Leo Flatters County Head of Service

Same Way Together?

 Political Pace of Change Rapid pace of change – Likely Gov’t will remain consistent in direction of travel  Funding↓ Costs ↑ Environment of reduction in core funding for LA’s & Partners.  Legislation & Regulation Change Cycle – Pendulum of change from Specialism - to - prevention. We need to do some things differently, & do some different things.  Breaking the ‘Hand-Off’ Cycle  Partnership key to success  Reputation, Trust & Confidence Perception is reality for most Customers & Stakeholders Our reputation walks in the door before us. Key Challenges

1.Common Core Values & Goals ‘Buy-In from all reduces unnecessary confusion, delay & duplication 2. Collaborative Structure, Leadership & Management Avoids unnecessary duplication or ‘hand-offs’ 3. All primary actions designed to Prevent, Protect, Care & Educate Effective balance to prevent rather forced intervention 4. Solution Focused - Outcome Driven Clarity of purpose & required outcomes from clear BRAG & engagement 5. Doing & Delivering - not just Assessing Prevents creation of unnecessary over-dependence 6. Commitment to Whole Family & Community Permanent Solutions – Limit rebounds 7. Effective Budget Control Shift resources, to increase prevention & reduce crisis spend Cheaper than cure – financially, Socially & emotionally Service Fundamentals

So, what we do ?. Receive and Process all safeguarding referrals in respect of children and adults at risk of harm and abuse. MASH staff work together to identify the most appropriate response to an individual's identified needs. The emphasis is on effective sharing of information to ensure early identification of potential significant harm, and trigger the correct interventions to prevent further harm and route referrals to the right services. Consistent application of thresholds and decision making.

How do we do it ? Initial prioritisation using a ‘BRAG’ risk rating system (Blue, Red, Amber, Green) Ensure effective, proportionate information sharing between agencies using the MASH- Protect system.

Elephants ??? Frequent concerns re information sharing Change is a problem – ok as we are Duty of confidence ‘my information’ Loyalty – ‘my patient’ Big Brother – Civil liberties! Parents right / Fraser Competency Fear of litigation – or fear of families Feel imposed on re model – not consulted Bad experience of interagency practice Poor faith in early help, innovation and integration – never worked before Professional identity/ rivalry

Customer First/Cluster Teams Customer First is and will continue to be the first point of contact for all referrers to report safeguarding concerns for both children and adults. All non-safeguarding referrals for Adults will be directed to the cluster teams.

Development of Suffolk MASH Developed with the advantage of learning from previous experiences, especially from lessons highlighted by reviews of serious safeguarding incidents nationwide. A recurrent theme of these reviews is the importance of effective information sharing and close working arrangements between relevant agencies. We ensure referrals and referrers get the right response first time.

Our Staff Police Social Care Early Help Service Health Youth Offending Probation Housing Early Years Education

Continually developing… The MASH also has a strong developing partnership working arrangement with wider partners including schools, the Ambulance Service and voluntary and community organisations

Developments through Through 2014, we will, in a phased way, deliver a range of functions and services including:- A Professionals Consultation Line from September. Clear feedback to referrers. Intelligent Demand & Performance analysis, to support the new organisation of services

Real Examples: These are taken from a range of established MASH partnerships.