Knowsley Intelligence Network

KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

C h i l d r e n i n N e e d a n d a t r i s k o f h a r m J o i n t i n t e l l i g e n c e r e p o r t

Month 2014

T h i s r e p o r t This report has been prepared by Knowsley Council’s Policy, Impact and Intelligence Team (PII) in consultation with intelligence analysts and officers from organisations within the Knowsley Intelligence Network. The purpose of this report is to set out current understanding of issues relating to Children in Need in Knowsley, based on analysis of the latest available data. The report is intended to inform the Strategy for Knowsley, which sets out the Partnership’s high level priorities and strategic direction. This report is one of a substantial series of Joint Intelligence Reports that help Knowsley to meet its statutory duty to determine health and wellbeing priorities, based on analysis of needs, and set out in its Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). C o n t r i b u t o r s The majority of this report is based on evidence and analysis from the following organisations: (List)  To be added

C o n t a c t s KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

For information about this report Name, designation, telephone, email

For information about the Public Health Richard Holford, intelligence or the JSNA

For information about PII or the Ian Burkinshaw, Research & Intelligence Knowsley Intelligence Network Manager, PII (0151 443 3067) [email protected]

F u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n For a PDF copy of this report, and other research intelligence products, visit Knowsley Knowledge – the web portal of the Knowsley Intelligence Network

E x e c u t i v e S u m m a r y This summary is intended to provide a stand-alone briefing on current intelligence about children in need (CIN) in Knowsley. Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 defines a child as being in need in law if:  He or she is unlikely to achieve or maintain or to have the opportunity to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without provision of services from the LA;  His or her health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision of services from the Local Authority;  He or she has a disability. A number of acronyms are used throughout this document: CYP – Children and Young People CIN – Children In Need CLA/LAC – Children Looked After/Looked After Children CP/CPP – Child Protection/Child Protection Plan CSC - Children’s Social Care services CSE – Child Sexual Exploitation This review deals specifically with those Children In Need referred to and supported by Knowsley Children’s Social Services. Whilst Children with a disability and Children Looked After (referred to fostering or adoption services and currently in the care of the Local Authority) are included in analysis of referrals, assessments and CIN demographics, specific intelligence on these populations is covered in separate Joint Intelligence Reviews: Children with a Disability JIR Children Looked After JIR Although not included in the CIN cohort, there can be significant overlap between services supporting children involved in anti-social behaviour, gangs and other Youth Offending issues, intelligence on this is included here: Whichever we decide on JIR What are the most critical CIN challenges facing Knowsley? KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

 There has been an increase across Childrens’ Social Care (CSC) services in all aspects of work. As such, there has been an increase in referral rates, children subject to CP Plans and CLA numbers. This is as a consequence of limited early help offer, CSC either dealing with families too late or too many times before the right intervention is provided.  Children and young people being referred appear to be more complex and regarded as "high tariff". Examples would include those young people at risk of CSE in the community and those involved in gun and gang crime. There also appears to have been an increase in cases referred due to neglect.  This is the continuation of a wider national trend as identified in the October 2012 ADCS report 'Safeguarding Pressures Phase 3’. Neglect is the most cited reason for children to be referred to children’s social care and for becoming looked after. The report suggests cases are increasingly complex, requiring more time and resources. Qualitative research also suggests that domestic violence is an increasing concern as a contributory factor in child social care referrals.

Following an inspection conducted in May 2014, Ofsted rated Knowsley CSC services for Children who need help and protection as inadequate and the effectiveness of the LSCB as inadequate: An Improvement Notice was issued to Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council on 16 September 2014 following the findings of inadequate performance and arrangements for ‘children who need help and protection’, for ‘adoption performance’ ‘leadership, management and governance’, and for ‘effectiveness of the Local Safeguarding Children Board’ as identified in the Ofsted inspection report published 30 June 2014.

The LAs Childrens Social Care Services where found overall to be inadequate, finding that:

“There are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm.”

The effectiveness of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) was also found to be inadequate:

“The LSCB is not demonstrating that it has effective arrangements in place and the required skills to discharge its statutory duties.”

A summary of strengths and weaknesses found by the Inspectorate is on page ##, an LA Improvement Plan is under development to address the areas for improvement following identification of areas requiring priority and immediate action (pp.##).. What is the scale of the problem, and who is most affected by issue in Knowsley? Knowsley has a population of nearly 33,000 children and young people under the age of 18. This is 22% of the total population in the area. At March 31st 2014, there were 185 children subject to child protection plans an increase of 36.4% on the previous year. There were 262 children being looked after an increase of 10.5% on the previous year. Nearly 100 children were being supported as care leavers and in the previous 12 months 10 children had been adopted. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Every year, the Dept. for Education (DfE) conducts a survey of children in need across local authorities in England. As at March 31st 2014 Knowsley had:

 Referrals to Children’s Social Care: 3,312 children, or 1025.7 per 10,000 CYP population referred for assessment to Knowsley’s Children’s Social Care.

 Numbers of Children in Need (CIN): 1,181 children, or 365.7 per 10,000 CYP population supported Knowsley Childrens’ Social Care.

 Numbers of Child Protection Plans (CPP): 185 children, or 57.3 per 10,000 CYP population subject to a Child Protection Plan.

 Children looked After: 257 children, or 79.6 per 10,000 CYP population in the care of the Local Authority.

A number of factors have been identified as contributing to the risk of harm to children. Significant factors include households where drug or alcohol misuse are prevalent, where parents suffer from mental health issues, and households where children are exposed to domestic violence. Although Children are at risk of harm in all types of households, higher incidence in poorer areas has been noted across the country and Knowsley’s high levels of relative deprivation may contribute to higher referral and assessment rates compared to less socio-economically challenged areas. Have things been improving or getting worse? Overall CIN numbers have fallen regularly in the last three years, despite an increase in referral rates. Increased referrals in 2013/14 are in part due to a higher number of initial contacts from Police and other legal bodies, the higher rates include more younger children (0-11 years old) as a proportion of the overall cohort, and an increase in neglect referrals. Numbers of children looked after have increased for the first time since 2008, whilst CPP cases have risen 30% since 2013, the first increase in number in five years. The complexity of cases is reported to have increased posing greater challenge to services at the initial assessment stage. Anecdotal evidence suggests higher awareness due to media focus on recent high profile abuse cases and the resulting greater public scrutiny. It is suggested that alongside changes in national protocols and policy that this has lead to heightened awareness of child safeguarding issues and has contributed directly to increased referrals.

