SECTION 13 ADMISSION TO CARE, CARE PLAN, PLACEMENT PLAN PROCEDURES AND FORMS

Transcription

1 SECTION 13 ADMISSION TO CARE, CARE PLAN, PLACEMENT PLAN PROCEDURES AND FORMS Introduction The Child Care Act, 1991, charges the HSE to promote the welfare of the children in its area who are not receiving adequate care and protection.1[1] The Act recognises that in carrying out this function, it is at times necessary to take children into care, either by voluntary agreement with parents or by means of a court order. Where it appears to the HSE that a child in it s area requires care or protection that he is unlikely to receive unless he is taken into care, it shall be the duty of the HSE to take him into care. CCA 1991 Where a child is being admitted to the care of the HSE, section 36 of the 1991 Child Care Act outlines the ways in which care must be provided, including: (a) Placing the child with a foster carer (b) Placing the child in residential care (c) Making such other suitable arrangements (which may include placing a child with a relative) as the HSE thinks proper. Type of care Orders Section 4 Voluntary Care Section 13 Emergency Care Order Section 17 Interim Care Order Section 18 Care Order Section 23 Special care order Note : a child placed in the custody of the HSE following intervention by an Garda Siochana pursuant to section 12, CCA 1991, is not in the care of the HSE until such time as a care order is granted in the District Court or the child is received into care subject to section 4, CCA 1991, with parental consent. Care Plan A plan to ensure that the needs of a child coming into care are clearly identified and met in a systematic and timely matter. Placement Moves Process Process to manage a child s move to another placement Discharge from Care Processes to manage the discharge of a child from the care of the HSE Management Information Number if Children admitted to care, in care, moves, discharged, with care plan etc. 1[1] Section 3 Welfare of Children part 11, The Childcare Act 1991

2 Children in Care (Overview) Begin Other Child Care Process No No Yes No Consent Legal Legal Activity Proceed Close End Yes Type of Care Prepare for Admission to General Foster Care Prepare for Admission to Relative Foster Care Prepare for Admission to Residential Care Formulate/Update: Care Plan Placement Plan Continue Placement Statutory Review Care Plan Outcome of Review Prepare for Discharge Prepare for Admission to other care type (36.1.d) Admit to Care Transfer Discharge From Care

3 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 1 of 16

4 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 2 of 16

5 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 3 of 16

6 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 4 of 16

7 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 5 of 16

8 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 6 of 16

9 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 7 of 16

10 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 8 of 16

11 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 9 of 16

12 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 10 of 16

13 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 11 of 16

14 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 12 of 16

15 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 13 of 16

16 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 14 of 16

17 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 15 of 16

18 Children in Care Procedure, Forms & Guidance Page 16 of 16

19 SECTION 14 STATUTORY REVIEW OF CHILDREN IN CARE Introduction: Statutory Reviews are governed by regulation. The First Review must be held within two months of placement Reviews in first two years must be held every six months after the first review. Reviews after two years in placement must be held annually In addition, certain emergencies (e.g. multiple unplanned placement moves) may prompt a formal review to be brought forward. Where the review process identifies that there are on-going needs for care services the care plan should be updated and the next review date set. Where the review process identifies that there are no on-going needs for care services then discharge from care should be sought.

20 Statutory Review (CiC) Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 1 of 3

21 Statutory Review (CiC) Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 2 of 3

22 Statutory Review (CiC) Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 3 of 3

23 SECTION 15 TRANSFER OF CHILD IN CARE Transfer of Child in Care From time to time it will be necessary to transfer a child from an existing placement to a new placement. It is important that the pertinent information is recorded each time. In these cases the Care plan must be updated and a new Placement Plan drawn up.

