The integrated children's system: enhancing social work and inter-agency practice

228 Pages·2008·0.8 MB·English

by  Hedy Cleaver

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The Integrated Children’s System
Enhancing Social Work and
Inter-Agency Practice
Hedy Cleaver, Steve Walker, Jane Scott,
Daniel Cleaver, Wendy Rose,
Harriet Ward and Andy Pithouse
Foreword by Sir Al Aynsley-Green

Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
Firstpublishedin2008
byJessicaKingsleyPublishers
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Copyright©HedyCleaver,SteveWalker,JaneScott,DanielCleaver,WendyRose,
HarrietWardandAndyPithouse2008
Forewordcopyright©SirAlAynsley-Green
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedinanymaterialform(including
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LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Theintegratedchildren’ssystem:enhancingsocialworkrecordingandinter-agencypractice
/HedyCleaver...[etal.].
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978-1-84310-944-0(pb:alk.paper) 1. Socialworkwithchildren--GreatBritain.2.
Socialworkadministration--GreatBritain--Dataprocessing.3. Informationstorageandretrieval
systems--Socialservice. I.Cleaver,Hedy.
HV751.A6I562008
362.7--dc22
2008014010
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
ACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN9781843109440
ISBNpdfeBook9781846428210
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby
AthenaeumPress,Gateshead,TyneandWear
Contents
FOREWORD 7
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 9
Chapter 1 Introduction to the Study 11
Chapter 2 Implementing the Integrated Children’s
System 30
Chapter 3 Impact of the Integrated Children’s System
on Recording Social Work Practice 54
Chapter 4 Impact on Recording – Social Workers’
Perceptions 88
Chapter 5 Impact of the Integrated Children’s System
on Inter-Agency Working 100
Chapter 6 Impact of the Integrated Children’s System
on Involving Children and Young People 119

Chapter 7 Use of Information Technology 149
Chapter 8 Conclusions and Implications for Policy and
Practice 170
APPENDIX1AIMSANDMETHODS 193
REFERENCES 212
SUBJECTINDEX 217
AUTHORINDEX 224
List of Tables
Table 3.1 Breakdown of cases included in the two case file
samples 56
Table 3.2 Characteristics of the two case file samples 57
Table 3.3 Information recorded on Child’s Plans 63
Table 3.4 Information recorded on Child Protection Reviews 67
Table 3.5 Information recorded on Care Plans 77
Table 3.6 Information recorded on Pathway Plans 79
Table 3.7 Information recorded about a child’s developmental
needs on Looked After Reviews 82
Table 4.1 Practitioners’ reports of IT tasks performed
at least once per week 96
Table 4.2 Practitioners’ assessments of amount of
IT training received 97
Table 4.3 Sources of help available to practitioners 98
Table 5.1 Changes to the amount and quality of information
requested from practitioners 111
Table 6.1 Characteristics of the sample of young people 129
Table 6.2 Young people’s perception of the rate at which
issues were discussed at review meetings 142
Table A.1 The distribution of interviews by service
and local authority 201
Foreword
ThefirstpieceofresearchthatIcommissionedwhenIcameintothispostwas
to find out what young people felt about information sharing. The findings
brought home to me the fundamental importance of an honest and open
dialogue with vulnerable children in taking these crucial decisions. Get it
rightandwearewell-placedtoprovidequalityservicesthatcometogetherto
meettheneedsofindividualchildren.Getitwrongandweriskconfusingand
alienating those we seek to help.
Childrentellusclearlywhattheywantwhentheyareexperiencingdiffi-
culties.Firstof alltheywanttotalktosomeonetheycantrust.Theydonot
expectmiraclesbuttheyarelookingforrespect,honestyandadultswhokeep
theirword.Theywouldliketoavoidhavingtotelltheirstoryoverandover
againandtheywouldusuallypreferthepersontheyhavehadcontactwithto
take action on their behalf. They expect that, when problems are serious,
information will be shared with professionals in the services that can help
them;andtheyexpecttobeinvolvedindecidingwhenthisshouldhappen.
Theyunderstandwhyarecordwillbekeptaboutthemandtheirsituationbut
theywanttoknoww hathasbeenwrittenaboutthem,whowillhaveaccessto
the information and for what purpose. It is essential, they say, to be kept
informed about what is happening at every stage of professionals’ involve-
mentandtoknowwhatisgoingtohappennext. Whenactionhastobetaken,
theyasktobefullyconsultedaboutdecisionsandplansthatwillaffectthem
andmembersoftheirfamilies,howeverharditisgoingtobeforthem.When
decisions have been taken they do not want to be forgotten or ignored but,
fundamentally,theywantsomeonetoknowandcarehowwelltheyaredoing.
These utterly straightforward and reasonable requests by children and
young people are supported by the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child and by legislation in the United Kingdom. However, they have
7
8 / THEINTEGRATEDCHILDREN’SSYSTEM
far-reaching consequences for the way in which those of us in the helping
professions carry out our responsibilities and organise our services. They
require services to be accessible and responsive according to the circum-
stances and wishes of children and their families. Processes of gathering
informationandcomingtodecisions,planning,takingactionandreviewing
children’sprogress,needtobewellco-ordinatedandasseamlessaspossible,
withoutunnecessaryduplication,bureaucracyordelay.Whencircumstances
becomeincreasinglycomplexandachildisvulnerable,effectiveinformation
sharing and planning across agencies is critically important.
It is for these reasons that practitioners need the support of well devel-
opedprocessesfortheirworkandforrecordingandsharinginformation. The
development of the Integrated Children’s System by the Department for
Children, Schools and Families aims to provide a more coherent basis for
workingwithchildreninneedandtheirfamilies,underpinnedbyacommon
language and set of principles, and up-to-date access to user-friendly elec-
tronicrecording. Inevitably,translatingsuchanambitiousinitiativefromthe
drawingboardintopracticalrealityinvolvestrialanderror. Thisiswhythe
findingsofthisbookareimportantastheyrecordtheexperienceoffourlocal
authoritiesinEnglandandWalesthatpilotedthenewapproach. Thebook
provides valuable learning points for authorities currently involved in the
process of implementing the Integrated Children’s System.
SirAlAynsley-Green
Children’sCommissionerforEngland,at11Million