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For Scotland's children report

Chapter 9 implementing, sustaining and monitoring change

Introduction

The Action Plan constitutes an imperative to change.

That is why this report has detailed the chaotic condition of current services which, at least in relation to the most vulnerable, are close to crisis, as well as making recommendations for the future.

The Action Team has taken the view that those involved in planning and delivering children's services, as well as those responsible for policy, will wish to take the necessary steps now to improve services, rather than have to report similar or worse difficulties in 5, 10, or 25 years.

A simple injunction to change, however, is unlikely of itself to produce a positive response. (One of the Action Team's practitioner/manager group suggested that the action plan constituted "high standard conscience-driven ideals that look like a lot of extra work.") The remainder of this section is concerned with recommending a framework within which the necessary changes can take place.

Positive Context

One significant element is undoubtedly the macro-economic environment. It is generally agreed that the national economy is now in a healthier and more stable condition than has been the case for a considerable time. Tax and benefit policies are widely regarded as having moved toward being child and family friendly. Child-care is more available than at any previous time. In addition, there is a new emphasis on children's rights which locates much of the discussion of children's services in a new context.

All of the above contributes to a positive context which creates real opportunities for change.

Integration in the Scottish Executive

The Action Team has heard considerable criticism of the Scottish Executive in relation to the perceived absence of a fully integrated approach to policy. There was a common perception that policy was "departmental"; that while the Scottish Executive usually referred to the need for integration, that task was left to local agencies; that predicated and short-term funding was diverting attention from improving mainstream services, and that an excessive reporting burden was placed on agencies.

The Action Team learned of the considerable activity taking place within the Scottish Executive to improve the approach to "joined-up" policy, and of the work being undertaken to provide greater freedom to public agencies in financial matters to facilitate joint developments, pooled budgets, etc., within an acceptable financial accountability framework.

The Scottish Executive has committed itself to "child-proof" legislation, policy and initiatives to ensure that they have the most positive possible impact on children and families. In practice, those consulted by the Action Team could see little evidence that this process was taking place. What those consulted are seeking is an integrated policy framework from the Executive.

Recommendation 1

• The Scottish Executive should reaffirm its commitment to consider the impact of all legislation, policy, and initiatives on children (and their families) through the publication of a child impact statement in relation to each measure.

Resources

The Action Team noted with considerable concern that some of the best services being provided in Scotland, through Social Inclusion Partnerships, were dependent on short-term funding sources.

Recommendation 2

• The future of the range of essential children's services funded through short-term measures requires to be consolidated.

Action Point II of the Action Plan discusses ways of making effective use of the total budget for children's services and sharing knowledge of the budgets for all relevant services is shared by all the planning partners. These financial arrangements should not be seen as operating merely at the margins in relation to joint project developments etc., but should be utilised to make significant improvements to mainstream services.

Recommendation 3

• The Scottish Executive should issue guidance to local authorities and NHS Boards which encourages shared financial approaches within an acceptable accountability framework.

The Action Team has described a range of issues relating to staff resources and how these are deployed. During the Action Team's consultations, it became clear that there is much concern about these issues and that various solutions have been suggested or attempted.

The Action Team's preference would be to see all these issues in relation to the workforce for children's services to be recognised as being interdependent, and for them to be brought together within a single workforce planning effort which sets out arrangements for the recruitment, induction, training, and professional development of the entire children's service workforce in Scotland.

Recommendation 4

• The Scottish Executive should establish, in conjunction with professional associations and training establishments, a workforce planning group to take forward plans for children's services workforce in Scotland. This should include consideration of the training for staff to work with families. It should take into account the link between development of service planning and workforce planning.

Co-Terminosity

In most parts of Scotland there is, at the macro planning level, co-terminosity between local authorities and NHS Boards (or groups of one with the other). There are, however, serious problems of fit in the West of Scotland in relation to Greater Glasgow Health Board and its six local-authority planning partners and Argyll and Clyde Health Board and its local authority partners. Two of the smaller local authorities, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, have to relate to more than one NHS Board.

Recommendation 5

• The Scottish Executive should consider options to resolve these boundary issues at the macro planning level.

The Role of Voluntary Organisations

The Action Team noted that although voluntary organisations provide many of the best children's services in Scotland, a range of issues exists relating to their involvement in the development of these services. In particular, tendering exercises were absorbing staff and financial resources that could be better directed towards service provision.

Recommendation 6

• To ensure that voluntary organisations are key partners in children's service planning, the Scottish Executive should issue guidance to local authorities and others in relation to the most effective, best value methods for identifying long-term service partner relationships which are not in conflict with procurement regulations.

