2015-16 2 - Conwy Social Services Annual Report

Corporate Parenting

The Corporate Parenting panel has had a very successful year, and work is based around the following themes:

Home
Education
Health
Leisure, Youth Services, Play
Leaving Care

Young people were involved in creating a child friendly Corporate Parenting Plan. Two versions were produced, one for 0-10 years and another for 10+ years. These plans have been shared with young people.

Conwy’s Elected Members are very committed to Corporate Parenting having successfully developed a new Corporate Parenting Strategy to cover the next three years. This revised strategy document will be launched in May 2016.

When I am ready: preparing young people for independence

The Social Services and Well-being Act includes a new duty to offer any Looked After Child in Foster Care the opportunity to remain within their stable and nurturing family environment until they are ready to move on. Rather than that young person moving out at 18, they can now remain in Foster Care until they are 21, or up to 25 if they are in full time Education. The When I Am Ready scheme also extends a new duty to those young people living with Kinship Foster Carers and Connected Persons, which is very positive.

We have actively contributed towards the creation of a regional policy across the six Local authorities in North Wales.

Information leaflets have been created for young people, Foster Carers and siblings.

Training has been provided to key staff involved with “When I Am Ready”. Train-the-trainer sessions have also been provided in order to reach the wider workforce.

To help us meet needs around “When I Am Ready”, new joint protocols with Housing Benefit and Welfare rights have been developed to ensure that Foster Carers and young people are aware of their entitlements and that they are not disadvantaged financially.
There has been a regional approach to engagement with Independent providers, particularly with regard to the need for them to transfer over to the Local Authority if they become “When I Am Ready” Foster Carers
Information about “When I Am Ready” has been sent to all young people (16+) via the newsletter developed by the Personal advisor team, which targets all young people (16+) entitled to a leaving care service.

Looking ahead in terms of likely demand, over the next 12 months we have up to six young people who are likely to need to continue their placement under a “When I Am Ready” arrangement, with a further ten young people the following year.

Foster Carer Recruitment

Looked After Children require a range of placements to meet their needs. In order to build up our range of in-house fostering placements, we needed a revised strategy to ensure that our marketing tools and recruitment process were fit for purpose. Working in partnership with an Independent company, we have reviewed our current processes and refreshed our existing marketing tools.

As a Local Authority we are competing with the independent sector to recruit Foster Carers, and felt we needed a strong brand identity. After consulting with existing Foster Carers and staff, we now have stronger marketing materials, aligned with Conwy. Prospective Foster Carers now get a clear message that we ‘’Need Foster Carers to Foster Conwy’s Children”.

The Information packs for Foster Carers have also been refreshed, and existing Foster Carers have been involved in the creation of four videos, focused on the following areas:

Fostering siblings
Fostering Children with Disabilities
(Short breaks)
Assessment and Support process
Fostering Teenagers

These videos have been shared on social media (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube), to modernise the way we recruit Foster Carers.

The Conwy website has been updated to ensure that it’s more engaging and enquiry forms can now be completed online.

Whilst recruiting new Foster Carers is a priority for us, it’s important for us to retain those we already have. Therefore, new methods to aid retention have been developed, such as quarterly newsletter and a Looked After Celebration day to celebrate the achievements of Looked After Children. An incentive scheme for existing Foster Carers is also in place, whereby rewards can be earned for referring new prospective Foster Carers to apply. Existing Foster Carers also support information evenings, and community recruitment events.

Key to my Future

Conwy County Borough Council’s in partnership with Conwy Connect for Learning Disabilities – Planning for the Future project was selected as a finalist in the Social Care Accolades 2015.

The Accolades, which are led by the Care Council for Wales, celebrate best practice – helping to professionalise the workforce and transform social care, early years and childcare across Wales.

Shortlisted in the Citizen-led services category, Conwy’s Planning for the Future project focused on learning disabled service users living in the family home with older carers.

People with a learning disability increasingly outlive their parents / carers so planning for the future, although hard, can bring peace of mind. When Conwy’s project started in 2011 there were about 30 lone carers over the age of 65 caring for a son, daughter or loved one in the family home.

The aim of the project was to get planning for the future out into the open. Some families had very clear ideas but hadn’t shared the ideas with social care staff, and there were families at the other end of the spectrum who simply did not want to think about it because it was so difficult to contemplate. There was also some uncertainty about the level of understanding among learning disabled service users living with older carers about what would happen if they could no longer live in the family home.

