Care Matters Conference

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Care Matters Conference

• Friday 27th March 2009

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Merton R2BC4

• Merton context
• 20 young people in the Pilot
• At start of Pilot, majority in Foster Care or IFA
  Placements
• Focus on Care Planning, role of Advocacy and role
  of the Independent Reviewing Officer

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Care Planning and Transition

• Young people staying in placement post 18
  becoming embedded in practice
• 13 of the young people are still in same
  placement 18 months into Pilot
• Effective Pathway Planning
• Independence Work

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Care Planning and Transition, cont.

• What is independence?
• Whose role is it to support the young person into
  independence?
• How do we know when young people are ready?
• How effectively do we support our
  carers/providers in this process?

5
Care Planning and Transition cont.

• Who decides when the young person is ready to
  move?
• Use of Rainer What Makes the Difference Toolkit

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Role of Independent Advocacy

• Have adopted an opt in approach
• 8 young people on the Pilot have support from an
  Advocate

7
Role of the Independent Reviewing Officer

• 5 young people have chaired their own
  Review/Pathway Plan
• 4 of those have made a DVD

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Other Issues

• If young people are to remain in placement post
  18, how can we manage risk?
• Funding and status of carers post 18
• Consistently raise and maintain young peoples
  aspirations
• Work with Birth Parents and Families

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Care Matters Right2B Cared4 Pilot in Tower
Hamlets

• Shahid Tilly
• Group Manager
• Independent Reviewing Officers

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Care Matters Right2B Cared4 Significant findings

• The Pilot set within the IRO Service
• 18 Months / Half Way
• Closer and personal relationship between the
  Child / Young Person and his IRO

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Care Matters Right2B Cared4
Aims

• Centrality of the voice of the child
• Meaningful and supported contribution
• Increasing transparency
• Improve care planning
• Advocacy shifting the power balance to the
  child

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Care Matters Right2 BCared4 Aims

• Stability
• Meeting the needs of the child and not the
  agency Make sure young people are not forced out
  of care or leave care before they are ready
• Support informed by assessed need
• Improve transition planning towards adulthood

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Care Matters Right2B Cared4 Greater
involvement of and with the CYP

• Designated Right2B Cared4 IRO
• File review prior to each review
• Seeing the Child on a day different from the
  review generates more issues
• Resolving issues prior to the review enabling a
  greater focus on care planning

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Care Matters Right2B Cared4Initial aims met and
generalised

• No moves without a review chaired by an IRO
• (Placement Support Protocols) and use of advocacy
• Veto over moves
• Elligible, to relevant and back again
• Regulated to unregulated placements
• S20s in YOI

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Right2 Cared4 Initial lessonsIRO for the Child
and not the agency

• Continuity and counterweight to structural and
  staff change
• Designated IRO for the CYP from day 1
• Emphasising the professional responsibility of
  the IRO to the CYP - communications
• Importance of availability of the IRO to the CYP
  (telephones, texts, etc).
• CYP contacting their Right2B Cared4 IRO

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Right2B Cared4 Tensions and challenges

• Costs
• Reviewers or social work practitioners?
• Tension between targets and good practice
• Status of reviews cancellations, adjournments
  and reconvening and YPs expectations
• CP Planning Route

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RIGHT2B CARED4
Lyn Owen Service Manager
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Initial Project

• Reduce caseloads
• Increased focus on reviewing process
• Independent advocacy
• Mediation service
• Project support
• Additional placement costs

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• Involving young people with all aspects of
  the project
• Shifting the emphasis from staying in
  placement to care planning

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Project development

• Joint training on reviews
• Person Centred review processes
• Early reviews
• Enhanced participation/consultation
• Wider understanding of advocacy
• Consistent preparation for independence