Merton Children’s Services -from Good to Great

Children’s Trust & MSCB Partners Workshop – 12 March 2013

Context

• Deficit reduction• Welfare benefit changes• Changes for partner agencies: Health, Police,

VCS, schools and academies• Local population changes• Increased public expectations on service• Tougher inspection regimes

Our ambitions• We have the highest ambitions for all our C&YP and will

judge our success by a range of criteria including:– Providing or commissioning services or settings which

are judged good or outstanding;– Improving outcomes, closing gaps: particularly for

vulnerable C&YP– Demonstrating C&YP views & ambitions have informed

our service offer and their improvement– Evidencing that our EIP work has prevented C&YP

from developing higher needs or stepping down from intervention and developing resilience and independence

Children’s Trust Values

• Keeping the child/young person at the heart of our work.

• Equality, equity, inclusion and valuing diversity – judged on our impact on the most vulnerable

• Local accountability and partnership• Making a difference – continuous improvement• Promoting a learning culture• Promoting a culture which listens to, responds to

and which values C&YP

Where Are We Now?

• Retained a strong partnership ethos and commitment, despite turbulence – ethos of co-operation - collaboration – integration

• Safe services; good services; improving services• Actively using evidence of what works• Bar rising-inspection & expectations• Sharper targeting – ensuring impact & using

resources wisely and well

Responding to these changes

• Restructured CSF: CSC & YI, MASH, Transforming Families & Supporting Families

• Refreshing tools to support: CYPWB Model, Common & Shared Assessment (CASA), Single Assessment, referral pathways

• Refreshed commissioning of external early intervention services – process ongoing

Service ManagerPermanency & Placements &

LAC

Head of Children’s and Families Social Care & Youth Inclusion

Service ManagerSafeguards, Standards &

Training

MASH

Bond Road

S47 Assessment Team

VCT

CASA

Strategic Lead for MARAC, MAPPA, OMP

Fostering

Adoption

14+ Settled LAC & Leaving Care

LAC Nurse

Virtual School Link

Core Social Work Teams

Wraparound Child Protection Project (To be Developed /Commissioned )

Strategic Lead for CAMHS, MST

YOT

TF Casework Team

Rapid Response EI Service –Adolescents Team (to be developed /commissioned)

ETE Team

Service ManagerMASH &

Child Protection

Service ManagerFamily &

Adolescent Services

Service ManagerSocial Work Intervention

Services

Role of Principal Social Worker

QA

IROs

LSCB

Training & development

Children, Schools & Families Dept CSC & YI

Children, Schools & Families Dept

EDUCATION Head of Children, Schools & Families Education

Strategic Managerfor School

Improvement

Strategic ManagerSpecial EducationalNeeds, Disabilities

& Inclusion

Strategic ManagerEarly Years.

Children’s Centres& Childcare

•School Improvement•Governor Services•Virtual School for LAC•Schools ICT•Professional Development Centre•Chaucer•Diversity & Equalities

Strategic Manager Education Inclusion

•Education Welfare Service•Virtual Behaviour Service•Commissioning of Alt Education ProvisionCommissioning of Youth Services•Youth Services Delivery•Education Lead for CAMHS

•CWD Social Work Team•Portage, Early Support & Targeted Inclusion•Speech & Language•Language & Learning•Education Psychology•Short Breaks Service•Statutory SEN/ Transitions•Sensory Impairment•Parent Partnership

•Supporting Families•0-5 (Enhanced Service)•EYFS Quality Standards & Workforce Development•Children’s Centres& Early Help• Childcare Sufficiency & Access•Family Information•Direct Provision (APG, Day Nursery, Pre-school, Children’s Centres

Purpose of the MASH

• In Merton the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) will be the central resource and the single front door for all contacts to children’s services where there is a ‘concern’ in relation to a child and their family.

• The MASH will:– Manage referrals received.

– Research information held on professional databases of our Partner agencies to enable social care to make an informed decision.

– Provide a secure and confidential environment for professionals to share information.

– Identify low-level repeat referrals which taken in isolation may not appear concerning.

– Prioritise referrals using a BRAG rating.

– Refer to other agencies

Role of the MASH

MASH MA Staffing

• The MASH will be staffed by professionals from:– Children’s social care– Police– Probation– Housing– Health– Education (0-19 yrs)– Youth Justice

MASH Process/Procedure• Before making a MASH enquiry, agencies will

need to consider if the child or young person’s needs could be met by services from their own agency, or by other professionals already involved with the family (Universal).

• Agencies would be encouraged to make an enquiry only when they consider a family requires either an enhanced or specialist service, or when there is an immediate concern (Enhanced and Specialist).

MASH & Child Protection Service Structure

MASH & Child Protection Service Manager MASH Partner Line Management

CAF, Bond Road etc. MASH Team

First Response Team

MASH Team Manager

MASH Partner Staff (navigators)MASH Screening Officers (x3)

MASH Social Workers (x2)

Education 0-19 yrs

Probation

Youth Justice

Housing

Police (x4)

Health

Admin Support (x2)

First Response Social Workers (x4)

Expert Practitioner

First Response ATM

MASH ATM

VCT

BRAG ratings

• Red: There is a potential child protection issue (e.g. serious injury to the child).Requires immediate action, and information from MASH navigators is expected within 2 hours.

