Appendix 2 - Tayside Plan Report on Progress 2023-2024
Perth and Kinross Council · 29 January 2025
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 29 January 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Tayside Plan for Infants, Children, Young People & Families 2023-2026 Report on Progress 2023-2024 TAYPLAN-2326-001 Our children will have the best start in life Ensure clear pathways are in place for early identification of need in children pre-birth to age 3 With specific attention to: • Pre-birth support pathways • Transition pathways into early years settings for children with significant early concerns in relation to their development or emerging additional support needs Progress Updates (i)Families with identified needs are matched with support at an early stage:- Baseline data - unborn baby referrals per quarter. Data for Feb-April 2023 was Angus 40; Dundee 46; Perth & Kinross 27 Data for Feb-April 2024 was Angus 49; Dundee 44; Perth and Kinross 23 Angus Angus continues to monitor and evaluate the local Pre-birth Resource Allocation Meeting (PRAM) with 6 monthly reports submitted to our Protecting People Angus Strategic Committee’s (PPASC) Practice and Policy subgroup. From April 2023 to January 2024 there were 131 women referred to PRAM, (17% of all booked pregnancies in Angus). Women were, on average, 14 weeks into their pregnancy at point of referral, a figure that demonstrates early intervention for pre-birth babies.
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2 The PRAM Outcomes for referrals were: Direct referral to Social Work 35% Social Work Assessment (following PRAM) 22% Universal services 18% Family Nurse Partnership 7% Glen Clova 2% Perinatal Mental Health 2% The number of Child Concern Reports has increased marginally from an average of 512 per quarter in 2020/21 to an average of 520 per quarter in 2023/24. The number of Initial Referral Discussions has seen a gradual decrease over the past few years from 272 in 2020/21 to 200 in 2023/24.There has been a commensurate decrease in Joint Investigative Interviews from 131 in 202/21 to 117 in 2023/24 and in the number of children subject to Child Protection Investigations from 294 in 2020/21 to 124 in 2023/24. At least part of the decline is explained by a move to categorise Pre-Birth Assessments as assessments rather than investigations, the number of these referrals are detailed above. Conversely the requirement for Forensic Medical Examinations has increased from 13 in 2020/21 to 20 in 2023/24. Dundee In the Dundee partnership continues to implement the Tayside Unborn Baby (UBB) Protocol and provide support to parents, babies and infants via a range of services. This has included support from Health Visitors, New Beginnings, Locality Social Work Teams and the Family Nurse Partnership. To further enhance support, the partnership has also recently deployed Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) to fund 2 initiatives focused on providing additional support to pregnant and vulnerable women and Corra Funding to implement Infant Pledge with parents and babies. Currently,
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3 we are engaging with The Wave Trust to explore how to further shift resources towards enhancing preventative support in the first 1,000 days of a child's life. This will continue to be a key priority, with 187 referrals involving concerns about unborn babies in 2023-24. There are also a disproportionate number of babies and infants on the Child Protection Register or in care when compared with the national averages. In 2022-23, 13.8% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded at 13-15 months review and 17.7% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded at 27-30 months review. This is a 0.1% increase from previous year and a 2% increase from around 15% pre Covid-19 Perth & Kinross The partnership in Perth and Kinross continues to implement the Tayside Multi-Agency Practitioner’s Guidance: Concern for Unborn Babies – often referred to as the Unborn Baby ‘Protocol’. This guidance continued to help practitioners identify needs, risks and vulnerabilities for unborn babies at an early stage, resulting in regular referrals to the Unborn Baby Multi-Agency Screening Group (UBB MASG). The purpose of this group - which meets fortnightly and includes representation from Social Work, Health and the Police - is to share information regarding the identified needs, risks and vulnerabilities in each referred case, and to decide on appropriate actions and interventions. The UBB MASG has continued to perform a very effective operational function in our partnership – resulting in early, and proportionate, interventions with vulnerable parents to make safe and supportive plans for babies pre-birth. Thirty three of 79 cases (42%) referred to UBB MASG during the reporting period were allocated to the First Steps Team for Social Work assessment. The figure of 42 % is positive as it shows that more than half of cases referred to UBB MASG were able to be returned to Universal Services or referred to the Third Sector for a lower level of intervention. For UBB cases where Social Work assessment was required, the First Steps Team continued to provide a high-quality early intervention service to parents and babies. This was grounded in a strong ethos of relationship-based practice and a focus on keeping babies in the care of their parents where possible, or placing babies in the care of extended family members where this was not possible. Midwifery, the Family Nurse Partnership and the Health Visiting Service continued to be key partners to the First Steps Team. A Mental Health Nurse and Drug and Alcohol Worker are part of the First Steps Team - this provided early and focused interventions to address parental mental health and substance misuse issues. The team implemented the Lanarkshire Infant Mental Health Indicator Set during the reporting period. This provided for earlier identification and increased understanding of mental health needs in infants, and helped practitioners understand by observing behaviour, how the infant is feeling and interpreting their surroundings. To support the implementation of the Lanarkshire Indicator Set into practice, First Steps had monthly consultations with NHS Tayside’s Lead Clinician for Infant Mental Health.
