ICS Update Presentation

DCSF Policy Team

September 2008

Helen Jones

Jenny Gray

ICS Update Presentation:Contents

• 2008: The wider policy context• ICS Phase 1C Scope Definition and Approach• Care Matters agenda• Components of current strategy• Wide range of indicators• Safeguarding Children Policy

2008: The wider policy context

• The Children’s Plan which set out the Government’s ambitions for all children and young people

• Safeguarding Action Plan• Public Law Outline for family justice proceedings• Care Matters delivery plan• Youth Crime Action Plan

ICS Phase 1C Scope Definition

Integrated Children’s System

Phase 1CBUSINESS

REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION

• Care Plan, Core Assessment and Chronologies for Courts to be developed through MoJ consultation

• Care Plan, Core Assessment and Chronologies for Courts to be developed through MoJ consultation

• Adoption Plan (Change due to Society influences/ Adoption & Children Act 2002)

• Adoption Plan (Change due to Society influences/ Adoption & Children Act 2002)

• Care Plan • Core Assessment• Chronology

• Care Plan • Core Assessment• Chronology

• Adoption Plan Review• Permanence Record

• Adoption Plan Review• Permanence Record

• Update Process Flow & Data Models to reflect changes since original produced including Phase 1C requirements

• Update Process Flow & Data Models to reflect changes since original produced including Phase 1C requirements

• LAC Pathway Plan• LAC Pathway Plan

Adoption

LAC

Courts

Process Flow & Data Model

Other System Enhancements

In existence Needing development

• Further system enhancements to be identified through LA and supplier discussions in consultation e.g. usability requirements

• Further system enhancements to be identified through LA and supplier discussions in consultation e.g. usability requirements

• LAC Pathway Plan Review• LAC Pathway Plan Review

ICS Phase 1C Approach

Activity Description

Policy/ Legislative Change

Close interaction with policy advisors to develop requirements that are compliant with new legislation

Courts Committee Worked as member of a Courts committee to with the Judges in the Family Division to investigate a particular issue regarding presentation of ICS outputs in courts

FAQ Analysis Conducted detail analysis of frequently asked questions by Local Authorities

Focus Interviews Conducted focus interviews with sample Local Authorities

LA Survey Launched a nationwide survey asking all local authorities for their input and analysed the output which fed into the requirements

LA Workshop Held a workshop for 12 different Local Authorities to investigate further detail into some of the issues raised in the survey

Supplier Deliverability Sessions

Held individual supplier deliverability assessment sessions with all 10 suppliers to ensure they could deliver the requirements we intended to publish

DIMENSIONSOverview of ICS Data Entry and Pre-Population Test Routines

Core Assessment(6 age bands)

Child In Need Review

Closure

Care Plan

Pathway Plan

Closure

USER 1 USER 2

Child in Need Looked After Children Child Protection

USER 3

Send to manager for decision

Pre-populated with: • Childs details• Domains• Dimensions• Summaries• Analysis

Referral Form

Pre-populated with: • Date of referral• Child / young persons details

Allocate to case worker & alert Initial

Assessment

Record of Outcome of

s47 Enquiries

Initial Child Protection

Conf. Report(includes Child

Protection Plan)

Pre-populated with:•Child Details• Actions• Persons / Agencies and date• Initial Plan

Child Details

Pre-populated with:•Child / young persons details• Key dates • Actions• Outline Child Protection Plan• Domains• Dimensions• Analysis

Note : If a child changes status, the information (Needs Plan) is expected to be transferred and pre-populate the new plan required.

Adoption Plan

Check against other records

Assessment & Progress (4 age bands)

Child Protection Strategy

Discussion

Adoption

LAC Review

Child Plan

Child Protection Review

Needs Table

Childs Details

Initial Plan

Needs Table

Needs Table

Childs DetailsNeeds Table

Childs DetailsDomainsDimensionsAnalysis

Childs DetailsNeeds Table

Placement Review

DOMAINSChilds Dev. Needs

HealthEducationEmo. & Behaviour Dev.Family & Social Rel’sSocial Presentation

Parenting“Attributes of parents which affect…”

Family & Enviro. FactorsFamily History & functionWider familyHousingEmploymentIncomeFamily & Social Int’rationCommunity resources

DIMENSIONSOverview of ICS Data Entry and Pre-Population Test Routines

Core Assessment(6 age bands)

Child In Need Review

Closure

Care Plan

Pathway Plan

Closure

USER 1 USER 2

Child in Need Looked After Children Child Protection

USER 3

Send to manager for decision

Pre-populated with: • Childs details• Domains• Dimensions• Summaries• Analysis

Referral Form

Pre-populated with: • Date of referral• Child / young persons details

Allocate to case worker & alert Initial

Assessment

Record of Outcome of

s47 Enquiries

Initial Child Protection

Conf. Report(includes Child

Protection Plan)

Pre-populated with:•Child Details• Actions• Persons / Agencies and date• Initial Plan

Child Details

Pre-populated with:•Child / young persons details• Key dates • Actions• Outline Child Protection Plan• Domains• Dimensions• Analysis

Note : If a child changes status, the information (Needs Plan) is expected to be transferred and pre-populate the new plan required.

