As planned, I am stepping down after two
years as Chair of the Coventry Safeguarding Children Board so this will be my
last newsletter introduction. The Board
is in good shape and I would like to thank all the partners who have worked so
hard to bring that about.
Newsletters are now a regular feature of the Board’s work and will
continue to keep you informed about what children are telling the Board and
what Board partners are doing around safeguarding in Coventry. This edition
features an article about the Board’s recent conference on mental wellbeing for
children and important information about updated safeguarding procedures that
will be introduced in Coventry from August 24 as well as an update
on work with our young advisers.
Janet Mokades
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I am really pleased to have
been appointed to take over the Chair of the Coventry Safeguarding Children
Board from Janet.
Over the last year I have been involved in some of the
review work the Board commissioned so I have already met a number of partners
and know about the progress that has been made since Janet came to Coventry. I
also Chair in Warwickshire where we share some Board members.
Following the review of LSCB’s published earlier this
year, it is clear that there will be some changes. We need to work through them
and make sure we hold on to the strong partnership that is already here.
I look forward to working with you all so that together
we can ensure each of us does the best we can for the children and young people
of Coventry.
David Peplow
Independent Chair, Coventry Safeguarding Children Board
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The Policies and Procedures subgroup have reviewed the
Tri-X standard Policies and Procedures manual. This change was required because staff had told us that policies and procedures
were lengthy and in need of simplification.
The new manual will go live on 24 August 2016 and will be
available on our website. It is important that all staff working with children and
young people use the policies. If you have any questions, then please
contact your organisational safeguarding lead.
Andy Wade
Chair of the LSCB Policies and Procedures subgroup
When
working with another agency, concern or disagreement may arise over another
professional’s decisions, actions or lack of actions in relation to
safeguarding children. When this disagreement arise it is important they are
addressed in a timely way keeping the best interests of the child at the heart
of this. When this does occur professionals should refer to the Conflict Resolution Policy of the above mentioned manual which can be accessed from 24 August 2016.
Last month we hosted a successful conference on 'Achieving Mental Well-Being for Children and Young People' at the Welcome Centre.
Delegates from multiple agencies attended the event with the aim to:
- Hear
from young people about their experiences.
- Understand
the reasons for the rise in mental ill health.
- Learn how to promote resilience for young people.
To help us achieve this, Professor Swaran Singh attended to provide a fascinating keynote speech alongside presentations by colleagues from the University of Warwick, Public Health, Integrated Primary Mental Health Service and CAMHS. A young person's story was played to give the delegates an example of their experiences. There were also a number of engaging workshops throughout the day.
The feedback received was very positive and the aims of the conference were achieved.
During Professor Stewart-Brown's presentation, she shared a link about an interesting course on how the mind of the parent influences the developing mind of the child.
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Due to the school term finishing, the Young Person's Advisory group is unable to provide an update for this newsletter. However, we do have an item from the Safeguarding Board's
Training Coordinator who recently met with the group:
A meeting is held each term to give support and updates
to trainers who deliver on the Safeguarding Board training programme. This term the meeting took
place at Sherbourne Fields School where we met two of the young people from the
advisers' group.
They told us about their role as young advisers and with
the pupil council in school. We had a discussion about children’s voices and
keeping safe and what messages might be included in training. Take a look at the dvd which
they have produced, featuring several children and young people from the school
on what makes them feel safe.
In school the group support other pupils in various ways
including a buddy system.
They have also been exploring the possibility of meeting
with the pupil council at one of the Primary Schools.
Anne Pluska
Safeguarding Boards
Training Coordinator
Members of the Coventry and
Warwickshire Partnership Trust and Children’s Social Care worked collaboratively
following concerns identified within the city of Coventry regarding the
potential misinterpretation of the use of a safe space, weighted blanket or
weighted vest/bear hug vests. Concerns were also raised as to the easy
accessibility of purchasing such equipment privately without seeking any
clinical advice from a suitable professional. Within today’s
technological society such equipment is readily available from various sources.
Over the past six months a
small working group met together on a regular basis to plan, develop and devise
guidance and information packs. This included pathways (see below) for any person to
follow should they have any concerns with the use of such specialist equipment
in the future. This information has also been made accessible for all via the
Children’s Occupational Therapy website www.covkidsot.co.uk.
From 1 September 2016 the current CAF Co-ordinator's
role with schools regarding early help will be changing. They will provide enhanced support to school
staff enabling them to feel confident to intervene and work alongside families
even earlier leading to better, more sustainable outcomes and children engaging
positively in their education.
What does this mean
to my school?
You will have a named CAF Coordinator who will have
increased visible presence within your school, complementing and supporting the
good work that is already happening. They will provide 6 weekly case oversight of all open Level 2 CAF
Episodes, which will include problem solving ‘stuck’ cases. There will be a
focus on improving quality, increasing number of successful outcomes being met
including attainment, attendance and children’s aspirations. In turn this will
lead to better school outcomes, promoting a shared responsibility for
supporting families.
The CAF Coordinators will up-skill school colleagues by role
modelling, reinforcing and sharing good practice, including the offer of
bespoke training. Enhanced eCAF support
will be delivered by a dedicated eCAF Team.
Half-termly meetings will be replaced by Vulnerable
Children’s Meetings with a new focus on those children that are not currently
supported by Early Help or Social Care – this will include preparation for
school holidays, ensuring there is a plan in place for these vulnerable
children and their families.
The CAF Co-ordinators will have an awareness of all your
open CAF episodes and will continue to assist with the step up/down and diversion
processes between School, Social Care and Children and Families First.
Why are we doing this?
- Earlier interventions at Level 2 lead to better
outcomes and positive impact for children and their families.
- Better trained and supported Lead Professional’s,
resulting in higher quality intervention and improved attendance, behaviour,
attainment and aspirations.
- Families will be supported as a shared
responsibility.
- Thresholds are applied appropriately, and families
are getting the right intervention, which will lead to a decrease in repeat
referrals between services.
- Planned approach to summer holidays to ensure
children and families are receiving the appropriate service from the right
agency.
- Seamless transition between thresholds ensuring
families understand why a case may escalate into social care or where outcomes
are successfully met and stepped down to universal services.
- Ensure the Voice of the Child is integrated into
family assessments, interventions and plans.
- Ofsted requirements and government legislation.
For more information and contact details please visit www.coventry.gov.uk/CAF
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