UPDATE NO 451 30 April 2021

Newsletters If you would like to know more about these workstreams or the others in the Programme, click on the main section icons shown above. At SESLIP we are always on the look-out for good ideas that might be better implemented regionally rather than locally. If you have any suggestions, please contact Richard Tyndall, SESLI […]

Three children playing happily together

Newsletters

If you would like to know more about these workstreams or the others in the Programme, click on the main section icons shown above.

At SESLIP we are always on the look-out for good ideas that might be better implemented regionally rather than locally. If you have any suggestions, please contact Richard Tyndall, SESLI Programme Manager (details below). 

Our Regional Improvement Plan for 2020-2021 can be found here.

UPDATE NO 451 30 April 2021

Programme:

Children in care

Update:

The House of Commons Library has published a briefing on out of area placements and unregulated or unregistered accommodation for children in care. 

Action Required:

The briefing gives an overview of definitions and relevant legislation across the UK and provides data and statistics on placements in England. The briefing also signposts other reports and debates on these topics.

The full report is here

Programme:

APSW Knowledge and Evidence Events in connection with the DfE Social Care Review

Update:

The Association of Professors of Social Work has organised a series of four Knowledge and Evidence Events in May and June in connection with the DfE Social Care Review

  • KEE 1: Alternative Child Care Social Work Service Delivery Models on Tuesday May 18 1600-1700
  • KEE 2: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Children’s Social Care and Social Work on Monday May 24 1200-1300
  • KEE 3: Everyday Social Work with Children and Families on Tuesday June 8 1600-1700
  • KEE 4: Looked After Children and Care Leavers on Wednesday June 16 1600-1730

 

 

Action Required:

Each of the four events are focused on key messages delivered by leading researchers in the fields of Children’s Social Work and Social Care. At each event there will be the opportunity for those attending to contribute by posting their comments and responses via the chat function.

These events will be recorded and details will be provided in due course on how to access them; after each event, knowledge briefings, developed in collaboration with Research in Practice, will be made available.

Registration is free, follow the eventbrite links at the APSW events page or in the event flyer

You can download a flyer for these events here

Programme:

APSW Knowledge and Evidence Events in connection with the DfE Social Care Review

Update:

The Association of Professors of Social Work has organised a series of four Knowledge and Evidence Events in May and June in connection with the DfE Social Care Review

  • KEE 1: Alternative Child Care Social Work Service Delivery Models on Tuesday May 18 1600-1700
  • KEE 2: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Children’s Social Care and Social Work on Monday May 24 1200-1300
  • KEE 3: Everyday Social Work with Children and Families on Tuesday June 8 1600-1700
  • KEE 4: Looked After Children and Care Leavers on Wednesday June 16 1600-1730

 

 

Action Required:

Each of the four events are focused on key messages delivered by leading researchers in the fields of Children’s Social Work and Social Care. At each event there will be the opportunity for those attending to contribute by posting their comments and responses via the chat function.

These events will be recorded and details will be provided in due course on how to access them; after each event, knowledge briefings, developed in collaboration with Research in Practice, will be made available.

Registration is free, follow the eventbrite links at the APSW events page or in the event flyer

You can download a flyer for these events here

Programme:

Effective Children’s Social Work in a Pandemic: What we’ve learned. Wed 26 May

Update:

Essex County Council were commissioned by the DfE to do a peer review of social work practice during the pandemic in order to capture learning and insights. 

The findings from that exercise, which involved six local authorities (including Medway Youth Services), will be shared via a free online conference featuring keynotes and panel inputs from Prof. Harry Ferguson, Yvette Stanley, Isabelle Trowler, Jenny Coles and a group of young people. The event, which will take place on Wednesday 26 May, 9.30am – 3.30pm, also features a series of workshops including: leadership; virtual assessments; anti-racist practice; home working; CPD; and, the experiences of children and young people with SEND.

Action Required:

In order to allow as many authorities as possible to benefit from this learning there are regional ticket allocations, please coordinate local attendance to ensure maximum benefit. If tickets are sold out for your region, please select from general admission tickets.

Please see the event flyer here, the booking form is here.

Reminders from previous weeks

Programme:

Future dates for network meetings

Update:

Lead Members Group: More information from Alison Michalska (contact details below)

Data Benchmarking: Tuesday 13 July 2021. More information from Alastair Lee (contact details below)

Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board: Tuesday 13 July 2021. More information from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Action Required:

AD EducationFriday 7 May 2021 – 10.30am. More information from Chris Owen (contact details below)

AD Safeguarding: Friday 11 June 2021. More information from Mark Evans (contact details below)

QA Network: More information from Amanda Meadows (contact details below)

Fostering Network: 10.30am 19 July 2021. More information from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

SEND SE19: More information from Tracey Maytas (contact details below)

Programme:

Improving Commissioning and Sufficiency Planning to Increase Stability and Permanence for Children in Care

Update:

Rosemary Perry (contact details below) writes

Through an open request,  the DfE project has gathered views from 19 providers of residential and fostering services (some small and some large) about how they would like to engage with local authorities in developing more local and flexible services for children and young people in the south east. The overwhelming theme from the survey is the importance of developing trusting and long term relationships between local authorities and providers. Alongside this, the project has also collected more detailed information from the 4 local authorities involved in this phase of the project (West Sussex, Kent, Milton Keynes and Portsmouth) and is starting to formulate a view about the type of service which should be commissioned to meet need. 