• Amber: There are significant concerns but immediate action is not required (e.g. ongoing DV issues in the household).Requires information from MASH navigators within 6 hours.

BRAG ratings

• Green: There are concerns regarding a child’s wellbeing but these do not meet statutory requirements (e.g. poor school attendance).Requires information from selected MASH navigators within 24 hours.

• Blue: There is no safeguarding concern and the issue can be dealt with by a Universal service.No MASH response required. Advice or referral to a Universal service may be provided.

BRAG ratings

• Green: Concerns regarding a child’s wellbeing but without meeting statutory requirements (e.g. poor school attendance).Requires information from selected MASH navigators within 24 hours.

• Blue: There is no safeguarding concern and the issue can be dealt with by a Universal service.No MASH response required. Advice or referral to a Universal service may be provided.

• Red: Potential child protection issue (e.g. serious injury to child).Requires immediate action, and information from MASH navigators is expected within 2 hours.

• Amber: There are significant concerns but immediate action is not required (e.g. ongoing DV issues in the household).Requires information from MASH navigators within 6 hours.

Process mapScreening Team receives CP Referral or CASA contact

If a social care case is open, pass to allocated

social worker

If no social care case is open, level of concern is identified

Pass to relevant agency or NFA

Allocate to First Response team

MASH process

MASH manager decision

MASH manager decides on BRAG rating

MASH manager decides on BRAG rating

Refer to enhanced service or other social work team to complete single assessment

NFA

RAG

Child Protection issueSafeguarding concern (not CP)

No concernB

Carry out single assessment, referring to MASH navigators for

real-time info

Receiving Teams

MASH

VCT

Central Social Work

Teams

FirstResponse

Team

Bond Road

Supporting Families

Transforming Families

YOT&

My Futures

Voluntary Sector

Services – Specialist

Level

EWS

ICWD Social Work

Next Steps

• A performance framework for MASH is being developed.

• Agencies will begin working on the 12th floor to ensure a fully operational MASH team by April.

• The Information Sharing Agreement will be signed by the Project Board.

• The necessary IT systems will be procured and/or put in place.

• A ‘dry run’ for the MASH team will be carried out to ensure the process is robust.

Further information on MASH

• Further information is available on the Merton MASH webpage at www.merton.gov.uk/mash

• The London Safeguarding Children Board also has information on MASH across London at www.londonscb.gov.uk/mash

• Or contact nicole.miller@merton.gov.uk or ben.sherlock@merton.gov.uk from the Merton MASH Project Team.

CSF Dept. Early Intervention services

• 0-5 years – Supporting Families Team

• 5-18 years – Vulnerable Children’s Team

• Transforming Families Team

FUNCTIONS OF SF, VCT & TF

• Referrals via MASH process• Step down from specialist intervention• Casework and case management approach (assessment

and planning)• Single assessment• Direct work with children/young people & families• Brokerage to commissioned services• Advice, guidance and support to practitioners working at

universal level

Work in Progress

• Simplified Child/YP Well-Being Model: universal; enhanced & specialist

• Single assessment - inc specialist• Simplified our approach to Common and Shared

Assessment• New child protection referral form

• Builds on success of CAF implementation within Merton Well Being Model (MWBM) since 2005 as tool supporting joint working across all services

• New dedicated MASH Child Protection Referral Form now distinct from ….

• … new simplified Common and Shared Assessment (CASA) tool within Early Intervention services (formerly CAF)

• CASA at Universal Level to have seamless interface with new Single Assessment tool at Enhanced and Specialist levels

Principles of CASA(Common and Shared Assessment)

Continues to

•Support sharing of information

•Focus on Strengths as well as Needs

•Holistic Family focus

•Empowering for family, while working jointly with practitioners as member of Team Around the Child (TAC) or Team Around the Family (TAF)

•Remains consistent with other LAs CAFs or equivalent

Principles of CASA(Common and Shared Assessment)

Assessment Framework Triangle

27

Introduction to revised form 1 - CASA

Introduction to Child Protection Referral Form

MWBM Additional Needs Indicators

Roll out of CASA and new CP Referral Form

• To be launched with MASH roll out• Forms supported by dedicated simple Guidance Sheets• CASA Training to replace CAF Training: details on Merton website at

www.merton.gov.uk/caf will dovetail with www.merton.gov.uk/casa • CSF Induction and LSCB Child Protection Training will reflect new

CASA and CP Referrals processes• Sets of Additional Needs Indicators updated to align with new 3-band

‘Triangle’ model versus former 5-band ‘Rainbow’ model• Merton Well Being Model (MWBM) is being updated to reflect all of

the above, and supporting practitioner handbook will continue to be available as on-line central point of reference and guidance: www.merton.gov.uk/mwbm