Southend Borough Council Children’s Safeguarding Peer Review 30 April 2010 Review findings and prioritisation conference Appendix 1

Children’s Safeguarding Peer Review programme for today Presentation of findings Strengths Areas for further consideration Prioritisation and action planning

The peer team Duncan Clark Director of Learning and Children's Services RB Kingston upon Thames – Review Lead Barbara Hillier Service Manager Quality and Safeguarding LB of Islington - Operational Manager Jacqui Dawson IDeA Associate - Health Peer Evonne Williams Derby City Council - Conservative Member Peer Welna Bowden IDeA Improvement Manager Jonathan Trubshaw IDeA Improvement Manager – Review Manager Tom Savory Area Director Norfolk CC – Off-site Director

The Process Self-evaluation questionnaire based on NSPCC/IDeA Signposts Case file mapping group Document and data review Analysis workshop Interviews and visits Feedback and prioritisation conference

The benchmark – six key areas: Signposts Legislation and policy Leadership, accountability and culture Capacity and capability Effective practice Performance, evaluation and monitoring Local Safeguarding Children Board and working together

“Everything is in place now to do a bloody good job”

Overview - strengths Strong leadership High morale of workforce Aspirational partnership Mature use of the intervention model Good understanding of the key performance indicators (KPIs)

Overview – areas for further consideration The whole story in one place Address key practice gaps Future-proofing the partnership Effective engagement of service users Cross partnership information sharing

Legislation and policy: strengths Good understanding of the Southend staged intervention model Staff attend the transformational programme Self-assessment and the review of policies led by senior management Shared policies across partners and authorities where appropriate Motivate the Estate

Legislation and policy: areas for further consideration Is equality and diversity sufficiently integrated across policies? How accessible are policies - for children, young people (CYP) and their families, young people version, languages and plain English? To what extent are service-users involved in policy development? Change the name of your CaF teams Is there is one place where the story is told?

Leadership, accountability and culture: strengths Transformational leadership has created a culture in which individual staff take responsibility for their roles and make a difference There is a strong, accessible and visible senior management team that makes staff feel safe There is conviction that the positive culture is firmly embedded and not dependent on one or two personalities The links between the Children’s Trust, the LSCB and the Local Strategic Partnership result in a shared strategic vision Members are engaged, active, knowledgeable and visible

Leadership, accountability and culture: areas for further consideration Language can be a barrier in effective multi- agency working Examples of not prioritising meetings initiated by partner agencies How equal are the partners in the relationship? Future-proofing of the partnership The diversity of leadership

Capacity and capability: strengths Southend is an authority that is attractive to social workers There is a strong commitment to learning and development Commitment to provide safeguarding training for members Development needs are monitored through effective supervision

Capacity and capability: areas for further consideration Some of the partner agencies, do not routinely participate in the multi-agency safeguarding training and low take up of training for members and governors Dependency on grant funded training and workforce development and service areas To what extent are young people involved in staff recruitment and service development?

Effective practice: strengths Common Assessment Framework (CAF) process firmly established and embedded Robust caseload management system Serious Case Review learning is embedded in practice Broad range of partners linked to the staged approach Placement matching seeks to take into account diversity Risk management meetings First Contact Team structure and approach Timely completion of initial and core assessments Stability and location of placements

Effective practice: areas for further consideration To what extent are service users sufficiently engaged and supported to enable true participation and service delivery? Scope to further commission 3 rd Sector Development of Family Group Conferencing Practice and systems to improve LAC and CP processes Communication, communication, communication

Performance, evaluation and monitoring: strengths Concept of performance management is understood throughout the organisation Comprehensive quality assurance frameworks in operation High level Star Chamber approach Data is used to develop priorities Accountability held at all levels Scrutiny of LSCB by members

Performance, evaluation and monitoring: areas for further consideration Single quality assurance strategy and approach Expand Star Chamber approach to all levels There are challenges in the operation of Integrated Children’s System (ICS) to produce accurate performance information and incompatible partner IT systems Monitoring of the Children’s Workforce Strategy

LSCB and working together: strengths Good reputation and seen as a strength within the partnership and beyond “We work together on tricky issues and find a way through” Effective LSCB structures Safeguarding is seen as everyone’s responsibility Quality of safeguarding training is good and has assisted effective working relationships Partnership approach effected a significant improvement in CAMHS provision and outcomes

LSCB and working together: areas for further consideration “Outcomes” are too process focused within business plan Turnover of LSCB members has been an issue Outreach and branding of the LSCB to the community Take up of LSCB training Use of CAF: work in progress