Appendix 1

A Fairer Brighton & Hove

Proposing a cohesive framework to support families at risk of disadvantage 2022 - 2025

This document sets out the proposed framework, the monitoring and reporting process and the plans for Year 1: 2022-2023

Section 1. What do we know and our vision for family support at risk of disadvantage?

1.1 What is this framework and how will progress be monitored?

1.2 What families and front-line workers tell us

1.3 A city definition of what we mean by being at risk of disadvantage

1.4 City Context Infographic

1.5 Our aim and vision for supporting children, young people and families at risk of disadvantage – a set of guiding principles to create a fairer city

Section 2. BHCC Strategies in place for supporting families at risk of disadvantage – an overview

Section 3. Reporting Framework

What is this Framework and how will progress be monitored?

“Breaking down the bureaucracy of different strategies – better communication and connections between the different spheres of a person’s life”

Quote from a Brighton & Hove Community Group March 2022

This Framework offers Members, council officers, partners and families a ‘lens’ through which to have oversight of the work in the city supporting those at risk of disadvantage. It is a framework to help drive the work. It can be a critical friend to what we are doing to support improved outcomes so we do things the right way at the right time. It supports reversing the polarity of disadvantage to enhancement to create a fairer city.

This Framework for children, young people and families at risk of disadvantage sets out the principles through which work with and for them should be delivered. Evidence of these principles should be seen in existing and new work. We want families to be able to hold us to account against these principles.

These principles are informed by direct feedback from communities and those who work with them, the recent Early Help Review and by learning from existing strategies, programmes of work and interventions with families.

These principles can continue to develop during the lifespan of this Framework (2022-2025) as further work is undertaken with families to better understand their experiences and needs.

Section 1 of this report sets out the city context and the proposed principles in the Framework.

Section 2 sets out the strategy areas this Framework will focus on for Year 1. The aim of this exercise is to allow a combined view and oversight of the work already underway to support families at risk of disadvantage.

· Year 1 will focus on some key areas of work across Families, Children & Learning plus a link with the Starting Well chapter of the city’s Health & Wellbeing Strategy.

· For Year 2 the intention is to widen out to further BHCC strategies.

· For Year 3 the intention is to work wider with partners and incorporate further citywide strategies into this Framework.

It is important to note that the sovereignty of the strategies overseen within this Framework will remain as is. This Framework does not supersede, replace or take on ownership of them. Rather it is a lens through which we can all have a better collective view at the impact of work with families in the city.

Section 3proposes that an update on the collective view will be collated twice yearly and taken to the Children, Young People and Skills Committee and the city’s Early Help Partnership Board. It is also intended that an accompanying communication update be developed alongside the formal reports which can be shared with a wide range of interested partners.

During this time the Framework itself can continue to be developed and evolve based on feedback and close working with families themselves, services that support them and a range of other key partners and stakeholders in the city. This will include the city’s education providers as they are uniquely placed to inform and be informed by this Framework.

What do we know and our vision for family support at risk of disadvantage?

What families and frontline workers tell us

We collect feedback and views from families in a number of ways from service user feedback, learning from complaints and compliments, co-production exercises, service reviews, advocacy casework, through to surveys and engagement around new proposals for families in the city.

Appendix 2 provides a range of feedback and quotes from service users around being at risk of disadvantage and has directly influenced the drafting of this Framework.

The Framework has also been directly influenced by the work and findings of the Early Help Review which has sought out views from service users and families in a number of ways.

Achieving a city definition of what we mean by being a risk of disadvantage

Throughout the development and lifetime of this Framework we want to ensure that all stakeholders can reach an agreed definition of who we consider to be at risk of disadvantage. This will help with effective and impactful service planning and delivery.

Currently there are a wide range of ways in which different services and interventions consider a child, young person or family to be at risk of disadvantage.

These include, but are not exclusive to:

· Where there is worklessness in the family

· Those in low-income working families

· In care or have been care experienced

· Where someone in the family has special educational needs and/or are disabled

· Where someone in the family has experienced racism

· Where a parent or carer has poor mental health, learning disabilities, substance misuse, or may be subject to domestic violence

· Where they live in emergency housing

· Where the child is on a Child in Need or a Child Protection Plan

· Where they might live in the city

There is an increasing recognition and understanding that children and families may be at multiple risk of disadvantage, and that this further compounds their likelihood of poorer outcomes than others in the city.

