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Annual Report 2023 – Multi-agency Working

Chapter Contents

  • Single Agency Reports
  • Case Studies

Single Agency Reports

The following organisations have highlighted examples of good and effective safeguarding practice:

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service 

About our agency and what we do
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) is and emergency service responder, however we also deliver preventative and early intervention activities for Children and Young People.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
In 2023, MFRS delivered three twelve-week Princes Trust programmes at Wallasey Community Fire Station engaging with young people aged between 16-25. The Princes Trust programme is aimed at young people who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) and looks at building confidence, teamwork and increasing their potential to enter employment, volunteering or further education.

The Beacon programme is also delivered one day a week over six weeks at Wallasey Community Fire Station and is aimed at year 6 primary school children and looks at building resilience, culminating in a passout on the yard in front of parents, demonstrating the skills they have learned over the six weeks (firefighting drills to increase teamwork and communication).

MFRS also deliver Fire Cadets at Wallasey Community Fire Station which is aimed at 13-18 years old and includes drill yard exercises similar to our firefighters (pumps, ladders, hydrants etc.) and is also aimed at resilience, teamwork, communications and creating good citizenship.

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024

  • The Youth Education Team are looking to strengthen our Trauma Informed approach for young people, considering ACE’s.
  • Creating child friendly policies, guidance and procedures.
  • Introducing Restorative Practice
  • Ensuring that the voice of the child shapes our delivery.


Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

About our agency and what we do
The Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust Safeguarding Teams provide support, advice, education, and training, in all safeguarding matters, to all our staff.

The Trust Safeguarding Team is led by the Head of Safeguarding Governance, working alongside Named professionals who have specific roles for Safeguarding Adults and Children, as described in the Intercollegiate Safeguarding Competencies for Adults (2018) and Children (2019). The teams consist of specialist staff across adults and children. Each operational team is assisted by a safeguarding link professional from children’s services implementing tailored support as required.  Wirral Community Trust covers four geographical areas Wirral, Knowsley St Helens, and Cheshire East.

Our aim is to ensure the prevention of harm, exploitation, and abuse of everyone, through the provision of high-quality care, responding effectively to concerns and allegations whilst working collaboratively with our partner agencies.  We take seriously our statutory duty to safeguard and advocate for the most vulnerable people in our communities. Safeguarding and professional curiosity should be the ever-present concern of every person working in or supporting the services we deliver.

Safeguarding is a crucial role for all staff and one that ensures that some of the most vulnerable individuals at risk; children, young people, and adults, are provided with protection from harm, abuse, and neglect, enabling them to retain their independence, wellbeing, dignity, and choice.

There is nothing more important than being able to identify and support children, young people, and adults at risk of abuse or neglect. The Trust is committed to everyone, ensuring that safeguarding principles are placed at the heart of everything we do. We have an excellent reputation for safeguarding standards, and we take a proactive approach to promoting the wellbeing and welfare of the populations we serve.

We work in partnership with all agencies to deliver health information within the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub acting as the conduit for the Acute Trust and Cheshire Wirral Partnership for Mental Health.  We also provide information and attend Multi agency risk assessment conference and Multi agency child exploitation meetings.

The Named Nurses attend the Quality and Performance and Contextual Safeguarding Committees which enables community health to demonstrate through presentation achievements,  performance and emerging themes , plus support any task groups and multi-agency audits.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate

The Safeguarding Walkabouts Wirral – The Named Nurses and Safeguarding Specialist Nurses undertake two safeguarding walkabouts per year the last being June 2023 to test staff knowledge and safeguarding awareness. This is conducted across nine teams and in 2024 will be completed via the Trust electronic system SAFE, to reach more staff in a timely manner.

Wirral Review Health Assessment Feedback Audit – This audit gave Children Looked After the opportunity to tell us their experience of the health assessment process and included children with special educational needs for whom we have developed a visual tool. This audit provided assurance of good practice, and, although one respondent felt they did not need a health assessment, the results indicate the child / young person felt respected, listened to, and taken seriously.

Wirral Quality Assurance Audit of Review Health Assessments –In March 2023, an audit was conducted to give assurance of quality standards. The Named Nurse looked at completed Review Health Assessments from Q3 and the results showed that 90% met the required standard for 5-17 years and for 0- 4 years 79%. A dip sample was also conducted on the 25% agreed cohort not subject to QA and this showed a 100% required standard.

Children Looked After 16 Plus Team– The team have been working closely with the Foster Care Team to recommence the training sessions for foster carers delivered by WCHC in relation to the teenage brain. This will contribute to the foster carers understanding of Children Looked After health needs.

Safeguarding assurance data for Q2
The data below gives a flavour of some of the key indicators that WCHC are delivering on to ensure the children of Wirral are kept safe, we have a competent workforce and meet our statutory obligations.

  • Percentage and number of RHAs due and completed within month (Wirral CLA residing in borough) above 90%
  • CLA with an up-to-date RHA 91.2%
  • Number and percentage of CLA with a Named Health professional 98.7%
  • Number of RHAs Quality Assured and number that meet required standard (Wirral CLA residing in borough) 87%
  • Number of cases that have had CLA supervision 93%
  • Number of cases that have had CP supervision 93.1%
  • Number and percentage of staff trained at Level 3 for children as per ICD (2020) 93.7%

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024
Work closely with the Care Leavers Team to encourage young people to take up the offer of a health passport and to move from paper health passports to electronic.

Embed the Review Health Assessment Feedback audit tool into our Trust electronic system, Systm1 to enable practitioners to complete this at every RHA contact in that year for Wirral  children 11 years and above. This will support a more robust yearly audit from the records to gain young people’s views going forward and support best practice and service delivery.

We have reconnected with the foster care team to recommence health input into the foster care training program to support and equip foster carers with the skills they need to support Wirral children in care.

We have reviewed the Safeguarding Strategic plan this year both adult and children to guide and support safeguarding practice, focusing on four key principles.

  • Voice of the People
  • Empowerment
  • Partnership
  • Protection

All quality care delivered by our organisation promotes a safety culture that supports our vision. It places safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk, above all other aims.

Probation Service

About our agency and what we do
The Probation Service is a statutory criminal justice service that supervises offenders released into the community, while protecting the public.

Our priority is to protect the public by the effective rehabilitation of offenders, by reducing the causes which contribute to offending and enabling offenders to turn their lives around.

