Key management messages
Dear colleague,
 Welcome to Mark Gurrey (pictured left), the new Independent Chair for our Devon Safeguarding Children Board (DSCB).
Since qualifying as a social worker in 1981, Mark Gurrey initially worked in London (Haringey, Newham and Hackney) before his first Assistant Director post in Thurrock. After a spell as a Deputy Director in Barnet, he started as an interim manager specialising in authorities in intervention - Haringey (after baby Peter), Birmingham, Kent and Doncaster. He was also Chair of Wiltshire’s Safeguarding Improvement Board. He has an informed sense of the systemic approach needed to keep children safe which will form the basis of his work in this county. More than anything, he is committed to ensuring that the work of DSCB makes a difference to those practitioners on the front line whose jobs it is to keep children safe and he will challenge and support partner organisations to that end.
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 We wish a fond farewell to David Taylor. David has
been the Independent Chair of the Devon Safeguarding Children Board
since 2013, and in his time as Chair has overseen great improvements in
the way we work together to safeguard children and young people. David
has encouraged more open discussion and improved multi-agency working in
a period of intense challenge and change, and leaves us in a much
better place than when he arrived. We are sincerely grateful for his
efforts and wish him luck and best wishes for his future.
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Best wishes, Jennie and James
 Identifying
ways to support children with disabilities – Residential Provider Event
What
are the challenges for providers to deliver quality provision in each
area?
Providers
of residential services for children with disabilities from across the South West
Peninsula were invited to a provider event, in December, to look at improving
services for children and young people. They were asked to identify ways that the information from the day
would help them to support children and young people in their homes, read some
of the ideas suggested.
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 Care
leavers help to improve Early Help working practice
Sam Heaton, Participation
Apprentice, Children’s Social Work & Child Protection, along with three other young
people delivered a presentation to the Early Help Group to make better work
practice within their job roles.
Sam says: “To keep children and young
people safe with any of the issues going on in a family one of the most
important things that needs to be done is sitting down and talking to the
child. Even if the child doesn’t/can’t talk to you, if you look out for body
language and how they present themselves that should tell enough about how life
is for them with what is going on in their life." Read the article in full.
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Click to edit this placeholder text.
Newsletter
Live: February and March
There are still places available for the Newsletter
Live sessions during February and March. Please
can staff ensure they book onto one of these sessions and can managers check
that representatives from each team are in attendance and are willing to
feedback information in team meetings. Find out more.
And we welcome any feedback in regard to future
development needs.
Devon Social Care Academy update
Attachment and Relationship Based Practice: A special
update was provided to all staff in the December KDCS bulletin. Encourage people to
review and read.
Newsletter Live: New dates in Feb/ March theme is CSE
and unconscious bias. (See article above)
ASYEs: A new cohort to started on 11 January. A further cohort will start in April 2016.
Mind the Gap Research: Focus groups to run with NQSWs
to examine what gap exists between social work degree programme and the
realities of statutory children’s social work.
Evidence Informed Practice Provision: We will be
retendering for RiP and CareKnowledge type services. New service will
start in May. Anyone interested in feeding into the specification to get
in touch.
Attendance and course changes: Continues to be a
major issue, the majority of staff don't give adequate notice of not being
able to attend in order for the place to be reallocated. Issues with the
online booking systems functionality mean manager oversight of cancellations is
difficult and the academy team do not have ‘easy’ access to line manager
information.
And don't forget the Academy website
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Attachment and Relationship Based
Practice SharePoint site
New SharePoint site to support practice
development and collaboration for Attachment and Relationship Based
Practice The site contains:
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Film refreshers from David Shemmings (please
think of colleagues when viewing in the office – headphones are
recommended)
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A list of web based resources – YouTube clips,
online guidance
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Local practice examples
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A discussion board where you can post questions
and queries
To access the site follow this link:
https://devoncc.sharepoint.com/sites/ChildSocCare/Academy/
You’ll initially be presented with the Microsoft ‘Office365’
sign-on screen. Simply identify yourself by entering your full email address
where indicated (e.g. ‘my.name@devon.gov.uk’). You do not need to enter a
password.
We will be developing the overall site to host more practice
development materials and welcome any comments or feedback.
Children’s Way We Work Group
Do you have
any thoughts on how the way we work could be improved? If so, please email the Children’s Way We Work
mailbox with your suggestions:
childrenswaywework-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
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