Presentation to Primary Headteachers in West Essex Jenny Boyd Director of Local Delivery - West June 2012

Big picture - progress Ofsted inspection of the Adoption Service Feb 2012 – rated good with outstanding features Good youth offending inspection One remaining residential unit (with 1 child) Social Care Academy progressing D-Bit up and running Integrated Children’s System re-vamped Review of IRT complete

West quadrant - progress Brentwood office closed, all CP, Family Support and CiC cases transferred Service plan developed Contact service established Progress made on vacancies

All open cases are allocated Big Picture - progress April 2011 Current Reduction All open cases 8673 7036 1637 Subject of Children Protection Plan 1162 683 479 Children in Care 1611 1448 163 All open cases are allocated

Local progress – West Quadrant April 2011 Now Change All open cases 1475 1298 -177 Subject of Children Protection Plan 160 104 - 56 Children in Care 265 281 + 16 The current figures include cases transferred from Brentwood, so the change in figures is an underestimate (likely to be a bigger reduction in open cases and subject to plans and a reduction in the number looked after. 5 5

Day to day challenges – May figures NUMBER OF CONTACTS 1082 (716) NUMBER OF REFERRALS 163 (111) NUMBER PROGRESSING TO INITIAL ASSESSMENT 162 (106) NUMBER OF SECTION 47 INVESTIGATIONS 26 (12) Figures in brackets are April’s figures.

Sources and outcomes of referrals – calendar year to date POLICE EDUCATION HEALTH NUMBER OF CONTACTS 895 221 146 CONTACTS PROGRESSED TO REFERRALS 9.7% 42.1% 28.1% NUMBER OF REFERRALS PROGRESSED TO TEAMS 87 93 41 All referrals progressed to teams.

Specific issues – West CSC profile Smallest number and ratio against child population of children subject to CPP’s (14.1/26.5) and in care (36.6/50.1) than the other quadrants - implications Profile of children in care is proportionately older – 70% in total over 10, with 40% aged 10 – 15 43% are looked after under Section 20 All UASC children and young people in and leaving care are held in West quadrant 27 in care

Areas For Us To Focus On Continued recruitment of good quality, permanent staff Raising the quality of social work practice Continuing to develop and build effective partnerships Children at the centre of what we do Effective intervention which promotes family resilience; understands strengths and dangers Continued improvements in timeliness and quality of assessments More of our children in care in local family placements Working with children and families in the most proportionate way Response to national drivers 9 9

National update Family Justice Review – Gov response Feb 2012 Munro progress report – May 2012 Inspection framework – from May 2012 Working Together and Assessment framework – drafts for consultation June 2012; published autumn 2012 The Children’s Safeguarding Performance Information Framework – June 2012 Gov adoption priority – change from Sep 2012

Ofsted Inspection Framework Current Safeguarding and Looked After Children Framework ceases in July 2012 Interim framework from May 2012 – March 2013 New framework April 2013 – multi agency inspections Child Protection and Children in Care inspections separated

Child Protection Inspection Overall effectiveness including areas for development The effectiveness of the help and protection provided to children, young people and their families and carers Quality of practice Leadership and governance

Children in Care Inspection Currently being developed Likely to combine with fostering inspection and adoption inspection In 2012/13 any authority rated as adequate or below will receive interim inspection – framework not yet clear

Performance information framework - themes Outcomes for children and young people and their families Child protection activity (including early help) The quality and timeliness of decision making The quality of child protection plans Workforce Each theme supported at national level by performance data and at local level by a set of sector agreed questions about quality and experience of those in the child protection system

A golden thread…….. Effectiveness of early help Effectiveness of partnership working Experience of children and families Timeliness and quality of assessment and intervention “How do you know and so what……” Munro Working Together & Assessment Framework Performance Information framework Inspection framework

Contact Details Email: jenny.boyd@essex.gov.uk Jenny Boyd Director of Local Delivery West Children’s Social Care Goodman House Station Approach Harlow CM20 2ET 01279 404972 Email: jenny.boyd@essex.gov.uk