Once in a Generation

Gordon JeyesCEO Designate

Child & Family Support Agency

Always Children First2

Imperatives

Moral

Statutory

Effective

Always Children First3

The need for:

Family Support – a loving nurturing home environment for each child

Community support – a positive childhood encouraging participation

and promoting sport, culture and arts entitlements

School / Education Support – raising achievements for all, ensuring

individual children reach their potential, arranging additional support for

those who require it

Health Support – ensuring children develop strong decision making

capacity

Always Children First4

Vision for a Quality Irish Childhood

1. Health, both physically and mentally

2. Supported in active learning

3. Safe from accidental and intentional harm / secure in the

immediate and wider physical environment

4. Economically secure

5. Part of positive networks of family, friends, neighbours and

the community / included and participating in society

Always Children First5

Key messages from International Comparisons

Most child protection and welfare systems are in constant change.

All have extended the traditional remit of ‘child protection’ to include more broadly child welfare and

child well-being

Each jurisdiction has specific structures in place to deliver child protection services, for example,

Children’s Aid Societies (Ontario), Local Children’s Safeguarding Boards (England), Safeguarding Panels

(NI)

All reform initiatives, programmes or policy frameworks have an increased focus on interagency

collaboration and early intervention and prevention

Most have clearly determined that the service delivery agent, whether the department itself or an

executive agency, is accountable to a senior official within the Ministry (Director General / Secretary

General)

Most systems struggling to establish clear lines of accountability

Always Children First6

Why?

‘The Task Force’s design of the range of

services to be overseen by the CFSA is

centred on the needs of children and

families, rather than existing professional or

organisational boundaries.’

Always Children First7

Design Values

Support and promote the wellbeing of children, young people, and their families in the line with the Vision formulated and a life course approach to addressing individual and family needs

Clarify decision making roles and responsibility; strengthen accountability; and improve innovation and flexibility

Facilitate the delivery of services in a consistent, equitable and personalised manner

Facilitate the delivery of services in an effective and efficient manner Provide for informed action and innovation through a strong Research

& Development orientation Support workforce development, best practice, and high quality

service provision Overcome legacy difficulties to achieve effective and consistent local

implementation through national standards, quality assurance, performance management, and capacity building.

Always Children First8

Design principles

The design should reflect the principle of subsidiarity with services provided at the most local level

Services should be provided locally, with some national exceptions. Business support services may be

provided at the regional level where economies of scale can be achieved.

The final configuration must be support by strong local accountability

Local service units should be supported by strong national / central direction and oversight

The design model should seek to maximize co-terminosity with existing sectoral boundaries and allow

for the necessary level of flexibility required to deliver the benefits of effective multi-disciplinary working

and co-operation

The organisational design must take into account issues of scale and critical mass in determining the

service unit configuration

The design should facilitate a system of equitable resource at location.

Always Children First9

Articulating a value base for organisational change serves a number of purposes:

Creating a workforce with the right skill set, for the task of working with the most difficult to reach families in a complex society

Knowing what skill sets to prioritise when resources are limited

Drawing staff together from disparate roles and isolated working conditions into a common shared understanding

A basis on which to build policy and procedure A way of matching applicants to the organisation. They

can be selected and can self select according to the value base

Providing a practical way to become a ‘safer employer

Always Children First10

Delivery

The commitment to putting the well being and interests of children first

Children who are heard in all decisions that affect them and who are given the opportunity collectively to influence policy in the change programme and beyond

Transparent accountability and clearly articulated levels of responsibility

Increased community engagement and a commitment to deliver inclusive, accessible services

Always Children First11

Requirements

The support and permission of the community Well defined local mechanisms for accountability to

ensure focused, disciplined relationships among all those promoting the welfare of children

High support to enable high challenge within clear lines of management accountability. Strategy and policy are on a nationwide basis and decisions and practice taken forward at the most local practical level

Always Children First12

Budget

Expenditure

Residential Care

Foster Care

Voluntary Community Sector

Workforce Development

Always Children First13

Disaggregation

Budget

WTE

Mapping

Corporate

New Relationships

Always Children First14

Children and Family Services Agency – Strategic Governance

* Note: Other proper governance issues are to be resolved here depending on format of Agency Recommendations by Task Force

• Span of control in line with good practice;• Top team functions aligned with Children and Family priorities and challenges;• Open issue – Alignment of new agencies to – short term, long term structure• e.g. Family Support Agency

DCYA

National Director

Head of Finance Head of Quality and Assurance Chief Operations Officer Head of

StrategyHead of Corporate

Services

Internal Audit*

Always Children First15

Potential future state (Service Governance Stream – Level I)

Visible alignment with HSE Regions and catchments (catchments will be reviewed after establishment of Agency);Key role at Regional level will be: - Performance and monitoring; Service enhancement/enablement.

Regional Director

Professional Support Area Managers Commissioning

ManagersBusiness Support

Always Children First16

Potential future state (Service Governance Stream – Level II)

Scale Span Geography Specialisation

Intake Assessment & Initial Action

Child ProtectionChildren in Care

Area Manager (s) Children and Family Services

Family Support

Always Children First17

Clear Line Management

Chief Operations Officer

Area Managers x17

Social Work Teams

Regional Managers x4

National Director

Minister

Always Children First18

OtherCommunity &

Voluntary Services

Target Services

Early Intervention / Prevention

Universal ServicesE.g. Local Government, Education, Health

Local Area PathwaySupporting Children

and FamiliesSocial Work

Child in Care

Close

Child Protection

(CPNS)

Child Welfare re cases at risk of

formal intervention (DRM type response)

Formal Communication

Mechanism

Avai

labl

e Lo

cal

Com

mun

ity S

ervic

es

Community & Voluntary

Services (38 & 39)

Referral

Initial Assessment

Point of Entry ScreeningContact Concern Intake

Not open to social work Open to social work

Always Children First19

Point of Entry

Service Change Outcomes Critical Success Factors

Consideration of all concerns/enquiries

Prompt response to referrals.

Improved proactive management of referrals.

Rigorous and confident assessment and response at ‘Intake’ screening.

More responsive effective communication with referrers.

Better alignment of Children and Family Services with wider external stakeholders.

Clarity re threshold criteria policy to social work.Clarification of referrer obligations (This will be part of process re ‘mandatory’ reporting).Revised local organisation structure to ensure skilled experienced staff at earliest point of assessment of risk.Consistent data collectionReview of assessment skills trainingEffective recruitment and retention policyCommunication and feedback mechanisms to referrers, communicate clarity on thresholdsDevelopment of LAPs and associated referral processesWorking protocols with PCTs, disability, mental health

Always Children First20

Aspirations

We seek to nurture Irish Young People who: Are confident, well motivated and fully rounded Are literate and numerate to a level at or above their

peers in the rest of the world Fully understand and are able to play their part as

citizens of a modern democratic society Seize opportunities regardless of their background

but have the skills and aptitude to work flexibly and to embrace change throughout their life