Transcript Launch Event presentations

‘Relative Experience’
Project Launch
Thursday 14th February 2013
Welcome from the Chair
Lyn Boyd
CEO, Mental Health North East
Introduction of the
Relative Experience Project
Sam Smethers
CEO, Grandparents Plus
What do children in kinship
care need?
Jenny McKenna - Project Officer, Relative
Experience Project
Pam Purvis- Kinship carer
Stella Price- Kinship carer
Kinship carers and children in
the North East of England
Sue Robson - Peer Researcher and Co-Founder
of More than Grandparents
Lindsey
Henderson-
Carers’ Drug and Alcohol
Network Coordinator,
First Contact Clinical
Kinship Carers and children in
the North East of England
Influencing Local Authority policies
and improving service responses to
their identified needs
First Contact Clinical
Outline of presentation
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Who we are
Where we started
More than grandparents Sunderland
Action research project
What we have found out
Where we are going and how you can join
us
First Contact Clinical
Who we are
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Sue Robson –Peer researcher and founder
member More than Grandparents with
Kate Conqueror
Lindsay Henderson – Carers’ Drug and
Alcohol Network Coordinator First Contact
Clinical
First Contact Clinical
Sunderland action research pilot –
Supported by Sunderland Carers
Centre and DAAT
First Contact Clinical
Where we started
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Born out of peer support/ mentoring
relationship between two grandparents
Parallel experiences 14 years apart –
questioning what had changed?
No-one else should have our experience
Embarked upon a pilot action research –
led by and for kinship carers
First Contact Clinical
Social
Economic
Lack of
support
First Contact Clinical
The
vicious
circle –
Family
Loss of self,
isolation, fear,
uncertainty
and feelings of
powerlessness
Health
Caring
Lack of
knowledge
difficulties
faced by
kinship
carers in
Sunderland
What we achieved
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Partnership with Children’s Services to help
develop Friend and Family Care Policy and
action plan to improve services
Information leaflet for new kinship carers
in Sunderland
Funding from by DAAT, Greggs Charitable
Trust and Christ’s Hospital in Sherburn
First Contact Clinical
More than Grandparents
(Sunderland)
Independent support
and campaigning
network with a focus
upon grandparents
who are caring for
children as a result of
parental drug and
alcohol misuse.
First Contact Clinical
What is important to us
First Contact Clinical
Emotional support during meetings
& support from other kinship carers
I am not alone any
more, the support, the
advice, the friendship
have been a great
source of help and
encouragement for me
First Contact Clinical
Meeting up with this
group was a god send to
me. I know I can pick up
the phone and speak to
someone
n
First Contact Clinical
Outings for children
Information sharing and
awareness raising
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The exchange of information and views was
very thought provoking…a feeling of
friendship radiated the room.
A great event and really showed the power
of bringing kinship carers and professionals
together to build better understanding
First Contact Clinical
Fun?!!!
First Contact Clinical
Future priorities
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Advice on what to tell children about their
situation
Help with children’s emotional and
behavioural problems
Managing contact with parents
Looking after ourselves
Understanding tough love
First Contact Clinical
Peer Based Research project
Funded by the Big Lottery and supported by:
•VONNE’s
Policy and Representation Partnership
•SOTW Carers’ Drug and Alcohol Network (CDAN)
Influencing Local Authority policies and improving
service responses to Kinship carers’ identified
needs.
First Contact Clinical
About the research
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1 year project till end June 2013
Focus upon grandparents who are in kinship
arrangements due to parental substance
misuse or addiction
Train carers from CDAN to carry out research
using First Contact Clinical’s Peer Based
Researcher training programme
South of Tyne and Wear (SoTW) case study
First Contact Clinical
Research questions
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What is the extent of the kinship care?
What types of supports and services are
needed?
Does the LA policy and practice support
grandparents and children?
What support services and good practice
examples exist and where are the gaps?
First Contact Clinical
What we want to happen
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LAs recognise Kinship Carer needs and reflect
research findings in policy (SoTW)
Stronger partnership working developed
Research process recognised as good practice
Contribution to national lobbying
Support networks created in SoTW
CDAN carers gain research skills and confidence
First Contact Clinical
Emerging findings
First Contact Clinical
Local and national policy
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Despite a statutory requirement 38% (5) of
local authorities in NE did not have a Family
and Friends carers policy in place
In NE the only robust consultation is within
Sunderland (pilot action research) – this
has national recognition
Changing national policy landscape e.g. 26
week limit and Legal Aid limitations
First Contact Clinical
Gaps in support
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Kinship Carers in Northumberland,
Tyneside and parts of Teesside
Dearth of specialist support in South
Tyneside and Gateshead
No recognition in own right by Carers’
Centres locally or nationally
No consistency of financial support
First Contact Clinical
Barriers and difficulties
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Difficult to make contact with kin-carers
other than through existing networks
5 PBRs trained but impact of own caring
roles affected availability
No regional forum for collective approach
to influence policy and practice
First Contact Clinical
Quote from a research participant
“If all of us grandparents put all of the grandchildren
on the doorsteps of social services, just for one
day, they would not know what to do; they would
be inundated with children. I don’t think they
really know how many children are being looked
after. There is not the emotional support there
and there is not the financial support – there is
definitely not.”
First Contact Clinical
What can you do?
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Put us in touch with SoTW kinship carers
Spread the word about the research
Share good practice
Come to events about the research findings
Do research to influence policy where you are
Partnerships to influence regionally & nationally
Galvanise, work with us and campaign!!!
First Contact Clinical
To find out more
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More than Grandparents
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Kate Conqueror - email:
[email protected] - telephone
0191 5493768
Peer Based Research Project
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Sue Robson, email: [email protected],
telephone 0781310921
Lindsay Henderson - Tel: 0191 4274711, email
[email protected]
First Contact Clinical
Supporting kinship carers:
policies and practices of North Tyneside Council
Cath McEvoy
Safeguarding Operations Manager,
North Tyneside Council
Kinship Arrangements
within
North Tyneside
Cath McEvoy
Safeguarding Operations Manager
North Tyneside Context
• Child Population 40,000
• Looked After Children: 260-290
• Child Protection: 140-160
• Child in Need: 500
North Tyneside Ethos
Children & young people should, whenever possible
be placed with family members or connected persons
• Children feel part of a family unit
• Children maintain a sense of identity
• Children feel loved and cared for
• Children able to maintain contact with family and
friends
• Placement stability
Private Arrangements
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Informal agreements
No legal arrangements
Unknown situations
Private fostering
Formal Arrangements
• Residence Orders: 57 cases: 74 children
• Special Guardianship Order: 44 children
• Connected Person Foster Carers:
31 cases: 46 children
SGO figures
2010-2011
47 screening assessments
19 orders granted
2011-2012
21 screening assessments
12 orders granted
2012-2013
48 screening assessments
14 orders granted
Connected Persons
2009-2010
24 approvals
43 screenings
2010-2011
18 approvals
31 screenings
2011-2012
14 approvals
37 screenings
2012
22 approvals
47 screenings
Process
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Policy
Assessment
Identification of support
Training
Examples of Support
• Therapeutic input for grandparents
• Building renovations
• Nursery provision / child care
• FGC
• Transport costs
• Advice / Guidance
Future Developments
• Review of policy
• Life Story work
• Feedback survey
Q&A and Discussion
Thank you!
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