Joint area review

Warwickshire Children’s Services Authority Area

Review of services for children and young people

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Warwickshire Children’s Services Authority Area

Audit Commission Healthcare Commission HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate HM Inspectorate of Constabulary HM Inspectorate of Prisons HM Inspectorate of Probation Ofsted

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Warwickshire Children’s Services Authority Area

Age group: All Published: 18 November 2008 Reference no: 937 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Warwickshire Children’s Services Authority Area

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the local authority or at www.ofsted.gov.uk Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 1

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joint area review

1. Safeguarding 7 2. Looked after children and young people 11 3. Children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities 15 4. Additional investigations 19 5. Service management 22 6. Capacity to improve 22

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assessment arrangements 30

Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 2

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Introduction

1. The most recent annual performance assessment (APA) for Warwickshire County Council judged the council’s children’s services good and its capacity to improve as outstanding.

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Introduction

2. This report assesses the contribution of local services in ensuring that children and young people:

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Introduction

• at risk or requiring safeguarding are effectively cared for

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Introduction

• who are looked after achieve the best possible outcomes

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Introduction

• with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve the best possible outcomes.

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Introduction

3. The following investigation was also carried out:

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Introduction

• the impact of the partners’ strategy on the equity and access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

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Context

. Warwickshire lies to the south and east of the West Midlands region and has strong links with Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham. Warwickshire comprises five districts and boroughs, of which Nuneaton and Bedworth is the most deprived, containing six wards that fall within the most deprived nationally. There are also small pockets of deprivation spread throughout the county in Warwick District and North Warwickshire and Rugby boroughs.

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Context

. Warwickshire is home to 522,200 people, of whom approximately 124,000 are children and young people aged 0–19 years, making up just under a quarter of the total population of the county. The child population is predicted to stay constant over the next five years. The majority of the maintained school population in Warwickshire are of white British ethnic origin (88%), and the largest minority ethnic group is Indian (3%).

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Context

. The children and young people’s partnership is managed via 25 programmes of work organised under the Every Child Matters outcomes plus service improvement. Programme leaders, who come from a range of agencies, are accountable to the Children and Young People's Partnership Strategic Board.

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Context

. In 2007, the area had 82,450 school-age children. Pre-16 education is provided by eight nurseries, 195 primary schools, 36 secondary schools, nine special schools, one pupil reintegration unit and 19 independent schools. In January 2008, approximately 2,400 children had a statement of special educational need (SEN). In 2006/07, 24% of school-age children continuously looked after for a year or more had a statement of SEN. Post-16 education is Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 3

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Context

provided through 18 school sixth forms, three further education colleges and one sixth form college. There are 12 work-based learning providers, eight of which deliver Entry to Employment (E2E) provision.

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Context

. Healthcare provided to the county is commissioned from the local acute trusts, with Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust delivering mental health services. Health services for children and young people are coordinated through a joint commissioner for children between the primary care trust (PCT) and the local authority. The acute trusts include a sub-regional hospital: University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust based in Coventry and Rugby; and two district general hospitals: George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in Nuneaton, and South Warwickshire General Hospital based in Warwick. The Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust also provides learning disability services for the treatment of substance misuse delivered in acute and community settings.

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Context

. The Children in Need division provides the lead on social care services to vulnerable children across Warwickshire but all divisions and partners contribute to this service delivery. At 31 March 2008, there were 336 children subject to a child protection plan in Warwickshire. At any one time, there are, on average, 470 children looked after by the local authority. In addition to children looked after or subject to a child protection plan, there are approximately 2,500 children ‘in need’ known to children’s social care services, of which over half are receiving a regular service. Children’s social care services are provided by teams based across Warwickshire, including 11 main children’s social care teams and a specialist project for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. In addition, four teams as part of the Integrated Disability Service and three teams as part of the Youth Offending Service (YOS) also provide social care services to children

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Context

and young people with these specialist needs.

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Context

0. Services to children and young people who are at risk of offending are provided through Positive About Young People and services to those who have offended are provided by Warwickshire YOS, which is part of the children’s services department. There are no secure units or young offender institutions within the county.

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Context

1. Latest figures show there are around 270 approved foster care households, made up of 48 approved as family/friends carers for specific children and the remaining 222 approved under general fostering. There are approximately 330 children looked after in foster care households, including 54 fostered with relatives or friends. There is no local authority maintained residential provision for looked after children. Warwickshire currently has 35 approved family link carers (included in the above), of whom 31 provide a regular short break care service. Additionally, a Kenilworth-based centre for disabled children and young people, run by the children’s charity National Children’s Homes (NCH), provides a short-term break resource for children with severe disabilities. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 4

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Context

2. There are around 4,000 non-maintained service sector organisations in Warwickshire, including sporting and social organisations, cubs and brownies, village hall committees, youth groups, social care providers and support groups, providers of independent legal advice, early years providers, social enterprises and cooperatives.

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Main findings

3. The main findings of this joint area review are as follows:

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Main findings

ƒ The contribution of local services to improving outcomes for children at risk or requiring safeguarding is good. The impact of action taken to promote healthy lifestyles is good and child protection work is generally very good. Case file auditing procedures and practice is underdeveloped. The Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) is effective and good action is taken to ensure the incidence of abuse and neglect is minimised. Action taken to prevent anti-social behaviour and offending is adequate; however, the number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time is increasing.

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Main findings

ƒ Local services make a good contribution to improving outcomes for looked after children. Health services for looked after children are good. Placement stability is good and few children live in residential care. Education outcomes are adequate; consistently better than looked after children nationally but worse than their non-looked after peers. School exclusions are too high and not enough emphasis is placed on personal education planning. The contribution of children and young people at their care reviews is very good and their opportunity to contribute to the planning of services is good. Support for care leavers and the take-up of education, employment or training is very good.

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Main findings

ƒ The contribution of local services to improving outcomes for children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. The integrated disability service supports early assessment and intervention well, and local multi-agency delivery of services. Outcomes overall are good; however exclusions, though reducing, remain too high and data systems do not yet support sufficiently detailed analysis of children’s progress. Parents are increasingly involved in helping to shape policy. Users report that access to some specialist health services is not always readily available.

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Main findings

ƒ The contribution of CAMHS provision to improving outcomes for children and young people is adequate. Access to CAMHS is inconsistent and criteria for referral and access are not yet sufficiently clear to all users. Work on the delivery of the new and comprehensive CAMHS commissioning strategy has now accelerated, Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 5

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Main findings

with structures and appointments in place within the framework of the children and young people’s partnership, and actions underway to review and improve the delivery of services. However, the partnership lacks robust data to inform planning and evaluation of the impact of the strategy.

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Main findings

ƒ The management of services for children and young people is good. Capacity to improve further is good. The Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) sets out a strong vision and its delivery is now supported by well-conceived commissioning and service strategies plus a well-coordinated staged approach to the introduction of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and locality working. Integrated services are making a positive difference to the lives of children and their carers, and joint commissioning is beginning to have an impact. Performance management and informed use of data are not yet comprehensive.

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For immediate action

ƒ ensure that an appropriate way is found for the successful dissemination of the findings of this report to children and young people in the area

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For immediate action

ƒ ensure that all looked after children and young people have a personal education plan. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 6

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For action over the next six months

ƒ embed preventative measures to reduce exclusions, specifically for looked after children and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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For action over the next six months

ƒ ensure that performance management arrangements are sufficiently clear and accessible to enable all members of the partnership to make informed decisions and service improvements

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For action over the next six months

ƒ clarify and assure the quality of data, including:

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For action over the next six months

o establish a countywide database to track and monitor children missing from school and runaways

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For action over the next six months

o establish data collection and monitoring systems to support the evaluation of children and young people’s educational progress

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For action over the next six months

o introduce a system which aggregates information from case file monitoring to provide senior managers with an overview of the quality of casework to inform management decisions.

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For action over the next six months

ƒ introduce a 24-hour CAMHS on-call system

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For action over the next six months

ƒ ensure that referral criteria for access to specialist and non-specialist health services, including CAMHS, are transparent and communicated to all users, including schools.

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Equality and diversity

14. The council and its partners have made a commitment to social inclusion with a clear focus on improving services and outcomes for the most vulnerable children and young people in Warwickshire. This ambition is reflected in the CYPP review. It is supported corporately by a single equality framework and informed by equality impact assessments which include the views of the Black and minority ethnic groups, European and Traveller communities, as well as new and emerging groups, for example unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The council has achieved Level 2 of the local government equalities standard and progress is being made towards the achievement of Level 3. The delivery of equality and diversity strategies has been strengthened recently by the work of the anti-bullying coordinator and the equalities and diversity coordinator. Procedures to monitor and challenge racist incidents in schools are

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Equality and diversity

good. The ‘taught and hidden’ curriculum enables children and young people to learn about the communities of Warwickshire from a global perspective. This work is supported by the Intercultural Curriculum Support Service. The impact of schools is good with the number of racist incidents reported in schools reducing. An increasing number of children and young people with learning Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 7

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Equality and diversity

difficulties and/or disabilities are educated within mainstream schools but the numbers of these children excluded is too high. The Foundation Stage Profile identifies that the inequality gap between the lowest and highest performing children is closing.

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Equality and diversity

15. Equality of access to services is adequate and getting better. Children's centres are improving access to a range of health and social care services and targeted rural outreach youth programmes are being delivered where young people say they are needed. However, tackling rural poverty for children and young people who experience high travel costs remains a challenge. The fostering service is highly effective at meeting the cultural needs of looked after children. It is recognised by the area that CAMHS for Black and minority ethnic groups and asylum seekers are underdeveloped and this is being supported by further training for professionals. Positive About Young People are particularly effective at reaching children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those children and young people from the Black and minority ethnic community. YOS interventions are variable, for example the diversity needs of children and

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Equality and diversity

young people in the community are met well, however examination of court work identified that young offenders do not always have their diversity needs assessed in pre-sentence reports.

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X

6. The contribution of local services to improving outcomes for children and young people at risk or requiring safeguarding is good.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

Good staged approach to the implementation of the CAF through the local enhanced support networks. Effective anti-bullying provision in schools. Effective social work intervention to protect children, who are visited regularly and whose wishes and feelings are clearly represented. An effective and highly regarded LSCB, particularly its approach to working with district councils. No systematic collation of information from managers’ auditing of case files in order to provide overview of the quality of casework. The high number of first-time entrants into the youth justice system. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 8

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Major strength Important weaknesses

7. Effective action is taken to promote healthy lifestyles; Ofsted inspections rated 83% of schools as good or better in this area. The council’s teenage pregnancy strategy is having an impact, leading to a reduction in the under-18 conception rate, for example through the Respect Yourself Campaign. Overall, the rate of teenage pregnancies has fallen by 11.3% since 1998 but the council recognises that it will not meet the 2010 target of 50%. There has been an increase in diagnosed cases of chlamydia; plans to increase screening across the county are in place. The re-branding of the teenage pregnancy strategy to the Respect Yourself Campaign has led to a much broader, more inclusive approach to sexual health issues. The recent ‘Don’t be a Dick’ sexual health conference is an example of the very good advice and information provided for professionals working with young men.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

8. Action taken to inform young people and their carers about key risks to their safety is good. The number of children killed or seriously injured in road accidents has reduced significantly; the 69% reduction since 2002 is better than the national average. Programmes to promote road safety for younger children have been particularly effective, for example ‘Kerb Safe’, which involves professionals as well as parents in delivering consistent road safety messages to children. The LSCB website provides good information and is well used by the public, including children, to access information. The ‘Taking Care’ and ‘Miss Dorothy.com’ projects have been very successful in schools’ promotion of young people’s awareness of self-protection and building resilience.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

9. Good work by the Safer Communities Partnership ensures that children are provided with a safe environment. In the council’s recent Every Child Matters survey, children of all ages reported less bullying and more confidence in knowing where to go for help if they are bullied. Consultation with young people through the county youth panel drives the anti-bullying strategy that was launched in November 2007. In the current academic year, the partnership has taken a focused approach to reducing bullying by targeting cyber-bullying and children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It recognises that there is more work to do in using information gained through monitoring hate crime and this is a theme for development in the next school year. There is outstanding anti-bullying provision in schools, for example the ‘Time for YOU’ counselling service.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

0. Well-resourced services support families who have experienced domestic abuse. Families interviewed during the inspection commented on the very positive help they had received. The ‘Staying Safe’ group, run jointly by CAMHS and social care, helps children cope with the effects of domestic abuse and is an example of good practice. The handbook which is used to support this work has won national recognition.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

1. Good action is taken to ensure the incidence of abuse and neglect is minimised. The partnership’s decision to take a gradual, carefully planned approach to implementing the CAF is supported by the excellent outcomes seen in those areas where it is already embedded. The enhanced support networks Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 9

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Major strength Important weaknesses

provide the local multi-agency mechanism for implementing the CAF; detailed statistical analysis is enabling the partnership to identify under-represented groups and then use the CAF to meet their needs. The rollout of the CAF is progressing well and will be implemented across the county by December 2008, as required by government timescales.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

2. Social workers are effective in their role and report very good management support and access to training. Case files demonstrate timely, effective social work intervention to protect children, who are visited regularly and whose wishes and feelings are clearly represented. Systems and processes are thorough with very good, comprehensive core group minutes and case conference reports. Children who are subject to child protection plans are safe. Plans effectively tackle what needs to change to reduce risk and there is good analysis and management of risk including appropriate decision-making about progress made. However, the number of children with a child protection plan is considerably higher than that in similar authorities and is above the England average. There is excellent performance on the timeliness of initial and core assessments, although practice in one area team is not always consistent, for