24 Child in Care - Transfer Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 1 of 5

25 Child in Care - Transfer Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 2 of 5

26 Child in Care - Transfer Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 3 of 5

27 Child in Care - Transfer Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 4 of 5

28 Child in Care - Transfer Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 5 of 5

29 SECTION 16 DISCHARGE FROM CARE Many children in care will eventually return to the care of their parents; others reach their eighteenth birthday while still in care and receive aftercare services or move on to fully independent living. In all cases the child or young person is formally discharged from the care of the HSE. The decision to discharge a child from care is generally taken at a statutory review but may arise in unplanned circumstances such as the withdrawal of voluntary consent by parents.

30 Child in Care Discharge Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 1 of 4

31 Child in Care Discharge Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 2 of 4

32 Child in Care Discharge Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 3 of 4

33 Child in Care Discharge Procedure, Form & Guidance Page 4 of 4

34

35 APPENDIX A NOTES ON STANDARDISED BUSINESS PROCESSES 1. Multiple Referrals Multiple Referrals The initial contact that meets the eligibility criteria for a CP&W referral (report) will generate an Intake Record or form and is counted as a REPORT (as per the Interim Data Set). The intake form will record 1 Child and 1 report type. Further contacts regarding this child and this incident may be recorded in case notes and the Intake Record will be updated if appropriate. This continues to be regarded as single IDS REPORT. A 2nd or subsequent contact regarding this child may identify a separate incident and if this necessitates the generation of a new Intake Record then this will be then counted as a separate IDS REPORT. The number of Intake Records (forms) will correspond to the number of REPORT s returned as the count for the Interim Data Set. Multiple Referrals & the Assessment Record A number of Intake Records may be associated with a single Assessment Record. If at the time of the 2nd or subsequent referral, an Initial Assessment is pending or in progress (or preliminary enquires have not been completed) the Intake Record may be completed and attached to (and included as part of) the ongoing or pending Initial Assessment Record, i.e. 2 or more reports may be associated with one assessment. The Action on Completion of a Report will be Initial Assessment. If at the time of the 2nd or subsequent referrals, an Initial Assessment has already been completed in respect of a prior or previous incident, then a new Assessment may be carried out. Guidelines: a) Case or Incident Status: The Preliminary Enquires have not completed or Initial Assessment is pending or in progress Type (of contact) Same incident New/Separate incident Intake Record Action Update the Intake Record (not a new IDS report) Create a new Intake Record (new IDS Report) New Assessmen t Required? No No b) Case Status: The Initial Assessment has been completed and the Action on completion of Assessment activated.

36 Type (of contact) Same incident New/Separate incident Intake Record Action Update the Intake Record (not a new IDS report) Create a new Intake Record (new IDS Report) New Assessment Required? No Yes Generally it will be clear if a contact regarding a child, who is already the subject of a report, constitutes a Separate Incident. Examples of separate incidents include: - A new report type. - An incident of physical abuse that occurred at different time / location to a previously reported incident. - An incident of sexual abuse that occurred at different time / location to a previously reported incident. In some situations it may be less clear if a contact regarding a child who is already the subject of a report constitutes a separate incident and in these cases the social will need to rely on their professional judgement. Examples of separate contacts that may require the Social Worker to make a judgement on whether a contact is a separate incident or not includes: - A report of an incident of neglect - A report of an incident of emotional abuse - Some Welfare Concerns In general if the contact results in an update to the case notes or an update to an existing Intake Record (form) this is regarded as part of the same Referral (Report) If the contact results in the generation of a new Intake Record (form) then this is regarded as a separate REPORT with respect to the count for the Interim Data Set. The return for the Interim Data Set purposes should correspond with the number of Intake Records (forms) and Initial Assessment Records (forms) 2. Re-Reports / Re-Referrals For the purposes of the Interim Data Set (IDS) statistical collections, Re-Reports are defined as new referrals or reports on cases closed in the last 12 months. There may also be local interest in Re-Reports on currently open cases.

