Social Worker in Schools

1
Social Worker in Schools

• Julie Moss
• Head of Service
• Child Protection and Child in Need

2
Project Initiation

• Larkhill, Summerville, Fiddlers Lane Primary
  Schools
• Proactive approach
• Wanted to work with families in a different way
• Needed to address the difficulties early
• Social Work input considered the most appropriate
  option
• Agreed funding for 12 months
• Identification of need
• High number of children on Child Protection Plans
• High number of children on Child in Need Plans
• Complexity of presenting need

3
Research

• The Value of Social Care Professionals Working in
  Extended Schools (NFER 2008)
• range of distinct social work demands on
  primary school teachers that the provision of
  social care professionals could address
• ECM agenda promoted the locating of Social Care
  professionals in accessible locations this
  could enable them to work more proactively to
  both promote and safeguard the welfare of
  children

4
Project Outline

• Aim
• The aim of the project is to secure improved
  outcomes for those children who are subject to
• Child Protection Plans
• Child in Need Plans
• Children on the edge of threshold for
  intervention
• Hard to engage
• Objectives
• Individual sessions with children in schools
• Group based sessions for both children and carers
• Home visits
• Liaison with teaching staff and case holders
• Safeguarding training and advice

5
Benefits

• Allows schools access to information, better
  links, sharing information between schools and
  CSC
• provides liaison and communication between
  Schools CSC and other agencies
• has provided training and support to schools -
  provided advice on how access to SSCB training
  and which training to attend
• has increased schools understanding of
  safeguarding - providing advice and support has
  meant schools are managing risk more
  appropriately and more able to identify what is
  of concern.
• help to support and improve attendance by
  undertaking direct work with children completing
  home visits with families. Supporting schools to
  develop interventions
• undertaking direct work with children to support
  and improve attainment.
• undertaking home visits to support schools were
  issues have been identified that are impact on a
  childs ability to learn or attendance.
• undertaking home visits with School staff for all
  new admissions - this has allowed for the early
  identification of need

6
Challenges

• Social Workers and EIP relationships with SWiS is
  an issue as they do not always understand SWiS
  role
• IT is an issue- access to systems
• Fiddlers Lane position in Sure Start Centre
  based away from school impacts on SWiS
• SWiS split across 3 schools - this does impact on
  time and limits availability
• Starting the groups work due to time/capacity

7
Case Study

• Case Study
• School had concerns about Mums ability to
  care/understand childs needs the main issues
  were low level but included -
• Alcohol misuse
• Relationships issues
• Debt
• SWiS provided advice and support to School, sign
  posting to appropriate agencies and maintained at
  TAC level
• SWiS under took direct work with the children and
  helped school to identify ways that they could
  support the children - a support plan was
  developed that met the needs of the children and
  engaged Mum in the work - this improved her
  relationship with school
• The childrens attendance has improved as has the
  attainment of the children.
• School are now able to support the family so no
  referral to CSC has been necessary - this
  previously would have been referred into CSC
• If a referral is needed at sometime in the future
  it will be more appropriate, detailed and
  specific. This will enable any future
  intervention to be at the right level.

8
Next Steps

• Evaluation of outcomes
• Data
• Service User feedback
• Teacher/social worker experience
• Cascade learning
• Headteachers forum
• Consider roll out of model
• Identification of need across the city