munro the munro review of child protection interim report the child's journey

8/3/2019 MUNRO the Munro Review of Child Protection Interim Report the Child's Journey

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The Munro Reviewof Child Protection

Interim Report:The Childs Journey

Professor Eileen Munro


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2


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Itsallaboutrelationships.Wearetalkingaboutdealingwithpeoplewithproblems,

withpainfulstuff.Youhavetoknowsomeone,trustthem.Theymustbereliableand

bethereforyouifyouaregoingtobeabletotalkaboutthethingsyoudontwant

to.Thethingsthatscareyou. Parent

FamilyPerspectives

on

safeguarding

and

relationships

with

childrens

service

TheChildrensCommissionerforEngland,June2010


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Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

ExecutiveSummary

ChapterOne: Introduction

ChapterTwo:

Getting

help

early

Whatlevelofhelpisneeded?

Thescaleoftheproblem

Earlyhelp:understandingneed

Earlyhelp:recentpolicyandpracticedevelopments

Multiagencylocalityteamswithsocialworkexpertise

Conclusion

ChapterThree: Childandfamilysocialwork

Introduction

Reasoningandemotions

Relationshipbasedpracticewithchildren

Evidencebasedpractice

Developingexpertise

Conclusion

ChapterFour: Managingfrontlinesocialwork

Introduction

Managingtime

Supervision

Professionaldevelopment

Tools

Procedures

Journeyauthorities

Themediaandthepublic

Monitoringperformance

Developmentsinsocialwork

ChiefSocialWorker

CollegeofSocialWork

Conclusion


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ChapterFive: Sharedlearningandaccountability

Introduction

Complexorganisations

Signposting

Leadership

Accountability

Managingperformance

Inspection

Sectorbasedapproachestoimprovement

Multiagencytrainingandlearning

Methodsoflearningfrompracticethroughcasereviews

SeriousCaseReviews(SCRs)

Developingotherkindsofreviewsandlearningactivity

Childdeathreviewprocesses

RevisingWorking

Together

to

Safeguard

Children

(2010)

FamilyJusticeReview

Conclusion

ChapterSix: Conclusion

AnnexA: AssociationofChiefPoliceOfficersStatementofRisk

Principles

Annex

B:

Tower

Hamlets

Draft

Record

For

Understanding

Families


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AcknowledgementsIamgratefultoalltheindividualsandorganisations,fromacrossthewholespectrumof

childrensservices,

who

have

assisted

me

in

this

review

of

the

child

protection

system.

I

wouldliketoextendmythankstothoseprofessionalgroupswhoparticipatedintherecent

roundofvirtualconversations,andtothereadersofCommunityCare.Theirideasand

examplesofgoodpracticewillcontinuetoinformthethinkinginthenextphaseofthe

review.

Specifically,Iwouldliketothank:

themembersofmyreferencegroup:

o MelanieAdegbite;

o DistrictJudgeNickCrichton;

o MarionDavis;

o AvrilHead;

o ProfessorCorinneMayChahal;

o LucySofocleous;

o DrSheilaShribman;

o ProfessorSueWhite;and

o MartinNarey.

DrDavidLane,anadvisortothereview

themembersofmysubgroups:

o EarlyHelp:

DrSheilaShribman,AnnGoymer,StephenScott,VivHogg,AndrewCooper,

JaneBarlow,RichendaBroad,PaulMcGee, DrCatherinePowell,Nick

Hudson,JaniceMcAllister, JoWebber,ColinGreen,SaraGlen.

o RulesandGuidance:

RachelJones,TrishKearney,JaniceAllister,JanetFyle,FionaSmith,Deborah

Hodes,TaraWeeramanthri, FfionDavies,VonniGordon,HelenLincoln.

o ChildrenandYoungPeople:

AvrilHead,LucySofocleous(andtheOfficeoftheChildrensCommissioner

andtheOfficeoftheChildrensRightsDirectorwhohavecollectedand

submittedevidencefromchildrenandyoungpeople).

o Courts:

DistrictJudgeNickCrichton,SimonPickthall,AudreyDamazer.

o ICT:

ProfessorSueWhite,JackieRafferty,ProfessorDavidWastell,Professor

DarrelInce,KayFletcher,DrSuzanneSmith.

o LearningfromPractice:

ProfessorCharlesVincent,DrPeterSidebotham, DrSheilaFish,ColinGreen,

StephenCobb,FrancesOrchover,MarthaCover,JasonGordon.

o MediaandPublicConfidence:

ProfessorCorinneMayChahal,ProfessorIvorGaber,ProfessorJon

Silverman,AmandaCallaghan,KateTonge,AniaRainbird,RichardVize.


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o PerformanceandInspection:

MarionDavis,EleanorSchooling,RobHutchinson,PaulCurran,Anne

Plummer,JohnGoldup,MikePinnock,KarenMarcroft,ProfessorJune

Thoburn.

theleads

of

the

other

independent

reviews

commissioned

by

the

Government

with

whomIhavebeenworkingclosely:

o GrahamAllenMP;

o RtHonFrankFieldMP;

o DavidNorgrove;and

o DameClareTickell.

thechildrenandyoungpeoplewhohavemetmetotalkabouttheirexperiences

organisationsthatmyteamvisitedtolookatexamplesofinnovation,

transformationandgoodpracticeinactionaspartofthe programmeoffieldwork:

o Bathand

North

East

Somerset

Council;

o EastBerkshirePrimaryCareTrust;

o EastSussexCountyCouncil;

o LincolnshireCountyCouncil;

o LondonBoroughofHaringey;

o LondonBoroughofTowerHamlets;

o StaffordshireCountyCouncil;

o WarringtonBoroughCouncil;and

o WarwickshireCountyCouncil.

organisationsthathaveapproachedthereviewandaskedtotrialamoreflexible

assessmentprocess:

o CumbriaCountyCouncil;

o GatesheadMetropolitanBoroughCouncil;

o KnowsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncil;

o LondonBoroughofHackney;and

o WestminsterCityCouncil.

DeborahRamsdale,secondedfromStaffordshireCountyCounciltothereviewteam

andtheteamofcivilservantssupportingmeattheDepartmentforEducation(DfE).


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Preface

Thisisthesecondreportofthereviewofchildprotection

inEnglandcommissionedinJune2010bytheSecretaryof

StateforEducation,theRightHonourableMichaelGove

MP.Itsthemeisthechildsjourney. Tooofteninrecent

history,thechildprotectionsystemhas,inthepursuitof

imposedmanagerialtargetsandregulations,forgotten

thatitsraisondtreisthewelfareandprotectionofthe

child.Thisphaseofthereviewlookedathowthesystem

couldbereformedtokeepafocusonthechildsjourney

thejourneyfromneedinghelptoreceivingit. Thiscoversanumberofareas,

includingworkwithchildrenandfamilieswhohavenotyetmetthethresholdforchildprotection.

ThereviewisworkingcloselywithanumberoflocalauthoritiesincludingCumbria,

Gateshead,Hackney,KnowsleyandWestminster.Thesefiveauthoritieshaveasked

totrialflexibleassessmenttimescales,sothatsocialworkerscanexercisetheir

professionaljudgmentmoreeffectivelytoimproveoutcomesforvulnerable

children.Iamverygratefultotheseauthoritiesfortriallingthisnewwayofworking

and,subjecttotheiragreementtotheconditionsofthetrialwithMinisters,Ilook

forwardtoconsideringtheirearlyfindingsintimeforthefinalreport.

InthisphaseofworkIhavecontinuedtobesupportedbyanexpertreferencegroup

andkeyleadersinthesector,andhavebenefitedfromfieldvisitstoanumberof

localauthorities. Ihavealsoconvenedamultiagencyworkinggroupconsisting,so

far,ofrepresentativesfromsocialwork,healthandpoliceprofessionalstrategic

bodiesinordertoconsiderthefutureofinteragencyrulesandguidance.Inaddition

IhavebenefitedfromtheexcellentworkundertakenbyGrahamAllen,FrankField

ClareTickellandDavidNorgroveintheirrespectivegovernmentreviews.

AsIsaidinmyfirstreportinOctober,Iammindfulofthefactthatthisreviewis

takingplace

at

atime

of

financial

constraint,

and

it

is

within

this

context

that

my

recommendationswillbemade. However,thisreviewofchildprotectionhasbeen

fortunateinbeingthefirstnottohavebeeninitiatedinresponsetoaparticular

tragedyandmyfinalreportinAprilwillnotseekaseriesofsuperficialquickfixesin

asystemascomplexasthechildprotectionsystem,therearenoquickfixestobe

had. Thereare,however,barrierstogoodpracticewhichcanberemovedand

incentivestobetterpracticewhichcanbeputinplace.Ihopethattheresultwillbe

arecalibrationofthewholesystemaroundtheimmediateneedsoftheindividual

childrenandfamiliesthatitseekstoserve.

ProfessorEileen

Munro

LondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience February2011


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Executivesummary

1. TheMunroReviewofchildprotectionispartofanationaldrivetoimprovethe

quality

of

child

protection

services.

The

aim

of

this

report

is

to

set

out

for

discussion

thecharacteristicsofaneffectivechildprotectionsystem,andthereformsthat

mighthelptocreatesuchasystem. ThisreportiscalledTheChildsJourney,

referringtothechildsjourneyfromneedingtoreceivingeffectiveprotectionfrom

abuseandneglect.

2. Thereviewsfirstreportprovidedananalysisoftheunintendedconsequencesof

previousreformsthathadariseninthechildprotectionsystem.Itconcludedthat

professionalsare,inparticular,constrainedfromkeepingafocusonthechildbythe

demandsandrigiditycreatedbyinspectionandregulation. Manyoftheareas

identifiedforreformatthisstageofthereviewrelate,therefore,tothesepartsof

thesystem.

3. Toencouragechange,thereviewhasbeenworkinginpartnershipwithfive

authoritieswhohaverequestedgreaterflexibilitywhenassessingtheneedsof

childrenandyoungpeople,withtheaimofdeliveringimprovedoutcomesandmore

focusedinterventions.TheSecretaryofStateforEducationisconsideringusinghis

powerstoenablethemtomodeltheresponsibleinnovationthisreviewwantsto

encourage. Theselocalauthoritieswillbegrantedtemporarysuspensionfrom

certainrequirementsinstatutoryguidanceforasixmonthperiod,subjecttotheir

agreementwithMinisterstotheconditionsofthetrial.

