Hello and welcome to the latest CSCP newsletter. In this edition there is a range of informative articles and updates on issues including the SARC, the Coventry Family Valued programme and key areas of practice around Early Help and Right Help Right Time.
There is also a really useful link to a webinar on Liberty Protection Safeguards as implementation gets ever closer.
As always please let us have your feedback on the newsletter.
Best wishes,
Derek
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The Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) have provided a range of easy read guides for professionals, parents / carers and young people. Download the resources.
They also attended the last Safeguarding Together Action Group (STAG) meeting to provide an introduction to their service and referral pathways. This has been recorded and is available.
A One Minute Guide has been produced in relation to Was Not Brought (WNB), to give guidance on missed appointments for children or vulnerable adults. The Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership, and Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board are asking all practitioners to use “Was Not Brought” rather than “Did Not Attend” when appointments for these individuals are missed. Download the One Minute Guide.
Within the West Midlands, there are nine local areas that collaborate with regards to child safeguarding procedures. These Regional Child Protection Procedures are hosted on a central site, and additional partnership information can also be accessed for each area. Access the Regional Procedures
A new policy on Physical Abuse has been produced on this site which details challenges parents and carers may face, risks, indicators and actions to be taken. Read the policy.
The CSCP undertook an audit to review the current circumstances of children who had recently stepped down from Child Protection Plans, families who had had a new baby in the previous 6 months and children who were currently subject to a Child Protection Plan to provide assurance around the decision-making process for vulnerable babies. Partners of the Board were asked to review the audit cohort and complete a case file audit using an agreed audit template which featured a Signs of Safety approach. We have produced a One Minute Guide detailing the findings from this audit. Download the One Minute Guide.
Taka a look at Safe Sleeping information, resources and a recording of the 'Safe Sleeping is Everyone's Responsibility' learning event.
The West Midlands Association of Directors of Adult Social Care produced a webinar on Implementing the Liberty Protection Safeguards in the West Midlands. Watch the webinar.
As part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families Programme, Coventry Children’s Services is working with Leeds City Council, to embed Family Valued in Coventry. Leeds is an “innovator” Local Authority, and their Family Valued innovation, aims to change leadership, culture and practice in Children’s Services and across the partnership, in order to promote new ways of working with children, families and each other.
Key to Family Valued is Restorative and Relational Practice; which focusses on values, behaviours and the importance of relationships in creating sustainable change. We are still using Signs of Safety, but this approach will be strengthened further by restorative and relationship-based ways of working. Our practice approach will now be “The Coventry Way”, with Signs of Safety being what we do, and Relational and Restorative Practice being the way that we do it; putting relationships at the centre of how we approach interactions with children and families, as well as colleagues and partners.
Restorative Practice Awareness Sessions are taking place for Children’s Services and our partners. If you are a partner who has not already booked onto one of the these session, you can reserve your space via this link: Book onto a Restorative Practice Awareness Session
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Promoting children’s welfare is most effective when they receive help early and at a level according to their needs. The Right Help Right Time guidance is for practitioners in all agencies working with children, young people and their families in Coventry. This guidance will assist professionals to identify the support that a child, young person or family might need and how best this support can be provided.
In some situations, it may be more appropriate to refer cases to Early Help in the Family Hubs and their Here to Help service rather than directly referring into the MASH:
- If a school raises concerns of a mother not supporting a child to attend medical appointments, this could benefit from Early Help support and a single agency response.
- If there are concerns of substance misuse, Early Help and services such as Positive Choices can coordinate support for the family before a MASH referral is required.
- For general advice when dealing with anger towards professional involvement, where there are no safeguarding concerns raised in respect of child, a MASH referral would be inappropriate and advice should be sought within your agency or again from Early Help.
Please book yourself on to one of a series of multi-agency Right Help Right Time and Early Help Module virtual workshops.
These workshops will use case studies to help you to use the guidance to support your decision making in a way that increases professional confidence in managing risk and enables concerns about children to be addressed at the earliest possible stage. Please find an example of a case study.
There has been some slight changes to the Early Help Request for Early Help form to improve the information gathered.
The form is part of the process for seeking help for a family in need of support. It is not a referral form into Family Hubs, but it is a form that will help access the appropriate help/support from the Early Help Partnership and deliver the right help at the right time.
The form is accessible online
Information for professionals and a downloadable Word version of the form is available
 Click here to book a place.
The Family Group Conferencing (FGC) referral form is now shorter to reduce the amount of time required to complete.
Access the new form
Website: www.coventry.gov.uk/cscp
Twitter: @covCSCPandCSAB
Facebook: Coventry Safeguarding Board and Partnership
Instagram: Coventry_lscb
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