The Munro Review of Child Protection Interim Report: The Childs Journey Professor Eileen Munro

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Itsallaboutrelationships.Wearetalkingaboutdealingwithpeoplewithproblems,withpainfulstuff.Youhavetoknowsomeone,trustthem.Theymustbereliableandbethereforyouifyouaregoingtobeabletotalkaboutthethingsyoudontwantto.Thethingsthatscareyou.Parent

FamilyPerspectivesonsafeguardingandrelationshipswithchildrensserviceTheChildrensCommissionerforEngland,June2010

ContentsAcknowledgementsPrefaceExecutiveSummaryChapterOne:Introduction ChapterTwo:Gettinghelpearly

Whatlevelofhelpisneeded? Thescaleoftheproblem Earlyhelp:understandingneed Earlyhelp:recentpolicyandpracticedevelopments Multiagencylocalityteamswithsocialworkexpertise Conclusion

ChapterThree:Childandfamilysocialwork

Introduction Reasoningandemotions Relationshipbasedpracticewithchildren Evidencebasedpractice Developingexpertise Conclusion

ChapterFour:Managingfrontlinesocialwork

Introduction Managingtime Supervision Professionaldevelopment Tools Procedures Journeyauthorities Themediaandthepublic Monitoringperformance Developmentsinsocialwork ChiefSocialWorker CollegeofSocialWork Conclusion

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ChapterFive:Sharedlearningandaccountability Introduction Complexorganisations Signposting Leadership Accountability Managingperformance Inspection Sectorbasedapproachestoimprovement Multiagencytrainingandlearning Methodsoflearningfrompracticethroughcasereviews SeriousCaseReviews(SCRs) Developingotherkindsofreviewsandlearningactivity Childdeathreviewprocesses RevisingWorkingTogethertoSafeguardChildren(2010) FamilyJusticeReview Conclusion

ChapterSix:ConclusionAnnexA:AssociationofChiefPoliceOfficersStatementofRiskPrinciplesAnnexB:TowerHamletsDraftRecordForUnderstandingFamilies

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AcknowledgementsIamgratefultoalltheindividualsandorganisations,fromacrossthewholespectrumofchildrensservices,whohaveassistedmeinthisreviewofthechildprotectionsystem.Iwouldliketoextendmythankstothoseprofessionalgroupswhoparticipatedintherecentroundofvirtualconversations,andtothereadersofCommunityCare.Theirideasandexamplesofgoodpracticewillcontinuetoinformthethinkinginthenextphaseofthereview.Specifically,Iwouldliketothank:

themembersofmyreferencegroup:o MelanieAdegbite;o DistrictJudgeNickCrichton;o MarionDavis;o AvrilHead;o ProfessorCorinneMayChahal;o LucySofocleous;o DrSheilaShribman;o ProfessorSueWhite;ando MartinNarey.

DrDavidLane,anadvisortothereview themembersofmysubgroups:

o EarlyHelp:DrSheilaShribman,AnnGoymer,StephenScott,VivHogg,AndrewCooper,JaneBarlow,RichendaBroad,PaulMcGee,DrCatherinePowell,NickHudson,JaniceMcAllister,JoWebber,ColinGreen,SaraGlen.

o RulesandGuidance:RachelJones,TrishKearney,JaniceAllister,JanetFyle,FionaSmith,DeborahHodes,TaraWeeramanthri,FfionDavies,VonniGordon,HelenLincoln.

o ChildrenandYoungPeople:AvrilHead,LucySofocleous(andtheOfficeoftheChildrensCommissionerandtheOfficeoftheChildrensRightsDirectorwhohavecollectedandsubmittedevidencefromchildrenandyoungpeople).

o Courts:DistrictJudgeNickCrichton,SimonPickthall,AudreyDamazer.

o ICT:ProfessorSueWhite,JackieRafferty,ProfessorDavidWastell,ProfessorDarrelInce,KayFletcher,DrSuzanneSmith.

o LearningfromPractice:ProfessorCharlesVincent,DrPeterSidebotham,DrSheilaFish,ColinGreen,StephenCobb,FrancesOrchover,MarthaCover,JasonGordon.

o MediaandPublicConfidence:ProfessorCorinneMayChahal,ProfessorIvorGaber,ProfessorJonSilverman,AmandaCallaghan,KateTonge,AniaRainbird,RichardVize.

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o PerformanceandInspection:MarionDavis,EleanorSchooling,RobHutchinson,PaulCurran,AnnePlummer,JohnGoldup,MikePinnock,KarenMarcroft,ProfessorJuneThoburn.

theleadsoftheotherindependentreviewscommissionedbytheGovernmentwith

whomIhavebeenworkingclosely:o GrahamAllenMP;o RtHonFrankFieldMP;o DavidNorgrove;ando DameClareTickell.

thechildrenandyoungpeoplewhohavemetmetotalkabouttheirexperiences

organisationsthatmyteamvisitedtolookatexamplesofinnovation,

transformationandgoodpracticeinactionaspartoftheprogrammeoffieldwork:o BathandNorthEastSomersetCouncil;o EastBerkshirePrimaryCareTrust;o EastSussexCountyCouncil;o LincolnshireCountyCouncil;o LondonBoroughofHaringey;o LondonBoroughofTowerHamlets;o StaffordshireCountyCouncil;o WarringtonBoroughCouncil;ando WarwickshireCountyCouncil.

organisationsthathaveapproachedthereviewandaskedtotrialamoreflexible

assessmentprocess:o CumbriaCountyCouncil;o GatesheadMetropolitanBoroughCouncil;o KnowsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncil;o LondonBoroughofHackney;ando WestminsterCityCouncil.

DeborahRamsdale,secondedfromStaffordshireCountyCounciltothereviewteam

andtheteamofcivilservantssupportingmeattheDepartmentforEducation(DfE).

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PrefaceThisisthesecondreportofthereviewofchildprotectioninEnglandcommissionedinJune2010bytheSecretaryofStateforEducation,theRightHonourableMichaelGoveMP.Itsthemeisthechildsjourney.Tooofteninrecenthistory,thechildprotectionsystemhas,inthepursuitofimposedmanagerialtargetsandregulations,forgottenthatitsraisondtreisthewelfareandprotectionofthechild.Thisphaseofthereviewlookedathowthesystemcouldbereformedtokeepafocusonthechildsjourney

thejourneyfromneedinghelptoreceivingit.Thiscoversanumberofareas,includingworkwithchildrenandfamilieswhohavenotyetmetthethresholdforchildprotection.ThereviewisworkingcloselywithanumberoflocalauthoritiesincludingCumbria,Gateshead,Hackney,KnowsleyandWestminster.Thesefiveauthoritieshaveaskedtotrialflexibleassessmenttimescales,sothatsocialworkerscanexercisetheirprofessionaljudgmentmoreeffectivelytoimproveoutcomesforvulnerablechildren.Iamverygratefultotheseauthoritiesfortriallingthisnewwayofworkingand,subjecttotheiragreementtotheconditionsofthetrialwithMinisters,Ilookforwardtoconsideringtheirearlyfindingsintimeforthefinalreport.InthisphaseofworkIhavecontinuedtobesupportedbyanexpertreferencegroupandkeyleadersinthesector,andhavebenefitedfromfieldvisitstoanumberoflocalauthorities.Ihavealsoconvenedamultiagencyworkinggroupconsisting,sofar,ofrepresentativesfromsocialwork,healthandpoliceprofessionalstrategicbodiesinordertoconsiderthefutureofinteragencyrulesandguidance.InadditionIhavebenefitedfromtheexcellentworkundertakenbyGrahamAllen,FrankFieldClareTickellandDavidNorgroveintheirrespectivegovernmentreviews.AsIsaidinmyfirstreportinOctober,Iammindfulofthefactthatthisreviewistakingplaceatatimeoffinancialconstraint,anditiswithinthiscontextthatmyrecommendationswillbemade.However,thisreviewofchildprotectionhasbeenfortunateinbeingthefirstnottohavebeeninitiatedinresponsetoaparticulartragedyandmyfinalreportinAprilwillnotseekaseriesofsuperficialquickfixesinasystemascomplexasthechildprotectionsystem,therearenoquickfixestobehad.Thereare,however,barrierstogoodpracticewhichcanberemovedandincentivestobetterpracticewhichcanbeputinplace.Ihopethattheresultwillbearecalibrationofthewholesystemaroundtheimmediateneedsoftheindividualchildrenandfamiliesthatitseekstoserve.ProfessorEileenMunroLondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience February2011

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Executivesummary1. TheMunroReviewofchildprotectionispartofanationaldrivetoimprovethe

qualityofchildprotectionservices.Theaimofthisreportistosetoutfordiscussionthecharacteristicsofaneffectivechildprotectionsystem,andthereformsthatmighthelptocreatesuchasystem.ThisreportiscalledTheChildsJourney,referringtothechildsjourneyfromneedingtoreceivingeffectiveprotectionfromabuseandneglect.

2. Thereviewsfirstreportprovidedananalysisoftheunintendedconsequencesof

previousreformsthathadariseninthechildprotectionsystem.Itconcludedthatprofessionalsare,inparticular,constrainedfromkeepingafocusonthechildbythedemandsandrigiditycreatedbyinspectionandregulation.Manyoftheareasidentifiedforreformatthisstageofthereviewrelate,therefore,tothesepartsofthesystem.

3. Toencouragechange,thereviewhasbeenworkinginpartnershipwithfive

authoritieswhohaverequestedgreaterflexibilitywhenassessingtheneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople,withtheaimofdeliveringimprovedoutcomesandmorefocusedinterventions.TheSecretaryofStateforEducationisconsideringusinghispowerstoenablethemtomodeltheresponsibleinnovationthisreviewwantstoencourage.Theselocalauthoritieswillbegrantedtemporarysuspensionfromcertainrequirementsinstatutoryguidanceforasixmonthperiod,subjecttotheiragreementwithMinisterstotheconditionsofthetrial.

4. Thereviewendorsesthecrucialrolethatinspectioncanplayinimprovingservices

forchildren,andwillbeworkingwithOfstedtodevelopaninspectionprocessthatdriveschildcentredpractice,focusesontheeffectivenessofhelpprovidedandassessesthequalityoflearningacrosslocalorganisations,ratherthancompliancewithprocess.Theconsensusviewinfeedbacktothereviewhasbeenthatannouncedinspectioncarriesaconsiderableamountofbureaucraticburden.Thereviewisrecommendingthatannouncedinspectionsshouldendaspartofforthcomingrevisionstotheinspectionframework.Instead,unannouncedinspectionsshouldbegivenabroaderremitacrossthecontributionofallchildrensservicestotheprotectionofchildren.

5. SeriousCaseReviews(SCRs)havebeencriticisedforfailingtoidentifyorexplainthe

factorsthathavecontributedtopoorpractice.Thereviewisthereforeconsideringadoptingthesystemsapproachusedinthehealthsector,whichexploresthesefactorsandthereforeoffersthepotentialfordeeperlessonsandimprovedlearning.ThereviewhasalsoreceivedevidencethatthesystemofexternalevaluationofSCRshasdistortedtheprioritiesinconductingthesereviews,addingtobureaucracy,andinhibitinglearning.AlongsidetheGovernmentspolicythatSCRoverviewreportsarepublished,thereviewisrecommendingthatOfstedevaluationsofSCRsshouldendinduecourse.Instead,thequalityoflearningmoregenerallyshouldbegivengreatercoveragewithintheoverallinspectionprocess.

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6. WorkingTogethertoSafeguardChildrenisthecoreguidanceformultiagency

working.Thedocumentisnow55timeslongerthanitwasin19741.Oneofthereasonsforthisgrowthhasbeentheinclusionofprofessionaladvicealongsidestatutoryguidance.Thereviewisworkingwithagroupofrepresentativesfromtherelevantprofessionstoconsiderhowstatutoryguidancecouldbeseparatedoutfromprofessionaladvice,withtheprofessionstakingresponsibilityforthelatter.Inthenextreportthereviewwillmakerecommendationsonhowthiswouldallowforstatutoryguidancetobecomeashortermanualinwhichthecoreprinciplesandrulesareclearertoallprofessionals.

7. Seniorleadersfromlocalagenciesworktogether,throughtheLocalSafeguarding

ChildrenBoard(LSCB),toprovidelocalleadershipandclarityaboutworkingtogethertohelpkeepchildrenandyoungpeoplesafe.LSCBsareuniquelyplacedtotakeaholisticapproachtochildprotection.ThereviewismindedtostrengthentheroleofLSCBsinmonitoringtheimpactofpractice,trainingandlearningonthechildsjourney,aswellasidentifyingandaddressingemergingproblemsinthesystem.

