Agenda item

The Voice of the Child Guidance for practitioners in CYPS is presented to Members of CPAC for information so they can be assured of the focus of this issue for staff.

The Principal Social Worker introduced the report which presented the Voice of the Child Guidance for practitioners for information so that the Committee could be assured of the focus of this issue for staff. It was noted that the Children Act 1989 stated that the voice of the child should be paramount. It was explained that the Practice Guidance had been written to assist practitioners in capturing the voice of the child in planning, decision making, and service delivery.

It was highlighted that Aspire was involved in the recruitment of senior managers in Children’s Services, the training of newly qualified social workers, consultations, policy developments, new periodic surveys in Children’s Services, the child centred review process, and the Fostering Panel’s recent work on creating a ‘what makes a good foster carer’ crib sheet.

In terms of the next steps, it was noted that the recruitment was underway for a practitioner who would be setting up a Shadow Children’s Board, where each partnership would have a young person working alongside them to provide views and develop processes. An apprentice Children’s Engagement and Participation Officer was also being recruited and this role would be ringfenced for someone who was care experienced. It was also aimed to include Aspire in the recruitment of other, less senior posts and a training package with input from Aspire was being developed to inform new staff about how it feels to be a child in care. It was added that the HALO code, which clearly stated respect for the right to embrace Afro-hairstyles, was being implemented in foster homes. In addition, work was underway with the Children With Disabilities Service to form a group for children and young people with Learning Disabilities.

In response to questions from the Committee, it was noted that:

-       The Committee commented that significant work had been done to ensure that the voices of young people were heard. The Committee was particularly impressed with the introduction of a ringfenced apprenticeship for an individual with care experience and it was hoped that actions like this could be rolled out to other services as it would actively combat workplace discrimination. The Director of Children’s Services noted that this comment sought to ensure that all considerations were taken into account but it was agreed that this wording should be amended to be clear that the voice of the child was paramount. The Principal Social Worker added that there would be training sessions on the Practice Guidance for the entire workforce to ensure that it was fully embedded and correctly used.

-       In relation to ensuring that the voice of the child was heard, the Head of ESQA (Safeguarding and Social Care) noted that Children’s Services was also involved in a pilot scheme called Kit Bag which distributed toolkits to practitioners to encourage more creative methods of communication with children. It was also noted that virtual working had meant that practitioners were thinking of more creative methods to ensure that the voice of the child was heard and that any warning signs were identified. It was added that there had been some recent training with the Disabled Children’s Team to learn some Makaton which assisted in extending the communication ability of staff.

-       Some members of the Committee suggested that it would be useful to hear more about the advocacy service at a future meeting.

-       The Chair also suggested that, in future, it could be useful to include an addendum to the Practice Guidance from children and young people which set out their thoughts on how their voices should be heard.