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Major strength Important weaknesses

example in some instances initial assessments are not completed thoroughly and are closed prematurely.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

3. The efficiency of duty systems is adequate overall. Referrals are managed very well in most cases, with a consistent approach to threshold management and well-established pathways to the long-term team. However, there are examples in one area team where practice is not good, caused by difficulties with staff shortages in both the long and short-term teams. Whilst there are no unallocated cases, those that should have transferred to the long-term teams sometimes remain in the initial assessment team for as long as 12 months. Partner agencies are clear about thresholds to social care and generally very positive about the service provided by social work teams. They acknowledged that their reported concerns are taken seriously by the council. Although there is evidence of regular and frequent monitoring of case files by managers throughout the organisation, this information is not collated systematically to

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Major strength Important weaknesses

provide senior managers with an overview of the quality of casework.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

4. The Ofsted inspection in November 2006 judged private fostering arrangements to be adequate, setting out a number of areas for improvement but also commending the council for appointing a specialist development officer. At that time, there were only two private fostering arrangements known to the council; this number has increased by a further 18 new private fostering notifications in 2007–08. The recent annual report to the LSCB identifies good progress has been made since 2006.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

5. Procedure and practice for the safe recruitment of staff is adequate. The council is undergoing a review of its safe recruitment systems with a move from hard copy files towards an electronic system. This is at an early stage but is proceeding according to the implementation timescale. An examination of personnel files identified that all necessary checks on staff with substantial Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 10

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Major strength Important weaknesses

access to children are being undertaken and decisions made on their suitability are sound. However, practice to support easy access to a clear audit trail of decisions remains underdeveloped. In March 2007, an audit report of safe recruitment in schools identified several areas where practice could be improved. The council is making good progress towards the targets identified in the detailed action plan that followed the audit.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

6. The LSCB is effective and highly regarded by partner agencies, particularly concerning its approach to working with district councils. An excellent three- year business plan sets out clearly its terms of reference and the key tasks for each of the nine sub-committees; it provides a good analysis of the year’s performance data. The needs analysis of the impact of child protection training is an example of good monitoring practice. Similarly, recent audits of core group functioning demonstrate that the LSCB is implementing its responsibilities with regard to auditing safeguarding across agencies effectively. Serious case reviews are conducted thoroughly and practice is being improved as a result, for example, the practice to allocate case owners and key areas of responsibility to individuals. However, the preparation of the overview reports did not include an independent element. Arrangements are in place with the NSPCC to provide

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Major strength Important weaknesses

this service in the future. Excellent progress has been made in setting up a child death review team jointly with Coventry and Solihull councils. The LSCB has a clear distinct identity within the children’s trust governance arrangements. This ensures the independence of the LSCB is effectively maintained and in addition to an annual report the LSCB can raise issues at any time. A good example of this is their recent challenge to the trust board about the need to improve safe recruitment. There are good links between the LSCB and the multi-agency public protection arrangements board.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

7. Arrangements to monitor children who are missing or out of school are satisfactory. Although there are clear procedures for tracking children missing education there is no agreed policy or robust countywide data to monitor this effectively. The LSCB has recognised the need to bring together its approaches to children missing from school or care and young runaways, and is in the process of establishing a task group. The Educating Children Outside School service provides good provision and supports children who are out of school for medical reasons and school phobia, including through its innovative online e- learning strategy. The number of children educated at home has risen and they are monitored by the education social work service. The council has produced a helpful booklet for parents considering home education.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

8. Action taken to reduce anti-social behaviour is adequate. The well- resourced Positive About Young People service supports good collaboration between partners to provide diversionary activities. The service is having an impact, for example there has been a reduction in anti-social behaviour orders. However, evaluation undertaken by the service is limited to data on participation levels and the views of children and young people and their families about the activities provided, rather than the impact on behaviour. The deployment of police community support officers has had a positive impact on Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 11

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Major strength Important weaknesses

anti- social behaviour in hotspot areas and additional resources have been identified to extend the programme in some schools from September 2008.

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Major strength Important weaknesses

2 9. Action taken to prevent offending and reduce re-offending is adequate. The number of first-time entrants into the youth justice system rose during 2007-08, particularly in the 14–17 year old age group, with the council reporting performance in line with statistical neighbours. The YOS is effective in its work with parents, carers and children and young people in the community. In 2006–07, the YOS was successful in reducing re-offending of low level crimes. They achieved a reduction in both the seriousness and frequency of offending that was well above the average for both similar authorities and nationally. However, the impact of the service on young people who served a custodial sentence was limited, with the majority of them re-offending. There is good support for children and young people to access education services and most receive an education. However, a significant minority of school-age

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Major strength Important weaknesses

children do not receive 25 hours of education each week. There is a good range of training provision for young people above school age. However, a lower proportion of supervised children and young people are engaged in education, employment or training than found in similar areas and nationally.

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X

30. The contribution of local services to improving outcomes for looked after children and young people is good.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

Good health services for children and young people. Outstanding fostering and good adoption services. Effective contact and planning for children living out-of-county. Good reduction from a low starting point in the number of young people who offend. Very good support for care leavers including good involvement in education, employment or training. The low proportion of looked after children and young people who have an up-to-date personal education plan. The high proportion of looked after children who are permanently excluded from school. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 12

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

31. Health services for looked after children are good. A higher proportion of looked after children and care leavers have regular health screening and dental checks than in similar areas and nationally. Children and carers value highly the health professionals who work with them. Healthy lifestyles are promoted effectively, for example looked after teenagers said they had changed to safer behaviour following relationships and sexual health guidance.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

32. The action taken to avoid the need for children and young people to be looked after is good. The successful use of family group conferencing has improved the capacity of families in crisis to tackle their difficulties. It has helped to avoid family breakdown and support children to return home. The number of looked after children per 10,000 population aged under 18 is low, but numbers are rising. Most of the current increase has resulted from a number of unaccompanied asylum-seeker children being looked after. While this demand for service is unpredictable, the council has met the challenge very well through the use of foster care placements. The council expects the looked after population to increase further over the next year as a result of the pilot projects to promote placement stability for older children and their right to stay in care. The arrangements to monitor children in care are good, for example

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

plans to discharge children placed with their parent or person with parental responsibility are carefully assessed and actioned when it is safe and in the best interests of the child.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

33. Services helping looked after children to live in safe environments and protect them from abuse and exploitation are outstanding. The majority of children and young people live in family-based care approved by the council or in registered agency foster care that is regularly used by the council. These placements meet the social and emotional needs of children and young people very well. As a result, both short and long-term placement stability are very good. The performance of the council fostering service continues to be outstanding and the capacity of the service is growing steadily. Foster carers are very positive about training programmes and link worker support. For example, recent training to support the placement of unaccompanied asylum- seeker children was very well received. Foster carers are a highly effective, dedicated, experienced and professional workforce.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

