Newsletters
Updates
Delivering digital transformation
On Thursday 7 November 2024 MLL Telecom (MLL) and our colleagues at the South East Grid consortium (SEG) will be hosting the IT Strategy Summit South at the Amex Stadium, Brighton.
10-4, FREE to public sector delegates
This will be a one-day IT & Telecoms strategy event for senior public sector IT leaders and decision makers from across the South of England
Agenda
SEG’s aim is to provide a collaborative approach to delivering IT network services and are keen to build on the experience of existing contracts across East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and Surrey.
More information from Krista Pickering (contact details below).
What happens to children in care who are placed far from home
On 23 August Become published Still Too Far – Children in Care being moved miles from the people and places that matter to them
Recommendations:
- A national commitment to stop children being placed miles from their home area when it is not in their best interests.
- The development and publication of national and local strategies to increase the provision of care placements closer to home, so that children don’t have to be moved miles from their support networks.
- New data collection and reporting on the numbers of children who are inappropriately moved miles from home.
- Increased accountability for national Government and local authorities.
Key findings
- Only 54% of children in kinship care were getting the support they need in education.
- 31% of children in kinship care had diagnosed or suspected social, emotional and mental health needs.
- 1 in 8 kinship carers had been forced to pay for therapeutic support out of their own pockets.
- 3 in 5 kinship carers whose children had ongoing contact with family members said they experienced difficulties with the emotional impact of contact.
CAMHS referrals in one NHS Trust
On 15 August NCB published A call for change – tackling inequalities in access to mental health support for children with social work involvement and those living in poverty
Findings:
- Children with social work involvement for current concerns were more likely to be rejected from CAMHS than their peers.
- Children from the most deprived areas are around 2 times more likely to be rejected than those from the least deprived areas.
- Children in care were less likely to be rejected from CAMHS. We think this is because the NHS Trust studied has dedicated services for children in care
Understanding AI
webinar series
On 18 September Coram Innovation
Incubator is organising a webinar “Use cases in education, children’s services and beyond“
At this webinar we will:
- Provide an overview of AI applications in various sectors, with a focus on emerging AI technology in education and children’s services
- Demonstrate some key AI tools and their practical uses
- Share real-world case studies showcasing the potential for AI to make a difference in children’s social care
- Foster a deeper understanding of how AI can enhance service delivery and outcomes in different domains
Who should attend:
- Practitioners and leaders in children’s services, education and the wider public and voluntary sector
- Data scientists and AI enthusiasts interested in AI applications that improve outcomes for children
- Policymakers and researchers
Reminders From Previous Weeks
Leaving care and the risk of homelessness
On 31 July the Centre for Homelessness Impact published Staying put: leaving care and the risk of homelessness.
Staying Put is a scheme that enables young people are able to remain with their foster carers, if both parties agree, from the age of 18 to 21. The report evaluates how this reduces the risk of homelessness in care leavers.
What the study found:
Consistent and strong evidence that Staying Put significantly lowers the risk of homelessness for care leavers.
If the number of participants in the Staying Put scheme is increased by just 13%, over 300 care leavers could be prevented from experiencing homelessness per year.
Recommendations:
- Awareness of Staying Put as an option is increased among foster carers around the UK.
- Local authorities do what they can to increase the number of Staying Put arrangements.
- Central government increases the funding available for local authorities to support Staying Put arrangements.
Leaving care innovation toolkit
A research team led by Professor Graeme Currie at Warwick Business School received funding from (ESRC) to study the development, implementation and sustaining of innovation to support the journey of care experienced young people into adulthood.
The toolkit will help organisations working to support young people in particularly challenging circumstances improve their service, so that when a new innovation comes along that will help care leavers it does stay in place, and spreads to other organisations and areas of the system.
Researchers studied several projects and innovations over four years to see how they were implemented, and from this they identified the five key ingredients needed to make good ideas stick and help young people.
Ingredients for innovation
How receptive the organisation and its culture are to innovation
Co-production with young people who have experienced care
Shared leadership across all the organisations involved
Building outcome measurements from the start for young people in care, the organisation and to track the innovation’s progress
Adaption of the innovation as it is implemented and sustained to maintain its effectiveness.
