Multi-Agency Planning in Practice Skill development workshop.

Multi-Agency Planning in Practice

Skill development workshop

Learning Outcomes

• Increase awareness of your role and responsibilities as a member of a multi-agency meeting

• Write a SMART plan using relevant tools to measure outcomes for children and young people

• Recognise the importance of working together when a multi-agency plan is in place

• Identify when a plan is no longer needed.

Rationale for workshops• Ofsted inspections – Improvement Plan –

recent Ofsted assessment - inconsistent• MA audits of plans across Continuum of Need• Impact of previous training and engagement

with practitioners• Difficulty in writing SMART plans• Effectiveness of SMART plans and multi-

agency working

SMART planning: Key MessagesFocus on Desired Outcomes

The benefits or changes for participants that occur as a result of activities, such as:

greater knowledgenew skillsdifferent behaviourchanges in attitudechanges in population conditions.

(Hoggarth and Comfort 2010)

Make Outcomes SMARTSpecific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time

What is it we are trying to measure? Is it absolutely clear what is expected?

Will it be possible to tell if an outcome has been achieved? Establish a benchmark against which progress may be measured

Don’t set unrealistic outcomes - intermediate outcomes(distance travelled) are important. Visualise what it will look like when it’s happened

Concentrate on the immediate issuesPut in some quick wins to build confidence

Review progress. Identify the milestones and a means to keep to them

Sustainable What is needed to maintain standards and avoid relapse?

Outcomes that we seek should arise from assessment of the developmental needs of a child, their parents’ capacity, and family and environment factors.

Only then can we state what we hope to change and the means by which we intend to do so.

Thinking Ahead

• Permanence – what are the options?– Remain with parent– Remain with birth family– Alternative placement in care– Adoption

• What if the plan doesn’t work?• Consider contingency plan

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need

Maslow’s hierarchy of basic needs

Group Activity

• Build Needs Jigsaw• Look at Assessment Framework and read

case study• Using case study, analyse available

information – identify strengths and areas of concern/needs/risk;

Dealing with unmet needs/risks

• Record any needs or risks that have been identified and are not included in the plan in the minutes of the meeting

• Refer to the ‘unmet’ needs/risks each meeting. Have they been addressed? Can they go on the plan?

• Do you need a professionals meeting to clarify and/or agree priorities?

Outcomes should be written as a positive statement of change or benefit for children and families.

‘Child is living in a safe & clean environment where all floors are free from food bits, rubbish and animal faeces.’

‘Parent speaks positively about the child and uses praise and emotional rewards to promote wanted behaviours.’

Group Activity

• Select and place specific outcomes on plan or write own – remember to focus on the child

Change should be Measurable and Evidenced

Measuring outcomes means collecting evidence about the effects of activities and assessing whether any change achieved is partially or wholly as a result of our activities or interventions and in respect of:

the child’s development

the factors or dimensions of parenting capacity, or family and environment which are having an impact on the child’s development.

Evidence is the information that demonstrates progress or improvement and the ‘distance travelled’.

This requires a baseline.

Information must be recorded so that change over time can be measured and that judgments of outcomes can be validated.

Types of Measures Observations e.g. interactions

Standardised assessment e.g. questionnaire or semi-structured interview.

Testimonials e.g. what the child says

Numerical e.g. school attendance records.

Objective e.g. developmental milestones, including height and weight.

And include:the Voice of the Child

1. Seeing children

2. Observing children in different situations

3. Interacting with children

4. Talking to children

5. Activities with children.

(Calderdale Communication Toolkit)

Group Activity

• Identify measures against each desired outcome

• Do you know of any other tools?

Risk or Need Desired Outcome How will we know we have achieved this?

Action

Vjay is failing to thrive – he is underweight and small for his age. He is not meeting his milestones

Vjay gains weight and grows so that he is in-line with his expected physical development.

Vjay meets his expected developmental milestonesSOGS assessmentDevelopmental wheels

Parents to take advice from Health Visitor and dietician re: balanced diet

Parents to take Vjay to all Health appointments or to inform Health Visitor if unable to attend

Parents to develop skills in giving Vjay positive attention.

Group Activity

• Write Actions on post-it notes • Identify individual responsible• Stepping down?

• Add timescales

Make Outcomes SMARTSpecific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time

What is it we are trying to measure? Is it absolutely clear what is expected?

Will it be possible to tell if an outcome has been achieved? Establish a benchmark against which progress may be measured

Don’t set unrealistic outcomes - intermediate outcomes(distance travelled) are important. Visualise what it will look like when it’s happened

Concentrate on the immediate issuesPut in some quick wins to build confidence

Review progress. Identify the milestones and a means to keep to them

Sustainable What is needed to maintain standards and avoid relapse?

SMART plan standards• Are needs of/risks to the child clearly

identified? Do they link to the assessment?• Does the desired outcome focus on the child?• Has an appropriate measure been identified?• Are the actions realistic? Does the plan show

who is responsible for making this happen?• Is it clear when change is expected to have

taken place?• Is it clear what will happen if the plan is not

working?