How are things expected to change over the next few years? Although the CIN population is marginally lower this year, the number of referrals and subsequent assessments has increased. Children are less likely to be included on the CIN register as the proportion of assessments resulting in no further action has increased; there has also been a slight decrease in the length of time cases remain with CSC. In the short to medium term it is anticipated there will be an increase in CP and CLA activity. Forecasting such small populations is inevitably difficult, but locally there is an expectation that the CLA cohort will increase to close to 300 in 2015. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

How do we compare with national and regional averages, and statistical neighbours? At March 2014, the LA’s CIN population was higher than National averages but closer to North West levels per 10,000 population. Whilst higher than average, CIN population rates are within the expected range given levels of deprivation and are not amongst the highest across all LAs. Knowsley has slightly higher rates of CIN, CPP and CLA than statistical neighbours, although the much higher level of CSC referrals than near neighbours is the most significant difference. At 1025.7 referrals per 10,000 children, rates are amongst the highest in England, with only six other authorities above the 1,000 mark. How good is the available intelligence, and where are the gaps in our knowledge?  There have been significant improvements in the last two years in data capture and comparative information outside the performance framework. However, Ofsted challenges use of caseload data and poor record keeping as a critical issue.  There are extensive data sets available on all cohorts and processes available through the case management system – however subsequent analysis is strong on numbers but weaker on context and background.  Performance of services well documented.  A lot of rich picture information is currently hard to access in case notes, consistent recording especially in previous years makes comparisons on complexity and more detailed analysis problematic.  Detailed information on Children Missing from home is a key gap  It is very difficult to say how many children and young people are being sexually exploited in the UK, because the hidden nature of the issue makes it harder to identify and there is no central system for recording cases. Practitioners often do not identify it and young people themselves frequently do not recognise themselves as abused. Given that both professionals and victims can fail to recognise exploitation and that there is no national referral or reporting system, any approximate ﬁgure is likely to be massively underestimated KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

C h i l d r e n I n N e e d a n d a t r i s k o f H a r m

1. WHY IS issue IMPORTANT? Most children are able to lead normal, happy and healthy lives without the need for specialist or targeted services. However others have needs which go beyond the scope of universal services and require specialist support. These children are deemed to be children in need (CIN) and can include children where referrals have been made about their welfare and safety, those children who are subject to a Child Protections Plan (CPP) or children who have become looked after. A timely support package based on an early assessment of need is therefore crucial to enable the child to reach their potential and a failure to address these needs may place the child at risk and cause an escalation in their complexity. Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 defines a child as being in need in law if:  He or she is unlikely to achieve or maintain or to have the opportunity to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without provision of services from the LA;  His or her health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision of services from the LA;  He or she has a disability. LAs are under a general duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in need in their area. LAs must do whatever possible to ensure sufficient services and measures are in place to promote a child being raised within its own family, if it is safe to do so. The LA is obliged to offer the following specific services/support for children in need in their area:  Advice, guidance and counselling;  Occupational, social, cultural and recreational activities;  Home help (including laundry facility);  Facilities or assistance with travel to and from any services provided under the Act or similar service;  Assistance to enable the child and the family to have a holiday.

Given the challenges faced by children in need and the inevitable disruption to their education, outcomes for this cohort are significantly lower than that for children as a whole.

Across England’s school population CIN are three times more likely to have Special Educational Needs, to be eligible for free school meals (a proxy for child poverty), or be persistent absentees. They will miss twice as much school as the average child in England. Attainment outcomes are similarly depressed, nationally one third more CIN failed to reach expected levels in reading, writing and maths than the average 11 year old, whilst only 16% reached 5ACEM GCSEs including English and maths, compared to a national average of 60% in 2013.

Knowsley England England 2013 CIN CIN all pupils Special Educational Needs (statemented/non-statemented) 62.5% 57.9% 18.8% KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Eligible for Free School Meals ?? 56% 17.1% Achieving level 4+ in Reading/Writing/Maths at Key Stage 2 36.7%* 42.3% 75% Achieving 5 or more GCSEs grade C or above inc. English and Maths 9.4%* 16.1% 60% Absence from school in 2012/13 academic year 11.2% 10.4% 5.2% Percentage of cohort who are persistent absentees 17% 15.4% 4.6% * Cohort sizes for attainment in Borough are very small

Recent research has shown that the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences such as childhood sexual or physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence or family dysfunction significantly increase the incidence of Health harming Behaviours in adulthood. Statistical research showed that ACEs could be responsible for 11.9% of binge drinking, 22.7% of smoking, 22% of violence perpetration, 59% of heroine/crack cocaine use and 38% of unintended teenage pregnancy across the country.

2. WHAT IS THE SCALE OF THE CHALLENGE FOR KNOWSLEY?  Children in need:

Core indicators informing scale and trend: All numbers per 10,000 child population Activity 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 Number of referrals received in the period 888.1 822.9 1025.7 Number of children in need at point in time 437.3 371 393 Number of children subject of cp plans at point in time 47.9 43.6 57.3 Number of children becoming looked after in the period 12.2 17.4 % of referrals which are repeat referrals 32.3% 33.3% 36.4% % children subject of a child protection plan who are NOT allocated to a 0 0 0 qualified social worker % children looked after who are NOT allocated to a qualified social 0 0 0 worker % children subject of a child protection plan for a second or subsequent 14.8 11.73 ?? time

The highest number of CSC queries or ‘initial contacts’, those that do not necessarily lead to a referral, come from the police and other legal services. This has increased from 34% in 2013 to 41% of contacts this year. This matches national trends where initial contacts are predominantly made by police services.

