## Children And Families Prospectus

August 2018
This report is intended for the sole use of London Ventures. EY and London Councils shall have This report is intended for the sole use of London Ventures. EY and London Councils shall have no responsibility whatsoever to any third party in respect of the contents of this report. It should not no responsibility whatsoever to any third party in respect of the contents of this report. It should not be provided to any third party without EY or London Councils prior written consent.

be provided to any third party without EY or London Councils prior written consent.

## Contents

| Section 1:    | Background and approach                 |
|---------------|-----------------------------------------|
| 3             |                                         |
| Section 2:    | Context                                 |
| 9             |                                         |
| Section 3:    | Understanding the problem               |
| 16            |                                         |
| Section 4:    | Experience of children and young people |
| 34            |                                         |
| Section 5:    | Problem statements                      |
| 40            |                                         |
| Section 6:    | Engagement                              |
| 43            |                                         |
| Section 7:    | Next steps                              |
| 47            |                                         |

## Section Background And Approach 1 Background What Is London Ventures?

London Ventures is a partnership between London Councils, the membership organisation for the 33 local authorities in London, and EY, a leading professional services firm, and overseen by the Capital Ambition Board. Our vision is to actively pioneer innovation to drive sustainable change and transformation across the public sector, by providing:

## "Opportunities For Local Authorities To Access Innovation And Transformation That Will Improve Their Effectiveness And Efficiency While Ultimately Delivering Improvements In Outcomes For London'S Citizens, Communities And Businesses"

We achieve this by creating collaboration between innovative companies, charities, funders, and all 33 London's local authorities. Our programme considers the challenges of changing and growing customer demands alongside reduced financial budgets. We facilitate the approach to understand how innovation can develop new solutions in this environment, to ultimately deliver better outcomes from the **£9 billion spent** on the procurement of local public services across London every year. Our approach is designed to understand the whole landscape of the challenge; identifying opportunities where the programme can provide additional capacity to develop concepts and complement existing initiatives by highlighting best practice and scaling up good solutions.

## Our Role:

We provide support to We have strategic We help support local nurture initiatives that relationships with local authorities to get the tackle specific issues that authorities who can best value offer with local authorities are sponsor projects and partners  
facing initiatives We have a trusted brand We are committed to in the local authority delivering better market, through the outcomes for local programme LV will authorities and provide endorsement and Londoners through access to the market innovation Background How does London Ventures work?

London Ventures provides additional resources and capacity to initiatives to support local government in London. To shine a light on best practice, to support initiatives already in train, to provide resources to facilitate wider discussions and bring people together to source new solutions. Our challenge panel are in place to help guide our thinking and act as a critical friend. Their mixture of experience and innovative thinking provides insight into the sector to ultimately produce the best possible solutions. The diagram below provides a high level overview as to how London Ventures operates.

## Capital Ambition Board (Cab)

The cross-party governance board comprises five elected members who are advised by three Chief Executives, one Finance Director, 

## Targeted Solutions

the GLA, and the LGA. CAB oversees the work carried out by LV and provides the strategic direction for the programme.

## London Ventures Local Authorities We Work With Local Authorities Across London And Beyond Who Are Interested In Sponsoring The Identification, Development And Implementation Of New Solutions Through Our Targeted Ventures Work, As Well As Through Implementing Our Market-Ready Partner Offers. External Stakeholders We Engage With A Range Of Third And Private Sector Organisations Who Help The Programme Understand The Complexities Of Our Strategic Issues, And The Identification And

development of solutions to support the public sector. 

## Venture Partners

Our Venture Partners provide innovative market-ready solutions to support local authorities address a range of challenges faced by the sector.

## Our Approach What Is The London Ventures Methodology?

We have developed a design centred, issue-led approach to **identifying innovative solutions** to some of London's biggest societal issues. London Ventures have already **tested** this approach on our **first cycle** for the challenge of homelessness and temporary accommodation. This cycle led to the **build and launch of four innovative solutions**, more information on this work can be found here . 

Find the 
Understand 
Launch
solution
the problem
& mobilisation
Develop our understanding of the current challenges and root causes of the chosen theme. 
Bring together subject matter experts who understand the problem and can 'hack' together to find a solution. Nurture sector based initiatives and market ready solutions and those in development.
Understand what is already happening in the sector and how our 'targeted venture programme' can enable sector initiatives that are 
solving challenges within 
London.
Improve 
outcomes in the 
priority area
Develop the 
Build and 
solution
Support the 
delivery of 
concepts
Phase to develop the prototypes and begin implementation for market ready offers.
Incubate and develop the solutions into prototypes/designs/pilots. The programme will create a space for collaboration and joint working.
Prepare commercial offers with local authorities
Or 'fast track' developed solutions to  our venture portfolio.

## Our Approach Why Are We Focusing On Children And Families?

Through the London Ventures programme we are continuously engaging with London local government. As a result of these conversations with key stakeholders across the public and third sectors, it became clear **children's services are facing increasing pressure,** both financially and in terms of the level of demand. Therefore, the Capital Ambition Board agreed that **children and families** should be our strategic area of focus to identify new and innovative solutions to not only help the sector but more importantly to support better outcomes for Londoners. 

## Why Children And Families?

•
Potential for significant impact on the outcomes for children and families, the solutions we develop provide the opportunity to improve future outcomes. There are currently 4.1 million children in poverty in the UK1, improving the lives of children and families will act as a catalyst for change, bringing lasting improvements to society.
•
Opportune timing as in recent years the increasing demand on adult social care has been more of a priority, specifically on the political agenda. However, this is beginning to change as a consequence of prolonged underfunding of children's services resulting in a greater focus from central government and local politicians, creating the momentum to affect the required change.  
•
Collaboration and partnership working are now recognised as being essential to deliver the change needed to drive the necessary improvements. 

## Why London Ventures?

•
Access and Innovation: We work by facilitating and enabling ideation and the development of solutions, combined with access to a range of innovative partners across the eco-system.
•
Proven pedigree: Through the success of our first cycle on homelessness and temporary 
accommodation, we have a tried and tested 
approach to harnessing cross-sector expertise to develop innovative ideas that will deliver improved outcomes.
•
Our vision: We are driven by our vision of supporting the fundamental shift in how public services are delivered in order to improve some of society's biggest challenges. 

## Our Approach What Type Of Solutions Are We Looking For?

The programme will be sourcing solutions at **different stages of development**. These have been detailed below alongside our key considerations. The key considerations help us refine our solutions, ensuring the concept achieves the **objectives of the programme**.

Our targeted venture approach will bring in three different types of solutions at different stages of development. We believe a mixed portfolio will help bring local authorities a range of solutions and encourage **disruption** in a way that delivers **better outcomes** for Londoners and a deliverable solution for local authorities.

