As of mid-2022, the population of Peterborough City Council’s Authority was estimated to be 218,130. With Peterborough’s population expected to grow to 230,000 by 2031 and 240,000 by 2041.
In September 2018, there were 370 children in care and approximately 100 children on a Child Protection Plan in Peterborough.
The Challenge
Following an Ofsted inspection, Peterborough Children’s Services received a rating of “Requires Improvement.” This evaluation identified critical areas for improvement to meet the standards necessary for the wellbeing and development of children in care. The objective was to address the deficiencies highlighted in the report by focusing on targeted strategies, stakeholder engagement, and implementing best practices in children’s services.
What we did
Our team developed and implemented the Family Safeguarding Workbook, a £2.8 million DfE-funded pilot designed to work with families as a unit. This program addresses the “toxic trio” of domestic abuse, substance abuse, and mental health issues, which are primary factors placing children at risk. The main goal was to reduce the number of children entering child protection, avoid care proceedings, and support families in maintaining safe home environments. This approach achieved notable outcomes, including a 40% reduction in Child Protection cases and a 6.5% decrease in Children in Care.
This groundbreaking approach was awarded the Guardian Public Service Awards 2017 and involved the following initiatives:
- System Integration and Reconfiguration: Our System C Liquidlogic experts reconfigured the LCS (Liquidlogic Children’s System) and EHM (Early Help Module) systems to support countywide integration across MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub), IFD (Integrated Front Door), and early support services. This included creating workflows for step-up and step-down processes in escalations and de-escalations for the newly outsourced Early Help Hub, saving around 560 admin hours annually.
- Youth Justice and Permanency Services: Introduced new Modules to the LCS system to support the newly outsourced combined permanency service (TACT) and implemented Capita’s Integrated Youth Justice System to ensure statutory compliance.
- Health Integration and Information Sharing: Implemented the Child Protection Information Sharing (CP-IS) system, facilitating NHS number matching and linking the LCS system with the Patient Demographic Service, streamlining information sharing across health and social care.
- Portal Implementation: Deployed a secure Client, Citizen, and Professionals Portal to enhance communication and data sharing among agencies, including the Regional Adoption & Fostering Agency and MASH.
The Results
- 40% reduction in Child Protection numbers.
- 6.5%reduction in Children in Care.
- Operational efficiency gains 560 admin hours per year.
- Enhanced Information Sharing Integration with the NHS and the implementation of Child Protection Information Sharing (CP-IS).
- Re-Implemented the EHM system with new models of working to capture and extract HES (Hospital Episode Statistics) and PbR (Payment by Results)
- Reviewed a range of processes including Section 7, 37 & 47 Processes, Conference, Review, CSE, CME, LAC, Fostering and Adoption
- Implemented a Client, Citizen, Professionals and Delegation Portal for use by the RAA Regional Adoption & Fostering Agency
