Guidance and counselling services

Tender description

The Family Safeguarding Plus Model (FSPM) is designed to improve the main statutory children’s social work services from the assessment of vulnerable children through to children that are the subject of children in need or child protection plan and those children who first come into care. Family Safeguarding was developed by Hertfordshire County Council in 2015, where it has delivered a radical impact in improving outcomes for children and their families whilst also significantly reducing demands and costs for the county. The model has been independently evaluated as being very effective, complimented by Ofsted and is being replicated by at least 12 other English local authorities. Key to its success is the initial intensive support provided to both children and the adults in their families. FSPM will implement changes to the Children and Families Assessment Teams (CAFAT) and statutory Family Solutions Services (FSS) teams within the Children, Education and Families Directorate. FSP will not significantly change the current early help and targeted support services within CEF but it will consider the interdependencies with these services and others such as the looked after children/leaving care teams and the children with disabilities service. Business need These changes are required to address the significant rise in service demand for statutory children’s social work services. The National Audit Office report published in January 2019 outlined the national picture as one of increasing demand over the last 5 years. The Oxfordshire position is like the national one where we have seen an increase in referrals and interventions. The NAO report points to the characteristics of domestic abuse, parental mental health and drug/alcohol abuse as the key drivers of demand. A similar pattern has been seen in Oxfordshire and it is acknowledged that, although the current service model is good at managing the demand it does not address the root causes. The FSPM is predicated on multi-disciplinary joint children’s and adult teams. The model will therefore be implemented by building on the skills mix of current children’s social work teams by adding adult mental health expertise, domestic abuse specialist and substance misuse workers. In addition to this the offer will be enhanced by co-locating the teams with targeted Early Help teams and by providing dedicated working arrangements with other key services (Housing Support and Leisure and Youth Services) through our partnership with Cherwell District Council. This tender is for the domestic abuse services required to support this model The specialist workers will provide high-quality interventions, support and safety planning, to the person who is at risk of, or a victim of domestic abuse. This will include working with the victim and relevant partner agencies to safely maintain their current accommodation or access alternative housing where necessary. Specialist victim workers will also be expected to work closely with other team members including the children’s social worker(s), specialist perpetrator workers involved with the family and substance misuse or mental health specialist workers within the team or other support agency working with the family. The specialist workers supporting parents who are victims of domestic abuse will be tasked with assessment of need and risk and will ensure the immediate safety of the victim is addressed. They will also be expected to work on a one-to-one basis with victim parents using Family Safeguarding Plus strengths based approaches including motivational interviewing. Specialist workers will also be responsible for contributing to the delivery of recovery programmes for victims of domestic abuse. The specialist workers will need to ensure that they work to avoid re-traumatising victims. Techniques employed must be based on an in depth understanding of coercive control, Stockholm Syndrome and trauma bonding as well as the very real difficulties caused where victims of domestic abuse are affected by cognitive dissonance. The estimated value shown includes the optional extension period. The specialist workers will provide high-quality evidence-based practice to challenge and support changes in, behaviour of abusive parents/partners of parents of carers to reduce harm caused by domestic abuse. Specialist perpetrator workers will use motivational interviewing and other strengths-based techniques to obtain information about perpetrators of domestic abuse in high risk families through interviews and enquiries. The specialist workers will process information relating to the individuals’ abusive behaviour, keep records and update other colleagues in the team where appropriate. Specialist perpetrator workers will take the lead in assessing risk using appropriate risk-based tools and will do this in collaboration with partner agencies such as police, Community Rehabilitation Company, National Probation Service, Youth Justice Service and other relevant agencies. Based on an assessment of need the workers may refer abusive parents/partners to specific interventions available locally. The specialist perpetrator workers will initially work intensively with abusive parents and partners, delivering both groupwork and 1:1 intervention. Interventions will be evidence-based approaches advocated by the specialist provider to support positive changes in behaviour which reduce risk to victims and children and support perpetrators to recognise and take responsibility for their actions. Longer term work may also be offered where this is necessary to support sustained change. Specialist workers will also be responsible for referring abusive parents and partners to other programmes where there is a continuing need and this is appropriate and available.