Exploring the Links between the Children and Families Act and the Care Act

Caroline Bennett – Senior Development Officer August 2014

The Council for Disabled Children

• The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) is the umbrella body for the disabled children’s sector in England. • CDC bring together the diverse range of organisations that work with and for disabled children, children with Special Educational Needs and their families to support the development and implementation of effective policy and practice.

• CDC’s Council now exceeds 180 member organisations, large and small, and their work impacts on over 800,000 disabled children and their families.

CDC’s Networks

CDC also runs a number of networks which include: • • • • • National Parent Partnership Network Special Educational Consortium Transition Information Network Making Ourselves Heard participation network Early Support CDC also hosts the Every Disabled Child Matters Campaign and works in partnership with the National Development Team for Inclusion to deliver the Preparing for Adulthood programme.

CDC as Strategic Reform Partner

CDC is working as Strategic Reform Partner for SEN and Disability to the Department for Education.

As Strategic Reform Partner CDC is working with our CDC Council and across our Networks to: • • • Support the development of capacity building across the Voluntary and Community Sector.

Contribute to the development and implementation of key policy initiatives.

Identify and support research to gather evidence on what works to inform policy and practice development and planning

Joining the CDC council

At the heart of our organisation are the CDC Council members.

The Council is the wider stakeholder group for CDC and provides us with a unique overview of current issues. CDC members enjoy a variety of benefits including: • The unique opportunity to inform and be informed on a variety of disabled children's issues.

• The chance to attend CDC Council Meetings.

• The opportunity to join CDC working groups.

• A free monthly e-mail newsletter and quarterly Digest, summarising essential policy and practice.

• Regular invitations to workshop sessions/conferences on key policy and practice issues.

Exploring the Links between the Children and Families Act and the Care Act

Key themes of the Children and Families Act: Part 3

• Local Offer • 0-25 Education, Health and Care Plans – Outcome focus • Participation and engagement • Personal Budgets • Joint Commissioning • Preparation for Adulthood

Background to the Care Act

• Foundations of Social Care law put in place over 60 years ago.

• Part 1 of the Care Act pulls together threads from over a dozen different Acts into a single, modern framework for care and support. • It reforms how the law works, prioritising wellbeing for individuals with care and support needs over the age of 18.

• It has a particular focus on person-centred practice, outcomes and putting people in control of their care and support.

Where do the Children and Families Act and the Care Act overlap?

 They will overlap for young people aged 18-25:  Local Authorities will need to consider the implementation of the Acts together to ensure they are not implemented in conflicting ways;  Or in ways that mean there is duplication creating more work for professionals in local areas and more stress for young people and families;  However, there are many positive opportunities created by thinking about the implementation in a joined up way.

What are the opportunities?

 Focus on participation and involvement  Focus on Outcomes and Person Centred Practice  Duty in the Care Bill to promote wellbeing: • Control over day to day life (inc. care and support) • • Participation in work, education, training or recreation Social and economic wellbeing • Domestic, family and personal relationships • • Suitability of living accommodation Contribution to society  Continuity of care – Child’s Needs Assessment • Can be requested at any age; • • Duty to carry out if ‘likely need’ for care and support post 18 and at a time of ‘significant benefit’ to a young person’s planning; Proportionate assessment leading to a transition plan; • Continuation of children’s service post 18

Matthew’s Story

 Work experience from age 11  Person centred review with a focus on PfA  Outcomes - Paid employment and to live in his own home  4 planning sessions to support full involvement  Input from Adult Social Care: • Personal Budget?

• • Enough to pay Job Coach?

Link to Housing Association  Now: Living independently in a job he loves; www.media19.co.uk/production/Matthews-story

What are the opportunities?

 Information, Advice and Support o Duty to establish and maintain an Information and Advice service for individuals aged 18 and over and their carers;  Local authorities have new functions to ensure that people: • • • receive services that prevent their care needs from becoming more serious; can get the information they need to make good decisions about care and support; have a good range of providers to choose from.

 For more information you can download the new PfA factsheet about the Care Act at: www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk/resources/pfa resources/factsheet-the-children-and-families-act-and-the-care-act

What could it look like in practice

• Consider opportunities for information and advice across age spans from childhood to adulthood; • Get involved in the development of the Local Offer – this may be used to identify existing provision and gaps in support available to feed into commissioning priorities; • Increased focus on participation including the need for shared/supported decision making from 16 and the requirement in the Care Act to provide independent advocacy; • Both Acts strongly emphasise the importance of participation and involvement of children, young people, individuals and their families or carers.

 Local authorities have duties within both Acts to develop the market to ensure that there are quality services, which lead to the intended outcomes of the Children and Families Act and the Care Act;  Provide young people and their families with opportunities to pool budgets and commission mutually beneficial support;

Where to find out more and keep up to date

You can read the responses to the questions we have received each week in the documents below.

Week 1 - Local offer (updated) Week 2 - Engagement of young people and families Week 3/4 - EHC plans and Personal Budgets Week 5 - Personalisation and Person Centred Practice

www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk/forum

Contact Information Council for Disabled Children

 Website: http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/councilfordisabledchildren  Twitter: @CDC_Tweets  Newsletter:e-mail [email protected]

Preparing for Adulthood

 Website: www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk

 Facebook: www.facebook.com/preparingforadulthood  Twitter: @PfA_Tweets  Blog: www.preparingforadulthood.wordpress.com

Contact Information Transition Information Network

 Website: http://www.transitioninfonetwork.org.uk/  hl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransitionInformationNetwork?ref=  Twitter: @TIN_Talks  Membership: http://www.transitioninfonetwork.org.uk/membership.aspx