Childrens Services
Strengthening Families
Child Assessment Team (CATS)
The team is the initial intake team for all new assessments into the local authority whether that be subject of Sec 47 investigation or single assessment which have been triaged by Wolverhampton MASH team (single point of contact for safeguarding referrals into Wolverhampton).
The CATS team completes assessments within statutory timescales, after which if it is felt that any family / child or young person would benefit from additional support the cases are transferred out to 1 of 6 Strengthening families locality hubs this could be on the basis of a case requiring Child Protection planning, Child in Need planning or for the allocation of Early Intervention services.
Multi- Agency Safeguarding Hub
The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the single point of contact for all early help and safeguarding concerns regarding children and young people in Wolverhampton. It brings together expert professionals, from a range of services that have contact with children, young people and families, making the best possible use of their combined knowledge and information to meet children’s needs and keep them safe from harm.
Court Team
The court team is a social work team responsible for managing court proceedings work across Children and Young People Service with a focus on ensuring that high quality court work is completed within the required timescales. The team also complete pre-proceedings work with families where children are at risk of coming into care. The team work closely with children and families as well as partner agencies to ensure that appropriate plans are made in line with the best interests of children. The team works in partnership with the Child Assessment Team, Strengthening Families Hubs, and the Children and Young People in Care Service.
Children in Need (CIN) & Child Protection Social Work (CP SW)
Within the City we have 8 locality based Strengthening Families Hubs. Each Hub comprises of Social Workers and Early Intervention Staff.
The focus of the work is safeguarding children and supporting families to stay together and achieve positive outcomes. Where required, Child in Need and Child Protection Plans are initiated in order to provide robust packages of support, ensuring that children are safe and protected. If it is found that children are not able to remain with their families safely then we start legal proceedings and take the case to court to ensure the best outcomes can be achieved for the children.
Children and Young People in Care
Children and Young People in Care Social Work Teams
The Children and Young People in Care service are made up of two teams. Each team is made up of a Social Work Team Manager, Senior Social Worker, Social Workers and a Social Care Worker. The Service Manager has the lead responsibility for Children and Young People in Care. The Service Manager ensures the provision of high-quality social work; represents the service within multi-agency forums; is responsible for supporting strategic planning and resourcing and ensuring children and young people are safeguarded and supported appropriately.
Team 1 predominately works with children who have care plans in which they are placed with parents, or with connected carers and foster care.
Team 2 predominately works with children who have care plans of adoption and children who are placed in long term foster care. There can be a crossover of cases within the two teams. Ultimately, Children and Young People in Care teams aim to secure permanency for children by way of special guardianship, connected carers, adoption and long term fostering. The local authority strives to ensure that their involvement is proportionate and care orders are discharged safely.
Children and Young People in Care Transitions Team
The Children and Young People in Care Transition Service is made up of two Social Work Teams. Each team consists of a Social Work Team Manager, a Senior Social Worker, Social Workers, Young Person's Advisors and Family Support Workers.
There is an Education, Employment and Training Co-ordinator who works across both teams. The teams hold cases of children and young people being cared for by the local authority who are aged 14 years and above, and care leavers up until the age of 25.
The Service Manager has the lead responsibility for Children and Young People in Care Transition teams. The Service Manager ensures the provision of high-quality social work; represents the service within multi-agency forums; is responsible for supporting strategic planning and resourcing and ensuring children and young people are safeguarded and supported appropriately.
Disabled Children & Young People’s Team (DCYPT)
Wolverhampton Children and Young People Services provide specialist services for disabled children which are delivered by the Disabled Children and Young People’s Team (DCYPT).
The Disabled Children and Young Person’s team will support children or young people from birth up to 25 years of age who have a diagnosed disability and the primary need of the child or young person relates to their disability. In doing so the team will also consider what support is required to the individual’s parents, carers
and any other children within the household, taking a whole family approach informed by a social work assessment. The team seeks to provide a whole family approach and support a smooth transition into adulthood.
Fostering Service
The Fostering Service is responsible for the recruitment, training, support and supervision of foster carers. The service works in partnership with children and young people, their families, other professionals, and foster carers to provide safe care which values the differences that children bring, and to help them achieve their full potential. This includes children placed with Friends and/ Family (Connected Persons Carers) by the local authority. The Fostering Services also assesses and monitors Private Fostering arrangements.
The Service is made up of two teams, the Fostering Support Team and Assessment Team.
Fostering Recruitment & Assessment Team
The Assessment Team has the responsibility for recruitment, training and assessing activities. The team conducts assessment on new fostering applicants leading to their approval through Fostering Panel. This team also is also responsible for Private Fostering arrangements in Wolverhampton.
Private Fostering
This is regulated under the Children (Private Arrangement for Fostering) Regulations 2005. The Fostering Recruitment & Assessment Team is responsible for raising awareness with the public, professionals, parents and children. The duties of the Fostering Service in relation to private fostering include:
- · Responding appropriately to notifications of private fostering arrangements
- Ascertaining the suitability of private foster carers and their households
- Assess the suitability of the arrangement and the private fostering carer and all members of the household
- Meeting with the carer and parent, or persons with parental responsibility to determine the duration of the placement
- Monitoring Private Fostering arrangement through statutory visits to the child and carer.
Fostering Support Team
The Fostering Support Team provides direct support and supervision to mainstream foster carers family and friends foster carers and special guardianship carers within Wolverhampton area.
Youth Offending Team (YOT)
A multi-agency team (social care, probation, police, health, education and connexions and youth service) which exists to prevent offending and reoffending of young people. We provide reports and advice to the court and supervise statutory
Community and Secure Estate Court Orders. We will ensure a stepdown service at the end of statutory interventions to ensure ongoing needs/concerns are addressed
The YOT also provides services to young people subject to Out of Court Disposals, who are on the cusp of more serious offending. This work is funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner. Young people receive interventions designed to divert them from future offending and identify ongoing unmet needs, they can then be signposted to other services.
Power2 Team
The Power2 Team is a specialist multi-agency team established to work with adolescents who are at risk. The team works with young people aged 11 to 17 who have different levels of need and support. The Power2 Team will work with them to help them to exert more positive control over their lives and to live safely as they progress towards adulthood.
City of Wolverhampton Children and Young people's Service Operating Model:
