SEND North East Conference Early Support and Key working

1. SEND North East Conference Early Support and Key working Jane Harrison and Anita Reeves

2. Early Support - A principled approach to the SEND reforms

3. Early Support and culture change Early Support • Provides a framework for action for implementing the SEND provisions of the Children and Families Bill • Is based on 10 principles, it is a way of working that enables cultural change and provides practical tools • Aims to improve the delivery of services for disabled children and young people and others with additional needs and their families • Focuses on ensuring that service delivery is child, young person and family-centredand that services and practitioners work in partnership with children, young people and their families • Enables services to coordinate better and provide families with a single point of contact and continuity of care and support through key working

4. The outcomes of Early Support for families Early Support has "demonstrated the impact that well coordinated family focused services can have” and it “is helping to ensure that the legislative framework translates into real change for families” Edward Timpson, Minister for Children & Families, 2013

7. An introduction to key working and the key working functions

8. Support and aspiration quote ‘Parents with disabled children are likely to face higher levels of stress and they value the practical and emotional support of a key worker. Key workers can help to reduce this stress, help parents to navigate through the system and help them to agree the right support for their child. Most Local Authorities are already using key working to some extent. Although some Local Authorities use dedicated key workers, most train professionals who are already in contact with a family such as a health visitor or social worker, to act as a key worker’. Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability (DfE 2011)

9. The revised SEN code of practice • Draft revised SEN Code of Practice released October 4th • Consultation closed December 9th 2013 “Local authorities must provide all parents, children and young people with impartial information, advice and support in relation to SEN, including the statutory assessment, EHC plans and personal budgets. This should include key working and as appropriate an independent supporter” Draft SEN code, October 2013 – section 7.4)

10. What is the aim of key working? The overall aim of key working is to ensure the provision of holistic care and support to meet the individual needs of the child or young person and their family. EVERY child, young person and family who would benefit from key working support should get access to it.

11. What is key working? Key working is: • An approach to support that helps build strong and resilient families which is underpinned by the Early Support Principles • Defined by a set of functions rather than being defined by a job title • A way to facilitate the coordination of an integrated package of solution-focused support • Family centred as well as child or young person centred • An open, equality promoting and supportive relationship that involves children, young people and families as partners • A way of working – not a separate service

12. Who can undertake key working? The person providing key working support: • May come from health, social care, education or the VCS (or it may be provided by the parent carers or young people themselves) • Should be selected according to the specific needs of the child or young person • Is likely to be someone from the team working with the family, who has the skills, training, time and support to ensure that key working is effective • May undertake all of the functions required by a family themselves; OR they may facilitate some of the required functions to be fulfilled by other members of the team working in partnership with the family (but from the families perspective there would only be one person key working with them at any one time)

13. Key working functions Coordination • Coordinating practitioners and services around the child, young person and family • Being a single point of regular and consistent contact • Facilitating multiagency meetings Emotional and practical support • Providing emotional and practical support as part of a trusting relationship • Enabling and empowering for decision making and the use of personal budgets Planning and assessment • Supporting and facilitating a single planning and joint assessment process • Identifying strengths and needs of all family members Information and specialist support • Providing information and signposting • Advocating on child’s, young person and/or family’s behalf • Facilitating clinical and social care seamlessly, integrated with specialist and universal services

14. Early Support principles Early Support principles

15. Thoughts from a young person “Having Jane do key working with me has been great. I feel more in control now and know what is going on. It actually feels like the work is about me now because Jane involved me. Jane makes sure everyone else talks to each other and makes sure they don’t forget about me. Things have got better and I am going to start at college next term. I think the support I need will now happen. Mum is less stressed out too, which means things at home are loads better” Daniel, aged 17

16. The key working process

17. The key working process EXPLORATION UNDERSTANDING GOAL SETTING RELATIONSHIP BUILDING STRATEGY PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW END (Adapted from the helping process, Hilton Davis, 2002)

18. What local structures need to be in place? For more detail on these areas, and the evidence that supports key working, see Key working: improving outcomes for all - Evidence, provision, systems and structures - available from: http://ncb.org.uk/early-support/key-working

19. Key working – How it can help families? North East SEND Conference Anita Reeves

20. Introduction and Aims • Who I am. • What a key worker is and how they support families. • Personal and professional experiences of the key worker service. • Different models of key worker support. • Consultation activity.

21. What is a key worker and how can they help families ? • Some one who already works with your family or has experience of supporting your child. • Some one you feel you can be open and honest with. • The key worker becomes a single point of contact (for both the family and professionals).

22. How do Key workers help families? • Liaise with professionals on actions from meetings and to update on changes to circumstances or recent events. • Provide emotional and practical support to access services. • Signpost families to other agencies or sources of appropriate support . • Support parents in becoming empowered and confident in key working for themselves.

26. Consultation activity Discuss in small groups: What are the advantages of a Key working service for : • The family and child • Multi-agency professional Thinking about yourself and/or your Organisation: • Where are the opportunities to develop or extend Key working? • What help do you need to do this?

27. Early support resources All available for free from the website • Website – www.ncb.org.uk/earlysupport • Information resources for parent carers and young people - http://ncb.org.uk/early-support/resources/new-information-resources • Developmental journals - http://ncb.org.uk/early-support/resources/developmental-journals • Multiagency Planning and Improvement Tool (MAPIT) • Films and Family journeys • App

28. Further information Visit our website: www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/earlysupport Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/councilfordisabledchildren Follow us on twitter: @CDC_tweets Contact: Jane Harrison, Early Support Regional Facilitator jane.harrison@aspire-cs.co.uk Mob: 07702737496