Sharing accountability
The programme involves Innovate CYPS taking full case management of a designated number of cases. For a team of five social workers supported by social work managers and a family support practitioner, typical case volumes are 90 per team. Although this can be scaled up or down depending on your specific requirements.
In many cases, an updated assessment of the child’s and family’s needs may not have been completed in several years. These cases therefore continue to be seen as meeting social care thresholds for intervention and therefore often remain open to CWD teams. That’s why, during week one of the programme, one of our managers audits each case to ensure there is management oversight with clear case direction. From there, our team works intensively with each child and family undertaking an updated assessment and producing a SMART care plan that enables a suitable pathway to be identified.
Outcomes-focused
Being outcomes-focused, we set very clear and measurable KPIs with you, which are routinely monitored. This ensures the child or young person remains the focus and at the centre of everything we do. This gives you the confidence that the plans we put in place and pathways we recommend meet each child’s current short, medium and long-term needs.
Embedding thresholds at the correct application, means as a local authority, you are also better able to understand any risks attached to individual cases.
Evidence-based cost savings
As well as reducing the number of cases open to social services, our team assesses whether direct payments are meeting the child and family’s needs. From this review, direct payments can be reduced by moving cases into more appropriate provisions; this is either within your local offer, in Early Help provisions, or within commissioned services provided by social care or SEND.
Children and young people who are being supported in high-cost placements, have cases coming up, or who are in transition will have their needs reassessed to make sure they follow the correct pathway. We look at a variety of opportunities including tripartite funded options, the identification of suitable placements nearer to home, and/or the possibility of bringing the child back into local authority services. In some cases, it may be a viable option to return the child home with an intense support packing, linking into their EHCP.