Private Fostering Communication and Engagement Plan 16-17 Objective: To ensure that staff and practitioners from KCC and partner agencies have the information that they need to identify private fostering arrangements and to appropriately refer on to Specialist Children ‘s Services Action/task and priority Audience focus Lead Timescale Measure of success Achieved 1) Briefing notes to be issued: via Directors bulletin, KNet, Early Help bulletin, SCS KNET page SCS staff (Social workers/ newly qualified social workers) Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) Private fostering week 2017 Understanding of roles and issues/increase in notifications via VSK, Governor mail/magazine, E-bulletin Kent schools staff, Governing bodies, Early Help and Preventative Services Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) Private Fostering week 2017 Increase in notifications via zone, Practice Managers, safeguarding named nurses Health professionals (health visitors, GP’s, school nurses, sexual health outreach etc) LAC named nurse (Nancy Sayer) Asap – by December 2016 Increase in notifications via Joint Planning and Policy Board - Housing Housing officers Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) Private Fostering week 2017 Increase in notifications via Early Years Settings (nurseries and childminders) and Youth Services Early years staff and adolescent staff Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) Private Fostering week 2017 Increase in notifications via briefings to UKBA UKBA staff Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) Private Fostering week 2017 Increase in notifications
Via briefings to Early Help (Education and Young People's Services) Early Help workers Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) Private Fostering week 2017 Increase notifications and understanding of roles and issues Via briefings to commissioned EH services Commissioned services Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) Private Fostering week 2017 Increase notifications and understanding of roles and issues 2) Ensure that up to date, relevant private fostering information is available as part of social worker induction and ASYE programme Newly qualified and newly employed SW staff Safeguarding Unit (Sophie Baker) During induction Increase notifications and understanding of roles and issues 3) Ensure leaflets (if needed) are available in other popular languages on KSCB website and SCS Tri-x All partner agencies KSCB/ Safeguarding Unit Ongoing consideration of need Increase notifications and understanding of and issues 4) Awareness raising at KSCB annual conference Multi agency partners Safeguarding Unit and social work private fostering champions Oct 16 Increase in notifications 5) KSCB training to be made available to all agencies KSCB 3 sessions between July 16 – July 17 Increase in notifications and increased knowledge of safeguarding issues for PF children 2. To ensure that independent organisations such as language schools and private schools have the information that they need to identify private fostering arrangements and to appropriately refer on to Specialist Children ‘s Services Action/task and priority Audience focus Lead Timescale Resources Measure of success Achieved
Provide information to language schools and private schools Education Safeguarding Unit Ongoing and during Private Fostering week 2017 Increase in notifications Objective: 3. To ensure that parents, possible carers and the wider general public understand why it is important to make the Private Fostering Team aware of private fostering arrangements, and how they can alert KCC to any private fostering arrangement Action/task and priority Audience focus Lead Timescale Measure of success Achieved Media relations campaign run during private fostering week Kent residents Communications Private Fostering week 2017 Increase in notifications Message on KCC Twitter feed and Facebook during national private fostering week to push people to the website Kent residents Communications Private Fostering week 2017 Increase in notifications Feedback form for young people and carers to be consistently used to inform our working Privately fostered young people SCS District teams Ongoing Improved quality of SW and to inform planning Podcast completed and available on KSCB and KCC website Kent residents Unit By Oct 16 Increase in notifications Consideration to be given to holding a Private fostering support group Private foster carers Safeguarding Unit and PF champions Ongoing consideration dependent on demand Feedback from carers and people