Hearing and Acting on What Children and Young People Say
We will listen to children, young people and their families so we are sure about their worries and strengths. We will use the words and experience of children and young people to help us better understand them and support change. And we will explain our reasons if we can’t agree to a child or young person’s wishes.
Safety and Well-being
We will examine risks, worries and dangers, and consider safety, strengths and well-being. Our assessments will reflect the child or young person’s needs and include all significant people and professionals in the child or young person’s life. There will be a clear chronology, a family tree and an assessment that are up to date.
Timely Intervention
We will ensure that every visit and contact with a child, young person or their family is timely. We will focus on understanding the way families really live and record this. We will make contact if we need to alter any arrangements.
Clear Communication
We will communicate clearly. We will encourage participation by children and young people and their families in their assessment, plans and reviews. We will share important documents in writing and help with understanding them. We will ask ‘what difference we are making?’ and act on feedback from our children, young people and families.
The Right Decision
We will set out our reasons for the decisions we reach, including any ‘bottom lines’ we have about safety. We will specify our reasoning about which level of service will best meet the needs of the child or young person. We will be accountable and responsible. We will challenge decisions that reduce safety for a child or young person.
Purposeful Plans
We will devise plans to ensure improvements in safety and well-being of children and young people, so everyone is clear about the next steps. We will promote change that makes a positive difference to the lives of the children and young people, including change in parents and carers. We will analyse what is working well and what needs to change.
Making Progress
We will review our plans and assessments to check that they are succeeding in achieving change for children and young people. We will recognise and celebrate progress towards greater safety and well-being. We will review and change our plans, if needed, to further increase safety and well-being for the child or young person.
Quality Matters
We will deliver a high-quality service to children & young people and their families. We will take time to build relationships and recognise the unique characteristics and talents everyone has. We understand children and young people need time, patience and understanding to succeed. We will continue to comply with the law and all relevant guidance.
Reflective Practitioners
We will use reflection to ensure we have thought through all the possibilities and to generate new insights and thinking. We will use reflection in our supervision to ensure we are accountable and have focused sufficiently on safety and well-being. We will record reflection that shapes our decision-making.
Confident and Accountable
We will engage in our own continuous professional development, with support from the Learning Academy. We will evaluate our practice, so we get to know ourselves better. We will improve our confidence in our everyday practice and learn from our own and others experience.
Our overarching ambition is to be a child–friendly borough, which is part of our commitment to create a performance-led culture that puts the child at the centre of everything we do. We want our children and young people to be physically healthier and emotionally happier.
Get in touch
If you have any questions regarding these opportunities and or would like a conversation about these new roles, please fill in our Contact Form
