For children and young people in need aged 0 to 18

The results that we would expect: that, whenever possible, children are helped to be able to experience a stable and safe childhood within the setting of their own family, including extended family or permanent family through adoption.

Outcomes that would be seen and experienced:

• Parents and carers have access to local information and services that help them to avoid poverty, understand the developmental needs of their children and maximise their ability to provide stability and safety.
• Parents feel able to access specialist family support services designed to increase parenting capacity and improve outcomes for their children.
• Agencies would work closely together and with parents to ensure children with disabilities receive timely and adequate treatment and support, including access to adaptations.
• Parents and carers are able to access good quality child-care services from nurseries, children’s centres, child minders, playgroups and carers breaks services.
• Children unable to live with parents on a permanent basis will have a permanent and stable home with adoptive parents or carers who are fully supported.
• Diversionary planning or decisions about placements will be based on transparent and well informed multi-disciplinary assessments.
  

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Strategic Actions and Indicators table for Objective 3:

Strategic Actions:	Indicators:
1. Implement Medium Term Financial Strategy, including: Behaviour support services to ensure better placement stability Increased foster and FCW family based options, including for children with disabilities Increased use of family group conferencing & kinship placements Improved support to families experiencing difficulties through family support services and specialist mental health and substance misuse services Strengthened contact and respite facilities Improved market management and use of partnership, voluntary and community resources to support parents/carers and families	Implementation meeting Executive deadlines and reporting to SMG
2. Implement Children’s Trust CSN Strategy, including: Direct payments protocols Fair Access to Carers Breaks implementation Integrated assessments linked to speeded up access to named key worker and appropriate health & education resources	Implementation meeting Children’s Trust deadlines & reported to Board
3. Strengthen pre and post adoption support, including increased support staff and better links to educational psychology and CAMHS services	Increased resources planned, funded and in place
4. Ensure links with Domestic Violence Strategy	Strategy developed and agreed by District councils
5. Develop a Housing Support Strategy with District Councils, RSLs and Supporting People	Links established
6. Strategy for black and minority ethnic families, including making effective use of family group conferencing, specialist support and access to specialist advice and information.	Strategy in place and funded / resourced

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Locality Actions and Indicators table for Objective 3:

Locality Actions:

Indicators:

1. Fieldwork Teams Increased use of Diversionary Planning linked to use of family group conferencing, School Action Planning, family support, contact and respite services Increased use of kinship placements Develop improved links with local specialist mental health and substance misuse services Develop improved links and referral arrangements with preventative, voluntary and community resources Increase take-up of direct payments Integrated assessments linked to speeded up access to named key worker and appropriate health & education resources for children with disabilities Ensure effective Pathway Planning to provide accommodation plan linked to supported lodgings and move-on strategies Ensure routine monitoring and reporting is in place in each locality 2. Independent Review Unit Ensure maximum input from parents, carers and children/young people 3. Resources Increased recruitment & retention of family based carers Ensure effective strategies to support family based carers Improve speed and quality of assessment, approval and support planning for kinship carers 4. Business support / SACS Improve speed accuracy and quality of payment systems to foster carers

PAF placement stability indicators Proportion of spend on family support services (check indicator) Reduction in number of Looked-after children by age range with trend data Number of diversionary planning meetings held Number of LAC in foster placements or placed for adoption (insert relevant PAF indicator) Number of Family Group Conferences delivered against agreement Number of children from black and minority ethnic origins placed with BME carers Number of  parent carers of children with disabilities and 16-17 year old with disability receiving  direct payments

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The key partners that can help us achieve these changes:

• Parents and carers
• Schools: special school staff, PSME tutors, designated teachers, sports and creative activity staff, SENCOs, education welfare officers & other specialist advice & support staff
• Youth services and groups:, youth & community centres, detached workers, other voluntary and activity groups, holiday schemes
• Mental Health Professionals, GPs, DAT, counselling services
• Sure Start, family centres, family support workers, nurseries, playgroups child minders and carers breaks service providers
• Citizens advice, benefits and housing services
  

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What research tells us about what can help us achieve these changes:

• Inter-agency information sharing, joint agency assessment and planning.
• Presence of a reliable and supportive adult with an interest in the child.
• Access to appropriate advice and information where people can get it, when they want it and in a form they can understand and use.
• Safe and supportive communities (e.g. extended families, schools, estates, family/community centres, clubs & societies).
• Practical assistance in the form of benefits advice, respite, family support, aids and adaptations.
• Timely and skilled help/education for parents who need to address issues that are undermining their ability to provide safe and sound care.