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Principles for No Wrong Door
- Authors:
- INNOVATION UNIT, et al
- Publisher:
- Innovation Unit
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 4
- Place of publication:
- London
A set of key principles, ‘distinguishers, non-negotiables and provocations’ which all underpin an innovative multidisciplinary staffing team, model and approach to improving work with families and safely reducing the number of children entering care. (Edited publisher abstract)
What does the autumn statement mean for public services?
- Authors:
- POPE Thomas, et al
- Publisher:
- Institute for Government
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 15
- Place of publication:
- London
This report, published with CIPFA, sets out the impact of the autumn statement on four service areas: the NHS, schools, the criminal justice system and local government (including social care). It warns that while frontloading funding in protected areas shields them from the damaging 'austerity 2.0' feared, this is still unlikely to enable key services like the NHS to return performance to pre-pandemic levels this parliament. And, unless historic pay cuts are addressed, it may not be enough to improve recruitment and retention or avert widespread strikes. The paper finds that: prisons and courts are in a particularly dire state, with the autumn statement’s spending decisions meaning little prospect of making meaningful reductions to the post-pandemic crown court backlog or of safely housing the expected increase in prisoner numbers; funding for the NHS is unlikely to be sufficient to return performance to pre-pandemic levels, especially in hospitals where elective backlogs are likely to remain far above where they were in 2019; it is also very unlikely that the NHS will be able to resolve its recruitment and retention problems with the funding allocated in the autumn statement; the funding provided for schools is unlikely to make up for learning lost during the pandemic, with impact of pay awards and inflation meaning some schools may reduce the amount of tutoring they make available to their pupils; additional funding for adult social care will not be enough to return the service to pre-pandemic performance levels, to put the provider market on a sustainable long-term footing or to resolve the severe workforce problems facing the sector. (Edited publisher abstract)
Understanding service provision for children in need in England
- Authors:
- COLLYER Hannah, et al
- Publisher:
- What Works Centre for Children's Social Care
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 69
- Place of publication:
- London
This report presents the findings of a research study which explored the support offered to children and their families who have a Child in Need plan across four local authorities. Little is known about the needs of children who are on Child in Need plans and this research aimed to add to the existing knowledge base. We carried out a manual review of 82 case files of children with a Child in Need plan and supplemented this with in-depth case discussions with practitioners. We held seven focus groups with 29 social work staff, along with 11 interviews with parents of children with a Child in Need plan. To inform the study, we also held four roundtables with attendees from a wider range of LA's (separate from included in the study). The study found that there was considerable variation in the use of and the reasons why children were placed on Child in Need plans, and subsequently the length and types of interventions provided. a range of factors, such as parental engagement with children's services, family support and historical concerns influenced the decision-making to recommend a Child in Need plan. Whilst collaboration with parents was heavily emphasised in social worker's accounts of their work, parents often did not feel involved in the development of Child in Need plans, and were not always aware of goals they were working towards. There is little understanding of the characteristics of children who have a Child in Need plan. A wide range of support services and interventions were provided by social workers, family support workers and specialist teams within LAs, in addition to external services to which families were referred. A large proportion of the social worker's role was providing advice and guidance to parents, along with co-ordinating multi agency support. There are gaps in service provision despite the wide range of internal and external services offered to children and families. In particular, this involves difficulties accessing timely specialist support, particularly for child and parent mental health. (Edited publisher abstract)
High needs budgets: effective management in local authorities: research report
- Authors:
- GRAY Peter, et al
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 88
- Place of publication:
- London
This research focuses on ten local authorities that are seen to be managing their children high needs budgets more effectively, with the intention of identifying positive practice that can be transferred to other areas. It highlights practices which others in the sector could use to support high needs budget management and makes recommendations for local authorities based on the principles underlying these practices. The research was based largely on online interviews with 5-6 officers in each of the 10 case study authorities, along with one or two mainstream headteachers and/or governors who were members of the Schools Forum and/or local high needs working groups in each authority. Interviews were held between the start of February and the end of March 2022. The study finds that the case study authorities generally placed a high value on partnership with schools and parents and, in some, there was a strong collective culture. This had built up over a number of years and was supported by continuity in leadership and clear policy/strategy. The local authorities in the sample had developed or were developing a range of practices to try to address pressures and challenges: developing a stronger and more consistent mainstream SEND offer; understanding and influencing parental expectations; building capacity for meeting the needs of young people on the autism spectrum; supporting phase transitions; developing a clearer and broader range of pathways post-16; effective commissioning and monitoring of provision; improving financial processes. A number of implications and recommendations from the research are presented for consideration by local authorities more broadly and DfE officials. (Edited publisher abstract)