## Market Ready Supported Ideas New Concepts Our Considerations Include: Section Context 2 Context What Is Happening At The National Level?

Across England, local authorities are under enormous strain with the combined pressure of budget cuts alongside increasing demand. Operating within this environment is having a major impact on outcomes for children and their families. Ofsted have identified a number of performance challenges faced by local authorities and as of December 2017, 26% of the 74 children's services investigated were rated as inadequate1, which outnumbered the number of local authorities rated as good.

## Local Authorities Have Been Caught In The Perfect Storm… Reduced Budgets

•
Central government funding for children's services reduced from £10bn in 
2010-11 to £7.6bn in 2015-16, a reduction of £2.4bn.2
•
The impact of reduced budgets is having a noticeable impact, one such example being the closure of 365 children's centres and 603 youth centres since 2012. Such services have a particular focus on prevention and early intervention.3

## Increasing Demand

•
Between 2010 and 2017 there was a **13% increase** in the number of children in care, **31% increase** in the number of children subject to a child protection plan and **108% increase** in referrals to children's social care services.2
•
Between January 2011 and January 2016, the number of pupils educated in dedicated SEND places in London **rose 23 per cent** from 18,880 to 23,127, compared to a 10 per cent growth rate in the rest of England.4
•
Overspend on children's services has increased 400% from 2014-2018, due to **increased demand** on services.6
Guardian, Children's services cut, August 2017 London Councils, Do the Math, 2016 Local Government Association, Children's social care at breaking point, August 2017 

## …And The Future Trajectory Is Worsening

Local authorities have been struggling to balance spending and funding, and this situation is only likely to get worse with further budget cuts planned and predicted. As a result, services are being forced to adopt 'firefighting' tactics to tackle short term issues to ensure they are meeting their statutory requirements.

"There is a growing financial crisis in children's social care, with councils facing a £2 billion funding gap for children's services in just three years' time… The reality is that services for the care and protection of vulnerable children are now, in many areas, being pushed to breaking point." 
- Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the LGA's Children and Young People Board 
9th August 2017 5

## Context What Does The London Landscape Look Like?

Though a national issue, the challenge in London is **particularly acute** due to a number of **compounding factors** outlined below. 

## Highest Rate Of Child Poverty In The Uk

700,000, or 37%, of all children in London are living in relative poverty after taking housing costs into account.1

## Increase In Children Identified As Send (Special Educational Needs And Disability)

Between 2016-17, the number of London pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP's), grew by 4.2%, around three times the growth rate for the general pupil population.2
London's population **grew by 5.7%** between London boroughs have **spent c.£8.5 billion** on 
2011-15, almost twice the rate of the UK 
children's services over the past 5 years, 20% of average (2.9%). In 2017, an all time population the £43bn spend across the UK.7
high of 8.8mil was estimated.6

6 7 8
Guardian, London population growth rate twice that of UK, October 2016 NAO, A short guide to local authorities, October 2017 LGC Plus, Children's Social Care Services overspends adult services, October 2017
CPAG, Child poverty in London - key facts, 2018 London Councils, School Funding Update, September 2017 World Population Review, London Population, June 2018 Independent, London Violence, April 2018 Grant Thornton, Spend on Children's Social Services, April 2017

## London Has A Very Transient Population

Additional challenges are faced by local authorities with a population turnover of 
17% in Central London Boroughs.3

## Increase In Gang And Youth Violence

There has been a significant increase in gang violence across the capital and in the first four months of 2018 alone, 50 
people were murdered , the majority under 18.4

## Significant Overspend On Budgets

In 2015/16, 73% of local authorities in London recorded an overspend on their Looked after Children 
(LAC) budget.5
London boroughs proportionately overspent on children's services in 2016-17 by 10.6%. 

Up from 4.7% in 2014-15.8

## Context What Are The Statutory Obligations For Local Authorities?

All **152** local authorities in England are governed through **statutes**, which set out the **legal requirements** within which they must act. Local authorities therefore have principal responsibility to ensure the safeguarding and promotion of welfare for all children in their area. Below, we have highlighted some of the key statutes that guide the delivery of services for children and families.

Children and Families Act (2014) The Act aims to guarantee that all children and their families are able to access the right support and provision to meet their needs. The Act includes a Code of Practice for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Key principles:
•
Encourages 'fostering for adoption' allowing approved adopters to foster children much faster
•
26 week limit for courts to decide whether or not a child should be taken into care
•
Arrangements allowing children in care to stay with foster families until the age of 21 years
•
Encouragement of inter-agency working across education, health and care - health services and local authorities are required to jointly commission and plan services 
Children and Social Work Act (2017) The Act includes a wide range of provisions relating to the support of looked after children and care leavers; the welfare and safeguarding of children and regulation regarding the social work profession. It clarifies the rights and services young people in care can expect from councils.

Key principles:
•
Providing extra support in schools for looked after children
SEN Code of practice (2014) - Part 3 of the Children and Families Act This code of practice, focuses on enabling participation of young people and their families in the decision making about their development. 

•
Requiring councils to provide personal advisors to all care leavers up to the age of 25
Key principles:
•
Local authorities must consider the views, wishes and feelings of the child, young person and their parents
•
Strengthening local multi-agency coordination in safeguarding cases
•
Child-centric approach - child and parents involved in the decision 
•
Provision of information and support required to be involved in decision making 
•
Improving national arrangements for the analysis of serious incidents
•
Behavioural difficulties should not automatically lead to pupils being identified as having SEN and extends the definition of young people up to the age of 25

## Context Who Are The Key Players In The Ecosystem?

Though Local Authorities carry the statutory responsibility, there a number of other **key players** as detailed below:

## Local Authorities And Children'S Trusts Schools Health

•
Local authorities act as the key connection between government and residents
•
Acts as a key agency in early years, through the use of midwives, health visitors and GP check-ups
•
Every staff member of a school has a statutory duty under "Keeping Children Safe in Education" to put the best interests of the child first 
•
A key identifier of possible abuse or health issues (mental/physical), whilst also offering support children with SEND
•
They have a legal duty to follow up any complaints or concerns about child abuse, and provide support to a young person. They also play a critical role in running and maintaining children's services, the key agent for interventions with young people
•
Each school has a designated safeguarding 
lead, who communicates and liaises with local authorities on the safeguarding of their pupils
•
Schools should create safe environments for children through robust safeguarding practices
•
Safeguarding duties are within the NHS's 
scope of responsibility, local trusts must ensure arrangements are in place that reflect the importance and promotion of child welfare
•
DCS Networks provide strategic leadership, promoting and improving the work LA's do 
to offer all children and young people the 
best start in life

## Central Government Police Voluntary And Community Sector

•
The government works to protect children and support the professionals who care for them and their families
•
Tailored support offered for particular needs through the tertiary sector, including enabling and supporting 'respite breaks' for carers of children with disabilities 
•
The police have a legal duty to follow up any complaint or concern expressed about child abuse, report their concerns to the local authority and, in more serious cases or abuse, take a child away for 72 hours to keep the child safe
•
The Department for Education have recently carried out work in the social care space through their innovation programme
•
The Home Office also works closely on 
issues such as UASC and youth violence
•
Charities that focus on children/families 
work in a wide range of areas: from 
social services to employment and training; from education and recreation to housing
•
Police play an important role in 
supporting victims of sexual abuse (CSE) and tackling youth violence, whilst certain forces also support unaccompanied asylum seekers (UASC)
•
Role of these departments is to create and implement policy and to provide statutory oversight for local authorities

## Context How Does The Ecosystem Work?

The diagram below starts to map out the **complex landscape** and inter-dependencies for delivering services to children and families, which involves **multiple organisations** across central and local government, private and the third sector.  The list of organisations is not exhaustive.  