4. Thereviewendorsesthecrucialrolethatinspectioncanplayinimprovingservices

forchildren,andwillbeworkingwithOfstedtodevelopaninspectionprocessthat

driveschildcentredpractice,focusesontheeffectivenessofhelpprovidedand

assessesthequalityoflearningacrosslocalorganisations,ratherthancompliance

withprocess. Theconsensusviewinfeedbacktothereviewhasbeenthat

announcedinspectioncarriesaconsiderableamountofbureaucraticburden. The

reviewisrecommendingthatannouncedinspectionsshouldendaspartof

forthcomingrevisionstotheinspectionframework.Instead,unannounced

inspectionsshouldbegivenabroaderremitacrossthecontributionofallchildrens

servicesto

the

protection

of

children.

5. SeriousCaseReviews(SCRs)havebeencriticisedforfailingtoidentifyorexplainthe

factorsthathavecontributedtopoorpractice. Thereviewisthereforeconsidering

adoptingthesystemsapproachusedinthehealthsector,whichexploresthese

factorsandthereforeoffersthepotentialfordeeperlessonsandimprovedlearning.

ThereviewhasalsoreceivedevidencethatthesystemofexternalevaluationofSCRs

hasdistortedtheprioritiesinconductingthesereviews,addingtobureaucracy,and

inhibitinglearning. AlongsidetheGovernmentspolicythatSCRoverviewreportsare

published,thereviewisrecommendingthatOfstedevaluationsofSCRsshouldend

indue

course.

Instead,

the

quality

of

learning

more

generally

should

be

given

greater

coveragewithintheoverallinspectionprocess.


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6. WorkingTogethertoSafeguardChildrenisthecoreguidanceformultiagency

working. Thedocumentisnow55timeslongerthanitwasin19741. Oneofthe

reasonsforthisgrowthhasbeentheinclusionofprofessionaladvicealongside

statutoryguidance. Thereviewisworkingwithagroupofrepresentativesfromthe

relevantprofessions

to

consider

how

statutory

guidance

could

be

separated

out

fromprofessionaladvice,withtheprofessionstakingresponsibilityforthelatter. In

thenextreportthereviewwillmakerecommendationsonhowthiswouldallowfor

statutoryguidancetobecomeashortermanualinwhichthecoreprinciplesand

rulesareclearertoallprofessionals.

7. Seniorleadersfromlocalagenciesworktogether,throughtheLocalSafeguarding

ChildrenBoard(LSCB),toprovidelocalleadershipandclarityaboutworkingtogether

tohelpkeepchildrenandyoungpeoplesafe. LSCBsareuniquelyplacedtotakea

holisticapproachtochildprotection.Thereviewismindedtostrengthentheroleof

LSCBsin

monitoring

the

impact

of

practice,

training

and

learning

on

the

childs

journey,aswellasidentifyingandaddressingemergingproblemsinthesystem.

8. Withtheextentofcurrentpublicservicereform,theroleofleadershipandlinesof

accountabilityinchildprotectionservicesneedtobeclear. Thereviewagreeswith

LordLamingsconclusionontheneedforastronglocalspineofaccountableleaders,

withresponsibilitylocatedinthelocalauthority,asreflectedinthecurrentstatutory

framework. Inparticularthereviewconsidersitimportantthatlocalauthorities

ensurethattheroleoftheDirectorofChildrensServicescontinuesasthekeypoint

ofprofessionalaccountabilityforchildprotectionserviceswithinthelocalauthority

andthat

this

is

not

diluted

or

weakened.

9. Localauthoritiesandtheirpartnersneedperformancedatatoknowhowthesystem

isfunctioning. TheGovernmenthasannouncedthattheNationalIndicatorSetof

performancemeasureswillbereplacedwithasinglecomprehensivelistofdata

requiredcentrally. Thereviewisconsideringaminimumdatasetforchildprotection

madeupofatwincoreofnationallycollecteddataandrecommendedstandardised

localdata. Suchdatacanhelpinformthedevelopmentandevaluationofpolicyby

centralGovernmentanddriveimprovementandlearningatalocallevel. Itis

importantthatdataallowsthechildsjourneythroughthesystemtobemappedand

thatsuch

data

informs

discussions

about

local

practice,

rather

than

being

used

as

absoluteindicatorsofgoodorbadperformance.

10. Earlyidentificationandprovisionofhelpisinthechildsbestinterestsandmulti

agencyserviceswhichdeliversupportforfamiliesarevitalinpromotingchildrens

wellbeing. Thereviewendorseseffortstoimprovefamilysupportservicesinthe

communitysuchasSureStartChildrensCentresandthehealthvisitorservice,and

emphasisgiventothisissuebyFrankField(reportedDec2010),GrahamAllen

(reportedJan2011)andClareTickell(Spring2011)intheirrespectivereviews.

1Parton,N (2010) The Increasing Complexity of Working Together to Safeguard Children


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11. Allwhocomeintocontactwithfamilieshaveaparttoplayinidentifyingthose

childrenwhoseneedsarenotbeingadequatelymet. Someoftheseneedscanbe

helpedbyuniversalandearlyinterventionservices,whileothersmayneedreferral

tomorespecialistservices,includingchildrenssocialcare. Evidencesubmittedto

thereviewshowsstrongsupportforthecurrentpolicywhere,withthefamilys

consent,an

assessment

is

made,

using

aformat

common

to

all

local

agencies,

that

canbesharedasappropriatewithotherprofessionals. Itisimportanttominimise

dependencyandempowerfamilies,givingthemownershipoftheirpersonal

assessment.

12. Maltreatmentisnotalwaysbeingsafelyidentifiedandrespondedtoappropriately

becausesocialworkexpertisemaynotalwaysbereadilyavailabletoother

professionals. Thiscontributestoahighlevelofreferralstochildrenssocialcare

thataresubsequentlyassessedasinappropriate. Initsfinalphase,thereviewwill

considersolutionsdevelopedinsomelocalareas,wheremultiagencyteams,that

includesocial

workers,

are

located

in

the

community

alongside

universal

services.

Theseteamsenablechildrenandyoungpeoplewhoareinneedofprotectionfrom

maltreatmenttobemoreaccuratelyidentified.

13. Thereviewisconsideringwhether,whenachildisreferredtochildrenssocialcare,

anyexistingassessmentiscontinuedbysocialworkers,ratherthanthecurrent

systemwhichstartsanewbureaucraticprocessofinitialandcoreassessments.

Currentpracticeisdominatedbyprescribedtimescales,butthereshouldbea

strongerawarenessofbalancingthetimelinesswiththequalityofassessment,so

thatthespecificneedsofanychildcanbewellassessed. Timelinessmattersbutso

doesquality,

and

local

arrangements

should

monitor

both.

The

review

is

working

withtheFamilyJusticeReviewtoexplorehowlocalauthoritiescancontributeto

reducingunnecessarydelaysinthechildsjourneythroughthecourtsandcare

proceedings.

14. Managersinsocialworkplayacrucialpartincreatingtheworkconditionsthat

facilitategoodpractice. Thecurrentmanagementstyleputstoomuchemphasison

thebureaucraticaspectsofthework. Radicalreformisneededtogivedueweightto

theimportanceofthecognitiveandemotionalrequirementsofthework,theneed

forcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment,andforaccesstoresearchinordertohelp

workersperform

at

ahigh

level.

The

scale

of

rules

and

procedures

may

help

achieve

aminimumstandardofpractice,butinhibitsthedevelopmentofprofessional

expertiseandalienatestheworkforce,thuscontributingtotheseriousproblemsof

recruitmentandretention. Thereviewisconsideringhowusercentreddesignof

assessmentanddecisionmakingtoolscanprovidebetteraidstoprofessional

reasoning. Thereviewisworkinginparticularwithpractitionersonhowthedesign

ofIntegratedChildrensSystem(ICS)softwarecanbemademoreuserfriendlyand

efficient.

15. Goodsocialworkpracticerequiresformingarelationshipwiththechildandfamily

and

using

professional

reasoning

to

judge

how

best

to

work

with

parents.

The

natureofthiscloseengagementmeansthatsupervision,whichprovidesthespace


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forcriticalreflection,isessentialforreducingtheriskoferrorsinprofessionals

reasoning. Thereisagrowingbodyofrelevantresearchtosupportprofessionals

reasoning. Itisimportantthatsocialworkersmakegooduseofthistomakemore

accurateassessmentsandtodifferentiatethoseaspectsofpoorparentingthattend

tobecorrelatedwithadverseoutcomesforthechildfromthelessdamagingones.

Socialworkers

need

to

make

best

use

of

evidence

on

how

to

help

families

change.

Thisshouldincludebothevidenceaboutthenatureofeffectiveworking

relationships,andofmethodstousewithintheserelationshipstopromotechange.

16. TheSocialWorkReformBoard(SWRB)hasdevelopedacapabilitiesframework

whichoutlinesthegenericskillsandknowledgeneededbyasocialworkerat

differentstagesintheircareer. Thereviewisbuildingonthisanddraftingthe

specialistcapabilitiesneededinchildandfamilysocialwork. TheSWRBhas

recommendedthatthecareerstructureshouldbealteredtogivesocialworkersa

longtermprofessionalcareerwithoutbecomingamanager. Thereviewis

consideringhow

this

could

be

developed

in

child

and

family

social

work,

to

enable

thedevelopmentofexpertisethatshouldbeavailabletosupportthefrontline

practitioner.

17. Manyprofessionals,inthepast,havereflectedontheclimateoffear,blameand

mistrustthatseemstobeendemicwithinthechildprotectionsystem2. Thereis

considerableevidencethatthechildprotectionsystemandsocialworkersin

particulararestillportrayedverynegativelyinthemedia. Thisunderminespublic

confidenceintheprofessionandputschildrenatgreaterrisk. Suchreportingalso

hasunintendedconsequencesforthewaythesystemfunctions,forexample,by

alteringreferral

patterns,

creating

spikes

in

demand,

and

increasing

thresholds.

The

review,workingwiththeCollegeofSocialWork,newlyestablishedonthe

recommendationoftheSocialWorkTaskForce,isconsideringhowtohelpthepublic

gainabetterunderstandingofthecomplexity,uncertaintyandemotionalchallenge

inherentinchildprotection. Thisincludesimprovingtheresponseofthesocialwork

professiontopublicdebatesabouttheirwork,especiallyinacrisis,sothatthereisa

cleareraccountofprofessionalpractice.

18. Agoodchildprotectionsystemshouldbeconcernedwiththechildsjourneythrough

thesystemfromneedingtoreceivinghelp,keepingaclearfocusonchildrensbest

intereststhroughout.