8. Withtheextentofcurrentpublicservicereform,theroleofleadershipandlinesof

accountabilityinchildprotectionservicesneedtobeclear.ThereviewagreeswithLordLamingsconclusionontheneedforastronglocalspineofaccountableleaders,withresponsibilitylocatedinthelocalauthority,asreflectedinthecurrentstatutoryframework.InparticularthereviewconsidersitimportantthatlocalauthoritiesensurethattheroleoftheDirectorofChildrensServicescontinuesasthekeypointofprofessionalaccountabilityforchildprotectionserviceswithinthelocalauthorityandthatthisisnotdilutedorweakened.

9. Localauthoritiesandtheirpartnersneedperformancedatatoknowhowthesystem

isfunctioning.TheGovernmenthasannouncedthattheNationalIndicatorSetofperformancemeasureswillbereplacedwithasinglecomprehensivelistofdatarequiredcentrally.Thereviewisconsideringaminimumdatasetforchildprotectionmadeupofatwincoreofnationallycollecteddataandrecommendedstandardisedlocaldata.SuchdatacanhelpinformthedevelopmentandevaluationofpolicybycentralGovernmentanddriveimprovementandlearningatalocallevel.Itisimportantthatdataallowsthechildsjourneythroughthesystemtobemappedandthatsuchdatainformsdiscussionsaboutlocalpractice,ratherthanbeingusedasabsoluteindicatorsofgoodorbadperformance.

10. Earlyidentificationandprovisionofhelpisinthechildsbestinterestsandmulti

agencyserviceswhichdeliversupportforfamiliesarevitalinpromotingchildrenswellbeing.ThereviewendorseseffortstoimprovefamilysupportservicesinthecommunitysuchasSureStartChildrensCentresandthehealthvisitorservice,andemphasisgiventothisissuebyFrankField(reportedDec2010),GrahamAllen(reportedJan2011)andClareTickell(Spring2011)intheirrespectivereviews.

1Parton,N (2010) The Increasing Complexity of Working Together to Safeguard Children

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11. Allwhocomeintocontactwithfamilieshaveaparttoplayinidentifyingthosechildrenwhoseneedsarenotbeingadequatelymet.Someoftheseneedscanbehelpedbyuniversalandearlyinterventionservices,whileothersmayneedreferraltomorespecialistservices,includingchildrenssocialcare.Evidencesubmittedtothereviewshowsstrongsupportforthecurrentpolicywhere,withthefamilysconsent,anassessmentismade,usingaformatcommontoalllocalagencies,thatcanbesharedasappropriatewithotherprofessionals.Itisimportanttominimisedependencyandempowerfamilies,givingthemownershipoftheirpersonalassessment.

12. Maltreatmentisnotalwaysbeingsafelyidentifiedandrespondedtoappropriately

becausesocialworkexpertisemaynotalwaysbereadilyavailabletootherprofessionals.Thiscontributestoahighlevelofreferralstochildrenssocialcarethataresubsequentlyassessedasinappropriate.Initsfinalphase,thereviewwillconsidersolutionsdevelopedinsomelocalareas,wheremultiagencyteams,thatincludesocialworkers,arelocatedinthecommunityalongsideuniversalservices.Theseteamsenablechildrenandyoungpeoplewhoareinneedofprotectionfrommaltreatmenttobemoreaccuratelyidentified.

13. Thereviewisconsideringwhether,whenachildisreferredtochildrenssocialcare,

anyexistingassessmentiscontinuedbysocialworkers,ratherthanthecurrentsystemwhichstartsanewbureaucraticprocessofinitialandcoreassessments.Currentpracticeisdominatedbyprescribedtimescales,butthereshouldbeastrongerawarenessofbalancingthetimelinesswiththequalityofassessment,sothatthespecificneedsofanychildcanbewellassessed.Timelinessmattersbutsodoesquality,andlocalarrangementsshouldmonitorboth.ThereviewisworkingwiththeFamilyJusticeReviewtoexplorehowlocalauthoritiescancontributetoreducingunnecessarydelaysinthechildsjourneythroughthecourtsandcareproceedings.

14. Managersinsocialworkplayacrucialpartincreatingtheworkconditionsthat

facilitategoodpractice.Thecurrentmanagementstyleputstoomuchemphasisonthebureaucraticaspectsofthework.Radicalreformisneededtogivedueweighttotheimportanceofthecognitiveandemotionalrequirementsofthework,theneedforcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment,andforaccesstoresearchinordertohelpworkersperformatahighlevel.Thescaleofrulesandproceduresmayhelpachieveaminimumstandardofpractice,butinhibitsthedevelopmentofprofessionalexpertiseandalienatestheworkforce,thuscontributingtotheseriousproblemsofrecruitmentandretention.Thereviewisconsideringhowusercentreddesignofassessmentanddecisionmakingtoolscanprovidebetteraidstoprofessionalreasoning.ThereviewisworkinginparticularwithpractitionersonhowthedesignofIntegratedChildrensSystem(ICS)softwarecanbemademoreuserfriendlyandefficient.

15. Goodsocialworkpracticerequiresformingarelationshipwiththechildandfamily

andusingprofessionalreasoningtojudgehowbesttoworkwithparents.Thenatureofthiscloseengagementmeansthatsupervision,whichprovidesthespace

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forcriticalreflection,isessentialforreducingtheriskoferrorsinprofessionalsreasoning.Thereisagrowingbodyofrelevantresearchtosupportprofessionalsreasoning.Itisimportantthatsocialworkersmakegooduseofthistomakemoreaccurateassessmentsandtodifferentiatethoseaspectsofpoorparentingthattendtobecorrelatedwithadverseoutcomesforthechildfromthelessdamagingones.Socialworkersneedtomakebestuseofevidenceonhowtohelpfamilieschange.Thisshouldincludebothevidenceaboutthenatureofeffectiveworkingrelationships,andofmethodstousewithintheserelationshipstopromotechange.

16. TheSocialWorkReformBoard(SWRB)hasdevelopedacapabilitiesframework

whichoutlinesthegenericskillsandknowledgeneededbyasocialworkeratdifferentstagesintheircareer.Thereviewisbuildingonthisanddraftingthespecialistcapabilitiesneededinchildandfamilysocialwork.TheSWRBhasrecommendedthatthecareerstructureshouldbealteredtogivesocialworkersalongtermprofessionalcareerwithoutbecomingamanager.Thereviewisconsideringhowthiscouldbedevelopedinchildandfamilysocialwork,toenablethedevelopmentofexpertisethatshouldbeavailabletosupportthefrontlinepractitioner.

17. Manyprofessionals,inthepast,havereflectedontheclimateoffear,blameand

mistrustthatseemstobeendemicwithinthechildprotectionsystem2.Thereisconsiderableevidencethatthechildprotectionsystemandsocialworkersinparticulararestillportrayedverynegativelyinthemedia.Thisunderminespublicconfidenceintheprofessionandputschildrenatgreaterrisk.Suchreportingalsohasunintendedconsequencesforthewaythesystemfunctions,forexample,byalteringreferralpatterns,creatingspikesindemand,andincreasingthresholds.Thereview,workingwiththeCollegeofSocialWork,newlyestablishedontherecommendationoftheSocialWorkTaskForce,isconsideringhowtohelpthepublicgainabetterunderstandingofthecomplexity,uncertaintyandemotionalchallengeinherentinchildprotection.Thisincludesimprovingtheresponseofthesocialworkprofessiontopublicdebatesabouttheirwork,especiallyinacrisis,sothatthereisacleareraccountofprofessionalpractice.

18. Agoodchildprotectionsystemshouldbeconcernedwiththechildsjourneythrough

thesystemfromneedingtoreceivinghelp,keepingaclearfocusonchildrensbestintereststhroughout.Thisincludesdevelopingtheexpertiseandtheorganisationalenvironmentthathelpsprofessionalsworkingwithchildren,youngpeopleandfamiliestoprovidemoreeffectivehelp.Thereviewisconsideringwhether,inlightofwiderreformofpublicservices,thereisaneedforapanelcomposedoftherelevantprofessionswithinthechildprotectionsystem,toadviseGovernmentandtheprofessionsonhowthedifferentpartsofthechildprotectionsystemareinteractingandwhetherproblemsareemerging.

19. Thisreviewistakingplaceatatimeofmajorreforminalloftherelevantpublic

services,whereseriousfinancialconstraintsarebeingappliedandwithmajor

2 Ayre, P. (2001), Child Protection and the Media: lessons from the last three decades, BJSW 31(6), 887-901

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workforceissuesparticularlyinthefieldofsocialwork.Itremainsessentialthattheprotectionofchildrenisaprioritywithinthesereforms.ItisinthiscontextthatthereviewwillbeseekingthehelpofeachprofessionwithinthesectortodevelopthereformsproposedinthisreportandworkwitharangeofgroupstodevelopitsthinkingbeforeproducingafinalreportandrecommendationstoGovernmentinApril.

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ChapterOne:Introduction

1.1TheMunroReviewofChildProtection,PartOne:ASystemsAnalysis3setoutthecurrentproblemsinthechildprotectionsystemandofferedananalysisofwhytheseproblemshadarisen.Itconcludedthatanimbalancehasdevelopedbetweenthedemandsofthemanagementandinspectionprocessesandprofessionalsneedforaworkenvironmentandtherightcapabilitiestohelpthemexerciseprofessionaljudgment,provideeffectivehelp,andkeepaclearfocusonthebestinterestsofthechild.Theaimofthisinterimreportistosetthecharacteristicsofaneffectivechildprotectionsystemandtooutlinethereformsthatmighthelpthecurrentsystemgetclosertotheideal,seekingfeedbackonthisbeforemakingdetailedrecommendationstoGovernmentinthefinalreportattheendofApril.

1.2 Providingeffectivehelptochildrenwhoareatriskofabuseorneglecthasbothimmediateandlongtermbenefits.Childmaltreatmenthasbeenassociatedwiththefollowinglongtermimpacts:

Figure1.1PreVail,ResearchBrief:InterventionstoPreventChildMaltreatment(March2010)4

1.3 TheUnitedNationsConventionontheRightsoftheChild(UNCRC)providesachildcentredframeworkthatspellsoutthebasichumanrightsthatchildreneverywherehave:therighttosurvival;todeveloptothefullest;toprotectionfromharmfulinfluences,abuseandexploitation;andtoparticipatefullyinfamily,culturalandsociallife.ThefourcoreprinciplesoftheConventionarenondiscrimination;devotiontothebestinterestsofthechild;therighttolife,survivalanddevelopment;andrespectfortheviewsofthechild5.ThevisionofchildrenimplicitintheUNCRCandintheChildrenAct1989isthatchildrenareneithertheproperty

3 Munro,E.(2010).TheMunroReviewofChildProtectionPartOne:ASystemsAnalysis,retrievedfromhttp://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/downloads/TheMunroReviewofChildProtectionPart%20one.pdf 4http://prevail.fims.uwo.ca/docs/CM%20Research%20Brief%20Mar10.pdf5http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm

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oftheirparentsnorhelplessobjectsofcharity.Theyareindividuals,membersofafamilyandacommunity,withrightsandresponsibilitiesappropriatetotheirstageofdevelopment.

1.4 Thechildprotectionsystemcouldbetakentoreferspecificallytothereactiveserviceofidentifyingincidencesofmaltreatmentandpreventingtheirrecurrence.However,astheUNCRCmakesclear,thechildsrighttoprotectionfrommaltreatmentplacesadutyontheStatenotjusttoreacttoincidentsofmaltreatmentbuttoprovidesupporttofamiliestoreducetheincidence.Article19oftheUNCRC:

1.StatesPartiesshalltakeallappropriatelegislative,administrative,socialandeducationalmeasurestoprotectthechildfromallformsofphysicalormentalviolence,injuryorabuse,neglectornegligenttreatment,maltreatmentorexploitation,includingsexualabuse,whileinthecareofparent(s),legalguardian(s)oranyotherpersonwhohasthecareofthechild.2.Suchprotectivemeasuresshould,asappropriate,includeeffectiveproceduresfortheestablishmentofsocialprogrammestoprovidenecessarysupportforthechildandforthosewhohavethecareofthechild,aswellasforotherformsofpreventionandforidentification,reporting,referral,investigation,treatmentandfollowupofinstancesofchildmaltreatmentdescribedheretofore,and,asappropriate,forjudicialinvolvement.

