DfE-Funded Project On Training In Evidence-Based Assessment Tools, Analysis And Planning Interventions In Child Protection And Safeguarding

Introduction

Child and Family Training (C&FT) were recently awarded a grant by DfE as part of their 'Improving outcomes for children and young people' initiative to run a two-year Project on promoting and delivering subsidised training in evidence-based assessment, analysis and planning in child protection and safeguarding.

Priorities from the Munro Report and the DfE Improving Outcomes initiative

The Project will focus on the following priorities identified in the Munro Report and the DfE 'Improving outcomes' initiative under the Child Protection and Safeguarding Theme which are:

• To improve front-line practice in child protection and safeguarding
• Social workers and all professionals involved in child protection to be assisted in making evidence-based assessments and interventions more likely to protect children and improve front-line practice in child protection and safeguarding
• To improve learning and support within and across child protection services. Opportunities (to be provided) that will help a child protection worker be better informed and sustainably improved as a result of practitioners learning from sharing effective practice.

The aims of the Project

The aims of the project are to:

• Increase the use of robust, well-researched, nationally-recognised qualitative and quantitative assessment tools and systematic analysis, planning and measuring outcomes by child protection practitioners
• Promote and deliver training and licensing of agency-based trainers to run training on 'Evidence-Based Assessment, Analysis and Planning with Children and Families' within their own agencies
• Promote the training of child protection practitioners directly by C&FT in agencies where a commissioning model rather than internal training provision model is used

The work of the Project

1. Regional Training Seminars: C&FT will run Regional Training Seminars for key senior staff with strategic responsibility for child protection and safeguarding in Children's Services and Chairs of Local Safeguarding Children Boards. The purpose of the seminars is to provide a briefing on the Project, the evidence- based assessment tools and approaches and the process for training and licensing training agency-based trainers.
2. Training and licensing agency-based trainers: C&FT will collaborate with a limited number of Local Authorities (LA's) to run programmes for training and licensing trainers/practitioners to run training on 'Evidence-Based Assessment, Analysis and Planning with Children and Families' within their own agencies to increase access and sustainability.
The agency-based trainers (ABT's) are first trained to use the assessment tool(s) themselves and then co-train two courses with an Accredited C&FT Trainer for groups of staff in their agency on a shared funding basis. The training for the ABTs will be free and the cost of the co-trained courses will be subsidised as part of the DfE funded Project.
3. Direct training delivery by C&FT: In the current economic climate, many LA's are outsourcing their training programme and so do not have the capacity to develop an in-house Training Team. In these circumstances, C&FT can provide training at a subsidised cost directly to child protection practitioners and other staff as part of work of the Project. Briefing Conferences can also be delivered to assist Managers in supporting, supervising and audit trailing their staff's effective use of the tools and approaches and promoting evidence-based practice.

Child and Family Training

In this Project Child and Family Training (C&FT) will draw on 10 years' experience of:

• Developing evidence-based assessment tools and training linked to the Assessment Framework which have now been extended into the safeguarding context and included in 2010 Working Together (HM Government)
• Running a National Training Programme on Evidence-Based Assessment, Analysis and Planning Interventions with Children and Families
• Developing a Programme for training and licensing agency-based trainers to run C&FT courses within their own agencies to increase access and sustainability

Further information about the project

For further information about the Project including the Training Programme for Agency-Based Trainers, please contact Liza Bingley Miller, Project Manager:
email: liza.miller@childandfamilytraining.org.uk
tel: 01904 633417
mobile: 07811436451.