We know from families and those who work directly with them, it is clear the responsibility for fixing the ‘problem of disadvantage’ must not sit with those that are at risk of it. Being at risk of disadvantage is not a fault or deficit of the individual or group concerned, but rather it is a reflection on the barriers placed by society and communities. Tackling and changing this must be at the heart of our work going forward.

By recognising the factors that may make a child, young person or family at risk of disadvantage, does not mean that we assume they will be disadvantaged. It is the recognition of a factor which may mean that person comes up against a barrier or multiple barriers. This barrier increases the chances of them having poorer outcomes than those without barriers. We recognise the intersectionality in individuals and families and the strengths these bring, but also recognise how those very characteristics or experiences may lead to a multitude of barriers which compound the risk of disadvantage.

It is for services, commissioners, leaders, decisions makers and for wider society to respond to this issue.

This Framework aims to further develop this definition and understanding of those at risk of disadvantage. This understanding is to be shared with those working with families in the city and built on collaboratively.

“This should not be deficit model. Strategies, programmes and interventions should recognise the strengths of those who they are responding to”

Quote from a family March 2022.

“

City Context

The following content is from the recent PeopleToo Early Help Review report 2022.

Brighton & Hove is a diverse city with a ranging profile of needs. There is a contrast of many affluent areas and some areas of high deprivation, some of which is concentrated in areas but there are also some pockets of deprivation within wealthy areas. There is an increasing gap between outcomes for children generally and outcomes for the most disadvantaged.

The population of Brighton and Hove is around 291,738 and has been increasing year on year. ONS mid-202 estimates indicate 50,322 young people aged between 0 and 17 around 17% of the population.

Based on ONS mid-2018 data the table below shows households with dependent children projected to 2043. The data shows an increase in households with one dependent child, but decreases where there are two, or three or more dependent children.

Households with dependent children	2018	2043
Households with one dependent child	16,134	16,309
Households with two dependent children	10,549	10,215
Households with three or more dependent children	3,538	3,346

Comprehensive demographic and needs analysis is contained within the local authority’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

A slightly higher proportion of children in Brighton live in poverty, compared to regional neighbours.

A slightly lower proportion of children achieve a good level of development at the Early Years Foundation Stage than the regional average.

Maternal and infant health measures generally compare with national comparators.

However, substance misuse and sexual health issues are amongst some of the highest in the country.

Social Care Demand Source: LAIT

The rate per 10,000 of referrals to Children’s Services has decreased significantly but it still slightly above the average of Statistical and regional neighbours and the England average.

The re-referral rate has reduced and reduced since a peak in 2020, but is still higher than comparators and the England average

The rates of CIN, CP and LAC are above the average of comparator authorities, although significant decreases have been seen in recent years.

Demographic changes, societal pressures and the Covid-19 pandemic have impacted volume and complexity of demand for Children’s Services, as well as the ability of the council to respond. Some key challenges include:

· An increase in financial deprivation and homelessness. Access to affordable housing is a key challenge within the city and for families on low incomes and out of work benefits in receipt of housing benefit the gap between market rates and the Local Housing Allowance is very wide.

· An increase in the proportion of children and young people presenting with SEND and in particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Data shows an increase of 127% of contacts presenting at the Front Door for Families with Autism over the last four years. Now 11.9% of all contacts to FCL mention Autism in the initial conversation.

An increase in the proportion of children and young people presenting with emotional or mental wellbeing needs.

Developing a Fairer Brighton & Hove – using data to understand needs and demonstrate impact of work to address the risk of disadvantage

As this Framework develops, further data sets will be collected and presented in the twice-yearly update to both Committee and to the city’s Early Help Partnership Board.

This data will show overarching population data to help us understand the breadth and depth of the risk of disadvantage across the city. We will also explore the use of data to show the impact of multiple disadvantage and examples of how existing and future work to mitigate these risks is having an impact.

The data provided below is from the June 2022 Families, Children & Learning annual Self-Evaluation document provided to Ofsted. It shows some current citywide data on our families to help us better understand who lives in our city and what potential barriers they may face.

Our aim and vision for supporting children, young people and families at risk of disadvantage – a set of guiding principles

The feedback from communities, the work of the Early Help Review, learning from existing strategies and programmes supporting families at risk of disadvantage, formed a set of guiding principles we want all to adopt when working with children or families in the city. During the maturing of this Framework, we want to continue to develop these.

