Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference

1. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Welcome to the Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference Councillor Robert Evans Care Services Portfolio Holder London Borough of Bromley robert.evans@bromley.gov.uk

2. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 A changing landscape of reform, challenge and opportunity Terry Parkin Executive Director: Education, Care and Health Services London Borough of Bromley terry.parkin@bromley.gov.uk

3. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Purpose of the Conference • To ensure children and young people, parents and carers, and key partner agencies can influence and shape key business planning priorities • To share the latest and emerging information on the budget position and service developments • To feed the outcomes into the business planning for the Council • To perform the function of the Borough’s Children’s Trust Board, including duty to oversee the co-operation between the Council and the ‘relevant partners’ to improve the wellbeing of children and young people in the Borough

4. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 The focus of the Conference To support the development of the Borough’s Youth Strategy, Delivering Successful Outcomes for Young People, by focusing on vulnerable young people: • adolescents who receive services from statutory agencies • adolescents whose life chances are problematical due to: • poor education • lack of employment opportunities • family circumstances • supporting families to get the right help at the right time

5. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Outline of the Conference • Welcome and introduction | Cllr Evans, Care Services Portfolio Holder • A changing landscape of reform, challenge and opportunity | Terry Parkin, Executive Director: Education, Health and Care Services • Bromley Safeguarding Children’s Board | Helen Davies, Independent Chair • What the research tells us | Jenny Selway, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, and Kay Weiss, Assistant Director: Children’s Social Care • What do Young People and Parents Say | Paul King, Head of Integrated Youth Support Programme, and Mark Thorn, Head of Referral and Assessment • Tabletop sessions • Feedback from Tabletop sessions | Terry Parkin, Executive Director: Education, Health and Care Services • Next steps - Development of the Multi-Agency Youth Strategy & Action Plan | Kay Weiss, Assistant Director: Children’s Social Care • Close | Cllr Evans, Care Services Portfolio Holder

6. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Your delegate pack • Contains: • the agenda • the scribble pad • an evaluation form • Please use the scribble pad to take notes, note down questions or comments, or record important facts! • Please complete the evaluation form at the end so we can learn from your experience

7. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Constraints of the current financial situation • The Council has reduced its budget by £57 million since 2010 • The Council now estimates that it has to save more than £60 million between 2014 and 2018 • This is because of: • a reduction in funding from the Government • the rising costs of buying things, including placements • the increasing number of people using services • the increasingly complex needs of service users

8. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Demographics • The population of Bromley is rising and is predicted to continue to rise: • 2012 estimate of the resident population is 316,600 • Expected to increase to 326,200by 2017 and332,900by 2022 • There are estimated to be 35,700 young people (11%)aged 10-19 in Bromley • This has increased from 34,200 in 2000 • But has decreased from 37,200 in 2009 • Expected to increase to 36,000by 2017 and39,200by 2022

9. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Demographics (cont’d) • The number of births has risen considerably • Increased by 29.1% in 2011 compared to 2002 • Increase in proportion of the ethnic minority population in Bromley from 13.5% in the 2001 Census to 22.6% in the 2011 Census • Approximately 20% of the borough’s secondary school intake is from neighbouring boroughs • Significant impact on ethnic composition of Bromley’s schools • Bromley’s schools have average Black and Minority Ethnic profile of 26% (2011) compared to 18% for resident population

10. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Demographics (cont’d) • Bromley is a net importer of pupils in the secondary phase • in 2012 the difference between exports and imports was 1,200pupils • Within Bromley’s secondary schools: • Bromley residents occupied 78.4% of the places • residents from other London borough’s occupied 20.1%places • residents from outside of London occupied 1.5% places • the largest inflow of young people is from Bexley, Croydon, Greenwich and Lewisham • Of the secondary age residents in Bromley: • 84% attend schools in the borough • 12% attend a school in another London local authority • 4% attend a school outside London • the largest exports of young people are to Croydon, Kent, Bexley and Greenwich

11. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 The increasing needs of local people A growing demand for services relating to: • our resident young people with disabilities who are moving into adulthood is increasing • our residents with learning disabilities will increase by 4.6% in 2016 and 9.2% in 2020 • our residents with physical disabilities will increase by 10.4%by 2020 • our residents experiencing mental health issues will increase by 4.5% by 2016 and 9.3% by 2020

12. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 The increasing needs of local people (cont’d) • a sharp increase in the number of households presenting as homeless • and, although the Council works with such households and its partners to do all it can to prevent a household losing their home, there is a considerable financial impact of the sharp and continuing trend • the impact of the benefit cap and welfare reforms which is expected to place additional cost responsibilities on the Council as part of meeting its housing responsibilities • the costs are expected to increase by £4m for 2013-14 and 2014-15

13. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • Bromley Youth Support Programme tracked the destination of and made contact with 6,816 young people in aged 16 to 19 (during 2013)

14. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • Targeted Youth Support Programme support - 4,433 young people at Youth Hub (during 2013)

15. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • Targeted Youth Support Programme direct 1:1 support - 1,701 young people (during 2013)

16. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • Bromley Youth Support Programme advice & support - 543 young people not in Education, Employment or Training (during 2013)

17. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • Bromley Youth Support Programme 1:1 support - 262 young people in Year 6 to support the transition from primary to secondary school (during 2013)

18. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • Mobile and Detached Youth Team - 818 individual young people(April to December 2013)

19. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • Phoenix Youth Group for disabled young people - 94 individual young people (April to December 2013)

20. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • The Tackling Troubled Families Project - have attached 442 families to the project (March 2014)

21. An overview of the current service usage: targeted services • 7 young people who had been reliant on SEN transport successfully completed travel training and become independent travellers (2013)

22. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Safeguarding Adolescents: Bromley Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) Helen Davies Independent Chair Bromley Safeguarding Children Board bscb@bromley.gov.uk

23. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 About the Bromley Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) • BSCB brings together representatives from key partner agencies to develop and review safeguarding policies and procedures and scrutinise local safeguarding arrangements within Bromley • Its main objectives are to promote good practice and working together in safeguarding to: • protect children from maltreatment • prevent impairment of children’s health or development • promote the provision of safe and effective care • The 2012-13 annual report has been published

24. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Focus of BSCB Work 2013-14 • Programme of Multi-agency audits (Missing Children, Domestic Violence, child protection, Early Intervention) and Section 11 Audits • Voice of children and young people – developed links with Bromley Youth Council and Living in Care Council (LinCC) • Development of multi-agency protocols – Missing Children; Child Sexual Exploitation; Children Missing Education • Extensive multi-agency training programme covering 17 courses attended by 700 professionals and free e-learning courses completed by over 300 professionals • Annual Conference, briefings, safeguarding network events

25. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Safeguarding Adolescents in Bromley –Areas of Focus

26. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 (1) Children Missing from Home & Care • 100,000 children estimated to go missing or run away each year nationally • May go missing because of problems at home, family break up, mental health problems, bullying • Approximately 25% of children that go missing are at risk of serious harm • Risks of sexual exploitation, gang exploitation, drug and alcohol misuse • Missing looked after children particularly vulnerable

27. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Missing Children Protocol • Agencies should consider risks of children they are working with going missing • If there is a risk that a child may go missing/ runaway: • Consider what additional support they need – think about Common Assessment Framework (CAF) • Know what support and guidance is available for children thinking about running away • Independent ‘Return Home Interviews’ with someone the child trusts • Could be done by teacher, school nurse, youth worker etc. • Put in place any support and preventative measures to avoid a repeat – consider a CAF • Children who have gone missing more than once • Referred to Children’s Social Care • Support from the Teenage and Parent Support Service (TAPSS) considered • Case will be considered for review at Multi agency Panel jointly with Child Sexual Exploitation Panel

28. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 (2) Children Missing Education • Children are missing when they: • Fail to start appropriate provision and never enter the system • Cease to attend – e.g. through withdrawal or exclusion • Fail to complete a transition between providers • “Fall out” of the education system and cannot be identified • Multi-agency policy approved by BSCB in February 2014 which sets out responsibilities of agencies for identifying children missing from education • All agencies have a responsibility for identifying children missing from education and referring to Bromley Education Welfare Service: • Are not on a school roll • Are not being educated otherwise (e.g. privately or Alternative Provision) • Have been out of any educational provision for a substantial period of time (4 weeks or more)

29. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 (3) Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) • The sexual exploitation of children and young people under 18 involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person or persons) receive ‘something’ (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts, money) as a result of performing, and/or others performing on them, sexual activities • Both boys and girls can be the victims of child sexual exploitation • Many sexually exploited children have difficulty understanding and accepting they have been groomed, or otherwise coerced into sexual exploitation • Child sexual exploitation can be gang associated • Although statistics show that most victims in London live with their families, children and young people who go missing from home or Care are more vulnerable to being sexually exploited

30. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Child Sexual Exploitation (cont’d) • Perpetrators of CSE are known to hang around outside places such as youth hostels, fast food outlets, taxi ranks, arcades, shopping centres, cinema complexes, and even schools waiting for opportunistic meetings with vulnerable young people • The use of technology features significantly in cases of child sexual exploitation • Achievements • Strategy and protocol developed • Introduction of Multi-agency Sexual Exploitation (MASE) and Multi-agency Planning (MAP) meetings • Awareness raising amongst professionals – single agency and multi-agency briefings • Development of Outcome Framework

31. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 (4) Self-Harm • Intentional self-poisoning or self-injury, irrespective of type of motive or the extent of suicidal intent. It can involve: • Overdose; Cutting; Burning; Banging head; Self-punching; Sticking things into body; Swallowing things • There are many reasons why young people. Children and young people usually self-harm as a way of dealing with overwhelming emotions. These could be due to: • Bullying; pressure to do well at school; emotional abuse; bereavement; difficulties with family or friends. • Danger Signs • Use a dangerous or violent method • Self-harm regularly • Socially isolated • Mental illness

32. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Self-Harm (cont’d) • Prevalence figures may understate the true extent of self-harming, because it is often kept secret as young people are reluctant to admit to it • Approximately 10% of adolescents have reported self-harming behaviours • 1 in 8 of these will present to health services • Risk may be more significant for those that present to hospital • Suicide is the second most common cause of death in young people worldwide • Bromley has 5th highest rate in London of Emergency hospital admissions as a result of self harm in children aged 0-17 years (2011-12) • Current work in Bromley led by Jenny Selway, Consultant in Public Health Medicine • Work with Secondary schools includes: • Staff training – general awareness and specialist training • Support to young people

33. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Focus of future BSCB work • Development of Business Plan and Priorities for 2014-15: • Safeguarding children living with domestic abuse • Safeguarding children living with parental substance misuse • Safeguarding children living with parental mental health • Focus on impact of work and outcomes achieved for children and young people • Learning and Improvement • Voice of children and young people • Continued focus on missing children, child sexual exploitation (CSE), neglect and self-harm

34. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 What the researchtells us Jenny Selway Consultant in Public Health Medicine London Borough of Bromley jenny.selway@bromley.gov.uk

35. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Adolescent brains are different to adults

36. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Overproduction and pruning • Brain development: growth spurts & pruning • Critical phases: • in utero-3 years; • 10-13 years • Overproduction: neurons and synapses • learning opportunities • Pruning: discarding unused synapses • “Use it or lose it” • Experience both positive and negative plays a crucial role

37. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Brain development

38. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Implications of changes to brain • Underdevelopment of frontal lobe/prefrontal cortex make adolescents more prone to “behave emotionally or with ‘gut’ reactions” • Adolescents use amygdala (emotions) rather than the prefrontal cortex (reasoning) • Because of immature brains, adolescents do not handle social pressure, instinctual urges, and other stresses the way adults do • Adolescents have limited skills at learning how to assess risk and consequences

39. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Implications of changes to brain (cont’d) • Adolescents not skilled at distinguishing subtlety of facial expression (excitement, anger, fear, sadness, etc.) • leads to lack of communication and inappropriate behaviour • Differences in processing, organization, and responding to information/events • leads to misperceptions and misunderstanding verbal and non-verbal cues • Role of emotions: interaction between thinking and feeling • Teen decisions are unlikely to emerge from a logical evaluation of the risk/benefits of a situation • rather decisions are the result of a complex set of competing feelings • desire to look cool, fear of being rejected, anxiety about being caught, excitement of risk, etc.

40. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Summary of Tasks of Adolescents • Ruth Talbot, YoungMinds

41. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 What is normal for adolescents?

42. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Environmental factors: impact on brain development

43. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Neural systems that are chronically activated by threat can change in permanent ways

44. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Impact of ongoing stress

45. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Risk taking • Response to rewards is different – respond less to small rewards, have bigger response to larger rewards but soon have no impact • Risk taking and exploration of new activities • Reward centre in overdrive coupled with planning regions that are not fully functional could make an adolescent an entirely different creature to an adult when it comes to seeking pleasure

46. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Relating to others and self regulation • Perspective taking capacity dips during puberty. • Ability to empathise: teenagers hardly use the area of the brain that is involved in thinking about other people’s emotions • Less able to imagine emotional reactions • Less able to read the emotions of others which can lead to misunderstandings and over reactions • Mismatch between emotional and cognitive regulation • Results in powerful emotional responses (e.g. urges for sexual behaviour, independence and the formation of social bonds) which they cannot easily regulate, contextualise, create plans about or inhibit.

47. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 Experience of violence for young people • 2011 Beatbullying retrospective survey of 1,000 YP: “Child-on-child violence in the UK” • 37% young people reported severe physical attack +/or inappropriate sexual behaviour • Vulnerable young people more likely to experience physical abuse or inappropriate sexual behaviour • Young people: • with statement of Special Educational Needs • on Free School Meals • excluded from school • with caring responsibilities (young carers) • in care or care leavers • Physical abuse in school - sexual abuse elsewhere • Emotional and social implications

48. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014

49. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 2009 NSPCC report “Partner exploitation and violence in teenage intimate relationships” • Survey 1,353 young people aged 13-17; interviews 91 young people • Physical partner violence: 25% girls, 18% boys • Emotional partner violence: 33% girls, 6% boys • Sexual partner violence: 33% girls, 16% boys • Family and peer violence risk partner violence • Older partner a significant risk factor for girls • Same sex partner associated with risk violence • Greater impact in girls (75% negative impact) • Nearly half girl’s physical violence in self defence

50. The Children’s Services Stakeholder Conference | 27 March 2014 ‘What works’ Kay Weiss Assistant Director: Children’s Social Care London Borough of Bromley kay.weiss@bromley.gov.uk