Foreword
In
April 2002, the Western Area
Children
and Young People’s
Committee
published its second
Children’s
Services Plan, for the
period
2002-2005. The Children’s
Services
Plan 2002-2005 has
described,
in some detail, how need
has
been assessed, reports agreed,
inter-agency
strategic objectives,
and
identifies a number of key result
areas
related to these objectives.
This
publication is intended to be a
working
document. It provides an
Executive
Summary of Children’s
Services
Plan 2002-2005, and an
Action
Plan – specifying how the
strategic
objectives can be taken
forward
in the year 2002-2003, and
how
progress can be measured.
The
Action Plan will be used by the
Western
Area Children and Young
People’s
Committee to monitor and
assess
progress, and will be the
basis
on which the Children’s
Services
Plan is reviewed annually.
The Western
Area Children and Young People’s Committee welcomes comments, views, and
opinions about the
Children’s
Services Plan.
If you wish
to convey your views about:
- content
- how the
information is laid out
- what is
missing
- ideas for
further development
- criticisms
- how the
Plan can be improved
please
contact:
Eamon McTernan
Principal
Social Worker (Children’s Services Planning)
Western
Health and Social Services Board
Area Board
Headquarters
15 Gransha
Park
Clooney
Road Telephone: 028 71 860086
Derry BT47
6FN Fax: 028 71 860311
e-mail:
emcternan@whssb.n-i.nhs.uk
The
Children’s Services Plan, as well as a range of other planning documents and
information about need and supply in
respect of
services for children and young people in the West, is available in the Western
Area Children and Young
People’s
Committee Website at:
www.wacy-pc.org
Contents
Page
1.
Children’s Services Plan 2002-2005 – Executive
Summary
1.1 Needs Led Planning
for Children and Young People 1
1.2 Model for
Assessing Need 1
1.3 Key Planning
Themes 3
1.4 Structure 4
2. Action
Plan
2.1 Developing
and Monitoring the Plan 5
2.2 Children and
Young People Who Are in Public Care 8
2.3 Youth Justice
13
2.4 Children and
Young People Ceasing to be Looked After 17
2.5 Children in
Need of Protection 19
2.6 Children with
a Disability 21
2.7 Services for
Children with Emotional, Behavioural, Psychiatric and Psychological Needs 26
2.8 Children and
Young People who are Homeless 31
2.9 Information
Support 32
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Children’s
Services Plan 2002-2005 1 April 2002
1. Children’s Services Plan 2002-2005
1.1 Needs
Led Planning
for Children
and Young People
The mission of the Western
Area Children and Young
People’s
Committee is “to achieve maximum possible
coordination
between all agencies and groups, of their
strategic
planning for children in Need in the WHSSB
area, led by
assessment of need”.
(Children’s Services Plan 1999-2002, p12)
This approach to
planning is defined by two key
questions:
(a) How are our
children doing?
(NOT: How are our
services doing?)
(b) Can services
be built around children?
(NOT: Can we get
the children to the services?)
The Children’s
Services Plan is:
A
three year strategic plan for children in Need
A
statutory requirement (Children Services Planning
Order 1998)
The
result of inter-agency collaboration and
cooperation
Committed
to consultation with all stakeholders
Subject
to annual, published, reviews.
1. Children’s Services Plan 2002-2005
1.1 Needs
Led Planning
for Children
and Young People
The mission of the Western
Area Children and Young
People’s
Committee is “to achieve maximum possible
coordination
between all agencies and groups, of their
strategic
planning for children in Need in the WHSSB
area, led by
assessment of need”.
(Children’s Services Plan 1999-2002, p12)
This approach to
planning is defined by two key
questions:
(a) How are our
children doing?
(NOT: How are our
services doing?)
(b) Can services
be built around children?
(NOT: Can we get
the children to the services?)
The Children’s
Services Plan is:
A
three year strategic plan for children in Need
A
statutory requirement (Children Services Planning
Order 1998)
The
result of inter-agency collaboration and
cooperation
Committed
to consultation with all stakeholders
Subject
to annual, published, reviews.
1.2 Model
for Assessing Need
Level 1 refers to those
services which are available to all
children – Health
Care, Education and a range of other services
provided in
communities.
Level 2 represents
services to children who have some
additional needs.
Services at Level 2 are characterized by
referral, and
full parental consent and negotiation. Examples
would be
Behaviour Support, Parenting Support, additional
Educational
services, etc.
Level 3 represents support
to families or individual children
and young people
where there are chronic or serious problems.
It is provided
through a complex mix of services which usually
need to work
together in order to provide the best support.
