The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) will present a report   (Document “A”) which updates the Panel in respect of the programme resulting from the award of £3.2 million from the Department of Education Innovation Fund in January 2017 which, further to consultation with the Children in Care Council, has now been named ‘B Positive Pathways’.

The report explains that the programme has three aims:

(i)         To reduce the number of children in care through stronger edge of care work.

(ii)        To improve the Authority’s ability to provide high levels of care within its residential homes through embedding a therapeutic ‘PACE’ (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) approach.

(iii)       To set up two ‘Mockingbird’ hubs to improve support to foster carers working with children with more complex needs.

Recommended –

That Document “A” and the creation of the B Positive Pathways Programme be noted.

(Jim Hopkinson – 01274 432904)

The Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) presented a report (Document “A”) which updated the Panel in respect of the project resulting from the award of £3.2 million from the Department of Education Innovation Fund in January 2017.  Following consultation with the Children in Care Council the programme had been named ‘B Positive Pathways’.

The report explained that the programme had three aims:

(i)         To reduce the number of children in care through stronger edge of care provision.

(ii)        To improve the Authority’s ability to provide high levels of care within its residential homes through embedding a therapeutic ‘PACE’ (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) approach.

(iii)       To set up two ‘Mockingbird’ hubs to improve support to foster carers working with children with more complex needs.

In presenting the report the Deputy Director explained that:

·         The programme was being adapted from a successful initiative running in North Yorkshire (‘No Wrong Door’).  It would be fully funded for the first two years and savings were expected to show from Year 3.

·         The ‘Mockingbird’ model of care was based on a family model, with the local authority acting as the ‘grandparent’ figure surrounded by a constellation of foster carers, and aimed to deliver resilience in fostering placements. This approach had been used successfully by a number of other local authorities and officers had taken note of their experiences in developing the scheme for Bradford.

·         Two pilot projects had been undertaken and the aim was to launch the scheme fully towards the end of 2017.

·         PACE training had been taking place across the workforce with a number of staff having also been trained in DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy). The new approach was starting to have a positive impact.

·         There was a significant amount of interest from other authorities in the development of the programme within Bradford.

·         A key issue was the recruitment of the right people, both staff and foster carers and this task was in progress.

·         The aim was to act more innovatively particularly with the most challenging young people.

He responded to questions from Members:

·         Recruitment was underway; large numbers of staff would be changing their roles and this could be a lengthy process.

·         A Research Partner had been allocated.

·         Cost benefit analysis would be undertaken and the aspiration was that significant savings would be achieved.  If the initiative proved successful then funding would continue into Years 3 and 4.

·         The initiative in North Yorkshire had resulted in a reduction in the numbers of missing young people, an increase in school attendance and a reduction in incidents of self harm.

·         Points of entry for the Police and CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) would be included within the hub.

·         The largest savings would be achieved by young people remaining with their families rather than coming into care and the placement of Bradford children within the district rather than outside.

·         The feedback from local authorities that had already implemented the ‘grandparent’ role was that it worked effectively; the feedback from both carers and children had been positive. Any issues in respect of complex contact arrangements for particular children would have to be considered as part of the development of the project.

·         The participation of foster carers in the Mockingbird model would be voluntary. Some interest had already been expressed by a number of existing carers. People who already had experience of the model would help in explaining how it worked to interested parties.

·         The capacity of the residential homes had been reduced as part of the implementation of the new model of care and they were currently at capacity.

·         North Yorkshire was Bradford’s designated ‘Partner in Practice’ and would assist with a number of matters such as drafting job descriptions, training and data collection.

·         The review of residential provision (which had started in 2015) had already had a major impact and had established a good base for this programme.

·         An incremental approach was being taken to recruitment.  In the initial stages the residential homes would have significantly more staff than had been the case in the past but this was to allow the capacity for outreach work to take place.

·         Life coaches and speech and language therapists would also be available within the homes.  Research suggested that over 40% of these young people would be likely to have some undiagnosed need and this could contribute to behavioural issues.

·         ‘Edge of care’ referred to those young people who were on the verge of coming into care, the aim was to prevent this happening if possible.

·         A number of young people were currently housed in purchased provision outside the district and the aim was to bring them back to Bradford.

·         An outline of the six stage process to implement ‘Mockingbird’ could be sent to Members after the meeting.

Members commented that:

·         The residential homes now provided a more traditional homely environment.

·         The information on savings and cost benefit analysis should be provided at an early stage to allow the Panel to review progress throughout the programme.

·         The retention of Meadowlea was welcomed.

Resolved –

That Document “A” and the creation of the B Positive Pathways Programme be welcomed and that the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) be requested to provide regular progress reports to the Panel to include updates in respect of the outcomes being achieved and the contribution made to strategic priorities.

ACTION:       Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care)