Full cost recovery in VCSE contracts: research into the experiences of Kent County Council's VCSE partners in public service commissioning
- Authors:
- BAGWELL Sally, et al
- Publisher:
- New Philanthropy Capital
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 65
- Place of publication:
- London
Focusing on the experience of Kent County Council (KCC), this report attempts to understand how Full Cost Recovery (FCR) is understood in relation to commissioning. FCR generally refers to paying providers enough to cover the full cost of delivering the contract at the agreed quality. However, as part of this research, we identified a lack of shared agreement or understanding on the definition of FCR. In this report, we examine why this and other challenges relating to FCR occur, and suggest ways to achieve a mutually productive partnership between local authorities and VCSEs. Responsibility for FCR does not lie solely with the commissioner, nor solely with the provider. In addition to the overall budget available, it rests on the skills of the provider organisation; the knowledge and flexibility of the commissioner; the structures of commissioning which incentivise positive provider behaviour; and relationships based on transparency and openness. The report argues that VCSE practices of subsidising services to gain competitive advantage can undercut peers and make it more difficult to make a collective argument about the true costs of delivering a high-quality service. There is a need for frankness from the VCSE in influencing commissioning practices, as well as a need to balance the competitive dynamics of commissioning with collective approaches. This research focuses solely on Kent, but recommendations set out in this report will be useful to any local authority commissioning services or VCSE delivering contracts. (Edited publisher abstract)
Developing an effective local youth offer
- Authors:
- SWORDS Beth, et al
- Publisher:
- Local Government Association
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 32
- Place of publication:
- London
The purpose of this research was to better understand the factors that facilitate or hamper the development of an effective local youth offer. The project seeks to build on the Vision for Youth Services published by the LGA in 2017 which emphasised the importance of the local authority's role in overseeing and co-ordinating a local youth offer. In this report we define the youth offer as the full range of provision in a local area to support youth related activity including both formal youth services as well as provision delivered by the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) and other partners. The research involved a literature review of existing publications, data and research relating to youth services; fieldwork visits or telephone interviews with nine local areas to look at their delivery models in more detail; and a workshop to bring the participating local authorities together - to further test their delivery models and the key enablers to developing an effective local youth offer. The research identified a number of common enablers across all local areas that contributed to the development of an effective local youth offer. We summarise these as: 1. Vision and leadership - local areas must be clear about their purpose and how they intend to achieve the desired outcomes for young people; 2. Commissioning - local areas must articulate the rationale behind different partners' involvement in order to best leverage resources; 3. Provision and delivery - the programme of provision must be practicable for young people and suitable for a set of evolving needs; 4. Partnership and capacity building - partners must be able to have a clear way of engaging with and shaping the local youth offer; 5. Workforce development - there must be a long-term plan behind recruitment to ensure a broad representation of people can be supported into the profession; 6. Demonstrating impact - local areas must be able to tell the story about what the youth offer is for, why it matters and the impact it has made. In addition, the paper identifies a theme of building in the voice of young people into everything a local area does. (Edited publisher abstract)
Providing social care following release from prison: emerging practice arrangements further to the introduction of the 2014 Care Act
- Authors:
- ROBINSON Louise, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 52(2), 2022, pp.982-1002.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Although prisoners have significant care needs and are particularly vulnerable following release, there have been longstanding concerns about their social care. Among its provisions, the 2014 Care Act defined the responsibilities of local authorities for identifying and meeting the social care needs of prisoners. Here, we report the findings of a national survey of local authorities undertaken in 2016, which explored the early arrangements put in place following the Care Act for prisoners on release. Eighty-eight of 158 local authorities responded, including 81 per cent of those with prisons in their catchment area. Key themes included difficulties with case finding, with a reliance on referrals from other agencies, although provision for those already known to local authorities generally worked well. Other themes were difficulties in sharing assessments and information between local authorities, and problems with care planning and co-ordination with other agencies. We discuss some of the tensions and challenges inherent in implementing the Act and highlight areas requiring attention, including the need for more robust case finding and systems for information transfer. We also suggest measures to strengthen arrangements. (Edited publisher abstract)
Communities are doing it for themselves: lessons from the mutual aid experience
- Authors:
- THIERY Harriet, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Sheffield
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 33
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
