Children's Services
Children’s services today face a mixed challenge. On the one hand, the relaxation of ICS requirements and the Munro review shift attention onto direct contact with vulnerable children and families, and the replacement of a box-ticking culture by effective, human interventions. On the other hand, the budget pressure to be more efficient and the need to improve inter-agency working put the focus on improving processes and making better use of IT.
These two strands can be reconciled by developing processes and systems which both support decision making and allow the child’s story to be heard. There is the potential to extend case management across other areas of children’s services – bringing greater efficiency and cost effectiveness through simplified recording, and ensuring seamless step up & step down processes between universal & targeted services and social care.
Socitm Consulting can help your department meet these challenges. Our services include:
- Independent and objective reviews of your current processes and information flows, with particular reference to the Munro review. We can suggest quick wins and longer term improvements to how you deliver services, with less emphasis on form-filling and more on inter-agency cooperation
- Assessment of how fit for purpose your ICT systems are, both for existing and upcoming initiatives. We can advise on whether your systems fit, or could be made to fit, and can support you in contract renegotiation or procurement processes where they don’t
- Workforce remodelling - including home, mobile and flexible working and the fundamental – but often neglected - issue of how to get your people to use systems better
- Clarification of connectivity issues around GCSX and N3 networks for inter-agency working with the NHS and other local service providers, and advice on wider communication with citizens across a range of channels
Our clients in adults and children’s services include:
ADSS IMG
BECTA
Bolton MBC
Bury MBC
Calderdale MBC
Camden LB
Darlington BC
Department for Education and Skills
FAME project
Greater Manchester e-Government Partnership
Greenwich LB
Home Office
Inverclyde Council
Leicester City Council
Lincolnshire County Council
London Connects
Manchester City Council
North West e-Government Group
Northamptonshire County Council
Portsmouth City Council
Royal Borough of Kingston
Sefton MBC
Solihull MBC
South Gloucestershire Council
Southwark LB
South West Grid for Learning
South Tyneside and Gateshead
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Teacher Training Agency
Telford & Wrekin DC
Tower Hamlets LB
Wakefield MBC
Walsall MBC
Waltham Forest LB
West of England Learning and Skills Council
West Berkshire Council
West Sussex County Council
If you would like to discuss how we can help you in this area, please call us on 0845 450 0904 or email info@socitmconsulting.co.uk.