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Here are the key issues from the partnership meetings in February. Priorities for the partnerships remain around the Early Help Strategy, increasing the number and quality of MCAFs, preparing for the imminent safeguarding inspection and the development of the Troubled Families Program.
The summary of the key issues for both boards is below and the full documents are at the bottom of the report.
Each Children’s Board starts with two of the five chairs of the Children’s Strategic Regeneration Framework Partnerships (SRF) reporting on key issues in their area and on how they are delivering the Early Help Agenda at a local level and how they have been delivering on their Children's SRF Work Plans.
For further information about the Children's SRF Areas and their workplans see here
Wythenshawe SRF Report – presented by the Chair
- School Readiness - There has been a big increase in early year’s exclusions; children over the last few years have come in to reception not school ready. Wythenshawe are working on a pilot to improve school readiness
- Bedroom Tax - The impact of the Under-occupancy tax is being felt and discretionary payments are not covering the shortfall. There is a shortage of suitable accommodation for people to move into, so people are trapped in this situation
- Domestic Violence - Lack of provision for couples, lack of training for young people (although Women’s Aid have done some training on this)
- Discussion in the board brought up that many services will not work with people who do not leave the perpetrator, which can leave a gap for children in families who stay together.
- Operation Encompass in Liverpool was mentioned by Ian Rush who said it worked to build resilience for children who will remain with in the family – the board were interested to find out more about this project/ approach
East SRF Partnership – presented by the Chair
- Early Help Implementation network meetings are running with multi-agency representation and have been attended by Home Start
- School attendance in East is increasing
- GPs wouldn’t share data on non-attendance at medical appointments by school age pupils
- Shortage of School Nurses – these aren’t currently being replaced – and this has an impact on health and safeguarding – There is a nationwide shortage of school nurses
- 70 new Manchester Common Assessment Frameworks (MCAF) since September 2013 – one of these is voluntary and community sector (VCS) led
- 47 families on the waiting list to access troubled families support
Troubled Families Update
Jacob Botham Programme Manager Presented a progress report on Troubled Families:
- Troubled Families is a programme of work focusing on some of the hardest to reach families with complex needs.
- Looking at families with multiple issues who are receiving multiple expensive interventions
- Looking at new delivery models and new investment models (e.g. bonds)
- Rolled out in North Manchester, Wythenshawe and Gorton
- Initial data is suggesting positive results
For further information see the report here.
Issues for the VCS to consider about the Troubled Families Agenda
- There has been a massive investment of resources in these families, it is difficult to get a comparison of impact related to cost per intervention. (It is being compared to business as usual)
- There is no definition of success so there is no standardisation of what success means. There is meant to be transfer of bankable savings ( a concept that remains deeply problematic in practice)
- Commissioning of the VCS hasn’t happened yet to those on the framework.
- Commissioning is happening on a framework arrangement which is by spot purchase. Nigel Rose is working with the groups that were successful
- Certain services were not put out to tender but are set to be delivered by the Council – these may at some point be opened out to the sector to delivery
Young Carers Report
Elaine Morrison Head of Commissioning for 11-19 presented a report on young carers.
- Young carers are to be given a legal entitlement to assessment and support so that they have the same right to help from local authorities as adult carers
- High level of need of this group and importance of prioritising resources for this group
- Need to refresh the young carers strategy including VCS and Health partners
- Roll of the School Nurse in universal offer to champion young carers and ensure they will get the help they need (although there is a nation-wide shortage of school nurses)
- Young Carers are more than four times more likely to live in a household where no adults work
- Issue of temporary respite v addressing reasons why someone is a young carer
February Safeguarding Children Board
- There continues to be a rise in the number of children on child protection plans. Early intervention does not seem to be reducing these numbers. The Board are concerned about this and the number of plans is going to be reviewed
- Presentation on the work of the Family Nurse Partnership
- A report outlining how practice had improved as a result of learning from the Multiagency Audits about Alcohol and Neglect in 2011
Economic Scrutiny Paper on Troubled Familes
Manchester Safeguarding Children’s Board (MSCB) priority theme papers:
- Statutory Guidance on Children who Run Away or Go Missing From Home
- GM Policy on Female Genital Mutilation