34. The adoption service continues to provide very good permanency opportunities. Its ethos is to prepare adopters for children, not children for adopters. The number of children placed for adoption rose in 2007–08. Good social work practice identifies the possibility of adoption early and these cases are progressed through effective care planning in local panels and reviews. The adoption service is evolving well to meet changing needs. For example, adopters are increasingly supported to care for older, emotionally troubled children and there is a strong focus on promoting birth family links for these young people. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 13

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

35. A small number of children and young people live out-of-county in children’s homes or special schools. Contact with them is good. They have independent visitors, there is a strong focus on educational achievement and the effectiveness of placements are rigorously scrutinised at each child’s review. Plans are in place to make this type of accommodation more local. The council maintains good contact with the few young people in secure residential settings.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

36. The council has been swift to tackle the need for improvement in the timeliness of looked after children reviews. Local management information shows the rate of completion is now good at 94.3%. Reviews are conducted by independent reviewing officers who provide effective challenge to ensure the needs and wants of children and young people are thoroughly considered. However, information gathered from the reviewing process across the county is not aggregated and does not effectively inform service improvement.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

37. The council is good at resolving issues raised by children and young people at an early stage, which is leading to very few formal complaints. Concerns are often resolved informally by foster carers, or the children’s rights service commissioned through Barnardo’s. This is effective in most situations and ensures that carers and children access independent information, advice and support services directly. However, the formal complaints system is described as ‘not child friendly’ by some users of the service. The council is receptive to user feedback and the need to develop the process further is being tackled.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

38. There is a good focus on promoting the educational attainment of looked after children. The council ensures significant additional funding is given to schools for each looked after child on roll. The education of looked after children team (TELAC) is well regarded by children, carers and teachers. However, staffing pressures have impacted on the capacity to reach all looked after children. Schools and colleges have good knowledge and understanding of the needs of looked after children and effective support is provided though designated teachers.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

39. Educational attainment is adequate. Outcomes for looked after children are consistently just above the national average for looked after children, but remain well below that of the non-looked-after population. School attendance is good and GCSE results at both A* to G and A* to C are slightly better than in similar authorities and the national average in 2007. Attainment is being promoted further as part of a new Department for Children, Schools and Families pilot project which provides additional private tuition for young people, including for unaccompanied asylum-seeker children who are learning English. Young people reported that they are benefiting from this service. The new virtual school is raising awareness across the partnership of the education for looked after children, and its headteacher and governors have identified areas for further improvement. However, it is too early to measure the impact of this

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

development on raising looked after children’s attainment. Insufficient emphasis Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 14

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

is placed on planning children’s education. For example, in May 2008 only 72% of school-age children looked after had an up-to-date or completed personal education plan. This improved to 83% by July 2008. The proportion of looked after children excluded from school is too high and has risen over the last two years. This number constitutes nearly 10% of all permanent exclusions in the current year.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

40. Steps taken to help children and young people who are looked after make a positive contribution are good. The number of children and young people communicating their views at their statutory reviews has improved, and is better than similar authorities. The advocacy service provided by Barnardo’s is active and effective in working in children’s interests, including children with disabilities who cannot easily communicate.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

41. The commitment to corporate parenting is strong and members have good knowledge and understanding of the needs and wishes of children and young people in their care, which they support with passion. Engagement and participation of young people is good and improving. A number of successful consultation events have taken place over a sustained period. Events are planned through the Service Improvement Generated Management Action project. These are well focused and enjoyable for children and young people, who talk positively about a presentation they made to Cabinet in July 2008 to agree the council’s `Pledge’, which sets out what the council and partners will do for looked after children and young people. The council is currently participating in four national pilot projects to improve life chances for looked after children. Positive steps are taken to consult and promote participation; a number of significant programmes, including the implementation of the Pledge

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

42. The numbers of children and young people involved in the criminal justice system are low and therefore a small fluctuation in those involved has a significant impact on the comparative data. The proportion of 10–17 year olds who received a reprimand, final warning or conviction within the total number of looked after children fell in 2007 from a low base. This is good, and means that the proportion of looked after children involved in the criminal justice system is below the national average for the looked after population.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

43. Support for care leavers is outstanding. Pathway planning is highly effective. The Connexions service has good links to colleges and partners for post-16 opportunities. Young people say that workers and personal advisors are very helpful. The proportion of care leavers aged 19 in education, employment or training is very good; at 76% it is better than in similar authorities. The percentage of care leavers at 19 years in suitable accommodation is very good and significantly better than similar authorities and the national average. The council and its partners are working very well together to support care leavers and they demonstrate a strong commitment to improve this further. The system for financial support is sufficiently flexible to meet the individual needs of care leavers. The young people confirm that their needs are being met very well. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 15

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X

44. The contribution of local services to improving outcomes for

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

A strong focus on early assessment, intervention and preventative strategies. Good outcomes for many children and young people in education and/or training up to the age of 19. Active parent and carer involvement to shape strategy and provision. Good safeguarding procedures and effective support for families. Good and improving involvement of children and young people in contributing to decision-making. Examples of good inclusive educational provision. Good support for young people moving towards independence. Insufficient analysis of data to support improvement in educational progress for children and young people. Insufficient clarity about criteria for referral and access to some specialist health services. High levels of exclusions from schools.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

4 5. The partnership has a clear vision for the provision of high quality and equitable services to improve outcomes further for children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The focus on early assessment and intervention, together with the move to deliver services locally through improved multi-agency working is beginning to make a difference. Outcomes overall are good; however, data systems do not yet support detailed analysis of children’s progress. Parents and carers are increasingly involved in helping to shape policy through the parents’ forum and other strategy groups. Users report that access to specialist health services is not always readily available. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 16

p.17

Major strengths Important weaknesses

6. Assessment and early multi-agency intervention and support for very young children are timely and of high quality. Individual projects, for example New Beginnings, show that integrated working is having a positive impact on children’s enjoyment and achievement. In the localities where the CAF has been implemented, it has been effective in formalising partnerships and ensuring appropriate action. Referrals to the integrated disability service (IDS) are dealt with in a timely manner. The number of statements of SEN has risen recently and the educational psychology service acknowledges that there is work to be done on re-focusing schools on making use of alternative systems, such as the CAF, to meet the needs of children and young people. Schools’ understanding of thresholds for when children should move from School Action to School Action Plus or when the statementing process should be initiated is inconsistent.

p.18

Major strengths Important weaknesses

The local authority acknowledges that further training is needed.