1.5 Childcentred:ThisreportisentitledTheChildsJourney,meaningthechilds

journeyfromneedingtoreceivingeffectivehelpforproblemsarisingfromfamilyandsocialcircumstances.Evidencepresentedtothereviewshowsthatthesystemdoesnotcurrentlystaychildcentred.Whilemanyprofessionalsmakestrenuouseffortstokeepafocusonthechildandmanychildrenpraisethehelptheyhavereceivedthereareaspectsofthecurrentsystemthatpushpractitionersintoprioritisingotheraspectsoftheirwork.Assetoutinthisreviewsfirstreport6:

Itmayseemselfevidentthatchildrenandyoungpeoplearethefocusofchildprotectionservicesbutmanyofthecriticismsofcurrentpracticesuggestotherwise.Inasystemthathasbecomeoverbureaucratisedandfocusedonmeetingtargetswhichreducethecapacityofsocialworkerstospendtimewithchildrenandyoungpeopleanddevelopmeaningfulrelationshipswiththem,thereisariskthattheywillbedeprivedofthecareandrespectthattheydeserve.Thechildrenandyoungpeoplewhohavecontributedsofartothereviewconfirmthattheydonotfeelasthoughtheyarecentrallyimportantandheldinmindbytheirsocialworker:

IwasneveraskedabouthowIfeltorwhatIwantedtohappen.Askingme10minutesbeforethemeetingisnotthesame

Youngpersonspeakingtothereview

6Munro,E.(2010).TheMunroReviewofChildProtectionPartOne:ASystemsAnalysis,retrievedfromhttp://www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/downloads/TheMunroReviewofChildProtectionPart%20one.pdf

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1.6 AnchoringthereviewintheconceptofthechildsjourneyandtheUNCRChelpsto

keepaclearfocusonwhetherthereviewsreformsarelikelytohaveabeneficialimpactonthesafetyandwellbeingofchildren.Itprovidesastructurewhenthinkingaboutthedesignofaneffectivechildprotectionsystem.Whatdochildrenneedfromachildprotectionsystem?Whatdotheyneedfrontlinepractitionerstobeabletodo?Howshouldpractitionersbemanagedinordertoprovidethis?Howshouldservicesbeinspectedtocheckthatthisisbeingachieved?Anysuggestedreformshouldhaveaclearlinktotheimpactonthewellbeingandsafetyofchildren.

1.7 Thereisalsoanimportantgroupofchildrenwhoarethesubjectofachildprotection

enquiryandwheremaltreatmentisnotfound.Forthesefamilies,theexperiencerangesfromunpleasanttohighlytraumatic,sometimesleavingthemwithafearofaskingforhelpinthefuture.Inthefirstreport,itwasnotedthatthemoreanysystemtriestoavoidmissingacaseofmaltreatmentthenthemorenonabusivefamilieswillbedrawnintothenetofchildprotectioninquiries.Itisimportanttorememberthatthesearchforaccuracycomeswithahumancostthatisbornebyachildandparentsandsothesystemneedstopayattentiontotheimpactoftheirserviceinvolvementonchildrenwho,itislaterconcluded,arenotatriskofsignificantharm.

1.8 Earlyhelp:Thesequenceofthechaptersinthisreportfollowsthechildsjourney.Fromachildspointofview,theidealiswherefamily,friends,community,anduniversalservicesprovideallthatisrequired,andthisistheexperienceformostchildreninEngland.Thesecondbestisthatanyemergingproblemsareidentifiedquicklyandaddressed.Chaptertwodiscussestheimportanceofprimaryandsecondarylevelsofpreventiveservices,servicesthatsupportfamiliessothatproblemsdonotariseoraredealtwithspeedilywhilestillatalowlevel.Supportingfamiliesisamultiagency,multiprofessionalresponsibility.Allhaveaparttoplayinidentifyingchildrenwhoseneedsarenotbeingadequatelymet,sometimesbecauseofparentalabuseorneglect.

1.9 Therearethreeotherreviews,commissionedtoconsideraspectsofearlyprovisionofhelpforchildren,whicharerelevanthere.Theirrecommendationswillbetakenintoaccountinthisreview:

theIndependentReviewonPovertyandLifeChancesledbyFrankFieldMP

reportedinDecember20107recommendingactionsrequiredbygovernmentandotherinstitutionstoreducepovertyandenhancelifechancesforthemostdisadvantaged.ThefinalreportsetoutanewapproachtomeetingtheGovernmentstargetforabolishingchildpoverty,inparticularfortheinclusionofnonfinancialelements;

7Field,F.(2010),FoundationYears:preventingpoorchildrenbecomingpooradults(availableonlineathttp://povertyreview.independent.gov.uk/)

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theindependentcommissionintoearlyinterventionledbyGrahamAllenMPpresentedtheirfirstreportinJanuary2011.Thereportidentified19programmesthathaveaproveneffectivenessinhelpingchildrenandyoungpeopletofulfilltheirpotentialandhelpbreakintergenerationaltransfersofdisadvantageandunderachievement8;and

areviewoftheEarlyYearsFoundationStage(EYFS)isbeingundertakenbyDameClareTickellwhoiscarryingoutareviewoftheEYFSsothatitislessbureaucraticandmorefocusedonyoungchildrenslearninganddevelopment9.

Forthisreview,akeyconcernistheproblemofidentifyingthosechildren,receivingearlyinterventionservices,whoaresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharmandneedadifferentlevelofresponse.

1.10 Childandfamilysocialwork:Chapterthreebeginsbyconsideringwhatexpertisechildrenneedsocialworkerstohave.ItbuildsontheworkoftheSocialWorkTaskForceandtheSocialWorkReformBoardtooutlinetheskills,knowledgeandvaluesneeded.

1.11 Whenlookingatwaystoreducebureaucraticdemandsonsocialworkers

considerationneedstobegiventowhythesedemandswereintroducedandwhetherthosereasonsstillholdtrue.Thereseemtohavebeentwomaindrivingforcesbehindtheproliferationofprescriptionanddocumentation:improvingsocialworkpracticeandincreasingtransparencyandaccountability.Bothissuescontinuetomatter,soanyreformsneedtotrytoachievethesamegoalsbutbydifferentmeans.Theformerissueiscoveredinchaptersthreeandfourwhilethelattertopicoftransparencyandaccountabilityisdealtwithinchaptersfourandfivewhendiscussingmanagerialoversightandinspection.

1.12 Managingfrontlinesocialwork:Thefirstreportconcludedthatthemanagementofchildrenssocialcarehadevolvedtoofarintoatopdown,compliancedrivenorganisation.Thisstifledcreativityanddistortedpriorities,withmoreattentiongiventothecompletionofbureaucratictaskstospecifiedtimescalesasthemeasureofsuccess,thantheappraisalofthequalityofhelpreceivedbychildrenandtheirfamilies.Chapterfourconsidershowchildrenssocialcareorganisationsneedtomovetowardsbeingadaptive,learningorganisationsthatkeepaclearfocusoncreatingtheworkenvironmentthathelpsfrontlinesocialworkershavetheskills,timeandresourcestovisitfamilies,engagewiththem,developagoodunderstandingoftheirproblemsandprovideeffectivehelp.

1.13 Accountabilities:Chapterfivesmultiagency,multiprofessionalfocusstartsby

8Allen,G.(2011),EarlyIntervention:thenextsteps(availableonlineathttp://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/g/graham%20allens%20review%20of%20early%20intervention.pdf)9Launchnoticeavailableonlineathttp://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0061485/reviewofearlyyearsfoundationstage

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discussingtheroleofLocalSafeguardingChildrenBoards(LSCBs)inmonitoringhowwelllocalservicesaresafeguardingchildren.Italsoreemphasisestheimportanceoflocalleadersintheregularenquiryoftheimpactoftheirhelplocallyonchildrenandyoungpeopleandbeginstoconsiderhowinspectioncandrivealearningculture.LSCBsarerequiredtoconductaSeriousCaseReviewwhenachilddiesorisseriouslyinjuredandabuseorneglectisthoughttobeacontributoryfactor.Thechapterexploreswhetherthesystemsapproachusedinthehealthsectoroffersabettermodelforlearning.

1.14 Assessmentandtimescales:Inthespiritoffosteringalearningandadaptiveculture

withinlocalchildprotectionsystems,thereviewhasengagedwithanumberoflocalauthorities,inordertounderstandthechallengestheyface.Thereviewteamhasbeenworkinginpartnershipwithfiveauthoritieswhohaverequestedgreaterflexibilitywhenassessingtheneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople,withtheaimofdeliveringimprovedoutcomesandmorefocusedinterventions.Theselocalauthoritieswillbegrantedtemporarysuspensionfromcertainrequirementsinstatutoryguidanceforasixmonthperiod,subjecttotheiragreementwithMinisterstotheconditionsofthetrial.ThetrialswillbeginshortlyandrununtiltheendofJuly.Theearlyresultswillinformthinkingforthefinalreportofthereview(seechapterfourfordetails).

1.15 Thehypothesisisthat,whilsttimescalesandfixedstagesofassessmentprovide

somecontrolofthechildprotectionsystem(forexamplebypreventingdriftandcontrollingdemand),theycandosoattheexpenseofthoughtfulsocialworkpractice.Itispossiblethatadifferentapproachtolocalmanagementandleadershipcouldmitigatethesenegativetendencies.Itshouldbepossibletoprovidethoughtfulassessmentandtimelydecisionmakingwithouttheneedforfalseassessmentdistinctionsandtimescaleswhichseektooverstandardisethemanyvariedandcomplexneedsofvulnerablechildren.

1.16 Theissueoftimescalesisoneelementofabroaderthemethatpermeatesthe

review:theproblemoffindingabalancebetweenprescriptiverulesandprofessionaljudgmentbasedonexpertise.Targetsandperformanceindicatorsarecriticisedasimplicitlycreatingarule,i.e.meetingthatindicatorisautomaticallyanindicationofgoodpractice,regardlessofwhetheritisinthebestinterestsofthechild.Inreality,becauseofthediversityofchildrensneedsandcircumstances,thedataneedstobeinterrogatedtoseewhatpracticehasproducedthisresultandwhetheritwasbeneficialforthechildornot.Inasimilarway,theexpansionofproceduresandprescriptiveguidanceisfaultedforoverstandardisingpracticeandundervaluingtheskillsrequiredtoapplyprinciplesindiversecircumstances.

1.17 Rulesandjudgment:Whilstsomerulesandprescriptionwillalwaysbenecessary

notleasttoenablepeoplefromdifferentagenciestocoordinatetheirworktheyhavecometobeseenasawayofmakingquickimprovementsinapoorservice,withoutneedinglengthytrainingtoexplaintothemultiagencyworkforcewhytheymatter.Inthelongterm,improvementinthequalityoftheserviceprovidedtochildren,youngpeopleandfamilies(thequalityofthejourney)restsonhavinga

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welltrained,wellsupportedworkforcethatunderstandstheunderlyingprinciplesofchildprotectionandhasthespacetoassesshowbesttoapplythem.

Theprinciplesofchildprotection1.18 Initsfinalphase,thereviewwillconsiderhowbesttoframetheseprincipleswhich

underpinastrongchildprotectionsystem.Thefollowinglistisaninitialdraftforconsideration:

thefamilyisthebestplaceforbringingupchildrenandyoungpeople,butthe

childprotectionsystemfacesdifficultjudgmentsinbalancingtherightofachildtobewiththeirbirthfamilywiththeirrightforprotectionfromabuseandneglect;

thechildprotectionsystemisamultiprofessional,multiagencyoperationrequiringallwhoworkwithchildren,youngpeopleandfamiliestoconsidertheeffectivenessoftheirwork;

thechildprotectionsystemshouldbechildcentred,recognisingchildrenandyoungpeopleasindividualswithrights,includingtheirrighttoparticipationinmajordecisionsaboutthem,inlinewiththeirevolvingcapacities;

thechildprotectionsystemunderstandsitsdualmandatetosupportfamiliesandhelpthemprovideadequatecareandtointerveneauthoritativelywhenchildrenandyoungpeopleneedprotection;

thegeneralpublicandallwhoworkwithchildren,youngpeople,familiesandcarershavearesponsibilityforprotectingchildrenandyoungpeople;

helpingfamiliesinvolvesworkingwiththemandthereforethequalityoftherelationshipbetweenthefamilyandprofessionalsdirectlyimpactsontheeffectivenessofhelpgiven;

childrensneedsandcircumstancesarevariedandsothechildprotectionsystemrequiressufficientflexibility,withspaceforprofessionaljudgmenttomeetthatvarietyofneed;

thecomplexityoftheworldmeansthatuncertaintyandriskarefeaturesofchildprotectionworkandthatriskmanagementcannoteliminateharm,onlyreduceitsoccurrence;

alearningandadaptivesystemischaracterisedbyregularquestioningofhowthesystem(locallyandnationally)isfunctioningandwhetherchildrenarereceivingeffectivehelp;and

goodprofessionalpracticeisdrivenbyknowledgeofthelatesttheoryandresearch.