Policy
Department for Education (DfE)
Home Office
•
Sets policy and provides oversight 
•
Provides a proportion of the funding 
•
Works closely on issues such as gangs
•
Responsible for holding councils to account for performance in delivering children's services
•
Sets policy and provides oversight
Quality Assurance & Accountability
Ofsted
Local Safeguarding 
Children Boards
•
Inspects and regulates residential homes, fostering agencies and schools
•
Inspects children's services provided by local authorities on behalf of the government 
•
Coordinates local work to 
safeguard and promote 
the welfare of children
Service Providers
Public Sector 
Private and third-sector 
Providers
providers
•
E.g. Health, Education and Police
•
Provides services such as 
fostering, residential care, SEND support etc.

## End Users

Children and Families

## Working Relationships

Accountability for funding Accountability for delivery

Ministry of Housing, Communities and 
Local Government (MHCLG)
•
Administers Troubled Families Programme
•
Geared towards reducing demand and dependency of complex families on costly 
public services
Local Authorities
•
Responsible for meeting statutory duties
•
Assess risk, put in place appropriate safeguarding measures
•
Coordinate access to fostering services and 
residential care 
•
Contribute additional funding from other sources, e.g. council tax receipts
•
Trusts also run services but Directors of Children's Services is ultimately accountable
•
Run children in care councils to get the children's opinions on the service they receive

## Context What Are Some Of The Existing Children And Families Initiatives?

Below we have highlighted some of the **key centres of excellence and bodies** that are developing or supporting unique or innovative solutions for children and families. This list is **not exhaustive** but provides a snapshot across the children's services space.

## Nesta Department For Education

NESTA is a global innovation foundation, focused on supporting the creation of new ideas to tackle big challenges.

In partnership with Spring Consortium, the 2014 Children's Social Care Innovation Programme aims to improve outcomes for children who are supported by the social care system.

Focus:
•
Enabling innovative ways to support vulnerable children
Focus:
•
Developing policy and researching new thought leadership to develop the current model for public services
•
Driving better value across children's social care
•
Creating stronger incentive mechanisms for innovation
•
Delivering programme management through support and funding to innovate ideas in this space
•
Improving life chances for Children receiving help
•
Currently developing the What Works Centre for children's social care - this will act as a hub for best-practice in the child social care space
•
Through a "partners in practice programme," they are building partnerships 
between local and central government to improve the system

## Local Government Association Early Intervention Foundation

The local government association represent the national voice of local government and work with councils to support, promote and improve local government.

An independent charity and What Works Centre for early intervention, which champions and supports the use of effective early intervention for children with signals of risk.

Focus:
•
Support councils in helping the children, young people and families in their areas achieve the best possible outcomes
Focus:
•
Creates publications, resources, guidebooks, and training programs for early intervention, demonstrating and enabling best practice
•
Support political leadership in children's services
•
Focuses on issues such as, but not limited to; gang involvement and youth violence, domestic violence and abuse, the cost of early vs late intervention
•
Principal advisers identify good and innovative practice, which is fed back into the LGA to inform the wider improvement offer to the sector
•
Undertake policy development and lobbying work
•
Funded by the Department of Education, Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health, Home Office and MHCLG to support their initiatives 

## Section Understanding The Problem 3 Understanding The Problem What Are The Root Causes Of The Challenges For Children And Families?

Often there is **no single root cause or issue** acting as the sole factor for children and families requiring support from public services - instead there are a **number of themes**, within which sit a number **of inter-related root causes**. A combination of these risk factors increases the chances a child will require an intervention from the local authority. Traditionally poor outcomes have largely been assumed to be due to the actions of parents, however they too may also lack the support networks, education etc. required to successfully raise a child and as such the landscape becomes much **more complex**.

Education, Employment 
Structural Factors
and Skills
Unemployment
Poverty
•
Lack of disposable income
•
Stagnant incomes
•
Higher cost of living
•
Lack of opportunity for learning support
•
Zero-hour contracts
•
Debts or arrears
•
Lack of access to educational materials
Welfare reform
•
Universal Credit
•
Lack of appropriate training/education to enter employment
•
Bedroom tax
•
Two Child Tax Credits Limit
Housing shortage
Support Networks
•
Rising costs of private rent
•
Lack of role model figure
•
Increased evictions
•
Poor quality housing
•
Abusive parents (physically, mentally, sexually)
•
Absentee parents
•
Lack of support for educational opportunities
Health and Wellbeing 
Relationship breakdown 
and domestic violence
Family breakdown
Poor mental health
•
Emotional trauma
•
Absentee parents
•
Family history/ genetic disposition
•
Abuse and neglect
•
Trauma
•
Abusive relationships
Domestic violence
Poor physical health 
•
Poverty
•
Malnutrition
•
Substance misuse
•
Trauma
•
Poor physical environment 
e.g. damp conditions
•
Physical abuse
•
Genetic disposition
Dependency on drugs or 
alcohol 
•
Genetic disposition
•
Family or Friends influence/Peer pressure
•
Coping mechanism

## Understanding The Problem What Are Our Areas Of Focus?

Based on our **research and engagement** with local authorities and charities, there are **five areas** within **children and families,** that have been consistently referred to as **particularly challenging** for the sector. **Early help** is the **umbrella theme** due to the efficacy of interventions at this stage having a significant impact on the level of demand in our other focus areas.

