BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE      25TH JANUARY 1999

BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL
QUALITY PROTECTS MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN

(Report of the Director of Social Services) (Citywide)

Initial Report - December 98 | Background  |  Framework & Content | Bristol Context | Bristol MAP | Framework & Content  |  Proposal for Special Childrens Grant | Conclusion & Recommendations | Appendix

Purpose of Report

1. This report provides information about Bristol City Council's draft Quality Protects Management Action Plan (MAP), including proposals as to how Bristol City Council might spend its allocation of the new special Children's Services grant.

Background

2. Social Services Committee received a report on December 6 1998 about the new Quality Protects initiative. Government launched this programme to transform the management and delivery of social services to children so that safe, effective and high quality services are delivered to children in need, and particularly to children looked after.

3. The main elements of the Quality Protects programme are:

! new national Government objectives for children, including some precise targets which local authorities are expected to achieve.
! partnership between local and central government, and an important role for local councillors in delivering the programme
! the requirement that local authorities submit a Quality Protects Management Action Plan (MAP) to the Department of Health by 31 January 1999.
! a new special grant for children's services (for three years, in the first instance) to be paid from April 1999. Bristol's allocation for 1999/2000 is ,714,000.

4. Government published guidance to local authorities (local authority circular (98) 28) in mid November 1998 on the programme, and in particular on the required framework for Quality Protects MAPs. The Department of Health requires that the authority's MAP is supported by a letter from the Chief Executive and Director of Social Services showing that the plan has been endorsed by the Leader of the Council and by the Chairs of the Social Services and Education.

Bristol Context

5. Time constraints have meant that it has not been feasible to consult as widely as Bristol City Council might have wished. There has, however, been some consultation with a group of young people who are, or have been looked after by the local authority. The consultation was organised on the City Council's behalf by the Solutions Project (NCH-Action for Children) and the Bristol After Care group. The process was extremely helpful in identifying some of the key issues for children and young people, and in identifying ways in which children and young people might become more closely and actively involved in shaping and developing children's services in Bristol.

6. It is proposed that Bristol City Council should consult fully with all stakeholders, including representatives from the independent sector, parent and children's organisations, about the MAP as it evolves and develops over the next three years.

7. Although Government has prescribed the content of, and format for Quality Protects MAPs, it is proposed that Bristol City should use this opportunity to publicise:

! quantitative and qualitative information about Bristol's children services, particularly in terms of baseline indicators established by the Department of Health.
! its vision and aspirations for children's social services, and particularly for children and young people who are looked after.
! details of how Bristol City Council plans, with other agencies, to improve the quality of all its services to children in need, and how it intends to deliver positive and improved outcomes for all children, and particularly for children and young people who are, or have been looked after. The Bristol MAP complements other statutory plans, including the Children's Services Plan, the Behaviour Support Plan, the Early Years Development Plan and the Health Authority's Health Improvement Plan.
! details of how it will work with other statutory agencies, including the health authority and NHS Trusts and with voluntary and independent sector providers to deliver such improved outcomes.
! information about how, in terms of the six priorities set by Government, it proposes to use the special children's grant which will be available to local authorities.

8. Following the creation of Bristol as a unitary authority in April 1996, considerable work has been undertaken within Social Services, within the City Council as a whole and with partner agencies, to improve the quality of services to children in need. The recent joint review of Bristol Social Services by the Audit Commission and the Social Services Inspectorate highlighted many positive aspects of children's services in the city as well as endorsing Bristol City Council's assessment of key areas for development. Of particular relevance to children's services is the need to ensure that:

! available resources (including staff) are used in the most effective and efficient way and that there is a consistently high standard of service throughout the city.
! appropriate services are delivered to children, young people and their families on the basis of an assessment of their needs and any risks to which they may be subject.
! City Council staff work together to promote and safeguard the welfare of all children in need, but particularly to ensure that children and young people who are looked after get the best start in life.
! the City Council plans and delivers children's services with the health services, and the independent sector in a 'joined up' way where this will yield benefit to children, young people and their families. The benefits of such an approach are already manifest in Bristol, for example in relation to initiatives to improve the education of children looked after, early years services, the child and family support centre service, and services for disabled children.
! the public, other agencies and City Council members and staff are clear about service standards which must be achieved and about our performance against local and national targets.
! strategic priorities are explicit, challenging and realistic.

9. The Bristol MAP has been organised according to the format prescribed by the Department of Health (see appendix 1 for draft MAP; final version will be circulated prior to Committee meeting).

10. Bristol's proposed MAP includes proposals which will need to be taken into account in the proposed restructuring of child care team, viz:

! the establishment of independent chairs for child protection conferences
! the establishment of posts to chair reviews of children looked after.

Both of these proposals are consonant with best practice elsewhere and with Government's desire to improve the performance and overall quality of decision making in relation child protection and children looked after.

11. Social Services officers have developed the MAP in close and full consultation with colleagues within the City Council and in the health service (i.e. Avon Health and relevant local NHS trusts). The importance of close collaboration between statutory agencies and with relevant voluntary sector agencies must be strongly emphasised, i.e. Bristol Social Services will only be able to achieve national and local objectives and targets when working effectively and in full partnership with allied agencies.

12. Close and effective partnership will be particularly required:

! with Education in relation to improving the educational achievement of children looked after and children in need,
! with Housing in relation to the accommodation needs of young people aged 16 and over who have been/are looked after,
! with Leisure Services in relation to all children in need, but particularly children looked after
! with the Chief Executive and with Planning, Transport and Development Services in relation to supporting young people into employment who are, or have been looked after.
! with Avon Health Authority and the NHS Trusts in relation to improving the health outcomes of children looked after, disabled children and children in need generally.

13. It will be necessary to work closely with other local unitary authorities in relation to health focused objectives and targets. A meeting between Avon Health, local NHS trusts and the four unitary authorities was held in December at which local authority officers presented a 'shopping list' of local authority needs from health services. These have been included in the Bristol MAP.

Proposals for Special Children's Grant

14. The special grant must be targeted on the following priority areas:

! increasing the choice of placements for children looked after
! increasing the support provided to care leavers
! improving assessment, care planning and record keeping
! enhancing the development and use of management information systems
! improving quality assurance systems
! listening to the views and wishes of children and young people.

The Department of Health Circular implies that it is expected that local authorities will spend some money on each of the above six areas unless they can positively demonstrate that they have no such need.

15. It is proposed that Bristol's allocation of ,714,000 in 1999-2000 be used as follows:

! Placement choice - ,314,000
! After care - ,100,000
! Assessment - ,80,000
! Management information - ,125,000
! Quality assurance systems - ,30,000
! Listening to children and young people - ,65,000

16. The Quality Protects programme represents a significant challenge to local authorities and other agencies arranging and providing services to children in need, and particularly to children looked after. The additional funding for Bristol's children's services is to be welcomed and will help to ensure that the Bristol MAP drives forward enhanced standards and outcomes in children's services.

Appendix - Quality Protects Management Action Plan

Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985

Background Papers

Department of Health, (November 1998), The Quality Protects Programme: Transforming Children's Services.

Contact Officer: Annie Hudson (Principal Officer, Children), Social Services, Avon House, 903 7790).