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4 Thirty-one unborn/babies were subject to Child Protection Registration during the reporting period. Eighteen pre-birth Child Protection Planning Meetings were held, and 4 Initial Child Protection Planning Meetings (after the baby was born). Eight babies became Looked After and accommodated (7 via Child Protection Order, and one via Section 25). This figure means that 10% of unborn babies referred to UBB MASG during the reporting period were later placed outwith the care of their parents. Seven babies were approved for permanence during the period - 6 for Adoption and 1 for Permanent Kinship Care. The First Steps team also offer Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) to families referred to their service, to support and empower families to utilise supports in their wider network and make a family plan to enhance the support to the family and the safety of the baby. This approach has helped babies remain within their family where it is safe to do so, including supporting them to identify kinship options where needed. (ii)Reduced number of concerns identified at 27-30month review compared to 13-15 month review: Baseline data - children identified with concerns at 13-15 and then 27-30 months. Data from 2020-2021: Angus 13.4%, 16.0%; Dundee 16.6%, 17.5%; Perth and Kinross 15.0%, 16.6% Data from 2022-2023: Angus 13.5%, 17.4%; Dundee 13.2%, 18.2%; Perth and Kinross 14.6%, 17.4% In 2022-23, the percentage of children in Angus identified with concerns at 13-15 months, then 27-30 months increased. In both Dundee and Perth & Kinross, the percentage of children identified with concerns at 13-15 months decreased, and the percentage with concerns at 27-30 months increased. (iii)Increase the percentage of children aged 3-5 newly enrolled in LA ELC for whom significant concerns were raised prior to enrolment. Baseline Data 2022 - 51% (93) of children with significant concerns raised prior to enrolment 2023 – 51% (128) of children with significant concerns raised prior to enrolment. Number of 3-5-year olds (Tayside combined)
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5 Currently enrolled 2022 - 3,420 2023 - 4,432 Newly enrolled 2022 - 2,392 (70%) 2023 - 1,722 (39%) Newly enrolled: with significant early concerns 2022 - 183 (8%) 2023 - 251 (15%) Newly enrolled with early concerns: raised prior to enrolment 2022 - 93 (51%) 2023 - 128 (51%) - Significant increase in the number of 3-5-year-olds currently enrolled across Tayside (influence by increase in the number of settings reporting at 121 up from 93 last year) - Decrease in both the number and percentage newly enrolled - Increase in the number and percentage newly enrolled with significant early concerns
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6 - Increase in the number of early concerns raised prior though the percentage has remained at 51% (iv) Infant mental health is understood and promoted This is an outcome of the Solihull training programme, further details are provided below on page 6. Our children will have the best start in life We will provide accessible, responsive, and flexible parenting support Progress Updates (i) Increased availability of the Solihull programme. Baseline data For 2022-2023 - Number of staff trained during the year: Angus 52; Dundee 89; Perth and Kinross 103; NHS Tayside 147. For 2023-2024 – Number of staff trained during the year: Angus (93, including follow-up training); Dundee 32; Perth & Kinross 38; NHS 39. In 2023-24, Angus had the following numbers attend the sessions offered: • Number of staff trained at Foundation Level Solihull Approach – 81 • Number of staff who attended Solihull in Practice session – 12 (this is a follow up to foundation training and offered 3-6 months after completion of foundation training) • Number of staff who attended our first Solihull Celebration Event – 30 (this was a celebration of practice to recognise 5 years of delivery in Angus) • A total of 818 staff have now completed the training. All trained staff are encouraged to point parents to the free online materials https://inourplace.co.uk/scotland/ and the Family Nurture Support Team offer the Solihull Parenting Programme to parents
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7 Dundee For the academic year 2023 to 2024 Dundee had 32 staff members attend training. There were challenges in enabling staff to be released for training. This applies to staff in both local authority and private sector settings. A total of 464 staff have now completed the training. Perth & Kinross In 2023-24, a further 38 employees accessed the Solihull programme. A total of 403 staff have completed the training. (ii) Increased range and uptake of supports and services available to families in local communities. Baseline data - local monitoring of Whole Family Wellbeing Plans Angus Whole Family Wellbeing funding has been used in Angus to take an enhanced focus on pregnant women and families with at least one child under 3. During this period consultation and engagement has taken place to inform a plan which includes enhanced welfare rights and housing support to pregnant women, extension of the Angus gender specific women’s support service Glen Clova, enhanced early intervention support through a third sector contract and support to a third sector led project looking at choice points and access for families. Data measures have been developed. Updates and an annual report on the outcomes for families with a child under 3 will be reported to the Integrated Children’s Services Board. Dundee Over the last 12 months, the service worked with other Childrens Service Planning Partnership (CSPP) partners to coordinate deployment of Scottish Government Whole Family Wellbeing Funding. The delivery of services continues to be monitored by a WFWF Steering Group and details of impact will be included in the next Our Promise Annual Report. The partnership continues to implement a Team Around the Child framework, which includes a focus on parents/carers needs where there are concerns about a family. In an Addressing Neglect and Enhancing Wellbeing initiative, over 70% of parents/carers said they felt engaged in the process and this is now being scaled across all schools in the city.