Our job is to deliver the sentence of the court and develop a desistance/strengths-based working relationship between the probation practitioner and the person on probation following these three focus areas:

Assess
Undertake quality assessments of risks, needs, strengths and circumstances – assess suitability and eligibility for interventions, identifying those matched to individual access and needs.

Protect
Manage risk of serious harm and work with specialists, multi-agency forums, statutory agencies and partnerships to manage risk and monitoring is in place as required.

Change
Empower people on probation to change their behaviour and build and maintain motivation.  Select and sequence the right interventions to support the individual.

These pillars lie at the core of what we do to protect the public, hold people to account for their actions and to support their rehabilitation. Supporting rehabilitation is critical if we are to meet our promise to reduce reoffending.

The sentences we manage in the community are:

  • community orders
  • suspended sentence orders
  • custodial licences
  • post-sentence supervision orders

To successfully manage these sentences, we must:

  • protect the public and victims from crime
  • support people to make positive changes to their lives
  • effectively assess and manage the risk people on probation may pose
  • deliver the court’s sentence
  • manage the individual’s sentence plan

As set out in law, probation services have multiple aims that relate to protecting against further offences (protecting the public, empowering those that commit crimes to want to make positive changes and reducing the likelihood of reoffending) and addressing the harm caused by the original offence (highlighting the effects of crime on victims and facilitating appropriate punishment). These aims are not mutually exclusive and there is overlap across them. For example, by challenging and empowering people to embrace the opportunity to make lasting changes to their lives, Probation Practitioners will, in turn, advance the key aim of protecting the public by reducing reoffending. Indeed, a renewed focus on change work forms part of the Government’s broader approach to the Criminal Justice System, particularly through the ambition set out in the White Paper ‘A Smarter Approach to Sentencing’ to make greater use of robust and effective community sentences as a credible alternative to custodial sentences. Through increasing the use of appropriate community sentencing options, the probation service will be better equipped to address the complex needs of supervised individuals and to target the underlying causes of offending behaviour, thereby breaking the cycle of offending and keeping the public safer.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate

  • Ringfenced resource for a staff member to co-located within MASH
  • Recruitment of a dedicated Safeguarding Case Administrator to support Probation to undertake
  • Safeguarding and Domestic Abuse checks in all cases.
  • New management information system designed and implemented to provide data on probation caseload where mandatory DA and Safeguarding checks have not been completed.
  • Delivery of presentation at Wirral Big Learn Safeguarding event and representation at the event holding a stall to increase partners knowledge and understanding of the probation service.
  • Probation representation at DMM
  • Internal Probation Annual Think Child campaign
  • Implementation of safeguarding and domestic abuse annual learning for all staff as part of mandatory learning for all Probation Practitioners.
  • Response to OCG activity and work developing partnerships with police- presence at relevant partnership meetings.
  • Implementation of Young adult support worker to enhance the journey from young offenders to adult services.
  • Strengthening our work in respect to Young Adults and Youth transitions with 3 staff having completed a qualification in this area of work.
  • Active participation in safeguarding boards and meetings.
  • Assisting in delivery of Domestic Abuse training to increase insight into our work with perpetrators and victims.

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024

  • Implementation and continuous review of data ensuring safeguarding checks are conducted for all cases regardless of offence or information provided by individual. Same for Domestic abuse callouts.
  • Focus on Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding and risks associated in practice and ensure that risk reduction interventions are in place as part of Probation Risk Management Plans.
  • To further develop and enhance feedback from inspections with focus on continuous improvement around response to safeguarding.
  • Safeguarding specific development day to inform Probation Practitioner development.
  • Continued implementation and development of Young Adult support worker role.
  • Continued focus on the quality of Youth transition work.
  • Review and enhance our input with MASH.
  • Professional Curiosity – including improving Home Visiting with a purpose.
  • To increase evidence that a ‘think child’ approach has been taken in relevant cases within Probation Assessments and further consider the impact of parental imprisonment.
  • To make every contact with a person on probation count.

Blue Skies Ahead

About our agency and what we do
Blue Skies Ahead, located in Eastham Wirral, is a multidisciplinary therapy and rehabilitation centre. Working with children and adults of all ages and abilities. All of our interventions are neuroplasticity driven with the goal to make brains and bodies work better; as they should.
There are a number of barriers that can prevent Children Looked After (CLA) from achieving in school and without addressing and optimising the functioning of the Central Nervous System (primarily the brain) progress is often limited.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
Since December 2022, Blue Skies Ahead have worked with a total of 21 Young People (YP) who are CLA from the Wirral Local Authority working with 15 schools, 6 secondary, 9 primary schools. 2 children have moved to alternative provision and another an independent sports school. (Correct at time of publishing Aug 2023)

There has been a 20% reduction in Challenging Behaviour after 3 Months of Reflex Integration.
Of the 21 Young People who have been assessed 13 were included in this presentation of data as they had attended at least one follow up appointment implemented some or all of the movement programme  ‘challenging behaviour’ as an impairment.

4 YP have yet to have a follow up appointment, 1 does not have challenging behaviour as an impairment and 3 have not implemented any of the programme either at home or school. The youngest child is 4 years old and the eldest 13, the mean average is 8 years and 11 months.

After assessment each YP was given a bespoke home/school based Reflex Integration Programme. This consists of 3 movements to be carried out for 3 minutes each 5 times per week; so 9 mins of intervention 5 times a week. The programme varies depending on the overarching need for each child’s central nervous system and is based on the outcome of the assessment. This process is repeated every 4-6weeks, where the YP comes in for a 1-hr review, have their primitive reflexed checked and their movement programme updated.
Whilst Reflex Integration can improve many areas of function and ability we have focussed on the changes seen in regards to challenging behaviour and emotional regulation. This is the overriding need for most YP we see and the primary reason our expertise has been enlisted.

The Lighthouse Centre

About our agency and what we do
The Lighthouse Centre is a safe, warm, and friendly space for women and children who have or are experiencing domestic abuse. We provide a drop-in service Monday to Friday 10am – 3pm where we offer independent advocacy, risk assessment and safety planning. We also have specialist workshops and programmes running throughout the week to support women and children to help them navigate towards a safe and positive future.

