The final Improvement Plan, discussed by the Improvement Board on 20.09.2011 contains outcomes against each of the themes, detailed actions, start and end dates, measures to assess progress and a red, amber, green rating with commentary.
The plan focuses on 5 areas:
1. Social Care Practice - safeguarding and Child Protection arrangements must include quality assessments focussing on the needs of the child so that risks to the child are identified and addressed. A risk management framework is needed. Evidence of effective supervision needs to be included on case files.
2. Capacity and Capability - A comprehensive workforce strategy for social care professionals needs to be developed and delivered. Capacity and workload is to be checked commencing with the application of the “health check” devised by the national social work task force. All partner agencies need to demonstrate their workforce contribution to safeguarding through the LSCB.
3. Quality Assurance and Performance Management - performance management systems need to be reviewed to ensure a comprehensive quality assurance framework is in place, including the role of the independent reviewing officers. A systematic approach to case file auditing is needed including multi agency audits conducted by the LSCB.
4. Early Intervention and Prevention - the overall framework for Early Intervention and prevention needs improvement to include all partner agencies and include social care input, in particular for those children where social care thresholds are met
5. Leadership, Governance and Finance
a. Leadership and management - management systems need to increase systematic oversight of social work practice so that poor practice can be quickly and easily identified. Addressing this promptly will improve outcomes for children in need of child protection services.
b. Partnerships and governance - the LSCB needs to develop further its role so that safeguarding activity is effectively scrutinised and challenged. The partnership with adult social care and adult mental health must demonstrate an improved impact on outcomes for children at risk and in need of protection. Joint commissioning with key partners, including health partners needs further development.
c. Financial strategy - a full medium term financial strategy to analyse the financial aspects of improving early intervention and safeguarding, and the impact of the rise in the number of looked after children, so that the balance of funding can be adjusted where necessary within the local authority and partner agencies. In addition, the Local Authority has set aside a contingency fund to address the additional immediate costs arising from the Improvement Programme. All known factors have been costed so the financial aspects of the improvement strategy can be monitored and reviewed.
Developing the plan
Two workshops were held in August, with Rob Hutchinson, the national lead for outcomes based accountability, as an external facilitator, involving all partners in developing the Improvement Plan and considering the way in which all services could be adapted to fit with the recommendations of the Munro Review of Child Protection, published in April 2011. A further workshop will be held for a broader group of staff and partners to consult and engage them in the Improvement Plan and look at new ways of working.
