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In October, partners from education, health, Sheffield City Council and voluntary and community organisations came together for our citywide partnership event. The event covered Families First, SEND reform, Best Start and Family Hubs. It helped partners understand how these areas link together to provide earlier and more joined-up support for children and families. Feedback from the event will help us plan what information, support and training partners need next.
Workforce development
A range of training, guidance and tools are being developed to help staff prepare for Families First implementation. Reflective supervision training is now available through Go Learn, with two sessions a month being offered over the next six months, starting in November. Group supervision training will also be promoted shortly.
Practice guidance is progressing alongside the training offer, including the local protocol for assessment and support, MACPT practice guidance and guidance to support the Family Help Lead Practitioner role. Together, these resources will help staff understand and prepare for the new ways of working being introduced through Families First.
Have Your Say
We are continuing to invite parents, carers, family members and members of the public to share their views on support for children, young people and families in Sheffield with a consultation on "Have Your Say". Please share this with families you may be working with.
Information Systems and Data
Preparations are progressing to ensure systems and recording arrangements are ready for implementation. The Quarter 2 Families First data return has been completed. Work with other local authorities in the region is helping teams share approaches and learning around systems and data requirements.
Changes are being developed and tested to support new ways of working. The next phase will focus on preparing recording arrangements for Section 47 information, advice and support, and the Quarter 3 data return. Further work is also taking place to clarify national reporting requirements and to respond to updated Children in Need Census requirements.
Introducing "The Protector"
"The Protector" - an illustrated robot character
We are excited to introduce The Protector, the winning design from our Families First character competition.
Later this month, Sally Williams, Director of Children’s Services, will visit Monteney Primary school to present him with his winner’s certificate and voucher. All competition entries will also be displayed at Sheffield Town Hall at the end of November, celebrating the creativity of all the children and young people who took part.
We are now working with Sheffield City Council’s Communications team to bring The Protector to life through new Families First branding and resources.
Family Help Update
Drawing of a person with the words "Coordinated & Relational & Whole family support" around them
Sheffield’s Family Help model is taking shape, with work progressing on the roles, tools and local arrangements needed to support the new approach.
Planning is underway for seven Family Help locality events across Sheffield in January, February and March. The events will bring together key services, health partners and voluntary and community organisations. Professionals will be able to learn more about Families First, meet services in their local area and build stronger Family Help networks. There will also be an informal drop-in for partners, schools and families. We are exploring other ways to reach families in familiar and accessible community settings. More details about the events will be shared soon.
The Family Help Assessment and Section 17 arrangements are also being developed, with feedback from families helping to shape this work.
Partners will be invited to take part in focus groups to help shape the Early Help Lead Practitioner role and the guidance that will support it. We are also working to make sure Families First and SEND transformation work well together, helping to create more joined-up support for children and families.
Multi Agency Child Protections Teams (MACPT) Update
A draft guide has been written to explain how the team will work. It sets out how Lead Child Protection Practitioners and partner organisations will work together. It also covers how decisions will be made when there are concerns about a child’s safety.
Guidance is also being prepared to help staff follow the new approach. This includes ways to check that the new arrangements are working well. Information for parents and carers is also being developed.
The next step is to review feedback from partners and agree the final way of working. We will also make sure staff and partner organisations are ready for the changes. New ways of recording information will be tested in LiquidLogic.
Families will help us review information for parents and carers. This will help make sure it is clear, useful and easy to understand.
Before the new approach starts, staff and partners will have time to test how it works in practice. This will help us spot any gaps and make changes where needed. We will also continue to help staff learn about Families First and what the new approach to child protection will mean for their work.
Staff Spotlight: T/DI Laura Jones, South Yorkshire Police
Temporary Detective Inspector Laura Jones from South Yorkshire Police is currently on secondment to Sheffield Children’s Services, supporting the introduction of Families First and the development of the MACPT.
“I have been a police officer for over 20 years, with most of my career spent working in public protection and safeguarding vulnerable people.
I wanted to be involved in developing the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team because it brings different professionals together to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children.
For me, it is an opportunity to combine my experience in safeguarding and investigation with strong partnership working, helping to protect children who may not be able to protect themselves. It is a challenging but rewarding role, and I am proud to be part of the team.”
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Update
 Drawing of a car with the words "Trust, Empathy, Understanding" on the roof, and "Relationships are the primary vehicle for change" behind the car
An implementation plan is now in place for Family Group Decision Making (FGDM). Families have already started to share their views, which are helping to shape how FGDM will work in Sheffield. Guidance and training materials are also being developed to help staff and partners use the approach in a clear and consistent way.
The next steps include developing further guidance and training for different roles. Plans are also being developed for an FGDM Champion Network. Champions will help raise awareness and support the use of FGDM across services. Work is also taking place to make sure FGDM activity and outcomes can be recorded and monitored.
We are also developing Family Network Support Packages. These can provide practical help when a family identifies something that may stop their plan from working. The aim is to help families and their wider networks put their plans into action and find solutions that work for them.
Sheffield’s SEND Local Area Partnership
Sheffield’s SEND Local Area Partnership wants to keep you in touch with all the great work happening as part of Sheffield’s SEND transformation journey.
Please can we ask you and your colleagues to complete our survey (2 minutes) and tell us about SEND communications and engagement and what you might like from the partnership in the future:
Get involved
We are looking to establish a regular co-design focus group that will meet monthly to help shape and influence the development of Family Help and wider transformation activity. We are particularly keen to hear from parents, carers, young people and families who would like to share their experiences, ideas and feedback to help ensure services are designed with families, not just for them.
If you are working with any families who may be interested in getting involved, please encourage them to contact us via familiesfirst@sheffield.gov.uk for more information and to register their interest.
Their voices will play a valuable role in helping us create services that better meet the needs of children, young people and families across Sheffield.
New Information Sharing Duty
The Government has published new statutory guidance on the information sharing duty for agencies working with children, young people and families. The guidance aims to support earlier and more effective information sharing between services, helping professionals work together to improve outcomes and safeguard children.
The new duty aligns closely with the aims of Sheffield's Families First Partnership Programme and will support the development of more joined-up services across the partnership.
For further detail about the reforms, you can read the official FFPP guidance on Families First Partnership programme - GOV.UK
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