The Lighthouse Centre is focused on meeting clients where they are with their domestic abuse experiences and is designed to:

  • Be open for drop-in clients Monday to Friday 10am – 3pm
  • Ensure client’s risks of harm are assessed and managed, with other safeguarding agencies involved where necessary.
  • Listen to, believe, and respect client’s experiences.
  • Signpost clients to agencies and programmes that will fulfil their safeguarding, emotional and support needs moving forward.
  • Develop a community response to domestic abuse led by the community, promoting awareness and education on domestic abuse issues.
  • Work closely with other agencies that support female domestic abuse survivors and their children and be part of Wirral’s ‘Domestic Abuse No Excuse’ strategy going forward.

We deliver 2 programmes directly to children and are one of the key delivery partners in the WCSP domestic abuse training.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
We are successful in our bid to deliver 2 new programmes for children and young people affected by domestic abuse.

  1. MY Voice. We created this new programme for children who are still living in the home where domestic abuse is still taking place. Focused on families who are “stuck “ at CPP and LAC level. For C & YP age 4 – 18 years old. We want to celebrate that we are now reaching some of these children and providing them with one to one and group work that gives them a safe place to speak and have their voice heard. As well as learning about domestic abuse and how they are feeling ,these C &YP are given safety plans and a safe trusted adult. Three of these families are no longer living with the perpetrator and work is on going to continue supporting them with other agency support.
  1. Lighthouse Heroes. This is for children aged 5 -11 and is a 5-week programme for children who are no longer living with the perpetrator but may still be having contact. Lots of really positive outcomes for the children which is evidenced in their self-evaluations and artwork.
  2. We are key in the delivery of Level 2 DA training and share our learning and experience of working with C & YP affected by domestic abuse.

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024

  • Review MY Voice with partners and commissioners to reflect on successes, gaps and what needs to change.
  • Share learning with CSC to inform better outcomes.
  • Complete Sect 11 Audit and implement changes to meet the gaps that were identified.

Open Door

About our agency and what we do
At Open Door, we reimagine what mental health support looks, sounds, and feels like using innovation, arts, and culture as catalysts for change.

We shape change by offering unique, evidence-based programmes in non-clinical settings, using shared lived experience as a driving force in the creation and implementation of our support options.

Our services are free and without waiting lists, focusing on creating lasting, impactful change in our communities and beyond.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
In 2023, Open Door marked its 12th anniversary with a notable achievement: securing a contract through a successful tender process for an Open Door coordinated alliance to operate the Single Point of Access (SPA). The SPA – designed as a centralised route for children and young people to access mental health and wellbeing support through a physical venue and a digital platform – will streamline systems and help people get the support they need first time round.

We also raised a staggering £22,429 for OOMOO – our programme for Children Looked After – to help us continue to provide free, immediate mental health support to children and young people in Wirral.

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024
In 2024, our focus is on enhancing collaboration with our members and staff team to ensure effective safeguarding measures. This involves implementing seven-minute safeguarding sessions during our weekly team meetings and incorporating briefings from the Wirral Safeguarding Partnership. These briefings will keep us informed about emerging trends, emphasizing that safeguarding is a collective responsibility for the entire team.
We are also aiming to provide additional support for our team members. Recognizing the emotional weight associated with safeguarding responsibilities, our priority is to ensure the wellbeing of our staff while they, in turn, ensure the safety of others. This commitment to staff development underscores our dedication to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for everyone involved.

RASA

About our agency and what we do
RASA Merseyside are a specialist sexual violence charity which was established in 1987. We continue to support anyone who has been impacted by any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives whether it be directly or indirectly. We work with children from age 6yrs and for children under 6yrs we work with the parents/caregivers to support the child. We offer support to family and friends of victims/survivors and of perpetrators. We can offer face to face, online and telephone support and use Language Line Interpreting Services when required.
We provide Trauma-informed counselling and therapy including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Single Session Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Person-Centred Counselling, REWIND Therapy, and groups including Taking Back Control Course, Self-Esteem Course, RADS (Reducing Anxiety, Depression and Stress) Group, Healing Trauma Through Exercise Workshops and Trauma-Informed Yoga Classes. Over the next few months, we will also be offering creative workshops, women’s circles, men’s circles and a psychoeducation and stabilisation group for young people.
We also offer emotional and practical support for children, young people and adults going through the criminal justice process as victims/survivors of sexual violence, where each person is provided with an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA/CHISVA).
In addition, we offer Parents Protect workshop which aims to raise awareness of child sexual abuse for parents, care givers and professionals to assist them in spotting the signs of child abuse and understanding the behaviours that perpetrators may display. We also offer Protecting Our Children course for parents, caregivers, and professionals, which explores attitudes and beliefs, communicating with our young children and teenagers, warning signs in children who may have been subjected to sexual abuse, warning signs displayed by abusers, development of family safety plans, child sexual exploitation, trauma, relationships, dealing with disclosures and resilience building. We also provide an online self-study for parents and caregivers in supporting their child in the aftermath of abuse.
We offer support to professionals, as we know that supporting someone who has disclosed sexual violence can be impactful and could result in the development of vicarious trauma. We also offer bespoke Sexual Violence Training to professionals.
Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report Agency Submissions
Further information and referrals (including self-referrals) to the service can be made via our website.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
In 2023 we moved into a bright and spacious new Wirral centre on Hamilton Street in Birkenhead, with improved access, transport links and additional rooms for group work.
During the year, we held online drop-in zoom sessions for other professionals to provide additional information, guidance, and a safe space for discussion to support them in their roles. The professionals that attended expressed how valuable they found this provision.

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024
All safeguarding concerns are a priority at RASA. We have identified that there has been an increase in self-harm and suicide risk over the past 12 months, and supporting and safeguarding our clients continues to be a focus for us, reflected in our annual safeguarding training. In addition, we recognise that there is a correlation between the internet, self-harm, and suicide. This is also a particular focus for 2024, and we have developed our initial assessment pack to include exploration of internet use, online harm, and its’ impact on our clients.
We recognise the growing prevalence of domestic abuse and the impact on all victims including children and young people. We will continue to focus on supporting our clients through ongoing risk assessment, risk management and multi-agency collaboration.