Voluntary Initial contacts by service and Community Services Education Local 6% 8% Voluntary and Community Services Authority Services 17% Local Authority Services 2013/14 All Other 2012/13

Health All Other 11% Police

Education Police Health 41% 17% 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Nearly two thirds of initial contacts do not lead to a referral. The proportion of queries leading to no further action has increased significantly in the last year, the highest proportion of these is accounted for by the increase in police contacts.

Outcome of initial contacts Other Referral to 3% social care 39%

No Further Action

2013/14

Advice and Information provided 2012/13 No Further Action 58% Referral to social care

Advice and Information 0 2000 4000 6000 provided 0%

 Referrals to Children’s Social Care: There were a total of 3,231 referrals to Children‟s Social Care (CSC) in 2012/13 and at 822.9 per 10,000; Knowsley’s referral rate was much higher the North West (619.7) and England (520.7) averages. Based on National figures the highest proportion came from the police service (31.5%) with a further third from health and education services (17.2% and 17%).

Referrals rose to 3,312 in 2013/14 or 1025.7 per 10,000; an increase of 14.4% Nationally, the rate rose to 573 per 10,000 children, an increase of 10%.

Full referrals to CSC in 2013/14 came predominantly from police and other legal services. As with initial contacts, this has increased on the previous year. National data shows a similar pattern of increased referrals and increased police referrals across most Local Authorities.

Source of referrals Other/unkn Individual own 9% 8% Other legal 6% Education Other/unknown services 11% Other legal Police LA Services 2013/14 Housing Health Health Services 2012/13 Police Services 28% 18% Education services Individual Housing 4% LA Services 0 500 1000 16% KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

9% of referrals were made by Referrals by individuals individuals rather than services. Nearly one in ten referrals came from a family Family 88% member of the child causing concern. The remaining referrals are Acquaintance 2% predominantly made by the child, strangers (e.g. MPs, solicitors etc) make up only 1% of referrals. Self 9%

Stranger 17% of referrals are made by members 1% of the Health Services. 50% of these are made by services other than GPs or Accident and Emergency, such as hospital ward discharge or hospices.

Local Authority referrals are predominantly internal to Knowsley, with most coming from within Social Care services for both children and adults. 23% of referrals have come directly from Social Care Services in other Local Authorities.

….. The main reasons for referral are for suspected abuse or neglect, or for family dysfunction, these account for 73% of all referrals.

Fam ily Reasons for referrals dysfunction 39%

Not stated (N0) Cases other than Children in Need (N9) Low income Family in 0% Absent parenting (N8) 2013/14 acute stress 14% Low income (N7) Socially 2012/13 unacceptable Socially unacceptable behaviour (N6) behaviour Family dysfunction (N5) 7% Absent Family in acute stress (N4) Parental parenting disability/illne 0% Parental disability or illness (N3) ss 2% Not stated Child’s disability or illness (N2) 4% Abuse or neglect (N1) Child’s disability/illne ss Cases other Abuse/neglect than CIN 2% 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 32% 0%

Family Dysfunction, at 1,364 instances in 2013/14, is the most common single cause for referral. Whilst this is a similar number to the preceding year, Neglect or Abuse referrals increased significantly, nearly doubling to 1,064 instances this year. Neglect referrals have seen similarly large increases across the country and account for one in three referrals. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Outcome of referrals Signposting to other services 1%

No Further Other Action 19% 2013/14 No Further Action 2012/13 Signposting to other services Further Further Assessment required (inc Assessm ent Initial/Single) required (inc Other Initial/Single) 1% 78% Strategy discussion and/or s47 enquiry Strategy discussion and/or s47 enquiry 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 1%

Most referrals will result in a further assessment, but one in five will result in No Further Action (NFA). NFAs have increased significantly in the last year in tandem with the overall increase in referrals, however they are no more likely to be for one particular reason or another, with the proportion by referral reason similar to that of all referrals.

Reason for referral 2014 No % N1 Abuse or Neglect 1064 32% N2 Disability 48 1% N3 Parent Illness / Disability 52 2% N4 Family in Acute Stress 503 15% N5 Family Dysfunction 1364 41% N6 Socially Unacceptable Behaviour 249 8% N7 Low Income 2 0% N8 Absent Parenting 11 0% Referral cohort 31 st March 2014 In 2013/14 two thirds of referrals where for children aged 0-10. Whilst older referrals where slightly more likely to be for girls, 53% of younger referrals where for boys. Age at referral

16+ 266 8%

11-15 867 32% 0-4 27% 5-10 5-10 1099 11-15 16+ 0-4 1028 34%

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Age at Referral

129 16+ Male 137 Female 400 11-15 467

571 5-10 528

531 0-4 478

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Re-referrals One third of all referrals are a second or third referral for a child already identified by services. This is similar to national averages. Re-referral Re-referral Reason for referral No Yes Total No Yes N1 Abuse or Neglect 702 362 1064 66% 34% N2 Disability 34 14 48 71% 29% N3 Parent Illness / Disability 29 23 52 56% 44% N4 Family in Acute Stress 341 162 503 68% 32% N5 Family Dysfunction 825 539 1364 60% 40% N6 Socially Unacceptable Behaviour 151 98 249 61% 39% N7 Low Income 2 2 100% 0% N8 Absent Parenting 6 5 11 55% 45% Grand Total 2090 1203 3293 63% 37%

30% of re-referrals are for cases of suspected abuse or neglect, 45% for family dysfunction. This is in line with the proportion of total referrals for these reasons and is similar to levels of re-referral in previous years. N6 Socially Unacceptable Behaviour 8% N1 Abuse or Neglect 30%

N2 Disability 1%

N3 Parent Illness / Disability N5 Family 2% Dysfunction 45% N4 Family in Acute Stress 14%

Multiple referrals in year 76% of re-referrals are only a second referral, these are predominantly referred due to family dysfunction, suggesting changing circumstances rather than high thresholds are responsible for an initial assessment resulting in ‘no further action’.

