response to Munro questions

[Guest guest]

A reminder that there were some specific questions from Eileen Munro at the end of last year, for which she requested a reply by 17th Jan. Community Care has a thread of responses from social workers (who are the key professionals of interest in thsi field), which might provoke some discussion, seehttp://www.communitycare.co.uk/carespace/forums/a-request-from-professor-eileen-munro-9282.aspx#40564I wonder if we might follow their example and collate some responses here, particularly for the questions about early help and support, which do seem relevant to health visiting and school nursing. Questions Reducing bureaucracy

What

prescribed procedures and forms do you feel are unnecessary, overly time consuming or cause you to duplicate work? (Please be as specific as

possible – we need to know the name of precise forms and procedures and why they are unhelpful).

What

factors prevent you from forming relationships with children and families, hearing and understanding their problems and offering appropriate help or interventions?

Performance and accountability

What

child protection data do local areas need to collect to enable them to compare their results, be publicly accountable and drive their own improvement?

How

can we create a system for learning from practice which counteracts blame and allows for critical professional reflection? How can Government most effectively support this?

What

are the main barriers to child protection professionals, particularly social workers, and those who represent them, working effectively with the media so that their work is better understood? How could these be overcome?

Early help and support

What expertise is needed locally in universal services to identify children’s needs and support their assessment? What would the practical impact of developing this expertise in universal services be?

Would

it be better if assessment was an ongoing activity rather than being defined by set points with set timescales? What would the practical implications of this be?

**

Assessment should be taken to include the common assessment and assessment that is undertaken as part of the statutory framework for children in need (initial and core assessments) 8. Some local areas have introduced social work-led, multi-agency locality teams to help inform best next steps in respect of a child or young person, including whether a formal child protection intervention is needed. Do you think this is useful? Do you have evidence of it working well? What are the practical implications of this approach? To answer any of the above questions please email Professor Munro,

and write ‘Munro Review Questions’ in the subject header. Please make sure you include the number/s of the question you are answering and indicate your role or your interest in the review. The closing date for responses is Monday 17th January.best wishes Cowleysarahcowley183@...http://myprofile.cos.com/S124021COn