Day Two Welcome back!!. Framework for Assessment 2000 What are the strengths of the parents in this family? What are the difficulties/risk factors of.

Day Two

Welcome back!!

Framework for Assessment 2000

• What are the strengths of the parents in this family?

• What are the difficulties/risk factors of the parents in this family?

• What are the strengths of the children?

• What are the difficulties/risk factors of the children in this family?

Working with Families

• Motivation to change

• Highly resistant families

• Rule of optimism

• Cultural diversity

Influencing Change

• Think about when you have been in a situation where change is taking place i.e. re-structuring; moving house; buying a new car

• What makes you resistant to change?

• What makes you open to change?

Motivation to change contd..

MAINTENANCE

Sustaining/internalising

New behaviour

or

LAPSE or RELAPSE

Return to some/all old behaviours

Give up or

start again

RECONTEMPLATION

Defensive/denial/projecting blame

Depressed/unaware of problem

DETERMINATION

Informed decision to change

CONTEMPLATION

Decide not: ExitWeighing up

pros/cons Start of change process

Give UpACTION

Rehearsing new thinking, behaviours, relationships

HIGH LOW

HIGH Genuine Commitment'I understand the impact on my child and I can change'(Support; acknowledgement and recording of progress; involvement in decisions; gradual empowerment)

Compliance, ImitationApproval Seeking'I don't really need to change, but I will if it will get you off my back'(Assess long term commitment to change; work on understanding the impact on the child; identify community and family support; stay with CP plan until change sustained)

LOW

Tokenism'I want change, but you will need to do it for me’(Some parents, although willing, may not have the capacity to change. Support change process, but monitor and assess likelihood of change within child's time-scales)

Dissent, Avoidance'I don't need to change and I won't change'(Challenge them; help them understand impact on child; record lack of progress, good multi-agency liaison to gather evidence; explanation of outcome if no improvement)

Responses to ChangeCommitment to change

Effort

Working with families who present as difficult

• Keep yourself safe

• Think about how best to calm situations without losing focus on what you need to do

• If it’s frightening to you – how must it feel to the children living with it?

• Think about how parents may be ‘managing’ you

The rule of optimism

For a variety of reasons professionals

want to think the best of the families

with whom they work. This can lead to

the minimising of concerns, failing to

see emerging patterns and so on

4. PLANS AND ACTION Identify goals plans and services What is the next chapter in the ‘story’?

1.EXPERIENCE ‘The Story’ Engage with/observe worker’s experience

2.REFLECTIONFeelings about

the story Previous stories

3.ANALYSIS: What does the ‘story’ mean?

Enable worker to explore context of experience

Good supervision helps workers to be clear about their purpose and tasks, and helps workers reflect on the emotions generated and meaning of their work

Neglect

• What makes neglect difficult to assess?

• What is the impact on the child?

• Therefore, what things do we need to do well?

• Keep children at the centre

• Neglect harms older children too

• Express your concerns clearly and directly

• Challenge and conflict

NeglectMessages from a Blackpool review of cases

Case Conference

When will a conference be held?

• Safeguarding enquiry shows that there is a risk of significant harm

• There are concerns regarding an unborn child

• Child subject to child protection plan in another authority moves to Blackpool

It should take place within 15 working days of last strategy discussion

What is the purpose of an initial child protection conference?

• Provides inter-agency setting where information from safeguarding enquiries can be analysed

• Assesses parental capacity to safeguard child• Assesses future risk to child• Makes decision concerning whether a child

protection plan is needed• Decides current and future action necessary to

safeguard child

The decision making process

• Is the child at risk of significant harm?

• Does the child need a child protection plan to safeguard them?

• Majority decision or Chair’s discretion if agreement not possible

Attendance• Chair• All relevant professionals• Anyone with parental responsibility• Child• Quorum is a social worker and at least 2

other professional disciplines who have had contact with the child and family (but conference can go ahead in exceptional circumstances if not quorate)

ExclusionsParents can be excluded by the Chair if:

• Their presence may seriously prejudice the welfare of the child, e.g. where information shared could further victimise the child or increase the child’s vulnerability to further abuse

• There is evidence they may behave in such a way as to disrupt the conference e.g. by being violent, threatening or being in an unfit state due to substance misuse or acute mental illness

• Exclusion at one conference is not reason enough for exclusion at further conferences

Roles of professionals involved in the process

• All professionals invited to child protection conference have a role in sharing, and assessing information; and making decisions about the child's future

• Often it is only when information from a number of sources is shared that a full picture becomes clear

Roles of professionals involved in the process

• All professionals should submit written reports to child protection conference, particularly if they cannot attend. Must distinguish between fact, observation, allegations and opinion

• There is now a multiagency CP report form for completion by professionals

• Must be available to Chair at least one working day before conference

• Unless containing confidential information (and non-disclosure agreed with Chair), report must also be discussed with parents/child 2 days before conference

Coffee break

The Initial Case Conference

• Get into single agency groups• Read the background history and role cards• As a group, write a brief report to share with the

case conference for the role you have been given• Decide who will play the role and attend the

conference

It is a good opportunity for anyone who has not attended a conference to do so!!There will be tasks for everyone!!

