Newport Matching And Placement Support Team A Local Authority approach to multi- agency therapeutic support to LAC in Foster & Residential Care

Welsh Context As at 31 st March 2013 total number of Looked After Children in Wales was 5,743* 85% of these children are in foster care living with approximately 3,350 foster families* Numbers of looked after children in Wales has increased by 24% in the past 5 years* *Source : Fostering in Wales: Who cares and why? (The Fostering Network 2014)

Changing role of foster care Fostering Network estimates the need for a further 550 foster carers in Wales (2014) Many children who need to be looked after have more complex needs Recognition of impact of early life experiences on attachment & child development

Meeting the Challenge Newport Corporate Council Parenting Strategy – a shared vision Root & branch multi-agency review of Newport Fostering Service Outcome – develop a support service for Looked After Children that works together closely in a systematic way guided by a coherent therapeutic approach. Best use of existing resources and investing to save.

What MAPS Does Part of the Newport Fostering service Search for fostering & residential placements matching children with carers Deliver a multi-agency support service with a therapeutic approach to looked after children and their carers. Provide learning & development opportunities to the social care workforce to reinforce our therapeutic approach.

Who is in the Team Multi-agency team with colleagues from social services, health and education Wide variety of skills, experience and knowledge of working with children and young people. Specifically about some of the difficulties our Looked After Children and young people face.

MAPS Team Members Team Manager Catherine Hywood) Consultant social worker (Shirley Fenwick) Senior Practitioner as Placement Officer (John-Paul Jones) Social Worker Assistant (Sarah Livingstone) Social worker (Ann-Louise Niamh) 2 x Support Workers (Helen Williams & Mark Fairfax ) Lead Clinical psychologist (3 days a week) (Maddie McCulloch) Clinical psychologist (3 days a week)(Loredana Santoro) Education Co-ordinator (Job share) (Wendy Hoskins) Education Co-ordinator (Job Share)(Claire Lilley)

Who we work with Children placed with Newport CC Foster Carers & Residential Childrens Homes Newport CC Foster Carers Newport CC Residential Staff Child’s Social Worker Health professionals Educational Staff in Newport Schools

When can MAPS be accessed? Automatically at point of placement – preventative approach is our priority Supporting current cohort - drop-in surgery/one off consultations for social workers or fostering officers.

What does the therapeutic approach look like? Overarching approach – attachments and relationships Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy - Dan Hughes Therapeutic Parenting Model PACE Normative / Developmental Humanistic / Person centred Systemic / Ecological Social Learning model

What we provide Network consultations & consultations Direct therapeutic work e.g. family therapy/ counselling Life Work with children Preparing children for placement moves Building social skills, self esteem Keeping safe work Support for social workers and fostering officers to undertake specific pieces of work. Training

Network Consultation Model Structured Therapeutic Intervention – adapted model used by CAMHS Part of a team – the wider network around the child Provides a shared perspective and a focus on the child. Formulation provides direction for the work to be undertaken.

Structure of NCM Introductions Hopes – what everyone hopes to get out of the meeting Ground Rules – to create a safe sharing environment Attachment – significant events in the child’s life so far In the shoes of the child – view of self, adults, world (systems) Strengths & concerns (start of solution focussed therapy) What works well What works less well How do you know things are changing for the better? (Goal Setting) What next? By Whom? By When? Review – follow up meeting Any reflections and evaluation forms

Small Group Exercise In your groups consider the outcomes provided and rate in order of priority for the child.

What we want to achieve For children who need to be looked after to receive a quality service which understands their needs and helps them reach their full potential To build the skills and confidence of our foster carers to care for more complex children To increase placement stability

How are we doing so far? Early days – from October 2013 – April 2014 Welsh Government Performance Indicators Local service improvement objectives Short, medium and long term goals Where it counts!!

Some of the challenges Managing perspectives in a multi-disciplinary team – our values Practicalities - IT systems/ sharing information/space for direct work. A small resource with a big remit Preserving the team’s ethos of reflection and prevention

Part of the wider picture Use of Secure Base Care Giving Model in the Assessment & Support of Foster Carers Education and the recognition of poor early experiences for children on learning Use the opportunities to work together and develop a coherent therapeutic approach to meeting the needs of our Looked After Children