Itisvitaltoo,thatanyprinciplesthatseektosupportchildprotectionaremindfuloftheinherentriskanduncertaintyinprotectingchildrenandyoungpeoplefromharm.Inthisarea,thereviewhasbeenparticularlyimpressedbytheriskprinciplesdevelopedbytheAssociationofChiefPoliceOfficers(ACPO),andisconsideringwaysinwhichtheycouldbeincorporatedintochildprotectionwork(seeAnnexA).

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Nextsteps

1.19 Thefinalphaseofthereviewwillproposehowthecurrentsystemcanbeadjustedsothat,overtime,itbetterreflectstheneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople.AsthereviewdevelopsdetailedrecommendationstoGovernmentineachoftheseareasitwillworkverycloselywithstakeholdersandchildprotectionprofessionalsinordertothinkclearlyabouttheimplicationsofimplementation,beforemakingrecommendationstoMinistersbytheendofApril.

1.20 Thisisanopportunitynottosettherightsysteminstone,buttobuildanadaptive,

learningsystemwhichcanevolveasneedsandconditionschange.Itisonlybyseekingwellbalancedflexibilitythatthesystemcanhopetoretainitsfocusonhelpingchildrenandfamilies,ratherthansimplycomingtoserveitsownbureaucraticends.

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ChapterTwo:Gettinghelpearly

Nochildsfutureshouldbepredeterminedbythedecisionsormistakesofhisorherparents,andIfirmlybelieveeverychildshouldhavethechancetosucceed,regardlessoftheirbackground.Interveningearlierwithtroubledfamiliescannotonlypreventchildrenandtheirparentsfallingintoacycleofdeprivation,antisocialbehaviourandpovertybutcansavethousandsifnotmillionsofpoundsinthelongerterm10.

2.1 Theearlier,thebetter:Fromachildoryoungpersonspointofview,theearlierhelpisreceived,thebetter.Researchonchildrensdevelopmentalsoemphasisestheimportanceoftheearlyyearsontheirlongtermoutcomes.Thischapter,therefore,discussesthecurrentpoliciesofpreventionandearlyintervention,buthasaspecificfocusonidentifyingthosechildrenwhoaresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharmasaresultofmaltreatment.Itbeginsbydescribingthelevelsofpreventionthatcanbeofferedtochildrenandfamiliesbeforediscussingthescaleoftheproblem,adiscussionthatrevealshowmuchunmetneedforprotectionthereis.Themeritsofprimaryandsecondarypreventiveservicesarealsocovered,asistheproblemofhowtoidentifythechildrenwithinthoseserviceswhoaresufferingorarelikelytosuffersignificantharm.Evidencesubmittedtothereviewsuggeststhatoneconstructivewayofdealingwiththisproblemiscreatingmultiagencyteamsinthecommunitythathaveanexperiencedsocialworkeramongotherprofessionalssothatmoreinformedappraisalsofsignsofconcerncanbemade.

2.2 Engagingfamilies:Thereisatensioninprovidingsupporttoparents.Formost,therightapproachistoofferserviceswithfamiliesmakingavoluntarychoicetoreceivethem.Therearefamilieswhoselevelofparentingraisessomeconcernandtherelevantservicesmakemorestrenuouseffortstomakethemawareofthehelpavailableandtogaintheircooperation.Therearealsofamilieswhoseparentingraisesseriousconcern,anditmaybenecessarytotakeamorecoerciveapproach.Itistheproblemofdecidingwhentoescalatethelevelofprofessionalinvolvementthatisoneofthemainconcernsofthisreview:identifyingthosechildren,receivingearlyinterventionservices,whoaresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharmandneedadifferentlevelofresponseisthedilemmaprofessionalsface.Acomplicatingfactoristhatparentswhovoluntarilyengagewithsupportservicestendtomakemoreprogresswhileamorecoerciveapproachcandeteriorateintoanadversarialrelationshipwhichblocksprogress.Therefore,movingupthescaleofintrusivenesscarriesbothgainsandlossesandsocreatesacomplexdecision.

2.3 Helping:Thereviewusesthetermhelpratherthanthemorecommonlyusedterminterventionindescribingprofessionalservicesbecausehelpcarriesastrongerconnotationofworkingwithfamiliesandsupportingtheiraimsandeffortstochange.Inthefirstreport,itwasstressedthatsuccessinhumanservicesistheresultofthejointeffortsoftheprofessionalandtheserviceuser:allpublicservices

10MinsterofState,SarahTeatherMP,onlaunchingtheGrahamAllenreviewonEarlyIntervention,http://www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/pressreleases/2010/july2010/dwp09710280710.shtml

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requirethecustomertobeanactiveagentintheproductionofthedesiredoutcomes11.Itisimportant,however,tostressthatusingthetermhelp,doesnottakeawayfromthefactthatchildprotectionworkrequiresauthoritativeand,attimes,coerciveactiontoprotectchildrenandyoungpeople.

2.4 Currentpolicy:Evidencesubmittedtothereviewshowsthatthereisstrongsupportforthecurrentpolicyofbuildingupearlysupportserviceswhichfocusinvestmentontacklingemergingproblems.Thereisalsoaconsiderablebodyofevidencethatinterveningearlycansavemoneybyavoidingmorecostlyinterventions(see,forexample,theworkofGrahamAllen,mentionedbelow).Manysuchapproachesalreadyexist,suchashealthvisitingservices(forwhichthereisaplannedexpansionprogramme)andSureStartChildrensCentreswhicharecurrentlybeingreformedwithanincreasedfocusonearlyinterventionsupportforthefamiliesingreatestneedandgreaterinvolvementofvoluntaryandcommunityorganisationswithatrackrecordofsupportingfamilies.

2.5 Supervisedvolunteershavearoletoplayasanaidtotheearlysupportworkforceforchildren,youngpeople,theirfamiliesandcarers,offeringflexiblehelp.Forexample,throughanetworkofover16,000trainedparentvolunteers,HomeStartsupportsparentswhoarestrugglingtocope.Trainedvolunteerstrytohelpbuildtheresilienceandemotionalstrengthoffamilies.Almost25%offamiliestheyhelpreferredthemselvestotheservice12.Inaddition,thereisalongtraditionofchildrenandtheirfamiliesdrawingonsupportfromarangeofsourcesoutsideofthestate,fromcorefrontlineservicesprovidedbysomeofEnglandslargestcharitiestogroupsoflocalvolunteersassistingsocialcaretoenhancetheserviceitprovides.

2.6 Thesignificanceofpreventionandearlyprovisionofhelpisreinforcedbythefactthatweknowfarmoreabouthowtopreventtheprimaryoccurrenceofmaltreatmentthanhowtorespondeffectivelyoncemaltreatmenthasoccurred13.AstheAllenReviewargues,thisstrengthensthecaseforhavingselectiveprimarypreventionprogrammesofferedtofamiliesinhighriskgroups14.

2.7 Itisalsoimportantnottoseeallfamiliesasproblematic.Themajorityoffamiliesusesupportfromwithinthefamily,friends,communitiesanduniversalservicesinraisingchildren.Thebasicsofabigsocietyarealreadyinplace.

2.8 Inusingresearchevidenceaboutcorrelationsbetweenchildhoodfactorsandlateroutcomes,itisimportantnottoassumeasimpledeterminismattheindividuallevel.Researchcanidentifygroupswithinwhichtherewillbeahigherthanaveragenumberofindividualswhohaveproblemslaterbutsomeinthegroupwillnot.Studiesofsiblingswhohavesufferedmaltreatmentrevealhowvariedtheirlife

11Chapman,J.(2004)SystemFailure;whyGovernmentsMustLearntoThinkDifferently,Demos12www.homestart.org.uk13Macmillan,H.etal(2009),Interventionstopreventchildmaltreatmentandassociatedimpairment,TheLancet,Volume373,pp25026614Allen,G.(2011),EarlyIntervention:thenextsteps,chapter3(availableonlineathttp://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/g/graham%20allens%20review%20of%20early%20intervention.pdf)

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coursemaybe15.Thisbodyofresearchisimportantnotonlybecauseitunderscorestheneedtoavoidfatalism,assumingthataspecificchildisgoingtobeproblematic,butalsobecauseitdrawsattentiontotheimportanceofresiliencefactorsthathelpchildrencounteradverseexperiences.

Whatlevelofhelpisneeded?

2.9 Whenaneedforhelpisidentified,childrenneedprofessionalstomakeagoodassessmentthatleadstotherightlevelofresponsetotheirneeds.Itiseasytoofferadefinitionofwhichfamiliesorproblemscanbehelpedthrougharangeofpreventiveservicesbut,inpractice,therearemanydifficultiesinassigningfamiliestoappropriateservicesthatmeettheirneeds.

2.10 Thestandardcategoriesofpreventionare:

universalprimarypreventionaddressingtheentirepopulationandaimingtoreducethelaterincidenceofproblems,e.g.theuniversalservicesofhealth,education,

selectiveprimarypreventionfocusingongroupswhichresearchhasindicatedareathigherthanaverageriskofdevelopingproblems.ManyoftheinterventionsrecommendedinGrahamAllensreviewfallintothiscategory,e.g.offeringadditionalsupportservicestosingle,teenagemothers;

secondarypreventionaimingtorespondquicklywhenlowlevelproblemsariseinordertopreventthemgettingworse.Thisareaofmultiagencyworkhasbeenthesubjectofpolicydevelopmentsincetherefocusingdebatein199516andEveryChildMattersin2003;

tertiaryhelp/preventioninvolvingaresponsewhentheproblemhasbecomeserious,e.g.childprotection,hospitalcare,criminaljustice;and

quarternaryhelp/preventionprovidingtherapytovictimssothattheydonotsufferlongtermharm,e.g.therapyforvictimsofsexualabuseortherapeutichelpforlookedafterchildren.

2.11 Thisreviewisremittedtoreformthechildprotectionsystemwhichfallsintothe

tertiaryandquaternarylevels:theserviceofferedtofamilieswhentherearesignificantproblemsinthecareofchildrenandyoungpeopleandtheyarethoughttobesuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharm.Whenweconsiderthisfromtheperspectiveofthejourneyofthechildfromneedingtoreceivinghelpweareinevitablyinterestedintheearlystagesofchildmaltreatmentandtheservicesprovidedatbothprimaryandsecondarylevelsofpreventiontoreducethenumberofchildrenwhosufferseriousmaltreatment.

2.12 However,thelinkbetweenthelevelsofservicesisnotclearcut.Assessingchildrenandfamiliesandassigningthemtotherightleveloftherighttypeofserviceisadifficulttask.Thereareparticularchallengesinvolvedinassessingwhetherchildren

15Bifulco,A.(2008),RiskandresilienceinyoungLondonersinTreatingtraumatisedchildren:Risk,resilienceandrecovery,ed.Brom,D.,PatHorenczyk,R.,&Ford,J.16ChildProtection.MessagesfromResearch(1995)HMSOISBN01103217811

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aresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharm.Statutoryguidancetellsthoseworkingwithfamiliestorefersuchchildrentosocialcare,butmakingthisdecisionisnotstraightforward.Maltreatmentrarelypresentswithaclear,unequivocalpicture.Ingeneral,itisthetotalityofinformation,theoverallpatternofthechildsstory,thatraisessuspicionsofpossibleabuseorneglect.

2.13 Secondarypreventiveservicesseektoidentifyfamilieswithfirstsignsofproblems,buttheymayfitseveralcategoriesanditisnoteasyforworkerstoknowwhichiswhich.Thepresentingsignsmaybefirstsignsthatarelowlevelandareappropriatelydealtwithbyearlyinterventionservices.Theymay,however,befirstsignsthatsuggestseriousmaltreatmentthefirstsignmaybeafracturedskullinababy.

2.14 However,themostproblematicgrouparethosewherethefirstsignslooklowlevelbuttheyarereallythetipofanicebergandthechildisactuallybeingseriouslyharmed.So,togivearealexample,asupportworkermayvisitahomeandbetoldthatonechildisvisitinghisgrandmother.Shecanseethathisbrotherandsisterarewellcaredfor.Beingtoldthatachildisvisitingagrandparentdoesnot,onitsown,ringalarmbells.Ifthatchildcontinuestobeoutofsightonfuturevisitsaswell,thentherecomesapointwhenthesupportworkershouldbecomesuspicious,thoughthisrequiresjudgment.Thereisnosimplerule.Inoneformofmaltreatment,parentsscapegoataparticularchildandtakegoodcareoftheothers.Inthiscase,theabsentchildwas,infact,lockedinabedroomstarving.