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8 There are also a range of targeted or specialist supports, including from a Birch Programme for mothers who have experience of having a child removed from their care; a New Beginnings Team supporting vulnerable pregnant women; a Family Nurse Partnership for young families; the Caledonian Programme for both perpetrators and victims of domestic abuse; and a number of commissioned services such as Home Start supporting 600 parents a year, One Parent Families Scotland supporting 200 parents a year and Parent to Parent, supporting 500 families a year. The partnership also delivers advocacy services for parents and is in the process of carrying out a review to raise awareness of available advocacy services and make best use of available capacity from different providers. Perth & Kinross Perth and Kinross Council’s vision is to create a place where its citizens can live life well, free from poverty and inequities. The five regional priorities outlined in the Tayside Plan link well with the journey to achieving this vision. The main national drivers have been the UNCRC, The Promise, GIRFEC, and the Infant Pledge as well as the ongoing development of a Trauma informed workforce. These drivers feed into local PKC plans which support a rights based, inclusive approach to supporting infants, children, young people and their families at an early point in need so they are able to achieve their life potential. PKC have taken these drivers, combined with a focus on Whole Family Well Being, and begun to shift services from crisis intervention to early help. This shift has been supported by the ethos of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund through the development of community resources like ‘Letham for All’ as well as a self-referral service for families at the earliest point in need. These changes are in the early stages but PKC hope to see increasing numbers of families accessing early supports in the coming year. (iii) Evidence of engagement and involvement of fathers/those in a fathering role in children's health, education and child's plans. Angus Council Since the Involving Dads Steering Group formed in April 2022, Angus has seen a number of soft outcomes to practice, with a wider focus on involving Dads in the lives of their children and considering factors which affect them. These small changes to practice have been seen to gain momentum and start to embed in day-to-day practice locally. In addition, there have been some significant service developments across multiple sectors which have taken big steps in improving father’s visibility and engagement for professionals supporting families.
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9 The multi-agency group continue to meet and will continue to focus on topical priorities for Dads and for services supporting them and their families, in order to direct and support the work of individual service specific subgroups. The group will continue to adopt a “what else can we do” when considering the question “what about Dad?” Dundee Local GIRFEC Guidance stipulates that both parents with Parental Rights and Responsibility must be invited to Team Around The Child Meetings and that where this is not possible or appropriate due, for instance, to safety issues, alternative arrangements are made to engage with any absent parent. The ANEW initiative indicates that where they do attend they find it helpful. In relation to Initial Child Protection Planning Meetings (ICPPMs), over the last 12 months at least one parent was present at 93% of meetings, an improvement from 81% over the previous year. The respective attendance of mothers and fathers is monitored and in the last quarter 5 fathers and 3 mothers were not present but in all meetings at least one parent attended. To enable attendance, meetings are sometimes delayed when it is defensible to do so because parental contributions are considered more important than meeting procedural timescales. The partnership has recently committed to conduct a survey of parent/carer views of meetings and wider support to inform developments. Perth & Kinross Most childcare services have actions identified in their improvement plans to increase the involvement of fathers / male carers. The Parenting and Family Learning team indicate that they have increased male participation by 64% but there is still a great deal of work required to get where we want to be in the provision of services for male parents /carers. The Child Protection Committee Improvement Plan also now has an action to improve the voices of fathers across services in recognition that there is work to do in this area. Our children will have the best start in life We will refine the Early Years tracking tool and embed use across Tayside from 2023-24 Progress Updates Tools for capturing children’s development, learning and progress for children aged 2 – 3 years and 3 – 5 years are being implemented and embedded across Tayside following agreement of the process/method.
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10 Ongoing support is available to settings to consider the sensitive and meaningful interpretation of information available within the tool, to inform planning and improvements. Professional dialogue and reference to traces of learning continues to be essential when completing and using these tools. Our children will have the best start in life We will repeat the transitions survey in 2023-24 to measure the impact of new pathways and inform next steps Progress Updates The transitions survey was repeated in 2023-24. Results show that whilst the % of children newly enrolled at LA ELC aged 3-5 with significant early concerns raised prior to starting nursery remained at 51%, there was a notable increase from 93 to 128 children recorded. The survey will be repeated in 2024-25 when findings will be analysed, and feedback will be sought on use of the pathways. Improvements will be made as appropriate.
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11 TAYPLAN-2326-002 Our children and young people will achieve and make positive contributions to communities We will implement effective strategies to increase school attendance Progress Updates (i) Increased attendance across all groups. (ii) Increased attendance and attainment for children living in SIMD 1 and /or looked after at home Baseline data: Overall attendance 2020-2021 (LGBF)- Angus 92.8%; Dundee 90.6%; Perth and Kinross 91.9% Overall attendance 2022-2023 (LGBF)- Angus 90.0%; Dundee 89.0%; Perth and Kinross 90.0% Attendance gap between SIMD 1 and SIMD 5 2020-2021 - Angus 5.1pp; Dundee 6.4pp; Perth and Kinross 4.8pp Attendance gap between SIMD 1 and SIMD 5 2023-2024 - Angus 6.6pp; Dundee 6.8pp; Perth and Kinross 6.7pp Attendance gap for looked after children 2020-2021 (LGBF) - Angus 6.8pp; Dundee 2.6pp; Perth and Kinross 2.9pp Attendance gap for looked after children 2022-2023 (LGBF) - Angus 7.2pp; Dundee 5.9pp; Perth and Kinross 3.2pp Angus In Angus during 2023-24, overall attendance at primary school was 92.8%, an increase of 0.4pp compared to the previous year. Attendance levels vary from school to school. The attendance gap between children living in SIMD 1 and 5 was 4.5pp, a decrease of 0.2pp compared to the previous year. In 2023-24, the attendance of primary school children cared for away from home increased from 93.2% to 94.0% (0.8 percentage points (pp)). Attendance for primary school children looked after at home decreased from 91.6% to 80.9% (10.7pp), although it should be noted that this group represents 17 children and percentages may be
