Investing in children s services Outline

Transcription

1 Coordination in child protection services Findings from ESN s project on children s services Alfonso Lara Montero, Policy Director, 9 th European Forum on the Rights of the Child, Brussels, 4 June 2015

2 Investing in children s services Outline The European Social Network and our work on children s services EC s Recommendation Investing in Children The framework: ESN s Project Investing in children s services, improving outcomes Four examples addressing coordination between professionals & sectors, responsibility & outcomes Child s right to be heard in practice Principles set out for the Forum in practice Cross-border child protection challenges & recommendations

3 Investing in children s services Working for an EC Recommendation Independent European network for public social services 2007: Seminar analysing multidimensional nature of child poverty 2010: Children and Families report Breaking the cycle of deprivation 2011: Seminar Investing in Children: Early Years Services & Child Protection - up-to-date input from public services 2012: Position papers on the Recommendation and assessment of SPC advisory report

4 Investing in children s services Working for an EC Recommendation A C C E S QUALITY? IMPLEMENTATION? S

5 Investing in children s services ESN s project Objective Enhance knowledge of children s services across Europe to contribute to implementing the EC Recommendation Investing in Children How? Questionnaire - Analysis of children s services in 14 European countries Peer Reviews national, regional and local representatives and private service providers. Identify strengths and gaps, formulate proposals for children services improvement alongside EU guidelines Country profiles Cross-country analysis

6 Coordination in child protection services BBIC, Sweden What Common system for all local social services to investigate and document risk of children s maltreatment Actors involved National Board for Health and Social Welfare Municipalities Why Responsibility Ensuring outcomes Care decentralisation Professionals (health care, schools or other parts of society) have a statutory duty to report to social services when they know or suspect maltreatment (SFS 2001:453) Guidelines produced and coordinated at national level by National Board of Health and Social Welfare (health and social care professionals) and National Agency for Education (schools) Common assessment for better and more uniformed outcomes Regular monitoring and inspection: Health and Social Care Inspectorate inspects children s homes and foster families Specific phone number and address Study by Ombudsman and National Board of Health and Social Welfare

7 Coordination in child protection services GIRFEC, Scotland What 3 principles: -Early intervention -Children s needs at the centre -Joined up approach between services In practice: -8 WB components -1 Named person -1 single Child s Plan Actors involved L.A. s responsibility (Children s Act 1995) (Children s Hearing s Act, 2011) CYPA (2014) Why Responsibility Ensuring outcomes Pioneered in the Highlands (2007) & successful evaluation: - reduction in number of children placed on protection register - decrease in referrals to children s reporter - time saving for social workers and education staff s caseloads L.A. s duty to support children in need National Framework for child protection (2010) addresses child protection procedures to be followed according to GIRFEC Local Child Protection Committees ensure that child protection procedures are followed by all relevant agencies National risk assessment tool to ensure consistent and effective approach to assessing child protection issues Corporate parenting: Partnership between L.A.s, services and associated agencies responsible for meeting the needs of Looked After Children

8 Coordination in child protection services Risk prevention model, Catalonia What In practice Actors involved Regionallocal government agreement Screening tool Risk prevention model and unified child register abuse Different scenarios featured and recommendations for action Online application with risk management support module and case register 2 access levels: 1 for public to register concern 1 for professionals to share real time information about specific cases Responsibility Regional administration though in close cooperation and in agreement with L.A.s Ensuring outcomes Follow up of young people who left care first study recently published

9 Coordination in child protection services Local Prevention System, Poland What In practice Actors involved Responsibility Ensuring outcomes Main purpose: Protect small children from harm Educational/ Psychological support for parents, especially in families where there is a risk of child abuse Close cooperation between health care centres, social welfare centres, crèches, schools, pedagogical and psychological assistance centres Unclear But from 1 Jan 2015 L.A. s role reinforced as they are responsible for recruiting family assistants Act of family support and reinforcement of foster care: - focus on prevention & reinforcing L.A. s role - in some instances foster care for children aged 10 or younger

10 Child s right to be heard In practice Training for professionals working with children to request their views in policy-making & service design (Andalucía) L.A.s contract independent organisations to represent children in care (England) Children in care may be involved in decision-making in 3 aspects (Scotland): day to day issues in foster care and residential homes planning their future (depending on maturity) planning services of which they are consumers Legal requirement to listen to the child (children aged 14 in Germany) Specific telephone and address for children in care wanting to contact the Inspectorate (Sweden) Study on care experiences by legal requirement (Sweden, Catalonia)

11 Principles set out for the forum Risk identification Advances in policy & services: New understanding of the nature and extent of abuse and neglect & broader changes in the place of children in society Support for families in complex situations core duty of local public social services Risk: child s welfare paramount Staff must have training and tools Assessment of parenting capacity to be alert to disguised compliance Failure to identify risk can lead to serious and fatal consequences for children

12 Transnational mechanisms Issues and recommendations ISSUES Children left behind Cultural differences and expectations International nature of child sexual exploitation Variability across countries of workforce regulations of social workers and social services staff Transferability and validation of qualifications Difficulties with criminal records checks -different level of police/criminal records checks across countries RECOMMENDATIONS Need to identify national contact for cross-border child protection issues and make this contact known to relevant agencies Recognise central contribution of social services in protecting children Recognise not only prevention but also the right of victims to have skilled and effective social work support Improve intelligence about sex offenders Promote mutual learning and exchange on assessment and risk

13 Thank you for your attention! Alfonso Lara Montero Policy Director