 Numbers of Children in Need (CIN): During 2012/13, there were a total of 1,237 children identified as in need. This equates to 381.3 per 10,000 which included 143 children and young people subject to a Child Protection Plan (CPP) and 237 KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Children Looked After (CLA). Although this figure fell compared to the previous year (437.30 per 10,000 in 2012) it was much lower than our statistical neighbours (454.0 per 10,000) but these levels of need were still higher than the North West (341.3 per 10,000) and England (332.2 per 10,000) averages.

During 2013/14, the cohort fell to 1,181 children identified as in need. This equates to 365.7 per 10,000 which includes 185 children and young people subject to a Child Protection Plan (CPP) and 257 Children Looked After (CLA). This compares to a national rate of 346.4 per 10,000 children.

Socially unacceptable Abuse or behaviour Neglect Self 10% Child Sexual 4% harm Other Exploitation Gangs 1% 23% 0% 1% Missing 1% Young Carer 1% Learning Alcohol misuse Physical Disability 8% Disability 4% or Illness 4% Mental Health 15% Drug Misuse 9% Domestic Violence 19%

Numbers of Child Protection Plans (CPP): At March 2014 there were 185 children subject to a CPP, this equates to 57.3 per 10,000 population aged under 18; this compare to a national figure of 42.1 per 10,000. During 2013/14, 77.3% of all CPP‟s resulted from either emotional abuse or neglect compared to the national and regional averages of 73%

143 children were subject to a CPP last year. This equates to 44.1 per 10,000 population aged under 18, and whilst this decreased from previous years (49.1 in 2011 and 48.0 in 2012) this was still higher than the North West (41.4 per 10,000) and England average (37.9 per 10,000). Knowsley did, however, perform well in comparison to our statistical neighbours (50.4 per 10,000).

Looking at long term or repeat CPP rates can give an indication of future need as these children on the edge of care are most likely to become CLA. Over two thirds of CPPs during 2013/14 were in place for less than 12 months, 4% for longer than 18 months and those over two years was 1.6% (or 3 children). This suggests that where children are facing a second or subsequent CPP this is often KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

due to longer term/midterm issues rather than immediate concerns or new circumstances and new concerns arising. However the numbers of those children becoming the subject of a CP plan for a second or subsequent time during 2013/14 were noticeably higher than previous years (with the exception of 2011/12 where figures almost doubled from the previous year). During 2013/14, 81.8% of all CPP‟s resulted from either emotional abuse or neglect compared to the national and regional averages of 73%. Cases of emotional abuse have decreased since last year and cases of neglect have increased.

Number of CPP at 31st March by Multiple/ category Emotional Not Abuse Recomme Multiple/Not Recommended 38% nded 7% Emotional Abuse

Sexual Abuse 2013/14

Physical Abuse 2012/13 Sexual Abuse 2% Neglect

Physical Neglect 0 20 40 60 80 Abuse 39% 14%

Number of CPP at 31st March by 10 to 15 Age 29% 16 and over 16 and over 3% 10 to 15

5 to 9 Under 1 1 to 4 14% 5 to 9 2013/14 30% Under 1 2012/13

0 20 40 60 1 to 4 24% KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

New CPP starts by category Multiple/ Not Emotional Recomme Abuse nded Multiple/Not Recommended 41% 7%

Emotional Abuse

Sexual Abuse 2013/14

Physical Abuse 2012/13 Sexual Neglect Abuse 3% Physical Neglect 0 50 100 Abuse 38% 11%

New CPP starts by Age 10 to 15 26% 16 and over 16 and over 3% 10 to 15

5 to 9 5 to 9 1 to 4 29% Under 1 2013/14 19% Under 1 2012/13

0 20 40 60 80 1 to 4 23%

CPP Cohort Age Count of Case Row Labels Number 2014 0-4 years 71 38.4% 5-10 years 63 34.1% 11-15 years 46 24.9% 16+ years 5 2.7% Grand Total 185

Gender 5-10 11-15 16+ Grand Row Labels 0-4 years years years years Total Female 34 31 29 94 Male 37 32 17 5 91 Grand Total 71 63 46 5 185

Length of time on protection plan. Cumul Frequenc ative Years y % 0.5 138 75.00 KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

% 94.57 1 36 % 96.20 1.5 3 % 98.37 2 4 % 100.0 More 3 0%

Child Sexual Exploitation

Recent high profile court cases and reports have raised awareness of the crime of child sexual exploitation. In late 2013 the interim report of the Office of Children’s Commissioner’s two year inquiry into CSE in gangs and groups found that the equivalent of every pupil in three medium sized secondary schools was being subjected to sexual violence on a routine basis (2,409 young people).

On top of this, in a 12 month period, there was the equivalent of 20 medium sized secondary schools at high risk of CSE (16,500 young people). It is generally agreed that these figures is an under-estimate. They also do not take into account CSE committed by lone perpetrators.

CSE is not limited to any particular geography, ethnicity, gender or social background. The evidence increasingly shows that it is a widespread problem and no one should assume that it does not happen in their area.

The majority of young people who experience CSE are not living in care. However, looked after children account for a disproportionate number of victims and can be particularly vulnerable. An estimated 20-25% of victims are looked after despite being only 1% of the child population.

Knowsley has developed its CSE tracking structure in response to CQC/Ofsted’s framework for thematic inspections of Local Authorities conducted over the KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Autumn/Winter of 2014 following the Rotherham report – it identifies the key cohorts of children at risk –

 Children and young young people who are known to children’s social care either because they have been the victims of CSE and/or have been identified as being at risk of being sexually exploited

Only four children on the CPP register at 31/013/14 where referred due to sexual abuse.  Children and young people who are repeatedly missing from home, school or care In the twelve months to August 2014, 83 individual children where reported missing from care in a total of 160 episodes.  Looked after children, including those placed out of area because of concerns about the risk of CSE risk number available?  Children and young people who are described as “out of control”/ “beyond parental control” where missing from home is a feature number available?  First time entrants to the criminal justice system where offences may be connected to CSE number available?