## Early Help 1

There has been a **chronic shortage in investment** in early help, which has been exacerbated by a prolonged period of austerity, leading to a significant increase in **costly interventions at a later stage**. In 2016, it was reported that 73% of children's services budgets in England was spent on late intervention.1

## Looked After Children Special Education Needs And Disability 2

The **growing numbers** of children and young people requiring support has put **significant pressure** on local authorities who are struggling to find **appropriate care**, particularly 'in borough'. The latest national figures suggest that 90 children and young people are entering the care system each day.2

## 3 Care Leavers 5 Gang And Youth Violence 3

There have been **considerable increases** in gang and youth violence, especially **knife crime** related activity, over the past three years.  An estimated 20% of the most serious violent crimes are reported to be committed by those under the age of 18.3

## 4

The number of children requiring SEND support in London is **increasing**, and of these cases, a higher proportion are **exhibiting complex needs**. In 2016, it was reported c.205,000 children in London were receiving some degree of special education support, representing 14.5% of all students.4
Nationally, around **11,000 young people** leave care to move into independence or semi-independence aged 16,17 or 18 each year.  This transition is often described as a **cliff-edge**. The poor transition to adulthood has wide ranging social and economic implications for both the individual and the public sector.5

## Early Help Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Early Help Summary Key Facts

- Analysis by Action for Children, The Children's Society and the 
National Children's Bureau outlined reductions to funding for children's services. Their latest figures found allocation for such services nationally fell 24% from £10bn to £7.6bn in 2015. A £2bn shortfall is expected in 2020.3
Early help can be defined as "providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child's life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years." (Working Together, 2013)1
Interventions can either be targeted at children deemed to be at higher risk of disadvantage, or can be universal in scope. There are a number of reasons why early intervention is important.

- Councils are increasingly being forced to spend the majority of 
funding intervening with cases at a stage when the problems have reached **crisis point** - also the point by which they are required to act by law. 
- In 2015/16, late intervention represented 73% of local 
Societal Factors:
•
Social problems can be more effectively addressed if dealt with early in a child's life - later, reactive interventions are seen as less effective at combatting social issues such as, but not limited to; unemployment, mental health, crime and health
•
Problems that begin in early years can be caused by a range of factors, for example direct neglect or mistreatment of the child or by more indirect factors such as poverty or parental actions
authority spending on children's services, up from 58% recorded in 2010/11. In comparison spend on early intervention now represents 26% of local authority spend, down from 36% in 
2010/11.4
- As seen below, there is a clear decline in early intervention 
spend, correlating with an increase in late intervention spending.4
Economic Factors:
•
Advocates cite the economic advantages of early intervention policies and programmes leading to cost savings for the public sector
•
Early intervention activities are widely believed to require significantly less cost than later, reactive interventions
The First 1001 Days APPG, using methodologies from Australian and American studies, estimate that the **cost of non-intervention** in child maltreatment cases costs the UK economy £15 billion per year.2
Guardian, Children's Services at Risk as Councils Raid School Reserves, February 2018 Action for Children, We have to turn the tide when it comes to early intervention, November 2017

## Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Early Help Key Issues

The impact of a lack of investment in early help can be felt in a number of ways. High level impacts include:
The lack of funding is having a **direct impact** on capacity within local authorities. Since 2010, DfE Data shows that 508 children's centres closed across England1 - these centres typically provided early intervention services. Of those that remained open, many are becoming more targeted, losing various early help services in the process. More than 100 of these centres were based in London.2
Levels of demand on the child protection and care systems are **increasing**. In 2017, a record 90 young people a day were entering the care system.3 This is alongside a rise in demand for more complex SEND places.

'Children's services have been protected from the worst of cuts, but ongoing austerity will mean we have to cut early help and focus only on statutory child protection, not a good place to be for future financial balance and a terrible place to be for families.' 
(Director of Children's Services, 2015)4

Guardian, Public Sector Cuts, February 2018 Children's society, Cuts that cost: Trends in funding for early intervention services, 2015

## Legislation

Early intervention as a policy approach has become increasingly championed by recent governments across party lines. This has come as a result of an **increased understanding** in its importance. Below are a number of policies related to the topic that the government has already put in place. The sheer number of schemes in place highlights its importance in the national agenda.

Health
•
Healthy Child Programme
•
Health Visitors
•
Family Nurse Partnership
•
Healthy Start
•
Perinatal mental health
Education
•
Early education entitlement
•
Early Years Foundation Stage
•
Early Years Pupil Premium 
•
Early Intervention Grant
Social Development
•
Sure Start Children's Centres
•
Parenting Classes
•
Baby boxes (Scotland)
Benefits and Financial Assistance
•
Sure Start Maternity Grant

## Looked After Children Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue:  Looked After Children Summary

The number of looked after children has reached a **record high**, with the latest figures from 2017 reporting 90 young people entering the care system each day1. The increasing demand has put huge **financial pressures** on local authorities, who are facing vastly increasing costs of placing these young people into appropriate care. 

60% of young people are to said to enter care due to neglect by their parents/guardians.2 Unfortunately however, this is not the only reason and often children enter care due to a combination of factors. Other reasons include:
These children are often prone to significantly worse outcomes compared to those who grew up at home. For example, those in care are x4 more likely than peers to have mental health difficulty.2

## Key Facts

•
In the year ending 31 March 2015, a total of 69,540 children were looked after by local authorities in England, a rate of 60 per 10,000 children under 18 years. The absolute number of children looked after has **increased by 6%** since 2011 (65,510).3
•
Children aged between 10 and 15 years represent the majority of the looked after population (38%), while children under one year are in a minority (5% of the looked after population). The looked after population includes more boys than girls (55% compared with 45%).3
•
The number of children placed by Independent Foster Agencies (IFA) has risen by 5%. This is compared to a 1% increase by local authorities.4
•
There has been a rise in the number of looked after children with Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND) and hence increased demand for specialist carers. These young people tend to require placements 
by IFA's.3
•
The majority of looked after children (75%) are in foster care placements. The number of children looked after in foster placements has increased by 9% since 2010 (from 46,890 to 51,340). Over the same period there has been a 12% decrease in 
the number of looked after children placed with parents (3,990 in 
2011 compared with 3,510 in 2015).3

## Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue:  Looked After Children Legislation Key Issues

Below we have outlined the key issues associated with looked after children. Increased costs are both economic and social, for both local authorities and the child. 

An estimated 5900 further 
66% of children's homes are foster families need to be privately run nationally, which is recruited across England in the often costly for local authorities next 12 months. Foster and does not always deliver recruitment is increasingly difficult improved outcomes for the child.2
for local authorities.1
A shortage in appropriate The complexity of children's spaces in residential homes, needs in care services is particularly in London, coupled steadily increasing - linked to with an increased reliance on the rise in SEND support needs agency workers is leading to across London and the rest of increased costs. The average UK 
the UK, with a greater reliance Council spent £1.2m on agency on IFA's to identify specialist workers in children's services.3
carers.4
Below we have highlighted the key areas of legislation, which place duties on local authorities. The landscape is complex and vast and includes statutory guidance.