This

includes

developing

the

expertise

and

the

organisational

environmentthathelpsprofessionalsworkingwithchildren,youngpeopleand

familiestoprovidemoreeffectivehelp. Thereviewisconsideringwhether,inlight

ofwiderreformofpublicservices,thereisaneedforapanelcomposedofthe

relevantprofessionswithinthechildprotectionsystem,toadviseGovernmentand

theprofessionsonhowthedifferentpartsofthechildprotectionsystemare

interactingandwhetherproblemsareemerging.

19. Thisreviewistakingplaceatatimeofmajorreforminalloftherelevantpublic

services,whereseriousfinancialconstraintsarebeingappliedandwithmajor

2Ayre, P. (2001), Child Protection and the Media: lessons from the last three decades, BJSW 31(6), 887-901


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workforceissuesparticularlyinthefieldofsocialwork. Itremainsessentialthatthe

protectionofchildrenisaprioritywithinthesereforms. Itisinthiscontextthatthe

reviewwillbeseekingthehelpofeachprofessionwithinthesectortodevelopthe

reformsproposedinthisreportandworkwitharangeofgroupstodevelopits

thinkingbeforeproducingafinalreportandrecommendationstoGovernmentin

April.


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ChapterOne: Introduction

1.1 TheMunroReviewofChildProtection,PartOne:ASystemsAnalysis3setoutthe

currentproblems

in

the

child

protection

system

and

offered

an

analysis

of

why

these

problemshadarisen. Itconcludedthatanimbalancehasdevelopedbetweenthe

demandsofthemanagementandinspectionprocessesandprofessionalsneedfora

workenvironmentandtherightcapabilitiestohelpthemexerciseprofessional

judgment,provideeffectivehelp,andkeepaclearfocusonthebestinterestsofthe

child. Theaimofthisinterimreportistosetthecharacteristicsofaneffectivechild

protectionsystemandtooutlinethereformsthatmighthelpthecurrentsystemget

closertotheideal,seekingfeedbackonthisbeforemakingdetailed

recommendationstoGovernmentinthefinalreportattheendofApril.

1.2

Providingeffective

help

to

children

who

are

at

risk

of

abuse

or

neglect

has

both

immediateandlongtermbenefits. Childmaltreatmenthasbeenassociatedwiththe

followinglongtermimpacts:

Figure1.1PreVail,ResearchBrief: InterventionstoPreventChildMaltreatment

(March2010)4

1.3 TheUnitedNationsConventionontheRightsoftheChild(UNCRC)providesachild

centredframework

that

spells

out

the

basic

human

rights

that

children

everywhere

have:therighttosurvival;todeveloptothefullest;toprotectionfromharmful

influences,abuseandexploitation;andtoparticipatefullyinfamily,culturaland

sociallife. ThefourcoreprinciplesoftheConventionarenondiscrimination;

devotiontothebestinterestsofthechild;therighttolife,survivaland

development;andrespectfortheviewsofthechild5. Thevisionofchildrenimplicit

intheUNCRCandintheChildrenAct1989isthatchildrenareneithertheproperty

3Munro,E.(2010).TheMunroReviewofChildProtectionPartOne:ASystemsAnalysis,retrieved

fromhttp://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/downloads/TheMunroReviewofChildProtection

Part%20one.pdf4http://prevail.fims.uwo.ca/docs/CM%20Research%20Brief%20Mar10.pdf

5http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm


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oftheirparentsnorhelplessobjectsofcharity. Theyareindividuals,membersofa

familyandacommunity,withrightsandresponsibilitiesappropriatetotheirstageof

development.

1.4 Thechildprotectionsystemcouldbetakentoreferspecificallytothereactive

serviceof

identifying

incidences

of

maltreatment

and

preventing

their

recurrence.

However,astheUNCRCmakesclear,thechildsrighttoprotectionfrom

maltreatmentplacesadutyontheStatenotjusttoreacttoincidentsof

maltreatmentbuttoprovidesupporttofamiliestoreducetheincidence. Article19

oftheUNCRC:

1.StatesPartiesshalltakeallappropriatelegislative,administrative,socialand

educationalmeasurestoprotectthechildfromallformsofphysicalormental

violence,injuryorabuse,neglectornegligenttreatment,maltreatmentor

exploitation,includingsexualabuse,whileinthecareofparent(s),legal

guardian(s)or

any

other

person

who

has

the

care

of

the

child.

2.Suchprotectivemeasuresshould,asappropriate,includeeffective

proceduresfortheestablishmentofsocialprogrammestoprovidenecessary

supportforthechildandforthosewhohavethecareofthechild,aswellasfor

otherformsofpreventionandforidentification,reporting,referral,

investigation,treatmentandfollowupofinstancesofchildmaltreatment

describedheretofore,and,asappropriate,forjudicialinvolvement.

1.5 Childcentred: ThisreportisentitledTheChildsJourney,meaningthechilds

journeyfrom

needing

to

receiving

effective

help

for

problems

arising

from

family

andsocialcircumstances. Evidencepresentedtothereviewshowsthatthesystem

doesnotcurrentlystaychildcentred. Whilemanyprofessionalsmakestrenuous

effortstokeepafocusonthechildandmanychildrenpraisethehelptheyhave

receivedthereareaspectsofthecurrentsystemthatpushpractitionersinto

prioritisingotheraspectsoftheirwork. Assetoutinthisreviewsfirstreport6:

Itmayseemselfevidentthatchildrenandyoungpeoplearethefocusofchild

protectionservicesbutmanyofthecriticismsofcurrentpracticesuggest

otherwise. Inasystemthathasbecomeoverbureaucratisedandfocusedon

meetingtargetswhichreducethecapacityofsocialworkerstospendtimewith

childrenand

young

people

and

develop

meaningful

relationships

with

them,

thereisariskthattheywillbedeprivedofthecareandrespectthatthey

deserve. Thechildrenandyoungpeoplewhohavecontributedsofartothe

reviewconfirmthattheydonotfeelasthoughtheyarecentrallyimportantand

heldinmindbytheirsocialworker:

IwasneveraskedabouthowIfeltorwhatIwantedtohappen.Askingme10

minutesbeforethemeetingisnotthesame

Youngpersonspeakingtothereview

6

Munro,

E.

(2010).

The

Munro

Review

of

Child

Protection

Part

One:

A

Systems

Analysis,

retrieved

fromhttp://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/downloads/TheMunroReviewofChildProtection

Part%20one.pdf


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16

1.6 AnchoringthereviewintheconceptofthechildsjourneyandtheUNCRChelpsto

keepaclearfocusonwhetherthereviewsreformsarelikelytohaveabeneficial

impactonthesafetyandwellbeingofchildren. Itprovidesastructurewhen

thinkingaboutthedesignofaneffectivechildprotectionsystem. Whatdochildren

needfrom

achild

protection

system?

What

do

they

need

frontline

practitioners

to

beabletodo? Howshouldpractitionersbemanagedinordertoprovidethis? How

shouldservicesbeinspectedtocheckthatthisisbeingachieved? Anysuggested

reformshouldhaveaclearlinktotheimpactonthewellbeingandsafetyof

children.

1.7 Thereisalsoanimportantgroupofchildrenwhoarethesubjectofachildprotection

enquiryandwheremaltreatmentisnotfound. Forthesefamilies,theexperience

rangesfromunpleasanttohighlytraumatic,sometimesleavingthemwithafearof

askingforhelpinthefuture. Inthefirstreport,itwasnotedthatthemoreany

systemtries

to

avoid

missing

acase

of

maltreatment

then

the

more

non

abusive

familieswillbedrawnintothenetofchildprotectioninquiries. Itisimportantto

rememberthatthesearchforaccuracycomeswithahumancostthatisbornebya

childandparentsandsothesystemneedstopayattentiontotheimpactoftheir

serviceinvolvementonchildrenwho,itislaterconcluded,arenotatriskof

significantharm.

1.8 Earlyhelp: Thesequenceofthechaptersinthisreportfollowsthechildsjourney.

Fromachildspointofview,theidealiswherefamily,friends,community,and

universalservicesprovideallthatisrequired,andthisistheexperienceformost

childrenin

England.

The

second

best

is

that

any

emerging

problems

are

identified

quicklyandaddressed. Chaptertwodiscussestheimportanceofprimaryand

secondarylevelsofpreventiveservices,servicesthatsupportfamiliessothat

problemsdonotariseoraredealtwithspeedilywhilestillatalowlevel. Supporting

familiesisamultiagency,multiprofessionalresponsibility. Allhaveaparttoplayin

identifyingchildrenwhoseneedsarenotbeingadequatelymet,sometimesbecause

ofparentalabuseorneglect.

1.9 Therearethreeotherreviews,commissionedtoconsideraspectsofearlyprovision

ofhelpforchildren,whicharerelevanthere. Theirrecommendationswillbetaken

intoaccount

in

this

review:

theIndependentReviewonPovertyandLifeChancesledbyFrankFieldMP

reportedinDecember20107recommendingactionsrequiredbygovernment

andotherinstitutionstoreducepovertyandenhancelifechancesforthe

mostdisadvantaged. Thefinalreportsetoutanewapproachtomeetingthe

Governmentstargetforabolishingchildpoverty,inparticularforthe

inclusionofnonfinancialelements;

7Field,F.(2010),FoundationYears:preventingpoorchildrenbecomingpooradults(availableonlineat

http://povertyreview.independent.gov.uk/)


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17

theindependentcommissionintoearlyinterventionledbyGrahamAllenMP

presentedtheirfirstreportinJanuary2011. Thereportidentified19

programmesthathaveaproveneffectivenessinhelpingchildrenandyoung

peopletofulfilltheirpotentialandhelpbreakintergenerationaltransfersof

disadvantageandunderachievement8;and

areview

of

the

Early

Years

Foundation

Stage

(EYFS)

is

being

undertaken

by

DameClareTickellwhoiscarryingoutareviewoftheEYFSsothatitisless

bureaucraticandmorefocusedonyoungchildrenslearningand

development9.

Forthisreview,akeyconcernistheproblemofidentifyingthosechildren,receiving

earlyinterventionservices,whoaresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharm

andneedadifferentlevelofresponse.

1.10 Childandfamilysocialwork: Chapterthreebeginsbyconsideringwhatexpertise

childrenneed

social

workers

to

have.

It

builds

on

the

work

of

the

Social

Work

Task

ForceandtheSocialWorkReformBoardtooutlinetheskills,knowledgeandvalues

needed.

1.11 Whenlookingatwaystoreducebureaucraticdemandsonsocialworkers

considerationneedstobegiventowhythesedemandswereintroducedand

whetherthosereasonsstillholdtrue. Thereseemtohavebeentwomaindriving

forcesbehindtheproliferationofprescriptionanddocumentation: improvingsocial

workpracticeandincreasingtransparencyandaccountability. Bothissuescontinue

tomatter,soanyreformsneedtotrytoachievethesamegoalsbutbydifferent

means.The

former

issue

is

covered

in

chapters

three

and

four

while

the

latter

topic

oftransparencyandaccountabilityisdealtwithinchaptersfourandfivewhen

discussingmanagerialoversightandinspection.