p.18

Major strengths Important weaknesses

7. The health needs of children and young people are met adequately. The recently established integrated disability service has been successful in bringing together services from across agencies to support the health needs of many children and young people. The CAF and enhanced support networks are beginning to have a positive impact on the quality of health assessment and provision. Most care pathways are in place and are currently being reviewed to ensure that they reflect up-to-date practice; the gap in adult provision for autistic spectrum disorders is acknowledged. Palliative care provision is very good. However, users and health professionals report inequitable access to some specialist services across the county, for example speech and language therapy and occupational therapy services. There is some evidence that the criteria for referral and access to these services are not always clearly understood by partners, including schools. The specific needs of young people

p.18

Major strengths Important weaknesses

with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are increasingly understood, for example the sex and relationships course provided by school nurses in partnership with the Family Planning Association.

p.18

Major strengths Important weaknesses

8. Arrangements to safeguard children and young people and support their families are good. Child protection training is fully in place across all agencies and is regularly updated. The IDS duty and referral system is supported by a clear protocol which defines the respective roles and responsibilities of the IDS and children in need. This protocol has been strengthened through learning from a serious case review. Access to respite care is good, for example the John Waterhouse Project which supports 40 children every year. Key workers provide good advocacy for children with complex needs; however, only a small number of children currently benefit from their support and advocacy arrangements for other children are limited. Some families report concerns about inadequate communication with them about their child’s needs, a lack of support for the coordination of services for their child as well as delays in the

p.18

Major strengths Important weaknesses

appointment of a social worker when their child reaches the age of 18. Within the IDS, some services such as overnight respite care are commissioned based on limited information from initial assessments rather than from the more detailed core assessments which provide an holistic view of the child’s needs. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 17

p.18

Major strengths Important weaknesses

9. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve in line with national expectations, and evidence from Ofsted inspections shows that they make good progress in their learning. Those educated out-of-county also make good progress from their starting points. However, the local authority systems for tracking children’s academic progress as they move through school are not yet fully developed. Information is held by individual schools and is not currently collected systematically to provide a strategic overview of the progress of all children and young people. Although schools report that learning targets are set for children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, these are not always sufficiently specific in individual education plans.

p.19

Major strengths Important weaknesses

0. The local authority has very recently begun to moderate assessments in special schools and has agreed with the schools about the introduction of a data collection and tracking system for children with high levels of need. However, these developments have not yet been introduced into mainstream schools. Secondary school headteachers report that school improvement partners offer specific challenge on the achievement and progress of children and young people with learning difficulties. However, in primary schools this challenge is not always consistently recorded in relation to children and young people’s learning outcomes.

p.19

Major strengths Important weaknesses

1. There are some good examples of effective arrangements to support inclusion. For example, the very successful dual placement scheme for children in mainstream and special schools allows many children to benefit from regular education in mainstream schools alongside their peers and for a small number to transfer to mainstream schools. Successful projects such as nurture groups, speech and language provision and the New Beginnings project in early years settings are being extended so that more children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities will benefit from this sometimes outstanding provision.

p.19

Major strengths Important weaknesses

2. The local authority’s inclusion strategy is less successful for children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Permanent exclusions are high overall and fixed-term exclusions are also high and demonstrate an upward trend. All permanently excluded pupils are placed in the pupil reintegration unit (PRU) and a good proportion of Key Stage 3 children have been successfully reintegrated into mainstream schools. Currently the resources located in the PRU do not allow for sufficient flexible, preventative work with young people at risk of exclusion. The local authority and its partners are working to improve this provision through working with schools and the PRU in developing more flexible arrangements to engage children at risk of exclusion. These interventions include the use of the CAF which, when implemented sufficiently early, has proved successful in preventing exclusion.

p.19

Major strengths Important weaknesses

3. Access to leisure and recreation facilities for children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good overall. The evaluations of the Take a Break and ILEAP services for children with complex needs show a Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 18

p.19

Major strengths Important weaknesses

high level of user satisfaction. The youth service, the Positive About Young People project, children’s centres and extended schools also offer a wide range of activities. Information on what is available is shared with users via leaflets and on the Coventry and Warwickshire leisure and recreation website. However, it is acknowledged by the Family Information Service that this website is not sufficiently user-friendly. Some children and young people and their parents and carers report that the high cost of provision and transport mean that they cannot always access activities and some state that there are limited alternatives to sports activities.

p.20

Major strengths Important weaknesses

4. Children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported well to contribute to their statements and reviews. Young people talk enthusiastically about setting and reviewing their targets. The Wacky Forum provides good opportunities for children and young people in special schools to participate in decision-making and is used increasingly frequently as a formal consultation route on a variety of issues. For example, they were recently asked to comment on the project to make the CYPP more accessible through the use of symbols. The links between the Wacky Forum and other participation groups are in development and communication links with the youth forum are established. Other effective examples of participation include work as ‘community consultants’ in the voluntary organisation Take a Break and in the commissioned research project about bullying.

p.20

Major strengths Important weaknesses

5. Young people receive good support to achieve economic well-being and in moving towards independence. Achievement and progress for young people post-16 are good, including on work-based courses. The range of provision for education, employment or training is good overall, including high quality work- based opportunities. Further education college provision is at least good and in some cases outstanding. However, specialist residential provision for young people with the most complex needs post-16 and post-18 is not always easily available, and decisions on Learning and Skills Council funding for these courses have been delayed in 2008, leading to uncertainty for young people and their families.

p.20

Major strengths Important weaknesses

6. The number of young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who do not enter education, employment or training has reduced in the last year and there has been a concerted effort to create more places for young people. For example, the successful On Track project run through the Nuneaton consortium provides education and key skills as a bridge to E2E for those who drop out of courses and training. A number of participants on this project have learning difficulties and over 90% achieve at least one accreditation with most moving onto positive destinations. The multi-agency transition arrangements to adult services are good overall, with careful planning and recently updated procedures and documentation, developed through consultation with young people. Young people are supported well in moving towards independence through increasing use of direct payments and support in accessing independent housing.

p.20

Major strengths Important weaknesses

Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 19

p.21

X

57. The contribution of local services in ensuring that Child and

p.21

Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provision is consistent

and provides equitable access, is adequate.

p.21

Major strengths Important weaknesses

The good and comprehensive CAMHS commissioning strategy. Improved leadership and management across the partnership. High quality specialist CAMHS at tiers 3 and 4. A lack of robust data and systematic evaluation to support planning and service development. No 24-hour access to CAMHS and no CAMHS outreach service. A lack of clarity about the implementation of referral criteria to CAMHS.

p.21

Major strengths Important weaknesses

8. The APA 2007 highlighted the lack of consistency in CAMHS provision and the long delays experienced by some users. The joint area review found that while some of these weaknesses are still apparent and there is a lack of clarity about the implementation of referral criteria to CAMHS. Work on the delivery of the new CAMHS commissioning strategy has now accelerated, with structures and appointments in place within the framework of the children and young people’s partnership, and actions underway to review and improve the delivery of services.

