Published on:
26
September 2024
Clackmannanshire Early Help Team has won a COSLA Excellence Award, which recognises success and innovation in local government, for their work to deliver timely help and support to families at need or risk.
Announced as the winner of the Best Team category, the Early Help Team was established in 2023 at Alloa Family Centre, in direct response to the high number of children on statutory orders and the child protection registration.
The team, which includes social workers, intensive family support workers and group decision making co-ordinators, provides a strengths-based, accessible and responsive children and families social work service at the point of need. The focus is on building the strengths of each family network to prevent an escalation of need and risk.
Building on the groundwork of the Family Wellbeing Partnership, the team has developed effective working relationships with universal and third sector organisations, providing a range of additional supports to families.
Since its inception, the team has engaged with between 60% and 70% of all referrals to children’s social work, offering an enhanced level of support at an early stage and diverting children away from statutory intervention. 94% of these referrals have avoided escalation to statutory levels.
There has been a sustained decrease in the number of children on the child protection register, a reduction in child protection concern reports and a decrease in child protection investigations.
Council Leader Ellen Forson, the Council’s Champion for the Promise said: “A huge well done to everyone involved in the Early Help Team - it’s great to see their hard work recognised.
“I’m delighted to see this innovative project to help our vulnerable families win this national award. The Council is taking our commitment to keep the Promise to our children and young people very seriously, and the Early Help Team is an example of how we’re changing the way we support families to provide practical and impactful help to avoid the need for children to enter the care system.”