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12 disproportionately affected by this. Attendance at primacy school for children with previous care experience decreased from 87.1% to 87.0%. In 2023-24, overall attendance at secondary school increased from 87.5% to 87.6% (0.1pp), compared to the previous year. Attendance levels also vary between schools. The attendance gap for young people living in SIMD 1 and 5 was 8.6pp, a decrease of 0.7pp compared to the previous year. In 2023-24, the attendance of young people at secondary school who are cared for away from home increased from 87.6% to 88.3% (0.7pp). For young people looked after at home, attendance decreased from 54.2% to 52.5% (1.7pp), continuing a decreasing trend since 2020-21. This group comprised 18 young people in the reporting period. Attendance at secondary school for young people with previous care experience decreased by 0.5pp from 75.5% to 75.0%. Over 2023-24 Angus Council retained a team of three Engagement Officers (EOs) and two Resource Workers (RW), funded by Strategic Equity Funding and the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund within the Arbroath North and Brechin clusters. The EOs supported 27 primary school children with an increase in attendance of between 4.8 - 11.3%. For those supported in secondary, attendance remained stable over the year. The EO team uses a range of interventions to encourage children to attend school and engage in their learning. These include providing social opportunities to build relationships between children, staff and families; after school activities; and partnership working to support transition from primary to secondary school. The EO team also provide links to other agencies and are supporting Young Carers. In October 2023 and April 2024 holiday activity programmes ran at Hayshead and Warddykes Primary Schools, in partnership with the Active Schools Team, providing an opportunity for families to participate in community activities, engage with Council services and build relationships. From October 2023 the EO Team in Brechin also provided support to families affected by Storm Babet. Dundee
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13 Dundee partnership approaches include improved use of data to promote better targeting of pupils with declining attendance and the shared development of holistic approaches which address the root causes at home, school and/or in the community. In 2023-24, the overall attendance rate for the whole school population in Primary and Secondary Schools was 89% compared with 85.4% for care experienced children and young people. Attendance rates for care experienced children and young people in Local Authority Foster Care (92.2%) and External Foster Care (87%) are higher than or close to the mainstream school population but lower for those at home (55%) and in Kinship Care (83%). We are therefore reviewing Looked After Children Scottish Attainment Challenge funding and the extent to which Pupil Support Workers can more effectively target support at these smaller cohorts of children and young people in each Secondary School. The focus on pupils in Kinship Care is augmented by the creation of a Kinship Care Team and the development of new practical and therapeutic supports with Sport Scotland, What Matters to You and Place 2 Be Parenting Programmes. While these programmes have a positive impact on targeted cohorts of pupils, they have not yet raised attendance of the overall school population and the partnership will continue to prioritise. Perth & Kinross In Perth and Kinross overall primary attendance has improved slightly, with figures of 93.1% in 2023/24 compared with 92.7% in 2022/23. However, it still remains 2% lower than pre-pandemic levels (95% in 2018/19). Secondary attendance was 86.9% in 2023/24 with no change from 2022/23. This remains significantly lower (4%) than pre-pandemic levels (90.6% in 2018/19). There are differences between schools, however, with percentages ranging from 82.5% to 89.3%. Combined attendance across Primary and Secondary schools for children and young people with no care experience was 89% compared with 90% for child and young people Looked After Away from home, 77% for those Looked After at Home, and this drops to 74% for children and young people who are previously Looked After. Attendance rates for Care experienced children in Primary has risen from 89% in 2022/23 to 90.4% in 2023/24. In our Secondary schools this has fallen from 81.3% in 2022/23 to 78.2% in 2023/24 and this is an ongoing focus area for us. Our Young Carers are another cohort of children and young people we are focusing on tracking education outcomes for including attendance. For children and young people with no additional support needs the average attendance across primary and secondary schools combined in 93%, compared to 79% attendance for our Young Carers. We are continuing to work with our PKAVS Young Carers partners ensure schools have appropriate support in place to maximise attendance. A range of approaches have been taken to improve attendance in Perth and Kinross schools
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14 including engagement with Education Scotland, and in-depth data analysis identifying trends and patterns in absence codes. These, along with SEF-funded support from the Educational Psychology Service, including a literature review of attendance interventions, provide an evidence base for the Staged Intervention Framework for Attendance as well as informing and enabling the delivery of specific projects to support families and staff in schools with addressing non- attendance. A total of £75,000 has been invested in this area and it is anticipated that 2024/25 attendance data will show improvement across both primary and secondary sectors. Perth Autism Support have been commissioned to provide targeted support for up to 50 families in the first year through the ‘Connecting Families’ programme at a cost of £40,000. This project is designed to support families affected by poverty where their child or young person has an attendance level between 60% and 70%. Working with the family, they will identify barriers to attendance, agree actions and signpost to additional support services where that is appropriate. Care Experienced Children and Young People funding has been used to contribute to a Promise Improvement Lead role with a focus on improving outcome for care experienced young people through partnership working. Additional Youth Workers are in place within secondary schools supporting care experienced young people in 1:1 work and facilitating our Champions Boards. Our children and young people will achieve and make positive contributions to communities We will implement plans focused on raising attainment and meaningful engagement (participation). Progress Updates (i)Reduced attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people. Baseline data - local authority stretch aims for 2023-24: Progress towards reducing the attainment gap can be found in Appendix 3.
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15 TAYPLAN-2326-003 Our children and young people will enjoy good physical and mental health. We will ensure full implementation of the Child Healthy Weight Tayside Strategy. Progress Updates (i)Increased proportion of children with a healthy weight (ii) Reduced inequality in healthy weight between children living in the most and least deprived areas in Tayside. Baseline data: Gap between SIMD 1 and SIMD 5 (2021-22) - Angus Council 30.1pp; Dundee City Council 8pp; Perth and Kinross Council 1.4pp; Tayside 10.3pp. Gap between SIMD 1 and SIMD 5 (2022-23) – Angus Council 10.8pp; Dundee City Council 10.7pp; Perth & Kinross - 1.8pp; Tayside 9.1pp A wide range of work to deliver on the Tayside Child Healthy Weight strategy (CHWS) has continued over the first 12 months of this plan, building on the existing strategic commitments, aligning existing resource and maximising partnership opportunities. These include: Activities, events, workshops and focus groups to support a collective understanding of the issue of child healthy weight (CHW) across Tayside; to better understand the complexities of childhood obesity and identify collective and aligned actions. Whole Systems Approach to CHW event in April 2024 to harness senior level support and leadership to further develop a shared understanding of the causes and complexity of childhood obesity, focus collective effort and existing resource to where it is needed most (shared responsibility), identify which of the local levers for child healthy weight are to be prioritised (for Dundee), improve the alignment of child healthy weight with existing and overlapping priorities, and to ensure consistency with performance measure/s related to child healthy weight.
