express briefing @ 8
Children's Services: The new council wide approach to improvement 22 May 2013 Cllr Steve Eling Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Resources Cllr Simon Hackett Cabinet Member for Children’s Services Simon White Director of Children’s Services Melanie Dudley Director of Improvement and Efficiency
Setting the scene • Council’s highest priority • Long history of underachievement and managerial instability • Responded in past without fully understanding the whole system • Recognised need for action prior to inspection: - long term commitment at the highest political level - entered into an innovative improvement partnership with iMPOWER - analysed the way work flowed through the system
What we know Variability of practice
Commissioned services not connected to service need
Too many referrals & re-referrals
Much wasted work
Child’s voice not heard Too many assessments & re-assessments
Uncoordinated Early Help
Inconsistent Partnership working at all levels Too many “No Further Actions”
New Approach to Improvement • Single plan, single focus • Fundamental need to have permanent workforce that develops the “Sandwell way” • Early Help offer to reduce need for higher cost specialist services • Improve practice on the ground • Four interconnected workstreams: Stable and High Performing Workforce; Improving Child and Family Journey; Early Help and Placements
Four Workstreams Stable and High Improving Child and Family Performing Journey Workforce
Early Help
Placements
Stable and High Performing Workforce • Unified, stable, high quality Sandwell workforce for children • Senior leaders with the skills and confidence to deliver the change agenda • Workforce development to support improvement in practice • Creating the “Sandwell way” • Effective induction and retention of employees
Improving Child and Family Journey • • • •
Ensure our services fit the child’s journey As few changes in case responsibility as possible Improve the child’s voice Genuinely multi-agency access and assessment team • All layers of social care workforce have clarity over their role • Embed performance and quality frameworks to enable continuous improvement
Early Help • Respond to needs of children earlier – right help at right time • Well coordinated and targeted early help interventions • Locality based service that focuses on local need • Work with families to reduce the demand on services at the higher end of the spectrum of need • Local offer for children and young people with SEND.
Placements • Ensure provision meets children’s needs and improves their outcomes • An offer for placements which balances the needs of the children with financial sustainability • Improve recruitment and retention of foster carers
Our collective responsibility • It’s all our responsibility • Service can’t improve without improvement in other parts of the system • Managing current service pressures with increasing demand and reducing budgets • Improvement Plan structures activity to meet those challenges • Requires whole council and partner support • Consider how your work area can help us succeed
Role as responsible Cabinet Member Champion
Challenge
Following the child’s journey Assure Engage
Drive