 CSE and missing from home cases that have been closed within the last 6 months. number available?

Categories of child sexual exploitation

The Barnardos ‘Puppet On A String’ report defined three broad categories of child sexual exploitation. These were described as:

 Inappropriate relationships;

 ‘Boyfriend’ model of exploitation and peer exploitation; and

 Organised/networked sexual exploitation or trafficking.

 Young People exploited via gangs

There is some crossover between the first two categories.

They both involve an imbalance of power, which perpetuates the abuse and undermines the will of the victim to the extent that they feel unable to remove themselves from the position they are in.

There is evidence that children across all cultures, and including a significant proportion of children in the care of local authorities, can be at risk of sexual KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

exploitation. Vulnerability and low self-esteem are the most common factors amongst children who are at risk of being sexually exploited. In some cases, peers who are already involved may draw children into sexual exploitation. An older young person or adult who poses as, and who they view as, their partner, frequently coerces young people into sexual exploitation. The young person becomes physically and emotionally dependant on “the partner”, and this may be reinforced by the use of alcohol and drugs. Over time, the young person’s access to their friends and family becomes curtailed and they become alienated from agencies that may be able to identify and interrupt the abuse. Safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation requires two interlinked strategies: one aimed at supporting the child or young person; the other aimed at disrupting and prosecuting alleged abusers.

3. WHO IS MOST AT RISK? Demographically, the characteristics of the CIN cohort match the population overall, with low levels of BME and an expected gender split of slightly higher referrals and cases for boys which mirrors the national split. Geographically dispersed throughout the Borough, cases occur predominantly in the most deprived neighbourhoods and deprivation is persistently cited as a contributory factor. However the socio-economic make up of Knowsley means this rarely results in significant localised clusters which occur in many other urban areas (particularly large urban areas such as London or Birmingham. It has been estimated nationally that 1 in 20 children and young people experience severe forms of domestic violence which equates to potentially around 1,835 children in Knowsley being affected. Parent 72% Domestic violence Where recorded, 669 cases, or 19% of CIN assessments recorded a concern over domestic violence. Although overwhelmingly Other parents/carers or other household householders, in one in five member cases the child referred is 9% the one considered a risk to Child other family members. 19% Locally and nationally it is difficult to determine how many children and young people are affected by domestic abuse directly or indirectly. As with domestic abuse generally, it is widely under reported and unknown. However, what is clear from different sources of local intelligence is that there are a significant number of children and young people witnessing and/or affected by domestic abuse. The police incident audit (March – May 2010) indicated that of the 685 domestic abuse reports, 320 (48%) had at least one child (under the age of 18) KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM in the family. Of these it was recorded that 219 incidents occurred when a child had been ‘present’. In it’s 2011 report, Puppet on a string: The urgent need to cut children free from sexual exploitation, Barnados’ identified a number of risk factors increasing a child’s vulnerability to CSE: “These include disrupted family life and domestic violence, a history of physical or sexual abuse, disadvantage, poor mental health, problematic parenting, parental drug or alcohol misuse and parental mental health problems. We also know that some groups of young people are more vulnerable to targeting by the perpetrators of sexual exploitation. These include children living in care, particularly residential care, those who are excluded from mainstream school and those who misuse drugs and alcohol.”

3.1 People with disabilities In 2014 4% of assessments (124) noted physical disability or illness of the child or other family member as a contributory factor. In one third of cases the child in need had a disability or illness. Physical disability Parent 55% or illness

Other household member 11%

Child 34%

4% of assessments (132) noted a learning disability of the child or other family member as a contributory factor. In most cases (75%) the child in need has the learning disability. Other household member 5% Learning disability Parent 19%

Child 76% KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Within the CIN cohort, Learning Difficulties are the highest noted form of disability, followed by Autism, or Aspergers Syndrome, this mirrors the national levels of disability. CIN cohort disabilities by type - 2013

OtherDisability Vision PersonalCare Mobility Learning Incontinence Hearing HandFunction Knowsley Consciousness England Communication Behaviour Autism/Asperger

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

3.2 People with drug and alcohol problems 9% of assessments (286) record drug misuse as a significant factor in the case. In most cases (77%) a parent is the drug abuser, although 28 cases were recorded as the child being the person of concern.

Parent 77% Drug misuse

Other household member 13%

Child 10%

7% of assessments (233) record alcohol misuse as a significant factor in the case. In most cases (91%) a parent is the drug abuser, although 13 cases were recorded as the child being the person of concern. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Parent 91% Alcohol misuse

Other household member Child 3% 6%

3.3 People with mental health problems

14% of assessments (474) record mental health issues as a significant factor in the case. In most cases (73%) a parent is the drug abuser, although 90 cases were recorded as the child being the person of concern.

Parent 73% Mental health

Other household member 8% Child 19%

3.4 Risk Factors for CSE

Research has shown that a number of factors can increase a young person’s vulnerability to sexual exploitation. These include disrupted family life and domestic violence, a history of physical or sexual abuse, disadvantage, poor mental health, problematic parenting, parental drug or alcohol misuse and parental mental health problems. We also know that some groups of young people are more vulnerable to targeting by the perpetrators of sexual exploitation. These include children living in care, particularly residential care, those who are excluded from mainstream school and those who misuse drugs and alcohol.