Action Required:

Both reports have been added to the secure area of the website as well as being circulated to Board members. The provider report has been sent to the commissioners network.  The next step of the project is to enter a period of co-production, starting in the middle of May; this will take the form of a further request to the market with invitations to attend a series of workshops based around a series of themes and geographical areas.  This is the most critical part of the project so far.  Recognising the importance of this work, the Board has agreed to extend the project by 2 months to the end of September, to ensure that a further dialogue with the market can take place later in the summer, focussing on a definitive specification and contract. This is within the timescales set by the DfE. The project has been made aware of parallel work in a local authority outside of the region and it is hoped that the learning from this work can be shared with DCSs and commissioners in the coming weeks.

Programme:

Ofsted issue revised education inspection framework and handbooks

Update:

On 19 April Ofsted published a revised education inspection framework (EIF) which applies to maintained schools and academies, non-association independent schools, further education and skills providers and early years settings. 

The revised EIF is here

Programme:

High needs provision capital allocations

Update:

On 9 April 2021, DfE announced local authority capital funding to support the provision of new places for children with special educational needs and disabilities or requiring alternative provision.

Action Required:

High needs provision capital allocations (HNPCA) are provided to local authorities to support the provision of places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and pupils requiring alternative provision (AP).

In April 2021 we announced allocations totalling £280 million, intended to provide places needed for September 2022. The allocations spreadsheet shows how much funding has been allocated to each local authority.

Tools & Templates

We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan which will underpin activities in 2020-2021

Looked after children: out of area, unregulated and unregistered accommodation (England) published by the House of Commons library 13 April 2021

High needs provision capital allocations published by DfE on 9 April 2021

Clinical Review and Practice Guide for Children in Care’s Emotional/Mental Health Needs published by NHS SE 9 April 2021

It feels as though my third child doesn’t matter published by CPAG and others  7 April 2021

The road not taken: drivers of course selection published by the Social Mobility Commission 30 March 2021

UNSAFE CHILDREN – Driving up our country’s response to child sexual abuse and exploitation  published by Centre for Social Justice on 28 March 2021

Refuge and Risk Report – Life Online for Vulnerable Young People published by internet matters.org on 27 March 2021

Improving families’ lives: annual report of the Troubled Families Programme 2020 to 2021 published by DfE 26 March 202

Life Online for Vulnerable Young People published by internet matters.org 26 March 2021

News story about the restart of Area SEND re-visits and full inspections published by Ofsted 19 March 2021

Perplexing Presentations and Fabricated of Induced Illness guidance published by RCPCH on 12 March 2021

Phase 7 of ADCS Safeguarding Pressures published by ADCS on 24 February 2021

Evidence summary: COVID-19 – children, young people and education settings published by DfE 22 February 2021

Social Work in England: First Reflections published by Social Work England on 20 January 2021

Restricting attendance during the national lockdown: schools Guidance for all schools in England January 2021 published by DfE 7 January 2021

Learning from the Partners in Practice Programme Review: Practice Briefing (2020) published by RiP 31 December 2020

Children looked after in England including adoptions published by DfE 18 December 2020

IntegratED Annual Report 2020 published 18 December 2020

COVID-19: mental health and wellbeing surveillance report – Chapter 7 CYP published by Public Health England on 17 December 2020

Ofsted COVID-19 series of briefings published on 15 December 2020

SEND Inspection Preparation: Self Evaluation Framework Peer Review Guidance

The MoC area of the Seslip website now includes the latest versions of key documents, including the:

Contact Details

Data and Information Manager: Luke Ede (East Sussex)

luke.ede@eastsussex.gov.uk

07925 148597

LGA Children’s Improvement Adviser: Helen Watson (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

helen.watson5@icloud.com

07810 011892

Children’s Services Performance Manager: Amanda Meadows (Hampshire)

Amanda.meadows@hants.gov.uk

03707 794752

Education Network: Chris Owen (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

chris@bright-spark.net

07825 862330

SESLIP Education Data Group Lead: Daryl Perilli (Brighton and Hove)

Daryl.Perilli@brighton-hove.gov.uk

South East Grid for Learning – Consortium Manager: Krista Pickering (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

krista.pickering@segfl.org.uk

07872 014083

SESLIP Consultant: Isabelle Gregory (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

isabelle@firstcareconsultancy.co.uk

07931 586784

CSC Workforce, PSW and AD Safeguarding Network Lead: Mark Evans (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

Mark@markevansconsulting.co.uk

07803 147072

Adoption; Fostering; Kinship and Early Help Regional Networks: Rebecca Eligon (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

rebeccaeligon@gmail.com

07944 996219

SESLI Programme Manager: Richard Tyndall (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

richard.tyndall@richardtyndall.co.uk

07880 787007

S.E. Region SEND Network Programme Co-ordinator: Sheelagh Sullivan (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

sheelagh.sullivan@outlook.com