WEB

About our agency and what we do
WEB is a community-based service provider (30yrs) that has provided support to women and girls (since 1993) and men and boys (since 2010).  Every aspect of WEB is developed by its service users through consultation and we pride ourselves on being a service people choose to access. All referrals have a 1:1 induction to make sure no one is being forced or cajoled into accessing the service and to ensure, service user have their voice heard and listened to.

Many of our service users come to us with complex needs and who may be isolated, victimised, discriminated against, have low self-esteem, and lack hope.; a significant number of these being as a result of crimes such as domestic/societal violence, sexual assault, abuse, bullying, hate crime and other criminal activity.  Approximately 95% of our adult referrals are health related including poor physical/mental/emotional health and alcohol/substance misuse.

100% of the young people we support are referred around anxiety, mental health, and/or neurodiverse needs.   Statutory support is not available for many of the individuals we work with as they do not meet the required threshold for either their social or their health needs.

WEB welcomes women and men from the age of 18 up.   However, we also provide 2 weekly young women’s group for girls (YWG) aged 9-18, and a weekly group for boys aged 9-13, and a weekly ‘True Colours Group for  young people who identify as a different gender from birth.

The Family Toolbox:  WEB is part of Wirral Alliance  Family Toolbox.  Familytoolbox.co.uk is a free online hub to help Wirral families be the strongest they can be.  Because life doesn’t come with a manual. We’re here to help you in those moments when you realise why they say, raising kids is the hardest job in the world.  It’s been designed by Wirral parents and carers to make your life easier. It’s full of videos, tips and ideas – things you can fill your toolbox with and make use of when you need to – so that you can be the best parent for your kids.

WEB aims are to provide a high-quality service to women, men, and children in the following ways:

  • Provides time, space, and flexible support to help them regain confidence and self-esteem
  • Opportunities to explore personal choices to support their personal growth.
  • Promote opportunities for personal growth and skills development to enable them to get more from life

We do this in a variety of ways:

  • 1-1 Welcome Inductions & Listening Service
  • 1-1 & Group Therapeutic Counselling
  • 4 Weekly Support Groups for young people
  • 4 Weekly Support Groups for Women (recently reduced to 1 per week-reduced funding)
  • Range of Therapeutic Trauma Recovery Programmes
  • Range of DA Support Programmes:
  • Caring Dad’s
  • Who’s In Charge
  • Gateway
  • Trauma Bereavement & Loss
  • Volunteering Programme (Inc SRAP, Safeguarding, Emotional Boundaries, Trauma Informed Practise Training)
  • Personal Development Programmes for Adults & Children
  • Trauma Recovery Programmes for Adults & Children

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
2023 saw WEB reach a massive  656 individuals improve their mental health and well being via accessing a variety of 1-1 and group support.   We have chosen a small snapshot of our work and a brief summary of All services/programmes delivered.

WEB Merseyside, Koala Northwest, Equilibrium NW did some Collaboration work on a joint project called  Diversity +.   This was brought about as according to a recent Ofsted report (2022) Wirral SEND services are ‘broken’, with families feeling ‘overlooked and ignored’ when they ask for help. The report stated that “Often, families are pushed to the limits, emotionally, financially and physically. They feel overlooked and ignored as well as blamed for asking for the help that their children need.”  Through prior consultation and joint collaboration of our 3 organisations we wanted to deliver a project that ensures that every family living in the north end with children with additional needs has a support network they can turn to. A collaboration that offers a range of support for parents to provide emotional and wellbeing support as well as coping strategies and fun activities for both parents and children in the north end.   Our Diversity + project aimed to:

  • Reduce isolation and help develop a peer-to-peer network of support.
  • Improve parental mental health and wellbeing.
  • Provide fun stimulating activities for children aged 0-11 years.

This was funded by C2C funding, and was incredibly successful.  WEB’s role in this project was to work with the parents of SEND children and provide some emotional wellbeing support, and improve their mental health and wellbeing, building their resilience, understanding and skills.  This project has gone extremely well with fantastic partnership working between 3 organisations.  It has  recently been confirmed that we have secured continuation funding for 2 further years of this project.  Here are just a few comments taken from our parents at ‘check out’ of a group session.

‘It was nice connecting with other people who had an understanding of ADHD and learning the difference between how it presented between male and female. Leaving feeling positive’.

‘Took a lot of useful techniques away and felt very positive and uplifted by exercises.

‘Enjoyed being able to just talk and relax as I never get the chance to do this’.

‘Being able to sit and have a hot meal without being interrupted by the children who require additional support. Being able to actually a finish a meal is a treat.’

Wirral Borough Council: Home School Team: Again, as a result of our trauma informed practice training being so well received by the MDT at Wirral Council, WEB has been asked by the Assistant Director of Children’s Services to work with WBC Home School Team to develop and deliver a 3-way approach to working with trauma.  After several consultations this resulted  in WEB delivering 3 programmes:

  • 1 to teenagers not in education (The People Tree Programme 26wks@4hrs pw)
  • 1 to parents of teenagers not in education (Pathways 2MPowerment 30hr prog)
  • 1 to WBC staff who work with young people to support their integration back into schools (Intro to Personal Development Prog-10hrs

Just a fifth of the way through the programme we asked parents if they had noticed any changes for themselves, and/or for their child at home.   One parent stated:

“My anxiety has reduced – I have been able to gradually come off medication that I was on for anxiety, and I feel this is a direct result of doing the course. I was extremely anxious attending on day 1 but today I have been able to stand up and present to the whole group and felt comfortable doing it. My blood pressure has also reduced so I am feeling healthier, and I feel this is because I have been practicing my Basic Human Rights as taught on the course. I feel my own behaviour at home is calmer and more regulated and as a result, this is having a positive impact on my son and his behaviour too. I feel I handle things better”.

Another parent noted their child’s behaviour had changed in the following ways:

“My son has been more self-confident and now has a nice group of friends who he now goes out with whereas before, he wouldn’t go anywhere with anyone, just wanted me to be with him all of the time. He will now get a bath which he would fight against previously and recently has even ran his own bath rather than getting me to do it. Last night he took it upon himself to decide he needed a bath because he had school today which was amazing. He just seems more self-aware, confident and independent.   He used to be in my room and sleep in my bed all of the time because he’d be worrying about everything but now, he doesn’t seem to be worrying at much – can calm himself and is happy to be on his own in his own room and sleep on his own. He’s proud of himself for doing this too”.