## Children Act 1989 (Amended 2004)

Sets out the duties, powers and responsibilities local authorities hold in respect of their looked after children and care leavers

## Children (Leaving Care) 2000

Sets out duties local authorities have to support young people leaving care from 16 to 21 years of age 

## Adoption And Children Act 2002

Updated legal framework for domestic and inter-country adoption, places duty on LA to maintain an adoption service 

## Children And Adoption Act 2006

Gives court more flexible powers to facilitate child contact and enforce contact orders when separated parents are in dispute

## Children And Young Persons Act 2014

Encourages fostering for adoption. Introduces 26 week time limit for the courts to decide whether or not a child should be taken into care. Introduces 'staying put' arrangements which allows children to stay in foster care until the age of 21

## The Children Homes (England) Regulations 2015 (Amended 2018)

Sets out duties for those providing residential children's homes for children

## Gang And Youth Violence Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Gang And Youth Violence Summary

Cases of young people being violently injured or killed in London - often by other young people - is an increasing occurrence on the streets of London. The **number of victims** of serious youth violence has been **rising** over the past four years. This is now at the forefront of policy makers' conversations. The London Crime Reduction Board (LCRB), chaired by the Mayor of London, identified tackling gangs as one of **the four key priorities** for partnership action.1

## Gang And Youth Violence Is A Pan-London Issue

The 224 gangs identified by Met Police are geographically spread across London.1 The **impact** of gang crime, as measured by the level of violence, is **reducing** in London, but the scope and complexity of the gang problem remains, and the majority of boroughs are affected by it. The movement of gang members around London and outside of the city causes additional challenges to agencies. 

"Getting back to being 'tough on the causes of crime' will require a massive investment in the services that have been neglected for too long, tragically letting our young people down." 2

## Sadiq Kahn, January 2018

1
Strategic Ambitions for London, Gang and Serious Youth Violence; Strategic Ambitions, June 2014 Independent, Rising Violent Crimes, January 2018

## Key Facts

proportion of youth offences were drug 
"tackling gangs" as a top 3 priority to improve safety in of 9 offences per their neighbourhoods1

## Root Causes

The root causes attributed to gang involvement and the consequential crime that occurs as a result of this association, is said to include1:

•
Lack of opportunity
•
Traumatic events
•
Domestic and child abuse
•
Mental illness
•
Peer pressure
•
Social media
•
Insufficient parental supervision
•
Drug use

## Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Gang And Youth Violence Key Issues

In 2016, the Home Office published a refreshed approach to the policy relating to gang violence. A policy paper entitled 'Ending gang violence and exploitation' set out six priorities.1

Tackle drug dealing 
Protect places where 
Promote early 
outside of urban 
vulnerable and young 
intervention to 
areas, where 
people can be 
prevent young people 
vulnerable people are 
targeted by gangs, 
becoming involved in 
such as residential 
gangs 
being exploited by gangs to sell drugs
children's care homes
alternatives to 
those at risk of 
and girls involved 
knife crime
gang involvement 
with gangs
through education 
and training 

## Legislation

- The launch of the Met Police **Trident Gang Command** in 
February 2012 was the start of a new coordinated enforcement effort that has taken many of the highest risk gang members, responsible for the most serious violence, off London's streets. 
- In May 2012, the Delivery Management Group of the London Crime 
Reduction Board (LCRB) commissioned the development of a pan- London partnership strategy for tackling gangs in London, which was published in December 2012. The partnership brought together 
partners for the first time to develop a shared strategy to tackle 
gang violence.
- In 2014, in partnership with each of London's 32 boroughs, the 
Mayor's Office for Police and Crime funded 25 gang projects through the **London Crime Prevention Fund** at a value of approximately £3m per year over four years.
- The Mayor of London has committed to spending £15m a year to 
fund education, sport and cultural activities for the capital's most 
disadvantaged young people over a three year period from 2018.
- In April 2018 the Home Office published The Serious Violence 
Strategy that set out the government's response to serious violence and recent increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicides.
- Action on the above strategy is centred on four main themes:
tackling county lines and misuse of drugs; early intervention and prevention; supporting communities and local partnerships; law 
enforcement and the criminal justice response.

## Special Educational Needs And Disability Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Special Educational Needs And Disability Summary

The number of children identified with **complex needs** has dramatically increased at a time that local authorities are increasingly finding it difficult to provide access to the required support. A report commissioned by the Council for Disabled Children and the True Colours Trust estimated that the number of recorded disabled children and younger people has increased by over 50% since 2004.1 The reasons for this dramatic increase include improved diagnosis as well as increased life expectancy for babies born with complex needs and congenital conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

## A Changing Landscape

The **nature of SEND need has changed**. Since 2011, the number of pupils in schools with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased by over 50%, while the number of pupils with physical disabilities has decreased by a third.2 The diagram to our right provides an overview of the type of needs reported in UK schools. This is broken down by those who receive SEND support and those on Education, Health & Care (EHC) Plans. We can see that ASD needs are particularly dominant. The number of pupils with Statements or EHC Plans, requiring specialist provision to meet their needs, has risen by 22% since 2010 in London, and the **complexity of these needs are increasing**. This is putting a considerable strain on the education system due to the increased cost. Places for children with SEND costs an average of £69,055 per placement, three times as much as a mainstream school place.3

## Key Facts

The **London Assembly Education Panel** pulled together a number of key facts in their investigation of the challenges to providing access to SEND provision in London's growing school age population.

•
In 2016, there were approximately 205,000 students with some degree of special education support in London, which represents 14.5% of all students.2
•
In a recent survey, 70% of school leaders raised concerns about budget cuts and 81% experienced diminished SEND support because of cuts to their local authority support.2
•
Between January 2011 and January 2016, the number of pupils educated in dedicated SEND places in London rose by 23% from 18,880 to 23,127, compared to a 10% growth rate in the rest of England.2

## Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Special Educational Needs And Disability Key Issues

Below we have highlighted the key issues faced by local authorities:

Increasing demand matched 
with insufficient capacity and 
High cost of transportation for 
budgetary pressures.
pupils with SEND due to long 
e.g. difficulty processing all EHC 
distances to facilities2
assessments1

Mainstream schools are less willing Families lack support, leading to high numbers of SEND children ending up in care at a high cost to accept SEND pupils and those with the highest level of need are 

to local authorities3
particularly difficult to place4

Increasing complexity of child's needs requires more specialist treatment. e.g. Rise in ASD5

TES, SEND Support Struggles, June 2017 London Councils, School Funding Update, October 2017 Guardian, People Give Up, September 2017 Independent, Failed by mainstream schools, December 2014 Department of Education, Children's services: Spending and Delivery, July 2016

## Legislation

The role of local authorities in the provision of SEND support is detailed extensively in the **Children and Families Act 2014**. The reform was described as the biggest change to child welfare legislation in 30 years and has an impact on all under the age of 25. The requirements are extensive, including: 
Section 19 of the Act sets out the **general principles** that local authorities must have regard to when supporting disabled children and young people, and for those with SEN under Part 3 of the Act. Local authorities must pay particular attention to: 

•
the views, wishes and feelings of children and their parents, and young people;
•
the importance of children and their families participating as fully as possible in decision-making and providing the information and support to enable them to do so; and 
•
supporting children and young people's development and helping them to achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes
Section 22 of the Act places a duty on local authorities to **identify** all the disabled children and young people in their area, and all the children and young people their area who have or may have special educational needs. This is a **proactive** duty; it will mean that local authorities will need to put in place systems for gathering this information from educational institutions and other services.

