Portsmouth Children Social Care Participation Strategy

Transcription

1 Portsmouth Children Social Care Participation Strategy

2 Introduction We should listen to foster carers, acknowledge what they see, hear and feel about the child and their views kept central to planning a future for the child. (Foster carer) We are the staff who work closely with the young people and feel we are able to engage with what their needs are and have a better understanding of how to best meet those needs. Personal assitant Listening to children and young people's views is really important as it is their lives and in the end of the day they are the ones who have to live it (Young person) Page 1

3 Definition of Participation Participation is about providing choices and opportunities, which encourage and promote the active involvement of children, young people, parents, carers and staff. Opportunity is made available to influence decisions, which make changes in the lives of children, young people, parents, carers and staff, locally and nationally. The process involves effective communication, being open, honest and realistic about the level of involvement and impact they can have and it involves taking on board and acting upon their views and ideas, which can influence all aspects of their lives. Vision statement for Portsmouth Our overall vision for the Participation Strategy in Portsmouth is that it offers support to all those working with, or on behalf of, children and young people This is to ensure the participation of children and young people becomes an intrinsic part of practice across all organisations. Although we recognise the need for focused participation work, this strategy shows how all work in Portsmouth should be approached in a participatory manner. Achieving this vision will enable the creation of a culture of participation across Children and Young People's Services, and potentially across areas outside of this. This guarantees the place of children and young people's participation as a priority and its principles reflected and embraced in all future strategies and therefore, practice. Page 2

4 Aim of the Participation Strategy Find ways to enable children and young people, both on a 1:1 level and in groups, to participate in meaningful processes to shape services. Champion the principle that Participation is not simply about consultation with children, young people, parents, carers and staff, but ensuring their views influence decision-making and bring about change. Actively seek the views of children and young people who have profound disability, communication difficulties or social exclusion. Offer support and guidance for each organisation/project to develop, and extend, how they involve children, young people, parents, carers and staff. Build relationships and develop trust between those working with, or on the behalf of children, young people, parents, carers and staff, to enable effective delivery on the vision and values of the Participation Strategy. Develop a sense of shared ownership in relation to the active involvement of children, young people, parents, carers and staff in Portsmouth. Promote and share practice to help define the place of participation in Portsmouth. Encourage partnership working to avoid duplication in practice in relation to the active involvement of children, young people, parents, carers and staff in Portsmouth. Provide clarity on the definition of participation, the model, and principles we have adopted for children, young people, parents, carers and staff in Portsmouth. Encourage all providers to adopt good practice in participation through our commissioning and contracting processes. Page 3

5 Portsmouth Children's Social Care Feedback Map Shaping services Children's Trust Board & Children's Social Care Senior Management Team Restorative Practice Participation Strategy Parents Feedback Children & Young people's feedback Staff Feedback Adoptive Parents Feedback Foster Carers Feedback Clients access Children's social care Page 4

6 Spinnaker Tower of Participation Adults Share Decision Making Users lead and initiate action Adult-Initiated shared decisions Users consulted and informed Users assigned but informed Tokenism Decoration Manipulation Page 5

7 Children and young people's Participation Children and young people have a right to inform decisions about their lives and shaping the services they receive through various forms of participation. The feedback is central to review and adapt process and services in moving forward to a child-centred and restorative approach. Representation Jnr & Snr Children in Care Council Communication & Consulation Annual surveys Holiday CiCC activities Training and development Residential unit young people's meetings Young people's recruitment panels Fostering, young people and corporate events Children in Care Council newsletter Six-weekly meetings with Deputy Director of Children's Social Care Feedback Advocacy and complaints Placement review meetings LAC Reviews Personal education plan meetings ICPC and RCPC Child protection and child in need assessments Statutory required visits Page 6

8 Parents Participation Parent's participation within children's social care is vital in shaping our services and functions to improve the engagement and restorative working with parents. Gaining parents views is paramount to bring about change within their family setting and to improve the outcomes for their children. Representation Parents representation group Communication & Consulation Annual parents' survey Beechside events and meeting Feedback ICPC and RCPC Statutory required visits LAC Reviews Child protection and children in need assessments Complaints Residential reg 45 inspections Page 7