WEB were excited to be part of this pilot programme with positive endings and progress for all parties, hopefully evaluations from this  programme may provide evidence for an innovative way of working with young people with SEND and their families.

WEB- Joint work with: Men Too Charity Delivery of Trauma Recovery Programme for Men: WEB were asked to deliver a 60hr programme to men who accessed suicide prevention services through Men Too Charity.  WEB’s programme was designed for both men and women who have experienced bereavement and loss through trauma related events.  The exploration and healing process takes place through ‘experiential’ programme of support using a mixture of therapeutic arts, sand play, music, poetry, and meditation.   This course focuses on the ‘healing of the trauma’ as opposed to ‘replaying the trauma’. WEB’s Bereavement & Trauma workshops is accessible to all who have suffered bereavement and loss by murder, violent crime, and suicide related deaths and losses.   Also, individuals who may have been through the ‘trauma of being removed from their families and communities and who have been through the care system’ (we recognise some of those losses may also be through long term imprisonments).   At WEB, we recognise that the impact of trauma is devastating and far reaching, affecting individuals, whole families, and often the wider community.  This therapeutic and experiential workshop works at the pace of each ‘individual’ as we realise each healing journey is unique to each individual.

Healing workshops are facilitated by 2 experienced and qualified counsellors who are trained in ‘working creatively with trauma’.

Chester University: Trauma Audit: WEB, were asked to be part of an: Attachment, Trauma and Mental Health Audits: Commissioned by Wirral Local Authority Delivered by University of Chester. FoECS.  The aim of these audits is:

  • To provide Wirral Early Intervention Team with a baseline perspective of Attachment Aware, Trauma Informed and Mental Health (ATMH) provision in a sample of 25 EI settings across Wirral.
  • To identify good practice and positive approaches
  • To help identify areas of development in ATMH provision which will help build action plans for individual settings and for authority wide strategic approaches.
  • To build a body of evidence-based research to support ATMH development.
  • To support and foster collaborative working between agencies in Wirral and foster positive links and relationships

WEB’s audit took place and several staff, service users, volunteers, and trustees (14 in total) were interviewed as part of the process.

WEB has since been informed by the Local Council that WEB Merseyside had by far the best resulting trauma audit to date, with the most thorough and comprehensive trauma informed practises being used throughout all of WEB’s services.

Trauma Informed Training for Professionals: WEB was successful with a tender from C2C for trauma informed practise training for professionals and successfully delivered 2 x 2day introductory courses and 2 x 5 trauma training for professional from Cradle To Career Multi-Disciplinary Team.   This course was so well received that C2C compiled a video, and many participants of our training was videoed stating the huge difference it had made to them on a personal and professional level.

WEB have since been commissioned to deliver further training for professionals for the MDT and have also been commissioned to deliver 2 x trauma recovery training for parents/carers referred from C2C MDT.

Early Action & Stronger Relationships: WEB is at the beginning of its 2nd of 5years of WBC Alliance contract ‘Family Toolbox’.  WEB are delighted to be part of all the positive changes taking place with ‘early help interventions’ for families in Wirral.  Within our first year as an Alliance, we have managed to reach and support a massive 4749 parents and children.  Ward data shows that Alliance partners continue to reach families from more economically challenged communities, with the greatest number of children living in Birkenhead and Tranmere ward.

2023 saw WEB reach a massive  656 individuals improve their mental health and well being. The impact our service provision has made on the lives of adults and children in our community has in their words ‘been life changing’ and ‘life saving’ and very much needed

Approximately 95% of our adult referrals are health related including poor physical/mental/emotional health and alcohol/substance misuse and suicide ideation.

A brief summary of activities we have delivered over the period :

