The Herefordshire Children’s Services and Partnership Improvement Plan (Phase 3) will be presented to Herefordshire Council’s cabinet meeting on Thursday 17 July for endorsement.
The updated plan follows Phase 2, which has been in place for the past 12 months and sets out what has been achieved in that time, as well as the next steps for continued improvement.
The latest Phase 3 Plan continues to recognise the importance of working with children, young people and their families, hearing their views and supporting parents to care for their own children through the restorative approach, introduced in Herefordshire in 2023.
The new plan also includes the development and implementation of the government’s Families First programme, as children’s services staff transition to working with partners within local communities providing family help.
The measures taken so far have led to a reduction in the number of children and young people in council care. There has also been a reduction in the number of new care proceedings issued and a reduction in children subject to child protection processes, as the service and its partners have worked through a strength-based approach to manage risk and support families experiencing challenge and crisis.
The service has also seen an increase in permanent children’s services staff that has enabled more stability of workers for children, and managers taking a clear and consistent leadership role.
Governance and monitoring of the plan remain within the Partnership Improvement Board, chaired by the Department for Education Children’s Commissioner, and is supported by a comprehensive quality assurance programme, which is the basis for the service knowing itself and the difference it’s making to the lives of children and families.
The Herefordshire Children’s Services and Partnership Improvement Plan (Phase 3) is available to view on the council website.