Meeting documents

National Priorities and Strategic Objectives

Recommendation

Response/Actions Required

Officer/s Responsible

Completion Date

1. Social Services should involve young people and parents more effectively in strategic planning processes. (4.16 to 4.17).

1. Consult with children, young people and parents about how planning processes could be made more accessible.

2. Children, young people and parents will be involved

In shaping the work of the Local Safeguarding

Children's Board through active participation in the Area Child Protection Committee's annual stakeholders' forum.

3. Develop a range of ways of involving children,

young people and parents in:

a) Needs analyses.

b) Specific pieces of consultation work e.g. reviewing the Local Preventative Strategy and compiling the Children & Young People's Plan.

c) Team Plans and the Children & Families Service Plan

d) Increased use of jointly authored assessments

e) Providing feedback on a continuous basis which will be collated .

f) Recruitment and selection of key staff.

Children's Planning & Review Manager.

Chair of Area Child Protection Committee.

Children's Planning & Review Manager

Children's Planning & Review Manager

All Team Managers.

All Social Workers.

All Team Managers.

Head of Service

October 2005

November 2005.

Ongoing

For 06/07 plans and henceforth

Review in April 06

Review in April 06

Review in April 06

On-going

Effectiveness of Service Delivery & Strategic Outcomes

Recommendation

Response/Actions Required

Officer/s Responsible

Completion Date

1. Social Services should improve overall partnership arrangements with parents. (5.2 to 5.4 and 5.47).

To improve partnership arrangements with parents both on a strategic level and in relation to individual service plans we will:

1. Ensure information is more accessible to all service users including parents.

2. Increase parent's participation in meetings, reviews and conferences by:

a) Inviting parent's/carers to planning meetings reviews and child protection conferences

b) Helping parents to prepare for meetings conferences etc

c) Making reports available to parents before meetings in accordance with agreed timescales

d) Giving parents a copy of all completed assessments, notes of reviews, meetings they attend.

e) Increasing use of jointly authored assessments

All Managers

All Social Workers.

All Social

Workers.

All Social Workers.

All Social workers.

All Social Workers

Henceforth

and review

on April 06

Henceforth

and review in October 05 &

April 06.

As above

As above

As above

As above

2. Social Services should ensure placement choice with regard to foster care and residential placements. (5.14).

1. Implement and review Fostering Recruitment Strategy.

2. Use pooled budget for children with multiple and complex needs to commission local placements and services.

3. Maintain continuous monitoring of the quality of residential placements

4. Improve information on Council Information Service for Children & Families frontline staff.

5. Explore ideas for jointly commissioning placements across the SW region.

6. Create a placement finding post

Family Placement Team Manager.

Group Manager.

Commissioning &

Contracts Officer.

Commissioning &

Contracts Officer

Head of Service.

Group Manager

Currently

Implemented

Review January 06

From

July 05.

In place -

Review 6 monthly.

September 05.

March 06

March 06

3. Social Services should ensure a greater breadth and flexibility of services for children and young people with disabilities. (5.31 to 5.33).

1. Continue implementation of the Disabled Children's strategy with particular reference to completing the disabled children's pathway work

2. Review the Disabled Children's Strategy within the implementation of the Local Preventative Strategy.

3. Consult with parents, children & young people about the continued development of these services.

Disabled Children's Strategy Group

Children and

Young People

Strategic Partnership.

Children's Planning & Review Manager

September 05.

September 05.

March 06

4. Social Services should ensure robust transition planning arrangements for disabled young people. (5.37 to 5.38)

1. Review and implement the transition planning protocol

2. All transition plans to be reviewed by IRO's for looked after children or by team managers for children in need.

3. Transitions Planning Group to prepare for implementation of Improving Life Chances for Disabled People.

Group Manager

Independent

Reviewing

Officers.

Group Manager

Oct 05

Henceforth &

review in

April 06.

March 06

5. Social Services should address the lack of current accommodation capacity for care leavers and provide alternatives to temporary bed & breakfast accommodation (5.39 to 5.40).

1. Provide 10 additional supported lodgings placements in 2005/6

2. Audit use of B&B and ensure appropriate support in place.

3. Explore options with potential providers to increase range of suitable accommodation.

( These actions to apply to young homeless as well as care leavers)

Group Manager &

Planning and

Partnership

Officer

As above

As above

By April 06

October 06.

November 06.

Quality of Services for Users and Carers

Recommendation

Response/Actions Required

Officer/s Responsible

Completion Date

1. Social services and the council should ensure that accessible comprehensive information is available to the public and service users about the nature, range and types of service provided and how to access them. (6.2 to 6.5).

1. Website to be updated to improve online access.

2. Improve accessibility and consistency of information given to service users by frontline staff and Lewis House Reception

.

