreateavirtualteamthatworkstothe

PC&FSW.ThePSWisonthesamegradeasateammanager.Thisispartofan

organisationwidemovetoenhancetheexpertiseintheworkforce.

ThePCFSWleadsontheredesignofsocialworkinCornwall,promotesalearning

culturewithinoperationalservicesandreportstheviewsandexperiencesofthefront

linetoalllevelsofmanagementandmembers.ThePCFSWisresponsibleformaking

leadingedgeresearchinpractice,policyandguidancereadilyavailabletoallsocial

workers,promotingtheuseofawebbasedresourcelibrarytounderpinevidence

basedpractice.Thepostholderalsoleadsontheformulationanddeliveryofan

annual

childrens

social

work

conference.

TheroleofthePrincipalSocialWorker,undertheleadershipandmanagementofthe

TeamManager,isto:

provideastatutorysocialworkservice,particularlyinthemostcomplexofcases; provideakeyroleindeveloping,supportingandmonitoringthecompetencyand

confidenceoffrontlinesocialworkstaffthroughdeveloping,maintainingand

championingexpertiseinspecificareasofsocialworkpractice

driveexcellentpracticebasedonresearchevidenceandprofessionalexperience; supporttheachievementofimprovedoutcomesforvulnerablechildrenand

youngpeople,includingsafe,stableandpermanentcare;

providesupervision,mentoringandsupporttolessexperiencedteammembersincludingpracticeteachingforstudentsocialworkers.

DevelopmentsinChildrensSocialCare4.22 ChildrensSocialCaredepartmentsareimplementinganumberofreforms.Someare

makingmajorchangestoenhancethequalityofhelpreceivedbyfamilieswhileothers

aremovingmorecautiously. TheLSCBquestionnaire(Munro&Lushey,2012,p.9)

reportsonwhatisgoingoninthe57areasthatrespondedandIhaveaddedsome

examplesforillustration.

Promotingreflectivepractice themostfrequentlycitedactivitywaspromotionof,

andenhanced

training

in,

reflective

supervision

practices.

In

the

South

West

Region,

forexample,traininginmindfulpracticehasbeenprovidedforfrontlinemanagers

andsocialworkerswithanevaluationreportingimprovementsinsoundanalysisand

decisionmaking(Jones,2011).


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(particularlyalcoholanddruguse).Itisparticularlyfocussedonunderstandingand

reducingclientresistanceandhowtochallengeeffectivelyandthereforeseems

likelytobeusefulinchildprotectionsettings) eightLSCBsindicatedthat

motivationalinterviewingtechniqueswereusedwithintheirarea.Islington,forexample,aretrainingalltheirChildreninNeedsocialworkersinMIaspartofa

proposedrandomisedcontrolledtrial(Forrester,2012a).

Evidencebasedinterventions thirtyfiveLSCBsreportedtheyhadimplemented

evidencebasedinterventions.ThemostcommonlycitedwastheTriplePPositive

ParentingProgrammefollowedbymultisystemictherapy.OneLSCBreportedthey

had

developed

a

resource

bank

of

evidence

based

approaches

to

promote

purposefuleffectiveinterventionandinformtrainingneedsanalysis.

Improvingfeedbacktoprofessionalsmakingreferralstochildrenssocialcare thirty

threeLSCBssaidtheyhadtakenactiontoimprovefeedbacktoprofessionalsmaking

referralstochildrenssocialcare.

Implementingchangestoreducethenumberofchangesofsocialworker

experiencedby

children

and

families

thirty

two

LSCBs

reported

they

had

or

were

takingmeasureswhichwereintendedtoreducethenumberofchangesofsocial

workerexperiencedbychildren,youngpeopleandfamilies.Mechanismstodothis

included:redesigningservicestominimisesystemledchange;andstrategiesto

maximiserecruitmentandretentionofsocialworkers.

RedesigningtheCommonAssessmentFramework(CAF)tomeetlocalneeds thirty

twoLSCBsreportedtheywerereviewingthedesignoftheCAForhadalready

implementedchanges

to

meet

local

needs.

Developments

included

introducing

a

localformofeCAF,redesigningtheformsand/orsimplifyingprocedures.

Developingsystemstoobtainbetterfeedbackfromchildren,youngpeopleand

familiesinrelationtotheirexperiencesofservices thirtynineLSCBsreported

systemswerebeingdevelopedtoobtainbetterfeedbackfromchildren,young

peopleandfamiliesinrelationtotheirexperiencesofservices. Thefollowing

developmentsandfeedbackmechanismswereidentified:

Redesigningfeedback

forms.

Conductingsurveys(forexample,asurveyofparentalexperiencesofchild

protectionconferencestoinformstrategiestoimproveparentsexperiences

andengagement).

