Merton Children’s Services from Good to Great
Children’s Trust & MSCB Partners
Workshop – 12 March 2013
Context
• Deficit reduction
• Welfare benefit changes
• Changes for partner agencies: Health, Police,
VCS, schools and academies
• Local population changes
• Increased public expectations on service
• Tougher inspection regimes
Our ambitions
• We have the highest ambitions for all our C&YP and will
judge our success by a range of criteria including:
– Providing or commissioning services or settings which
are judged good or outstanding;
– Improving outcomes, closing gaps: particularly for
vulnerable C&YP
– Demonstrating C&YP views & ambitions have informed
our service offer and their improvement
– Evidencing that our EIP work has prevented C&YP
from developing higher needs or stepping down from
intervention and developing resilience and
independence
Children’s Trust Values
• Keeping the child/young person at the heart of
our work.
• Equality, equity, inclusion and valuing diversity –
judged on our impact on the most vulnerable
• Local accountability and partnership
• Making a difference – continuous improvement
• Promoting a learning culture
• Promoting a culture which listens to, responds to
and which values C&YP
Where Are We Now?
• Retained a strong partnership ethos and
commitment, despite turbulence – ethos of cooperation - collaboration – integration
• Safe services; good services; improving services
• Actively using evidence of what works
• Bar rising-inspection & expectations
• Sharper targeting – ensuring impact & using
resources wisely and well
Responding to these changes
• Restructured CSF: CSC & YI, MASH,
Transforming Families & Supporting Families
• Refreshing tools to support: CYPWB Model,
Common & Shared Assessment (CASA),
Single Assessment, referral pathways
• Refreshed commissioning of external early
intervention services – process ongoing
Children, Schools & Families Dept
CSC & YI
Head of Children’s and Families Social Care & Youth Inclusion
Service Manager
MASH &
Child Protection
Service Manager
Social Work
Intervention
Services
Service Manager
Family &
Adolescent
Services
Service Manager
Permanency &
Placements &
LAC
MASH
Core Social Work
Teams
YOT
Fostering
TF Casework
Team
Adoption
Bond Road
S47 Assessment
Team
VCT
CASA
Strategic Lead
for MARAC,
MAPPA, OMP
Wraparound Child
Protection Project
(To be Developed
/Commissioned )
Strategic Lead for
CAMHS, MST
Rapid Response
EI Service –
Adolescents
Team (to be
developed
/commissioned)
ETE Team
Service Manager
Safeguards,
Standards &
Training
Role of Principal
Social Worker
QA
14+ Settled LAC
& Leaving Care
IROs
LAC Nurse
LSCB
Virtual School
Link
Training &
development
Children, Schools & Families Dept
EDUCATION
Head of Children, Schools & Families Education
Strategic Manager
for School
Improvement
•School Improvement
•Governor Services
•Virtual School for
LAC
•Schools ICT
•Professional
Development Centre
•Chaucer
•Diversity &
Equalities
Strategic Manager
Education Inclusion
•Education Welfare
Service
•Virtual Behaviour
Service
•Commissioning of
Alt Education
Provision
Commissioning of
Youth Services
•Youth Services
Delivery
•Education Lead for
CAMHS
Strategic Manager
Special Educational
Needs, Disabilities
& Inclusion
•CWD Social Work
Team
•Portage, Early
Support & Targeted
Inclusion
•Speech & Language
•Language & Learning
•Education
Psychology
•Short Breaks Service
•Statutory SEN/
Transitions
•Sensory Impairment
•Parent Partnership
Strategic Manager
Early Years.
Children’s Centres
& Childcare
•Supporting Families
•0-5 (Enhanced
Service)
•EYFS Quality
Standards &
Workforce
Development
•Children’s Centres&
Early Help
• Childcare Sufficiency
& Access
•Family Information
•Direct Provision
(APG, Day Nursery,
Pre-school,
Children’s Centres
Purpose of the MASH
• In Merton the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub
(MASH) will be the central resource and the
single front door for all contacts to children’s
services where there is a ‘concern’ in relation to
a child and their family.
Role of the MASH
• The MASH will:
– Manage referrals received.
– Research information held on professional databases of our
Partner agencies to enable social care to make an informed
decision.
– Provide a secure and confidential environment for
professionals to share information.
– Identify low-level repeat referrals which taken in isolation may
not appear concerning.
– Prioritise referrals using a BRAG rating.
– Refer to other agencies
MASH MA Staffing
• The MASH will be staffed by professionals from:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Children’s social care
Police
Probation
Housing
Health
Education (0-19 yrs)
Youth Justice
MASH Process/Procedure
• Before making a MASH enquiry, agencies will
need to consider if the child or young person’s
needs could be met by services from their own
agency, or by other professionals already
involved with the family (Universal).
• Agencies would be encouraged to make an
enquiry only when they consider a family
requires either an enhanced or specialist
service, or when there is an immediate concern
(Enhanced and Specialist).
MASH & Child Protection Service Structure
MASH & Child Protection Service Manager
MASH Partner Line Management
MASH Team
CAF, Bond Road etc.