37 3. Meetings A meeting is not always necessarily a formal / minuted meeting. It can be a face to face, teleconference or other between two or more people e.g. a Team leader and a social worker. In some cases a form sent to the T/L. acknowledged and signed/ approved will satisfy the requirement for a meeting. 4. Eligibility Criteria If the subject of the report is a child and the report details can be categorised as a primary report type (as defined in the national definitions report), this then constitutes a Child Care Referral. The report type is decided by the professional judgement of the duty social worker. It is important not to be too prescriptive and care must be taken to ensure that this type of responsibility remains with professionals. Practice guidance may be developed in the context of Social Work education and training (i.e. it is not appropriate for business process development). As a general rule, unless it can be shown that a contact is not a child protection or welfare concern then it should be considered a report and the Referral Process i.e. preliminary enquiries / intake should be initiated. A broader / different definition of eligibility criteria may be needed to capture other child care reports e.g. fostering or information & advice requests, adult offenders where no specific child is at risk, etc. This will be re-visited as the other child care processes are subjected to this type of exercise in the future. 5. Interim Data Set The changes agreed to the business process will impact the interim data set (Changes will be required). 6. Deviating form the Process The standard business process is a tool, to be used to support and help, not hinder social workers. A social worker may deviate from the process if it is not helping, to achieve better outcomes for clients (i.e. the children). It is requirement however, that where a deviation occurs, the social worker must record a reason for deviating. The process can be continuously improved by analysing the numbers and reasons for deviations. The success of the new the process design can be measured by the number of deviations. 7. Waiting list The functional specification and the process map for the IT system will include waiting list functionality based on the urgency of the report as an option. 8. Report or Referral The majority view (80/20) is that the process name should be Referral Process. Referral Process is used in this document. Terms such as report and reporter are

38 used in Children First and Interim Data Set and are still used here where the terms such as refer and referrer might cause confusion. 9. National Definitions Report The national Definitions document needs an owner and should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis e.g. annually or bi-annually. 10. Other Report Types The categories of other report types as defined in the National Definitions Report. - Applicants to become foster carers. - Applicants for placement with relatives. - Applicants who want to adopt a child. - Information and tracing. - Enquiries to CPNS. - Cases that may not be eligible for a service but are assessed as directed by the courts. - Access to records. - Notification for pre-school registration. - Other. 11. Size of the Form The workshops (& the forms presented here) focused exclusively on agreeing the content of the forms. The physical size of the forms was not addressed. All, the forms can be reduced to a two leaf booklet. The size of the form can be addressed after the content has been signed off. 12. Electronic Forms Electronic forms, using a standard application like MS Office Infopath, for example, should be considered. This relatively inexpensive solution would provide easy replication of data, text boxes that expand to suit the amount of information collected and a means of getting social workers used to using computer forms in preparation for an IT system. It would also significantly reduce the paper work or form filling overhead associated with manual forms. 13. Emergency protective action - may be initiated at any point in the process - is carried out as an additional action as opposed to an alternative action - may be prioritised over any other action

39 14. Business Process & Social Work Practice Operating procedures and business processes map out the tasks to be achieved but it is the manner in which these tasks are carried that determines their effectiveness. The operating procedures and business processes presented here provide a foundation or platform to support social work practice. They equip the service with a structure to uphold the consistent application of practices and tools such as, SDMs, Risk Assessment tools, Assessment Frameworks and other social work practice instruments. Some of these practice elements are already in use and will simply sit on the agreed business processes as is, others will require further work and/or agreement on the particular version or versions to be used in the HSE, and how they will be linked and integrated into the business processes. Note: selection of a single assessment framework is almost complete. 15. Continuous Process Improvement & Master Files Continuous Process Improvement simply means looking at how we can do our work better. It is not about blaming people for problems or failures and it is not about achieving certain results. Continuous Process Improvement is about improving the process and as the name suggests it is never ending. It is likely that the Operating Procedures and the Forms and guidance presented report will be modified and updated over time by way of continuous process improvement. Any changes must be signed off. Changes apply universally, no unilateral changes are allowed. The Operating Procedures and the Forms and guidance presented report are the latest revision on the date of the report. A separate master and live set of set of documents exists. 16. Sex Offenders & Other Issues A number of issues were raised during the business process consultation There is no standardised process for dealing with reports of alleged abusers. Some areas use child care referral forms to record this type of information. The Intake Record presented here is not designed for this purpose. It is designed to record Child Care reports only. The list of Welfare Concern Categories is controversial in many areas Standardised After Care business processes should be developed to complete the picture for children in care. There is a cohort of children who may be categorised as being at risk of significant harm but who are not being not abused. There are no guidelines available to help or support social workers in terms of dealing with these children.