Interviewsand/orfocusgroups(forexample,interviewswithchildrenand


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predominatelyconcernedwithreviewingdatarequirements(andgenerally

expandingdatasets)orredesigningperformanceframeworks.Asmallnumberof

LSCBChairsspecificallyacknowledgedtheincreasingsophisticationofreporting

mechanismsand/ortheimportanceofanalysingbothqualitativeandquantitativedatatomonitorperformance.

4.23 Intheresponses,mentionwasalsomadeofusingtheSignsofSafetyapproach(Turnell,2012)andtheReclaimingSocialWorkapproachdevelopedinHackney

(Goodman&Trowler,2011).Thesearebothwholesystemredesignsandbeing

adoptedbyseveralauthoritiessomeritmoredetail.

Reclaimingsocialwork

SubmissiontoMunroProgressReport,fromMorningLaneAssociates.

Reclaiming Social Work is an operations systems/systemic methodology

for statutory child and family social work (details of the full model can

be found at www.morninglane.org). At the time of this report, the model

has been rolled out in full in one authority and has shown very promising

results in keeping children and young people safely at home (Cross,

Hubbard & Munro, 2010 and Forrester, D. 2012b).

Since then many authorities have adapted the model to suit local

circumstances and are already seeing very positive changes. As part of

this group an extensive network of authorities have banded together to

form the National Redesign Network, all focused on embracing a

different journey for child & family social work and the families theywork with, and through a process of exchange of ideas and expertise,

challenge and debate with each other, and within their own local areas,

have developed some progressive and creative programmes of change.

Derbyshire has been piloting the use of systemic based clinical

supervision in addition to that provided by the team manager as a way of

introducing more reflective opportunities to think through child

protection concerns and how best to positively engage the family and

progress safety plans. Starting with just 2 social workers, the approach

is being rolled out across the county to over 80 social workers.

She is really transparent - she doesn't stab you in the back at case


35/64

and strengths in families rather than their deficiencies has proved

inspiring for the practitioners.(District Manager:)

Cambridgeshire is in the process of implementing Working for Families

a whole systems change which aims to keep children and young people

safely with families through enhanced evidence based skills development

and a structure which supports collaborative working amongst

professionals and with families (more details are available on the Munro

Review website, in Progress Submissions).

I continue to be enthusiastic and energised about this way of workingin a way that I do not remember in all my years as a social worker.

There are clear differences in our practice already. The responsibility

is shared between a small group (unit) of staff, who pool their

respective ideas and skills in a coordinated and much more active way

than before. Each and every child is discussed every week and plans

are made about a range of interventions. The work is strengths

based.much more hands on, with workers helping families to buildskills to enable them to problem solve much more effectively for

themselves. Developing a shared knowledge base through systems and

social learning theory, while still using other research such as

attachment theory, has been invaluable. The inclusion of a specialist

clinician has been especially exciting, particularly in families where

there are entrenched drink or drug addictions or mental health issues.

This is so much better for the families than before..it is such a

rewarding way to do social work without the heavy burden ofresponsibility on any one set of shoulders. What is fantastic is that we

are continuing to learn this is only the beginning (Group Manager,

Cambridgeshire)

Cornwall Child & Family Social Work Services has created a network of

new roles across the operational system: Principal Social Workers in

every team who are advanced practitioners with a small caseload and whohave responsibility for supervision, mentoring and support to other social

workers; and Consultant Social Workers who have a full caseload but

crucially, both posts are paid the same as team managers but with no line

management or budget responsibility. This is significant because it gives

a very strong message that practice skills have equal status to


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Harrow is a good example of an authority taking a whole systems

approach to both early help and targeted services. Their new model

prioritises parenting skills, family support and responses to young peopleon the cusp of exclusion, crime or care. Critical though is the strong

strategic approach to changing practice through the introduction of a

limited set of evidence based methodologies across the childrens

workforce as well as providing on the job coaching and modelling.

Islington have a comprehensive redesign programme in place, which

focuses on the whole system of child & family social work. Within the

wide range of initiatives, they have introduced a time and motionmethodology which other authorities have now adopted, which shows the

detail of what social workers spend their time doing, what proportion of

time is sent on direct work and reveals what needs to shift in order to

increase that proportion. A much more strategic approach to skills

development has also been launched where resources are targeted

towards long term evidence based skills development underpinned by

rigorous academic evaluation provided through the Tilda GoldbergFoundation under the leadership of Professor Donald Forrester.

Worcestershire found the timing of the Munro Review exactly right as

they had identified significant workforce issues following an OFSTED

inspection and, as a result, received significant additional financial

investment to improve capacity at the front line. This was in addition to a

time limited Senior Manager post Programme Manager Social Care

Workforce Reform which currently incorporates the role of PrincipalSocial Worker. This has supported the development of a comprehensive

Workforce Strategy with a work plan that specifically evidences the

Social Work Reform Board and Munro recommendations and which uses,

as its framework, the Employer Standards. They have embraced the

ideal More Professional Accountability, Less Bureaucracy which is

enabling them to look at every aspect of our policy, procedures, systems

practices and ask Is this the spirit of Munro? As a consequence this isenabling them to challenge some corporate agendas (reduction of admin)

and to enable their staff to have a clear framework within which to

challenge the Senior Management Team.