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16 The whole systems approach is being operationalised within existing governance structures of Angus Community Planning Partnership (CPP), specifically the Best Start, Bright Futures (Child Poverty) group that sits within Angus Integrated Children’s Services Partnership. The rationale being that this offers an opportunity for a more coordinated and aligned approach to action planning and strategic alignment with minimisation of duplication and overlap in Angus. Our children and young people will enjoy good physical and mental health. We will work collectively to support uptake of immunisation for children across Tayside. Progress Updates (i) Increased proportion of children receiving immunisations. Baseline data: From 2022-23 Angus 91.4%; Dundee 89.7%; Perth & Kinross 92.6%. Baseline data: From 2023-24, Angus 93.2%, Dundee 88.0%; Perth & Kinross 92.5% In addition to the single agency (NHS Tayside) Immunisation Steering Group, a new Childhood Immunisation Leadership Group has recently been established to focus on improving immunisation uptake. Partner membership of this group is currently being considered and established and early work is underway to review and improve data collection and reporting. A new multi-agency childhood immunisation oversight group is also being considered to enable optimal support from all partners in improving childhood immunisation attendance by families.
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17 Our children and young people will enjoy good physical and mental health. We will implement the Tayside Action Plan to reduce suicide in children and young people Progress Updates (i) Reduced number of children and young people completing suicide. Number of completed suicides in Tayside 2017-2021 for ages… 0-17: 6 0-19: 12 Source: TMSRG" (ii) Increased number of staff trained in suicide intervention. (iii) Increased satisfaction with information sharing from child death/suicide review The Tayside Suicide Prevention Leadership Group action plan has driven work to reduce suicide in children and young people in Tayside in the last 12 months. This has included awareness raising across agencies working with children and young people. A capacity building programme and delivery of suicide prevention training continues underway across Tayside and staff working with children and young people have been a target group to receive this training. Training to support staff in understanding self-harm is also available. A new information sharing pathway has been implemented between CAMHS and the named person to improve the co-ordination of support between agencies and reduce risks to young people. An assessment is being carried out to determine whether this pathway can be widened to include children and young people with risks presenting to physical health services. Awareness of services and what each provides remains an area of focus with a communications bulletin for schools, parents and others currently being developed to help improved shared understanding.
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18 Our children and young people will enjoy good physical and mental health. We will continue implementation of ‘Connected Tayside; an emotional health & wellbeing strategy for children & young people’ (2021-23) Progress Updates (i) Tayside mental health pathways are fully implemented and supports are accessible. Implementation of the TRIC produced, ‘Connected Tayside’ strategy (2021) has continued, both within each core agency and collaboratively over the first 12 months of the new 3-year plan. The strategy’s ambitions remain pertinent and align with the national Mental Health & Wellbeing strategy (June 2023), and all local and regional activity will extend for the duration of the current plan (2023-26), as a minimum. A partnership approach to oversight, evaluation of impact and any future strategy refresh is currently being explored. (ii) The Health and Wellbeing survey will show an increase in pupils who say they feel positive about the future The national Health and Wellbeing Survey has not yet been re-run, so there is no update regarding children and young people feeling positive about the future.
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19 TAYPLAN-2326-004 Our children and young people will have their rights protected and their voices heard We will support the multi-agency workforce to promote rights, choice and control for children and young people on how their views are heard and represented and how they are involved in decisions that affect them. Progress Updates (i) Children and young people will have access to independent advocacy, informal advocacy, and digital tools to support participation. (ii) Attending child's planning meetings will be supported and the environment will be inclusive. Baseline data: July 2023, number of Tayside schools with Rights Respecting Schools accreditation - registered 42, Bronze 87, Silver 36, Gold 16 July 2024, number of Tayside schools with Rights Respecting Schools accreditation – registered 57, Bronze 60 (Angus and PKC), Silver 50, Gold 22 (iii) Children with additional needs will share their views and be involved in decisions. (iv) Views are well represented at child's planning meetings (v) Children's hearing decisions are fully informed by the views of children and young people (vi) Staff will have access to training on UNCRC, The promise, engagement and feel confident in supporting young people. Angus To ensure that the voices of children, young people and families are heard, and they are able to influence decisions that impact them, funding has been increased for Independent Advocacy services throughout Angus. As part of the
