Existing programmes and projects
Family Valued
The Coventry Family Valued programme was developed with the support from Leeds Relational Practice Centre and is based on the success of the Leeds Family Valued project. Family Valued focusses on the importance of relationship-based practice.
Coventry Family Valued brings a change programme that supports practitioners to truly work with children, young people and families, placing a lens on practice which continues to promote children and young people remaining in their families and communities wherever safe to do so. This includes making the best-informed decisions for children at critical stages in their journey with Children’s Services, including actively looking for family connections to look after children before making decisions around whether children should enter the care system and actively working towards re-unification of children with their families.
The programme includes:
- Expansion of the Family Group Conferencing (FGC) Service
- A Reunification Project
- Focus on connected carers for those children who are unable to remain in the care of their parents, to support these children to remain within extended family, networks and their communities
- Training and support for Children’s Services and Partner agencies, to embed relational and restorative ways of working into practice
Family reunification
When children and young people come into the care of Children’s Services, the priority is securing their protection from harm. However, wherever possible, practitioners are working towards them being able to leave care and be reunited with their families where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
The Edge of Care service works with children in care where family reunification has been identified as a viable option. Professionals within the Edge of Care service will work intensively with the child and their family, with early and robust care planning and IRO-led reviews to explore options for children and young people’s safe return home.
As of 31 March 2023, of the 724 CLA, 102 (14%) had been in care previously.
In the six months prior to 31 March 2023, there were 101 children and young people that came into care and of these only 6 (6%) of the 101 had been in care previously.
16+ Developments
- The Coventry House Project - was set up in 2021, it is now one of the established pathways for young people leaving care. The Through Care team identify potential candidates who apply to join the House Project. Following an assessment, if successful they are recruited to join a cohort of up to 12 young people who follow a six-month induction to develop resilience and independent living skills. young people who successfully complete each section of the programme will achieve accreditation under the AQA Unit Award. Each young person who successfully completes this phase can then move to their own Social Housing tenancy (Citizen Housing) prior to their 18th birthday, rather than moving to supported accommodation.
- Staying Put - Young people in foster care can stay in the placement beyond the age of 18 years old (until the age of 21) if they wish to do so and the family agrees.
- Training Flat – The training flat provides an opportunity for young people over the age of 16 years to spend 2-weeks living in a semi-independent setting. It allows young people to experience independent living and gain skills to prepare them for the transition from care to independence.
- Staying Close- Children who are moving on from a children’s home in Coventry, continue to receive ongoing support from their former carers, access to Lifelong Links and the House project, to ensure they maintain meaningful supportive relationships as young adults and build a network of support.
Child Friendly Cov
The aim is for Coventry to be the best place in the UK for children and young people to live and grow up in. Child Friendly Cov is a campaign to make Coventry a child and young person friendly city, ensuring that Coventry is a place where children and young people are valued, supported and enjoy themselves. Children’s Services is working together with local children and young people and have identified the following themes as priorities for how to make Coventry a child friendly city.
Children and young people in Coventry should always:
- feel and be valued
- have opportunities
- feel and be safe
- be healthy
In order to make Coventry a city which is child-friendly, partners need to work together, committing to always keep children and young people at the heart of what is done. There is lots already happening in Coventry which makes this a great city for children, young people and their families – Child Friendly Cov wants to showcase what is already being done and build on it to make Coventry a city which is truly child-friendly
Mental Health Support
Coventry’s CAMHS LAC service is an integrated mental health service, which is currently delivered via a partnership between Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust (CWPT) and Coventry and Warwickshire Mind (CW Mind).
The service brings together specialist CAMHS tier 3 support delivered by CWPT, and tier 2 support delivered by CW Mind. From October 2023, the tier 2 support will be delivered by Compass working with CWPT.
Regional Placement Portal Development
The West Midlands placement portal is used by all 14 West Midlands Local Authorities to obtain over 8,000 accommodation placements for children in their care per year. However, the current system is slow, unreliable, and out of date. The Wets Midlands Placement Portal redevelopment project is being led by Birmingham Children’s Trust on behalf of the region supported by the West Midlands Commissioning Hub. This project will replace the current system with an up-to-date solution that will be faster and easier to use for Placement Officers and Providers. It will also digitise much of the data to provide Commissioners with real time intelligence to shape and manage the market.