1.12 Managingfrontlinesocialwork: Thefirstreportconcludedthatthemanagementof

childrenssocialcarehadevolvedtoofarintoatopdown,compliancedriven

organisation. Thisstifledcreativityanddistortedpriorities,withmoreattention

giventothecompletionofbureaucratictaskstospecifiedtimescalesasthemeasure

ofsuccess,thantheappraisalofthequalityofhelpreceivedbychildrenandtheir

families. Chapterfourconsidershowchildrenssocialcareorganisationsneedto

movetowards

being

adaptive,

learning

organisations

that

keep

aclear

focus

on

creatingtheworkenvironmentthathelpsfrontlinesocialworkershavetheskills,

timeandresourcestovisitfamilies,engagewiththem,developagood

understandingoftheirproblemsandprovideeffectivehelp.

1.13 Accountabilities: Chapterfivesmultiagency,multiprofessionalfocusstartsby

8Allen,G.(2011),EarlyIntervention:thenextsteps(availableonlineat

http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/g/graham%20allens%20review%20of%20early%20int

ervention.pdf)9

Launch

notice

available

online

at

http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0061485/reviewofearlyyearsfoundation

stage


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18

discussingtheroleofLocalSafeguardingChildrenBoards(LSCBs)inmonitoringhow

welllocalservicesaresafeguardingchildren. Italsoreemphasisestheimportanceof

localleadersintheregularenquiryoftheimpactoftheirhelplocallyonchildrenand

youngpeopleandbeginstoconsiderhowinspectioncandrivealearningculture.

LSCBsarerequiredtoconductaSeriousCaseReviewwhenachilddiesorisseriously

injuredand

abuse

or

neglect

is

thought

to

be

acontributory

factor.

The

chapter

exploreswhetherthesystemsapproachusedinthehealthsectoroffersabetter

modelforlearning.

1.14 Assessmentandtimescales: Inthespiritoffosteringalearningandadaptiveculture

withinlocalchildprotectionsystems,thereviewhasengagedwithanumberoflocal

authorities,inordertounderstandthechallengestheyface. Thereviewteamhas

beenworkinginpartnershipwithfiveauthoritieswhohaverequestedgreater

flexibilitywhenassessingtheneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople,withtheaimof

deliveringimprovedoutcomesandmorefocusedinterventions. Theselocal

authoritieswill

be

granted

temporary

suspension

from

certain

requirements

in

statutoryguidanceforasixmonthperiod,subjecttotheiragreementwithMinisters

totheconditionsofthetrial. Thetrialswillbeginshortlyandrununtiltheendof

July. Theearlyresultswillinformthinkingforthefinalreportofthereview(see

chapterfourfordetails).

1.15 Thehypothesisisthat,whilsttimescalesandfixedstagesofassessmentprovide

somecontrolofthechildprotectionsystem(forexamplebypreventingdriftand

controllingdemand),theycandosoattheexpenseofthoughtfulsocialwork

practice. Itispossiblethatadifferentapproachtolocalmanagementandleadership

couldmitigate

these

negative

tendencies.

It

should

be

possible

to

provide

thoughtfulassessmentandtimelydecisionmakingwithouttheneedforfalse

assessmentdistinctionsandtimescaleswhichseektooverstandardisethemany

variedandcomplexneedsofvulnerablechildren.

1.16 Theissueoftimescalesisoneelementofabroaderthemethatpermeatesthe

review:theproblemoffindingabalancebetweenprescriptiverulesandprofessional

judgmentbasedonexpertise. Targetsandperformanceindicatorsarecriticisedas

implicitlycreatingarule,i.e.meetingthatindicatorisautomaticallyanindicationof

goodpractice,regardlessofwhetheritisinthebestinterestsofthechild. In

reality,because

of

the

diversity

of

childrens

needs

and

circumstances,

the

data

needstobeinterrogatedtoseewhatpracticehasproducedthisresultandwhether

itwasbeneficialforthechildornot. Inasimilarway,theexpansionofprocedures

andprescriptiveguidanceisfaultedforoverstandardisingpracticeandundervaluing

theskillsrequiredtoapplyprinciplesindiversecircumstances.

1.17 Rulesandjudgment: Whilstsomerulesandprescriptionwillalwaysbenecessary

notleasttoenablepeoplefromdifferentagenciestocoordinatetheirworkthey

havecometobeseenasawayofmakingquickimprovementsinapoorservice,

withoutneedinglengthytrainingtoexplaintothemultiagencyworkforcewhythey

matter.

In

the

long

term,

improvement

in

the

quality

of

the

service

provided

to

children,youngpeopleandfamilies(thequalityofthejourney)restsonhavinga


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19

welltrained,wellsupportedworkforcethatunderstandstheunderlyingprinciplesof

childprotectionandhasthespacetoassesshowbesttoapplythem.

Theprinciplesofchildprotection

1.18 Initsfinalphase,thereviewwillconsiderhowbesttoframetheseprincipleswhich

underpinastrongchildprotectionsystem. Thefollowinglistisaninitialdraftfor

consideration:

thefamilyisthebestplaceforbringingupchildrenandyoungpeople,butthe

childprotectionsystemfacesdifficultjudgmentsinbalancingtherightofa

childtobewiththeirbirthfamilywiththeirrightforprotectionfromabuse

andneglect;

thechildprotectionsystemisamultiprofessional,multiagencyoperation

requiringallwhoworkwithchildren,youngpeopleandfamiliestoconsider

theeffectivenessoftheirwork;

thechildprotectionsystemshouldbechildcentred,recognisingchildrenand

youngpeopleasindividualswithrights,includingtheirrighttoparticipation

inmajordecisionsaboutthem,inlinewiththeirevolvingcapacities;

thechildprotectionsystemunderstandsitsdualmandatetosupportfamilies

andhelpthemprovideadequatecareandtointerveneauthoritativelywhen

childrenandyoungpeopleneedprotection;

thegeneralpublicandallwhoworkwithchildren,youngpeople,familiesand

carershavearesponsibilityforprotectingchildrenandyoungpeople;

helpingfamiliesinvolvesworkingwiththemandthereforethequalityofthe

relationshipbetweenthefamilyandprofessionalsdirectlyimpactsonthe

effectivenessofhelpgiven;

childrensneedsandcircumstancesarevariedandsothechildprotection

systemrequiressufficientflexibility,with spaceforprofessionaljudgmentto

meetthatvarietyofneed;

thecomplexityoftheworldmeansthatuncertaintyandriskarefeaturesof

childprotectionworkandthatriskmanagementcannoteliminateharm,only

reduceitsoccurrence;

alearningandadaptivesystemischaracterisedbyregularquestioningofhow

thesystem(locallyandnationally)isfunctioningandwhetherchildrenare

receivingeffectivehelp;and

goodprofessionalpracticeisdrivenbyknowledgeofthelatesttheoryand

research.

Itisvitaltoo,thatanyprinciplesthatseektosupportchildprotectionaremindfulof

theinherentriskanduncertaintyinprotectingchildrenandyoungpeoplefrom

harm. Inthisarea,thereviewhasbeenparticularlyimpressedbytheriskprinciples

developedbytheAssociationofChiefPoliceOfficers(ACPO),andisconsideringways

inwhichtheycouldbeincorporatedintochildprotectionwork(seeAnnexA).


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20

Nextsteps

1.19 Thefinalphaseofthereviewwillproposehowthecurrentsystemcanbeadjusted

sothat,overtime,itbetterreflectstheneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople. Asthe

review

develops

detailed

recommendations

to

Government

in

each

of

these

areas

it

willworkverycloselywithstakeholdersandchildprotectionprofessionalsinorder

tothinkclearlyabouttheimplicationsofimplementation,beforemaking

recommendationstoMinistersbytheendofApril.

1.20 Thisisanopportunitynottosettherightsysteminstone,buttobuildanadaptive,

learningsystemwhichcanevolveasneedsandconditionschange. Itisonlyby

seekingwellbalancedflexibilitythatthesystemcanhopetoretainitsfocuson

helpingchildrenandfamilies,ratherthansimplycomingtoserveitsown

bureaucraticends.


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21

ChapterTwo: Gettinghelpearly

Nochildsfutureshouldbepredeterminedbythedecisionsormistakesofhis

or

her

parents,

and

I

firmly

believe

every

child

should

have

the

chance

to

succeed,regardlessoftheirbackground.Interveningearlierwithtroubled

familiescannotonlypreventchildrenandtheirparentsfallingintoacycleof

deprivation,antisocialbehaviourandpovertybutcansavethousandsifnot

millionsofpoundsinthelongerterm10.

2.1 Theearlier,thebetter: Fromachildoryoungpersonspointofview,theearlier

helpisreceived,thebetter. Researchonchildrensdevelopmentalsoemphasises

theimportanceoftheearlyyearsontheirlongtermoutcomes. Thischapter,

therefore,discussesthecurrentpoliciesofpreventionandearlyintervention,but

hasaspecificfocusonidentifyingthosechildrenwhoaresuffering,orarelikelyto

suffer,significant

harm

as

aresult

of

maltreatment.

It

begins

by

describing

the

levels

ofpreventionthatcanbeofferedtochildrenandfamiliesbeforediscussingthescale

oftheproblem,adiscussionthatrevealshowmuchunmetneedforprotectionthere

is. Themeritsofprimaryandsecondarypreventiveservicesarealsocovered,asis

theproblemofhowtoidentifythechildrenwithinthoseserviceswhoaresuffering

orarelikelytosuffersignificantharm. Evidencesubmittedtothereviewsuggests

thatoneconstructivewayofdealingwiththisproblemiscreatingmultiagency

teamsinthecommunitythathaveanexperiencedsocialworkeramongother

professionalssothatmoreinformedappraisalsofsignsofconcerncanbemade.

2.2 Engagingfamilies:

There

is

atension

in

providing

support

to

parents.