The Munro recommendations are changing the culture of the


37/64

sceptical.TheapproachtoworkinHackneyisexceptional.Thisisperhapsbest

capturedbyacommentmadebyoneofourresearchers(herselfanexperienced

socialworker)duringanalysis:ifwewerestartingchildprotectionfromscratchand

comparingthe

Hackney

approach

and

traditional

childrens

services

there

is

no

questionthatyouwouldoptfortheHackneymodel.Asoutlinedabove,thereare

severalreasonsforthisbutattheheartofitisjointallocationofchildrentosmall

teams.Thisnecessitatesfarmorediscussionandsharedinputforwork,whichwhen

properlysupportedandinformedbytheory,createsafarhigherqualityand

consistencyinpractice.

In

contrast,

the

traditional

hierarchical

model

operates

in

a

linear

way,

like

a

chain

of

commandfromseniormanagementtoworker.Thiscanworkwheneachlinkis

strongandwellsupported,butitisessentiallyabrittlesystem;anyweaklinks

causedbypersonalityorcircumstancearelikelytoleadtobreakdownsinassessment

andwork.Suchasystemmayappeareasiertomanage,butitisparticularly

vulnerabletosystemicfailureironicallytheverythingwhichchildrensservicesseek

toavoidasitcanhavesuchdisastrousconsequences.Itispossiblethatsuchan

approachworkedwhenitwascreatedinthe1960sand1970s,butourstudy

suggestsserious

questions

about

whether

it

is

appropriate

for

the

very

high

levels

of

needandriskfoundinalmostallfamiliesworkedwithincontemporarysocialwork.

SignsofSafetySubmissiontoMunroProgressReportfromVivHoggandAndrewTurnell,Signsof

Safety.(MoredetailsareavailableontheMunroReviewwebsiteinProgressReport

Submissions).

The Signs of Safety is an approach developed in Western Australia by Andrew

Turnell & Steve Edwards based on practitioner wisdom about what actually works

with families. The approach expands the investigation of risk to encompass

strengths and signs of safety that can be built upon to stabilise and strengthen

the child & familys situation. The approach requires practitioners to develop

skills around critical thinking and questioning and it provides them with a

framework for guidance and recording focused around 4 key domains:-

What are we worried about past harm, current and future danger

Whats working well strengths, existing and future safety

Judgment current safety of the child

What needs to happen required outcome and next steps


38/64

to planning for a better and safer future for the child. (Independent

Reviewing Officer from Leics.)

Many UK boroughs have already received training in the Signs of Safety and

twenty-four local authorities have expressed a strong interest in using the

approach as a means of relocating partnership with families at the centre of

their childrens services. In 2012, 12 boroughs will begin multi-year

implementations of the Signs of Safety approach with more to follow in 2013.

These boroughs, along with key partners will be lead by Viv Hogg and Andrew

Turnell and will collaborate closely to share learning and act as critical friends to

support and deepen the implementation process.

Evaluation data of the Signs of Safety approach from implementing jurisdictions

around the world consistently shows practitioners welcome the approach and

shows increased practitioner morale and pride in their work, and evidence of

reductions in statutory intervention such as children and young people taken into

care and families to court (DCP, 2011; Skrypek et.al., 2010; Skrypek et.al., 2012;

Turnell, 2012; Wheeler and Hogg, 2011).

MakingSystemicChange theintroductionofsystemsthinkingintoChildrens

ServicesinCumbria

4.25 Cumbriaoffersanother,interestingwayofusingsystemsthinking,drawingonleanmanagementtheory,tostarttoreformtheirresponsetoreferrals,withplanstoroll

outtheapproachtootheraspectsofwork.Iwassentthefollowingsubmission:

Changes to the system in Cumbria are being informed directly frompractitioners based on their understanding of what is value work and waste

work; the former being that activity valued by children and families, the

latter being everything else i.e. the activity that gets in the way of doing the

value work.

This new perspective on activity is more than re-engineering a process it is

the beginnings of a change in service and organisational culture where

practitioners are empowered to challenge the status quo to continuously

redesign the system in which they operate around the value work (i.e.

Listening, Understanding, Identifying Need/Desired Outcome, Meeting

d / d )


39/64

managers can discuss cases as a group to learn and inform change. By their

own account the presence of a Blockage Board and the response to it by

managers, has improved morale and staff have said they feel like they havebeen listened

Documents

Progress Report - Moving Towards a Child Centred System