p.21

Major strengths Important weaknesses

9. The CAMHS commissioning strategy for 2008 sets out a clear direction for the development of both universal and specialist services through the reconfigured PCT and the mental health trust. Informed by an analysis based on the national needs assessment framework, it identifies eight commissioning priorities with a focus on targeted and accessible early intervention and sustained development of services at tiers 2, 3 and 4. These priorities, when fully implemented, aim to secure shared pathways and a more integrated service to support and treat children and young people, using a variety of interventions and in more appropriate settings. The needs of specific groups are identified, including the low number of referrals to CAMHS of Black and minority children and young people. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 20

p.21

Major strengths Important weaknesses

0. The vision articulated in the new CAMHS commissioning strategies and the joint strategy for commissioning for children and young people is supported by strengthened leadership and management across the partnership. The creation of jointly funded posts by the PCT and the local authority for the children’s CAMHS commissioning manager, the joint children’s commissioning manager and the director of public health shows a clear commitment to joint engagement and working to reduce health inequalities. However, the new CAMHS commissioning strategy is recent and not yet embedded across the organisation.

p.22

Major strengths Important weaknesses

1. The newly re-launched CAMHS strategy group acts as a specialist forum for all relevant agencies and informs the commissioning board. The establishment of sub-groups to lead developments, such as CAMHS in schools, is a good vehicle to support the delivery of the strategy. All procedures link well to the delivery of the CYPP and the need to establish more secure data systems to support evaluation and future planning has been recognised. Service user groups, established at the two CAMHS centres, are beginning to influence provision, for example access times for parents who work. The recent appointment of the joint children’s commissioning manager has had a positive effect on the change process related to reconfiguration of services.

p.22

Major strengths Important weaknesses

2. Healthcare staff are committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with mental health needs. CAMHS pathways are in development and improved partnership working across the county is increasing access to earlier interventions for children and young people with mental health problems. Services for substance misuse across the county are good. These services are supported by multi-agency pathways, partnership working with the CAMHS team and outreach-based services for substance misuse.

p.22

Major strengths Important weaknesses

3. The range of specialist services provided in the three CAMHS centres is good. They demonstrate a good multi-disciplinary team approach, including specialised nurses, psychologists, specialist social workers and counsellors who focus on issues relating to domestic violence, divorce and separation aftermath as well as general mental health problems.

p.22

Major strengths Important weaknesses

4. Access to specialist and non-specialist CAMHS services through the central referral point is adequate, although some users report delays in waiting times for assessment. Twenty-four hour access to CAMHS advice and support and out-of-hours service is not available. Although there is an on-call consultant psychiatrist, this means that children may be admitted inappropriately through accident and emergency or through an acute paediatric route.

p.22

Major strengths Important weaknesses

5. Admission of young people aged 16–19 to adult mental health beds only happens in exceptional circumstances and the transition process and protocols are under review. CAMHS have no outreach services and this limits access for those living in rural areas. There is good access to Sexually Inappropriate Behaviour Services, provided through the Children in Need division for children who have committed sexually related offences or who have been abused. Post- Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 21

p.22

Major strengths Important weaknesses

abuse support is provided by CAMHS. YOS referrals are normally allocated within seven days, however there have been some exceptions and referral guidelines have recently been revised after consultation with staff and users.

p.23

Major strengths Important weaknesses

6. Improved inter-agency working with schools is facilitating earlier and more appropriate forms of intervention for children and young people with emotional and behavioural needs. School nurses work well to support a wide range of health promotion and education. Stronger partnership working between the council and the PCT is now leading to integrated multi-agency training and support, for example the recent conference ‘A Positive Spin’, which raised awareness amongst over 70 professionals, including schools, of the wide range of projects already in place. These include the tier 2 commissioned RELATE Time For You counselling services in most secondary schools, which are valued by users and teachers and are making an impact.

p.23

Major strengths Important weaknesses

7. The collaboration of the voluntary sector in CAMHS is good and is facilitating early access to support and treatments. The Treasure project offered to primary schools through educational psychologists is a useful service as it facilitates discussion about emotional issues and has a positive effect on pupil behaviour. The Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning project that is in most primary schools is now being rolled out into secondary schools and is making a difference to children’s attitudes and behaviour. Currently, many of these projects, supported by different programmes and funding streams, work in relative isolation. The task of the CAMHS in schools sub-group is to draw together a more coherent programme of preventative CAMHS, supported by fully coordinated and differentiated training for front-line professionals. Healthy Schools development has been slow and the target not yet achieved. There has

p.23

Major strengths Important weaknesses

been a renewed impetus to tackle this and support from the Warwickshire PCT is enabling accelerated progress.

p.23

Major strengths Important weaknesses

8. Support and advice from CAMHS for looked after children and young people are good. The provision is resourced through ring-fenced funding from the area-based grant leading to better access, and good levels of training support for foster carers on ‘attachment’ and behaviour management. Therapeutic intervention from psychologists is highly effective and valued by children and young people. However, some carers report delays or lack of CAMHS response in short-term or emergency placements.

p.23

Major strengths Important weaknesses

9. Services within CAMHS for children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are adequate. A specialist team comprising a nurse, clinical psychologist and consultant psychiatrist provides support for three days a week. Management has been strengthened and work is underway to further improve access to tier 3 and 4 services for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities through differentiated access routes. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 22

p.23

X

70. The management of services for children and young people is good. Capacity to improve further is good.

p.24

Major strengths Important weaknesses

Well-established trust with multi- agency support and strong commitment demonstrated to improve outcomes for children and young people. Thorough consultation with children and young people and carers. High quality leadership from councillors and managers. CAF and integrated services making a difference. Performance management arrangements vary across the partnership. Inconsistent quality and use of data.

p.24

Major strengths Important weaknesses

71. The 2007 APA judged the council’s management of its services for children and young people and its capacity to improve as outstanding. The joint area review judges the partnership’s management of its services for children and young people and its capacity to improve as good. The establishment of the Warwickshire Children’s Trust builds on the well-established partnership already in place since before the Children Act 2004. The CYPP sets out a strong vision and its delivery is now supported by well-conceived commissioning and service strategies and a well-coordinated staged approach to the introduction of the CAF and locality working. Integrated services are making a difference to the lives of children and their carers, and joint commissioning is beginning to have an impact on services. However, performance management and informed use of data are not comprehensive. Some strategies are very recent and therefore

p.24

Major strengths Important weaknesses

not yet able to demonstrate their effectiveness. The use of information systems and ways of communicating across the partnership are variable. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 23

p.24

Major strengths Important weaknesses

2. Ambition is outstanding. The children’s trust is very well established and, through its executive board, multi-agency groups, and five ‘area-based’ local partnerships, provides outstanding strategic leadership and good operational capacity. The council and the children’s trust partnership champion strongly the needs of children and young people, partners share common objectives to achieve high aspirations for children, and ambitions are realistic and challenging. The CYPP is fundamental to the local area agreement (LAA) and the council’s corporate plan, demonstrating the area’s passionate commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

p.25

Major strengths Important weaknesses

3. Ambitions have a clear regard for equality and diversity, with underpinning aims and principles which are inclusive, focus on vulnerable groups and emphasise the cross-cutting theme of reducing child poverty. The trust’s vision is that ‘every child and young person, including those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged, has the greatest possible opportunity to be the best they can be’. The delivery of the vision is brought together in the online version of the CYPP, which incorporates the children and young person’s theme of the LAA, and is entitled ‘How do I fit in?’ This takes a long-term and challenging approach, with 25 programmes of work aimed at achieving the area’s jointly agreed priorities.