2.15 Thislastpossibility,thatthepresentingproblemthoughlowlevelinitself,maybethesurfaceevidenceofadeeperproblemreceivesmoreattentionwhentherehasbeenamajorchilddeathstoryinthemedia.Workersoftenthenmakemorereferralstochildrenssocialcareincase,onfurtherinvestigation,thechildisfoundtobesufferingsignificantharm.AfterthedeathofPeterConnellyandtheassociatedpublicityinwhichprofessionalswerecastigatedforfailingtoseehewasbeingmaltreated,therewasanaverage11%riseinreferralsintheyearthatfollowedandthishassustainedsincewithfiguresfor200910showinga10.4%increaseonthepreviousyear17.Forsomelocalauthorities,therisehasbeenhigherthantheaverage.

2.16 Puttingmorefamiliesintothesocialcarecategoryisproblematicintwomainways.Oneoftheproblemsisahighlevelofreferralsthat,oncloserexamination,arenotdeemedtoneedaservice.Thismeansthatchildrenandfamiliesgothroughastressfulprocessfornobenefitandsocialcareservicesareoverwhelmedinsearchingthroughthereferralsforthosecaseswherechildrenaresuffering,orarelikelytosuffer,significantharm.Theirabilitytoprovideeffectivehelptothemostseriouscasesisreducedbecausesomuchresourceisdevotedtodealingwiththeinfluxandprioritisingcases.Whilesomeofthesefamiliesneedthatcloserexaminationtomakeaninformedjudgmentaboutachildssafetyandwelfare,itis

17DfE:ChildrenInNeedinEngland,includingtheircharacteristicsandfurtherinformationonchildrenwhowerethesubjectofachildprotectionplan(200910ChildreninNeedcensus,Final):http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000970/index.shtml.

25

clearfromthebigvariationsinreferralratesaroundthecountrythatthereisconsiderablescopeforhelpingpeopleworkinginprimaryandsecondarylevelservicestomakefewer,moreappropriatereferrals.Ifthiscanbeachieved,thenfamilieswillexperiencefewerunproductivereferralstochildrenssocialcareandthecaseloadsinchildrenssocialcarewillbecomemoremanageable,andsohelptocreatetheconditionsinwhichhelpcanbeprovidedandamoreeffectiveservicetochildrenandfamiliescanbeconstructed.

Thescaleoftheproblem

2.17 For200910,DepartmentforEducationfiguresreportthat18:

603,700referralsweremadetochildrenssocialcareservices,anincreaseof56,700(10%)fromthe200809figuresandan11%increasefrom200607;

395,300initialassessmentswerecompletedwithintheyear(65.5%ofthetotalreferralsintheyear),anincreaseof46,300(13%)fromthe200809figuresanda30%increasefrom200607;

137,600coreassessmentswerecompletedwithintheyear(22.8%ofthetotalreferred),anincreaseof17,000(14%)fromthe200809figuresand47%iftakenoverthethreeyearperiod,200710;

39,100childrenweresubjecttoachildprotectionplanat31March2010,anincreaseof5,000(15%)fromthe200809figures.Themostcommonreasonforachildtobeplacedonachildprotectionplanwasneglect(43.5%);

theChildreninNeedCensusreportedthat377,600childreninEnglandstartedanepisodeofneed19in200910and694,000wereinneedatsomepointintheyear;

on31March2010therewere375,900childreninneedinEnglandwhichequatesto341.3childreninneedper10,000childrenunder18years;and

themostcommonreasonforachildtobeassessedasinneed,for39.4%ofallcases,wasabuseorneglect.

2.18 Thefiguresaboveindicatethatintheyear200910about3.14%ofthepopulation

ofchildrenandyoungpeople,wereregardedaschildreninneed,butonly0.32%werethesubjectofchildprotectionplans(i.e.substantiatedcasesofabuse).

2.19 Withthislevelofunmetneed,thecontributionofuniversalservicesandservices

targetedonhighriskgroupsisevenmoreimportant,sincetheymayreachchildrenwhosemaltreatmenthasnotyetbeenbroughttotheattentionofchildrenssocialcare,orwhosesituationdoesnotmeetthethresholdforstatutoryintervention.By

18DfE:ChildrenInNeedinEngland,includingtheircharacteristicsandfurtherinformationonchildrenwhowerethesubjectofachildprotectionplan(200910ChildreninNeedcensus,Final):http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000970/index.shtml.19ChildrenAct1989,S17achildinneedisdefinedasachildrequiringadditionalsupportfromalocalauthority,ifheorsheisunlikelytoachieveormaintain,orhavetheopportunityofachievingormaintainingareasonablestandardofhealthanddevelopmentwithoutsupport,ifhisorherdevelopmentislikelytobesignificantlyimpaired,withoutsupportand/orifheorsheisdisabled.

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reachingthesefamiliesearly,primaryandsecondarylevelservicescanreducethenumberofchildrenwhomightotherwiselatersuffersignificantharm.

2.20 Therearenationalstatisticsavailableabouttheprevalenceofactualorpotentially

harmfulcircumstancesinwhichchildrenarelivingandlocalareashavethetask(andstatutorydutyinthecaseoftheJointStrategicNeedsAssessment)ofbuildingupaprofileoftheirownlocalneed,thathelpsprofessionalsunderstandthepotentialvarietyofresponsesthatmayberequiredintheirareaandtocommissionappropriateandrelevantservices.Domesticviolenceisasignificantissuelinkedtochildprotection,anditsprevalencemaybevariedindifferentlocalities.Servicesneedtobedevelopedtoreflectthis:

thereare120,000victimsinanyyearwhoareathighriskofbeingkilledor

seriouslyinjuredasaresultofdomesticabuse20; 69%ofhighriskvictimshavechildren21; in75%to90%ofincidentsofdomesticviolence,childrenareinthesameor

thenextroom22; childrenwholivewithdomesticviolenceareatincreasedriskofbehavioural

problemsandemotionaltrauma,andmentalhealthdifficultiesinadultlife23; thelinkbetweenchildphysicalabuseanddomesticviolenceishigh,with

estimatesrangingbetween30%to66%dependinguponthestudy24.TheRoyalCollegeofPsychiatristsstates:Abouthalfthechildreninsuchfamilieshavethemselvesbeenbadlyhitorbeaten.Sexualandemotionalabusearealsomorelikelytohappeninthesefamilies25;

thereareanestimated50,000to200,000youngpeopleintheUKcaringforaparentwithmentalhealthproblems26;

20CAADA(2010),SavingLives,SavingMoney(availableonlineathttp://www.caada.org.uk/Research/Saving_lives_saving_money_FINAL_REFERENCED_VERSION.pdf)21Howarth,E.,Stimpson,L.,Barran,D.,&Robinson,A.(2009),SafetyinNumbers:AMultisiteEvaluationofIndependentDomesticViolenceAdvisorServices22Hughes,H.(1992)Impactofspouseabuseonchildrenofbatteredwomen,ViolenceUpdate,1August,pp911.;Abrahams,C.(1994),Hiddenvictims:Childrenanddomesticviolence,NCHActionforchildren)23Kolbo,J.R.,Blakeley,E.H.,&Engelman,D.(1996),Childrenwhowitnessdomesticviolence:Areviewoftheempiricalliterature,JournalofInterpersonalViolence,vol.11,no.2;Morley,R.,&Mullender,A.(1994)Domesticviolenceandchildren:whatweknowfromresearchinMullender,A.,&Morley,R.Childrenlivingwithdomesticviolence:puttingmensabuseofwomenonthechildcareagenda;Hester,M.,Pearson,C.,&Harwin,N.(2000;newed.2007)Makinganimpact:Childrenanddomesticviolence:Areader24Hester,M.,Pearson,C.,&Harwin,N.(2000;newed.2007)Makinganimpact:Childrenanddomesticviolence:Areader;Edleson,J.(1999),Theoverlapbetweenchildmaltreatmentandwomanabuse,NationalElectronicNetworkonViolenceagainstwomen(availableonlineat:http://www.vawnet.org/DomesticViolence/Research/VAWnetDocs/AR_overlap.php);Humphreys,C.,andThiara,R.(2002),RoutestoSafety:Protectionissuesfacingabusedwomenandchildrenandtheroleofoutreachservices,WomensAidFederationofEngland;Morley,R.,&Mullender,A.(1994)Domesticviolenceandchildren:whatweknowfromresearchinMullender,A.,&Morley,R.Childrenlivingwithdomesticviolence:puttingmensabuseofwomenonthechildcareagenda;Radford,L.,&Hester,M.(2006),Motheringthroughdomesticviolence25http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/mentalhealthandgrowingup/domesticviolence.aspx26MyCare,TheChallengesFacingYoungCarersofParentswithaSevereMentalIllness,TheMental

27

morethan2.6millionchildrenintheUKlivewithhazardousdrinkers,705,000livewithadependentdrinkerandmorethan8millionpeopleareaffectedbyafamilymembersalcoholuse27.A2010NSPCCChildLinesurveyrevealedmorethan4,000children,someasyoungasfiveyearsold,hadcontactedtheserviceduringthepreviousyearworriedabouttheirparentsexcessivedrinking.Manyofthesecallersalsoreportedinstancesofabuseandneglect28;and

210,000adultsareintreatmentfordrugdependencyeachyear,overathirdofwhomatanyonetimeareparents29.

Earlyhelp:understandingneed

2.21 Problemsmayariseatanytimeinchildrenslivesandsoservicesneedtobe

responsivetoemergingneedatallages.Theearlyyears,however,areaperiodwhenconstructivehelpcanhavethemostimpact:

Anexplosionofresearchintheneurobiological,behavioural,andsocialscienceshasledtomajoradvancesinunderstandingtheconditionsthatinfluencewhetherchildrengetofftoapromisingoraworrisomestartinlife.Thesescientificgainshavegeneratedamuchdeeperappreciationof:(1)theimportanceofearlylifeexperiences,aswellastheinseparableandhighlyinteractiveinfluencesofgeneticsandenvironmentonthedevelopmentofthebrainandtheunfoldingofhumanbehaviour;(2)thecentralroleofearlyrelationshipsasasourceofeithersupportandadaptationorriskanddysfunction;(3)thepowerfulcapabilities,complexemotions,andessentialsocialskillsthatdevelopduringtheearliestmonthsandyearsoflife;and(4)thecapacitytoincreasetheoddsoffavourabledevelopmentaloutcomesthroughplannedinterventions.Earlypathways,thoughfarfromindelible,establisheitherasturdyorfragilestageonwhichsubsequentdevelopmentisconstructed30.

2.22 Governmentpolicyinrecentyearshasbeendesignedinrecognitionthattheserviceschildrenandfamiliesreceivehavetoooftenbeenlimited,becauseofthefailureofprofessionalstounderstandoneanother'srolesortoworktogethereffectively.Policieshaveemphasisedthebenefitstochildrenandyoungpeopleofprofessionalsworkingtogetherwithfamiliestotrytounderstandtheirneedsearlyon,identifythe

HealthFoundation(availableonlineathttp://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/?entryid=38571&entryid5=83759&cord=DESC&char=M)27Manning,V.et.al.(2009)Newestimatesonthenumberofchildrenlivingwithsubstancemisusingparents:ResultsfromUKnationalhouseholdsurveys,JournalofPublicHealth,9(1),pp37738928NSPCCmediarelease:http://www.nspcc.org.uk/newsandviews/mediacentre/pressreleases/2010/100816childrencarryshameofparentsdrinkanddrugsabuse/100816childrencarryshamefulsecretofparentsdrinkanddrugsabuse_wdn78148.html.29NationalTreatmentAgencyfigures:http://www.nta.nhs.uk/aboutbenefits.aspx30NationalResearchCouncil(2000)FromNeuronstoNeighbourhoods:TheScienceofEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,WashingtonD.C.

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supportandservicesneeded,andworktogethertomeetthem.Evidencesubmittedtothereviewshowsstrongsupportforsharedthinkingandassessmentamongprofessionals,where,withthefamilysconsent,afullerunderstandingofthefamilysneedsisestablished,usingaformatcommontoalllocalagenciesthatcanbesharedamongthemasthefamilypermits.Cruciallysuchanassessmentshouldseektheviewsandfeedbackofthechildreninvolvedsothattheirvoicecaninformtheassessmentandthenatureoftheserviceprovided.