Adoption Plan

Check against other records

Assessment & Progress (4 age bands)

Child Protection Strategy

Discussion

Adoption

LAC Review

Child Plan

Child Protection Review

Needs Table

Childs Details

Initial Plan

Needs Table

Needs Table

Childs DetailsNeeds Table

Childs DetailsDomainsDimensionsAnalysis

Childs DetailsNeeds Table

Placement Review

DOMAINSChilds Dev. Needs

HealthEducationEmo. & Behaviour Dev.Family & Social Rel’sSocial Presentation

Parenting“Attributes of parents which affect…”

Family & Enviro. FactorsFamily History & functionWider familyHousingEmploymentIncomeFamily & Social Int’rationCommunity resources

Adoption Plan

Review

Perm. Report

Update Update

Update

Pathway Plan

Review

Improving ICS support for court cases

Current Issue: Judges not accepting outputs from ICS, Social Workers having to manually create documents from ICS for the courts, Judges challenging whether their decisions have been carried out

Description of Work

Exemplars Purpose Benefits of being in ICS

Work with MoJ, Judiciary,

CAFCASS, DCSF policy to define

exemplars that all parties are happy

with

• Care Plan for Courts• Core Assessment for

Courts• Chronology for

Courts

• To resolve issues raised by Judges

• To resolve issues raised by LAs

• To gain endorsement from Sir Mark Potter for work

• Part of the core functionality described as being in scope for ICS

• Resolve courts issues regarding the output of ICS

• Resolve LAs’ issues regarding how to input and outputs from ICS

Focus Questions:- How will these exemplars support your social workers in court situations?

- How will these exemplars fit with your local processes?- What amendments would you like to make?

Enhancing ICS for practitioners and managers

Issue: ICS has now been implemented/ used for some time. It can now be refined and improved based on the experiences of using it in practice.

Description of Work

Exemplars/guidance Purpose Benefits of the enhancements

A wide range of feedback has been

obtained and consulted about the benefits and issues

of using ICS in practice.

A range of exemplars, guidance, best practice and new requirements

may be included in Phase 1C to support

system enhancements.

Phase 1C requirements will provide support to

the LAs to complete the implementation of a beneficial ICS, filling a number of policy and practice gaps and ensuring that best practice

and lessons learned are heeded.

Commonly identified issues will be addressed through new requirements and guidance.

Best practice and suggestions made by LAs will be incorporated into the requirements.

Overall usability of ICS is improved and made more consistent.

Focus Questions: - How will these system enhancements improve your ICS?- Do you have any additions, omissions or amendments?

Adoption: Legislation and guidance updates

Current Issue: Adoption functionality is currently missing in ICS and the Adoption exemplars that do exist are out of date with new legislation

Description of Work

Exemplars Purpose Benefits of being in ICS

To update ICS so it complies with

the latest Adoption

legislation – this includes updating and creating new exemplars and

processes

• Adoption Plan (update)

• LAC Review (update)• Adoption Review

(new)• Permanence Record

(new)

• To ensure ICS complies with Adoption and Children Act 2002 and other legislation.

• To ensure LAs are able to implement Adoption functionality in ICS

Completes the end to end process for a child in ICS

Existing workarounds/ non-ICS processes will end

Provides clarity around the security aspects of a child post adoption

Focus Questions:- What are your specific concerns regarding the implementation of this (e.g.

Security)?- What is the impact of how these exemplars fit with your local processes?

Care Matters agenda

• New legal provisions and requirements• Rewrite of Children Act 1989 regulations and

guidance• Revised guidance on promoting the health of looked

after children• New framework for family and friends care• Revised National Minimum Standards

Components of current strategy

PilotsEnable some change on the

ground while legislation is going through – maintain momentum

Provide models to disseminate & test policies borrowed from

other countries

Legislation, standards and guidance

Revising statutory framework to reflect Care Matters

Inspection

Additional focus on LAC alongside CAA. Working with

Ofsted to shape this

Workforce reform & commissioning

Key interdependencies in the medium to long term –

change is dependent on these working

Underpinned by very strong partnership with the sector - need to build on that to generate sector-led improvement across the board.

Key elements

Family and parenting support

Educational attainment Stability

Investment in new ways of working though pilots

Transitions for care leavers

Health and wellbeing

Wide range of indicators

DSO 2/PSA13Safeguard the young and vulnerable

Key stage 2 level 4 – English (target 60%, currently 42.8%)

Key stage 2 level 4 – Maths (target 55%, currently 40.9%)

Key stage 4 – 5 A*-C (target 20%, currently 11.8 %)

Care leavers in accommodation deemed suitable aged 19 (currently 87%)

Care leavers in employment, education or training aged 19 (currently 63%)

DSO 1/PSA12Improve the wellbeing and

health of CYP

DSO6Path to success PSA 16(cabinet office lead)

3

Emotional health of children in care – measured using the ‘Strengths and difficulties’ questionnaire

Placement stability – length of care placement (previous PSA target. Currently 66%. Crept up 1 percentage point in past 3 years)

Placement stability – number of placement moves (3 or more per year. Currently 15% nationally, reduced from 18% in 2000)

Stability of suitable adoptive placements

Percentage of reviews of care plans taking place within required timescales

Children missing from care and home

DSO 4/ PSA 11

Narrow the achievement gap

All are statutory targets at local level

Issues

Importance of using ICS to track progress of individual children and not just block statistics

Use ICS to monitor performance of services through effective management information about outcomes

Safeguarding Children Policy

• Keeping Children Safe: Action Plan (2008)• Byron Review (July 2008)• Vulnerable Groups Act • Section 11 guidance, Working Together and related

supplementary and practice guidance implemented fully

• PSA indicators - initial assessments completed within 7 working days; decrease in the number of preventable child deaths