The project had two distinct groups in mind, the older parents/carers and the learning disabled adults living with them. The main aim for both groups was to share information and provide a forum where they could share concerns, ask questions and develop their own understanding of the situation and make their own plans. It was hoped that this would then provide some greater peace of mind to both the parents/carers and the person with a learning disability.

A stakeholder group, including Conwy staff, Conwy Connect members, parents / carers and people with learning disabilities was set up. A first event was held in 2011 for parents / carers. Since then Conwy have run 4 annual events ‘Lets Plan Together’ for parents / carers and 4 events ‘Key to my Future’ for people with learning disabilities. Service users who have moved on from the family present their own stories via short films, ‘chat show’ interviews and picture based power point presentations. Parents and carers do the same. This is often very moving and always goes down well. People who have been very anxious about the process, have felt reassured by other families explaining how it’s been for them.

he stakeholder group has also produced A ‘Planning for the Future’ guide. Families with their cared for person are encouraged to complete the sections that they think are important for them. This can then be kept in a safe place for the future.

It was always thought that there would be a ‘slow burn’ with this piece of work. People are only prepared to plan when the time is right for them. They may hear information one year about something and it has no relevance for them but then the next year it does. There is also a changing audience, some people have come every year and others dip in and out as it suits them. It is really from 2104 onwards that there have been significantly more approaches from families wanting to meet with social service to talk about future plans and this is the point we really wanted to get to in the first place. It is acknowledged that it takes time to build up the relationships necessary to undertake this work.

The project continues to develop, it is now open to all ages and this year Conwy Connect were successfully awarded a Lloyds Bank Foundation 3 year grant to employ a Planning for the Future Service Co-ordinator who will Support individuals with learning disabilities and their parents/carers to plan for and help them during their transition into independent living.

Llys Gogarth, a combined residential service for children with disabilities

As part of the 21st Century Schools initiative, Conwy was successful in its bid for grant funding to build a new school for children with additional learning needs on the Ysgol Gogarth site. This provided an opportunity for the Education Department and Social Services to provide a new residential block for children and young people with disabilities in Conwy. The project has brought together two services – Llys Gogarth (onsite education residential provision for pupils attending Ysgol y Gogarth) and Tir Na Nog (registered Children’s Home, which provides a respite service to assist families).

The new combined residential service opened in October for children aged 7 to 19. The children and young people who use the service have a wide spectrum of physical disability and additional learning needs ranging from Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) to Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

There are a number of benefits from combining the two services, one of which is to maximise the potential of this new purpose-built building, with specialist facilities onsite including a hydrotherapy pool, interactive sensory rooms, vocational hub, sports hall, specially designed outdoor play areas and a Learning Resource Centre. The location in Llandudno is also central with easy access to a range of community facilities e.g. cinema, swimming pool, shopping etc. Children who would have previously used Tir Na Nog no longer need to be transported from the school to an external unit at some distance in Kinmel Bay. The combined service also operates 52 weeks per year (previously Llys Gogarth’s residential unit was operational during school term time only).

The combined service also provides for closer multi-agency working. Staff continue to develop close links with families, Conwy’s Social Care Disability Service, Safeguarding, Speech and Language Teams, Applied Behaviour Analysts, Occupational Therapy and the Children and Adolescents Learning Disabilities Service (CALDS).

The service provides a caring, structured and homely environment, designed to meet the needs of each individual. The overall objective is to create the conditions for each child and young person to succeed to the maximum of their potential, to build personal and family resilience, to prepare for living as independently as possible and to have a fulfilling adult life.

Social Worker Investigation Training

The Social Worker Investigation Training (SWIT) had been identified by the Section Manager of the Assessment & Support Team as requiring review and revision. The training had been in the current format for a number of years and it was agreed that it needed to be updated to deliver more relevant training on current practice issues.

The training was delivered over 5 days to 18 staff. Social workers from Conwy and Denbighshire including the Disability Service attended. For the first time since the disbanding of the Joint Investigation Training (JIT) the invite for the training was extended to colleagues from the North Wales Police and officers from the Onyx team also attended. The Onyx team is a newly formed team working with Children who are at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation.