The Role of Universal Services

The importance of identifying all children and maintaining contact with universal services has been emphasised. Exclusions from school were seen by many of those consulted by the Action Team as a key issue, which can potentially lead to children becoming invisible to services.

The Action Team welcomes the attention being paid to this issue by the Scottish Executive through the promotion of alternatives to exclusion and the considerations and recommendations of the Discipline Task Group. At present, though, the Action Team has heard of excluded children denied any educational provision, sometimes for long periods.

Recommendation 7

• The Scottish Executive should reinforce the requirement that each educational authority have in place arrangements to ensure that education services continue to be provided to those excluded from school and that NHS Boards should ensure that health services should be continuously available to all.

Needs Assessments

The difficulties arising from the proliferation of assessment methodologies in different areas and by different agencies have been described. An opportunity has been identified to develop a multi-professional, multi-agency format for all Scottish children's services.

Recommendation 8

• The Scottish Executive should commission the development of a modular information and assessment format for use by all agencies working with children in Scotland (this could build on the work already underway in relation to individual services and electronic formats).

Children's Commissioner

There has been considerable interest internationally in the role of a Children's Commissioner in developing the children's services network. Such a role has now been established within the UK by the Welsh Assembly following the recommendations of the Waterhouse Inquiry.

The Waterhouse Report into the widespread abuse of children within the care system in Wales has an irresistible force in its recommendation for an independent Commissioner to hear from children and investigate issues raised.

Within Scotland, a Commissioner could, additionally, provide an annual report to the Scottish Parliament on children's services in Scotland, and provide informed comment on plans and developments in policy and services. The Education, Culture and Sport Committee is currently considering, at the Scottish Executive's request, the case for a Children's Commissioner in Scotland, and what his/her role and remit might be. Almost all we spoke to would strongly support such a development.

Change Support Agency

The Action Team heard from many consultees who urged the availability of specific skills, experience and expertise in assisting with the change process towards fully integrated services.

Recommendation 9

• The Scottish Executive should establish a change support agency to facilitate progress toward better integrated children's services.

If a Children's Commissioner is appointed, the Action Team believes that the change support agency would be ideally located within his/her remit.

Good Practice/Dissemination

Everyone consulted was interested in hearing of good practice in other areas. Services are also increasingly using research to inform their practice. However, there was no existing mechanism to identify good practice and no programme/opportunity to share such information.

There are clearly major benefits in the identification of what works well in order that agencies can consider the potential application of such models within their own area.

Recommendation 10

• The Scottish Executive should establish arrangements to identify good practice and ensure the dissemination of such information.

The Action Team believes that this role may be best fulfilled by the Change Support Agency.

Changing Children's Services Fund

The positive impact of the Changing Children's Services Fund has already been noted.

The Action Team believes that the fund will be most effective if, rather than being used to establish yet more small-scale projects which have minimal impact on mainstream services and which present significant problems when their short-term funding expires, the fund is explicitly seen as a source of finance to fund a transition from services as they currently are to an integrated service system.

Recommendation 11

• The Changing Children's Services Fund should be made available on the basis of a commitment by local agencies within the agreed children's services planning area to implement the Action Plan.

Monitoring Services/Measuring Progress

The scale of measurement and scrutiny was a matter raised with concern by many of those consulted by the Action Team. Many felt that information gathered was not effectively used locally as a management tool and there was little feedback to service providers on the analysis of national trends and local variances.

There is a wide range of agencies and organisations collecting such data across children's services, including:

• Scottish Executive departments
• Scottish Executive Inspectorates
• Clinical Standards Board for Scotland
• Audit (Scotland)
• Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (once fully operational).

The majority of material, including the extended range of resource, process and outcome that will be gathered in relation to best value, remains departmental in origin and reporting. Many viewed this as a failure to grasp the significance and relevance of the integrated service agenda in children's services (and other services).

There is a great need for accurate identification of the current status of services for children, and longitudinal appraisal of the more significant measures of services. This should not involve the development of new measures, but does require improved utilisation of existing data.

Performance measures should be set against national standards in respect of the responsiveness and quality of services, and outcomes should be clearly related to the characteristics of each area. The aim should be to ensure that children have equal opportunity in every part of Scotland.

Recommendation 12

• The Scottish Executive should establish robust and universal arrangements for the collection, analysis and reporting of information in relation to children's services.

The Action Team believes that this role would be best carried out by Audit (Scotland) which is already responsible for performance information in respect of councils, and is Auditor for both councils and NHS Boards, and for best value appraisals. Such reports would provide a major information source for a Commissioner for Children in considering the state of children's services in Scotland.

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