## Care Leavers Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Care Leavers Summary

"The system for supporting young people leaving foster or residential care in England to live successful independent lives is not working effectively", according to the National Audit Office (NAO). This is despite the fact that there is a clear legal framework and an inspection regime in place. The numbers of care leavers in employment, education and training has deteriorated since 2007-08 (NAO).1 According to the Guardian, those who have been in care between the ages of 10 and 17 are five times more likely to be convicted of a criminal offence or subject to a final warning. Children in care are also five times more likely to have been excluded from school.2 The above experiences have a knock-on effect on their transition to adulthood, often resulting in poorer life outcomes. Relative to their peers, young people leaving care tend to3:
•
Have lower levels of educational attainment 

•
Be unemployed
•
Live in unstable and poor quality housing or be homeless
•
Be young parents 
•
Have mental health problems/drug addition
•
Be over-represented in prison 
Addressing the poor life outcomes for those leaving care has been a longstanding problem with high costs of an unsuccessful transition. Care leavers are often not equipped with the appropriate skills necessary for a successful transition to independence.  
Family Law, System for supporting care leavers is not working, July 2015 Guardian, Only 6% of care leavers go to university. They deserve better chances, November 2017 National Audit Office, Care leavers' transitions to adulthood, July 2015

## Key Facts

The costs associated with care leavers not being able to move to independence successfully are **high**, to both care leavers and the public system. The principal measure used by the NAO to assess outcomes is the number of care leavers not in education, employment or training (NEET). In 2013-14, **41% of 19 y/o leavers were NEET**, this is in comparison to 15% of their age peers.4 According to NAO, the lifetime cost of this current cohort of care leavers that are NEET would be around **£240m, £150m more** than if they had the same NEET rate as their peers.4 The diagram below outlines the system in place for supporting care leavers, adapted from the Government's Care Leaver Strategy (2013) 
alongside various other reports. This gives us a high-level understanding of the complexity of the key stakeholders and their inter-relationships.

## Understanding The Problem Behind The Issue: Care Leavers Key Issues

According to the government's social inspection blog, the very best local authorities keep sight of care leavers' needs at all times, providing the support in a well-planned, co-ordinated way. The National Audit Office (NAO) interviewed a number of care leavers, combined these with Ofsted's findings, and produced 5 particular issues as detailed below1: 1. **Poor and late pathway planning** - often pathway planning is not user-friendly or outcome orientated and are also implemented too late and as such have minimal impact on outcomes 2. **Lack of personal documentation** - care leavers do not always receive their relevant documentation e.g. their passports or their health history 3. **Limited personal support** - care leavers often have inadequate or insufficient skills and understanding required for independent living, which is often a result of changes in professionals or simply high case loads 

## 4. **Awareness Of Entitlement** - It Is Not Always Made Clear To Care Leavers What Support They Are/Aren'T Entitled To As They Move Into Independence

5. **Keeping in touch** - some local authorities are losing touch with a large number of their care leavers, which often means these young people no longer have access to the support they need

## Government Legislation

All local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that eligible and relevant care leavers are placed in suitable accommodation when leaving care. DfE sets the overall framework for the provision of support, providing statutory guidance to local authorities.

•
Legislation including the Children (Leaving Care) Act (2000) and the Children and Young Persons Act (2008) recognises the barriers faced by care leavers when applying to, and succeeding in, higher education, and sets out ways in which people leaving care can be supported .
•
In 2013 the Government published a cross-departmental Care 
Leavers strategy which emphasised the importance of a longterm, sustained approach to supporting care leavers.
•
The Children and Social Work Act 2017 set outs the corporate parenting principles for English local authorities and the requirement for them to **publish the support they provide** (the 'local offer') for care leavers.
In the Government's **Care Leaver Strategy**, six key areas were identified as points of focus where they are looking for impacts to be made:

- Education - Housing - Employment
- Justice - Health - Financial and on-going support

## Section

Experience of children and young people
4

## Experience Of Children And Young People Early Help

At his next school, he affiliated with children with poor attendance and low-level attainment. His behaviour soon became unmanageable.

His mother and school reached out to the local authority but the Early Help Team/Family Support workers were unable to successfully engage with Name:  
Andrew Location: East London Borough Interviewer: Social Worker in Youth Offending T
eam the child and the case was closed Between the ages of 11 and 13, 27 referrals were made to the Local Authority front door from his school, youth club and police.

No intervention was undertaken, Aged 14,  Andrew committed 3 offences; attacked a child at his school, hit his teacher when they attempted to stop the fight, then ran away from the school and went missing for 7 hours. He was found by police after they received a call that a young male was throwing a brick at a phone booth.

however, the Local Authority did attempt to engage the family Andrew was given a community resolution twice but consent was not given from the police and was permanently excluded from school This section shows the journey of a child through the lens of the child. Social Workers, known to the child and family/carers carried out this task during a professional visit. Consent was provided by the child and parent/carer.  All participants and the respective local authorities chose to remain anonymous.

6 months after the case closure,  Andrew was involved in further offences and progressed through the criminal justice system.

At 15, he was sentenced to a Youth Offenders Institution Andrew wished he'd engaged with the Early Help team, but his main regret was leaving his school. He remembered that his mum was in a violent relationship and that he was witnessing a lot of domestic violence.  This was never disclosed or identified by services and this eventually impacted on his behaviour at school.

He strongly felt that if he was supported to remain in education that his life could have been much different. He felt he was not given a chance and that his school and Early Help team gave up on him very quickly.

## Experience Of Children And Young People Looked After Children

Aamaya went into a short term residential placement, her brother aged 9 remained with their adoptive parents. 

Aamaya had to change schools. She soon began smoking marijuana and drinking. Her behaviour declined and she started to 'act out' against her support workers at the children's home and cause Name:  
Aamaya & Bhashkar Location: South London Borough Interviewer: Social Worker - Children Looked After T
eam damage to the property At the ages of 11 and 7 years old respectively,  Aamaya and her brother Bhashkar were adopted.

