Integrated Services

Integrated Services for children, young people and families forms one of four service/function sectors of the Children’s Services Directorate.  Integrated Services incorporates all of children’s social care functions and the integrated front line teams.  These include educational psychologists, specialist teaching staff, education welfare officers, family support workers, social workers and social work assistants.  These teams work in three area bases across the county, offering targeted services to children in need and earlier intervention and support to schools and other settings when problems are identified.  Staff are managed within integrated area teams but also have access to professional case supervision and opportunities for support with continuing professional development from within their own individual profession.

There are additional county-wide services providing specialist support and services to looked after and adopted children and children with disabilities and complex health needs. These services also include multi-disciplinary staff groups. This support may be delivered in the home, early years settings, schools and colleges of further and higher education.

Services are provided in partnership with a range of other agencies, including the voluntary and community sector.  Strong links are maintained with the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership and with the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board to ensure that children and young people are protected, their wellbeing is promoted and their life chances enhanced wherever possible.  The needs of children and young people are at the heart of all integrated services and the active participation of children, young people and their families in service planning and development is proactively encouraged.

With the development of the Common Assessment Framework and Lead Professional arrangements, services will be better coordinated around the needs of children and young people and this should, in time, reduce the need for targeted and specialist services.  Links are developed with a range of other professional staff working in the community.

In the meantime, targeted and specialist services will be offered to those families where children are in need of safeguarding, in need of accommodation in foster or residential children’s homes and where families of children with complex disabilities/health needs require additional support from professionals from a range of disciplines.  Services are provided on the basis of assessed need. Services provided are monitored and evaluated.  Our primary aim is to support children and young people within their families and communities where this is compatible with their safety and welfare.  Where children and young people are accommodated, the aim is to return them to the care of their family as soon as possible, consistent with their safety and welfare.  For those children and young people subject to a child protection plan, partner agencies will work together to minimize risk and improve outcomes.

All services will focus on the two overarching directorate priorities – to safeguard children and young people and to raise achievement through removing all barriers.  In line with the requirement to raise aspirations and achievement levels of children and young people in Worcestershire, education welfare officers will work withschools, other settings and partner agencies to ensure the highest level of school attendance is maintained and attendance problems are identified early.  Support and advice are provided to improve individual attendance levels but statutory action will be taken if required to ensure a child or young person does not miss the educational opportunities available.

Educational Psychologists provide professional support and guidance to schools, other settings and to a range of other professionals in order to promote better outcomes for children and young people.  The advice can be in relation to an individual child or to promote a whole school/service approach to improve outcomes.  These professionals also provide access to a range of research information on evidence based practice, promoting best practice.

The Integrated Services - Specialist Support Service provides support and advice to parents, early years settings, schools and other agencies to enable children and young people with low incidence disabilities or medical needs, which prevents school attendance, to take a full part in their community.

Continuous improvement is a requirement in all service areas and strong leadership at all levels will continue to provide support and development opportunities to our highly committed staff.

• Structure Chart  (10.32 KB)
• Service Development Managers

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