1. No category

New Management Structure –
Shropshire Council
Operations Director
Clive Wright
Director of
Commissioning
Director of
Public Health
George Candler
Prof Rod
Thomson
Director of
Children’s
Services
Karen
Bradshaw
Area
Commissioners
North, Central,
South
Local Commissioning
Director of
Adult
Services
Stephen
Chandler
Director of
Resources
Nicki
Beardmore
OFSTED Unannounced Inspection
of Shropshire’s arrangements for
the protection of children
19-28 November 2012
Feedback
2
CPP and the Initial Category of Abuse
3
Shropshire’s rate of
CPP per 10k under 18
seems to be on the
expected ‘relationship
line’ between all LAs
CPP rates and their
IDACI .
The IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting
Children Index), provided by the Department
for Communities and Local Government, is a
specific subset of the income Deprivation
Domain relating to child poverty factors.
It measures the proportion of children under
the age of 16 in an area living in low
income households.
4
Referrals Map
5
Level of CAFs
6
Referrals Outcomes
by Source
7
Referrals Outcomes
by Source
8
Ofsted Inspection
Judgement
• Overall judgement: Adequate
• Better than Adequate in some Areas
• Broad direction of travel supported
9
OFSTED Inspection
Four Areas for inspection to consider:
• Overall Judgement
• Quality of Practice
• Leadership and Management
• Effectiveness of Help
10
Quality of Practice
• Timely and effective dealing with Initial and Core
Assessments
• Out of Hours changes positive
• Regular Supervision for Social Workers and good
morale
• Good participation in Initial Conferences and
Core Groups by most agencies
• Positive relationships with Young People
including Disabled
• Stability of workforce so continuity of social
workers with young people
11
Quality of Practice
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Issues in relation to initial screening of referrals
Not entirely consistent Agency checks
Over reliance on parental views
Lack of understanding of thresholds
Recording quality inconsistent
CP plans not always SMART
Needs of siblings
Quality of decision making at initial referral
stage
12
Leadership and Management
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strong Political and Senior Leadership
Direction of travel appropriate
Good working across partners
Effectiveness of Independent Chair
Safeguarding Board improving
Performance and QA work positive
Good response to previous inspections
13
Leadership and Management
• Sharpen and strengthen front line decision
making
• Representation on the Safeguarding Board
• Some inconsistency in application of
thresholds
• Management information from all partners
• Improving Audit system particularly re
closed cases
• Strategy meetings involving all agencies
14
Effectiveness of Help
• Good range of services
• Good potential for Early Help arrangements
and panels
• CAFs used effectively
• Interventions appropriate to need
• Freedom programme positive and responsive
• Information on young people missing is shared
swiftly and effectively
15
Effectiveness of Help
• Some cases de-escalated prematurely
• Some inappropriate referrals to Child Sexual
exploitation panel
• Too much focus on criminal rather than
welfare issues for missing children
• Threshold Issues
• Ethnicity is recorded but there is some lack
of responsiveness to need of BME
• No Adult Perpetrator programme
16
Overall Recommendations
• Thresholds – understanding and operation
• Recording and rationale of decision making
• Multi Agency audit of contacts, referrals and
closed cases
• Quality of CP plans smarter
• Supervision- tighter and more reflective
• Separate assessments of all members of the
family-siblings
• Strategy Meetings all parties
17
Timescale and Process
• Most Actions in place by the end of
March
• Monitored through Safeguarding Board
• Links with Peer Review initiatives
• SCT to look at service gaps and
commissioning
• Worcester Peer challenge in April
18
Immediate Actions
• Bring together overall management of early
help, contact and assessment
• Revise the process for decision making and
ensure full checks and information is
available
• Increase capacity to oversee case audit and
quality assurance arrangements
• Undertake an initial screening of all referrals
preparatory to the multi-agency audit
Conclusions of multi agency
audit
• No Cases needed urgent action
• Some referrals not appropriate
• Over reliance on parental views ( by
telephone)
• Rationale for decision making
sometimes unclear
• Some agency checks not made
20
Priorities
• Getting the initial contact and screening
right
• Embedding early help work
• More comprehensive and assured
Quality Assurance
• Establishment of the MASH
• Ensuring more joined up working –
HV’s/school nurses
21
• Re-commissioning of CAMHS
SSCB issues
• Attendance at case conferences
• Parenting and Hidden Harm
• Missing Children and Sexual
Exploitation
• Better Communication
• Commitment from all agencies
Challenges
• Holding together at a time of major
change
• Doing more with limited resources
• Managing demand
• Developing a culture of learning and
reflection
23
Useful Webpages
www.shropshire.gov.uk
(click on Health and Social Care/Child and Adult Protection then select from drop down list)
Shropshire Children’s Trust Children and Young People’s
Strategy 2012-13:
•
http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/shropshirecouncil.nsf/viewAttachments/MJOS8ZRCXU/$file/shropshire%20_children_and_young_people_strategy_2012_final.pdf
Shropshire Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report and
Business Plan:
•
http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/childrenfamilies.nsf/viewAttachments/MJOS959J42/$file/sscb_annual_report_2012.pdf
24