Leicester City Council Children’s Social Care and Early Help Assuring Quality of Practice Quarterly Reports to Lead Member, Executive and Scrutiny Commission Q1 and Q2 – April to September 2019
Evaluating our impact Through: • Quality of practice system checks and evidence • What children, young people and families tell us • Our workforce • Checks against regional, good and outstanding authorities and national • Evidence-based practice, research and innovation Period: April to September 2019
Period: April to September 2019 Requires Outstanding Good Inadequate Improvement Inspections of Leicester City Children’s Services Ofsted: Children’s Homes Ofsted: Children’s Services HMIP: Youth Justice Services Governance and Leadership Home 1: BH Overall Judgement Staff empowered to deliver high quality personalised services Children who need help Partnership and Services and protection Home 2: NR Information and Facilities Children looked after and Court Disposals – Assessment achieving Permanence Home 3: WL Court Disposals - Planning Adoption Performance Court Disposals – Implementation and review Home 4: TR Court Disposals – Reviewing Experiences and progress Out of Court- Disposals - Assessment of care leavers Out of Court- Planning Home 5: DA Leadership, Management and Governance Out of Court- Implementation and Delivery Out of Court- Joint Working
Early Help The experiences and progress of • Children and families are supported when children who need help and additional needs are identified – 4549 Early protection help/targeted assessments. • Early Help audits identified children are seen Q Spotlight Stats (last 6 months) regularly with evidence of positive Contacts in previous 6 months 7514 relationships between the practitioners and Early Help Assessments/Targeted Support 4549 families, good management oversight and Referrals to Children’s Services 1235 effective supervision. Children being re-referred 101 Single assessments 1382 • Lowest rate of re-referrals (8%) in the region and below national rates • 82% Single assessments completed within 45 working days and 68% led to further actions from Children’s Social Care • Audits identified none of the children subject to audits were identified to be unsafe; Good practice identified within interventions with children
• Number of children subject to Child Protection plans has fallen again The experiences and progress of – On-going rigorous review of risks children who need help and – Increased focus on strengths-based practice protection – One of the lowest rates in East Midlands • Feedback from the Independent chairs indicate 91% of conferences had information to help understand “What life is like for the child / YP” • Improved evidence of children / young people enabled to participate in meetings • Vast majority of practice observed and reported showed good and outstanding practice • Audits indicate the quality of direct work and focus on the child is not consistently evidenced within recording Period: April to September 2019
Children in Care • Six of the nine LAs have seen a rise in number of Comparison in the East Midlands children in care (LAC) compared to Q1 2018-19 region • Leicester City, Nottingham and Lincolnshire have seen a fall, with Leicester reducing by 24 children • Leicester City has reduced their LAC rate to 78.4/10k • Increasing complexity of individuals needs and larger sibling groups apparent Q1 Q1 Change 2018-19 2019-20 Derby 521 565 +44 Derbyshire 742 825 +83 Leicester 687 663 -24 Leicestershire 577 599 +22 Lincolnshire 638 627 -11 Northamptonshire 1078 1128 +50 Nottingham 623 618 -5 Nottinghamshire 841 866 +25 Period: April to September 2019 Rutland 29 41 +12
• Good work progressing in relation to Edge The experiences and progress of of Care and Pre-Proceedings children in care and care leavers • Rate of Children coming into care is reducing but still high with high numbers – Lowest rate of the Cities in East Midlands • 98.5% of LAC and Pathways reviews held in timescales with IRO RAG rate - LAC reviews oversight for children evident 1191 times in between the meetings 16% 52% • 32% Audits have found children in care are settled and work continues to ensure more consistently Red Amber Green aspirational care plans are in place • Children participated in 95% of LAC reviews held Period: April to September 2019
The experiences and progress of children in care and care leavers • Thematic audits of Kinship Care, audits completed • Advocacy surgeries have started in all five Children’s within Fostering & 16 + Team highlight appropriate homes family contact, good quality engagement of family and • Improved response to complaints (100% within professionals timescales) • • Vast majority of our looked after children live in Children in Care Council and Care Leavers Forums appropriate placements with effective care plans have provided valuable consultations on young promoting their physical, health, educational and people’s access to drugs and alcohol services. Their emotional development views will be crucial in the future commissioning • arrangements Care experienced young adults remain in contact with their PAs (99%) with both their feedback and Pathway Plans reflecting increasingly aspirational views and actions Period: April to September 2019
Impact of Leadership on social work practice: Workforce Profile and Activity • • Strengths-based practice approach Pilot started in September to promote a new implementation continues approach to practitioners’ supervisions • • Language and culture is changing Training & development continues through • Stability of the service the delivery of Signs of Safety events – 98% Tier 4 &5 (SMs and TMs) are permanent • High staff morale across the division • Significant reduction in agency staff Period: April to September 2019
Leicester City led on Festival of Practice held mid September, with 71% of all 1364 attendees across LLR employed within Leicester. Practitioners engaged in range of discussion, workshops and learning delivered by experts by experience, internal and external trainers and facilitators supporting improved quality of practice and boosting staff morale Key speakers included Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for England (Children & Families); Julia Scott, Chief Executive at the Royal College of Occupational Therapist; Mark Trewin, Mental health Social Work Lead at Dept. of Health & Social Care; Anna Bachoo, What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care and many more. Period: April to September 2019
Testing the system next quarter • Planning for focussed QA work will take place in November, • Identified Good / Outstanding Practice Observations will be subject to further QA work including collaborative audits • Focus on learning and impact of QA work • Linking of SOS Goals into wider QA work Period: April to September 2019
Background/Reference Information • Children in need of help and protection pathway • Quality of Practice and Services evidence • Quality Assurance Framework • Ofsted/HMIP Judgements of Children’s Services
Children in need – through CSC & EH Joint work with Early Help/Commissioned Services Permanence Child/Family supported by Early Help Targeted for child is Level of help /Edge of Care services to prevent coming into care either: and protection Return home to needs mean A plan is put in child remains in parents place to protect Care child and seek or permanence Child becomes Adoption Contact or Risk and needs of Child in Care made to or Courts child are assessed: Childrens Level of help Child in need (CIN) (aka LAC/CLA) Lives with & Social and protection Single Assessment Plan special Referral Care/ has reduced CAFCASS Child is assessed as or guardian Early Help enough to step Child in Need of help (SGO) PLO Care (LAC/CLA) down from a If child is considered & Protection. Child Plan or at immediate risk: Child protection Protection Conference is or CIN plan and or Leaves care held for child S47 enquiry taken & remains at having reached Single Assessment Child protection home age for (CP) Child is assessed as independence Plan Child in Need of help Duration depends on Statutory and individual timelines
Quality of Practice evidence sources Feedback Management Quality Checks From families QA of Existing Collaborative Practice Learning Capturing Good Oversight and Group of External Processes and Parents/carers Audits Observations Reviews practice Team Supervision Providers and pathways Children & Development their Provision young people
Quality Assurance Framework
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