The training was aligned to the Social Worker process as per the All Wales Child Protection Procedures 2008 and the categories of Physical, Sexual, Neglect and Emotional Abuse. The training was delivered by a number of professionals within their respective field, including an Independent Social Worker (previous Head of Children’s Services) focusing on Neglect and Emotional Abuse; Community Paediatrician discussing physical abuse illustrated by pictures of different scenarios and comparing non-accidental with accidental injuries; Police Officers specialising in On line abuse and; a service user who has experienced years of domestic abuse delivering her story in a powerful and heartfelt manner.

For the first time we provided a short scenario enacted by the Drama Group from Llandrillo College, which had a significant impact on the audience. Following the presentations the attending staff had the opportunity to demonstrate their interpretation of the learning. This was done with the help of the drama students who returned later during the course to act out realistic child protection scenarios.

The feedback provided was excellent and the investment in refocusing the SWIT has provided an effective learning tool.

Quality Referrals to Children’s Services

Children’s Services receive a high volume of referrals which do not meet the threshold for a service from Family Support & Intervention. In addition there have been delays in providing services for those meeting threshold due to insufficient information within the original referral. It was therefore felt by the managers of the Assessment & Support Team that an investment was needed into delivering training direct to Education and Health staff in order to improve the appropriateness and the quality of information received.

Three training events per service were organised, targeting 180 staff. The training provided information and examples of when to make a referral and how to make a good quality referral to Children’s Services. The training clarified the distinction between a Child in Need referral and a Child Protection referral and provided examples of good referrals and insight into the poor quality of some of the referrals received. The training explained the threshold to receive a service from Children’s Services and also allowed the opportunity to develop positive working relationships with colleague from other agencies.

Feedback from these training events has been very positive and as a result we are receiving better quality referrals which provide the information that allow our managers to make informed decisions without unnecessary delays. Data from 2016/2017 should provide the evidence to the effectiveness of the training delivered and whether it has had the desired outcome.

Child Sexual Exploitation

Within the media Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) has had a great deal of attention over the past 12 months. As the ‘front door’ service within Children Families & Safeguarding, we must ensure that we provide a service with highly skilled staff who are up to date with their knowledge on current trends and practice development. Within Conwy and particularly Assessment and Support & Family Intervention Teams it was recognised that our staff should receive enhanced training on CSE in order to respond effectively to the growing concern.

Staff generally can access basic awareness training but in Conwy we recognized the need to provide families with an effective service particularly with the increased risk presented to children through social media. The aim is to continue to upskill the workforce to provide direct intervention to the children who are at risk of CSE. We undertook research to identify and commission an organisation that delivered a 2 day bespoke training package. We specifically targeted practical skills, tools and knowledge to engage with and work with children and their families who are at risk of CSE.

The training was focused on delivering suggestions on interventions to assist the direct work undertaken by social workers and also intervention workers in their engagement with the most vulnerable children and young people. The feedback was extremely positive and we aim to commission the training again in order to provide the opportunity to additional professionals unable to attend the first event. The tools provided have increased the skill base of our workforce to enable effective support to families and reduce risk. The resources are also being shared with other professionals. Whilst it is too early to report on measures or tangible outcomes, this training forms an important element of a developing multi-agency framework to meet this challenge.

Modernising the way we work

Social Care involves interaction with the individuals we support – often this means visiting people in their own homes, anywhere within the county. We also have a number of offices at various locations in the county, so it makes sense to work from the nearest convenient office rather than one particular desk in a specific office.

For some time, Social Care has trialled “Wise Working” – using laptops instead of fixed PC’s, and using RAG (remote access gateway) to enable staff to work from anywhere with internet access and still connect to our networked systems. This means less travel time, being able to work from home where this makes sense, being able to get more done in between meetings.

Wise Working has now developed to be part of a wider Modernisation Programme for Conwy. With our colleagues in IT and other departments, we’re rolling out the concept to all staff.

By becoming more mobile, we’re maximising our office space and freeing up meeting rooms. Supporting flexible working for staff helps to maximise the use of our time. The rollout also includes decluttering, issuing new larger screens for all staff, replacing laptops and PC’s over 5 years old, and improving the visibility and accessibility of senior management.

Successful upgrade to our Client Information System (PARIS)

The PARIS system is used to store records and information about the people who use the services provided by Conwy’s social services department. The team responsible for PARIS successfully delivered an upgrade to the software in February 2015.

The upgrade ended a long period of testing, making sure that important functionality was working and fit for purpose.