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20 expansion of advocacy services, an additional £60,000 annual investment in advocacy for children, young people and families has allowed us to work in partnership with Angus Independent Advocacy (AIA) to provide Family Advocacy as well as recruiting an additional young person advocate for children. We have also continued to commission individual advocacy and group advocacy from Who Cares? Scotland. Young people’s views gathered from this work have fed into the improvement work across all services involved in supporting care experienced children. The expansion of advocacy services will ensure we continue to promote the rights of care experienced children and young people to express a view and have that view given due weight upholding United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, Article 12). Increased access to independent advocacy has been evident in social work assessments, reports, and attendance at care planning meetings where children’s views have been supported by the use of independent advocacy. During 2022- 23, 57 children and young people received a regular support service from AIA with the average age being 10yrs old. The areas children requested advocacy support with were wide ranging and included family time, current placement and future planning, mental health support, education issues, and transitions. Over the last year we have seen younger children from 12 months old being supported through non-instructed advocacy by both Who Cares? and AIA. Children ‘looked after’ continue to have individual planning meetings reviewed in accordance with the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 by independent Quality and Review Officers who offer case objectivity to the multi-agency child’s planning meeting. Following on from covid restrictions, Review Officers are offering choice on how meetings are held by rolling out digital, direct, and blended meeting options for children and families to support their engagement. Training has been provided to staff and organisations that fall within the remit and responsibilities of being corporate parents. This training has been embedded into our online learning system in Angus Council. The training explains and helps promote understanding of our duties and responsibilities as corporate parents. The Promise Ambassadors have attended sessions with social work staff, head teachers, Angus wide leadership events as well as groups in the community such as the Rotary Club. During these sessions they provide context and engagement about their lived experience and how the role of a corporate parent is so important and the difference, individually and collectively, that corporate parents can have on the experiences of and opportunities for our care experienced young people. Our Promise Hangout group continues to take place monthly for care experienced children and young people aged 5 and above. Since it opened in 2022 attendance has remained high with approximately 15-20 children and young people attending each month. Feedback from children note that they enjoy being able to spend time with other children with similar lived experience and have a sense of belonging. Children and young people have opportunities
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21 to meet with professionals in a relaxed environment, build relationships and have fun. Corporate parents are regularly in attendance volunteering at the group including review officers, children’s reporter, advocacy workers, active schools staff and the chief social work officer. This also offers an opportunity for children to have their say on the strategic direction of services. Young people also have the opportunity to get involved with project work and provide their views. Examples in 2023 include a focus group of young people who worked with Mairi Damer, a Communications and Media Consultant for Child Protection Committees Scotland, contributing to the design, language, and content of the new Child Protection Committee Scotland "Keeping Safe" campaign. Our young people came up with the creative social media idea of using Tik Tok adverts as a way of reaching large amounts of young people. Dundee The service has collaborated with NHS Tayside and Dundee University to develop an Infant Pledge resource entitled ‘Hello in There Wee One’. This is designed to promote active listening and positive attachments between vulnerable expectant mothers and their babies. Launched in September 2024, it will be piloted in the New Beginnings Team, which supports pregnant women who are at risk of having babies or infants provided with alternative care. For older children, the service continued to roll-out Mind of My Own (MOMO), a digital app which enables users to provide comments on the support they are receiving or would like to receive. This is then used to inform responses both on a day- to-day basis and during planning and review meetings, to place the child or young person at the centre. It provides an alternative option to 1:1 method to listen and respond more effectively. In all 8 Secondary Schools, Champions Boards continued to be co-led by Pupil Support Workers and young people. As a result of their involvement in a Champions Board, 20 care experienced young people have now completed a Columba 1400 Leadership Academy, 17 have gained Saltire Awards and 2 have gained Emergency First Aid at Work SCQF Level 6. When asked to complete a sentence ‘If it wasn’t for the Champions Board’, some said: • ‘I wouldn’t have completed Columba 1400’ • ‘I wouldn’t have the confidence to join other groups’ • ‘I wouldn’t have met other CE pupils or other schools’ • ‘I wouldn’t have applied to join the Army and volunteered at St Andrews PS’ The service also rolled out training on Brothers and Sisters Staying Together and Connected. This includes an emphasis on listening to the child or young person’s views as a core part of an assessment process, including whether they can
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22 live with a sibling, remain in contact or know of their whereabouts. In the context of constraints such as complicated kinship arrangements and brothers or sisters in specialist care, the proportion remaining with at least 1 increased from 43% to 51%. Perth & Kinross As part of the Perth and Kinross Youth Strategy, our Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) have encouraged and supported the development of the Youth Forum to drive forward the strategy, which is being supported by the Children’s Rights Officer. The forum will be chaired by an MSYP, with representatives from a range of youth organisations, ensuring that there is a collective voice from our young people. It is anticipated in time, that the forum will challenge and support policies and practice in the best interests of young people. Perth and Kinross continue to fund Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross to provide individual advocacy for any young person involved with social work. During the reporting period Perth and Kinross have started to develop champions boards in schools which act as a space where care experienced young people can come together, benefit from each other’s experiences and express their views. During the reporting period all 11 secondary schools have developed champions boards. We continue to train our staff in the use of talking mats which is a communication tool to allow children to express their views. Staff have reported that this tool has been a great addition to their toolbox and have been surprised by the information gained as a result.
