The Devon’s sufficiency strategy for children in care and care leavers 2022 to 2024 expired in 2024. The new Strategy dated 2024– 2029 is based on a new needs analysis and reflects the current work taking place to meet Devon’s child in care and care leavers sufficiency need.
- Building Bridges – Early Help and Statutory social work services
What we said we would do
- Review and strengthen our Early Help system.
- Roll out and embed restorative practice across children’s services.
- Recruit and training the best staff.
What we have achieved
- The targeted early help service has been reviewed and family hubs are under development.
- Restorative practice has been rolled out as part of the children’s services improvement plan.
- There is a regular programme of recruitment and retention of social acre staff
- Building Bridges – Bridges and Protecting children and young people from exploitation
What we said we would do
- The bridges service is monitored and reviewed regularly.
- Expand the trauma informed support available to families within the early help services.
- Increase the use of safer me.
- Implement a multi-agency approach to exploitation.
What we have achieved
- All intentions were progressed as part of the early help review.
- Philomena has been implemented across Devon to support the multi-agency approach to exploitation.
- Building Bridges – Understanding risk, contingency planning and assertive outreach
What we said we would do
- Develop planning for children with complex needs.
- Understand local needs for intensive family support providers.
- With partners, develop assertive community intervention for complex needs.
- Expand the use of the Dynamic Support Register (DSR).
- Support the progress the transformation of SEND services.
- Review our pre-proceedings pathway.
What we have achieved
- Developed and implemented a new placement referral form to better explain the strengths and risks or our children.
- Created a better multi-agency approach to placement starts and reviews.
- There is more work to do around the SEND commissioning requirements to support SEND improvement, but work is underway.
- A focus on improving the pre- proceedings pathway has been maintained and is progressing
- Finding a place called home – Fostering
What we said we would do
- Ensure we have a consistent approach to recruiting and supporting foster carers.
- Carry out targeted recruitment and marketing activity.
- Re-commission the Framework agreement for a new contract.
- Develop strong relationships with our providers.
What we have achieved
- The fostering framework was recommissioned and is working well.
- Relationships with our providers have improved and this is helping to create sufficiency for our children.
- A programme of activity to improve the recruitment and retention of internal foster carers underway as part of the ‘A Place Called Home’ Programme
- Finding a place called home – Residential Children’s Homes
What we said we would do
- Reduce the number of children living outside Devon.
- Revisit the business case to develop in in-house emergency crisis assessment
provision. - Develop new models of care through preventative community services to prevent escalation to Tier 4 or secure.
- Re-commission the children’s home sub-regional framework agreement.
- Strengthen shared training and recruitment Opportunities with providers.
- Deliver robust quality assurance and monitoring of residential children’s homes.
What we have achieved
- A comprehensive sufficiency improvement plan is contained with the ‘A Place Called Home’ Programme. This includes the Steps project, which has a focus on activity to return children to Devon.
- A same day and step-down from Tier 4 provision has been developed and is awaiting registration. Providing 1-2 beds. A further development is in the planning stage.
- A quality assurance framework has been implemented and the Children Joint Intelligence group meets regularly to she information.
- Promoting stability – Fostering
What we said we would do
- Develop a dedicated support offer to staying put arrangements.
- Equip and support foster carers to help young people with independent living skills.
- Conduct life-story work to help young people understand their own journeys.
- Provide early support to maintain stability at home.
- Roll-out the Mockingbird model in Devon.
- Review our service delivery and strategy for Promoting Stability.
- Understand the skills and capacity of our current approved foster carers.
What we have achieved
- There is a dedicated staying put offer and many care leavers are living in this arrangement.
- Life skills / Tenancy training is now available for all young people leaving care. This is also part of the foster carers basic training.
- Early support is available.
- The Mockingbird model is in full operation.
- Work has taken place to understand the skills of our current carers.
- Promoting stability – Providing the right care and support for children and young people with additional needs
What we said we would do
- Review short breaks provision and the availability of 52-week care for disabled children.
- Work with Health partners to review support for neurodevelopmental and mental health needs.
What we have achieved
- The short breaks strategy has been created and is now under review.
- More internal provision has been created for disabled children.
- Devon is activity working with the ICB to increase support for complex children.
- Stepping forward – Residential to fostering, Adoptions and Special Guardianship Orders
What we said we would do
- Review all children and young people living in residential settings.
- Ensure children have an effective permanence plan.
- Ensure more children are adopted.
- Increase the number of prospective adopters available.
- Ensure timely assessment processes for prospective adopters and children.
- Increase the number of providers and variety of therapeutic support available to adoptive and SGO families.
- Provide training and support for special guardians.
- Review our SGO Policy, including the allowances we offer Special Guardians.
What we have achieved
- Activity forms part of the Steps Programme within the ‘A Place Called Home’ programme and has been successful in terms of number of children moving.
- Most other actions are within and progressing through the Adopt Southwest Strategic Plan
- The SGO policy has been reviewed, as well as allowances.
- Stepping forward – Leaving our care as a care leaver
What we said we would do
- Implement the Care Leavers Protocol.
- Work with housing authorities and planning teams to improve access to housing for care-experienced young people.
- Develop a preparation for independence offer, including employment and training opportunities.
- Commission additional accommodation and support
What we have achieved
- All actions have been completed to a certain level.
- More work is needed and is being progressed through the Care For Me Subgroup action plan.
- Stepping forward – Staying put
What we said we would do
- Develop options with IFA providers for disabled children.
- Review our internal Staying Put policy.
- Have a dedicated Staying Put worker.
- Work with our corporate parenting service to increase the awareness and understanding of staying put
What we have achieved
- All actions have been progressed. IFA’s have as yet been unable to develop options for disabled children, this will need further work.
- Stepping forward – Reducing the risk of homelessness for young people
What we said we would do
- Review and revise the homelessness protocol.
- Expand our commissioned supported accommodation for young people with more complex needs
- Alongside Adult Social Care, support young adults with Autism, who are displaying challenging behaviour, to develop their independence.
- Develop evidence-based training and support for care-experienced people.
- The Care Leavers Multi-agency forum to support the PA with creating an effective plan.
What we have achieved
- All actions have been progressed, and work continues as part of the Care For Me Subgroup action plan and transitions to the adult life work stream of the SEND Improvement Plan.
- Stepping forward – Welfare Secure Children’s Home
What we said we would do
- Maintain the active recruitment and retention of key staff.
- Review the service and develop a business plan to support any emerging changes.
- Review the statement of purpose.
- Strengthen the health offer
What we have achieved
- The Atkinson Unit has been Ofsted rated outstanding and support for the unit has been recommissioned