Agenda item

Children's Social Care Assessments - Liz Stenton (Sac.22.10.2021/5)

Minutes:

Liz Stenton, Head of Children and Family Social Care, was welcomed to the meeting. Members heard of work completed by the Nuffield Foundation and published in July, 2020.  The work considered levels of poverty and deprivation and the impact on decision making for children in social care.  Members were reminded that Barnsley was the 38th most deprived borough out of 317 authorities.

 

Members heard of the work Service Director Debbie Mercer had been involved in, leading a service of practice focused workshops with children’s services staff.  These allowed time for reflection on practice and to make recommendations for the future.

 

Since this time there had been an opportunity to look at the next steps, working with families and communities to poverty proof assessments.

 

Members heard that issues with families were often not as a result of neglect but often due to problems associated with poverty.  Historically some practitioners had struggled to make the link with poverty, and this was an important factor to be sighted on during assessment.

 

Those present heard of the difficult choices families in crisis often had to make in relation to their finances, and how this may often impact on other areas. It was seen as important to ensure practitioners unpicked the underlying reasons and looked at ways to support families.

 

Work also looked to strengthen collaboration across the Council to support families, noting the phrase ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, and it was acknowledged that the primary focus was for children to stay with their family wherever possible.

 

In practical terms, Members noted that a poverty task and finish group had been established and had developed an action plan.  A poverty checklist for managers to use when supervising staff had been developed, and poverty champions were now in place.  Links had been made with staff in Department for Work and Pensions, and Citizen’s Advice Bureau to look at how families can best access support.  An agreement for training, advice and guidance to be provided by officers in housing was now in place and the review of the neglect strategy would take into account the links between poverty and neglect. Members noted that child assessment and protection templates would now also take account of the poverty context of the family.

 

Future work in this area included broadening conversations with families and further engagement with the third sector and across departments. Members noted that Covid had put additional pressures on households, and linking families to support to maximise income was more important than ever.  Assurances were given that the voice of families and of children continued to be at the centre of work, and that work with families continued on a strength based restorative approach.

 

Members discussed the impending changes to universal credit and the expected impact.  The need for support to ensure residents received the benefits to which they are entitled in order to maximise their income was noted.

 

Support provided at an Area Council or Ward level, including welfare rights advice, winter wellbeing work, and access to food through such as healthy holidays provision, was noted, and the need for practitioners to be aware of this. It was suggested that any gaps in support identified could potentially be addressed by the Area Council or Ward Alliance.  All agreed that a joint approach to addressing poverty and assisting families was required.

 

RESOLVED that thanks be given for the presentation.

 

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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