From Staffordshire’s DCS.
Following on from Beate’s introduction last month, I too have recently joined the region. Upon starting as Director of Children and Families in Staffordshire I landed with just three days to prepare for our annual conversation and the election! I was formerly the DCS in Bolton and led the council from Requires Improvement to Good. We went on to retain that judgement last September and then I spent my last three weeks leading the Area SEND. Feel free to read the report!
Like Beate said last month, there really is no set formula any of us can bring to the region, nor indeed take elsewhere. There are just too many variables. So, whilst Staffordshire is on a journey from a recent Requires Improvement judgement, I have spent my first couple of months learning the geography, visiting teams and liaising with wider partners. I have been to a foster carers BBQ and the launch of our second Mockingbird constellation on a very wet and wild Sunday, met the parent/carer forum leads, visited an outstanding LA Childrens home and joined a couple of staff forum events. I have been impressed with the enthusiasm of staff and leaders and I am looking forward to working alongside my small but perfectly formed leadership team to improve outcomes for children in Staffordshire.
In joining Staffordshire I have obviously also joined the West Midlands, well actually I have re-joined having previously worked in Shropshire. Again, each region is different, but my colleagues at DCS Network have welcomed me with open arms, also Colleen Male and I have supported each other previously and I know Emma Taylor from our work in the North-West. Sadly however, I was not able to get to the Team Excellence Awards last week, due to a longstanding personal commitment, but I made sure to read the event brochure and was frankly blown away by the innovation and skill shown by all of the nominated teams.
So, I am excited to be here in Staffordshire, and the region as a whole and even more excited about working with a great and enthusiastic crowd of people. As always, thank you for the work you do for the children, young people and their families in the West Midlands and I am sure I will catch up with many of you over the next few months, with what seems to be a very busy regional scene.
Kind regards
Bernie Brown
TEA@Grand Station – Team Excellence Awards 2024:
On 20th September we held our third annual Team Excellence Awards at the wonderful Grand Station in Wolverhampton.
Fifteen teams were nominated by their DCS or Trust CEO and were presented to their colleagues at the event.
As our chair said in her introduction to the evening, the depth and variety of innovation, enthusiasm, and dedication of the selected teams is outstanding.
Details of each of the nominees can be found in the event brochure and we would encourage you to take a look. Part of the reason we organise this event is to enable the sharing of outstanding practice across the West Midlands, So, please reach out to any of the teams if you would like to know more.
We are currently in the early stages of organising next years awards and are looking forward to receiving a whole new cohort of Excellence!
Participation Conference 2024:
On 24th September we held a Participation Leads Conference. This was the first time that we have brought practitioners from the world of participation together in this way.
As part of the day each of our LA areas was given the opportunity to “show and tell” the work they are doing with their children and young people. This was a truly inspirational session and a great good news story for the region as a whole.
In the afternoon we were joined by colleagues from Ofsted who spoke about participation within inspections, but the real highlight of the day was a Q&A session with some of our young people involved in the Putting Participation on the Map training which they have devised.
A big thanks to Abdul, James and Celena for organising the day and also to Worcestershire County Cricket Club who provided space at New Road, for this event at no cost to the region.
We are looking to hold this event again, next year.
Run With It:
#RunWithIt is a project that encourages young people with lived experience to participate in their local parkrun. The aim is to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of our young people, by starting their weekends in an active and sociable way. With 14+ local authorities nationally, already signed up, we want more on board!
During Care Leavers Week on November 2nd, we invite all local authorities and their young people to walk or run in their local parkrun. Share your photos and experiences with us, so we can make a collage of all our experiences. Our ambition is to have 100+ young people involved.
For more information contact Chase Dowling at Herefordshire Council.
Key Events:
Black and Asian Leadership Initiative:
This programme is now fully booked, and we were oversubscribed. As such, we are considering running a second round, so if you or a colleague might be interested please contact the Regional Team to be added to the waiting list.
Upcoming conferences:
Big Thinking 24 – 12th November
The aim of these Big Thinking Events is to think differently when it comes to working collaboratively in our efforts to promote the permanency and retention of a good quality Childrens Services workforce in the West Midlands. The aims of the event are to find creative solutions which ultimately aim to ensure that children and their families receive the best outcomes that we can offer because they are supported by a strong, stable, and quality Childrens Services workforce.
Each local authority area has a limited number of places, so if you are interested in being part of an exciting and innovative conversation, please talk to your Children’s Workforce Lead or Principal Social Worker.
Safeguarding Conference – 28th November
Following on from last years successful Safeguarding Conference, we have agreed to hold a similar event in November.
The theme of this years conference is Safeguarding, Innovation & New Ways of Working.
The target audience is IRO’s and CP chairs, but if you have an interest in attending, please talk to your Regional Safeguarding Network representative.
Webinar and taster sessions:
To enhance practice knowledge across the region, we are introducing a series of taster webinars to highlight and showcase some of the outstanding work happening in our local area. These sessions provide a valuable opportunity to listen, learn, and engage with dynamic work being done in our community. Join us to explore innovative approaches, gain insights, and discover how we can adopt and adapt these practices for even greater impact. Don’t miss out on the chance to connect, ask questions, and deepen your understanding of the exciting developments shaping our region. Here are a few, links for webinars to follow.
Emma Lewis: Family Group Conference and Life Long Links: Birmingham Children Trust: 15th November@ 11.00-12.00am
Join Emma and colleagues for an insightful online taster webinar on the journey and development of family-led practice within the trust through Family Group Conferencing (FGC) and Lifelong Links (LLL). This taster session will explore how these initiatives began, the key challenges faced, and the successes achieved along the way. Emma will discuss the growth of these services, highlighting their impact with a powerful live recording of a young person who has experienced LLL and how it transformed the trajectory of his life.
Birmingham Children's Trust (BCT) has recently been awarded funding from the Department for Education’s Befriending and Mentoring Programme to further expand the reach of their LLL initiative. Key messages will focus on system change for family-led practice, emphasising the crucial role of carers as credible partners in safety planning. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the positive impact of family-led practice and how it is reshaping support for children and families.
To book on to this webinar, please click here - Taster Session: Family Group Conference and Life Long Links
Matt Clayton & Margaret Conway; Reunification: Coventry City Council 20th November 2020 @ 10.30-11.30am
Matt and Margaret will be leading this online session discussing the Reunification Project, which has had a significant positive impact on many children and their families. The project’s biggest achievement is the improved outcomes for those involved. In addition to this success, the Reunification Project has also generated substantial financial savings, leading to its expansion in July 2022.
The project has gained national recognition, with one parent, who was part of the initiative, invited to the House of Commons. She shared her experience during the launch of ‘Home Again: Understanding Reunification Practice in Children’s Social Care in England’, a report by NSPCC and Action for Children. The project has also provided expert evidence to the Education Committee Inquiry on Children’s Social Care, highlighting the work being done in Coventry.
To book on to this webinar, please click here - Taster Session: the Reunification Project
Watch this space…In addition to these webinars, we will be hosting four others focusing on key areas: the development of children's homes, pre-birth pathways and pre-proceedings, SEND inspections, lessons from partnership working, and regional commissioning data and dashboards.
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