Wales Government arranged a national conference to discuss their vision to see less children in Wales in care. Dafydd Paul was asked to present Gwynedd’s recent work on Effective Child Protection to the Conference.
Gwynedd’s Effective Child Protection model incorporates 4 elements. Firstly, focussing on how conversations about change are held with families. This is based on a national approach in Wales called Collaborative Conversations. Similar in principle to ‘Motivational Interviewing,’ a technique associated with avoiding defensive reactions or resistance to change. The third and fourth elements relate to focussing on change in the child protection processes and measuring progress. For additional information about the Effective Child Protection project, a website is available.
The second element relates to the Risk Model. The new project identifies that testing thresholds, making good quality and consistent decisions is an integral element of effectiveness of child protection. For Gwynedd, sustaining its investment in developing and implementng the Risk Model was still central to the work of Children Services.
The national Conference provided an opportunity for participants to see the work of Neath Port Talbot Local Authority’s work on outcome focussed practice as well as presentations from IPC on parents with learning disabilities. Glasgow Council presented the keynote presentation on their work on LAC reduction.
Dafydd presented his workshop session titled ‘Positive Risk Management and Effective Child Protection.’ He introduced three main themes. Firstly Gwynedd’s work since 2012 on LAC Reduction and then a focus on work on the Risk Model and the Effective Child Protection projects. Dafydd drew attention to the powers entrusted to social workers and the way these impacted on a family’s right to privacy. Decisions about the threshold of significant harm were pivotable to whether social workers had duties to intervene or not. Dafydd introduced the Risk Model’s role in clarifying these decisions about human rights.
It prompted interesting questions from participants. These included interest in the applicability of the model across the continuum of need in Children Services and more generally in adult services. Another enquiry focussed on how to maintain a 10 year focus on implementing the Risk Model. Dafydd drew parallels between the focus needed in implementing models at organisational levels with that focus on change necessary in Case Conferences with families.
Dafydd had enquiries from other Local Authorities who had well developed approaches to child protection but had no processes to assure quality and consistency in decision making about significant harm.
Briefing papers were shared with participants with information about the Risk Model and Effective Child Protection. It was above all an opportunity to share information about our work and raise its national profile.
