23/11/2011 Havering LSCB Annual Conference Improving children’s lives “Playing your part” -The importance of early ide

1. 23/11/2011 Havering LSCB Annual ConferenceImproving children’s lives “Playing your part” -The importance of early identification of need. Anna Jones, Designated Nurse NHS ONEL Helen Gregory, Safeguarding Adviser NELCS Daren Mulley, Young People's Substance Misuse & Teenage Pregnancy Coordinator LBH

2. Key Messages • To achieve their well-becoming in the future, children’s wellbeing is important at every stage of childhood. Every child needs to be healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected and responsible, and, above all, safe. • Importance of secure relationships, early attachment & good parenting early in life. Investment in a preventative approach through early intervention will result in positive outcomes. • All practitioners need to think about a child’s problems not only from their agency’s perspective but also to see any risks and needs in the context of the whole of a child’s life. • Early support through HV and School nursing can recognise when vital relationships are at risk & can act to prevent an escalation. • Many children today are exhibiting conduct disorders and poor lifestyle behaviours. School nurses are key to early identification to turn this around alongside colleagues within other agencies (e.g. substance misuse services).

3. Roles of health visiting and school nursing • Only health professionals who have a universal preventative role not only with children and young people but also the families. • Prevention and early identification/intervention in relation to health and social needs versus a primary role in clinical treatment • One of the key professionals involved in monitoring and supporting families of children in need who do not meet threshold for referral for additional support from other agencies • Address health inequalities and public health priorities through targeting families least likely to access services.

4. Assessments • Research shows that assessments lack: • A social history- services need to think family! • “Hidden” men. Toxic trio. • Focus on small improvements v. consideration of families’ full histories • The drawing together of information from different sources and shared across agencies. • A lack of understanding of roles and responsibilities. • An analysis of how family problems had developed over time. • A description of who had contributed to the assessment • Assessments should not be “one-off” snapshots • Parents and children in need of support value and are more likely to engage with practitioners who are accessible, approachable and responsive.

5. Challengesrelated to multi-agency working • Poor information sharing and analysis within and across agencies: • Ofsted review indicated that individual agencies did not have complete information on families’ histories • Confusion regarding data protection/information sharing • Assessments were not sufficiently in-depth for decision-making • Varying thresholds for classifying significant harm • Sheer number of agencies involved • Child- and adult-focused practitioners may have different priorities. 5

6. Implications for practice 6

7. Groupwork • A) What would you consider as “need” or vulnerability within families and children? • B) What advice would you give to professionals on engaging resistant and reluctant young people? • C) Which agencies would you link with in order to address the considered needs of children, young people and their families and what do you perceive as barriers to information sharing?