For

most,

the

rightapproachistoofferserviceswithfamiliesmakingavoluntarychoicetoreceive

them. Therearefamilieswhoselevelofparentingraisessomeconcernandthe

relevantservicesmakemorestrenuouseffortstomakethemawareofthehelp

availableandtogaintheircooperation. Therearealsofamilieswhoseparenting

raisesseriousconcern,anditmaybenecessarytotakeamorecoerciveapproach.It

istheproblemofdecidingwhentoescalatethelevelofprofessionalinvolvement

thatisoneofthemainconcernsofthisreview:identifyingthosechildren,receiving

earlyinterventionservices,whoaresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharm

andneedadifferentlevelofresponseisthedilemmaprofessionalsface. A

complicatingfactor

is

that

parents

who

voluntarily

engage

with

support

services

tendtomakemoreprogresswhileamorecoerciveapproachcandeteriorateintoan

adversarialrelationshipwhichblocksprogress. Therefore,movingupthescaleof

intrusivenesscarriesbothgainsandlossesandsocreatesacomplexdecision.

2.3 Helping: Thereviewusesthetermhelpratherthanthemorecommonlyusedterm

interventionindescribingprofessionalservicesbecausehelpcarriesastronger

connotationofworkingwithfamiliesandsupportingtheiraimsandeffortsto

change. Inthefirstreport,itwasstressedthatsuccessinhumanservicesisthe

resultofthejointeffortsoftheprofessionalandtheserviceuser:allpublicservices

10MinsterofState,SarahTeatherMP, onlaunchingtheGrahamAllenreviewonEarlyIntervention,

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/pressreleases/2010/july 2010/dwp09710280710.shtml


22/116

22

requirethecustomertobeanactiveagentintheproductionofthedesired

outcomes11

. Itisimportant,however,tostressthatusingthetermhelp,doesnot

takeawayfromthefactthatchildprotectionworkrequiresauthoritativeand,at

times,coerciveactiontoprotectchildrenandyoungpeople.

2.4 Currentpolicy:

Evidence

submitted

to

the

review

shows

that

there

is

strong

support

forthecurrentpolicyofbuildingupearlysupportserviceswhichfocusinvestment

ontacklingemergingproblems. Thereisalsoaconsiderablebodyofevidencethat

interveningearlycansavemoneybyavoidingmorecostlyinterventions(see,for

example,theworkofGrahamAllen,mentionedbelow). Manysuchapproaches

alreadyexist,suchashealthvisitingservices(forwhichthereisaplannedexpansion

programme)andSureStartChildrensCentreswhicharecurrentlybeingreformed

withanincreasedfocusonearlyinterventionsupportforthefamiliesingreatest

needandgreaterinvolvementofvoluntaryandcommunityorganisationswitha

trackrecordofsupportingfamilies.

2.5 Supervisedvolunteershavearoletoplayasanaidtotheearlysupportworkforcefor

children,youngpeople,theirfamiliesandcarers,offeringflexiblehelp. Forexample,

throughanetworkofover16,000trainedparentvolunteers,HomeStartsupports

parentswhoarestrugglingtocope. Trainedvolunteerstrytohelpbuildthe

resilienceandemotionalstrengthoffamilies. Almost25%offamiliestheyhelp

referredthemselvestotheservice12

. Inaddition,thereisalongtraditionofchildren

andtheirfamiliesdrawingonsupportfromarangeofsourcesoutsideofthestate,

fromcorefrontlineservicesprovidedbysomeofEnglandslargestcharitiesto

groupsoflocalvolunteersassistingsocialcaretoenhancetheserviceitprovides.

2.6 Thesignificanceofpreventionandearlyprovisionofhelpisreinforcedbythefactthatweknowfarmoreabouthowtopreventtheprimaryoccurrenceof

maltreatmentthanhowtorespondeffectivelyoncemaltreatmenthasoccurred13

.

AstheAllenReviewargues,thisstrengthensthecaseforhavingselectiveprimary

preventionprogrammesofferedtofamiliesinhighriskgroups14

.

2.7 Itisalsoimportantnottoseeallfamiliesasproblematic. Themajorityoffamilies

usesupportfromwithinthefamily,friends,communitiesanduniversalservicesin

raisingchildren. Thebasicsofabigsocietyarealreadyinplace.

2.8 Inusing

research

evidence

about

correlations

between

childhood

factors

and

later

outcomes,itisimportantnottoassumeasimpledeterminismattheindividuallevel.

Researchcanidentifygroupswithinwhichtherewillbeahigherthanaverage

numberofindividualswhohaveproblemslaterbutsomeinthegroupwillnot.

Studiesofsiblingswhohavesufferedmaltreatmentrevealhowvariedtheirlife

11Chapman,J.(2004)SystemFailure;whyGovernmentsMustLearntoThinkDifferently,Demos

12www.homestart.org.uk

13Macmillan,H.etal(2009),Interventionstopreventchildmaltreatmentandassociated

impairment,TheLancet,Volume373,pp25026614

Allen,

G.

(2011),

Early

Intervention:

the

next

steps,

chapter

3

(available

online

at


ervention.pdf)


23/116

23

coursemaybe15

. Thisbodyofresearchisimportantnotonlybecauseitunderscores

theneedtoavoidfatalism,assumingthataspecificchildisgoingtobeproblematic,

butalsobecauseitdrawsattentiontotheimportanceofresiliencefactorsthathelp

childrencounteradverseexperiences.

Whatlevel

of

help

is

needed?

2.9 Whenaneedforhelpisidentified,childrenneedprofessionalstomakeagood

assessmentthatleadstotherightlevelofresponsetotheirneeds. Itiseasytooffer

adefinitionofwhichfamiliesorproblemscanbehelpedthrougharangeof

preventiveservicesbut,inpractice,therearemanydifficultiesinassigningfamilies

toappropriateservicesthatmeettheirneeds.

2.10 Thestandardcategoriesofpreventionare:

universal

primary

prevention

addressing

the

entire

population

and

aiming

toreducethelaterincidenceofproblems,e.g.theuniversalservicesof

health,education,

selectiveprimarypreventionfocusingongroupswhichresearchhas

indicatedareathigherthanaverageriskofdevelopingproblems. Manyof

theinterventionsrecommendedinGrahamAllensreviewfallintothis

category,e.g.offeringadditionalsupportservicestosingle,teenagemothers;

secondarypreventionaimingtorespondquicklywhenlowlevelproblems

ariseinordertopreventthemgettingworse. Thisareaofmultiagencywork

hasbeenthesubjectofpolicydevelopmentsincetherefocusingdebatein

199516

andEveryChildMattersin2003;

tertiaryhelp/preventioninvolvingaresponsewhentheproblemhas

becomeserious,e.g.childprotection,hospitalcare,criminaljustice;and

quarternaryhelp/preventionprovidingtherapytovictimssothattheydo

notsufferlongtermharm,e.g.therapyforvictimsofsexualabuseor

therapeutichelpforlookedafterchildren.

2.11 Thisreviewisremittedtoreformthechildprotectionsystemwhichfallsintothe

tertiaryandquaternarylevels:theserviceofferedtofamilieswhenthereare

significantproblemsinthecareofchildrenandyoungpeopleandtheyarethought

tobesuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharm. Whenweconsiderthisfrom

theperspectiveofthejourneyofthechildfromneedingtoreceivinghelpweare

inevitablyinterestedintheearlystagesofchildmaltreatmentandtheservices

providedatbothprimaryandsecondarylevelsofpreventiontoreducethenumber

ofchildrenwhosufferseriousmaltreatment.

2.12 However,thelinkbetweenthelevelsofservicesisnotclearcut. Assessingchildren

andfamiliesandassigningthemtotherightleveloftherighttypeofserviceisa

difficulttask. Thereareparticularchallengesinvolvedinassessingwhetherchildren

15

Bifulco,

A.

(2008),

Risk

and

resilience

in

young

Londoners

in

Treating

traumatised

children:

Risk,

resilienceandrecovery,ed.Brom,D.,PatHorenczyk,R.,&Ford,J.16

ChildProtection.MessagesfromResearch(1995)HMSOISBN01103217811


24/116

24

aresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharm. Statutoryguidancetellsthose

workingwithfamiliestorefersuchchildrentosocialcare,butmakingthisdecisionis

notstraightforward. Maltreatmentrarelypresentswithaclear,unequivocalpicture.

Ingeneral,itisthetotalityofinformation,theoverallpatternofthechildsstory,

thatraisessuspicionsofpossibleabuseorneglect.

2.13 Secondarypreventiveservicesseektoidentifyfamilieswithfirstsignsofproblems,

buttheymayfitseveralcategoriesanditisnoteasyforworkerstoknowwhichis

which. Thepresentingsignsmaybefirstsignsthatarelowlevelandare

appropriatelydealtwithbyearlyinterventionservices. Theymay,however,befirst

signsthatsuggestseriousmaltreatmentthefirstsignmaybeafracturedskullina

baby.

2.14 However,themostproblematicgrouparethosewherethefirstsignslooklowlevel

buttheyarereallythetipofanicebergandthechildisactuallybeingseriously

harmed.So,

to

give

areal

example,

asupport

worker

may

visit

ahome

and

be

told

thatonechildisvisitinghisgrandmother. Shecanseethathisbrotherandsisterare

wellcaredfor. Beingtoldthatachildisvisitingagrandparentdoesnot,onitsown,

ringalarmbells. Ifthatchildcontinuestobeoutofsightonfuturevisitsaswell,then

therecomesapointwhenthesupportworkershouldbecomesuspicious,though

thisrequiresjudgment. Thereisnosimplerule. Inoneformofmaltreatment,

parentsscapegoataparticularchildandtakegoodcareoftheothers. Inthiscase,

theabsentchildwas,infact,lockedinabedroomstarving.

2.15 Thislastpossibility,thatthepresentingproblemthoughlowlevelinitself,maybe

thesurfaceevidenceofadeeperproblemreceivesmoreattentionwhentherehas

beenamajorchilddeathstoryinthemedia. Workersoftenthenmakemorereferralstochildrenssocialcareincase,onfurtherinvestigation,thechildisfound

tobesufferingsignificantharm. AfterthedeathofPeterConnellyandthe

associatedpublicityinwhichprofessionalswerecastigatedforfailingtoseehewas

beingmaltreated,therewasanaverage11%riseinreferralsintheyearthat

followedandthishassustainedsincewithfiguresfor200910showinga10.4%

increaseonthepreviousyear17

. Forsomelocalauthorities,therisehasbeenhigher

thantheaverage.

2.16 Puttingmorefamiliesintothesocialcarecategoryisproblematicintwomainways.

Oneof

the

problems

is

ahigh

level

of

referrals

that,

on

closer

examination,

are

not

deemedtoneedaservice. Thismeansthatchildrenandfamiliesgothrougha

stressfulprocessfornobenefitandsocialcareservicesareoverwhelmedin

searchingthroughthereferralsforthosecaseswherechildrenaresuffering,orare

likelytosuffer,significantharm. Theirabilitytoprovideeffectivehelptothemost

seriouscasesisreducedbecausesomuchresourceisdevotedtodealingwiththe

influxandprioritisingcases. Whilesomeofthesefamiliesneedthatcloser

examinationtomakeaninformedjudgmentaboutachildssafetyandwelfare,itis

17

DfE:

Children

In

Need

in

England,

including

their

characteristics

and

further

information

on

childrenwhowerethesubjectofachildprotectionplan(200910ChildreninNeedcensus,Final):

http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000970/index.shtml.