3. Review information sheets to provide clearer explanations of processes e.g. assessment, planning and review.

4. Update information pack for looked after children.

5. Explore specialist Advice and Information Officers to receive new referrals/enquires.

Strategic Planning Officer

Children & Families Management Group.

Public Information Officer

Strategic Planning Officer

Strategic Planning Officer

Group Manager

December 05

March 06

December 05

October 05

September 05

2. Social services should ensure more consistent maintenance of case records. (6.30 to 6.31).

1. Review standards for recording.

2. Ensure all staff achieve standards through supervision and training.

3. All files to be audited by managers in accordance with existing standards.

4. Use Information Services Users Group to further improve use of

Care First.

5. Implement Integrated Children's System

6. Continue plans to implement electronic social care records

Group Manager/Strategic Planning Officer

Group Managers.

All Group Managers and Team Managers

All Managers

Head of Service.

Strategic Planning Officer

October 05

March 06

Henceforth and review March06

Ongoing and review March 06

1^st phase Jan 06

2^nd phase Jan 07

Review March 06

Fair Access

Recommendation

Response/Actions Required

Officer/s Responsible

Completion Date

1. Social services, with its partners, should maximise the life chances of disabled children and young people. (7.12 to 7.15).

1. Implement the Disabled Children's Strategy and review by Children & Young People's Strategic Partnership

2. Plan implementation of Improving Life Chances of Disabled People' document (Transition Planning Group)

3. Improve communication systems and appropriate IT resources for use with and by disabled children.

4. Develop Pathway Plan for disabled children within Local Preventative Strategy.

5. Complete review of short break respite care provision.

Children Planning & Review Manager and Head of Service.

Group Manager, Transitions Planning Group

Disabled Children's Strategy Group

Children Planning Manager and Pathways

Project Officer.

Strategic Planning Officer

September 05

March 06

March 06

September 06

September 05

2. Social services should ensure that children and young people from all groups in the community are treated fairly and have equal access to services. (7.13 to 7.16).

1. Implement the Service Plan &

Service Action Plan to ensure hard

to reach and marginalised groups have equal access to services.

2. Implement recommendations arising from audit of needs of black and other ethnic minority looked after children.

3. Progress Local Preventative Strategy to improve access to services in rural areas.

Children & Families Management Group

Group Manager

Head of Service

March 06

October 05

March 2006

3. Social services should ensure a more systematic approach in the way its Complaints Service is delivered. (7.17 to 7.23).

1. Establish a consistent approach to ensuring that information about the complaints procedure is provided to all service users at initial assessment and that this is systematically recorded.

2. Provide greater publicity and promotion of advocacy service.

3. Ensure clarity about services that will be provided and outcomes sought with all service users.

4. Ensure that service users receive a copy of assessments, service/care plan, reviews.

5. Analyse outcomes of all complaints and actions taken and present quarterly report to CFSMT to ensure that lessons learnt inform Service and practice.

6. Prepare for implementation of new regulations for complaints procedures.

All Teams

All Team Managers

Team managers/ Strategic Planning Officer

All Teams

Complaints Procedure

Managers and Head of Service.

Head of Service and Complaints Procedure

Managers.

Henceforth & review December 2005

Henceforth & review December 2005

Henceforth & review December 2005

Ongoing and review October 05

Jan 06

April 06.

Review October 05

Jan 06

April 06.

From October 05

Cost and Efficiency

Recommendation

Response/Actions Required

Officer/s Responsible

Completion Date

1. Social services should complete the work to link costs, quality and service outcomes for children. (8.7).

1. Develop collaborative working projects to prepare for introduction of more integrated service provision.

2. Implement Care First financial module to improve internal business processes.

3. Introduce pooled budget for young people with multiple complex needs.

4. Develop joint commissioning strategy for children with multiple and complex needs.

5. Contribute to SW Region commissioning strategy for residential placements.

Head of Children and Families Services. Head of Education Service.

Assistant Director

Primary Care Trust.

Strategic Planning Officer

Group Manager and

Joint Agency Panel.

Group Manager and

Joint Agency Panel.

Head of Service

Contract and Commissioning Officer.

Ongoing. Review

progress in Oct 05, Jan 06 & April 06.

September 05

From July 05.

April 06.

October 05.

Management and Resources

Recommendation

Response/Actions Required

Officer/s Responsible

Completion Date

1. Social services should ensure that it has a workforce that is of sufficient size and stability. (9.26 to 9.29).

1. Progress and review recruitment and retention strategy.

2. Implement workforce development plan to ensure appropriate level of staff skills mix.

3. Ensure continuous development of all staff through supervision and training strategies.

4. Undertake review of present workforce capacity and staffing establishments across all teams.

Head of Service and

Group Managers.

Head of Service and

Group Managers.

All Managers.

Head of Service.

In place - review

quarterly.

In place - review

quarterly.

In place - review

quarterly.

Interim review

Oct 05.

Full review

April 06.