Respect and relationships

Responsibility

It is not the responsibility of those at risk of disadvantage to solve all of the problems they face. It is for wider society and services who work with and for them, and most importantly, those who make decisions which affect them. Be relentless and unerring in this work.

Acceptance and agency

Give communities the acceptance and welcoming they deserve and work with them to give them decision making roles in the work and support which will affect them. Ensure there is a family / child centred approach meaning putting their views, their experiences and their needs at the centre of decision making and service design.

Dignity, trust, respect and relationships

Families report that things feel most positive for them where there were good community relationships and that they felt respected and trusted. Services must better position service users and stakeholders as experts and value their input as such. Consider the relationships, within the services, with the family, within the family and consider the role of mentors to enhance and develop these.

Knowledge and Understanding

Trauma informed

Our work and how we approach it should be trauma informed. Do not expect those who have experienced trauma to provide the emotional energy or time to solve the problems. Use understanding and empathy when working with communities and do not assume who may and may not have experienced trauma. We recognise that behaviour is a form of communication and that an individual or communities’ lived experiences are valued.

Intersectionality

We must better understand and recognise the range of ways someone may be at risk of disadvantage and how the negative impact can be compounded by multiple factors. Recognising this may stop the possibility of a ‘spiral of disadvantage’.

Understanding stigma

People described as ‘disadvantaged’ can feel stigmatised and ‘done to’ by this definition, and it can also exclude those who does not fit into the categories. It can make people feel like an ‘outsider’ or ‘on the margins’ of society. It is important to recognise those who are at risk of being disadvantaged rather than labelling the individual as being disadvantaged.

Inclusion not exclusion

Tackling disadvantage should be more positive and impactful, making sure services and society include everyone. People are disadvantaged by the system, rather than being disadvantaged by their characteristics. Systems need to include and work for everyone, rather than viewing those at risk of disadvantage as outsiders, or as failing, who need to be helped to fit in to the current system. A sense of belonging is essential.

Community voice and communication

Seeking input from the under-served

Hearing and responding to the voice of the under-served is essential. Services must rethink the way they communicate to ensure messages are inclusive, accessible and fit for purpose e.g. for the user to understand, not the service to impart.

Genuine coproduction

Involve communities at the beginning of discussions about what they need and how services might be changing. Create opportunities and make efforts to ensure communities can be meaningfully involved.

Use of language

We want an approach which aims for inclusive systems which does not disadvantage anyone, and the language should match this approach. A no deficit approach should be taken. Strategies, programmes and interventions should recognise the strengths of those who they are responding to

Connecting across priorities

Linking with the environment and considering sustainable futures

Creating a sustainable future is essential for us all but especially for those who are at increased risk of disadvantage. Services must work to ensure the needs of those who may be disadvantaged are given priority when considering environmentally sustainable policies and services.

Early Help Transformation Programme

Better supporting families at risk of disadvantage is an essential element of the proposed Early Help transformation. This will enable families who need help to access it earlier, when they need it and before problems may get worse. By transforming how we use data we are also able to better identify and work with families at risk of disadvantage, including stronger evaluation of our work with them.

Supporting Families

Brighton & Hove’s involvement in the Supporting Families Programme is a key part of how to better improve the lives of families at risk of disadvantage and we must continue to support the outcomes of this programme.

Improving How Services work

Whole Family Working

For families with multiple problems an integrated “whole family” approach which recognises and deals with their interconnected problems is most effective. Whole family working means transforming services from a number of unconnected professionals with their own assessments, thresholds and measures to integrated, family-focussed, outcome based working. Whole family working will improve outcomes for families and reduce the demand on costly specialist services. This is essential at a time when public services are facing an increased demand for specialist services while the funding to provide these services is reducing significantly.

Use of data

Services should explore more options for appropriate collection, sharing and analysis of data. Do more to understand it, be curious.

Section 2. Brighton & Hove City Council strategies in place for supporting families at risk of disadvantage – an overview

Year 1 of the Fairer Brighton & Hove Framework will focus on the following strategic areas of work.

This section provides an overview of the strategies and programmes we will be following in detail and those we will be providing a collective overview on in six months time.

