Transcript Children’s Services – The Context for Change

The Child Action Model
• The context for change in children’s
services
• Developing integrated services in
Gloucestershire
• The concepts behind the model
• Outline of model and how it works
• Questions
Children’s Services – The
Context for Change
• Children Act 1989 –
‘Every authority has a general duty to safeguard and promote the
welfare of children in need…. By providing a range and level of services
appropriate to those needs’
Section 17
‘Every local authority shall take…steps to identify the extent to which
there are children in need within their area’
Schedule 2
‘Where it appears to a local authority that any authority or person
could…help in the exercise of any of their functions…they may request
the help of that authority or person……and…’an authority whose help is
so requested shall comply with the request’
Section 27
What Happened?
• Focus on safeguarding rather than promoting
welfare
• Messages from Research – too many children
caught in the CP net
‘160,000 children & families a year …drawn into
CP process…..but only 25,000 registered’
….and too much focus on abuse at expense of
general needs –
‘in over half of (CP) cases, families receive no
services at all following investigation’
Messages from research
This led to………
• Focus on prevention, earlier intervention and
integration of services
• Recognition that children’s needs cut across
agencies –
Sure Start, YOS, Connexions
• National Assessment Framework
‘effective collaboration requires a common
language to understand the needs of children and
a joint commitment to improving outcomes’
This led to …….
• Climbie Enquiry – 12 chances to save her life
over 10 months
• IRT - system to facilitate information sharing
across agencies
• Green Paper – Every Child Matters
• Children Bill
Gloucestershire’s Response
• CYPSP – all heads of service, chaired by
County Council CEO
• IRT project initiated
• Development of common language
assessment model
• Child Action Model\Child Action Project
Child Action Model
• Continuum of need
Low level needs likely impairment
Complex needs impairment
High level needs significant impairment
Child Action Model
• Thresholds
Complex needs actual impairment
Low level needs likely impairment
High level needs significant impairment
Continuum of Need
Child Action Model
• Services
Multi Agency
Complex needs impairment
Single
Agency
SSD
Low level needs likely impairment
High level needssignificant impairment
Continuum of Need
Child Action Project- putting
theory into practice
•
•
•
•
Staff funded by SSD & Children’s Fund
Based in schools
Point of contact for school staff
Assess needs by using common language
assessment tool
• Identify community resources
• Coordinate services and/or signpost
Child Action Model
Multi Agency
Complex needs impairment
Single
Agency
SSD
Low level needs likely impairment
High level needs significant impairment
Continuum of Need
Child Action Project
• Provide a catalyst and example of how
integrated services can work in practice
• Plan to extend project to all communities
and localities
• Once established, aim to withdraw Child
Action staff
Child Action Model - the Bolton
system
Initial identification of concerns by agency
IRT
Completion of common language assessment – Needs, Threshold,
Outcome, Service
Level of Need\Threshold
Low level
Complex
High level
SERVICE PROVISION
Single Agency
Multi -Agency
Monitoring and Review
SSD
Summary
• Long recognised that services intervene too
little and too late
• Recognition that children’s needs cut across
agency boundaries and integrated approach
needed
• Child Action Project is vehicle for ‘kick
starting’ integrated services across all
localities
Summary- Key Elements
• Agency that identifies concern carries out
assessment
• Key Worker
• Single agency or Joint commissioning of
services
• Services ‘wrap’ around child - child is at the
centre
Questions