The adoptive parents were very excited and despite it being a Aged 13,  Aamaya was unhappy at home with her adoptive parents and this started to cause problems at school.  A Social Worker was involved and Aamaya requested she had some respite after she and her adoptive mum had a big row, which resulted in Aamaya being slapped.

lengthy process, each felt it was worth it The Social Worker was concerned that the placement was at risk of breaking down and an intervention was needed This section shows the journey of a child through the lens of the child. Social Workers, known to the child and family/carers carried out this task during a professional visit. Consent was provided by the child and parent/carer.  All participants and the respective local authorities chose to remain anonymous.

At 14, Aamaya was known to Police and quickly progressed through the criminal justice system. Bhashkar and their adoptive parents rarely visited.

At 17,  Aamaya left the children's home and was pregnant 2 months later Aamaya was very open about her experience and was angry with the Social Worker involved leading to the adoption. She had spent her time during pregnancy reflecting on her experience and said she realised her adoptive parents only ever wanted a boy and frequently told her this.Aamaya had 8 different Social Workers in 6 
years. She said she often felt depressed and was never referred to mental health professionals. She and her brother were once very close but they became distant once she moved into residential care. Amaya said her baby is her family now.

## Experience Of Children And Young People Special Education Needs And Disability

Aged 12 Grace was given an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to support her progress. This was extremely positive as it meant there was a number of services involved to support her needs.

Name:  
Grace Location: North East London Borough Interviewer: SEND Officer, SEND T
eam Grace had a dedicated support assistant during lesson time, which helped with her learning and Aged 11, in secondary school Grace was assessed by the school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator as having a high level of social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  A SEND officer from LA was involved.

At primary school, different strategies and interventions had been tried to support Grace's learning and behaviour. Grace was not at the expected level of attainment for her age (11).

Grace was more than 2 years below the expected standards for her age. She was Her parents frequently attended starting to isolate herself from other multi-agency meetings at the children and her parents were concerned primary school This section shows the journey of a child through the lens of the child. Social Workers, known to the child and family/carers carried out this task during a professional visit. Consent was provided by the child and parent/carer.  All participants and the respective local authorities chose to remain anonymous.

Aged 13, Grace had a small group of friends and was much happier in school and at home.

She achieved 4 GCSE's and was able to move onto concentration college Grace, aged 17 and at college was excited about sharing her story.  Grace said she felt very lucky to have a SENCO 
at her school who took the time to really understand her. 

She said she used to be upset at home and in school and didn't want to attend. She thought she was stupid and nobody liked her because she was different.  
She recalled that she cried when she got her GCSE results and her mum did too.

Grace's parents were thrilled with their daughter's achievements but hoped that other children would be identified sooner.

## Experience Of Children And Young People Gang And Youth Violence

Aged 12, Tyler had been permanently excluded from two schools and was in a Pupil Referral Unit. His attendance was at 37% and his mother was not able to manage his behaviour.

Children's Services were concerned that Tyler was at risk of significant harm through exploitation. 

However, recognised his mother was fully engaged Name:  
Tyler Location: South East London Borough Interviewer: Social Worker, Gangs Unit part of Community Safety T
eam and compliant with all strategies and interventions At 7 years of age, Tyler was associating with children much older than himself.  He was disruptive at home and school. 

Tyler's parent said the school was Aged 10, Children's Services had been involved for 3 years on and off.  Tyler was assessed as his school and social worker suspected he was being exploited by criminality and was known to be associated with known gang members. 

constantly calling her in as he was always getting into fights and Tyler had not been charged with any going missing/leaving the school offences, but he was known by Police and the Youth Crime prevention team were involved This section shows the journey of a child through the lens of the child. Social Workers, known to the child and family/carers carried out this task during a professional visit. Consent was provided by the child and parent/carer.  All participants and the respective local authorities chose to remain anonymous.

Aged 14, Tyler refused to engage with any service and was regularly being arrested. He was regarded as a gang member.

Tyler stamped on the head of a rival gang member causing brain damage At the time Tyler was interviewed by his Social Worker, he was 15 and in a Youth Offending Institution. He declared that he did not regret his actions as the person he injured was carrying a knife and he was convinced he would have used it on him.

He strongly felt that he was never coerced or influenced, however he identified that he was instructed to carry out 
'tasks' when he started making friends with the older children in his neighbourhood. His Social Worker is convinced that more should have been done when services first identified his affiliation with gang members.

## Experience Of Children And Young People Care Leavers

At 17, Stacy was in college and studying at GCSE level but was struggling with the courses. Records indicate that Stacy felt anxious about moving into independent living and this was impacting on her education. 

Stacy said she had grown attached to the residential staff and was worried about being on Name:  
Stacy Location: West London Borough Interviewer: Personal Advisor - Leaving Care T
eam Stacy had been in residential care since she was 12 years of age. 

Her mum was a prolific heroin user and known to Police. Stacy Aged 16, she was informed that a plan would be in place to support her into independent living for when she was 17 years of age.  She said during that time three different Social Workers were involved and each time she had to go over the same information.

was known to Children's Services since she was 6 years old. She Stacy remembers feeling really scared and was often left in the care of her excited about living on her own.  She said grandmother until she passed she was frustrated with the Social Workers and they never really listened to her This section shows the journey of a child through the lens of the child. Social Workers, known to the child and family/carers carried out this task during a professional visit. Consent was provided by the child and parent/carer.  All participants and the respective local authorities chose to remain anonymous.

4 months after leaving care, residential staff had made 17 calls to the leaving care team. Stacy often wanted to have dinner with them and stay over. 

At 19, Stacy was unemployed and in receipt her own of benefits Stacy was very fragile during the interview and the Personal Advisor (PA) was concerned this would upset her and set her back. 

Instead, the PA used a previous feedback session where Stacy had given her views of her experience. Stacy had said she felt under prepared for independent living and felt the leaving care team got involved too late. The Social Worker had noted at the time that Stacy was vulnerable and recommended that semi-supported living should be considered. Stacy now struggles with her mental health and is on anti-depressants. She has no qualifications.

## Section Problem Statements 5 Problem Statements How Have We Evolved The Problems We Will Be Focusing On?

Start Start Where we 

We
   initially
         undertook
                 desk-based research
          to
              understand
                             the
                                  key

We met with a broad range of key
stakeholders,
                including
                            local

authorities, central government, charities,
and private organisations, to dive deeper
into the problem areas.

issues facing children and families
in London, focusing on the key data
points and statistics associated with this
area.

Based on this research, we identified
five areas of focus, upon which we
looked to develop our understanding.

In order to think differently about the
problems, we were encouraged to think
'horizontally' rather than 'vertically'
due to the inter-related nature of many
of the issues.

Where we 

are now…

are now…

Reflecting
             on
                   the
                          feedback,
                                       we

developed a series of cross-cutting
themes upon which to identify and
develop our potential solutions.