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23 Our children and young people will have their rights protected and their voices heard We will promote and protect relationships that are important to children and young people when children are separated from their families and it is safe to do so. Progress Updates (i) When children are separated from people who are important to them, there are clear plans to maintain and promote safe family time. (National dataset for siblings will be implemented and monitored) Angus Work has taken place supporting the very important relationships between brothers and sisters including development of training materials, guidance documents on assessments, and improving our spaces for brothers and sisters and other family members to spend family time together. As part of this work, we are developing data measures including looking at where children were living in the same household prior to becoming accommodated compared to where they were placed on admission to identify numbers of family groups that have been separated. Family household compositions can be complex and difficult to extract from our client index system. During 2023/24, 62.8% of placements of brothers and sisters living away from home (not in residential care) were with at least one sibling. Where living with their family is not possible, we focus on supporting children to stay together with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so. Where this is not possible, it is important that we nurture and support those lifelong relationships. Identifying important relationships to the child and ensuring arrangements are in place when a child becomes looked after is recorded at the initial reception into accommodation meeting (held with 72 hours) and monitored through the subsequent child planning meetings. Dundee The service has rolled out mandatory training in Siblings Staying Together and Connected to all teams. This training has been informed by The Promise, UNCRC, Children Acts and Looked After Children (Scotland) regulations and presumes brothers and sisters should remain together. It confirms the legal definition of a sibling and outlines assessment processes which inform whether can safely remain together, stay in touch and/or know of each others' whereabouts, including
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24 strengths and risks of living together or apart. It encourages their views to be considered and recorded to inform decision making. It also acknowledges complexities and constraints, such as a brother or sister in secure care, complicated kinship arrangements and adult siblings. The service is also building local care capacity in Kinship Care, Foster Care and Residential Care to enable brothers and sisters to live together or more easily see each other. In the financial year 2023-24, 55% of the 117 children newly looked after were placed with at least one sibling, an increase from 52% in 2022-23. This includes both those on a CSO at home and those in other care arrangements. For only those accommodated away from home, 51% were placed with at least one sibling, an increase from 43% in the previous year. 71% of children on CSOs at home resided with at least one sibling, though this has decreased slightly from 78% in 2022-23. In the second half of 2024-25, an audit will be carried out to establish the number of brothers and sisters living together, the extent to which this training continues to promote improvements and any barriers or constraints. Perth & Kinross In Perth and Kinross we have been monitoring the number of brothers and sisters placed together as part of the Corporate Parenting plan for the past three years. Over the reporting period we have seen a positive improvement in the number of brothers and sisters placed together. During the period 1 August 2023 – 31 July 2024, 60% of brothers and sisters living away from home are with at least one brother or sister. It is recognised nationally that providing data for this area is extremely difficult within current systems and we are part of the working group addressing this. We are implementing the use of a connections tool which will be completed by Social Worker at the beginning of our involvement and will identify who is important to the child/young person. This information will then form part of a child’s plan. We are also introducing a sibling assessment which can be completed earlier, which will evidence whether they should be placed together or apart. We continue to recruit foster carers who are able to take sibling groups and will move children and young people if necessary, in order to place siblings together. We are also looking to develop a space where siblings who are living apart can come together in an informal way and spend time together.
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25 During this reporting period, there were two occasions where we supported families with either an extension or conversion of their property to facilitate siblings being accommodated in either a kinship or foster placement. Perth and Kinross continue to promote the use of lifelong links as a way in which children and young people can reconnect with those important to them as well as understanding their journey. During the reporting period 13 children and young people benefited from this approach.
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26 TAYPLAN-2326-005 Our children and young people will be safe and feel loved We will ensure appropriate housing options are in place for vulnerable families including pregnant women and families with children Progress Updates (i) Children and families are secure in good quality accommodation that meets their needs. (ii) Reduction in the number of children growing up in temporary accommodation. Baseline data: Published September 2022, households including children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation, 100 households with a total of 245 children. Published September 2024, households including children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation, 90 households with a total of 190 children. Angus Many care leavers face independence alone and feel isolated as many lack a ‘safety net’ of family and friends. A trauma informed approach is therefore essential when supporting care leavers, with relationships at the heart of good practice. In Angus, a person-centred decision making with support approach is taken to ensure the most appropriate accommodations options are made available to our care leavers. This is to increase the likelihood of the young person sustaining the accommodation in the longer term. Housing and the Horizon team (TCAC) worked in partnership to develop a join housing protocol in 2013 to support their corporate parenting responsibilities by jointly addressing the diverse accommodation and support needs of care leavers and other young people engaged with the Horizon team. The joint housing protocol recognises that living independently does not always work out for some individuals, services need to be more responsive to individual need with a return to care being an option where appropriate. This year the Housing protocol was reviewed and updated. Since the protocol was introduced the number of care experienced young people (looked after less than 5 years ago) applying as homeless has reduced by 46%. The joint protocol ensures services work together to be responsive to the individual needs of young people.