MASH Team Manager
First Response Team
Expert
Practitioner
First Response
ATM
First Response
Social Workers (x4)
Admin
Support (x2)
MASH ATM
MASH Social
Workers (x2)
MASH Screening
Officers (x3)
MASH Partner Staff (navigators)
Health
Police
(x4)
VCT
Probation
Education
0-19 yrs
Housing
Youth
Justice
BRAG ratings
• Red: There is a potential child protection issue
(e.g. serious injury to the child).
Requires immediate action, and information from
MASH navigators is expected within 2 hours.
• Amber: There are significant concerns but
immediate action is not required (e.g. ongoing
DV issues in the household).
Requires information from MASH navigators within
6 hours.
BRAG ratings
• Green: There are concerns regarding a child’s
wellbeing but these do not meet statutory
requirements (e.g. poor school attendance).
Requires information from selected MASH
navigators within 24 hours.
• Blue: There is no safeguarding concern and the
issue can be dealt with by a Universal service.
No MASH response required. Advice or referral to a
Universal service may be provided.
BRAG ratings
• Red: Potential child protection issue (e.g. serious injury to child).
Requires immediate action, and information from MASH
navigators is expected within 2 hours.
• Amber: There are significant concerns but immediate action is
not required (e.g. ongoing DV issues in the household).
Requires information from MASH navigators within 6 hours.
• Green: Concerns regarding a child’s wellbeing but without
meeting statutory requirements (e.g. poor school attendance).
Requires information from selected MASH navigators within
24 hours.
• Blue: There is no safeguarding concern and the issue can be
dealt with by a Universal service.
No MASH response required. Advice or referral to a Universal
service may be provided.
Process map
Screening Team receives CP Referral or CASA contact
If a social care case is
open, pass to allocated
social worker
Pass to relevant
agency or NFA
If no social care case is open, level of
concern is identified
No concern
Safeguarding
B
concern (not CP)
MASH manager decides on
BRAG rating
G
A
Child Protection issue
MASH manager decides on
BRAG rating
R
MASH process
NFA
MASH manager
decision
Refer to enhanced service or other social work
team to complete single assessment
Allocate to First
Response team
Carry out single assessment,
referring to MASH navigators for
real-time info
Receiving Teams
Bond
Road
First
Response
Team
YOT
&
My Futures
Central
Social
Work
Teams
VCT
MASH
Transforming
Families
Supporting
Families
EWS
Voluntary
Sector
Services –
Specialist
Level
ICWD
Social
Work
Next Steps
• A performance framework for MASH is being
developed.
• Agencies will begin working on the 12th floor to
ensure a fully operational MASH team by April.
• The Information Sharing Agreement will be
signed by the Project Board.
• The necessary IT systems will be procured
and/or put in place.
• A ‘dry run’ for the MASH team will be carried
out to ensure the process is robust.
Further information on MASH
• Further information is available on the Merton MASH
webpage at www.merton.gov.uk/mash
• The London Safeguarding Children Board also has
information on MASH across London at
www.londonscb.gov.uk/mash
• Or contact nicole.miller@merton.gov.uk or
ben.sherlock@merton.gov.uk from the Merton MASH
Project Team.
CSF Dept. Early Intervention services
• 0-5 years – Supporting Families Team
• 5-18 years – Vulnerable Children’s Team
• Transforming Families Team
FUNCTIONS OF SF, VCT & TF
• Referrals via MASH process
• Step down from specialist intervention
• Casework and case management approach (assessment
and planning)
• Single assessment
• Direct work with children/young people & families
• Brokerage to commissioned services
• Advice, guidance and support to practitioners working at
universal level
Work in Progress
• Simplified Child/YP Well-Being Model: universal;
enhanced & specialist
• Single assessment - inc specialist
• Simplified our approach to Common and Shared
Assessment
• New child protection referral form
Principles of CASA
(Common and Shared Assessment)
•
Builds on success of CAF implementation within Merton Well
Being Model (MWBM) since 2005 as tool supporting joint working
across all services
•
New dedicated MASH Child Protection Referral Form now
distinct from ….
•
… new simplified Common and Shared Assessment (CASA) tool
within Early Intervention services (formerly CAF)
•
CASA at Universal Level to have seamless interface with new
Single Assessment tool at Enhanced and Specialist levels
Principles of CASA
(Common and Shared Assessment)
Continues to
• Support sharing of information
• Focus on Strengths as well as Needs
• Holistic Family focus
• Empowering for family, while working jointly with
practitioners as member of Team Around the Child
(TAC) or Team Around the Family (TAF)
• Remains consistent with other LAs CAFs or equivalent
Assessment Framework Triangle
27
Introduction to revised form 1 - CASA
Introduction to Child Protection
Referral Form
MWBM Additional Needs Indicators
Roll out of CASA and new CP Referral Form
• To be launched with MASH roll out
• Forms supported by dedicated simple Guidance Sheets
• CASA Training to replace CAF Training: details on Merton website at
www.merton.gov.uk/caf will dovetail with www.merton.gov.uk/casa
• CSF Induction and LSCB Child Protection Training will reflect new
CASA and CP Referrals processes
• Sets of Additional Needs Indicators updated to align with new 3-band
‘Triangle’ model versus former 5-band ‘Rainbow’ model
• Merton Well Being Model (MWBM) is being updated to reflect all of
the above, and supporting practitioner handbook will continue to be
available as on-line central point of reference and guidance:
www.merton.gov.uk/mwbm