Newsletters

Welcome to edition 6 of the Every Child Matters in County Durham Newsletter the theme of this edition is 'Every Child Matters Local Perspectives'.

You can also obtain a PDF version of the newsletter at the bottom of this page.

In this edition:

• The Local Preventative Strategy
• Integrated Services Pathfinder (ISP)
• Local Planning Group Proposals
• Jargon Buster!
• The Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
• Pathfinder for services to Disabled Children and their Families
• Audit of Needs and Services - an update
• Children's Centres
• Website Update

The Local Preventative Strategy

The local Preventative Strategy provides a broad framework for the development of preventative services for children, young people and their families in County Durham. The principle that underpins the strategy is that early intervention when a problem or need emerges has a significant impact on ensuring the achievement of good outcomes.

This means that services need to be developed at a local level which are accessible to families and young people and which reflect local needs. We want to ensure that all children and young people make use of the universal services to which they are entitled and can access more targeted and specialist services when they need them. Improved assessment and referral processes need to be developed to ensure more effective access to services.

In order to achieve this, much work needs to be done at a local level. Children and Young People's Planning Groups are now established in local PCT areas. The Planning Groups provide a forum for linking existing groups and initiatives with mainstream services and organisations. Using "The Durham 5 Outcomes" document [Framework for Planning] they will be in a position to identify their priorities for service provision and draw up an action plan. In addition, Planning Groups will be well placed to identify ways of attracting new resource opportunities or maximising existing funding.

Local Planning Groups have identified local projects, which will be used to explore more integrated ways of working as part of the Every Child Matters Integration Process. These Local Pathfinders will also be used to support the development of the Common Assessment Framework.

Most importantly, these Local Planning Groups create the opportunity for agreeing how existing services can work together more effectively at a local level to ensure greater accessibility to service.

Integrated Services Pathfinder (ISP)

The purpose of the ISP is to support a series of locality based projects which will develop future partnership working to deliver integrated services to children and young people aged minus 9 months to 24 years and their families. It will be a collective learning process with tangible outcomes, realised by exploring new ways of working at a local level, which could then be modelled across County Durham.

Each Local Children and Young People's Planning Group selected projects to support the pathfinder in addressing up to two areas drawn from the key age-related developmental phases and critical transition years.
The work within the specific range must be:

• Already progressing
• Needs-led
• Developed within current resources or with additional local funding
• Within the context of on of "The Durham 5" outcomes
• Supported by the local Planning Group
• Involving a number of key partners
• Scheduled for completion in 2005 or 2006.

Local Planning Group Proposals

Dales

• Raising achievement In Tow Law and Teesdale through improvement of emotional health and well-being. Partners: Dales PCT, SC&H, CAMHS and local schools.
• Co-ordinating and integrating local universal and targeted services for Woodhouse Close Estate. Intervention to deflect families from becoming clients of SC&H. Partners: PCT, SC&H, Sure Start Wear Valley, Education Welfare Service
• Language enrichment activities for preschool children in Teesdale to decrease the number entering foundation stage education with sub optimal communication skills. Partners: Sure Start Teesdale, Speech and Language Service

Derwentside

• Appropriate support to help prevent homelessness for all vulnerable 16-17 year olds. Where necessary support their successful transition to independence. Partners: SC&H, SHAID (Voluntary), Connexions, YES, Housing (District).
• Ensuring seamless transition for children to school providing support and advice to their families and carers. Partners: Sure Start Stanley, local primary Schools and Health.

Durham City/Chester-le-Street

• Early intervention to divert young people 8 -13 away from anti-social behaviour and crime. Partners: YISP, YES, Education, SC&H, Police, Children’s Fund, CAMHS, and Schools

Sedgefield

COSIP:

• Multi-agency forum to facilitate social inclusion of young people, enabling them to develop key skills, use their leisure time constructively, and create safer communities. COSIP and Partners: YES, SC&H, Education, Schools, CATS, DISC, Police, Sedgefield Borough, West Cornforth Partnership, Shildon Community Safety Partnership.
• Define the purpose and key areas of work in delivering support services to children under 5 and their families to ensure a common understanding across all agencies and service users. Partners: Social Care and Health, Health, Education
• Implementation of the multi-agency CAMHS, to deliver all four tiers of service provision, increase the range of services for 16/17 yr olds, and provide emergency and 24 hr services. Partners: Schools, Connexions, XS, YES, SC and H, and PCT.

Easington

• Peterlee Children's Centre universal screening of developmental milestones of pre-school age children. Intensive 12 week intermediate input when needed. Referral to specialist services if required. Partners: Education Psychology, Health, Sure Start, Speech and Language Therapy, Portage service.
• Services to children and their families where substance misuse of parents impacts significantly on parenting. Focus on children under 12 being looked after, or included on the Child Protection Register. Partners: Northern Children Homes, Easington PCT.

Reporting

The progress and success of the pathfinder depends on co-ordination of the projects and upon partners working together strategically within the Local Planning Groups in order to support their delivery.

Jargon Buster!

