Agenda item

The recommendations to be submitted to the Executive were:

a)    That the panel supported the continuation of Locality Working in both Newport and North Ormesby and further supported the roll-out of the model to other areas of the town based on priority need, to be determined through demand analysis, community surveys and led by the evaluation report for consideration by the Executive.

b)    In supporting the Locality Working model in Middlesbrough, the Panel recommended that discussions with senior managers and directors of finance within all public sector partner organisations were held with a view to appropriately and proportionately funding each locality working area to ensure sufficient staffing allocations to meet demand.  The Panel would further recommend that appropriate core structures are in place within the locality teams to ensure that Neighbourhood Managers are fully supported and deputised for during periods of absence/holidays.

c)     The Panel acknowledged the high numbers of early help cases in both Newport and North Ormesby and noted the views of the Early Help Practitioners that they feel there are not enough practitioners to meet demand.  The Panel recommended that, subject to further analysis, consideration be given to the number of Early Help workers allocated to each area.

d)    The Panel noted the impact data in respect of Children’s Social Care Services within the localities and that the number of children looked after remained high. The Panel acknowledges that, whilst social workers have been in place for some time in the locality areas, they have only fairly recently been moved into one team to ensure consistency of approach and management oversight. The Panel, therefore, recommends that impact continues to be monitored and reported to the Panel in six months’ time.

e)    That Early Help Practitioners and the Social Workers be introduced to appropriate staff within each of the areas’ schools to build up relationships and discuss children/families requiring support through regular dialogue and that the work of the locality teams be promoted and regularly discussed with school leadership teams.

f)      That school readiness and children’s centre registrations continue to be monitored and promoted in a range of languages to maximise reach and take up of nursery places to ensure that children are ready for school to optimise their learning potential.

g)    That relevant community and voluntary organisations, including schools, be equally involved in the locality teams and that appropriate information sharing takes place to ensure:

i)      That access to a ‘signposting directory’ of all services and organisations available to support families within the localities was available to all partners via the Neighbourhood Manager/a designated co-ordinator.

ii)     That programmes of activities and events designed to support children and families are planned, discussed and co-ordinated in advance between partners within the localities to avoid unnecessary duplication and ensure those who need help and support receive it.  (For example, that the Holiday Activity Fund (HAF) provision is co-ordinated in conjunction with Feast of Fun activity to maximise appropriate take-up and avoid duplication).

h)    That stronger links are made, through Public Health colleagues if and where appropriate, between primary care and acute care providers including GPs, mental health provision, midwife and health visiting services with improved referral pathways to Early Help and Children’s Social Care Services where appropriate.

i)      That all partners were familiar with Middlesbrough’s threshold of need document when making referrals to children’s social care to improve the quality of referrals and ensure that the correct level of support can be determined and provided as quickly as possible and that the document be readily accessible via the Neighbourhood Manager/designated Co-ordinator.

j)      That Locality Working in Middlesbrough should be better promoted and clearly branded to ensure that all partners, and the community, are aware of how it operates, who is involved and how to make contact.  The Wigan Deal is a good example of this where each priority area has an ‘our part’ (the borough’s public sector organisations and partners) and a ‘your part’ (residents) so that the principles of working together to achieve joint ambitions is realised with each partner aware of what is expected of them. 

AGREED that the findings and recommendations of the Children and Young People’s Social Care Scrutiny Panel be endorsed and referred to the Executive.