25/116

25

clearfromthebigvariationsinreferralratesaroundthecountrythatthereis

considerablescopeforhelpingpeopleworkinginprimaryandsecondarylevel

servicestomakefewer,moreappropriatereferrals. Ifthiscanbeachieved,then

familieswillexperiencefewerunproductivereferralstochildrenssocialcareandthe

caseloadsinchildrenssocialcarewillbecomemoremanageable,andsohelpto

createthe

conditions

in

which

help

can

be

provided

and

amore

effective

service

to

childrenandfamiliescanbeconstructed.

Thescaleoftheproblem

2.17 For200910,DepartmentforEducationfiguresreportthat18:

603,700referralsweremadetochildrenssocialcareservices,anincreaseof

56,700(10%)fromthe200809figuresandan11%increasefrom200607;

395,300initialassessmentswerecompletedwithintheyear(65.5%ofthe

totalreferrals

in

the

year),

an

increase

of

46,300

(13%)

from

the

2008

09

figuresanda30%increasefrom200607;

137,600coreassessmentswerecompletedwithintheyear(22.8%ofthe

totalreferred),anincreaseof17,000(14%)fromthe200809figuresand47%

iftakenoverthethreeyearperiod,200710;

39,100childrenweresubjecttoachildprotectionplanat31March2010,an

increaseof5,000(15%)fromthe200809figures.Themostcommonreason

forachildtobeplacedonachildprotectionplanwasneglect(43.5%);

theChildreninNeedCensusreportedthat377,600childreninEngland

startedanepisodeofneed19

in200910and694,000wereinneedatsome

pointin

the

year;

on31March2010therewere375,900childreninneedinEnglandwhich

equatesto341.3childreninneedper10,000childrenunder18years;and

themostcommonreasonforachildtobeassessedasinneed,for39.4% of

allcases,wasabuseorneglect.

2.18 Thefiguresaboveindicatethatintheyear200910about3.14%ofthepopulation

ofchildrenandyoungpeople,wereregardedaschildreninneed,butonly0.32%

werethesubjectofchildprotectionplans(i.e.substantiatedcasesofabuse).

2.19 Withthis

level

of

unmet

need,

the

contribution

of

universal

services

and

services

targetedonhighriskgroupsisevenmoreimportant,sincetheymayreachchildren

whosemaltreatmenthasnotyetbeenbroughttotheattentionofchildrenssocial

care,orwhosesituationdoesnotmeetthethresholdforstatutoryintervention. By

18DfE:ChildrenInNeedinEngland,includingtheircharacteristicsandfurtherinformationon

childrenwhowerethesubjectofachildprotectionplan(200910ChildreninNeedcensus,Final):

http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000970/index.shtml.19

ChildrenAct1989,S17achildinneedisdefinedasachildrequiringadditionalsupportfromalocal

authority,

if

he

or

she

is

unlikely

to

achieve

or

maintain,

or

have

the

opportunity

of

achieving

or

maintainingareasonablestandardofhealthanddevelopmentwithoutsupport,ifhisorher

developmentislikelytobesignificantlyimpaired,withoutsupportand/orifheorsheisdisabled.


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26

reachingthesefamiliesearly,primaryandsecondarylevelservicescanreducethe

numberofchildrenwhomightotherwiselatersuffersignificantharm.

2.20 Therearenationalstatisticsavailableabouttheprevalenceofactualorpotentially

harmfulcircumstancesinwhichchildrenarelivingandlocalareashavethetask(and

statutoryduty

in

the

case

of

the

Joint

Strategic

Needs

Assessment)

of

building

up

a

profileoftheirownlocalneed,thathelpsprofessionalsunderstandthepotential

varietyofresponsesthatmayberequiredintheirareaandtocommission

appropriateandrelevantservices. Domesticviolenceisasignificantissuelinkedto

childprotection,anditsprevalencemaybevariedindifferentlocalities. Services

needtobedevelopedtoreflectthis:

thereare120,000victimsinanyyearwhoareathighriskofbeingkilledor

seriouslyinjuredasaresultofdomesticabuse20

;

69%ofhighriskvictimshavechildren21;

in75%

to

90%

of

incidents

of

domestic

violence,

children

are

in

the

same

or

thenextroom22

;

childrenwholivewithdomesticviolenceareatincreasedriskofbehavioural

problemsandemotionaltrauma,andmentalhealthdifficultiesinadultlife23

;

thelinkbetweenchildphysicalabuseanddomesticviolenceishigh,with

estimatesrangingbetween30%to66%dependinguponthestudy24

. The

RoyalCollegeofPsychiatristsstates:Abouthalfthechildreninsuchfamilies

havethemselvesbeenbadlyhitorbeaten. Sexualandemotionalabuseare

alsomorelikelytohappeninthesefamilies25

;

thereareanestimated50,000to200,000youngpeopleintheUKcaringfora

parentwith

mental

health

problems26;

20CAADA(2010),SavingLives,SavingMoney(availableonlineat

http://www.caada.org.uk/Research/Saving_lives_saving_money_FINAL_REFERENCED_VERSION.pdf )

21Howarth,E.,Stimpson,L.,Barran,D.,&Robinson,A.(2009),SafetyinNumbers:AMultisite

EvaluationofIndependentDomesticViolenceAdvisorServices

22Hughes,H.(1992)Impactofspouseabuseonchildrenofbatteredwomen,ViolenceUpdate,1

August,pp911.;Abrahams,C.(1994),Hiddenvictims:Childrenanddomesticviolence,NCHAction

forchildren)

23Kolbo,J.R.,Blakeley,E.H.,&Engelman,D.(1996),Childrenwhowitnessdomesticviolence:A

reviewoftheempiricalliterature,JournalofInterpersonalViolence,vol.11,no.2;Morley,R.,&

Mullender,A.

(1994)

Domestic

violence

and

children:

what

we

know

from

research

in

Mullender,

A.,

&Morley,R.Childrenlivingwithdomesticviolence:puttingmensabuseofwomenonthechildcare

agenda;Hester,M.,Pearson,C.,&Harwin,N.(2000;newed.2007)Makinganimpact:Childrenand

domesticviolence:Areader

24Hester,M.,Pearson,C.,&Harwin,N.(2000;newed.2007)Makinganimpact:Childrenand

domesticviolence:Areader;Edleson,J.(1999),Theoverlapbetweenchildmaltreatmentandwoman

abuse,NationalElectronicNetworkonViolenceagainstwomen(availableonlineat:

http://www.vawnet.org/DomesticViolence/Research/VAWnetDocs/AR_overlap.php );Humphreys,C.,

andThiara,R.(2002),RoutestoSafety:Protectionissuesfacingabusedwomenandchildrenandthe

roleofoutreachservices,WomensAidFederationofEngland;Morley,R.,&Mullender,A.(1994)

Domesticviolenceandchildren:whatweknowfromresearchinMullender,A.,&Morley,R.

Childrenlivingwithdomesticviolence:puttingmensabuseofwomenonthechildcareagenda;

Radford,

L.,

&

Hester,

M.

(2006),

Mothering

through

domestic

violence

25http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/mentalhealthandgrowingup/domesticviolence.aspx

26MyCare,TheChallengesFacingYoungCarersofParentswithaSevereMentalIllness,TheMental


27/116

27

morethan2.6millionchildrenintheUKlivewithhazardousdrinkers,

705,000livewithadependentdrinkerandmorethan8millionpeopleare

affectedbyafamilymembersalcoholuse27

.A2010NSPCCChildLinesurvey

revealedmorethan4,000children,someasyoungasfiveyearsold,had

contactedtheserviceduringthepreviousyearworriedabouttheirparents

excessivedrinking.

Many

of

these

callers

also

reported

instances

of

abuse

andneglect28

;and

210,000adultsareintreatmentfordrugdependencyeachyear,overathird

ofwhomatanyonetimeareparents29

.

Earlyhelp: understandingneed

2.21 Problemsmayariseatanytimeinchildrenslivesandsoservicesneedtobe

responsivetoemergingneedatallages. Theearlyyears,however,areaperiod

whenconstructivehelpcanhavethemostimpact:

Anexplosionofresearchintheneurobiological,behavioural,andsocial

scienceshasledtomajoradvancesinunderstandingtheconditionsthat

influencewhetherchildrengetofftoapromisingoraworrisomestartinlife.

Thesescientificgainshavegeneratedamuchdeeperappreciationof:(1)the

importanceofearlylifeexperiences,aswellastheinseparableandhighly

interactiveinfluencesofgeneticsandenvironmentonthedevelopmentofthe

brainandtheunfoldingofhumanbehaviour;(2)thecentralroleofearly

relationshipsasasourceofeithersupportandadaptationorriskand

dysfunction;(3)thepowerfulcapabilities,complexemotions,andessential

socialskills

that

develop

during

the

earliest

months

and

years

of

life;

and

(4)

thecapacitytoincreasetheoddsoffavourabledevelopmentaloutcomes

throughplannedinterventions. Earlypathways,thoughfarfromindelible,

establisheitherasturdyorfragilestageonwhichsubsequentdevelopmentis

constructed30

.

2.22 Governmentpolicyinrecentyearshasbeendesignedinrecognitionthattheservices

childrenandfamiliesreceivehavetoooftenbeenlimited,becauseofthefailureof

professionalstounderstandoneanother'srolesortoworktogethereffectively.

Policieshaveemphasisedthebenefitstochildrenandyoungpeopleofprofessionals

workingtogether

with

families

to

try

to

understand

their

needs

early

on,

identify

the

HealthFoundation(availableonlineat

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/?entryid=38571&entryid5=83759&cord=DESC&char=

M)

27Manning,V.et.al.(2009)Newestimatesonthenumberofchildrenlivingwithsubstancemisusing

parents:ResultsfromUKnationalhouseholdsurveys,JournalofPublicHealth,9(1),pp377389

28NSPCCmediarelease:http://www.nspcc.org.uk/newsandviews/mediacentre/press

releases/2010/100816childrencarryshameofparentsdrinkanddrugsabuse/100816children

carryshamefulsecretofparentsdrinkanddrugsabuse_wdn78148.html.