9 Foster Carers Participation Foster carers are at the heart of the fostering Service. They are assessed, trained and supported to look after children and young people in a family environment, providing them with stability, care and an opportunity to grow and develop. and reach their potential. It is essential that we listen to the feedback from foster carers when shaping our services. Representation Foster Carers' Liason Group Communication & Consulation Annual Foster Carers survey Carers' support groups Carers' particiption in fostering recruitment Foster carer buddying scheme Carers' participation in staff recruitment Foster Carers' newsletter Joint delivery of fostering training Feedback Monthly Supervision Carers' annual review meetings LAC Reviews Fostering Training Fostering Panel Page 8

10 Adoptive Parents Participation Adoptive parents' views are crucial in moulding the support services for themselves in providing permanency for our children. Representation Adopter Voice Communication & Consulation Matching process Adoption termly newsletter Social events Recruitment and training Childrens' identity and transitions group Feedback Assessment and panel process Adoptive parents' training Questionnaires after 3 months Page 9

11 Staff Participation Ensuring staff retention, wellbeing, promoting positive moral and team working is a high priority and it is necessary. to listen and involve Children's Social Care staff in gaining their views in developing effective, efficient services to children and families within Portsmouth. Representation Staff representation Group (Action) Communication & Consulation Monthly Supervision / PDR Pod / team meetings Staff social activities PCC Pulse survey PCC focus groups Children social care anonymised survey (Action) Bi-monthly round-table meetings for front-line staff with Deputy Director of Children's Social Care Feedback Union representation and support Exit Interviews Establish links to representation group - drop box (Action) All staff forums Page 10

12 Creating Opportunities For this strategy to be effective, we need to create opportunities for young people, parents, staff and carers to participate with us in Portsmouth to ensure we are working together in a holistic and restorative approach. We are creating many different opportunities to ensure we meet our diverse groups in Portsmouth with working with a number of Organisations and attending various events throughout the year: Pompey in the community The new theatre royal The great south run Dragon boat race Apprenticeships with local organisations These events provide us with an opportunity to talk/ work together gaining their views and stories about the services they have received or receiving. As part of the annual review it will be essential that the level of participatory activity across Portsmouth is mapped and who undertakes participation work is reviewed as a priority to ensure developing effective, efficient services to children and families within Portsmouth. Please see Participation Timeline. Monitoring Participation & Measuring its Impact The aim of this strategy is to create a culture of Participation within Portsmouth Children Services to ensure the work we are undertaking with Children, Parents and staff has/is being effective. Interviewing is a core tool for effective monitoring and evaluation processes and by using 'appreciative Interviews', asking people to tell stories about times when they saw things working at their best. Interviews can build on the natural process of conversations to better understand and find out more about people s thoughts, ideas, actions, and observations. The interviewer focuses on asking questions and actively listening to the views, experiences and responses of the person or people being interviewed. Using self-evaluation increases opportunities for organisational reflection, learning and participatory programming. Children's social care will need to review and agree the objectives of children s participation in order to identify or develop relevant indicators for monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of children s participation. Page 11

13 This assessment will be informed by the following: Monitoring focus days of the Participation Strategy Lead's Network to be held quarterly. Annual Participation event organised by Participation Strategy Lead's Network. Using tools for example: Appreciative Inquiry Interview with Children, Parents and staff. A review of the Participation Strategy Action Plan. However, Children Social Care there are processes we need to introduce as part of this strategy that will ensure we can measure its impact and actual outcomes of the Strategy, these have been identify within the action plan. Page 12

14 Appendix 1 Autumn 2017 January - March Spring 2017 April - June Summer 2017 July - September Winter 2017 October - December - Care Leavers Awards Activity (February 2017) - Feedback February (February 2017) - All staff forum (April 2017) - Children's Social care Football tournament (April 2017) - Education Awards (July 2017) - Joint residential BBQ (August 2017) - All Staff forum Staff Awards (October 2017) - Great South Run (October 2017) - Free Portsmouth football club tickets (February, March 2017) - Dragon Boat Race (May 2017) - Spinnaker Tower fostering event (May 2017) - National Foster Carers Fortnight (May 2017) - Beechside BBQ (September 2017) - Summer Solac Training academy (August) - National Adoption Week (October 2017) - National Care Leavers Week (October 2017) - CiCC Christmas Meal (December 2017) - National Social Worker of the year Nominations

15 Appendix 2 Participation Strategy Work Plan Participation Strategy Implementation What are we going to do? Develop an annualised Children's Social Care Event Calendar. How are we going to do it? Working with each of the area leads to develop a calendar of events starting from January. What resources do we need? By Whom? When will we complete the task? Staff time January 2017 Produce a quarterly report outlining the participation outcomes. Working with each of the area leads to develop a report outlining key development in participation. Staff time January 2017 Host an Annual event to celebrate the achievements of participation in the service. Plan and run an annual event extending invitations to people across the service. Staff time October 2017