4. WHICH AREAS OF THE BOROUGH ARE MOST AFFECTED? KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

As with so many other factors affecting children’s development and future outcomes, the geographic distribution of CIN and CSC referrals coincides significantly with the areas of the Borough with the highest levels of deprivation. Referrals, assessments and subsequent CIN cohorts are largest in number and as a percentage of the child population in the Kirkby area of the borough. This is the case for all key CIN cohorts. The highest localised concentration of CIN occurs in the North Huyton area, centred around Stockbridge ward, an area amongst the most deprived in England. (As some area CIN populations are very small, and for data protection purposes ward level numbers are not shared here). Referrals 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gran d Total 2 1 Central 696 147 31 6 880 % 2 6 North 673 191 33 8 9 914 % 2 9 Other 5 1 1 7 % 2 1 0 South 566 108 23 3 1 711 % Unknown 13 1 1 1 16

Assessments Row Labels Count of Step Outcome Central 1056 34.6% North 1196 39.1% South 803 26.3% Grand Total 3055

CPP Count Row of Case Labels Number Central 46 24.9% KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

North 92 49.7% South 47 25.4% Grand Total 185 100.0%

5. HOW DO RESIDENTS, COMMUNITIES AND STAKEHOLDERS VIEW THIS ISSUE?

The regular local survey “Children’s Voice” provides information on different service users, this focuses on children in care or those adopted after fostering. Whilst CLA views on services and the support they receive are well documented nationally and locally, however wider CIN categories are not collected as part of a statutory national framework.

Evaluation of Family First delivery of Troubled Families/Stronger Families programme is currently underway – the eight family case studies forming a part of the review will include insight into the views of children engaged with the service.

6. HOW DOES THIS ISSUE IMPACT ON SERVICE PROVISION AND USE? There has been an increase across Childrens’ Social Care (CSC) services in all aspects of work. As such, there has been an increase in referral rates, children subject to CP Plans and CLA numbers. This is as a consequence of limited early help offer, CSC either dealing with families too late or too many times before the right intervention is provided.

Children and young people being referred appear to be more complex and regarded as "high tariff". Examples would include those young people at risk of CSE in the community and those involved in gun and gang crime. There also appears to have been an increase in cases referred due to neglect, however, this is based on anecdotal information.

This is the continuation of a wider national trend as identified in the October 2012 ADCS report 'Safeguarding Pressures Phase 3’. Neglect is the most cited reason for children to be referred to children’s social care and for becoming looked after. The report suggests cases are increasingly complex, requiring more time and resources. Qualitative research also suggests that domestic violence is an increasing concern as a contributory factor in child social care referrals. These increases in need and the growth in the complexity of cases alongside falling budgets inevitably leads to reduced resources and puts additional pressure on services to effectively deliver for the most vulnerable. Service delivery now has a higher profile following public inquiries into series of major cases. Political, public and press focus undoubtedly adding to these pressures.

7. DO WE HAVE EVIDENCE OF WHAT WORKS? In 2011 The DFE published commissioned research into what makes for good practice in the CSC assessment of children in need. The resulting review drew primarily from research conducted between 1999 and 2010 with additional supporting data and intelligence from a range of databases. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Social work assessment of children in need: what do we know? Messages from research - brief

The assessment of children in need and their families has attracted considerable attention over the past decade. Research studies, Inquiries into child deaths and overviews of serious case reviews have consistently shown that assessment is complex and challenging, and that on occasion, practice has fallen short of the standard required. Five areas have been repeatedly identified as problematic: differential thresholds, a failure to engage the child, inadequacies in information gathering, shortcomings in critical analysis, and shortfalls in inter-professional working.

The review identified the very wide and growing range of knowledge and skills needed when undertaking assessments. It also highlighted both a range of obstacles and the factors that contribute to supporting effective practice and the production of high quality assessments. KEY FINDINGS Good assessment is important, and contributes to better outcomes for children. Good assessment is related to improved chances of reunification success, and can contribute to placement stability for children - for example, by preventing delay and helping to ensure the provision of appropriate and adequate support for foster carers, kin carers and adoptive parents. It also has a role to play in early intervention strategies, contributing to the effective targeting of interventions. Poor assessments may expose children to risks of further maltreatment and placement breakdown. Instability in care often leads to a downward spiral with potentially far-reaching consequences including worsening emotional and behavioural difficulties, further instability and poor educational results.

Avoidance of delay contributes to better outcomes for children, particularly in terms of placement stability. Delays in assessment and decision-making in relation to the removal from home and placement of children can lead to difficulties in achieving permanent placements. • Shortcomings in, or absence of, assessment of maltreated children at all stages from initial assessment through to the making of key decisions, for example, about whether a child is reunited with their family, are related to repeat abuse.

Key features of the organisational and professional climate needed to support good assessment practice include: A knowledgeable, highly skilled and confident workforce, supported by appropriate education, training and continuing professional development. Practitioners and supervisors need a sound knowledge base which includes good understanding of child development, the impact of parental alcohol and drug misuse, mental health problems, domestic violence and learning disabilities on parenting capacity and children’s health and development, the importance of child observation and the need to promote the skills of analysis; KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

A clear framework for reflective ‘clinical’ supervision (individual and/or group) and other forms of case-based consultation, including support for practitioners working directly with children; Resources – in terms of time and staffing, as well as services available – to allow practitioners to complete assessments and plan appropriate interventions in a thorough but timely manner; Good intra-organisational and inter-professional working relationships; An organisational culture that supports reflection and learning (and the avoidance of a ‘blame culture’); Electronic information management and recording systems that ‘work with’ practice, are reliable and not unnecessarily time-consuming; and ‘Organisational health checks’ or audits of the quality of assessments

8. WHAT IS THE CURRENT POLICY DIRECTION? 8.1 National The Munro Review The child protection system has been undergoing a period of significant reform following the independent review carried out by Professor Eileen Munro in 2010, which found that the child protection system has become over-bureaucratised, focused too much on compliance and has lost its focus on the needs and experience of individual children. The reforms are underpinned by three principles:  Placing greater trust and responsibility in skilled front line professionals to do their jobs

 Reducing central Government prescription and unnecessary bureaucracy

 Building a system that is focused on the needs, views and experiences of vulnerable children

Munro’s reiteration of the key role of early help has been embedded in many of the government’s policies and programmes. Early intervention remains a key goal for Childrens’ Services work with all children and young people and particularly vulnerable groups such as children who are looked after. Current Government Policy

Issue  Between 2012 and 2013, approximately 600,000 children in England were referred to local authority (LA) children’s social care services due to welfare concerns. Social workers assess the needs of these children and ensure action is taken quickly to protect them.  Children are best protected when professionals are clear about what is required of them individually and when they work together. It is important to ensure the quality of social workers, and their responsibilities should be clarified. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Actions To improve the child protection system and the quality of social work:  statutory guidance clarifying the responsibilities of professionals will be revised;  ensure LA’s whose child protection services are judged inadequate by Ofsted improve immediately;  reform serious case reviews (SCRs) so social workers learn from serious child protection incidents;  attract high-quality graduates through the Step Up to Social Work scheme and Frontline pilots.