The upgrade to PARIS was a big change from the version that was already in use, and it took a lot of effort to ensure that the roll out of the new version did not disrupt the delivery of services to the public.

For the staff who use PARIS, the upgrade brings a completely new look to the system, making it easier and quicker for staff to use. It gives the PARIS team access to new system tools that we will use to improve the quality of system development.

The upgrade also enables us to share information with other systems in Social Services, such as CallConfirmLive! This means we will save time in having to pass information between staff working in different areas of the department, and even be able to send information such as work rotas directly and securely to staff’s work mobiles.

New technology for community support workers

Community Support Workers work with individuals in their own homes supporting them with daily tasks such as personal care, meal preparation and management of medication. Previously, the allocation of work would be coordinated on one paper-based system, and paper timesheets would be submitted for payroll and service user billing.

CallConfirmLive! is a modern system that uses smart phone technology to provide Community Support Workers with real-time information ensuring that they are fully informed of all their day’s visits and any changes that may be needed. It includes a Family Portal enabling clients and their families the ability to see their own individual visit. It also supports managers as they are able to optimise workers time and minimise unnecessary traveling across the authority. It supports health and safety with a system of alerts notifying the office of the non-arrival or departure of a support worker at a scheduled call and the system will produce an electronic file for payroll without any need for filling in paper timesheets.

CallConfirmLive! is in the process of being implemented and is expected to be fully functional by the end of 2016.

Adult Protection

Over the last two years, discussions have taken place within the department regarding the Adult at Risk process. It was acknowledged that one POVA coordinator having Designated Lead Manager responsibility of over a hundred Adults at Risk cases at any given time was not sustainable. A number of options were looked at around the POVA coordinator’s post, but given the national and regional direction, the decision was made to redesign the job description of the POVA Coordinator and place more emphasis on the role of the Section /Team Managers within the Adults at Risk process.

From May 2015, the Section / Team Managers took lead responsibility in relation to the Adult at Risk Process. The POVA Coordinator’s role was redesigned to become the Adult Safeguarding Coordinator, with the following key tasks:

To quality monitor, audit and evaluate the work of Section / Team Mangers in Adult and Community Services
Produce performance indicators in the format required to support this both to the service and to the Welsh Government
Provide quarterly reports about performance, themes and trends relating to the activities in respect of safeguarding and protection
To work with internal members of staff including Section Managers and partner agencies and provide advice and consultation on Adult Safeguarding issues

To support Section / Team Managers in their role, the department have commissioned specialist training around Chairing Adult at Risk Meetings. This training was delivered in February and March this year. As part of the Quality Assurance Work undertaken by the Safeguarding Unit, an audit of Adult at Risk referrals were audited where the decision had been No Further Action.

The audit focused on the following process and practice areas:

Initial Evaluation
Rationale for Decision Making
Case Recording

In total, 344 cases were audited, where the POVA decision was NFA. The period audited was between 1^st January 2015 to the 31^st December 2015.

Overall Summary of Findings

In only one of the 344 cases audited, did the auditor disagree with the decision not to follow the POVA process and arrange a Strategy Meeting.

A number of the POVA referrals made were inappropriate. It was identified that a number of the referrals were made by Care Providers were in relation to Quality of Care issues.

A significant number of referrals did not include information around capacity, category of abuse and if the Service User was aware of the referral. This had an impact on the DLM’s role, which often led to the manager having to gather information.

Good practice examples around follow up work was evident in a number of cases in particular the number of home visits undertaken and updated risk assessments.

Overall since the changes in the POVA process (May 4^th 2015), audit feedback noticed no deterioration in practice, in fact that improvements have been made in particular over the last three months (Oct – Dec).

Further work is still to be undertaken in 2016/17, with a focus on improving the quality of referrals, and developing more specialist training for Designated Lead Managers around the Adult at Risk Process.

Timeliness of Child Protection Conferences

In response to poor performance in this practice area in 2014/15, it was agreed to develop an internal action plan. The Child Protection Coordinator had lead responsibility for improving the timeliness on case conferences. A number of actions were completed including:

Attending team meetings to remind staff of the timescales within the All Wales Child Protection Procedures
Delivering workshops to multi agencies around the conference process
Quality assuring all requests for an initial case conference to ensure that issues around timeliness were addressed.

This year’s total of 289 out of 289 reviews of Children on the Child Protection Register took place within the statutory timescales. The outturn of 100% is above the locally agreed target (98.0%)