of 1st April 2022 – 31st March 2023

  • REFERRALS: We have received a total of 685 referrals this year –306 women, 187 men, 2 non-binary adults, 122 young women, 65 boys and 3 non-binary young people totalling 495 adults and 190 young people.
  • WELCOME SESSIONS: We have carried out 208 adults and 98 young people’s 1-1 welcome sessions.
  • NEW USERS: 306 new people accessed WEB’s service and were given welcome inductions
  • EXISTING USERS: 350 existing service users continued to access WEB’s services, made up of: (197 women, 21 men, 92 girls and 40 boys)
  • TOTALLING WEB SUPPORTING 656 INDIVIDUALS  DURING THIS 12MTH PERIOD
  • 1-1 CRISIS LISTENING APPOINTMENTS: 33 adult and 6 young people’s crisis listening appointments were made.
  • NON-ATTENDED APPTS: 102 adult and 71 young people’s appointments were cancelled, and 97 adult and 16 young people’s appointments were not attended) meaning a total of 599 1:1 appointment were made in this 12-month period.
  • ADULT COUNSELLING: A total of 1731 adult 1:1 counselling session were made this year. 1280 were attended (772 were attended by women, 294 by men and 9 by non-binary adults), 113 did not attend (84 by women, 25 by men and 4 by non-binary) and 338 were cancelled (266 by women, 66 by men and 6 by non-binary).
  • SUNSHINE & SOUL FOOD SESSIONS FOR WOMEN: A total of 138 weekly women’s Sunshine and Soul Food sessions have taken place (on average 4 sessions per week) with a total of 1089 attendances.
  • MAINTENANCE FOR THE MIND SESSIONS: A total of 80 weekly men’s Maintenance for the Mind sessions have taken place (on average 2 sessions per week) with a total of 301 attendances.
  • CARING DADS PROGRAMME: We have run 1 Caring Dad’s programme with 5 men, 14 weeks with a total of 46 attendances. With 1 programme still to deliver on this grant funding contract.
  • PEOPLE TREE PROGRAMME: 30hr Trauma recovery programme for men had the maximum 8 men attend all 5x6hr sessions.
  • GATEWAY PROGRAMME: We have run 7 Gateway sessions with 8 women accessing, totalling 23 attendances.
  • WELL BEING CHOIR: WEB & Callister Gardens Project; delivered 8 singing sessions with 7 women, totalling 38 attendances followed by a performance at the Floral Pavilion Theatre.
  • WHO’S IN CHARGE PROGRAMME: We have run 2 Who’s in Charge programmes – 15 sessions in total with 15 women, totalling 84 attendances.
  • ICB PROGRAMME: We have run 1 Introduction to Confidence Building programme with 7 women – 5 sessions totalling 30 attendances.
  • ICT PROGRAMME: We ran an Intergenerational ICT group over 6 sessions for 5 adults and 1 young person, with a total of 34 attendances.
  • VOLUNTEER INDUCTION TRAINING: There have been 4 cohorts (4x3days) of staff and volunteer induction training and 2 listening training sessions.  23 volunteers accessed these trainings, and 5 new staff members with a total attendance of volunteers of 75, total attendance of staff of 24.
  • TRAUMA TRAINING FOR STAFF: We have delivered 1 x 30 hr Trauma Informed Practise Training programme for staff and volunteers with total of 15 staff/volunteers attending 30hr programme.
  • TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTISE TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS: We have delivered 2 x 2day introduction to Trauma training for 16 professionals (experiential).
  • TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTISE TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS: We have delivered 2 x 5-day experiential trauma training to 16 professionals
  • 100% of YOUNG PEOPLE REFERRED TO WEB WITH ISSUES OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, SUICIDAL IDEATION, MENTAL HEALTH, OR/AND NEURODIVERSITY.
  • YOUNG PEOPLE’S COUNSELLING: 156 young people’s 1:1 counselling appointment were attended (145 were attended by girls and 11 by boys). There were 14 not attended (all by girls) and 56 cancelled (52 by girls and 4 by boys).  There was a total of 226 appointments made.
  • YOUNG WOMEN’S GROUPS: 88 weekly young women’s group sessions (2 each week) have taken place with a total of 806 attendances.
  • YOUNG BOYS’ GROUPS: 41 weekly young boys’ group sessions (1 each week) have taken place with a total of 234 attendances.
  • TRUE COLOURS GROUP: 29 weekly True Colours (1 each week for non-binary or transgender young people) have taken place with total of 77 attendances.
  • PEOPLE TREE PROGRAMME: FOR GIRLS: We have run 2 People Tree Programmes – 60hr trauma recovery programmes for young people. Two with 2x groups young girls aged 14-16 (4 girls accessed 1st delivery and 6 girls accessed 2nd delivery)
  • PEOPLE TREE FOR PROGRAMME FOR BOYS: 1 People Tree Programme for Boys -60hr trauma recovery programme for young people with a group of 7 young boys aged 11-14
  • PATHWAYS 2MPOWERMENT PROGRAMME: 30HR PROG for the parents of the 7 boys who are attending WEB from Home School
  • INTRODUCTION TO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: 10HRS to 12 staff from Pilgrim Home School Team
  • PATHWAYS 2MPOWERMENT PROGRAMME: We are also in the process of running a pathways 2MPowerment programme for a group of 9 x 13/14-year-olds in a local high school for young people who have not been engaging in lessons.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate

  • That safeguarding continues to be standard item on Team meetings and WEB Management Committee Meetings
  • That safeguarding debrief takes place at end of every group session (both vulnerable adults & children’s groups)
  • That shadowing, and cascading of safeguarding training and good practise continues to take place in house
  • Work towards developing ‘Trauma Recovery Hubs’ -where in our ‘good working practise’ simply becomes a way of being-managing trauma responses appropriately and safely for our users to feel safe and protected from harm, in warm welcoming environment with non judgemental acceptance and treated with respect.
  • Ensure that all new Staff/Volunteers continue to be trained in Safeguarding & Prevent-at Induction
  • Ensure that all new Staff/Volunteers: attend trauma informed training programmes both in-house & WBC where possible
  • Ensure that all staff/volunteers are SFEF trained
  • Ensure that all staff are trained in Contextual Safeguarding
  • Ensure that all staff are trained in Systemic Practise-and along with WEB Trauma training-develop excellent practise
  • Ensure that all staff are trained in Child Exploitation

Cheshire & Wirral Partnership

About our agency and what we do
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) was formed in 2002 and achieved Foundation Trust status in 2007. We provide health and care services for local people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care – including the provision of three GP surgeries.

We have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton and Liverpool. We also provide specialist services for the North West as a whole.

Our services are provided in partnership with commissioners, local authorities, voluntary and independent organisations, people who access our services, their carers and families. The Trust has over 14,500 members and employs more than 4,000 staff across 62 sites, serving a population of over 1 million people and highly specialist services for 2 million.

We provide integrated care to both adults and children in the community and within inpatient settings based on best practice and outcomes, working closely with the people who access our services and their carers to provide person-centred care for all. Our services are developed and led by clinical staff. We strive for clinical excellence by ensuring there is a framework to deliver quality improvements, making sure that safe and effective care results in positive outcomes.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
CWP have been involved in two Joint Target Area Inspections (JTAI’s):

  1. Cheshire East conducted a Child Exploitation JTAI in July 2023, many strengths were identified which included:
  • Enthusiasm from practitioners
  • Staff commitment to improving outcomes for children
  • Self-harm pathway
  • Diversity in the management of Young People (YP) with deferring needs
  • Innovative ways that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) have worked in particular
  • Adapting and changing appointments to suit the YP
  • Creativity- staff knew young people well
  • Staff voiced that they felt supported
  • Partnership working
  • Good representation at multi-agency meetings
  1. Wirral conducted an Early Help JTAI. The inspectors were pleased with the range of professionals represented from specialist services within CWP and advised that there was evidence that staff have a thorough understanding of the early help process and that the outcome of referrals were shared appropriately which is positive. All CWP actions have been completed
  2. Mental Health Support Team (MHST)– Cover 94 primary schools across Wirral. Out of the 94 schools, at least 90 fully engage with MHST. (interventions for mild-moderate MH difficulties)
  3. Complex care practitioners have started in 0-18 service to aid with more complex cases and increase teams’ knowledge and skills in this area, the benefit of these practitioners has been noted by ICB from improved responsiveness and system containment with YP highlighted at weekly Gateway meeting. This has also benefitted the team knowledge and practitioner support for the more complex cases.
  4. Care Navigators have been employed within CAMHS to offer support and guidance to other services who can help whilst child is on the waiting list