PCT	Primary Care Trust
SC&H	Social Care and Health
CAMHS	Child and Adolescent Mental Health Strategy
SHAID	Single Homeless Action Initiative Derwentside
YISP	Youth Inclusion Support Panel
CAF	Common Assessment Framework
YES	Youth Engagement Service
XS	Young Person's Substance Misuse Support Service
COSIP	Co-ordination of Social Inclusion Programmes
NCH	National Children's Homes

The Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

CAF is a new standardised assessment tool intended for use by all agencies. It is expected to benefit universal services such as health and education and assist identification of concerns about children and young people as they emerge and before they become serious. A draft CAF was launched by the Government in April 2005, with a revised version expected next year.

The CAF key components include a simple pre-assessment checklist and standard assessment form. Alongside this it will be important to develop a set of inter-agency procedures and protocols, including developing the role of lead professional.

The government expects all local areas to implement the CAF from April 2006. We intend to explore how we can implement the CAF in the Locality Integrated Service Pathfinders. Practitioners in these Projects will have the opportunity to work with the draft CAF in order to identify how best it can be implemented across the County from April next year.

Tony Clamp is to take up post as Project Manager in June. We will seek nominations from key agencies to work together to ensure that the project is successful. Workstreams include IT, Training and Development, Procedures [Including Lead Professional Guidance] and we expect that practitioners, children and parents will be actively involved in key areas.

Pathfinder for Services to Disabled Children and their Families

To realise the Every Child Matters Vision, members of the Pathfinder Group believe that:

• Disability is a social construction, inclusion is about removing barriers.
• Every disabled child has the right to reach their fullest potential in life.
• Children with disabilities and their carers are entitled to a say in decisions about their lives and service provision.
• Schools, professionals and voluntary agencies should provide services in partnership to meet all statutory duties.

The Pathfinder aims to improve the quality of services by promoting inclusion and improving outcomes. This requires inter-agency:

• Mapping of needs and services.
• Planning tools building on existing databases.
• Commissioning of services with clear eligibility criteria.
• Common Assessment Framework and a Key Worker System.
• Training skills analysis and professional development in relation to disability.
• Development of in county services for children with very complex needs.

Services will be built around Children’s Centres, Special and Extended Schools within Communities of Learning where appropriate. Services must be cost effective, reflect Best Value and consider both current resources and the need for further investment. Families need clear information about services. Robust mechanisms will be developed for dialogue with them.

Priorities for the Pathfinder reflect the National Service Framework standards and the Government’s SEN strategy. All statutory agencies are represented on the Pathfinder Management Group by named leads. Parent / carer representatives and voluntary organisations are actively involved.

A range of ways of achieving service integration will be considered, including use of Health Act flexibilities. The planned outcomes are:

• Reduced duplication of service
• Quality assurance
• Increased compliments, fewer complaints
• Specific agency targets are met
• Lessons are drawn to inform the wider agenda for Children’s Services

Project Co-ordinator: Gail Hopper, Head of Children's Services, Social Care and Health.

Audit of Needs and Services – an update

The Editorial Group have pulled together local data and information from service audits of Education, Social Care and Health and all five PCT’s to produce the Audit of Needs and Services section of the Every Child Matters in County Durham website.

This partnership approach to needs assessment will be an essential aspect of Durham Children and Young People’s Plan (2006) and the future development of Children’s Services.

The Editorial Group is testing out the challenges and complexities of undertaking an audit, which draws together data collected by respective partners. They are seeking to provide a full picture of how well children and young people in Durham are doing against the outcomes and aims within 'Outcomes for Children and Young People in County Durham'. The needs assessment also draws on the views of children and young people.

Whilst the development has fallen behind the original schedules, the Editorial Group are optimistic that the Overview, Enjoying and Achieving and Being Healthy Sections, will be available for viewing on the website by the end of May 2005 with progress on all other areas expected by the end of July 2005.

You can contact Lynne Gregory (Head of Learning Support Service) on (01740) 656998 or Lisa Ryder (Planning System Officer) on (0191) 3833389 or email Every Child Matters.

Children's Centres

Across County Durham the first phase of Children's Centres will be opening by the end of March 2006. By then there will be a network of 30 centres through which the services to meet the needs of children under 5 and their parents will be reconfigured as a critical element in the delivery of Every Child Matters. They will act as a means of empowering parents and maximising opportunities for minimizing risks to children. Each centre in phase one has to provide a prescribed set of core services.

• Child care integrated with early education.
• Family support and parental outreach.
• Child and family health services.
• Links with job centre plus.
• Child minder network.

For further details see the Sure Start County Durham website or phone 0800 917 2917.

Web Site Update

The following documents are now available on the website:

• The Durham Health Check document, completed to update the DfES Regional Change Advisor located in the 'About Us' section.
• The Local Preventative Strategy - located as a drop down within 'The Durham 5' section.

Contact Anita Spence for more information.

PDF Version of the Newsletter

newsletter Edition 6.pdf

Number of Pages 4
Publication date: May 2006
File Size 297KB