40

41 APPENDIX B IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INTERIM DATA SET Introduction Section 32 (see Table 32a) of the National Child Care Definitions Report proposes a number of changes to the Interim Data Set to ensure a smooth transition from the present position to that in which the NCCIS is fully implemented. IDS - Section I While the type of change required is fixed, there is some flexibility with respect to the detail. A detailed proposal for or Section I (Referral & Assessment processes) of the IDS is presented here. A high level proposal dealing with other sections of the IDS that will be impacted by the new processes is also outlined. A number of tables will be impacted. Tables 1, 2.1, 2.2 and table 5 will need to be fully re-drafted to comply with the outcomes from the Referral and Assessment processes. The new processes may also impact tables 3.1, 3.2 & 3.3 in some HSE areas. Minor changes may be required to other tables in the Interim Data Set. The impact on the tables listed above is described here. The issue of historical data (i.e. the fear that the data collected through the IDS to date may be lost) has been raised as a concern. As the data to be collected is more detailed than the data that has been collected in the past, it may be possible to map from the new data back to the old and in this way the data already collected can be preserved and remain valuable indefinitely. Possible mappings from new to old are also described below. The old interim data set tables are shown in blue and the corresponding proposed updated permanent data set tables are shown in yellow. Table 1. Number of Reports to the Social Work Department Primary Report Type Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect Welfare Issues Other TOTAL Number of Reports Initial Assessment No Initial Assessment Suggested changes to table 1. see below The referral table may have seven outcomes instead of two. In addition to Initial Assessment the other possible outcomes will be: - NFA/Closed - Strategy Meeting - Emergency Intervention - Notified to An Garda Siochana - Refer to other agency - Information & Advice only

42 New Table 1. Outcome of Referral (Action on completion of a Report) Primary Report Type Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect Welfare Issues Other TOTAL Number of Reports (A) NFA / Close Initial Assesment (B) Tot. Strategy Meeting Emergency/legal action An Garda Síochána Legal action Re-direct Other Historical data (table 1) The data that will be collected may be mapped to the legacy or historical data already collected through the interim data as follows: In the Interim data set A = No. of Reports, B = number of Initial Assessments & C = number or referrals where no Initial Assessment was carried out (i.e. dealt with on the day) A maps to A & B maps to B & C can be calculated {= (A-B)} or equated to NFA/Close. Table 2.1. Outcome of Initial Assessment Primary Report Type Number of Initial Assesment (B) Number notified to CPNMT/CCM (D) Number abuse suspected but child not at risk (E) Child Welfare Concern (F) on-going assessment (H) no concern / closed (G) Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect Welfare Issues Other TOTAL Table 2.2 Outcome of Initial Assessment with assessment on-going at end of previous year Primary Report Type Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect Welfare Issues Other TOTAL Number of Initial Assesment (H**) Number notified to CPNMT/CCM (D*) Number abuse suspected but child not at risk (E*) Child Welfare Concern (F*) no concern / closed (G*) on-going assessment (H*) Suggested changes to table 2.1 & 2.2 see below As Initial Assessment will be a time limited process (20 days) the column on-going assessment (Data item H) will be of little value or not useful and should be removed. Again, as Initial Assessment will be a time limited process (20 days) table 2.2 will be of little value or not useful and should also be removed. As the new process allows the report type to change after assessment the first column could count the report type after assessment. The Report type recorded at Intake is already collected in table 1.