It’s important to note that the list below is by no means a full look at the work supporting those at risk of disadvantage across the city. It is intended to provide a focussed and targeted list to work with in Year 1, to test this new Framework and provide learning before expanding into Year 2. The intention is that this Framework will become more scalable in Years 2 and 3 and will link with a wider group of partners and stakeholders in the city. Year 1 is about setting out and developing the principles and testing the proposed mechanism for providing a collective oversight on the progress of these areas of work.

It is also important to note that any learning and progress about how better to react to and support families at risk of disadvantage will provide benefits across the system.

Strategic Area: Addressing educational disadvantage

Strategy / Programme

Main aim / objective

The Strategy for Tackling Educational Disadvantage

This plan runs from 2022 to 2026 and focusses on education from age 4-19. It builds on significant work which has been undertaken in the city including the development of a Toolkit and Pupil Premium reviews. The plan, informed by evidence- based research, is centred around six themes each with an objective and associated actions. These themes are:

· Leadership and Governance

· Quality First Teaching

· Targeted Academic Support

· Pupil Voice & Pastoral Support

· Language and Literacy

· Attendance

Strategic Area: Starting Well

Strategy / Programme

Main aim / objective

Starting Well chapter of the City’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy

· The health and wellbeing of children and young people in Brighton & Hove will be improved.

· A focus on early years will maintain our good breastfeeding rates and improve the uptake of childhood immunisation.

· Healthy lifestyles and resilience will be promoted, including in school and other education settings, to reduce the risk of experiencing health problems in later life.

· Risks to good emotional health and wellbeing will be addressed, including parental substance misuse and domestic abuse, and mental health services will be easier to access.

· High quality and joined-up services will consider the whole family and, where appropriate, services will intervene early to provide support to prevent problems escalating

Early Years Strategy

This strategy is being revised in terms of priorities as a part of Early Help system and Early Help Review. To include: Best Start for Life, Family Hubs Development and Supporting Families Programme.

Strategic Area: Antiracist practice and approaches

Strategy / Programme

Main aim / objective

Antiracist Schools Strategy

The aim of the strategy is to create a community of anti-racist education settings where the complexities of our diverse interwoven histories are acknowledged, where every child can learn and thrive, where everyone feels safe and equal and where we all have a strong sense of identity and belonging.

The strategy is taking action over 5 years in the following areas:

· BAME governor and staff recruitment and retention

· Responding to issues and incidents

· Setting values and policies

· BAME pupil, student and parent support

· Diversifying and decolonising the curriculum

· Training for staff and governors

· Racial Literacy for pupils and students

The strategy takes an intersectional approach including considering the needs of disadvantaged pupils and students.

Antiracist social work practice project

· The project will support the development of an anti-racist organisational culture and anti-racist social work practice.

· The project will identify, challenge and tackle racism.

· The project will support an improvement in the experience of staff from Black and minoritised communities so they feel that Brighton & Hove is a safe and supportive place to work.

· The project will also improve social work practice with families from Black and minoritised communities, making sure issues around race, culture and ethnicity are considered when we are assessing, supporting and recording our work with families.

Strategic Area: Early help transformation and development of Family Hubs

Strategy / Programme

Main aim / Objective

Early Help Transformation Programme

· Seamless support for families including streamlining of ‘front doors’ and complex referral routes

· Services, interventions, and digital offer mapped to outcomes and levels of need

· Greater integration of services, not just co-location

· A whole-system commitment to developing an Early Help relational practice model

· Clear Early Help roles under streamlined management lines

· Streamlining of multiple assessments – a common assessment approach, supported by a single view of the family

· Clear pathways for support and agreed interventions and approaches

· Shared tools, resources and information easily accessible for practitioners and families

· Workforce development in shared models and approaches

· Significantly improved data sharing/information sharing and integrated data systems and processes

· Co-ordinated approach to co-production and family engagement in shaping services

· Governance focused on data and insight

Strategic Area: Effective support for all with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Strategy / Programme

Main aim / objective

Special Educational Needs and Disability Strategy

Our children and young people with Special Educational Needs and adults with Learning Disabilities will achieve the very best they can so that they can lead happy, healthy and good lives.