Level 4 represents
support to families or individual children
and young people
where the family has broken down
temporarily or
permanently when the young person may, for
example, be in
Care, in Youth Custody, or as a Hospital In-
Patient due to
disability or mental health problems.
1.3 Key
Planning Themes
Promoting Social Inclusion
Targets
for all children should also be the targets
for vulnerable
children
Vulnerable
children require additional services to
meet these
targets
Additional
services have to be built on existing
services, around
the needs of the child
Requires
‘cross-cutting’ planning at local level
‘Cross-cutting’
planning at local level requires
coordination at
departmental level
Equality and Human Rights
Evidence
of impact of Equality principles on
strengths and
outcomes
Needs Led Planning and Research
Development
of the Information Base
Enhanced
systems for consultation
Outcome
focus
Integrated Family Support Strategy
Composition of
Western Area Children & Young People’s Committee
• Director of Social Care, WHSSB - CHAIR
• WHSSB (Health & Social Care) 2
• Education 1
• Probation 1
• Juvenile Justice Board (NIO) 1
• Housing 1
• Westcare Business Services (Training) 1
• Community Trusts 2
• Police 1
• Voluntary Sector 3*
• Community Sector 3*
• Ethnic Minority 1*
• Children’s Services Planner 1
(2
Voluntary Sector, 3 Community Sector, and 1 Ethnic Minority
place
still to be filled)
1.4
Children’s Services Planning Structure
2.1 Developing and Monitoring the Plan
Strategic
Objective: The Western Area Children and Young People’s Committee
will promote and develop the Children’s Services Plan over the
period
2002-2005, concentrating on achieving progress in the areas of Promoting Social
Inclusion, Equality and Human Rights, Supporting Needs Led
Planning
and Resourcing, and Developing an Integrated Approach to Family Support.
2.2 Children and Young People Who Are In Public Care
Strategic Objective: To develop a range of
services for children and young people in public care which will increase the
capacity of the WHSSB and
Trusts
to comprehensively assess their needs, and ensure that Care Plans can draw upon
appropriate placements and other support and treatment services.
2.3 Youth Justice
Strategic Objective: To increase the range and
coherence of services in the Western area (along the continuum from prevention
to rehabilitation) which
will
promote the social inclusion of children and young people who are at different
levels of risk of offending, or who have been adjudicated upon by the
Courts.
2.4 Children and Young People Ceasing to be Looked After
Strategic Objective: To develop a range of
services, along the continuum set out in the Hardiker Model (1992), which will
be available to children,
young
people and their families when children and young people cease to be Looked
After and return to the care of their families, or make the transition
from
Care to live independently in their communities. This range of services should
be needs led, based on the recommendations of the First Key Report,
and
the Leaving Care Bill, and be delivered within a wider Family Support Strategy.
2.5 Children in Need of Protection
Strategic Objectives:
• To
ensure that children are protected from physical, sexual and emotional abuse
and from neglect.
• To
ensure that preventative services are co-ordinated in a way that the greatest
impact and effect can be secured for the benefit of families in the
Western
area.
• To
further develop an outcome based approach to child protection involving all
Agencies.
In
pursuance of the achievement of the above stated objectives, it will be
necessary for the Agencies involved to continue to strive to attain a balance
between
promotional and safeguarding activities. It will also be important for users,
both children and parents, to have a voice.
2.6 Children with a Disability
Strategic Objective: To develop a range of
services in the Western area, which build on children’s strengths, provide
integrated and linked services,
involve
those who use the services, support families and carers, and promote the rights
of disabled children and young people.
2.7 Services For Children With Emotional, Behavioural, Psychiatric,
and Psychological Needs
Strategic Objective: To develop services for
children and young people with emotional, behavioural, psychiatric and
psychological difficulties through
improved
monitoring and assessment of need: closer co-operation with Primary Care and
other disciplines; establishment of enhanced services for children
and young people with acute needs; promotion/strengthening of the range of options available to children and young people at other levels of need.
2.8 Children and Young People Who Are Homeless
Strategic Objective: To coordinate and put in
place development plans, through a partnership model of inter-agency working,
in order to provide the
range
of housing provision and necessary support services which have been identified
in the Children’s Services Plan, and to continue to monitor the
needs
of children, families and young people who are vulnerable because of
homelessness through statistical monitoring and consultation. The policy
context
of ‘Supporting People’ will be emphasised.
2.9 Information Support
Strategic Objective: To further develop the
information base for Children’s Services Planning, to achieve improved
targeting of need, monitoring of
supply
and evidence of outcomes for children and young people.