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27 Dundee In Dundee, a Housing Protocol gives an outright priority for housing to all care leavers; 2 new supported accommodation facilities have been established in the last 12 months; and there are a small number of designated tenancies specifically for care leavers. For families with pregnant women or dependent children who are at risk of homelessness, mainstream properties in the community are used as temporary accommodation. There is an option for any family to remain in a network flat and have it as their permanent accommodation should they be happy there. Perth and Kinross In Perth and Kinross, there is a strong record around homelessness and, through the Home First approach, evidenced by the lowest prevalence of people requiring temporary accommodation in Scotland in the last 5 years (by population). There has been particular success in enabling families with children to directly access secure tenancies, avoiding the need for temporary accommodation, and where this is not possible, a furnished temporary flat in the community is provided on the basis that this could subsequently be transferred to a secure tenancy, avoiding the need for the family to move again. There is a strong partnership with Perthshire Women’s Aid and provide refuge accommodation which again can be transferred to a secure tenancy if appropriate. A Common Housing Register provides a single route into around 97% of social-rented accommodation in Perth and Kinross provided by the Council and 3 Housing Association partners. The Common Housing Register is underpinned by a Common Allocations Policy which includes a Strategic Need pathway, enabling the prioritisation of care experienced young people and families with children in certain circumstances. Our children and young people will be safe and feel loved We will further develop approaches to identifying, responding, and managing risk to young people aged 12–18 This will include: • Young people at risk of secure care • Young people subject to Care and Risk Management (CARM) planning. • Young people who go missing
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28 Progress Updates (i) Young people in our settings feel informed that their rights have been respected. (ii) Young people at risk of harm have access to appropriate support and clear plans to address risk need and risk. (iii) Secure care standards will be implemented with evidence of rights-based practice. Baseline data (CARM data set under development) Angus The CARM project has progressed well over the past year. The Multiagency steering group has directed this under the guidance of a senior practitioner and development officer who are dedicated to this work through CORRA foundation funding. Due to the expansion of our criteria to include children at risk to self this has increased our numbers of young people subject to CARM. This is viewed as a positive outcome as it now ensures there are robust multi-agency risk management plans in place for this small group of young people. In addition to this, we have introduced a policy that all children and young people must be considered for CARM to ensure that a risk management plan is clearly in place for their return to the community and afford them with the best opportunity to have positive outcomes. Some tasks in progress to support the work of CARM include: • . Short film to support professionals understanding of CARM • . Short film to support children/young people and families understanding of CARM • . CARM card resource for CYP /families and professional • . Introduction of Mock CARM training • . Development of staged development programme for those involved with CYP at risk of harm to self or others. Dundee In the last 12 months we have completed a comprehensive partnership review of approaches towards vulnerable adolescents which will lead to the introduction of a new co-located multi-disciplinary team in April 2025. The team will
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29 focus on young people in formal Child Protection and Youth or Criminal Justice processes up to age 26 years for care leavers. At the same time, parallel developments include single management oversight of Adolescent Team and Young People's Houses; sustained £1.1m funding to 4 Third Sector organisations providing additional targeted support; new Practice Standards; a revised Continuing Care Protocol; the introduction of Care and Risk Management Procedures; and 2 new supported accommodation facilities. Quantitative data shows comparatively high numbers of over 12's referred to IRDs and more progressing to CPPMs where a higher proportion are also placed on the Child Protection Register. Seven young people have been risk assessed, supported and managed via the CARM Protocol. In an audit of Social Work cases involving young people, over 83% were rated as Good or better overall. There have been no admissions to Secure Care for 18 months and there has been a 17% reduction in the number of missing episodes from Young People's Houses. Perth and Kinross A Care and Risk Management (CARM) Protocol was ratified by Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee during the reporting period. This provides clear inter-agency guidance for practitioners on how to effectively manage and support young people aged 12 and above whose behaviour is presenting, or may present, a risk of serious harm to themselves or others. The protocol strengthens existing inter-agency child protection and risk management arrangements and is in keeping with national guidance – i.e. Framework for Risk Assessment Management and Evaluation (FRAME) with Children Aged 12-17 (Standards, Guidance and Operational Requirements for Risk Practice). The purpose of the protocol is to improve the identification of, and response to, risk of serious harm as it applies to young people who meet the CARM definition - and to provide a coherent framework within which to manage risk more effectively. A key aim is to identify and build upon strengths and protective factors which can support the delivery of risk management strategies that will reduce harmful behaviours and build capacity in the young person. Work is currently underway to ‘operationalise’ the protocol and implement it into practice. This is expected to be completed over the coming reporting period. We have recently undertaken engagement with our young people, youth work providers and partners as part of a consultation exercise to develop a Youth Strategy. Part of the strategy will seek to address behaviours and offer support and opportunities for early intervention, preventing escalation of risks.
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30 Our children and young people will be safe and feel loved We will make progress toward the implementation of Bairns’ Hoose Principles Progress Updates (i) Provide trauma responsive supports and services to children and young people involved in child protection. Baseline data: to be established following outcome of Pathfinder bid The Tayside Pathfinder continue to work towards meeting the Bairns Hoose Standards. An oversight Group is well established and is serviced by a Tayside Delivery Group who also oversee implementation Groups across the 3 LA’s and NHS. The Scottish Government are supporting Quality Improvement work across services and a collaborative aim alongside drivers are in the process of being finalised. Project Plans are also being drafted to support the improvement work to fully meet the Bairns Hoose Standards in line with the StART tool. To support the implementation of the Bairns Hoose an extended timeline has been agreed up to March 2027. Funding applications have been agreed with each Bairns Hoose site upgrading co-located facilities and tendering for therapeutic support services. Our children and young people will be safe and feel loved We will introduce the Scottish Child Interview Model for children and young people.
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31 Progress Updates (i) Reduce the requirement for children and young people to attend court. Baseline data: to be established as part of the implementation programme SCIM Implementation started in Tayside started in September 2023 with initial information sessions held by the National Implementation and Training Group. SCIM planning and implantation continued over the following months along with recruitment. 12 candidates were selected, six police officers and six social workers. All attended local and national training commencing locally in March 2024, followed by 4 weeks at Scottish Police College in Tulliallan and a final week locally in June 2024. All candidates were successful in their training and all are now deployed as interviewers. Plans are in place to have all interviewers co-located in their respective areas, this work is ongoing. SCIM went live in Tayside on 13th May 2024, following the successful completion of the interviewers 4 weeks training. Since that time, they have undertaken 28 interviews (as of 12th July) with several currently in the planning stages to be completed in the near future. Since the go live date 17 interviews have taken place using the 5 Day JII Model (old model). This represents SCIM interviews making up around 62% of all interviews of children since going live. Progress in terms in terms of internal and collective proves maps continue to be evaluated and modified as required and these are discussed collectively at the SCIM Implementation Groups. Our children and young people will be safe and feel loved We will jointly commission the development of local learning review guidance for all Protecting People arrangements Progress Updates Learning review guidance has been prepared and is in use by both Angus and Dundee. Some further revisions may be made based on practical usage. In Angus, a learning review group has been established which has oversight of all learning review requests, decisions and recommendations.
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