Case Conference - discussion

Challenge and conflict

Why do we find it hard

to challenge?

How can challenge

help protect a child?

Asch experimentShort re lineshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvK6CwaNG3I 5 mins Lift old and modernhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7jUJUa77kk Lines 1970s 5.40 mins best one if outdated!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyDDyT1lDhA 12 minutes modern re conformity. Shows old one toohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieAdEgx4EX0 4.30 mins Physics class. Not very clearhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wW2nT1gCt0 2.40 mins. Modernhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgDx5g9ql1g

CORE GROUPS

At the conference• Establish core group

• Set meeting date for core group (must be within 10 working days of conference)

• Appointment of Lead Social Worker

• Set date for review conference

• Outline Child Protection plan agreed

Following the Initial Child Protection Conference:

The core group meets to translate the broad recommendations into an operational

written agreement:

a child protection plan.

It is expected that agencies will agree to undertake various components of the child

protection plan that relate to them and communicate with the lead worker

as necessary.

The Child Protection Plan

SMART planning

S Specific

M Measurable

A Achievable

R Relevant

T Time-bound

Core group members must meet within 10 working days of the case conference and

at least every 4 weeks thereafter.

Any core group member can request a meeting and that should include the

parents.

What is the purpose of the core group?

The Core Group’s task is to reduce the risks,

or prevent the occurrence of further

significant harm to the child, and safeguard

the child’s well being to the point where the

child no longer requires a Child Protection

Plan.

The core group achieves this by…• Developing the Child Protection Plan as a detailed

working tool

• Carrying out the actions specified in the Plan

• Engaging effectively with the family to ensure their co-operation with the plan

• Meeting regularly (4 weekly) to monitor progress and update the plan

• Providing reports for Review Conferences

• Requesting an earlier conference if the plan cannot be achieved or needs to be significantly altered

Things to consider prior to a core group meetingBelow are some of the matters which should be included in such an

agreement:• Membership – practitioners who have direct contact with the family

• Frequency of meetings – meetings should be booked ahead for three to four months at a time, rather than at one meeting for the next.

• Whom to contact if unable to make a meeting and commitment by all members to put information in writing in such circumstances, wherever possible.

• Appointment of a person who will take on the role of organising venues for meetings etc.

continued

• Establishment of a system for recording the meeting, perhaps on a basis of rotation

• Procedure to be followed if one member wants to call an earlier core group meeting.

• Commitment to undertake the tasks agreed by the core group within the required timescale.

• Strategies for resolving any difficulties which may occur

• Contingency planning if the plan isn’t protecting the child.

The meeting should be chaired by the Lead Social Worker, who should not be responsible for the record of the meeting.

Even though there is a lead worker, core groups are everyone’s responsibility.

If the Social Worker is not available a representative from Social Care who is familiar with the case should attend the meeting. The meeting should not be cancelled.

The other workers still have a responsibility tomeet and review the child protection plan.

Contact with the childHow the child is seen MUST be part of the child

protection plan. • Lead worker to see child at home at least every

4 weeks (unless plan specifies otherwise)• Child’s bedroom must be seen• Child is seen alone (or babies awake) every 4

weeks (unless plan specifies otherwise)• A mobile child should be seen walking

“a seen child is not always a safe child”

Agreeing the plan with the child

The CP Plan should be explained and agreed with the child in a manner

appropriate to their age and understanding by using the

• Child’s Conference Pack

• Interpreter if necessary

Tea break

Back in 15 minutes

The Child Protection Plan

Case study

Imagine you are a Core Group and you are meeting for the first time after the conference.

The trainers will allocate you roles within the group and ask you to concentrate your discussions on plans for one of

the children or the parents

You need to come up with at least 2 actions as part of the child protection plan.

Make sure they are SMART

Resilience

Resilience

Qualities which cushion a vulnerable child from the worst effects of adversity in whatever form it takes and which may help a child or young person to cope, survive and even thrive in the face of great hurt and disadvantage

(Gilligan 1997)

Resilience is not fixed in time

Protective factors in 3 areas

• Psychological/dispositional attributesAffectionate, good natured, communicative, sociable, independent, reflective thinking, coping strategies including humour, female, can recruit surrogate parents

• Family support and cohesionClose bond with at least one person, affectionate ties with other care givers, involved with sibling care giving, faith (gender differences)

• External support systems

Friends, school, responsibility (girls), structure and control (boys)

6 Areas of Focus

• Encouraging purposeful contact with family members and key adults

• Encouraging positive school experience

• Encouraging friendship with peers

• Actively fostering interest, involvement and talents in sport, music, hobbies or cultural pursuits

• Helping the child to rehearse, dissect and discuss problem-solving and coping skills and strategies

• Promoting pro-social qualities in the young person

The end

Eileen Munro

http://vimeo.com/31959287