The Staff College – Inspiring women into leadership
On Monday 9 September The Staff College is hosting a 1-day workshop in central London “Inspiring women into leadership“
Book your place on this workhop here
Cost £395
More details
This workshop is specially curated for women standing at career crossroads, contemplating the leap into management or leadership roles. If you’ve ever pondered the path to leadership or sought to amplify your impact within your organisation, this is for you..
Upskill yourself in Data Analytics
Data 2 Insight is promoting another cohort of the Children’s Services Data Analyst L4 apprenticeship, delivered by Corndel.
Applications close: 13 September 2024
Learning commences: 31 October 2024
Applications close Friday 13 September
D2I hope that by providing more notice, and a longer application period, they can avoid the rush that some colleagues have had to prepare an application, and work around any summer absences which may be a factor. You can email georgina.pym@eastsussex.gov.uk for more information
NNDHP Annual Conference 24 September 2024
On Tuesday 24 September, NNDHP is organising a national conference “Teachers and Social Workers, Nurses and Doctors, Police Officers and Leaders -It Takes a Village“
Details
The conference has an excellent multi-agency lineup of speakers, including Sir Alan Wood (keynote speaker), and Professor Don Forrester from the school of social sciences at Cardiff University.
Please forward to social care colleagues and partners and the designated nurses and doctors in your safeguarding partnership
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (June 2024)
On 23 August Become published Still Too Far – Children in Care being moved miles from the people and places that matter to them
On 23 August Kinship published Forgotten, a report on support for kinship children’s education and mental health.
On 15 August NCB published A call for change – tackling inequalities in access to mental health support for children with social work involvement and those living in poverty
On 31 July the Centre for Homelessness Impact published Staying put: leaving care and the risk of homelessness.
On Thursday 25 July LGA and County Councils Network published Towards an effective and financially sustainable approach to SEND in England
On 16 July MSHR published Internal trafficking and exploitation of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within England and Wales
On 11 July NFJO published This is what we think – Perspectives on being cared for from older children and young people – including those on deprivation of liberty orders
On 10 July CSA Centre and Barnardo’s SEEN published the first overview of research in relation to the sexual abuse of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children.
On 26 June the BBC radio programme Money Box Live broadcast a 30-minute programme on Care leavers and how they manage their money
On 20 June DfE published SEND pupil census information, based on school census data.
On 17 June Joseph Rowntree Foundation published The impact of hardship on primary schools and primary and community healthcare
On 13 June The Fostering Network launched the 2024 State of the Nations’ Foster Care survey and it remains open until 30 June.
On 13 June DfE published Education and Health Care Plans 2024
On 6 June DfE published Schools, pupils and their characteristics 2023-2024
On 5 June Mr Justice Chamberlain published his final decision in the long running JR case involving ECPAT UK, Kent, Brighton and Hove and the Home Secretary and the Education Secratary. Neutral Citation Number: [2024] EWHC 1353 (Admin).On 24 May the Childrens’ Commissioner published Children’s experiences as victims of crime
On 21 May Data 2 Insight published Children’s Social Care for Data People, an overview of the system, stakeholders, common local practice, and necessary
knowledge for data professionals working in Children’s Social Care
On 15 May the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published Safeguarding Children in Elective Home Education
On 13 May DfE published Agency child and family social workers: data return and price caps
On 10 May the Children’s Commissioner published An Alternative Route: Post-16 support for young people attending Alternative Provision
On 9 May DfE launched a consultation on proposals to strengthen protections for children in unregistered alternative provision settings. Closing date is Friday 5 July
On 25 April the House of Commons Education Select Committee published the government’s response on Ofsted’s work with schools
On 18 April the DfE published 2022-2023 data on suspensions and permanent exclusions from schools in England
On 21 March DfE published School Capacity Data for 2022-2023
On 21 March DfE published pupil absence data for 2022-2023
On 21 March DfE published four new safety valve agreement
On 19 March LGA published Must Know: The role of a council leader in imporoving outcomes for children