Costing Children’s Services: Availability of Child Level Data

1. Costing Children’s Services: Availability of Child Level Data Samantha Culley Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

2. Costs and outcomes programme • Applied research to inform policy and practice • Ongoing since 2000 • Two elements • Ongoing research programme • Ongoing development of a tool for practice SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

3. CCFR Costs and outcomes programme • Initial study on costs and consequences of placements for looked after children  • Methodology for calculating costs incurred to social services of care episodes  • Development, pilot and production of a Cost Calculator for Children’s Services computer application SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

4. The Cost Calculator Methodology • Calculates costs from the bottom up • Calculates individual costs based on the actual care history of each child • Combines fee/allowance costs with the costs of social work support. • Relates costs to children’s needs • Uses longitudinal data to track costs incurred throughout care pathways of children • Presents results for any child, group of children or type of placement by any time period • Analyses costs by outcomes, thus promoting the Every Child Matters agenda SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

5. Key messages from initial study • Costs vary according to children’s needs • Children with more complex needs will require more time spent • Costs vary according to placements • but do more expensive placements provide a better service? SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

6. The Cost Calculator • What goes in: • Unit costs of social care staff time based on 8 case management processes: • Real data, based on SSDA 903 returns, on child placements and care pathways: • Placements and service types • Activities and events undertaken to support the child • Child need categories 1. Decide child needs to be looked after 2. Care planning 3. Maintaining the placement 4. Leaving care/ return home 5. Find a subsequent placement 6. Review 7. Legal processes 8. Transition to leaving care services SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

7. Studies on Child Level Data Two complementary studies undertaken by CCFR: • The Costs and Outcomes of Child Welfare Interventions: Mapping Children in Need Services • Scoping exercise as part of the extension of the Cost Calculator Methodology for all Children in Need • 15 local authorities asked to identify the prevalence and nature of services accessed by Children in Need in their authority • Developing Definitions of Local Authority Services and Guidance for the New Children in Need Census • Commissioned by Department of Children Schools and Families • Scoping the availability of child level data from local authorities to inform the development of the replacement CiN Census 2009/10 SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

8. Key Issues:Definition of a Child in Need • Changes in policy has led to greater emphasis on integrated provision and preventative services for Children • Blurring of boundaries between ‘vulnerable’ children and ‘Children in Need’ • Other forms of provision such as SureStart Children’s Centres and services for Children with Special Educational needs • Many children accessing services may not be ‘open cases’ on Social Care Information Systems • Blurring of boundaries could result in an underestimation of Children in Need SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

9. Key Issues:Access to Services: Common Assessment Framework • Integrated working and focus on preventative services has increased the routes through which services may be accessed • Common Assessment Framework, rather than ICS Assessments may be undertaken • Children receiving services through CAF may not appear on Social Care MIS • Few authorities reported that they are recording CAFs in MIS. • Some recording in separate databases • Consequently, little information regarding the numbers, outcomes and the needs of children receiving CAF SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

10. Key Issues:Integration • Increased focus on integrated services means that children may be receiving support from a range of agencies • Data on a single child may be stored on a number of different systems and databases • Problematic nature of building up a picture of multiple and complex needs for single children • None of the participating authorities had integrated systems • Cost Calculator can import data from various sources to use in cost calculations • The amount of work to cross-reference data should not be underestimated SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

11. Key Issues:Integration: Integrating data sets • Matching identities - different identifying numbers for different databases • UPN will now be required for the CiN Census which will help to cross-reference social care and educations • Most authorities this is undertaken manually • Other services such as Connexions or CAMHS? SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

12. Key Issues:Integration: Confidentiality and Data Sharing • Data Sharing is still a highly sensitive area • Particularly so for sensitive services such as acute therapeutic services, or sexual health services • Data sharing between Social Care and independent sector • Data sharing arrangements can be made through Service Level Agreements SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

13. Key Issues:Child level data held on Social Care information Systems • Social Care Systems as primary source of data on Children in need • Hold data on key activities associated with supporting the Child • Problematic areas include: • The recording of service deliveries • Use of free text • Inconsistent service descriptions • Recording of visits • Recording of indirect activities, such as liaising with other professionals SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

14. Costing Children’s Services for Children in Need:Next steps • Mapping sought to identify “core” services, those services that were: • Most frequently cited across participating authorities; • and reported to take up the largest proportion of the Children’s services budget • Case Management Teams identified as core service • Currently undertaking the development of the core processes for Children in Need and Child Protection • Processes will identify time spent on both direct and indirect activity • Activity times identified through focus groups and ‘event records’ SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

15. Costing Children’s Services for Children in Need:Next steps • Unit costs for Core Additional Services to be included • Four research sites to explore how data for Children in Need can be collected and utilised • Working closely with the CiN Census development team to reduce the data collection burden on local authorities • Development of the Cost Calculator to include health and mental health and education costs. SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008

16. Contact Details Sam Culley S.Culley@lboro.ac.uk SSRG annual workshop Balancing and Managing Risk 8th April 2008