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£2.4m to boost children’s services announced

Published: Monday, 20 March 2017

Children’s Services in the Borough will receive a £2.4m boost over the next two years Havering Council and the Department for Education announced today (Monday 20 March).

Part of this investment will be used to develop services for young people to bridge the gap between Children’s Services and Adult Social Care and ensure that our young people have the best chances in education and employment as they move away from the care system.

The services will be developed in partnership with young people to ensure that they responds to their individual needs. There will be a tailored care plan for each young person rather than a ‘one size fits all’ philosophy.

Another project will develop the existing Families Together team. This team works intensively with families where there is a risk of family breakdown, and aims to ensure that, where possible, families are supported to remain together. In cases where this is not possible the objective is for more young people to be placed with local foster carers, who will receive an enhanced package of support and training.

All staff involved in the programme, including foster carers, will undertake training in new skills. The aim is to create a model that will enable foster carers and social workers to work together more effectively and support young people to return home.

Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families, Edward Timpson, said:

“Childhood should be a happy and safe time in all our lives. We must do all we can to make sure this is the reality for every child.

“By harnessing the passion and expertise of those who care for children, we can provide them with life-changing support. By giving professionals the freedom to develop new and innovative ways of working, this fantastic project will help make a real difference to children’s lives. I look forward to seeing it deliver great results in the future.”

Councillor Robert Benham, Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, at Havering Council said:

“This £2.4m will have a huge impact on the services we provide for young people who need our support in the borough, and shows great confidence from the Government in our ability to deliver.

“Through innovation, enhanced resources and working with the young people themselves, we will design a service that truly meets their needs. A large focus will be on keeping young people out of care in the first place, enabling them to stay with their families wherever possible, ensuring that those who do need care get it in a consistent way, and those leaving care are given the very best life chances in education and employment.”