Children's services
Council to recognise the efforts of children’s services in Walsall
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A report which identifies key priorities and challenges of Children’s Services at Walsall Council will be presented to councillors at a meeting next week.
The Council meeting, taking place on Monday 8 January 2024, includes a report from the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, Councillor Stacie Elson, who will present updates regarding the service over the past 18 months, and what the vision for 2040 looks like for children, young people and families in the borough.
The report notes the growing needs of children and young people in Walsall, both in terms of quantity and complexity, and how the local authority is piloting new ways of working to achieve positive outcomes for those people, by implementing evidence models of practice and working with partners effectively and strategically.
The report includes figures which show a reduction in the number of children becoming subject of a child protection plan and entering care, and the local authority’s ability to support children returning home to their parents quicker, having entered care.
In June 2023, Walsall’s Children and Young People’s Alliance held its first ‘Children First’ Summit, bringing together 55 leaders from across Walsall to collaborate on developing a meaningful Children and Young Persons 2040 Strategy. The strategy will contribute to our Walsall 2040 vision to create a compassionate, healthy, economically strong, and successful place that has children and young people at its heart.
The report highlights the launch of Family Hubs in July 2023, having received funding from the Department for Education. 4 locality hubs are now up and running for children and young people aged 0-19 and up to 25 for those young people with additional needs and their families. The hubs act as a one-stop shop to get advice and support across a wide range of services.
New approaches to Early Help are also highlighted within the report, alongside developments to the Mockingbird and New Horizon fostering schemes. The council is in the process of opening two additional children’s homes within the borough, and is working on a proposal for a third.
“ I would like to thank all of those working with and on behalf of the children and families in Walsall.
As the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, I am committed to ensuring that children in this borough are safe, happy and have a sense of belonging.
The past 12 months has seen many achievements and many challenges. I would like to thank the Children’s Services workforce - the dedication and commitment of our practitioners across Early Help, Children Social Work and Youth Justice is truly remarkable. “
Councillors will discuss the report at Council on Monday 8 January at 6pm. You can watch the meeting on the Walsall Council website: CMIS > Meetings (walsall.gov.uk)
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Notes to editors
Walsall Right 4 Children Partnership
Walsall Right for Children vision sets out the council’s ambition to ensure that the right children are in the right place with the right support for as long as it’s needed to ensure that they are safe from harm, happy and learning well.
Children’s Services deliver the Walsall Right for Children vision through the development of strategies in line with our priorities:
- The Early Help Strategy
- The Youth Justice Strategic Plan
- Working with Father strategy
- Child Neglect Strategy
- Exploitation Strategy
Family Hubs
Family Hubs are part of Walsall’s Children and Young People Strategic Alliance focusing on ‘The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days.’
Teams are co-located in four locality hubs across the borough, connecting practitioners with each other, with community resources and the families they work with to enable easier access to integrated services giving the right help at the right time. Practitioners include Social Workers, Family Support Practitioners, Health Visitors, School Nurses, Early Help Police Officers, Domestic Abuse Support Practitioners, mental health support and substance misuse support.
You can visit the Family Hub website at https://www.walsallfamilyhubs.co.uk/
Walsall Families in the Know on Facebook is also used to promote the Family Hub offer and activities https://www.facebook.com/Walsallfamiliesintheknow/
Early Help
Walsall Early Help partnership supports children, young people and their families when they need extra help with a whole range of individual, social, health and education concerns.
Support is provided to the ‘whole family’ to ensure the right help at the right time is available to those who need it.
You can find more information about Early Help in Walsall at https://go.walsall.gov.uk/children-and-young-people/early-help
Information about volunteering is available at https://go.walsall.gov.uk/children-and-young-people/early-help/early-help-professionals/early-help-volunteers
Mockingbird
Walsall Council is the first local authority in the West Midlands to take part in the Fostering Network’s ‘Mockingbird’ fostering programme.
The Mockingbird programme is an innovative way of delivering foster care which centers on the idea of an extended network of family support.
Empowering families to support each other and overcome challenges, Mockingbird allows our carers to offer children and young people a more positive, consistent, and secure experience of care.
You can read more about the Mockingbird programme at https://go.walsall.gov.uk/fostering/mockingbird
New Horizon
New Horizon is a fostering scheme that aims to help Walsall children currently living in children’s homes. These homes might be miles away from their family and friends. We want to support children so they can stay in Walsall borough and be cared for by local foster carers.
You can find out more information about the scheme at https://go.walsall.gov.uk/fostering/foster-with-walsall/new-horizon-fostering-scheme