43 The column Welfare Concern (Data item F) is not needed (this information can now be collected in column 1, welfare issues). The Welfare Concern column should be removed. The old tables 2.1 & 2.2 should be replaced by 2 new tables (could be a single combined table) one counting the outcome as per the actions or response on completion of the Initial Assessment and another counting the outcome as per the risk status after Initial assessment (see below). New Table 2.1. Outcome of Initial Assessment (Response) Primary Report Type Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect Welfare Issues None TOTAL Initial Assesment (B) NFA / Close Child Protection Conference Family Support services Further Assessment Family Welfare Conference Care Plan - Admission to Care Tot. New Table 2.2 Outcome of Initial Assessment (Risk) Primary Report Type Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect TOTAL On-going risk of significant harm No on-going risk of significant harm Strategy Meeting Emergency/legal action An Garda Síochána Legal action Historical data (tables 2.1 & 2.2) The data that will be collected in the updated tables may be mapped to the legacy or historical data already collected through the interim data as follows: On-going Assessments may be calculated (equates to the number of referrals in a given period where the action on completion of referral is Initial Assessment (B) less the number of Initial Assessments completed in the same period). Assessments ongoing at end of year can also be calculated (if needed?) No change to number of Initial Assessments i.e. B continues to map to B and No concern/closed will continue to be collected in the new table. Number notified to CPNMT/CCM (D) can be equated to Child Protection Conference*. Number of abuse suspected but child not at risk (E)** can be equated to the total of cases where the Risk status = No on-going risk of significant harm Child Welfare Concern (Data item F) can be mapped to Welfare Issues in Column 1 and A (as above). * Assumption (as/is the meaning of this data varies from area to area) Re-direct Other

44 ** IDS guidance - Number abuse suspected but child not at risk (E) refers to cases NOT notified to CPNMT but abuse suspected. Tables 3.1, 3.2 & 3.3. Outcome of case notified and not notified to CPNMT Primary type of abuse Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect TOTAL Notified to CPNMT (D+D*) Primary type of abuse Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect TOTAL Accepted to CPNS (J) Confirmed abuse Primary type of abuse Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect TOTAL Confirmed non-abuse Abuse suspected but Outcome of cases In - On-going conclusive child not at risk Confirmed abuse Confirmed non-abuse Notified to CPNMT but not Outcome of cases In - On-going conclusive accepted to CPNS Confirmed abuse Confirmed non-abuse Outcome of cases In - On-going conclusive Tables 3.1, 3.2 & 3.3 will be impacted by changes to the Referral & Assessment processes, only if the data items; (i) Confirmed abuse; (ii) Confirmed non-abuse, (iii) Inconclusive and (iv) On-going, are collected in the Initial Assessment form. This may be the case in some areas and will need to be carefully managed as part of pilot & implementation. Revised Interim Data Set An almost infinite amount of information will be capable of being collected through the business processes (with the NCCIS ICT system). The appropriate sections of the existing Child Care Minimum Data set will be re-designed so that they align with the new business processes. The table below is an outline of how the post business process implementation data set will look. Other data items will be possible (The IDS runs to many pages i.e data items). QUESTION / METRIC (High Level) Referral & Initial Assessment No of Referrals Outcome of Referral Outcome of Initial Assessment RETURN / DATA (High Level) Initial Assessment or Close Case Risk Status ( At / Not at: Risk of Significant Harm) Child Abuse or Welfare Concern Type of Abuse Type of Intervention (List)

