Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Children's Social Care (Improving Social Care (Innovation programme…
Children's Social Care
Background Information
12.7 million children and young people (0-19) in England. Around a third of them are thought to be 'vulnerable'
-
There are around 394,400 'children in need' and 73,050 at risk of significant harm. Half of the 'children in need' (197,200) had 'abuse and neglect' identified as their primary need
There has been a peak in referrals to children's social care occurred in 2014 with 657,800 referrals were made. Between march 2015 and march 2016 621,470
Children's Social Care
They support and protect vulnerable children, young people and their families. Especially: children and families needing help to live in wellness; children in need of protection; children in local authority care; children with disabilities and additional needs
Legal Framework
-
The Strong 'Should Do's'
Local authority and social services act 1970 places duty on all local authorities to provide for the most vulnerable
-
The 'Should Do's'
Non-statuary guidance
-
Circulate information swiftly to influence good practice - a service would be open to criticism if they ignored this guidance
-
Legal Acts
-
Children Act 2004 - emphasises every child matters in statue; emphasis on multi-agency working; combines social care and education
Working together to safeguard children - set out responsibilities for all agencies working with children to protect them from harm
Support and Aspiration 2011 - improving choice and control for children with disabilities and additional needs. They provide short breaks and personalised agendas
The Children and Family Act 2014 - children with disabilities and additional needs; personal budgets; provision of support up to the age of 25 (was previously 18)
Children In Need
S/he is unlikely to achieve or maintain or have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision for her/him or services by a local authority
His/her health or development is likely to be significantly impaired or further impair without the provision for him/her of such services
-
Legal Protection
children protection work will be undertaken if abuse of neglect has already taken place or if they are considered to be at risk of abuse or neglect. This is underpinned by the Children Act 1989 (section 47)
A child identified as being in nee of protection placed onto a 'child protection plan' (previously known as the child protection register)
There are huge variations between local authorities - threshold for intervention and number of children on a child protection plan
Children 'looked after'
Children become looked after when it is felt that their family home places them at risk. Voluntary arrangements (27%) as well as legal orders (73%)
The local authorities become a 'corporate parent'. There are 70,440 children looked after
74% placed with foster carers, 12% in residential children's homes, 5% with their own parents or other family members, and 4% for adoption. Outcomes for looked after children are typically lower than there peers
Abuse and Neglect
Physical abuse
-
Includes when a parent or carer fabricating the symptoms, or deliberately induces, illness in a child
Sexual abuse
Involves in forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, wether or not the child is aware of what is happening
Also includes non-contact abuse, such as involving children in looking at or in the production of visual material
Emotional abuse
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development. It includes seeing, or hearing the ill-treatment of another
Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development
-
-
Practical Challenges
Information sharing between agencies - building up a picture of abuse; need for effective multi-agency approaches
-
-
-
-
-
-
Political Factors
-
Troubled families programme - worklessness; crime and anti-social behaviour; substance issue; educational outcomes
Aim to reduce the costs to the state by avoiding needs of families escalating and draining resources
-
-
-