p.25

Major strengths Important weaknesses

4. Needs analysis is thorough, with a three-year rolling programme of consultation coordinated by the multi-agency needs assessment team. Methods used include engaging with the area parents’ forum and the recent Every Child Matters online schools survey, to which over 7,500 children responded. The council’s portfolio holder ensures that the CYPP reflects the views of children and young people, meeting as often as possible with different groups of children and young people, for example young carers, members of the youth parliament and advocates for looked after children. Identified needs are then incorporated in the CYPP, which is now in its third version.

p.25

Major strengths Important weaknesses

5. Prioritisation is good. Priorities and plans across the partnership have a clear focus on equality and diversity. Partners understand and own the shared priorities, for example improving health, narrowing gaps and improving educational attainment. Over a third of the LAA outcomes directly relate to children and young people. The directorate is signed up to the ‘narrowing the gap’ agenda and this enables the targeting of resources to deprived groups. Thorough needs analysis informs, and appropriate resources support, the priority of closing the gap on educational attainment. There is good focus on dual heritage children, white working class boys, East European migrants, and looked after children whose educational attainment is lower than the non- looked after population. Support includes the Intercultural Curriculum Support Service, the virtual school head project, early engagement with Black and minority ethnic families via youth services and children’s centres.

p.25

Major strengths Important weaknesses

6. The partnership has set clear priorities for improving outcomes for children and young people. Partners aim to address the concerns of children and young people, for example transport, bullying, alcohol, participation. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 24

p.25

Major strengths Important weaknesses

Children and young people are actively involved in decision-making through, for example, the county youth panel and the youth forum. Partners lead on specific priorities and understand their assigned roles and responsibilities for the delivery of priorities.

p.26

Major strengths Important weaknesses

7. Priorities are linked to resources through good medium-term planning. Partners actively shift resources to priorities focusing on preventative activities, for example on working to achieve the healthy schools target and resourcing police community support officers. Other key examples include: the closure of a poorly performing school and the subsequent use of redirected resources for work with the 30 children’s centres; and the rollout of the CAF, which is beginning to make a difference for children who were on the brink of school exclusion.

p.26

Major strengths Important weaknesses

8. Capacity is good. The council and the trust have the people, skills and suppliers they need to deliver most of their priorities for services for children and young people. The highly effective portfolio holder chairs the trust, and each local strategic partnership has a children’s champion who is a member of the trust board. The Director for Children, Young People and Families provides strong and clear leadership and strategic management. Staff and management work well in multi-agency arrangements. Locally integrated children’s services operate at three levels, involving extended services, the 30 children’s centres and the developing enhanced support networks, to provide a joined-up response to families and earlier engagement. Staff are committed to and are working effectively towards the CYPP priorities.

p.26

Major strengths Important weaknesses

9. Financial management is good. Joint commissioning is beginning to have an impact, with the establishment of the enhanced support networks and the integrated disability service. Value for money is good overall and plans are in place to review any high cost areas. The programme of value for money reviews is resulting in the redirecting of resources to priorities, including using savings of up to £1.7m over three years to establish a joint commissioning budget. Good use is made of procurement, for example ensuring that foster care places provide value for money and high quality outcomes for looked after children. Aligned budgets provide improved impact, for example for the youth offending service and its work on reducing anti-social behaviour; however, the impact of alignment in the CAMHS service is too recent to measure.

p.26

Major strengths Important weaknesses

0. Performance management is adequate. The partnership promotes a strong culture of performance supported by a comprehensive performance management framework. Through the council, the trust has developed a sophisticated portal system and online programme management tool for managing the CYPP. This employs sound principles and assures data quality, project evaluation and tracking of performance, as well as the interface with partners’ plans and websites. The system is still new and therefore not yet used fully by all partners. This weakness has been recognised and resources and capacity have been assigned to address known gaps and deliver training to ensure ownership. The quality and analysis of information to feed into the Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 25

p.26

Major strengths Important weaknesses

performance management system is not yet consistent, for example in the CAMHS and TELAC services where partners are currently unable to demonstrate progress, impact and reach. Information sharing protocols are established amongst partners but their use by others, for example schools, parents and children and young people is still underdeveloped. The area has a good approach to the roll out of CAF through a phased introduction using area-based pilots. It has a good strategic approach to corporate parenting. The draft workforce strategy is comprehensive and draws together all current and planned activity, including, for example, the recruitment and retention of social workers.

p.27

Major strengths Important weaknesses

81. Children and young people and their carers are actively involved in service improvement, for example their contributions have led to the integration of and targeting of youth services. Scrutiny is developing its role, with good examples of challenge and service improvement, as through its work on anti-bullying. Youth engagement is effective, including local democracy week, Hear by Right, youth forums, the county youth panel and involvement of young people in the overview and scrutiny committee’s reviews of substance misuse and transport.

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Major strengths Important weaknesses

2. Capacity for further improvement is good. The partnership has shown that it can work well together to achieve its ambitions and deliver better outcomes for children and young people. It has high quality leadership in place. The partnership has recently drafted and put in place a number of strategic plans, for example the workforce strategy and the joint commissioning strategy. Integrated services involve a wide range of agencies including health, police and the voluntary sector and have scope for greater integration, potentially involving co-location and shared services. The partnership tackles known risks effectively, for example sustained funding for children’s centres, and it acts positively on inspection recommendations by making appropriate changes to improve services. A number of major strategies are too new to demonstrate impact. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 26

p.27

S ummary

Warwickshire County Council consistently delivers services for children and young people at a good level. The work of the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board is underpinned by strong leadership, clear direction and excellent partnership working. Outcomes for children and young people have improved significantly in many respects. Inequalities between different groups of young people and areas of the county have been identified and effective strategies have begun to close these gaps.

p.28

S ummary

The full annual performance assessment can be found at:

p.28

S ummary

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/pdf/?inspectionNumber=3166&providerCateg oryID=0&fileName=\\APA\\apa_2007_937.pdf Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 27

p.28

PEOPLE

1. Outcomes for children and young people in Warwickshire are good overall and improving as a result of effective long-term planning and services that consistently deliver good outputs. Health outcomes are good; however, the CAMHS is adequate. Arrangements for safeguarding are good and improving through the strong leadership of the LSCB. Standards of educational attainment have continued to improve and are above those found nationally and in similar authorities. The progress made by children at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 is similar to progress made nationally. The contribution made by children and young people to their community is good. Targeted work to reduce anti-social behaviour is effective. The impact of services to reduce first time entrants to the criminal justice system and those who re-offend is adequate overall.