This lateral approach ensures that the
innovative solutions we create work to
address
          a
             number
                        of
                            the
                                  key challenges facing children and families
in London. These themes are outlined on
the next page.

## Problem Statements What Are The Problem Statements We Have Identified?

Below we have highlighted our five cross-cutting themes and the six identified problem statements as agreed by our challenge panel. We have identified six problem statements to capture the key challenges whilst providing a level of focus on which to ideate solutions. 

Problem Area
Early Help
Cross-cutting theme
Community Mobilisation
Community support e.g. assets, voluntary groups, interventions, is not always mobilised effectively to 
How can we utilise the strengths and skills within our 
support children and families locally, which results in local authorities having to respond to a greater 
community?
Behavioural and Social Support
How could wider quality of life support for vulnerable 
Vulnerable children are often lacking the required social skills such as the ability to communicate 
clearly and calmly, or demonstrating consideration for the feelings and interests of their peers, to 
children reduce their dependency on LA support?
Limited data sharing means local authorities and partners do not usually have a holistic view of the 
Evidence and intelligent data use
needs of children and their families to enable them to provide effective support.
How do we ensure the significant data held in the 
public sector is used more effectively to inform the 
Less emphasis is placed on capturing data when children and families do not require statutory 
commissioning and service delivery?
intervention, which in turn makes it difficult to determine what support is most likely to be effective.
Collaboration across local authorities and 
Local authorities spend a significant amount of time triaging inappropriate new referrals, often from 
agencies
partner organisations who do not always understand the statutory intervention thresholds or are 
How should local authorities and agencies work 
unable to signpost families to appropriate services directly. 
together to improve outcomes?
Vulnerable families are not being provided adequate support at an early stage, leading to increased 
Family and parental support
How will a more holistic approach to supporting 
internal and external pressures on that family, resulting in more acute and specialised support being 
vulnerable children drive better experience?
Special 
Gang and 
Looked 
Educational 
Care 
Youth 
After 
Needs and 
Leavers
Violence
Children
Disability
number of referrals at all threshold levels.
enable them to live fully and independently.
required from the local authority .

## Section 6 Engagement Who Have We Met?

T
o date, we have met with a range of different organisations from across sectors to build our understanding of the key issues faced by children and families in London, a snapshot of which can be found below:

## Engagement How Have We Engaged The Most Strategic Subject Matter Experts?

Challenge Panel T
o guide our thinking, we have brought together a challenge panel to act as a 'critical friend' and test our thinking. This panel is comprised of Chief Executives, Directors of Children's Services and Finance Directors from local authorities, private organisations and the third sector.   

## Session 1 - 18Th May 2018

The first meeting was an engaging and insightful discussion around the identified problem areas and diving into the more specific issues within each. The breadth of knowledge and experiences of the group challenged our thinking and provided insights to feed directly into the development of our problem statements.

## Session 2 - 15Th June 2018

The second meeting of our challenge panel was designed to get the group to think about the problem statements that were developed based on feedback from the first session.  In this session, we **validated the 'problem statements'** to be used as we move into our 'find the solution' stage.

## Engagement How Are We Leveraging Cross-Sector Insight To Develop Our Solutions?

Children and Families Hackathon Our hackathon, held on Thursday 21st June 2018, was a high energy, outcome orientated event attended by 60 participants, including representatives from 13 London local authorities, central government, social enterprises, charities and innovators. Following an insightful opening talk from guest speaker Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang (Lighthouse), participants ideated solutions to some of the major challenges facing children and families in London, drawing on a broad range of experiences and backgrounds. 

Through the solution hackathon, we have:
•
Brought together a **range of stakeholders** to share their ideas and experiences 
•
Developed a number of **innovative solutions** using 'out of the box thinking'
•
Ideated solutions that are outcome focused, deliverable, scalable and sustainable 
•
Identified individuals from **different sectors** to support the development of solutions

## Section Next Steps 7 Next Steps How Will We Identify The Innovative Solutions To Build And Launch?

The children and families hackathon on the 21st June 2018 marked the start of our '**find the solution**' stage, the next step in our targeted ventures cycle 2 journey.  Our next focus is on building upon our long list of solutions, through further engagements, events and sessions, as well as through our interactive idea generation platform: https://londonventures.hunchbuzz.com/challenges Throughout, we will need to ensure the solutions generated are aligned with our concept criteria:

- **Tackle a strategic challenge** - is the solution addressing a key problem for the sector? - **Pan-London** - will the solution encourage collaboration across local authorities? - **Replicable** - is the solution appropriate for multiple local authorities? - **Scalable** - is there scope to develop the solution and its applicability? - **Commercial** - is there an opportunity to commercialise the idea to ensure its long-term sustainability?
An overview of the key considerations during our 'find the solution' stage can be found on the next page.

Hackathon
Next Steps
Concept portfolio
Dragons' Den
Crocodiles Den
Initial 
Develop the 
Build and 
Understand 
engagement & 
Launch
Approach:
Find the 
solution
solution
the problem
mobilisation
Engagement
Phase 2: Jul 18 - Sep 18
Timelines:
Phase 1: Apr 18 - Jun 18
Phase 3: Oct 18 - Feb 19
Phase 4: Mar 19 - … 
Nov 17 - Mar 18

## Next Steps What Are The Key Considerations When Incubating Our Solutions?

T
o ensure that we develop the most effective solutions through our programme, our work will be underpinned by some key considerations. Outlined below, they are based on the Department of Education's 'Seven Features of Practice'. They will be used as a collection of principles to guide best practice and optimise the impact of the solutions we curate.

## The Voice Of The Child Should Be At The Centre Interventions Should Take A Family Focused Approach

- By putting the child at the heart of our work, we ensure 
- Looking at problems from a family perspective helps us 
that we have a full understanding of the challenges they face. 
understand the root cause of issues and provide effective improvement.
- By being cognisant of the need to consider the child's 
- Family-centred services are based upon the belief that the 
perspective, we can develop solutions that work for those most affected. This will be applied by working with organisations, such as Spiral, who will invite young people 
to our solution hackathon.
best place for children to grow up is in a family and the most effective way to ensure children's safety, permanency, and well-being is to provide services that engage, involve, strengthen, and support families. 

## Work With Families Should Take A Strength Based Practice Approach Multi-Agency Working Is Essential To Providing Holistic Support

- A strength based framework of practice defines a set 
- Ensuring that stakeholders work together produces 
better outcomes for the child. 
of values and theoretical principles that support all work with children and families.
- The range of knowledge and skills that different parties 
- The approach helps create a shared understanding of 
what good practice looks like, providing clear expectations and a consistent service. 
can bring to the table improves decision making. Our solution ideation events, such as the hackathon, bring together stakeholders from across sectors to ensure a collaborative approach.
- It also supports children and families to feel empowered, 
moving away from a feeling of being told what to do.