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024

  • Data Collection: Strengthen the qualitative and quantitative data that is submitted to multi-agency partners through the strengthening of internal data collection systems
  • Domestic Abuse: Strengthen the domestic abuse work in collaboration with the Suicide Prevention Group. Focusing on the intersect between domestic abuse and suicide, highlighting the risk of suicidality for both victims and perpetrators.
  • Learning into Practice: To implement changes to practice based on recommendations from internal, local, regional, and national reviews. Improve learning by various methods including Seven Minute Briefings, Newsletters, Training, Podcasts.
  • Safeguarding Audit Program: We will design and deliver on a new safeguarding audit program to ensure we are up to date with statutory safeguarding requirements. To ensure all safeguarding activity is carried out to the highest quality and to be able to identify areas requiring improvement
  • Safeguarding Team Review: Undertake a service review and create a business case with suggested staffing models in line with increased demand with the service due to overall increase in safeguarding activity across the Trust and partnership. Therefore, the Safeguarding Team are undertaking a review of the structure of the team to reflect the increasing demands on the service. It focuses on three interconnected spheres:
    – Clinical effectiveness
    – Patient safety
    – Patient experience
  • Safeguarding Training: Progress the training improvement plan, working with care groups to meet 90% compliance

Youth Justice Service

About our agency and what we do
Wirral Youth Offending Service is a multi-agency service that works with young people who have offended, who are at risk of going on to offend or are involved in anti-social behaviour. The agencies that form the Youth Justice Service are Local Authority Case Managers, Probation, Merseyside Police, Career Connect, CAMH’s. Educational Psychologist, Health, Criminal Justice Mental Health Team, and Volunteer from the community that take up mentoring roles and Referral Roles. All Agencies have a vital part to play in addressing offending behaviour and supporting our young people and their families.

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
Another successful year for In the Zone National and Local Media Interest in the scheme and the support it gives young people. John Moores have completed an evaluation of the scheme and praised the work of partnership working, the reach and number of young people who are given this vital support on risk outside the home and the fun and innovative way it is delivered to date the numbers of young people who have received this intervention pass 4000 each receiving information on Child Exploitation and keeping yourself safe, Youth Justice and knife crime, Peer Pressure, Drug and Alcohol Education and Cyber Crime and keeping safe on Line.

Operation inclusion
Operation Inclusion is a preventative offer for offending associated with drug and violent crime primarily involving Young People with a target age range of between 13 to 17years old. The aim of diversion offers these Young People a chance to change their behaviour. There is evidential success of using diversion tactics and social prescribing methods to reduce violent crime, and such methods would also reflect a cost-effective method compared to the traditional method through the Criminal Justice System.

Young people are selected based on previous and pending criminal charges, linked to community intelligence around the potential for violent behaviour, interfamilial harmful behaviour, exploitation, or re-offending.

Candidates selected for the programme will be at a stage where they have been arrested for criminally activity by the police and meet the charge threshold for Court or a youth conditional caution. The selected offence criteria will reflect an escalation of street based offending behaviour with an increase from minor risk/vulnerability to behaviour reflecting a propensity to commit acts of violence and potential exploitation

To date the number of young people who have been part of Operation Inclusion who have since gone on to re offend and be charge is a small number, meaning that our First Time Entrants last year were reduced by 26% and that our re offending rate also reduced last year.

Turnaround
The Turnaround grant comes through the Ministry of Justice and was awarded to YJS’ across the country to offer early intervention and improve outcomes for children on the cusp of entering the youth justice system. On Merseyside we are developing our programmes through partnership working with Merseyside Police to identify young people who may have come to the attention of Police through stop checks, Police arrests were they have been bailed or NFA’d.

On doing some research into NFA’s  etc. we found that when we receive referrals through arrests and charge many of these young people have been known to the Police a number of times before so we wanted to get further up the stream to work with these young people before arrest and charge. This is having a clear and positive impact on our First Time Entrants figures and Early Help offer throughout the region, the grant has enabled Youth Justice Service to either develop their offer further in Prevention or set up a prevention offer if this was not available before Turnaround.

The funding is a three-year offer and we are entering the final year March 2024 to March 2025 we are unclear if funding will be extended.

Barnardo’s

About our agency and what we do

Wirral Young Carers: Barnardo’s Action With Young Carers Wirral is a borough wide service. A young carer is a child (for this service from the age of 5) or young person under the age of 18 years, who provides unpaid care, assistance or support to an adult family member who has a physical illness/disability including mental ill-health, sensory disability or has a problematic use of drugs or alcohol. Action With Young Carers Wirral | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)

Healthy Child 0-19: The service provides advice, information and guidance to schools on drug related policies/incidents. The service also delivers universal substance misuse workshops in schools including coping/solution strategies with anger management programmes ‘Solutions to Anger’ mainly delivered in Secondary schools and Colleges.1:1 work also offered as part of the programme. Healthy Child Programme for 0-19 | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)

Wirral Advocacy & Independent Visitors:

Advocacy CP: Supports young people who are aged 10-18 years old who have a child protection plan in place to support their family. The service helps young people to understand the CP process, to share their views within this and to ensure that their voice is heard within the decision making process. Wirral Advocacy for Children looked after & child protection | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)

Advocacy Care Leavers: Provide advocacy support if you are a child looked after or a care leaver from Wirral, you can request the support of an advocate up to the age of 24. You can have an advocate if you are living outside of Wirral or are in secure accommodation. An advocate is a independent person, who provides support to children and young people who are looked after or care leavers, assisting them to express their views, wishes and feelings. They will listen and help to understand their rights.

Some of the additions an advocate could support with include:

  • Their meetings and meetings about them
  • Transition from children’s services to adulthood
  • Leaving care
  • Problems with where they live
  • Problems with family time arrangements
  • Help to make complaints

Advocacy | Right Side of Care (therightsideofcare.com)

Independent Visitors: An Independent Visitor (IV) is a volunteer who visits and befriends a child or young person living in care. The unique role of an IV enables children and young people to have at least one consistent, trusting relationship that is built over time. The IV will endeavour to become and remain a stable adult in the child’s life who doesn’t change when placements or social workers change and will at all times stay child focused. The service matches CYP wo are looked after under the age of 18 to an IV
Wirral Independent visitors | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate

  • Awareness raising across Wirral for all our services to ensure working together, supporting each other and linking into our services for wrap around support to CYPF
  • Setting up of Young Carers Forum and regular support for YC to be heard across Wirral
  • Working with partner agencies/services to enhance offer/support and working together re: safeguarding CYPF
  • Accessing essential funding streams/resources to support CYPF: Barnardo’s Crisis fund, Barnardo’s YP Grants, BBC Children In Need Emergency Essential funds and tapping into existing Wirral resources i.e Food banks, social prescribers, HAF etc
  • 17 families most in need were nominated and delivered Christmas hampers from Tranmere in the Community. Barnardo’s also donated Christmas presents and e-vouchers for Asda/Aldi
  • Barnardo’s Wirral Young Carers and families attended Christmas Party event at The Florrie (Liverpool) along with Liverpool & Warrington YC organised by Merseycare (event/transport all paid for). Event supported by Barnardo’s staff team for Wirral & Liverpool YC
  • Supporting and attending Wirral Pride 2023
  • Working with Navajo Navajo – In-Trust: Merseyside (merseysideintrust.org) and investing in assessors. Providing Next Generation award at Navajo Awards (Oct 2023 – and previous). Attending awards events with services presence
  • Carers Week events/partnerships: Save the date for Carers Week 2023 | Carers Week
  • Attending Family Toolbox Alliance launch: networking with services to support each other
  • Research: services involved in research/reports, case studies and part of media appeals (i.e Young Carers case study used in Barnardo’s ad last year)
  • Young Carers weekend event: Ocean Youth Trust sailing trip OYT North
  • WSCP: Big Learn event (all Barnardo’s Wirral Services attended, information sharing, networking
  • SENDLO Live event (Local Offer)/Let’s Talk about Adult Safeguarding event: 2 events on same day. Barnardo’s Wirral Services had stalls at both events (information sharing, resources/networking)
  • Independent Visitors nominated for the ‘Listen to Me; Awards and both IV & volunteers (WYC) nominated for Barnardo’s Marsh Trust Awards (Volunteer Team of the year)
  • Blended offers and bespoke work with CYPF to ensure inclusivity, engagement and ensuring voice of the child at the centre of all work
  • Barnardo’s Wirral Services work closely with Barnardo’s Voice & Engagement Team, Barnardo’s EDI and Barnardo’s Safeguarding Corporate/representation on boards
  • Awareness raising across Wirral with Social Care, Schools, local partners/agencies and working together strategies
  • Drop in’s @ CLA Our Space and Care Leavers hub/attending Participation and Engagement meetings
  • Video’s and powerpoint presentations of Barnardo’s Wirral Services
  • Carers Strategy co-production
  • Working together across Wirral re: safeguarding
  • The Hive: ongoing partnership with Barnardo’s supporting Young Carers & CLA with drop in access and Utopia

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024

  • Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Carers Partnership Group: attendance on 23/1/24. Presenting Barnardo’s YC awareness raising and identification factors (includes parental MH and neglect)
  • Promote launch of the refreshed “No Wrong Doors for Young Carers” Memorandum of Understanding
  • Promote Young Carers Action Day on 13th March to schools and other agencies.(information and offer of bitesize training): includes signs of safety/CP
  • Carers Week: awareness raising for Young Carers identification to reduce negative impact of caring and safeguard CYP
  • Training dates are in place for CP social work teams.
  • IV training planned for 3 newly recruited IVs: includes safeguarding/child protection training
  • Barnardo’s Safeguarding Board: representation from Programme Manager for Merseyside Locality (feeding into and sharing with Barnardo’s Wirral Services)
  • Attendance/presence at Local Offers/WSCP events and training within EH & WSCP for all teams
  • Barnardo’s yearly Safeguarding day for locality (includes Wirral Services)
  • Mandatory training and refreshers for all teams re: safeguarding, child protection, trauma informed, MH 1st aid, risk assessments
  • Safeguarding on all Team Meeting and supervision agenda’s, regular reviews/audits of case files with Team Manager, Programme Manager

Our Space

About our agency and what we do
Our Space care leaver hub is based in Argyle Street Birkenhead which brings together 3 services all under one roof that support care experienced children and young people. The Learning, Skills and Employment Service, Participation and Engagement and Leaving Care Team work together to create better experiences and outcomes for our children and young people.

Our Space has created a new way in which we work with our children and young people, engaging them in a different way and working internally and externally with partners to bring as many agencies together in one place so that they can access services in one place.   This could include help with finding a job, support from their personal advisor, developing independent living skills or coming in for a social event.

A range of services are offered at Our Space, including our very own shop where Care Leavers can access food and essentials on a “what you can afford” basis.

Every other Wednesday Tea at the Hub takes place where Care Leavers are invited to come in and have a meal made for them by the Leaving Care team.
Care Leavers also have a monthly social and a monthly Care Leaver Council to discuss issues they face and with an aim of improving services they receive or may need access to.
Children in Care Socials take place every Monday for our 8-16 year olds as well as the monthly Children in Care Council.

Our newly launched Right Side of Care website has all the latest news and more information around what activities are taking place at Our Space  and how you can get involved in events and opportunities see here for more details https://www.therightsideofcare.com

2023 activity and what we would like to celebrate
Our Space has been much more established this year and we have brought in more partners to enhance the offer for our care experienced young people.
This has included:

  • Property Pool Plus
  • Counselling Services
  • Employers
  • Education and Employment Programmes
  • Brook Advisory
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Universities
  • Corporate Parenting Board meetings with our young people.

Our Stay and Play Thursdays has been really popular for our young people who have children themselves. This gives them the opportunity to meet up and support each other without feeling the stigma attached to being a young parent who has been in the care system.

At Christmas  over 60 care experienced young people came into Our Space and received a full Christmas Meal made and served by staff, some young people then got up on stage and sang us  all a few songs too.

Our Space now regularly has over 250 visits form young people per month and continues to develop based on the feedback we get from our children and young people.

Planned Safeguarding priorities for 2024
We will continue to move forward to develop Our Space with the aim of creating a community that is a warm, welcoming and safe environment for our children and young people to be in and to be part of.

 

Case Studies

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,

All of the case studies below describe real examples of recent multi-agency working in Wirral. Click on the icons to read the full case studies.
Please note: all names have been changed to protect individuals’ identities.

 

 

 

 

To go to the Introduction click here
To go to Independent Scrutiny click here
To go to the Journey of the Child click here
To go to Learning from Case Reviews click here
To go to Key Activity click here
To go to Multi-agency Working click here
To go to the Big Learn Event click here
To go to Progress Against Priorities click here
To go to the Business Plan click here
To go to the Glossary click here

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