Background An independent review of the child protection system (2011) led to:  revised statutory guidance on safeguarding children aimed at schools and LAs;  A national panel of independent experts which advise local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs) about SCR criteria and the requirement to publish reports;  Isabelle Trowler appointed as Chief Child and Family Social Worker.  Changes were implemented with ‘Working together to safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’  Social work pilots between December 2009 and March 2012 led to a law change 12th November 2013, providing all LAs the freedom to delegate their functions for looked-after children and care leavers to independent organisations.  Sir Martin published an independent review of the education of children’s social workers (February 2014) which provides 18 recommendations for the improvement of education of social workers. In line with the recommendations, a single statement of what they need to know to clarify guidance for child and family social workers is being made.

Consultation  The ‘Consultation on revised safeguarding statutory guidance’ (12 June to 4 September 2012), sought views on 3 statutory documents from LSCBs, LAs, schools, social workers, and the voluntary and community sector. Children’s views on the safeguarding and child protection system were considered.  A consultation on proposals to allow LA children’s social care departments to delegate some of their functions to third-party providers was launched 17th April.

Bills and legislation Legislation about child protection is covered in:  Local Authority Social Services Act 1970  Children Act 1989  Children Act 2004  Children and Families Act 2014”

Child Sexual Exploitation Review: Rotherham Followig the review of child protection in Rotherham, the Department for Communities and Local Government has issued the following plan - Urgent reforms to protect children in residential care from sexual exploitation In short, the plan details the following actions: KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

Ofsted will be conducting a thematic review of Local Authorities’ children's services work in combatting child sexual exploitation announced by Ofsted last week, and the publication of an inspection on how effectively South Yorkshire Police safeguards children and young people at risk, undertaken by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. Ofsted are also inspecting Rotherham’s arrangements for children in need of help and protection, and services for looked after children.

The Home Secretary is chairing a series of meetings with relevant Secretaries of State to consider the findings of Professor Jay’s report and identify what further action is needed at all levels to ensure such failings do not occur again.

The Government are already taking work forward recommendations in a number of key areas. For example, the Chief Social Worker is working with local government and social work experts to understand the lessons from the Jay report for local authorities more widely and any implications for the Government’s drive to improve front line social work practice. The National Policing lead for child protection and child abuse investigation has reviewed the national policing child sexual exploitation action plan in light of lessons from the Jay report. In October, MP Anne Coffey published an independent report into Child Sexual Exploitation in the Greater Manchester area. This detailed local circumstances but also provides detailed information on the National picture of CSE with broader recommendations of value to all LAs. Amongst the recommendations made by the report where:  Investigate why, out of 12,879 recorded sexual offences, only 2,341 were taken to court and why, of those, just 1,078 led to convictions  A review into questioning and tone of cross examinations by defence barristers in child abuse cases  Appoint a child sexual exploitation "champion" to work with police, councils and young people  Develop a strategic approach to tackle the issue, like those in place for smoking, obesity, alcohol and drug abuse  All police officers to receive child sexual exploitation training - currently 21% have been trained  Train members of the community, including pharmacists, park attendants, bus drivers and hoteliers, to spot signs of abuse  Spot checks at children's homes

8.2 Local The Strategy for Knowsley: the Borough of Choice is the overarching strategy for the Borough. Its primary objective is to outline the Knowsley Partnership’s long term vision to make Knowsley a place where people want to live and work. The strategy addresses mental health by focusing on the overall health and wellbeing of people in Knowsley. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

All council and partnership strategies, plans, policies and programmes should ultimately support the achievement of this vision. Ten strategic outcomes have been agreed to help the partnership to achieve its vision for Knowsley. Three of these relate directly to our responsibility for Children in Need or at risk of harm, as highlighted below:

Children get the best Everybody has the More people look Empowered, Safe, attractive, possible start in life opportunity to have after themselves resilient, cohesive sustainable and have the best health and and support others communities neighbourhoods opportunities to reach wellbeing throughout to do the same their potential their life

People are Knowsley has the Knowsley Improved outcomes protected from risks Quality conditions in place residents are for our most that can affect their infrastructure and to support empowered to vulnerable young health and environment sustainable business realise their people wellbeing growth economic potential

Specific policy and priority action for protecting children from harm and identifying and supporting Children In Need within the Borough are detailed in the following key documents:  Knowsley Safeguarding Children Board Plan 2013/14 – The plan outlines the LAs four key pledges delivered via thirteen key priority areas:

1. We exist to protect our children and young people from harm, and to promote their welfare

Priority 1 Serious Case Reviews/ Child Death Overview Panel Priority 2 Safeguarding Children Priority 3 Audit and Quality Assurance Priority 4 Domestic Abuse Priority 5 Child Sexual Exploitation

2. We will hold partners to account, and be accountable for our work

Priority 7 Scrutiny Priority 8 Governance & Accountability KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

3. We will improve knowledge and understanding about children in Knowsley

Priority 9 Information Sharing & Intelligence Priority 10 Knowsley’s Children annual welfare report

4. We will communicate and engage with our stakeholders and communities

Priority 11 Communication Priority 12 Engagement with CYP, Stakeholders & partners Priority 13 Operational Management of sub groups

 Corporate Parenting Strategy The Borough’s Corporate Parenting Strategy outlines the Authority’s commitment to providing quality fostering and adoption services for looked after children and the measures taken to support care leavers.

 Early Help The Early Help strategy and the Children Looked After and Care Leavers Plan together detail the whole approach to supporting families to stay together (wherever it is safe to do so), minimising the need for children to become looked after and when the child needs to be looked after.