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PEOPLE

2. Service management in Warwickshire is good. The partners’ ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people is outstanding. The children’s trust is well established and its impact on the pace of change and improvement is increasingly effective. Prioritisation is good. The team of senior leaders and managers are determined and energetic, with a clear shared vision and long- term strategy. Services are characterised by high levels of staff commitment. A significant number of new strategies have been introduced. These are being implemented effectively and good progress is being sustained. Key joint appointments, between health and local council services, have strengthened joint working and the LAA is supporting multi-disciplinary service delivery that is sharply focused to meet local needs. Adequate performance management systems are in place and these are increasingly effective at shaping decisions

p.29

PEOPLE

and responses across the partnership. Financial management is good. Effective joint commissioning of services is ensuring good value for money.

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PEOPLE

3. The combined work of all local services in securing the health of children and young people is good overall. CAMHS support for children and young people is adequate. The strategic vision for the service and partnership working is good. The range of CAMHS provision and access to the service is adequate. Links between CAMHS and the YOS is more variable, with some young people with severe mental health needs experiencing long waiting times to access the service. Progress on the Healthy Schools programme has been slow with recent rapid improvement. Most schools provide a good range of sports activities. The proportion of mothers initiating breastfeeding has increased and rates are now in line with the national average. Rates of teenage pregnancy are low and reducing. The provision of services overall for looked after children and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. The integrated disability

p.29

PEOPLE

service is well planned, with a strong focus on early intervention; however, there is a lack of clarity about the implementation of criteria for referral and access to some specialist health services. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 28

p.29

PEOPLE

4. Children and young people appear safe and arrangements to ensure this are good and improving. The LSCB is effective and partnership work is embedded. There is good follow-up on actions as a result of serious case reviews. All children on the child protection register are allocated qualified social workers and child protection plans are successful at reducing risk. Referrals are managed very well in most cases with a consistent approach to threshold management. Ongoing support for children and families when the need for a child protection plan is no longer necessary has resulted in a lower rate of re- referral. The quality and timely completion of core assessments is good, although in some instances initial assessments are being completed prematurely. Outcomes for looked after children and young people are good. Most live in family-based care delivered through good adoption and outstanding fostering services. They offer very good emotional support and overall

p.30

PEOPLE

placement stability is very good. Swift action has been taken to improve the timelines for the completion of their reviews.

p.30

PEOPLE

5. The impact of all local services in helping children and young people to enjoy their education and to achieve well is good overall, including for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Looked after children achieve slightly better than nationally but well below their peers in Warwickshire, and not all have personal education plans. School improvement work is effective overall, though in 2006-07 too many primary schools were in categories of concern. Early years provision is good. There has been a reduction in the number of permanent exclusions from school, but numbers remain too high, including looked after children and children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. In 2006-07, school attendance was broadly in line with national averages and similar authorities. There is a good range of recreational activities and voluntary learning provision for young people to

p.30

PEOPLE

enjoy. The youth service is reaching increasing numbers of young people, including those in rural communities and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, equality of access to services is an issue for some young people who experience high transport costs.

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PEOPLE

6. The impact of all local services in helping children and young people to contribute to society is good. Services to support the personal, social and emotional development of young people are good. Well-established and effective counselling schemes are in place to support children and young people. Parenting support is well coordinated and parental involvement in the YOS is very good. Good collaboration between partners in the provision of diversionary activities through the Positive About Young People and police community support officers are having a positive impact. There is evidence of good impact where services are targeted but data analysis to measure impact is limited. The number of first-time offenders entering the youth justice system rose during 2007-08 with the area reporting performance in line with similar authorities. In 2006–07, the YOS was successful in reducing re-offending at first

p.30

PEOPLE

tier and community level. However, the majority of young people who served a custodial sentence re-offended. The range of training provision for young people above school age is good. However a lower proportion of supervised Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 29

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PEOPLE

children and young people are engaged in education, employment or training than found in similar areas and nationally. The area has been successful in reducing the small number of looked after children and young people involved in the youth justice system.

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PEOPLE

7. The impact of all local services in helping children and young people achieve economic well-being is good. Support for families is good, including a good range of high quality childcare provision. Strong partnerships between the local authority, schools, colleges and the Learning and Skills Council ensure a wide range of vocational programmes at age 14–19. However, specialist provision for young people with the most complex needs post-16 and post-18 is not always available. The proportion of young people not in education, employment or training increased in 2006-07 but recent action, for example through the Nuneaton consortium to increase places for 2008, has been successful in beginning to reduce that figure. Work to engage young offenders is good but impact is adequate. The proportion of looked after children in education, employment or training is comparable with the non-looked after population. Good progress has been made on providing decent housing for

p.31

PEOPLE

children and young people, and Warwickshire has an excellent record for providing suitable accommodation for care leavers.

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PEOPLE

8. Capacity for further improvement is good. The partnership has shown that it can work well together to achieve its ambitions and deliver better outcomes for children and young people. It has high quality leadership in place. It has recently drafted and put in place a number of strategic plans, for example the workforce strategy and the joint commissioning strategy. Integrated services involve a wide range of agencies including health, police and the voluntary sector with scope for greater integration, potentially involving co-location and shared services. The partnership tackles known risks, for example children’s centres sustained funding, and it acts positively on inspection recommendations, making appropriate changes to improve services. A number of major strategies are too new to demonstrate impact and performance management is not yet comprehensive. Warwickshire joint area review of children’s services 30

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ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS

1. This joint area review was conducted using the arrangements required under section 20 of the Children Act 2004. It was carried out by a multi- disciplinary team of inspectors from Ofsted, the Healthcare Commission and the Audit Commission. The review was undertaken according to the requirements of the Framework for the inspection of children’s services.

p.32

ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS

2. The review was linked to the contemporaneous corporate assessment of the local council by the Audit Commission and these findings plus aspects of the most recent annual performance assessment are represented in the relevant part of the corporate assessment report.

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ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS

3. This review describes the outcomes achieved by children and young people growing up in Warwickshire and evaluates the way local services, taken together, contribute to their well-being. Together with the annual performance assessment of children’s services, joint area reviews focus on the extent to which children and young people are healthy, safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and are well prepared to secure economic well-being. This review explores these issues by focusing on children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, children who are looked after and children at risk or requiring safeguarding and a few additional investigations. It evaluates the collective contribution made by all relevant children’s services to outcomes for these children and young people.

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ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS

4. The review took place in two stages consisting of an analysis stage (where recorded evidence was scrutinised) and a two-week fieldwork stage (where inspectors met children and young people and those who deliver services for them).

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