This report discusses the lessons learnt from the Mobilising Volunteers Effectively (MoVE) project that worked with mutual aid groups in England and Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is based on findings from engagement with 59 mutual aid participants across the UK between January and September 2021, covering 12 local authorities (7 within one large regional authority) in England (10) and Wales (2). The analysis was carried out by researchers at the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds and Hull and considers: the gap that mutual aid filled (what it is, who was involved and what they did); the organising structures and cultures of the groups; the relationships that they developed; and their legacy. The analysis includes important lessons for systems and for post-pandemic recovery, and challenges some of the common misconceptions about mutual aid groups. Key enablers included: common organising structures and principles (whilst recognising the diversity of approaches): hyperlocal footprint; a relationally driven approach; informal and flexible support; horizontal decision-making; and mutuality. The key enablers of collaboration included: ability of organisations to collaborate with mutual aid, depended upon a capacity to work flexibly, to understand and respect the informality of the groups, and the freedom of staff (i.e. permission from senior leadership) to work with and not control. The researchers recommend that local authorities develop a better understanding of the support networks that exist in communities and collaborate with them in tackling complex social problems. (Edited publisher abstract)
Collaborative communication: evaluation report
- Authors:
- TYRRELL Heather, et al
- Publisher:
- Social Care Wales
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 34
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
This report presents the findings of a retrospective evaluation of the Collaborative Communication Skills (CC) Programme and how this has supported the embedding of outcomes practice within local authorities. The evaluation involved focus groups and interviews with 77 practitioners, mentors and senior managers from five local authorities, and a review of 28 written plans supplied by them. The fieldwork took place in March 2019 and involved staff from both Adults' and Children's Services. The programme aims to help practitioners think about the how, why and what of their engagement with individuals, families and colleagues and learn to build on their most effective practice. The programme also supports the development of mentors who champion change and continue to build confidence with their colleagues, embedding the practice and influencing the wider system through multi agency workshops and addressing practicalities in system change. A key finding was that local authorities are at very different stages in their implementation of outcome based social work practice: in most, if not all authorities, there is still a long way to go to implement this model of practice consistently. Evidence of emerging outcomes-based practice included: building better relationships with individuals and families, by being more open, honest and transparent in communications; assessments and other meetings were felt to have a therapeutic impact, helping people to explore their feelings; using the CC skills to develop personal outcomes with citizens, linking these to the national wellbeing outcomes and using them as the rationale for proposed services; using strengths based approach in conversations, assessment or multi-agency meeting; moving from a 'service-led' model to one in which the service offer was more focused on what people actually want and need, incorporating their own solutions too; jointly agreeing collaborative action plans with families and individuals, which provide a framework against which progress could be validated. The findings confirm the importance of an ongoing commitment to and investment in regular reflective practice, refresher and induction training in order to support the development and application of the CC skills. (Edited publisher abstract)
Children's social services and care rates in Wales: a survey of the sector
- Authors:
- FORRESTER Donald, et al
- Publisher:
- Wales Centre for Public Policy
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 51
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
Reducing the high rate of children in care in Wales is a priority for the Welsh Government. This report shares findings from a survey of 792 social workers and leaders in children’s social care across Wales. The survey sought to understand better the factors influencing care rates and differences between local authorities (LAs) with increasing or decreasing rates. Most respondents feel care rates are too high in Wales and in their LA, driven in part by systemic issues. Respondents feel these could be mitigated through more early help. Practices within LAs, and the influence of judges and courts, are also considered to influence rates. Although most respondents feel that their LA and its leaders do their best to protect children, there is concern about “risk-averse practice” in LAs and the wider system. There was also inconsistent use of practice frameworks in LAs. There were many agreements between workers and leaders, but leaders are less likely to identify external factors as influencing rates; are more likely to be positive about children remaining with birth families; and are less positive about care as an option. Major differences between respondents from LAs with increasing versus decreasing rates relate to the practices of children’s social care itself; their views of external pressures are similar. In LAs with decreasing rates, respondents are more likely to think the right children are in care, be positive about the rate of children in care in their LA, be confident about practice in their LA, have positive values about birth families, prefer to keep children at home, and report using an outcomes-focused approach. Findings show that many factors influence care rates, but there are key differences in LAs that have reduced rates, connected to the values of leaders and workers, how consistent those are, and how well they are reflected in LA practices. This suggests that influencing the values and practices of LAs could help address differences in care rates and ensure children and families in Wales receive consistent support. (Edited publisher abstract)