 Pan Cheshire Merseyside Multi Agency CSE Strategy 2013/14

Knowsley is a signatory to a wider Merseyside and Cheshire strategy to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation. The agreement details multi agency strategies across the partner agencies and standardised protocols and working arrangements across the area.

The principal guidance is Working Together to Safeguard of Children issued March 2013 (WT2013) and The Government’s supplementary guidance issued to Working Together 2010 aimed specifically at Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation. (WTSG2010)

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is a key business priority for the Board. The strategy launched in June 2013 led to the establishment of a new CSE Working Group under the KSCB. Charged with preparing a CSE Needs Assessment for Knowsley, the board subsequently decided that the Working Group should become a standing Sub-group of the Board. This sub group, or Multi Agency CSE group (MACSE), has responsibility for operational delivery of the Pan Cheshire/Merseyside Multi Agency CSE Protocol (Version 10, 10th June 2014)

The sub group is supported by a MACSE Steering Group, working to deliver the Pan Cheshire/Merseyside strategy into local practice. The CSE steering group also provides a forum through which to carry out multi-agency strategic scoping work and deliver identified good practice nationally into local working arrangements. KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

 Improvement plan in response to Ofsted Notice

Following the Children’s Services Ofsted inspection and subsequent Notice to Improve the LA has developed an improvement plan to deliver on the inadequacies raised by HMI. Whilst the primacy of the current policies remains, the improvement plan brings focus to the key areas of challenge and sets out a detailed action plan of how Knowsley will respond over the following 18 months and deliver on the following key outcomes:

The voice of children and young people is fully embedded in practice and service planning. All practitioners working with children and young people have the skills needed to help and protect children, are well supervised and well managed.

All children, young people and their families receive consistent support, and are fully involved in making decisions about their lives.

Front line social work practice is consistently good and effective.

There is effective multi-agency delivery of early help.

All partners work together effectively to support and protect the most vulnerable children and families

The Knowsley Safeguarding Children Board provides effective leadership, scrutiny and challenge.

A timetable for each stage of the improvement plan has been set as follows:

June 2014 – September 2014 The period during which immediate action was taken to protect children believed to be at risk and to establish the structure needed to deliver sustained improvement October 2014 – April 2015 The period during which action will be taken to strengthen our approach with partners to safeguard vulnerable children May 2015 – September 2015 The period during which action will be taken to embed improvement in social care practice October 2015 – April 2016 The period during which action will be taken to ensure improvement is sustained on a multi-agency basis

9. CHALLENGES AND STRENGTHS KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

A. Identified by Ofsted The following strengths were identified:

 Senior managers in the Council are self-aware and have already taken action to address key areas for improvement for children and their families  There are some good services of high quality which make a difference to those children and families who use those services  Children looked after benefit from stable relationships with their social workers and these children are listened to and many of them are positive about their placement and the relationships that they have with their carers  Children looked after play a valuable role in representing the views to inform service delivery  Care leavers are well supported in their accommodation, education and training and employment.

The following weaknesses and areas for improvement were identified:

 There are widespread failures and inconsistent practice across help and protection leaving some children and young people at risk of suffering harm  Too often children who need help and support experience drift and delay in the support provided  Early help services lack co-ordination and don’t always work with the right children and families at the right time. Too few CAFs are completed and not all are of the right quality  Thresholds for referral to social care are not consistently applied by partner agencies and Children’s services. This leads to a significant number of cases being inappropriately assessed  Social work assessments do not always consider all of the risks to children and are insufficiently child centred  The voice of children is not heard and their experiences are not fully understood. Social workers place too much focus on the needs of adults  The quality of record keeping is variable and often poor across social work teams, for example, little use of chronologies to gain understanding of historical factors which may be significant in assessment of risk  Too many child protection plans don’t achieve long term change which means that some children get repeat interventions  Social workers don’t get sufficient high quality supervision and there has been a high turnover of social workers in some teams which has prevented children developing effective relationships with their social workers  Newly Qualified social workers do not get sufficient support to enable them to develop  Some looked after children experience drift and delay through a lack of robust care planning and review  It takes too long from when a child first becomes looked after to when a child is adopted when this is in the child’s best interests  There is insufficient challenge provided by Independent Reviewing Officers  The Local Authority does not have a robust strategy to ensure that sufficient suitable placements are available to meet the needs of all children looked KNOWSLEY INTELLIGENCE NETWORK | JOINT INTELLIGENCE REPORT CHILDREN IN NEED AND AT RISK OF HARM

after in Knowsley Looked after children do not make sufficient progress in their education, particularly at key stage 4  For children placed outside of Knowsley, the virtual school does not hold sufficient information from all education providers which makes it difficult to monitor progress

B. Identified by intelligence and self evaluation

10. SOURCES OF EVIDENCE AND FURTHER INTELLIGENCE Direct sources of intelligence and evidence;  KMBC CSC CIN and CPP cohort data (end of year report)  KMBC CSC Monthly activity report  KMBC CSC Monthly Scorecard  KMBC CYPNA  Knowsley Safeguarding Children Board Plan 2013/14 Knowsley Safeguarding Children Board Plan 2013/14  Knowsley response to ADCS SAFEGUARDING PRESSURES RESEARCH: PHASE 4  Annual Children in Need Census DfE Characteristics of Children In Need 2012/2013  Ofsted Inspection Report 2014 Inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers  ADCS 'Safeguarding Pressures Phase 3' summary report http://www.adcs.org.uk/news/safeguarding-pressures.html  National household survey of adverse childhood experiences and their relationship with resilience to health-harming behaviors in England

Related areas of evidence and intelligence  Dfe Social work assessment of children in need: what do we know? Messages from research - brief  Puppet on a string: The urgent need to cut children free from sexual exploitation Barnados’, 2011.  National household survey of adverse childhood experiences and their relationship with resilience to health-harming behaviors in England Centre for Public Health, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Violence Prevention, Liverpool John Moores University.