Annual Report 2021 Multi-agency Working
On this page you will find Case Studies of practice in Wirral to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of children and young people which illustrate:
- Effective Safeguarding Activity
- Good and Innovative Practice
- The Voice of Children, Young People and Families
- The Voice of Professionals
Introduction
The Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership is composed of three statutory partners (Local Authority, Police, Clinical Commissioning Group), and several hundred relevant agencies* – including all schools and colleges, statutory agencies, and non-statutory community, voluntary, faith and charity organisations, who work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of Wirral’s children, young people and their families.
*a list of all relevant agencies can be found in Appendix 4 of the partnership model document here.
All statutory and relevant agencies are bound by the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 which sets out their collective and individual responsibilities to safeguard children, in addition to any agency specific guidance or legislation. To illustrate some of the different ways agencies have worked together to safeguard and improve outcomes for children, young people and families the WSCP has published a series of case studies below. We hope they provide some glimpses into the work which takes place every day in Wirral to keep our children safe,
Case Studies
All of the case studies below describe real examples of recent multi-agency working in Wirral.
Please note: all names have been changed to protect individuals’ identities.
Early Help |
| Agencies supported a mum of three – who disclosed she was the victim of domestic abuse – with support for the additional needs of one of her children, safety planning, practical and legal advice, as well as also supporting mum and dad with contact: |
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| Mum of a 10-month old baby was identified as struggling with mental health and alcohol abuse issues. Agencies worked together to provide mental health support, childcare support and referral to a local alcohol service. |
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Early Childhood Services |
| An asylum seeking family were referred into Early Childhood Services by their Health Visitor. The family were provided with food and essentials and referred to Wirral Change and Heart4Refugees for help and advice, leading to the family becoming settled locally. |
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| Mum with a 3 year was referred into Early Childhood Services following significant issues around mum’s drug addictions, difficulties with managing child’s behaviour, isolation of family and mum’s poor mental health. With the support of an ECS Family Worker mum was referred to several agencies, and both she and her child have significantly improved outcomes. |
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Family Matters |
| Agencies supported a mum who had been in a number of domestic abuse relationships, resulting in her children residing with their Grandmother. Intensive support was provided to the whole family to combat long term trauma, and services were identified based on individual needs. |
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Wirral Community Health and Care Foundation NHS Trust |
| A 16 year old looked after child who had undiagnosed seizures and was a victim of a stabbing. The young person was also at risk of exploitation. WCHCT supported the young person to access Neuro services and access appropriate medication/ treatment for ADHD and a burn to their arm. The young person slowly built trust with the SCN which resulted in his heath needs being addressed and appointments attended. |
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| Members of staff at the sexual health clinic supported a young person who was upset and disclosed that her mum had caused physical injuries after finding that she had engaged in sexual activity. Staff were able to manage the situation and provide the young person with a safe space to make a disclosure. |
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| Young person had missing episodes and there were concerns around alcohol, anti-social behaviour and exploitation. Following a disclosure of sexual assault, agencies protected and supported the young person during the Police investigation. A nurse at WCHCT built a trusting relationship with the young person and worked closely with other agencies. |
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Catch22 |
| Catch 22 supported at 13 year old young person who had been groomed online by an older male. The caseworker built a a trusting relationship with the young person to help understand the dangers online and how to keep herself safe. With Catch 22’s support, the young person now understands that they were a victim of grooming and she has been able to assist the Police to ensure that the perpetrator is charged. Catch 22 have also provided support to the young person’s family to understand exploitation. |
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Compass Team |
| Compass supported a young person who was going missing and experiencing criminal exploitation. Compass worked closely with the young person and the Police to understand the locations and associates relating to trafficking. The young person has now moved out of area and has begun to build a trusting relationship with the Compass worker. He has been able to have open conversations about his experience of exploitation and missing episodes. |
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CAMHS |
| A young person was referred to CAMHS due to high levels of risk behaviour. At the point of referral, the child was not known to Children’s Services and a very limited number of services were involved. CAMHS supported the young person and their family with a safety plan and ensured that the appropriate agencies were involved. The young person’s incidents of self harm have reduced and they have established a therapeutic relationship with the social worker and CAMHS therapist. |
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Good News Stories
Agencies have submitted good news stories and examples of good practice.
Family Matters
Youth Justice Service
Quick Links to Chapters:
Introduction
Background
Journey of the Child
Key Activity
Progress Against Priorities
Business Plan
Glossary