45 Child Protection No. of Requests for a Child Protection Conference Source of Request for CPC Outcome of Request for CPC where the Request is denied Outcome of CPC / Review CPC Child Welfare - Family Support Planning No. of Requests for Family Support Plan Source of Request for Family Support Plan Accepted Not accepted Outcome of Initial Assessment Outcome of other Intervention Close case Alternative Intervention (List) Child's Name listed on CPNS / Formulate CP Plan Child's Name removed form on CPNS /Close CP Plan Risk Status ( At / Not at: Risk of Significant Harm) Child Abuse or Welfare Concern Type of Abuse Type of Intervention (List) Close Case No of Children with CP Plan Alternative Intervention (List) Outcome of Initial Assessment Outcome of Initial Assessment Outcome of other Intervention Outcome of Family Support Plan / Review of FSP Outcome of where Family Support Plan is closed Services offered Close FS Plan No of Children with FS Plan Close Case Alternative Intervention (List) Family Welfare Conference No. of requests for FWC Source of Request for FWC Outcome of requests for FWC No. of FWC's Outcome of FWC No. of Review FWC's Outcome of Review FWC Outcome of Initial Assessment Outcome of Initial Assessment Outcome of other SW intervention FWC Alternative Social Work Dept. intervention Family Plan Alternative Social Work Dept. intervention No of Children with Family Plan Family Plan Alternative Social Work Dept. intervention No of Children with updated Family Plan

46 Children in Care No. of Admissions to Care Reason for Admission Court Directed CO ( List) Voluntary Type of Placement No of Children in Care No of Children in Care with/ Without Care Plan No of Children in Care with 'lapsed' Care Plan No. of placement Transfers of children in care Reason for Transfer No. of Discharge form Care Reason for Discharge form Care Breakdown Other Age Court Directed CO ( List) Voluntary Voluntary Type of After Care

47 APPENDIX C PROJECT TEAM & WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS The NCCIS Business Process Standardisation Project was carried out over a number of years. It involved intensive and extensive consultation with stakeholders throughout the country. The Referral and Assessment processes were addressed first. Standardisation of the Child Protection processes followed Referral and Assessment. The remaining business processes Child Welfare - Family Support Planning, Family Welfare Conference & Children in Care were addressed together under the aegis of the Child & Family Services Task Force initiative The overall project was managed by Joseph Murphy, HSE Child & Family Services Limerick. Peggy Ryan, Regional Child Care Information Officer, HSE West took the lead role standardising the Family Welfare Conference Processes. Con Lynch, Principal Social Worker, HSE South, took the lead role standardising the Children in Care Processes. The composition of the project teams varied, depending on the process being addressed. Referral & Assessment Team Michele Clear Con Lynch Ita O Brien Una Ryan Sharon Campbell Paddy Martin Peggy Ryan Mary Tiernan Michael Gallagher Mary McDonald Pat Osborne Mark Yalloway Mary Hargaden Eilidh McNab Mick Parry Finola Downes Colin Harrison Margaret Mitchell Cormac Quinlan John Smyth Gerry Lowry Clare Murphy Kathleen O Sullivan Joseph Murphy (PM) Other Participants: Rachel Devlin Rose McCaffrey Brian Ryle Child Protection Team Ann Logan Eugene Bigley Mick Parry Una Ryan Clare Murphy Ita O Brien Paddy Martin Kathleen O Sullivan Colin Harrison Margaret Mitchell Pat Osborne Michele Clear Con Lynch Mary McDonald Peggy Ryan Finola Downes Cormac Quinlan Mary Tiernan Sharon Campbell John Quin Eilidh McNab Michael Gallagher Child Welfare (Family Support Planning) & Children in Care Team Una Ryan Kathleen O Sullivan Ita O Brien Sharon Campbell Paddy Martin Maureen Boland Cormac Quinlan Margy Dyas