Objectives:

· Inclusion

· Early Need Identification & Intervention

· Sufficiency of SEND Services and Provision

· Smooth Seamless Supportive Transition & Preparing for Future

· Achievement and Outcomes through Health and Social Care and SEND Pathways

Some commitments from the strategy:

· There will be a commitment from all schools and early years settings to a city-wide charter for Inclusion

· Co-production will be central to the design and development of all services and provision

· Adults with LD will be able to access health services more easily, and more LD Annual Health checks will be undertaken

· There will be a reduction in the number of families reaching crisis point through timely Early Help intervention

· Our pathways will be clear, accessible and linked up across education, health and care for families

· There will be a reduction in the duplication of meetings and families will only need to tell their story once

· There will be a short-breaks / respite service for children and adults that meets the needs of families

· Children and young people with SEND will have their achievements recognised and celebrated

· There will be a reduction in the attainment gap for children and young people with SEND at all key stages

· Adults with LD will engage in ‘lifelong learning’ pathways and increase their independence

· We will have increased employment and training opportunities for young people and adults with SEND

· A commissioning strategy for children and young people with SEND and adults with LD will be in place

Strategic Area: Supporting Children and Young People in social care

Strategy / Programme

Main aim / objective

Corporate Parenting Strategy

· Delivering excellent parenting and stable placements

· Providing access to educational achievement

· Offering a wide range of opportunities to develop talents and skills

· Supporting your health and emotional wellbeing.

· We want to ‘reach for the stars’ for our children and young people. We will listen to their wishes

and feelings and work with them to achieve

their goals and hopes.

The promises are that we will:

· Support and engage you to take up and develop

your own interests, hobbies and activities.

· Help you to achieve your aspirations and dreams.

· Respect you and help you develop a strong sense of personal identity and maintain your cultural and religious beliefs.

· Help you to have the same social worker for a long time.

· Support you to be as physically and emotionally

healthy as you can be.

· Always involve you in decisions made about you.

· Provide a home where you feel safe and secure

and support you if you return to your family or

move to another home.

· Help you to keep in regular contact with family and friends if it is in your best interest and is what you want to do.

· Make sure that your carers are trained and supported to care for you

· Support you to get the most from your education and to help you to achieve the best you can.

Through our Local Offer to Care Leavers we are committed to working with young people to help them:

· Develop healthy and safe relationships

· Promote physical and emotional health and wellbeing

· Access education, training and employment opportunities

· Have access to high quality supported accommodation

· Prepare for independent living and supported into their own tenancy

· We will continue to consult with young people in care and care leavers so that we can provide the service you need and will need in future

Strategic Area: Supporting complex adolescents

Strategy / Programme

Main aim / objective

Complex Adolescent Strategy

The strategy sets out how we plan to address and respond to the needs and challenges faced by complex adolescents within Brighton & Hove. It will also look at how we aim to reduce the harm caused by some of the behaviours. The strategy will incorporate the Youth Justice Strategy.

The following themes will underpin all of the activity outlined within this Strategy:

· Wherever possible and appropriate a whole-family approach will be used in the delivery of services

· The service will strive to best meet the diverse needs of the residents and communities of Brighton & Hove

· All of the service delivery will be child-centred; and

· Services will use trauma-informed approaches

Section 3. Reporting Framework

For each of the strategies / programmes of work listed in Section 2 above, a template will be developed to collect the following information and report on twice yearly.

Information about:

· The vision, objectives and aims of the strategy or programme of work

· Measures of success which have been identified

· Summary of how service user voice has been captured and informs the work

· Actions taken in the previous period and what is planned for the period ahead

· Identified risks / issues / barriers for the work and what actions are being taken to address these

The collated report will then be taken to the CYPS Committee and to the Education Partnership twice yearly along with an updated set of data.

It is also proposed that, based on the information collected above, a twice-yearly update on the Framework will be produced which will be shared with a wide range of partners. The intention is that this communication can then be used by partners to inform their own work with families at risk of disadvantage.

At any point we will also welcome feedback and input from families and those who work with them and wider communities. This Framework is designed to develop and adapt as it progresses.

It is also recognised that this Framework needs to be mindful of and informed by existing wider work in the city/region. These include, but are not restricted to:

· Foundations for our Future

· Employment and Skills Plan

· Strategic partnerships in the city including Education Partnership, Brighton & Hove Connected, Employment and Skills Partnership

· Brighton & Hove Children’s Safeguarding Board

· Work responding to Government agendas such as Levelling Up, Schools White Paper, the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper and the Care Review

Contact

For any enquiries please contact:

Carolyn Bristow

Service Manager – Policy

Families, Children & Learning

Brighton & Hove City Council

Carolyn.bristow@brighton-hove.gov.uk

07876645335