2.23 However,evidenceprovidedtothisreviewalsoshowsthemixedexperiencesand

absenceofconsensusabouthowwellprofessionalsareunderstandingoneanothersrolesandworkingtogether.Thisemphasisestheimportanceofthoughtfullydesignedlocalagreementsbetweenprofessionalsabouthowbesttocommunicatewitheachotherabouttheirworkwithafamily,andsupportingthoseconversationswithalocallyagreedformatforrecordingtheneedsofafamilyandtheactionandhelpthatwillbeprovided.

Earlyhelp:recentpolicyandpracticedevelopments

2.24 Undertakinganearlyassessmentisthestartofthehelpingprocess,enablingthedevelopmentoftherelationshipbetweentheprofessionalandthechildandfamily,butitwillnotitselfbesufficienttomeettheneedsoffamilies.TheCoalitionGovernmenthassetintrainstructuralreformstoservicessuchaseducation,policing,welfareandhealth.Takentogetherthesechangeshavethepotentialtochangedramaticallythewayservicesinteractandsupportchildren,youngpeopleandfamilies,buttheyhaveacontinuingcrucialroleinpreventingorrespondingtoabuseandneglect.Universalservicesplayanimportantroleintheprovisionofinformationtoparentsandchildren.Childrenhavecitedtheimportanceofaccesstogoodinformationaboutabuseandaboutservicessotheycanunderstandwhethertheyarebeingharmed.Theyhavealsostressedtheimportanceoftellinginasafeenvironment;usuallyuniversalservicesareseenbychildrenasasafehaven.

2.25 Rolessuchasnamedanddesignatedhealthprofessionalorschoolleadfor

safeguarding,forexample,haveanimportantparttoplayinthechildprotectionsystem.Designatedleadswhoareexperiencedinchildprotectioncanhelpcolleaguesthinkthroughworryingsignsanddecidewhetherornotreferraltochildrenssocialcareisneeded.Topreventneglectandabuse,theprovisionandsupportprovidedthrougharangeofuniversalservices,suchaseducationandhealthcareiscritical.

2.26 Therearealreadyanumberofpolicycommitmentsforuniversalandmoretargeted

servicestomakeearlyhelpmoreeffective,includingsupportfortheprovisionoffreenurserycareforpreschoolchildren. SureStartChildrensCentreswillbereformedwithanincreasedfocusonearlyinterventionsupportforthefamiliesingreatestneedandgreaterinvolvementofvoluntaryandcommunityorganisationswithatrackrecordofsupportingfamilies.

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2.27 Similarlythenumberofhealthvisitorsisduetobesubstantiallyincreased.Healthvisitorsaretrainednursesormidwiveswithspecialisttraininginfamilyandcommunityhealth.Theyareskilledatspottingearlyissues,whichmaydevelopintoproblemsorriskstothefamilyifnotaddressed,forexampleaparentstrugglingtocopeorachildhealthissuewhichneedsspecialattention.Thenationalhealthvisitingprogrammeaimstoincreaseoverallnumbersofhealthvisitorsby4200byApril2015to:

develop,supportandpromotetheservicessetupbyfamiliesand

communitiesthemselvesaspartoftheYourCommunityservice; delivertheHealthyChildProgrammeensuringallchildrengettheessential

immunisations,healthanddevelopmentchecksaspartofaUniversalService;

providearapidresponsewithexperthelpforproblemslikepostnataldepressionorasleeplessbaby,aspartoftheUniversalPlusService;and

provideongoingsupportaspartofarangeoflocalservices,workingtogetherandwithdisadvantagedfamiliestodealwithmorecomplexissuesoveraperiodoftime,undertheUniversalPartnershipPlusService31.

ThisisbeingtakenforwardinpartnershipwithSureStartChildrenCentres,localauthoritiesandthenewHealthandWellbeingBoardsthatlocalauthoritieswilllead.

2.28 ThePublicHealthWhitePaper,HealthyLives,HealthyPeople:Ourstrategyfor

publichealthinEngland32,respondstoProfessorSirMichaelMarmotsFairSociety,HealthyLives

report33,andaimstotacklethewidersocialdeterminantsofhealth.

Thisnewapproachwillaimtobuildpeoplesselfesteem,confidenceandresiliencerightfrominfancy,withstrongersupportforearlyyears.

2.29 Alongsidethisreviewintochildprotection,thereareotherreviewsestablishedby

theGovernmentthatareveryrelevanthere.ClareTickellsreview34oftheEarlyYearsFoundationStageextendsacrosstheuniversalserviceofeducationandcareandisconsideringhowtoidentifyandprovidesupportforchildrenwhoarealreadyshowingdevelopmentaldelaysorbehaviouralproblemsandwhoareinneedofadditionalhelp.FrankFieldsreview35lookedathowtoprovideabettereconomicenvironmentforfamilies,povertybeingamajorcauseofadditionaldifficultiesinprovidinggoodcareandmaderecommendationsonreducingchildpoverty.Graham

31DepartmentforHealth(2011),HealthVisitorImplementationPlan20112015:ACalltoAction32Availableonlineathttp://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_12194133Marmot,M.(2010),FairSociety,HealthyLives(availableonlineathttp://www.marmotreview.org/)34Launchnoticeavailableonlineathttp://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0061485/reviewofearlyyearsfoundationstage35Field,F.(2010),FoundationYears:preventingpoorchildrenbecomingpooradults(availableonlineathttp://povertyreview.independent.gov.uk/)

30

Allensreview36intoearlyinterventionhasalreadymadeastrongargumentfortheeconomicvalueinprovidinghelpintheearlyyearsandhasidentifiedanumberofprogrammesofhelpthathaveevidenceofsomeeffectivenessinimprovingchildrenslifechances.

2.30 TheCoalitionProgrammeforGovernmentmadeacommitmenttoinvestigateanew

approachtosupportingfamilieswithmultipleproblems.Thereareanestimated120,000familieswithmultipleproblemswith46,000havingoneormorechild,aged1015withbehaviourproblems.Overathirdofthesefamilieshavechildrensubjecttochildprotectionprocedures37.Thesefamiliesexperiencearangeofhealthissues,includingpoormentalhealth,alcoholandsubstancemisuse.Evidenceshowsthatthesefamiliesarealsoatriskofexperiencingviolenceinthehousehold.

2.31 Therearethreestrandstothestrategy:

investtotestandshare:asmallnumberofexemplarareasaretestingoutnewapproaches;

learnfromsuccess:mentorareaswithatrackrecordofsuccessfullysupportingfamiliesareactingasdisseminationhubs,sharingtheirknowhowtohelpothersintheirareas;and

breakdownbarriers:currentlyupto20localagenciescansupportthesamefamily,eachwiththeirownfundingrulesandregulations.Thishasbeenshowntostandinthewayofcreatingasingleservicededicatedtotacklingalltheproblemsaffectingasinglefamily.From1April2011localagenciesinthefirst16areas(or28localauthorities)willbeabletocreateaCommunityBudgetfreeingupmoneytobespentoninnovativetypesoffamilyservice.

2.32 ThenewstrategywillbuilduponFamilyInterventions(FIs)thatareonewayof

supportingvulnerableanddisadvantagedfamilies.Theyuseamultiagencyapproachwithanintensiveandpersistentstyleofworkingtochallengeandsupportfamilies.TheFImodelfocusesonhavingakeyworkerwholinksinwithotheragenciesincludinghealthtoaddresstheneedsofeachfamilymember.

2.33 TheFamilyNursePartnership(FNP)programmeisapreventiveprogrammefor

vulnerableyoungfirsttimemothers.Speciallytrainednursesofferintensiveandstructuredhomevisitingfromearlypregnancyuntilthechildrenaretwo,usingpracticalactivitiesandstrengthbasedmethodsthatchangebehaviourandtackletheemotionalproblemsthatpreventsomemothersandfatherscaringwellfortheirchild.FNPhasbeentestedinEnglandsince2007andtheSecretaryofStateforHealthannouncedinOctober2010thathewoulddoublethenumberofplacesonFNPby2015.Theprogrammeisbasedonmorethan30yearsofUSresearchwhich

36Allen,G.(2011),EarlyIntervention:thenextsteps(availableonlineathttp://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/g/graham%20allens%20review%20of%20early%20intervention.pdf)37PatternsofSpecialistMentalHealthUsageinEngland,ONS.http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/Info.do?page=analysisandguidance/analysisarticles/patternsofspecialistmentalhealthserviceusageinengland.htm.

31

hasshownsignificantbenefitsfordisadvantagedyoungfamilies,togetherwithsubstantialcostsavings.

2.34 EarlyevaluationinEnglandsuggeststhatFNPcanbedeliveredsuccessfullyandthat

takeupisgoodwithpromisingpotentialimpacts.Mothersarereducingsmokinginpregnancyandahighproportionareinitiatingbreastfeeding;theyhavesignificantlyimprovedmastery,aformofselfesteemlinkedtopositivebehaviourchange,attheendoftheprogrammecomparedtothestart;andtheyareverypositiveabouttheirparentingcapacity,reportinghighlevelsofwarmparenting,lowlevelsofharshdisciplineandlevelsofparentingstresssimilartothatinthenormalpopulation.FNPchildrenappeartobedevelopinginlinewiththepopulationingeneral,whichisverypromisingasthisgroupusuallyfaresmuchworse.

2.35 AreviewofinterventionstopreventchildmaltreatmentintheLancetrateditasthe

programmewith'bestevidence'describeditashavingundergonethemostrigorousandextensiveevaluationofchildmaltreatmentoutcomes38.

Multiagencylocalityteamswithsocialworkexpertise

2.36 Childrensproblemsmaybenoticedbytheimmediateorextendedfamilywhoseekhelporbyprofessionalsincontactwithfamilymembers,forexampleprimaryhealthcarecentres,healthvisitorservices,midwifery,antenatalservicesandGPpractices,schools,earlyyearsservicessuchasnurseriesandchildrenscentres,thepolice,adultmentalhealthservices,substancemisuseservices,andhousingservices.Thereare,therefore,alargenumberofprofessionalsandthepublicwhomayseesignsforconcernthatachildisbeingabusedorneglected.Decidinghowseriousthesesignsareisnotalwayseasy.

2.37 Asmentionedearlier,abuseandneglectrarelypresentinanunequivocalway,but

peopleseeevidencethatisambiguous;itcouldindicatemaltreatmentorhaveamorebenignexplanation.Manyinuniversalserviceswillhavehadsometraininginrecognisingmaltreatmentandthoseineducationandhealthhaveaccesstomoreexperiencedcolleagueswhoarethedesignatedleadsforchildprotectionandwhocanhelpthemjudgewhethertheirevidencewarrantsfurtheractionornot.However,theevidencegiventothisreviewsuggeststhatthedecisiontoreferontochildrenssocialcareisexperiencedasproblematicbymany.Thevariationinreferralratesaroundthecountryandthefluctuationsinreferralratesinresponsetohighprofilechilddeathsbothsuggestthatcomplexity,uncertainty,andanxietyplayasignificantpartinmakingthedecisiontorefer.

Decidingwhatlevelofsupport/safeguardingresponseisrequiredremainsavexingprobleminchildwelfare,anddecisionsareoftentakeninchallengingcircumstancesandwithlimitedinformation39.

38MacMillan,H.L.,Wathen,C.N.,Barlow,J.,Fergusson,D.,Leventhal,J.M.andTaussig,N.(2009),Interventionstopreventchildmaltreatmentandassociatedimpairment,Lancet373:25026639Broadhurst,K.,White,S.,Fish,S.,Munro,E.,Fletcher,K.,&Lincoln,H.(2010),Tenpitfallsandhow

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2.38 Thereviewhasbeenimpressedbythesolutionsdevelopedinsomelocalareaswheremultiagencyteamsthatincludesocialworkersarebasedinthecommunitywithuniversalservices.Thisallowsthoseintheuniversalservices,whobecomeconcernedaboutachildssafetyorwelfare,toreadilydiscussthiswithanexperiencedteamwhocancheckwhatelseisknownaboutthechildandfamilyandprovideevaluationandassistance.Thisteamenablesadeeperprofessionalconsiderationofthepresentingcontextandisresultinginbetterdecisionsabouthowtoallocateearlyhelpand/ormoreintensesocialcaresupport.Thisapproachallowsprofessionalsandpractitionerstohaveaccesstosocialworkexpertise,helpingthemtomakebetteruseoftheircloserknowledgeandengagementswiththechildandfamily.Morespecifically,theprofessionalanxietythatexistsintryingtounderstandtheseverityoftheirconcernsaboutachildislessened.Thisseemstocomefromtheprovisionofsocialworkexpertisetotalkthroughconcernbeforeaformalassessmentorreferralismade.Moresenseismadeofthepresentingconcernandinformation,andaconsensusreachedaboutbestnextsteps.

