Dr. Andressa M. Gadda Research Associate, CELCIS PaCT Back to the future: relational social work in a multi- disciplinary team EBP 2B

Overview Background: the Early Years Assessment Team (EYAT) – what it is and what it does. Evaluation: design and methodology. Emerging findings. Discussion. Q&A.

Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland works with partners to improve the care experience and outcomes for all looked after children places the interests of children at the heart of its work provides a focal point for the sharing of knowledge and the development of best practice provides a wide range of services to improve the skills of those working with looked after children

Background: the EYAT Early Years Assessment Team (EYAT) set up in current format in Co-located team: – One social work manager – Two social workers – Two midwives – Four family support workers – One infant mental health nurse – One senior social worker (since Nov. 2013)

5 Support services provided from conception till the child is eight years old – focus on young babies. Early identification of vulnerable parents: at weeks of pregnancy. EYAT’s midwives meet with all women, and their partners, referred to identify what additional supports they may need. Work in partnership with families and adult services (i.e. adult mental health team, learning disability team and welfare benefit services). Parenting assessments undertaken in the antenatal period and early decision making for the most at risk babies. Background: the EYAT

Evaluation Aims: Describe and assess the services and support made available to parents. Explore parents and professionals views and experiences. Identify the impact this has on parents and children; professionals within the team, as well as on other services.

Evaluation Methodology: Ethnographic observations. Questionnaires to parents. In depth interviews – with parents and the EYAT. Case files analysis. Online questionnaire to other service providers.

I felt having [family support worker BF) there, to tell my worries to about everything, helped as I had no one else. Having her made everything seem possible. There was nothing that (BF) didn’t help me with. The Early Years Team is always there at the end of the phone if you need them. My family support work, [BT], was absolutely brilliant, she supported me with everything – from going for coffee/lunch and a chat to helping me with the house work and cleaning. She was fab !

Findings You know, I could – there were some things I’d tell the other [social worker from locality team] but with BF I could sit, you know, it was like talking to my mother or something. I could sit and tell her anything really, you know? […] I didn’t have a problem talking about things like that with her, and that, and about my relationship with (child’s mother)…And she’s just a…she’s a good listener and that you know, she’ll listen, and she’ll give you a bit of advice and that. So, it’s just, she’s a very helpful woman.

10 EYAT’S PRACTICE AIMS TO BE… Holistic Positive Flexible Inclusive Person centred Long term CURRENT SERVICE CULTURE OFTEN IS… Narrow Negative Inflexible Strict referral criteria Process driven Short term EYAT practice Therapeutic relationships

EYAT ethos …help parents develop an understanding of their child […] through developmental, attachment based work. we have... the theory of mind mindedness, somebody holding you in mind, we hold really dear as a team, that, actually, everybody needs to have somebody holding them in mind and it's a very lonely place to be if you don't and so quite often...

…and also being able to work in a collaborative way with families, not only in a punitive way, but actually in a family support model, a holistic approach, was something I think when I trained to be a social worker, I imagined that’s what I would be doing.

Is it sustainable? …because I am very conscious within my role as a locality social worker that, partly to do with diminished resources, because of the budget, the climate that we’re in, we have very limited amount of money and resource in terms of time…(Senior Social Worker)

Can it be replicated? We've got a little girl who had her first baby at 16. She was... most of her childhood on a home supervision requirement... Despite all the support that we tried to give her at the time, we couldn't give her what she needed… So her first baby was accommodated and has since gone to an adoptive family, but she's had another baby and while she was pregnant she took pneumonia and was very ill and [MW] was aware that she was there and I finished work one night and was buying some things in Tesco and I saw [MW] walking about with a basket and I said “How is [TL]?” and she said “Oh, I've been in and she didn't have anything and nobody's visited” so in the basket [MW] had pants, toothpaste, toothbrush, grapes, lots of things, and she said “Before I finish today I'm going to go back in and do a visit, like she should be having from home.” And, actually, we've got off... you know, that relationship and sustaining that relationship beyond the point that you've removed the first baby.

15 Can it be replicated? It is one thing to set up partnerships and strategies to join things up. It is another to develop the mix of skills, energy and commitment to make them effective. (see Colin Whittington 2003)