The childrens view of commissioning

1
The childrens view of commissioning

• Dr Roger Morgan OBE
• Childrens Rights Director for England

October 2008
2
Functions of the Childrens Rights Director

• Personal Statutory functions
• For children living away from home or receiving
  childrens social care services
• Concerning their social care safety, rights,
  welfare
• Ascertaining childrens views
• Advising on childrens rights and welfare
• Raising rights and welfare issues I consider
  significant
• Individual casework - check, refer, advise,
  follow up

3
Whats my Council?

• Is the Council my Social Worker?
• Does someone else make the decisions about money
  for my care?
• This is a three star council,
• but Ive got a crap social worker

4
Care Matters suggested Pledge promises

• Childrens prioritisation of the top Government
  Pledge
• suggestions
• Being able to get support from a social worker
  24/7
• Choice of when to leave care up to 18 veto
  otherwise
• Regular health checks
• Having an advocate
• Leisure and sports activities
• Chance to do volunteering

5
Care Matters the childrens vote

• Childrens votes (out of 100) for 12 Care
  Matters proposals
• Before care, see if relatives can look after the
  child (58)
• Childrens Councils (53)
• Social workers spending more time with children
  (45)
• More help for care leavers at university (42)
• 500 per child to help with their education (39)
• Right to veto leaving care before 18 (38)

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Messages for Commissioners

• Treat me as an individual, not as a children
• No sort of placement is best decide what is
  best for me just now
• Ask, listen, take into account, feed back. Me,
  not representative children
• Let me decide where I can, on my understanding
• but take what I think into account even if I
  dont fully understand
• Dont have targets decide whats best for each
  individual
• Take my feelings into account and dont
  challenge them
• Let me get and keep hobbies
• Changing schools might be good or bad for me
  not a general bad thing. Depends on whether the
  new school is better education for me, and how
  good I am at making new friends.

7
Reception into Care

• Do this gradually if possible
• Tell me why !
• Do a proper risk assessment for just me
• See if other people in my family can look after
  me
• Dont dump me with strangers
• Keep me informed even when not much is
  happening
• Tell me and involve me in decisions on where I am
  going
• Keep my family contacts if you can
• Dont fit me into things that are good for all
  children like being adopted

8
Care Plans (1)

• 72 knew they had a care plan
• 25 had no say in what was in their care plan
• 66 fully agreed with their care plan
• 79 of care plans being fully kept to
• half had no choice of placement when last placed

9
Care Plans (2)

• Care planning needs to be better with more say
  from us and more knowing what plans say
• Have independent people to go to if our care
  plans arent done or arent kept to
• What is important is that those people can sort
  it not who employs them
• Many find it very hard to give views in daunting
  Review meetings

10
Commissioning Placements

• Range of options
• Choice at time of decision
• Pre-decision information
• Involvement of the child in the decision
• Gradual introduction
• Regular monitoring and access to social worker
• Backup plan if doesnt work out

11
Placement out of Authority

• Most frequent casework issue children contact us
  about
• Change of policy no more money was only
  for two years
• Im settled here now - Im doing well at
  school no-one is listening to me saying I
  dont want to go
• Once youve placed away, let the child stay until
  its in their best interests to come back
• Statutory duty to take their wishes AND FEELINGS
  properly into account
• An out of authority placement is a needs-long
  commitment

12
Messages about workers

• Let me contact my worker easily whenever I think
  I need to
• My worker should see me alone
• Let me have a choice about who is my worker
• Keep your promises
• Keep telling me what is happening even when
  nothing is happening
• What Im entitled to shouldnt depend on who my
  worker is
• Professionals should only know what they need to
  know about me

13
Leaving commissioning behind

• Leaving care should be when you are ready, not
  when you reach a particular age
• Accommodation on leaving care is critical
• So is move on accommodation after that
• Concern about being at risk in unsuitable areas
• Need backup on call
• Need KNOWN RELIABLE financial support
• Need to leave care gradually
• There is real discrimination need help into
  employment

14

Examples of Recent Significant Issues

• Semi-secure accommodation
• Illegal termination of out of authority
  placements
• Checks for overnight stays with friends
• Confusion of private fostering and kinship care

15
Childrens Care Monitor 2008Being told and
listened to

• 55 are always or often asked about things that
  matter
• Older young people asked more than younger
• 49 say their opinions always or usually make a
  difference
• 73 always or usually told in advance about major
  changes in their lives
• So 27 only sometimes, not usually or never told
  in advance about major changes in their lives

16
Childrens Care Monitor 2008Care and Education

• 88 rated their care good or very good
• 84 said they were in the right placement for
  them
• Care rated higher in foster care than childrens
  homes
• 69 of last placement changes were in best
  interests
• 81 rated their education good or very good
• 75 doing well or very well in their education
• 58 of last school changes because of care
  changes were in best interests

17

• I want to be free of my past,
• better than my present,
• and always ambitious for my future.
• The only thing that can help me get there
• is funding and my own will power