2.39 Theevidencefurthershowsthatthenumberofinappropriatereferralstochildrens

socialcareisreduced.Theteamsarereportedtobehelpingtodirectthosefamiliesinneedofadifferenttypeofhelptoanappropriatealternative.

2.40 Theselocalinnovationshavebeenofdifferentforms.Some,forexample,havebeen

socialworkledandsomeheadedbythepolice.Thereviewwillexplorehowlocalareascanbesupportedindevelopingtheirownarrangementsforteamstomeetthelocalneedsofthecommunity.Becausesuchteamsprovidebenefittomanyagencies,itisperhapsappropriatethattheirfundingshouldalsobesharedamongsttheseagencies.

Conclusion

2.41 Thereisastrongcaseforprovidingprimaryandsecondarypreventiveservicestopreventmaltreatmentoritsfurtherescalation.Forchildren,providinghelpearlyreducestheamountofdistressorharmtheymaysufferandweknowmoreaboutpreventingmaltreatmentthanstoppingitsrecurrence.Offeringhelpearlycanalsobedoneinarespectfulwaythatdoesnotunderminetheresponsibilityoftheparentstobringuptheirchildren.However,theproblemofidentifyingthosechildrenreceivingearlyinterventionservicesonaconsensualbasisinpartnershipwithparents,butwhoaresuffering,orlikelytosuffer,significantharmisnoteasy.Thereviewhasbeenimpressedbythoselocalinnovationsthathavetackledthisproblembycreatingmultiagencyteamswhereconcernscanbeexaminedandmoreaccuratejudgmentsmadeaboutwhatlevelandtypeofhelpisneeded.

2.42 Commontothesesuccesseshasbeenthecreationofchannelsthroughwhich

practitionersfromdifferentagenciescandiscusstheirconcerns,eitherinameetingroomorsimplyoverthetelephone.Thevalueoftheseinformalbutstrategicconversationsisthattheyenableprofessionalstoexchangeideaswithoutneedingto

toavoidthem:whatresearchtellsus,p.3

33

enterformalproceedings.Itistheseinformalrelationshipsbetweendifferenttypesofexpertwhichthereviewholdstobecrucialtoimprovingearlyhelp.Whendoneproperly,thisshouldhelptoreducethenumberofunnecessaryreferralstochildrenssocialcare,freeingtimeandresourcesinbusydepartments.Butitshouldalsogiveuniversalservicesandfamilysupportworkersbetteropportunitiestotalkthroughconcerns,evenwhentheyarenotimmediatechildprotectionissues,andsoofferabetterchanceofthesechildrenreceivingappropriateattentionmorequickly.Initsnextphasethereviewwillconsiderhowthismutuallybeneficialrelationshipbetweenservicescanbefosteredandencouraged.

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ChapterThree:ChildandfamilysocialworkIntroduction

3.1 Acentralpartofthisreviewsremitistomakerecommendationsonimprovingsocialworkpractice.Thischapterconsiderstheexpertisesocialworkersneedtobeabletoexerciseandthenextchapterfocusesonhowthesocialcareorganisationcanhelp(orhinder)theminacquiringandusingthatexpertise.

3.2 Whenchildrenandyoungpeoplecomeintocontactwithchildrenssocialcare,their

fundamentalneedisforunderstandingoftheproblemstheyandtheirfamilieshave,andfortheprovisionofhelptoresolvetheminordertoimprovetheirsafetyandwellbeing.Howcansocialworkersbehelpedtoprovidetheunderstandingandhelpthatchildrenandyoungpeopleneed?Howcantheyhelpparentschangesothattheyprovidesafeandgoodqualitycare?TheSocialWorkTaskForceandtheSocialWorkReformBoardhavesummarisedtheirambitionsforreform40:

bettertrainingwithemployers,educatorsandtheprofessionalltakingtheir

fullshareofresponsibilityforinvestinginthenextgenerationandinenablingsocialworkersalreadyinpracticetodeveloptheirskillscontinuously;

improvedworkingconditionswithemployerssigninguptonewstandardsforthesupportandsupervisionoftheirfrontlineworkforcethatmakegoodpracticepossible;

strongerleadershipandindependencewiththeprofessiontakingmorecontroloveritsownstandards,howitisunderstoodandvaluedbythepublic,andthecontributionitmakestochangesinpolicyandpractice;

areliablesupplyofconfident,highquality,adaptableprofessionalsintotheworkforce,wheretheycanbuildlongtermcareersonthefrontline;

greaterunderstandingamongthegeneralpublic,serviceusers,otherprofessionalsandthemediaoftheroleandpurposeofsocialwork,thedemandsofthejobandthecontributionsocialworkersmake;and

moreuseofresearchandcontinuingprofessionaldevelopmenttoinformfrontlinepractice.

3.3 Thisreviewendorsestheiranalysisoftheproblemsandtheirrecommendationsfor

improvingthequalityofsocialworkpractice.However,italsoseekstobuildonthesefoundationstospecifythespecialistskillsandknowledgeneededinchildandfamilysocialwork.Thereisnowasubstantialbodyofresearchevidencethatcanhelpsocialworkersmakebetterassessmentsofchildrensneeds,andoffermoreeffectivehelptofamiliestocreatesaferandmorenurturingparenting.Skilledsocial

40SocialWorkTaskForce(2009),BuildingaSafeandConfidentFuture,p6

35

workerscanmakeasignificantdifferencetothequalityofchildrenslives.Farmer41illustratesthispointwell,reportingthatthehighestsuccessrateforreunifyingchildrenwiththeirbirthfamilieswas64%whilethelowestwas10%,withthekeydeterminantbeingtheskillandinvestmentofthesocialworkteam.

3.4 However,asthefirstreportofthisreviewconcluded,weneedtofocusnotonlyon

whatexpertisewewantanindividualsocialworkertohave,butalsoonwhatworkenvironmenthelpsthemdevelopandusetheirexpertise.

Indesign,weeitherhobbleorsupportpeoplesnaturalabilitytoexpressformsofexpertise42.

3.5 Itisimportanttoseethequalityofanyonesocialworkersperformanceasnotjust

beingduetotheirexpertisebutarisingfromtheinteractionbetweenwhattheybringtothejobandtheaspectsoftheworkenvironmentthatmakeiteasierorharderforthemtoexercisethatexpertise.Adysfunctionalworkplacemakesitdifficultforeventhemostskilledandmotivatedsocialworkerstoachievethelevelofeffectivenessthattheywouldlike.Thisappliesnotonlytothemajorobstaclestogoodpracticesuchasheavycaseloadsorlackofsupervision,buttothemoresubtleinfluencesofthedesignofassessmenttools,ororganisationalmessagesaboutpriorities.Thelessonslearnedinothersafetycriticalareasofworksuchashealthandaviationclearlyshowthatstudyingtheinterplaybetweenworkersandtheworkenvironmentisthemostproductivewayofimprovingstandardsandreducingerrors43.

3.6 Thischapterbeginsbylookingathowpeopleexerciseexpertise,howtheyusetheir

differentreasoningcapacitiesandemotionsbecausethishasimplicationsforhowtheyaresupportedtoreachahighlevelofperformance.Thisaccountbringsouthowengagingwith,andunderstandingachildandtheirfamily,involvesfarmorethanlogicalreason.Whensocialworkersaretalkingtoachildandfamilyintheirhome,theyaredrawingonseveralsourcesofinformationandmakingswiftdecisionsandchangesastheinterviewprogresses.Theirconsciousmindispayingattentiontothepurposeoftheirvisit;atanintuitiveleveltheyareformingapictureofthechildandfamilyandsensingthedynamicsintheroom,notingevidenceofanger,confusion,oranxiety.Thisfeedsintotheirconsciousawarenessandhelpsshapethewaytheinterviewprogresses.Theirownemotionalreactionisonesourceofinformation;thedespair,forexample,thatsomeparentsfeelevokesanempathicresponseinothers.Itwillbearguedthatpreviousreformshaveconcentratedtoomuchontheexplicit,logicalaspectsofreasoningandthishascontributedtoaskewedmanagementframeworkthatundervaluesintuitivereasoningandemotionsandthusfailstogiveappropriatesupporttothoseaspects.

41Farmer,E.etal(2008),ReunificationofLookedAfterChildrenwiththeirParents:Patterns,InterventionsandOutcomes(availableonlineathttp://www.education.gov.uk/research)42Woods,D.(2002),Steeringthereverberationsoftechnologychangeonfieldsofpractice:LawsthatgoverncognitiveworkinProceedingsofthe24thAnnualMeetingoftheCognitiveScienceSociety,Atlanta,GA,ed.Gray,W.D.,&Schumm,C.D..(seehttp://csel.eng.ohiostate.edu//productions/laws/laws_talk/media/0_Steering.pdf)43 Woods,etal(1994);DepartmentofHealth(2000)

36

3.7 Thisaccountofhumanreasoningtheninformsthesubsequentsectiononforming

relationshipswithchildrenandadults,relationshipsthat,inthechildprotectioncontext,frequentlyinvolveintenseemotionsandtheneedtoaddresssensitiveandchallengingissues.

Reasoningandemotions

3.8 Socialworkersaretryingtounderstandandhelpotherhumanbeings.Thismeansthatskillsinformingrelationshipsarefundamentaltoobtainingtheinformationthathelpsthemunderstandwhatproblemsafamilyhas,engagingthechildandfamilyandworkingwiththemtopromotechange.Thismayseemobviousbut,whenwelookattheeffortsinrecentyearstoimprovesocialworkperformance,itappearstohavebeenoverlookedorundervalued.Itshouldalwaysbeofparamountimportanceforsocialworkerstoseekandbeinformedbytheviewsandopinionsofchildren.Whatdoesthechildthinkneedstochangetoaddresstheirproblem?Howshouldthesocialworkergoaboutmakingthechangehappen?

3.9 Intheextensivereformsthathaveshapedtodaysworkenvironment,the

professionalaccountofsocialworkpracticeinwhichrelationshipsplayacentralroleappearstohavebeengraduallystifledandreplacedbyamanagerialistaccountthatisfundamentallydifferent.Themanagerialistapproachhasbeencalledarationaltechnicalapproach,wheretheemphasishasbeenontheconscious,cognitiveelementsofthetaskofworkingwithchildrenandfamilies,oncollectinginformation,andmakingplans.Thefocusofreformshasbeenonprovidingdetailedassessmentforms,tellingthesocialworkerwhatdataaboutfamiliestocollectand,howquicklytocollectit.Lessattentionhasbeengiventohelpingfrontlinestaffacquiretheskillstoanalysetheinformationcollected.Thenextstageinmanagingacaseisplanninghowtorespondandthis,asevidencetothisreviewhasshown,hasincreasinglymeantreferringontootherservicesratherthanprovidingdirectsocialworkhelp.Insomecases,formulaicresponseshavebeendeveloped,forexamplespecifyingwhenacertainnumberofreportsofdomesticviolencehavebeenreceivedtriggeravisit.

3.10 Therationaltechnicalapproachhasfedintoaviewthatagoodenoughpictureof

practicecanbegainedfromproceduralmanualsandfromthewrittenrecordwheretheresultsofthecognitiveworkaredisplayed.Theclaimthatpracticeistransparenthasusuallymeantthereisawrittenrecordofsomeaspectsofpractice,althoughsocialworkersreportlittleofthethinkingandactiongetsrecorded.Ithasfosteredaviewthatthemoreimportantpartofsocialworkiscarriedoutonacomputer.Goodrecordsareimportant:theyarethefuturereferencepointforthechildandprovideanaccountofwhatactionshavebeentakenandwhybythelocalauthority.Butifwetaketheperspectiveofchildrenandtheirparents,themostimportantactivityworktakesplacewhensocialworkersmeetchildrenandfamilies,trytocommunicatewiththem,workwiththem,andhelpthemtochange.

3.11 Theexplicit,cognitiveaspectsoftheworkareimportantbutprovideanincomplete

account.Knowingwhatdatatocollectisuseful,butitisequallyusefultoknowhow

37

tocollectit;howtogetthroughthefrontdoorandcreatearelationshipwheretheparentiswillingtotellthesocialworkeranythingaboutthechildandfamily;howtoaskchallengingquestionsaboutverysensitivematters;andhavingtheexpertisetosensethatthechildorparentisbeingevasive.Aboveall,itisimportanttobeabletoworkdirectlywithchildrenandyoungpeopletounderstandtheirexperiences,worries,hopesanddreams.