16 Develop an annualised awards event for Children's Social Care. Produce systems for nomination across Children's Social Care. Admin support October 2017

17 Children and young people participation What are we going to do? How are we going to do it? What resources do we need? By Whom? When will we complete the task? Regionalisation Partnerships around Participation. Linking & collating views across the 3 Authorities. To work alongside Hampshire & Isle of Wight. 3 times a year meetings in school holidays. October 2016 Young People's Inspection of our residential units. To train Care Ambassadors to carry out 6-monthly Inspections of PCC Residential Units. Training Inspection process Finance for the Care Ambassadors November 2016 Developing the Participation Leads across Children's Social Care. Identify a representative from each team within social care. Social workers to provide 2 hours every 6 months to attend a Participation Meeting. January 2017 Recruit Care Ambassadors Advertise, recruit and train 6 care ambassadors. Postage to all 16-21years LAC/ Care Leavers Social Work Matters Skills Academy April 2017

18 Recruitment Panel To recruit a Participation Apprentice. To advertise and recruit a young person. Postage to all 16-21years LAC/ Care Leavers Social Work Matters Skills Academy September 2017 Recruitment Panel Develop peer mentoring scheme. Working with Participation apprentice and Care Ambassadors to identify and train peer mentors. Develop a leaflet describing what peer mentoring is. Finance Training resources January 2018 Young people's inspections of services. Care Ambassadors & Participation apprentice to develop an inspection tool kit for all statutory services. To resource the care ambassadors appropriately for their time. April 2018 Young people's involvement in interviewing staff Inviting representatives to write interview questions and be part of the panel for interviews for senior managers To resource CiCC members appropriately for their time As necessary

19 Parents Participation What are we going to do? How are we going to do it? What resources do we need? By Whom? When will we complete the task? To develop an annual parent survey To produce a parent survey outlining functions Postage, printing, time February 2017 To develop a 6 month Parents Forum. To write out to parents who are currently accessing children's social care. Postage, printing, time, Directorate Involvement. April 2017 To involve Parents in training in social care staff. Social Work Matters Skills Academy. Identify a training programme September 2017 To develop a social media platform for Parents. Develop a social media Working with Corporate Communication April 2018

20 Foster Carer Participation What are we going to do? How are we going to do it? What resources do we need? By Whom? When will we complete the task? Produce a regular foster carers newsletter Produce the newsletter Staff time Phil Rennie October 2016 To embed the Foster Carers Charter Promote and establish the charter Staff time Gill Burtwell February 2017 To develop and establish an annual survey for carers Produce a survey outlining all relevant social care function Postage, , time August 2017 Expand and review foster carers support group Working with the groups establish the nature of the groups and feedback they receive Staff time Gill Burtwell September 2017 Develop and online platform for carers to use for a number of different functions Work with internal department to build an online platform Finance, staff time Gill Burtwell August 2018

21 Adoptive Parents Participation What are we going to do? How are we going to do it? What resources do we need? By Whom? When will we complete the task? To develop Adoptive Parents 6 month Forum To write out to adoptive parents Postage, printing, time, Directorate Involvement Jackie Clarke April 2017 Regionalised Adoption events Work jointly with our RAA partners Finance, Promotion material and marketing Jackie Clarke November 2016 To identify a system for previously adopted children to actively contribute to service development. Utilise contact opportunities with previously adopted children to offer increase participation Time Jackie Clarke January 2018

22 Staff Participation What are we going to do? How are we going to do it? What resources do we need? By Whom? When will we complete the task? To establish a social care representation group (Quarterly) Identify social care staff who would volunteer to participate Time, Commitment and support from Service Leader & Team Leaders All teams March 2017 To establish a CSC Social events sub group (Quarterly) Identify social care staff who would volunteer to participate Time, Commitment and support from Service Leader & Team Leaders All teams March 2017 To develop an annualise survey for all children social care staff Create a survey monkey. Questions to be developed through a representation group and SMT Survey Monkey through Corporate Communications Corporate Communications July 2017 To develop feedback links from all social work staff Supervision, PDR, Exit Interviews, Team Meetings, Corporate Surveys, Union link Time and commitment from Service Leaders and Team Leaders All teams March 2018

23 This document was produced in consultation with Portsmouth Children's Social Care staff, foster carers, Children and Young people