Costs and outcomes of effective reunification LISA HOLMES, DIRECTOR, AND REBECCA BROWN, SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, CCFR

Structure of session  Current context related to effective reunification  Case study examples  Small group discussion and feedback  Relating costs and outcomes of effective reunification and potential costs avoided

Current context related to effective reunification  Existing national data and research evidence base  Need for appropriate assessment, support and services for children and families on return home  Potential longer term costs avoided?

Current context related to effective reunification  Department for Education – Improving permanence for looked after children  Consultation autumn 2013  Data pack published September 2013  Expert working group  Publication of Research priorities 2014  Commissioned two research projects

Current context related to effective reunification  Developing and implementing a new practice framework on return home from care (Bristol University and NSPCC)  Taking Care service  Three local authorities  Until July 2015

Current context related to effective reunification  Improving practice in respect of children who return home from care (NCB and CCFR)  Until March 2015  Eight local authorities (case studies)  Learning sets and coaching model

Current context related to effective reunification  Evaluation of NSPCC Taking Care service  Nine local authorities  Two elements  Location studies  Case studies  Report available later in 2014

Current context related to effective reunification  Explore costs of reunification – (NSPCC)  Costs and outcomes research programme  How the research evidence has and can be used to inform practice and policy  Potential longer term saving of providing appropriate assessment, support and services

Costs and outcomes research programme  Explore the relationship between needs, costs and outcomes for vulnerable children and their families  Process driven approach  Bottom up costing methodology  Modelling unit costs using routinely collected child level data

Current context related to effective reunification  Explore costs of reunification  Costs and outcomes research programme  How the research evidence has and can be used to inform practice and policy  Potential longer term saving of providing appropriate assessment, support and services

Small group discussions Case study examples 11

Group discussion  Appoint spokesperson  Consider the case examples  What are the key decision points?  How could the reunification process be changed?  Assessment  Support  Services  What are the potential cost implications of these changes?  What potential longer term costs might be avoided? 12

Making use of aggregated data  Individual case studies may be useful to illustrate key decisions and outcomes  Aggregated information to inform strategic planning and commissioning:  Analysis by child needs or circumstance  Analysis by placement type, provider or service  Analysis by outcome 13

Costs of effective reunification  Make use of existing national data  Developed a series of assumptions based on existing research evidence  National cost estimations  Identified a break even point  Next steps  Customised versions for local authorities?  Short report

Further information  Lisa Holmes   