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
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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:
¾ A three year strategic plan for children in Need
¾ A statutory requirement (Children Services Planning
Order 1998)
¾ The result of inter-agency collaboration and
cooperation
¾ Committed to consultation with all stakeholders
¾ 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:
¾ A three year strategic plan for children in Need
¾ A statutory requirement (Children Services Planning
Order 1998)
¾ The result of inter-agency collaboration and
cooperation
¾ Committed to consultation with all stakeholders
¾ Subject to annual, published, reviews.
1.2 Model for Assessing Need
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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
ƒ Targets for all children should also be the targets
for vulnerable children
ƒ Vulnerable children require additional services to
meet these targets
ƒ Additional services have to be built on existing
services, around the needs of the child
ƒ Requires ‘cross-cutting’ planning at local level
ƒ ‘Cross-cutting’ planning at local level requires
coordination at departmental level
‰ Equality and Human Rights
ƒ Evidence of impact of Equality principles on
strengths and outcomes
‰ Needs Led Planning and Research
ƒ Development of the Information Base
ƒ Enhanced systems for consultation
ƒ Outcome focus
Integrated Family Support Strategy
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.