3.12 Focusingonthecentralityofrelationshipskillsdrawsattentiontotherolesof

intuitiveunderstandingandemotionalresponses.Consciouslogicalthinkinghasquiterightlybeenhighlyvaluedasahumanattribute,butthetraditionalviewthatitisinherentlysuperiortointuitionandemotionhasbeenoverturnedbydevelopmentsinneuropsychology.Hammond44arguesconvincinglyfortheneedtoseelogicalandintuitivethinkingonacognitivecontinuumwhereweuseadifferentbalancebetweenthemdependingonwhattaskwearecarryingout.Solvingamathsproblemisattheanalyticextremewhilecalmingafrightenedchildusesintuitiveunderstanding.Theimportanceofourintuitivereasoningcapacityisalsoillustratedbythedifferenceinsizebetweenourconsciousandunconsciouscapacities:

Itisestimatedthatoursenseorganscollectbetween200,000andImillionbitsofinformationforeverybitofinformationthatentersourawareness.Consciousperceptionrepresentsonlythesmallestfractionofwhatweabsorbfromourworldlyencounters.Itisthetipofaniceberg45.

3.13 Researchinneuropsychologyshowsthatourintuitiveandemotionalresponses

occurautomaticallyandoutsideconsciousawareness;wecannotchoosetobeonlylogical,thinkingmachines46.Whenasocialworkervisitsahomeandthefatherbehavesinathreateningmanner,hisorherbodyreactsautomatically,generatingstresshormonesinresponsetotheperceivedthreat.Similarly,whenanexperiencedsocialworkermeetsafamily,heorshecanquicklypickupanintuitiveawarenessofthestateofthedynamicsinthefamily,thewarmthoftherelationshipbetweenmembers,ortheleveloffearfeltbyachild.Appreciatingtheimportanceofbothlogicalandintuitiveunderstandingandthecontributionofemotionsoffersguidanceonthedifferenttrainingneedsinusingthemtobesteffect.

3.14 Intuitionissometimespresentedasamysteriousormysticalprocess,butitsphysical

locationandthefeaturesoftheprocessareunderstood.Itisonlymysteriousinthesensethatitisgenerallyanunconsciousprocessthatoccursautomaticallyinresponsetoperceptions,integratingawiderangeofdatatoproduceajudgmentinarelativelyeffortlessway.Itisveryrapidandrelativelyindependentoflanguage,orientedtowardsidentifyingpatterns.Itneednotremainunconsciousbutcanbearticulatedandthisabilitycanbeimprovedwithpractice.Supervisionofcaseworktypicallyinvolveshelpingpractitionersdrawouttheirreasoningsothatitcanbereviewed.

44Hammond,K.R.(1966),Probabilisticfunctionalism:EgonBrunswik'sintegrationofthehistory,theory,andmethodofpsychologyinThepsychologyofEgonBrunswik,ed.Hammond,K.R.45ThieleL.(2006),TheHeartofJudgment:PracticalWisdom,Neuroscience,andNarrative,p12146Hammond,K.(2007),BeyondRationality

38

3.15 Gutfeelingsareinfactneitherimpeccablenorstupid;theytakeadvantageofthe

evolvedcapacitiesofthebrainandarebasedonrulesofthumbthatenableustoactfastandwithastoundingaccuracy47.Theyarenotimpeccable,asresearchshows,becauseintuitivejudgmentsarevulnerabletopredictabletypesoferrorandcriticalchallengebyothersisneededtohelpsocialworkerscatchsuchbiasesandcorrectthem48.

3.16 Klein49andhiscolleagueshavedoneinvaluableworkinstudyinghowexperienced

workersperforminreallifesituations.Theirstudiesof,amongothers,firefighters,policeofficers,andpilotshavehelpedthembuildapictureofhowpeoplemakedecisionsandactthathasdirectrelevancetounderstandingexpertiseinsocialwork.Intuitiveexpertiseisbuiltupthroughpatternrecognitionandthishasimplicationsforhowsocialworkersshouldbetrained,managed,andprovidedwithacareerpaththatvaluesandpromotesthecontinualdevelopmentofexpertise.

3.17 Theemotionaldimensionofworkingwithchildrenandfamiliesplaysasignificant

partinhowsocialworkersreasonandact.Ifitisnotexplicitlydiscussedandaddressedthenitsimpactcanbeharmful50.Itcanleadtodistortionsinsocialworkersreasoningbecauseoftheunconsciousinfluenceithasonwhereattentionisfocusedandhowinformationisinterpreted.Forexample,asocialworkercanfeelsuchcompassionfortheneedinessofamotherthatheorshefailstoseeherchildssuffering.Socialworkersshouldalwaysconsidermattersfromtheperspectiveofthechildandaskthemselves,Whatarethechildsneeds?.Thesecondharmfulrepercussionisonitsimpactontheworkersthemselves.Beingexposedtothepowerfulandoftennegativeemotionsfoundinchildprotectionworkcomesatapersonalcost.Iftheworkenvironmentdoesnothelpsupportworkersanddebriefthemafterparticularlytraumaticexperiences,thenitincreasestheriskofburnoutwhich,inthehumanservices,hasbeendefinedintermsofthreedimensions:emotionalexhaustion,depersonalisation(orcynicism),andreducedpersonalaccomplishment51.

3.18 Theneedforchallengebyothersisreinforcedbythefactthatintuitivereasoning

generatesfeelingsofcertitude52andthischaracteristicmakesitveryattractivefortheindividualwhoisoperatinginaworldofuncertainty.Thedownsideofthisisthatthepractitionerwhohasagutfeelingaboutacasehasasenseofconfidenceinthatjudgmentthatcanmakethepersonresistanttochangeorchallenge.

47Gigerenzer,G.(2002),ReckoningwithRisk,p22848Gilovich,T.,GriffinD.,&Kahneman,D.(eds.)(2008),HeuristicsandBiases:ThePsychologyofIntuitiveJudgment49Klein,G.(2000),SourcesofPower:HowPeopleMakeDecision;Klein,G.(2009),StreetlightsandShadows;SearchingfortheKeystoAdaptiveDecisionMaking50 Howe,D2008TheEmotionallyIntelligentWorker,Basingstoke,PalgraveMacmillan 51Maslach,C.,Schaufeli,W.,&Leiter,M.(2001),Jobburnout,AnnualReviewofPsychology,52,pp39742252Payne,J.,&Bettman,J.(2007),WalkingwiththeScarecrow:TheInformationProcessingApproachtoDecisionResearchinBlackwellHandbookofJudgmentandDecisionMaking,ed.Koehler,D.,&Harvey,N.

39

Supervisionthatincludesacriticalappraisaloftheassessmentandplanningforachildandfamily,therefore,shouldbeseenascentraltogoodpracticeinreducingerror.

Childprotectionprofessionalsareconstantlymakingjudgmentsthatimpingeontherightsofparentstobewithandrelatetotheirchildrenandtheparallelrightofchildrentotheirparents.Thestakesarehighandchildprotectiondecisionmakingneedstobeasexplicitaspossibleandbeavailableforreviewandscrutiny53.

3.19 Thissomewhatabstractaccountofsocialworkreasoningwillbeaugmentedinthefinalreportbyadetailedaccountoftheskills,knowledgeandvaluesneededinchildandfamilysocialwork,buildingonthecapabilitiesframeworkoftheSocialWorkReformBoard(overleaf)54.

Relationshipbasedpracticewithchildren

3.20 TheparticipationofchildrenandyoungpeopleindecisionsthataffecttheirlivesisnotnewandiscentraltoGovernmentpolicy.BoththeChildrenActsof1989and2004requirealocalauthoritytoascertainthewishesandfeelingsofchildrenwhendeterminingwhatservicestoprovide,orwhatactiontotake,includingwhenitislookingafterchildren.Thislegislationprovidesthelegalframeworkforchildrensrights.TheUKGovernmentsratificationoftheUnitedNationsConventionontheRightsoftheChildin1991recognisedchildrensrightstoexpressionandtoreceivinginformation.ThiswasreinforcedbyArticle10oftheHumanRightsAct1998.Itisvitalthattheselegislativeprioritiestranslatetopracticeatthefrontline.

3.21 Thereasonforspeakingtochildrenandyoungpeopleisthattheyareakeysourceof

informationtounderstandtheproblemstheyandtheirfamilieshave,andtheimpactthisishavingontheminthespecificcultureandvaluesoftheirfamily.Itisthereforepuzzlingthattheevidenceshowsthatchildrenarenotbeingadequatelyincludedinchildprotectionwork.Apersistentcriticisminreportsofinquiriesandreviewsintochilddeathsisthatpeopledidnotspeaktothechildrenenough.Anoverviewofresearchfindingsshowsboththatchildrenareoftenoverlooked,andhowmuchtheyappreciateitwhentheyarekeptinformed,consulted,andcanformarelationshipwiththeworker.

53Turnell,A.(forthcoming),BuildingSafetyinChildProtectionPractice:Workingwithastrengthsandsolutionfocusinanenvironmentofrisk 54SocialWorkReformBoard(2010),BuildingaSafeandConfidentFuture:oneyearon,p.10f

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SocialWorkReformBoardCapabilitiesFrameworkPROFESSIONALISMIdentifyandbehaveasaprofessionalsocialworker,committedtoprofessionaldevelopmentSocialworkersaremembersofaninternationallyrecognisedprofession,atitleprotectedinUKlaw.Socialworkersdemonstrateprofessionalcommitmentbytakingresponsibilityfortheirconduct,practiceandlearning,withsupportthroughsupervision.Asrepresentativesofthesocialworkprofessiontheysafeguarditsreputationandareaccountabletotheprofessionalregulator.

VALUES&ETHICSApplysocialworkethicalprinciplesandvaluestoguideprofessionalpracticeSocialworkershaveanobligationtoconductthemselvesethicallyandtoengageinethicaldecisionmaking,includingthroughpartnershipwithpeoplewhousetheirservices.Socialworkersareknowledgeableaboutthevaluebaseoftheirprofession,itsethicalstandardsandrelevantlaw.

DIVERSITYRecognisediversityandapplyantidiscriminatoryandantioppressiveprinciplesinpracticeSocialworkersunderstandthatdiversitycharacterisesandshapeshumanexperienceandiscriticaltotheformationofidentity.Diversityismultidimensionalandincludesrace,disability,class,economicstatus,age,sexuality,genderandtransgender,faithandbelief.Socialworkersappreciatethat,asaconsequenceofdifference,apersonslifeexperiencemayincludeoppression,marginalisationandalienationaswellasprivilege,powerandacclaim,andareabletochallengeappropriately.RIGHTS,JUSTICE,&ECONOMICWELLBEINGAdvancehumanrightsandpromotesocialjusticeandeconomicwellbeingSocialworkersrecognisethefundamentalprinciplesofhumanrightsandequalityandthattheseareprotectedinnationalandinternationallaw,conventionsandpolicies.Theyensuretheseprinciplesunderpintheirpractice.Socialworkersunderstandtheimportanceofusingandcontributingtocaselawandapplyingtheserightsintheirownpractice.Theyunderstandtheeffectsofoppression,discriminationandpoverty.

KNOWLEDGEApplyknowledgeofsocialsciences,lawandsocialworkpracticetheorySocialworkersunderstandpsychological,social,cultural,spiritualandphysicalinfluencesonpeople;humandevelopmentthroughoutthelifespanandthelegalframeworkforpractice.Theyapplythisknowledgeintheirworkwithindividuals,familiesandcommunities.Theyknowandusetheoriesandmethodsofsocialworkpractice.

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CRITICALREFLECTIONANDANALYSISApplycriticalreflectionandanalysistoinformandprovidearationaleforprofessionaldecisionmakingSocialworkersareknowledgeableaboutandapplytheprinciplesofcriticalthinkingandreasoneddiscernment.Theyidentify,distinguish,evaluateandintegratemultiplesourcesofknowledgeandevidence.Theseincludepracticeevidence,theirownpracticeexperience,serviceuserandcarerexperiencetogetherwithresearchbased,organisational,policyandlegalknowledge.Theyusecriticalthinkingaugmentedbycreativityandcuriosity.

INTERVENTIONANDSKILLSUsejudgmentandauthoritytointervenewithindividuals,familiesandcommunitiestopromoteindependence,providesupportandpreventharm,neglectandabuseSocialworkersengagewithindividuals,families,groupsandcommunities,workingalongsidepeopletoassessandintervene.Theyenableeffectiverelationships,andareeffectivecommunicators,usingappropriateskills.Usingtheirprofessionaljudgement,theyemployarangeofinterventions:promotingindependence,providingsupportandprotectio