29NationalTreatmentAgencyfigures:http://www.nta.nhs.uk/aboutbenefits.aspx

30National

Research

Council

(2000)

From

Neurons

to

Neighbourhoods:

The

Science

of

Early

ChildhoodDevelopment,WashingtonD.C.


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28

supportandservicesneeded,andworktogethertomeetthem. Evidencesubmitted

tothereviewshowsstrongsupportforsharedthinkingandassessmentamong

professionals,where,withthefamilysconsent,afullerunderstandingofthefamilys

needsisestablished,usingaformatcommontoalllocalagenciesthatcanbeshared

amongthemasthefamilypermits. Cruciallysuchanassessmentshouldseekthe

viewsand

feedback

of

the

children

involved

so

that

their

voice

can

inform

the

assessmentandthenatureoftheserviceprovided.

2.23 However,evidenceprovidedtothisreviewalsoshowsthemixedexperiencesand

absenceofconsensusabouthowwellprofessionalsareunderstandingoneanothers

rolesandworkingtogether. Thisemphasisestheimportanceofthoughtfully

designedlocalagreementsbetweenprofessionalsabouthowbesttocommunicate

witheachotherabouttheirworkwithafamily,andsupportingthoseconversations

withalocallyagreedformatforrecordingtheneedsofafamilyandtheactionand

helpthatwillbeprovided.

Earlyhelp: recentpolicyandpracticedevelopments

2.24 Undertakinganearlyassessmentisthestartofthehelpingprocess,enablingthe

developmentoftherelationshipbetweentheprofessionalandthechildandfamily,

butitwillnotitselfbesufficienttomeettheneedsoffamilies. TheCoalition

Governmenthassetintrainstructuralreformstoservicessuchaseducation,

policing,welfareandhealth. Takentogetherthesechangeshavethepotentialto

changedramaticallythewayservicesinteractandsupportchildren,youngpeople

andfamilies,buttheyhaveacontinuingcrucialroleinpreventingorrespondingto

abuseand

neglect.

Universal

services

play

an

important

role

in

the

provision

of

informationtoparentsandchildren. Childrenhavecitedtheimportanceofaccessto

goodinformationaboutabuseandaboutservicessotheycanunderstandwhether

theyarebeingharmed. Theyhavealsostressedtheimportanceoftellinginasafe

environment;usuallyuniversalservicesareseenbychildrenasasafehaven.

2.25 Rolessuchasnamedanddesignatedhealthprofessionalorschoolleadfor

safeguarding,forexample,haveanimportantparttoplayinthechildprotection

system. Designatedleadswhoareexperiencedinchildprotectioncanhelp

colleaguesthinkthroughworryingsignsanddecidewhetherornotreferralto

childrenssocial

care

is

needed.

To

prevent

neglect

and

abuse,

the

provision

and

supportprovidedthrougharangeofuniversalservices,suchaseducationandhealth

careiscritical.

2.26 Therearealreadyanumberofpolicycommitmentsforuniversalandmoretargeted

servicestomakeearlyhelpmoreeffective,includingsupportfortheprovisionof

freenurserycareforpreschoolchildren. SureStartChildrensCentreswillbe

reformedwithanincreasedfocusonearlyinterventionsupportforthefamiliesin

greatestneedandgreaterinvolvementofvoluntaryandcommunityorganisations

withatrackrecordofsupportingfamilies.


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29

2.27 Similarlythenumberofhealthvisitorsisduetobesubstantiallyincreased. Health

visitorsaretrainednursesormidwiveswithspecialisttraininginfamilyand

communityhealth. Theyareskilledatspottingearlyissues,whichmaydevelopinto

problemsorriskstothefamilyifnotaddressed,forexampleaparentstrugglingto

copeorachildhealthissuewhichneedsspecialattention. Thenationalhealth

visitingprogramme

aims

to

increase

overall

numbers

of

health

visitors

by

4200

by

April2015to:

develop,supportandpromotetheservicessetupbyfamiliesand

communitiesthemselvesaspartoftheYourCommunityservice;

delivertheHealthyChildProgrammeensuringallchildrengettheessential

immunisations,healthanddevelopmentchecksaspartofaUniversal

Service;

providearapidresponsewithexperthelpforproblemslikepostnatal

depressionorasleeplessbaby,aspartoftheUniversalPlusService;and

provideongoing

support

as

part

of

arange

of

local

services,

working

together

andwithdisadvantagedfamiliestodealwithmorecomplexissuesovera

periodoftime,undertheUniversalPartnershipPlusService31

.

ThisisbeingtakenforwardinpartnershipwithSureStartChildrenCentres,local

authoritiesandthenewHealthandWellbeingBoardsthatlocalauthoritieswilllead.

2.28 ThePublicHealthWhitePaper,HealthyLives,HealthyPeople:Ourstrategyfor

publichealthinEngland32

,respondstoProfessorSirMichaelMarmotsFairSociety,

HealthyLives

report33

,andaimstotacklethewidersocialdeterminantsofhealth.

Thisnew

approach

will

aim

to

build

peoples

self

esteem,

confidence

and

resilience

rightfrominfancy,withstrongersupportforearlyyears.

2.29 Alongsidethisreviewintochildprotection,thereareotherreviewsestablishedby

theGovernmentthatareveryrelevanthere. ClareTickellsreview34

oftheEarly

YearsFoundationStageextendsacrosstheuniversalserviceofeducationandcare

andisconsideringhowtoidentifyandprovidesupportforchildrenwhoarealready

showingdevelopmentaldelaysorbehaviouralproblemsandwhoareinneedof

additionalhelp. FrankFieldsreview35

lookedathowtoprovideabettereconomic

environmentforfamilies,povertybeingamajorcauseofadditionaldifficultiesin

providinggood

care

and

made

recommendations

on

reducing

child

poverty.

Graham

31DepartmentforHealth(2011),HealthVisitorImplementationPlan20112015:ACalltoAction

32Availableonlineat

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH

_121941

33Marmot,M.(2010),FairSociety,HealthyLives(availableonlineat

http://www.marmotreview.org/ )

34Launchnoticeavailableonlineat

http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0061485/reviewofearlyyearsfoundation

stage

35Field,F.(2010),FoundationYears:preventingpoorchildrenbecomingpooradults(availableonline

athttp://povertyreview.independent.gov.uk/)


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30

Allensreview36

intoearlyinterventionhasalreadymadeastrongargumentforthe

economicvalueinprovidinghelpintheearlyyearsandhasidentifiedanumberof

programmesofhelpthathaveevidenceofsomeeffectivenessinimproving

childrenslifechances.

2.30 TheCoalition

Programme

for

Government

made

acommitment

to

investigate

anew

approachtosupportingfamilieswithmultipleproblems. Thereareanestimated

120,000familieswithmultipleproblemswith46,000havingoneormorechild,aged

1015withbehaviourproblems. Overathirdofthesefamilieshavechildrensubject

tochildprotectionprocedures37

. Thesefamiliesexperiencearangeofhealthissues,

includingpoormentalhealth,alcoholandsubstancemisuse. Evidenceshowsthat

thesefamiliesarealsoatriskofexperiencingviolenceinthehousehold.

2.31 Therearethreestrandstothestrategy:

investto

test

and

share:

asmall

number

of

exemplar

areas

are

testing

out

newapproaches;

learnfromsuccess: mentorareaswithatrackrecordofsuccessfully

supportingfamiliesareactingasdisseminationhubs,sharingtheirknow

howtohelpothersintheirareas;and

breakdownbarriers: currentlyupto20localagenciescansupportthesame

family,eachwiththeirownfundingrulesandregulations. Thishasbeen

showntostandinthewayofcreatingasingleservicededicatedtotacklingall

theproblemsaffectingasinglefamily. From1April2011localagenciesinthe

first16areas(or28localauthorities)willbeabletocreateaCommunity

Budgetfreeing

up

money

to

be

spent

on

innovative

types

of

family

service.

2.32 ThenewstrategywillbuilduponFamilyInterventions(FIs)thatareonewayof

supportingvulnerableanddisadvantagedfamilies. Theyuseamultiagency

approachwithanintensiveandpersistentstyleofworkingtochallengeand

supportfamilies. TheFImodelfocusesonhavingakeyworkerwholinksinwith

otheragenciesincludinghealthtoaddresstheneedsofeachfamilymember.

2.33 TheFamilyNursePartnership(FNP)programmeisapreventiveprogrammefor

vulnerableyoungfirsttimemothers. Speciallytrainednursesofferintensiveand

structuredhome

visiting

from

early

pregnancy

until

the

children

are

two,

using

practicalactivitiesandstrengthbasedmethodsthatchangebehaviourandtacklethe

emotionalproblemsthatpreventsomemothersandfatherscaringwellfortheir

child. FNPhasbeentestedinEnglandsince2007andtheSecretaryofStatefor

HealthannouncedinOctober2010thathewoulddoublethenumberofplaceson

FNPby2015. Theprogrammeisbasedonmorethan30yearsofUSresearchwhich

36Allen,G.(2011),EarlyIntervention:thenextsteps(availableonlineat


ervention.pdf)37

Patterns

of

Specialist

Mental

Health

Usage

in

England,

ONS.

http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/Info.do?page=analysisandguidance/analy

sisarticles/patternsofspecialistmentalhealthserviceusageinengland.htm.


31/116

31

hasshownsignificantbenefitsfordisadvantagedyoungfamilies,togetherwith

substantialcostsavings.

2.34 EarlyevaluationinEnglandsuggeststhatFNPcanbedeliveredsuccessfullyandthat

takeupisgoodwithpromisingpotentialimpacts. Mothersarereducingsmokingin

pregnancyand

ahigh

proportion

are

initiating

breastfeeding;

they

have

significantly

improvedmastery,aformofselfesteemlinkedtopositivebehaviourchange,atthe

endoftheprogrammecomparedtothestart;andtheyareverypositiveabouttheir

parentingcapacity,reportinghighlevelsofwarmparenting,lowlevelsofharsh

disciplineandlevelsofparentingstresssimilartothatinthenormalpopulation. FNP

childrenappeartobedevelopinginlinewiththepopulationingeneral,whichisvery

promisingasthisgroupusuallyfaresmuchworse.

2.35 AreviewofinterventionstopreventchildmaltreatmentintheLancetrateditasthe

programmewith'bestevidence'describeditashavingundergonethemostrigorous

andextensive

evaluation

of

child

maltreatment

outcomes38.

Multiagencylocalityteamswithsocialworkexpertise

2.36 Childrensproblemsmaybenoticedbytheimmediateorextendedfamilywhoseek

helporbyprofessionalsincontactwithfamilymembers,forexampleprimaryhealth

carecentres,healthvisitorservices,midwifery,antenatalservicesandGPpractices,

schools,earlyyearsservicessuchasnurseriesandchildrenscentres,thepolice,

adultmentalhealthservices,substancemisuseservices,andhousingservices. There

are,therefore,alargenumberofprofessionalsandthepublicwhomayseesignsfor

concernthat

achild

is

being

abused

or

neglected.

Deciding

how

serious

these

signs

areisnotalwayseasy.

2.37 Asmentionedearlier,abuseandneglectrarelypresentinanunequivocalway,but

peopleseeevidencethatisambiguous;itcouldindicatemaltreatmentorhavea

morebenignexplanation. Manyinuniversalserviceswillhavehadsometrainingin

recognisingmaltreatmentandthoseineducationandhealthhaveaccesstomore

experiencedcolleagueswhoarethedesignatedleadsforchildprotectionandwho

canhelpthemjudgewhethertheirevidencewarrantsfurtheractionornot.

However,theevidencegiventothisreviewsuggeststhatthedecisiontoreferonto

childrenssocial

care

is

experienced

as

problematic

by

many.

The

variation

in

referralratesaroundthecountryandthefluctuationsinreferralratesinresponseto

highprofilechilddeathsbothsuggestthatcomplexity,uncertainty,andanxietyplay

asignificantpartinmakingthedecisiontorefer.

Decidingwhatlevelofsupport/safeguardingresponseisrequiredremainsa

vexingprobleminchildwelfare,anddecisionsareoftentakeninchallenging

circumstancesandwithlimitedinformation39.

38

MacMillan,

H.L.,

Wathen,

C.N.,

Barlow,

J.,

Fergusson,

D.,

Leventhal,

J.M.

and

Taussig,

N.

(2009),

Interventionstopreventchildmaltreatment andassociatedimpairment, Lancet373:25026639

Broadhurst,K.,White,S.,Fish,S.,Munro,E.,Fletcher,K.,&Lincoln,H.(2010),Tenpitfallsandhow


32/116

32

2.38 Thereviewhasbeenimpressedbythesolutionsdevelopedinsomelocalareas

wheremultiagencyteamsthatincludesocialworkersarebasedinthecommunity

withuniversalservices. Thisallowsthoseintheuniversalservices,whobecome

concernedaboutachildssafetyorwelfare,toreadilydiscussthiswithan

experiencedteamwhocancheckwhatelseisknownaboutthechildandfamilyand

provideevaluation

and

assistance.

This

team

enables

adeeper

professional

considerationofthepresentingcontextandisresultinginbetterdecisionsabout

howtoallocateearlyhelpand/ormoreintensesocialcaresupport. Thisapproach

allowsprofessionalsandpractitionerstohaveaccesstosocialworkexpertise,

helpingthemtomakebetteruseoftheircloserknowledgeandengagementswith

thechildandfamily. Morespecifically,theprofessionalanxietythatexistsintrying

tounderstandtheseverityoftheirconcernsaboutachildislessened. Thisseemsto

comefromtheprovisionofsocialworkexpertisetotalkthroughconcernbeforea

formalassessmentorreferralismade. Moresenseismadeofthepresenting

concernandinformation,andaconsensusreachedaboutbestnextsteps.

2.39 Theevidencefurthershowsthatthenumberofinappropriatereferralstochildrens

socialcareisreduced. Theteamsarereportedtobehelpingtodirectthosefamilies

inneedofadifferenttypeofhelptoanappropriatealternative.

2.40 Theselocalinnovationshavebeenofdifferentforms. Some,forexample,havebeen

socialworkledandsomeheadedbythepolice. Thereviewwillexplorehowlocal

areascanbesupportedindevelopingtheirownarrangementsforteamstomeetthe

localneedsofthecommunity. Becausesuchteamsprovidebenefittomany

agencies,itisperhapsappropriatethattheirfundingshouldalsobesharedamongst

theseagencies.

Conclusion

2.41 Thereisastrongcaseforprovidingprimaryandsecondarypreventiveservicesto

preventmaltreatmentoritsfurtherescalation. Forchildren,providinghelpearly

reducestheamountofdistressorharmtheymaysufferandweknowmoreabout

preventingmaltreatmentthanstoppingitsrecurrence. Offeringhelpearlycanalso

bedoneinarespectfulwaythatdoesnotunderminetheresponsibilityofthe

parentstobringuptheirchildren. However,theproblemofidentifyingthose

childrenreceiving

early

intervention

services

on

aconsensual

basis

in

partnership

withparents,butwhoaresuffering,orlikelytosuffer,significantharmisnoteasy.

Thereviewhasbeenimpressedbythoselocalinnovationsthathavetackledthis

problembycreatingmultiagencyteamswhereconcernscanbeexaminedandmore

accuratejudgmentsmadeaboutwhatlevelandtypeofhelpisneeded.

2.42 Commontothesesuccesseshasbeenthecreationofchannelsthroughwhich

practitionersfromdifferentagenciescandiscusstheirconcerns,eitherinameeting

roomorsimplyoverthetelephone. Thevalueoftheseinformalbutstrategic

conversationsisthattheyenableprofessionalstoexchangeideaswithoutneedingto

toavoidthem:whatresearchtellsus,p.3


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33

enterformalproceedings. Itistheseinformalrelationshipsbetweendifferenttypes

ofexpertwhichthereviewholdstobecrucialtoimprovingearlyhelp. Whendone

properly,thisshouldhelptoreducethenumberofunnecessaryreferralsto

childrenssocialcare,freeingtimeandresourcesinbusydepartments. Butitshould

alsogiveuniversalservicesandfamilysupportworkersbetteropportunitiestotalk

throughconcerns,

even

when

they

are

not

immediate

child

protection

issues,

and

so

offerabetterchanceofthesechildrenreceivingappropriateattentionmorequickly.

Initsnextphasethereviewwillconsiderhowthismutuallybeneficialrelationship

betweenservicescanbefosteredandencouraged.


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34

ChapterThree: Childandfamily

socialwork

Introduction

3.1 Acentralpartofthisreviewsremitistomakerecommendationsonimprovingsocial

workpractice. Thischapterconsiderstheexpertisesocialworkersneedtobeableto

exerciseandthenextchapterfocusesonhowthesocialcareorganisationcanhelp

(orhinder)theminacquiringandusingthatexpertise.

3.2 Whenchildrenandyoungpeoplecomeintocontactwithchildrenssocialcare,their

fundamentalneedisforunderstandingoftheproblemstheyandtheirfamilieshave,

andfor

the

provision

of

help

to

resolve

them

in

order

to

improve

their

safety

and

wellbeing. Howcansocialworkersbehelpedtoprovidetheunderstandingand

helpthatchildrenandyoungpeopleneed? Howcantheyhelpparentschangeso

thattheyprovidesafeandgoodqualitycare? TheSocialWorkTaskForceandthe

SocialWorkReformBoardhavesummarisedtheirambitionsforreform40

:

bettertrainingwithemployers,educatorsandtheprofessionalltakingtheir

fullshareofresponsibilityforinvestinginthenextgenerationandinenabling

socialworkersalreadyinpracticetodeveloptheirskillscontinuously;

improvedworkingconditionswithemployerssigninguptonewstandards

forthe

support

and

supervision

of

their

frontline

workforce

that

make

good

practicepossible;

strongerleadershipandindependencewiththeprofessiontakingmore

controloveritsownstandards,howitisunderstoodandvaluedbythe

public,andthecontributionitmakestochangesinpolicyandpractice;

areliablesupplyofconfident,highquality,adaptableprofessionalsintothe

workforce,wheretheycanbuildlongtermcareersonthefrontline;

greaterunderstandingamongthegeneralpublic,serviceusers,other

professionalsandthemediaoftheroleandpurposeofsocialwork,the

demandsofthejobandthecontributionsocialworkersmake;and

moreuse

of

research

and

continuing

professional

development

to

inform

frontlinepractice.

3.3 Thisreviewendorsestheiranalysisoftheproblemsandtheirrecommendationsfor

improvingthequalityofsocialworkpractice. However,italsoseekstobuildon

thesefoundationstospecifythespecialistskillsandknowledgeneededinchildand

familysocialwork. Thereisnowasubstantialbodyofresearchevidencethatcan

helpsocialworkersmakebetterassessmentsofchildrensneeds,andoffermore

effectivehelptofamiliestocreatesaferandmorenurturingparenting. Skilledsocial

40SocialWorkTaskForce(2009),BuildingaSafeandConfidentFuture,p6


35/116

35

workerscanmakeasignificantdifferencetothequalityofchildrenslives. Farmer41

illustratesthispointwell,reportingthatthehighestsuccessrateforreunifying

childrenwiththeirbirthfamilieswas64%whilethelowestwas10%,withthekey

determinantbeingtheskillandinvestmentofthesocialworkteam.

3.4 However,as

the

first

report

of

this

review

concluded,

we

need

to

focus

not

only

on

whatexpertisewewantanindividualsocialworkertohave,butalsoonwhatwork

environmenthelpsthemdevelopandusetheirexpertise.

Indesign,weeitherhobbleorsupportpeoplesnaturalabilitytoexpressforms

ofexpertise42

.

3.5 Itisimportanttoseethequalityofanyonesocialworkersperformanceasnotjust

beingduetotheirexpertisebutarisingfromtheinteractionbetweenwhatthey

bringtothejobandtheaspectsoftheworkenvironmentthatmakeiteasieror

harderfor

them

to

exercise

that

expertise.

A

dysfunctional

workplace

makes

it

difficultforeventhemostskilledandmotivatedsocialworkerstoachievethelevel

ofeffectivenessthattheywouldlike. Thisappliesnotonlytothemajorobstaclesto

goodpracticesuchasheavycaseloadsorlackofsupervision,buttothemoresubtle

influencesofthedesignofassessmenttools,ororganisationalmessagesabout

priorities. Thelessonslearnedinothersafetycriticalareasofworksuchashealth

andaviationclearlyshowthatstudyingtheinterplaybetweenworkersandthework

environmentisthemostproductivewayofimprovingstandardsandreducing

errors43

.

3.6 This

chapter

begins

by

looking

at

how

people

exercise

expertise,

how

they

use

their

differentreasoningcapacitiesandemotionsbecausethishasimplicationsforhow

theyaresupportedtoreachahighlevelofperformance. Thisaccountbringsout

howengagingwith,andunderstandingachildandtheirfamily,involvesfarmore

thanlogicalreason. Whensocialworkersaretalkingtoachildandfamilyintheir

home,theyaredrawingonseveralsourcesofi

munro the munro review of child protection interim report the child's journey

Documents