Update - July 2010

On 19th May2010 the Looked After Strategic Implementation Group (LACSIG) group was brought together to lead and drive forward an implementation programme to improve the outcomes for looked after children and young people in Scotland.

At the first meeting the group members were charged with developing and taking forward tangible and effective activities which address the key priorities within the following five themes which were identified following the publication of the National Residential Child Care Initiative reports:

• Culture change (care planning, permanence and adoption);
• Workforce;
• Commissioning;
• Improving learning outcomes; and
• Improving health outcomes

Each theme is being championed by individuals from within the group and over the summer months they will be developing ideas and related activities with support from range of stakeholders and the wider child care sector. At the next LACSIG meeting on 29th September each activity hub champion will present proposed work plans together with a report on initial progress. 

The following provides the named champion and their contact detail together with a brief outlines the key priorities for each hub:

Culture change: Care planning, permanence and adoption

Joint Champions

-  Romy Langeland, Chair of National Residential Child Care Initiative (NRCCI) and Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC) romylangeland@blueyonder.co.uk

-  Alistair Gaw, Head of Service (Fife Council) & Representative of ADSW alistair.gaw@fife.gov.uk

Supported by Barbara Hudson, British Association of Adoption and Fostering barbara.hudson@baaf.org.uk, on permanence and adoption

A number of the LACSIG group members are supporting this activity hub and they have identified the following nine areas of work for further development in advance of the LACSIG meeting in September:

1. Identifying what information is currently collected and how it is used.
2.  Learn from permanency planning worldwide
3. Undertake research into adoption outcomes
4. Investigate the management systems in place in Local Authorities to monitor the progress of looked after children
5. Establish what information/resources/training exists on attachment and how it can be brought into the heart of care planning and assessment
6. Planning for decision making
7. Innovative project on sufficiently speedy decision making
8. Through Care and After Care
9. The Value of Group care

Workforce

Champion – Anna Fowlie, Scottish Social Services Council anna.fowlie@sssc.uk.com

The following three areas have been proposed to address key challenges for the workforce:

1. Defining what is the workforce
2. Registration of the residential child care sector
3. Continuing Professional Development related to Looked After Children

Commissioning

Champion – Garry Coutts, Scottish Government Commissioning Group, NHS Highland, garry.coutts@nhs.net

The following key issues have been identified and will be developed further at the August meeting of the Children’s Services National Steering Group which has been focusing on developing a National Contract for Secure Care:

1. Implications for decommissioning some secure residential services
2. Engaging those empowered to make key resource, service and funding decisions within local authorities to ensure effective commissioning of community-based services
3. The leadership of COSLA and Scottish Government will be important part of process of taking agenda forward

Improving Learning Outcomes

Champion – Julia Swan, Director of Education Services (Falkirk Council) and Representative of ADES, julia.swan@falkirk.gov.uk

 

The following three areas of work have been proposed to identify successful ways of supporting the learning outcomes of looked after children:

1. Disseminating the learning of LAC Coordinators
2.  ‘Designated Managers’ in schools – their role, examples of good practice and what needs to be done to promote responsibilities outlined in the We Can and Must Do Better Report (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/237892/0065324.pdf
3. Educational information-sharing between local authorities and residential schools

Improving Health Outcomes

Champion – Melanie Hornett (from September) Director of Nursing, NHS Lothian

 

The following issues and areas of work to be developed have been proposed:

1.  Follow up to Chief Executive Letter (CEL16)
2. Identifying system challenges
3. Mental Health of looked after children
4. Dissemination and development of health promoting units

The Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC) has been asked to support the work of the LACSIG. If you have any further queries, these should be directed to Kelly Bayes, LACSIG Interim Strategic Programme Manager, lacsig@strath.ac.uk or Jennifer Davidson on 0141 950 3105.