CYSCP

We know that navigating Children’s Services can be complex therefore this protocol has been developed to aid practitioners understanding of what happens when a child is referred into Children’s Services alongside an understanding of:

• The ‘Building Brighter Futures’ Practice Model and communication with children and their families
• Lead Practitioners
• Responses to specific needs
• Signs of Safety
• Communication with children and their families
• Arrangements for specific needs
• How children and their families can make a complaint

This protocol should be read alongside the Continuum of Need document, CYSCP Procedures, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (.pdf) and the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) and the Children’s Social Care National Framework

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (.pdf) sets out a shared responsibility which sees successful outcomes being dependent on strong multi-agency partnership working and child centred practice which focuses on us taking a whole family approach.

Working Together to Safeguard Children aims to strengthen our work with children and their families. The focus is to keep safeguarding at the centre of practice while working in partnership with families. We do this through embedding the principles for working with parents and carers, shared decision making and outlining the importance and role of the family network.

The Children’s Social Care National Framework has laid out in statutory guidance the purpose, principles for practice and expected outcomes of Children’s Social Care. The guidance recognises that to achieve the right outcomes for children and young people partnership vision and working needs to be at the centre:

Helping whole families to bring about change can be motivating and inspiring, but the work that practitioners do everyday is complex, nuanced and demanding. In this environment, where decisions can have significant consequences, everyone needs a shared vision for what children’s social care should achieve, as well as common view about what is needed to make it happen…Multi-agency working is included in the National Framework as the first enabler, and partner agencies should recognise their role in achieving good outcomes for children, young people and their families.

The National Framework puts the voices of children, young people and families at the heart of practice, so they can have a say in how they are supported. A version of the National Framework has been developed for children, young people and their families and should be shared with them.

The outcomes within the Framework reflect the core purpose of Children’s Services. They align with those of the National Framework and we call these Meaningful Measures:

• outcome 1 - children, young people and their families stay together and get the help they need
• outcome 2 - children and young people are supported by their family network
• outcome 3 - children and young people are safe in and outside of their homes
• outcome 4 - children in care and care leavers have stable, loving homes

Children and their families will be informed on what they can expect through the sharing of an:

• illustrated guide to the Children’s Social Care National Framework (.pdf)
• animated guide to the Children’s Social Care National Framework for children and young people (YouTube)