Family Justice Review Workshop 2012: Improving Child Care Law Collaboration

3. 2016 = Average 26 weeks 5 years on 2015 = Average 29 weeks 2013 = Average 45 weeks 2012 = Average 59 weeks 2014 = Average 32 weeks FAMILY JUSTICE REVIEW GM WORKSHOP in 2012 “The FJR has the most far reaching and significant implications for local authority and partner involvement in public child care law since the Children Act 1989. It brings with it opportunities to significantly improve the family justice system for the benefit of children and young people. There is clear potential to meet some of these challenges and opportunities by improved collaborative work. This multi-agency workshop, supported by information about current activity in your area, which delegates will be asked to provide beforehand, will enable us to clarify how we are going to achieve this. By the end of the morning we will have the basis of a joint Greater Manchester action plan that can be presented to the Family Justice Board”

4. 2012 2017 “We’re not in anymore” Kansas

6. Update on performance (as at 10th Jan 2018) • KPM1: Average duration of section 31 care or supervision cases (in weeks) • KPM 2: Proportion of section 31 care or supervision cases which are completed within 26. weeks • KPM 3: Average Number of Hearings

7. KPM 4: Timeliness of progression of section 8 cases in court, comprising: 4a) Proportion of section 8 cases where the FHDRA or urgent first hearing takes place within six weeks 4b) Average time from receipt to final order for section 8 cases (in weeks)

8. KPM 5: Take-up and initial effectiveness of publicly-funded family mediation: LFJBs should use this box to describe any issues which are impacting on the take up and effectiveness of mediation in their local area and any actions being taken to improve performance: - The Private Law Sub Group of the LFJB has worked in collaboration with stakeholders to create a new pilot scheme that encourages separating parents and other carers to sort out their arrangements outside of the court room. The scheme involves judges adjourning the first court hearing for both parties to find out about, or to try mediation, and requiring those parties and the mediator to report back to the court before the court proceedings will continue. The pilot will be monitored over 12 months to assess the impact on the number of cases being adjourned in this way, and then resolved by consent, withdrawn or resolved at final hearing. With a suite of documents, even a draft Order, this is an excellent opportunity to reduce case duration in KMP4(b).

9. Family Justice Board “The continued effort of LFJBs has not gone unnoticed and your commitment to improving performance against a backdrop of increasing receipts is very much appreciated. We would like to thank all agencies for the very hard work you are doing to deliver the best possible outcomes, for as many children as possible, within the statutory 26 week period”

10. Family Justice Board Because of “improvements made by Manchester LFJB in its KPM1 performance to 26.1 weeks in Jul-Sep 17 and the positive outlook….it was agreed that there was no need for your board to continue with the additional KPM1 reporting process. The PISG would like to thank you and your board for the work done to drive this performance improvement, and hope very much that this can be sustained in the future”

11. FJB update • Since October 2016 LFJB Manchester has repeatedly had the highest number of children involved in net receipts in both public and private law applications, when not at the top, second highest • We are aware that the number of children placed at home on care orders has risen in recent years, and that this appears to be more prevalent in some areas than others.  DfE and MoJ are considering how we might explore what is driving this increase and the reasons for children being placed at home on care orders. This is also being explored through GMSP who next meet in May 2018 • PAMS Assessments have not been used to best effect • During 2017/18 there has been significant investment to provide additional judicial resource for private and public law proceedings. By the end of the financial year this will see an additional 3,000 sitting days being used for family proceedings at District Judge and Circuit Judge level. In addition, direct recruitment of magistrates to the family bench has now started or due to start shortly in pilot areas and every region has or in the process of recruiting additional family legal advisors to facilitate extra magistrate’s sessions. Efforts continue to further increase judicial resources across the board for 2018/19, along with the necessary administrative support from HMCTS • In October 2017, the Public Law project launched and is currently in its ‘discovery’ stage. This is a two year project which aims to transform an existing paper heavy service to one that can be conducted from start to finish digitally and that will be designed around the needs of those who use it. • Working Together consultation ended on 31st December 2017 –now awaiting update on the statutory guidance which will underpin the Children & Social Work Act 2017 • Putting children first – 5 year plan on government’s reform programme for children’s social care in England started in 2016. National assessment will role out in five LA’s in the North of England from mid 2018

12. What we said we would do in 2017 • Continue to promote working together • Openness and transparency – improved cascading of information • Achieve further consistency where possible across all LA’s • Ensure Court Room availability • Introduction of Wifi at the CJC • Improve pre-proceedings work even further • Better use of Mediation Services in private law matters • Continue with the excellent training

13. Did we achieve? Time for self reflection

17. Along the way you will have experienced…

20. So, what’s next

23. 5 years on GM LFJB 2018 Workshop