48 Eugene Bigley John Quin Anne Kelly Mary Meyler Mick Parry Mary McDonald Colin Harrison Ann Logan Clare Murphy Margaret Mitchell Eilidh McNab Donal McCormack Pat Osborne Ann Kelly William O Rourke Con Lynch (PM CiC) Joseph Murphy (PM CW) Family Welfare Conference Team Breda C. Lynch John O Riordan Mo Smith Regina Carolan Mark Yalloway JoeCullen Keith Rossiter Kevin O'Farrell Peggy Ryan (PM) Task 3 Child & Family Services Task Force initiative 2009 Lead LHM: Task#3 Team: Seamus Moore, HSE South Peggy Ryan, HSE West Con Lynch, HSE South Joseph Murphy, HSE Children & Family Services

49 APPENDIX D IMPLEMENTATION Project Plan Overview Step 1 Elaboration/ Consultation Step 2 Pilot / Pre-Implementation Step 3 Implement / Deploy Nationally Step 4 Monitor, Audit & Close out Introduction Ownership and buy-in by Social Work staff is very important in ensuring a successful roll out of the new processes. The agreed national processes however should never be modified to accommodate local preferences (national structured changes may be permitted but unilateral changes are not allowed). Staff in any organisation and especially staff not directly involved in formulating new processes are generally reluctant to change existing practices and procedures. In addition, in this case there is an added difficulty in that these changes must be implemented without disrupting existing services. Sign-off and strong official support for the new procedures coupled with a commitment to allow users to review and update the processes periodically should help to address issues. Difficulties should be recognised and accepted up front. Individual change management plans may be required for each area and local teams may be allowed some control over the implementation timetable (But not over process design local variation is not allowed.) Step 1 Elaboration Step 1 is concerned with the elaboration of the business process requirements and the development of appropriate standards and documentation. (Note: the time to complete this step for Referral & Assessment was 7 to 8 months, however with no external resources or costs to the HSE). Step 2 Pre-Implementation The elaborated processes are tested by way of a pilot and for a period of six months. Pre-Implementation or Pilot Tasks - Obtain NSC support - Identify a number of LHO s who are willing to lead by way of pilot 2. (At least 4 pilot areas, one per region, 2 rural and 2 urban, should be identified). - Document the current state for each pilot area and identify the steps to move from the current state to the future state. - Identify and put in place any project management support and training needed. - Identify any funding requirements, resource implications and extra training time needed as a result of pilot. Address same (It was suggested that this might be handled locally i.e. by the LHO). 2 The incentive for the LHO s selected is that they would have a strong influence on shaping the detail of the final version of the operating procedures. Compliant LHO s are also incentivised via the opportunities that arise as a consequence of being an early adopter, including new technology, advanced training opportunities, selection as pilot sites for leading edge practices, funding etc.

50 - Develop a communication plan (It was proposed that regular meetings between the pilot sites should be held during the test phase to maintain consistency and to agree any changes etc that may be required. A change procedure or mechanism to be used by the pilot areas should be agreed in advance. The project team should remain involved and sign-off any changes (bi-monthly meetings suggested) agreed during the pilot). - Train the new users (social workers and team leads). Begin operating the new procedures. Monitor over the allocated period of time. - Evaluate and identify ways to embed the changes, training, follow up etc. - National sign-off for full deployment i.e. all LHO s transition to the new process. Step 3 Implementation Plan Outline The Referral, Initial & Further Assessment processes will be implemented in all social work departments on an LHO by LHO basis over 12 Months. This will be followed directly by implementation of the Child Welfare/Family Support, Family Welfare Conference and Children in Care business processes over the following 12 Months Linked (but separate) to this; It is planned that the Care Planning Policy 3 will be implemented (ahead of the Children in Care business process). The Supervision Policy and other policy documents 4 will be implemented in the context of the findings of the Strategic Review of the Delivery and Management of Child Protection Services. The business process implementation plan has three phases and will be implemented over two years. Sign off and stakeholder preparation Survey and change process design Local implementation. The implementation process will combine both concurrent and consecutive action: Sign off and stakeholder preparation will be completed in First Quarter. Survey and change process design will begin at the end of the first quarter and continue until the end of the third quarter. Local implementation will begin in the second quarter and continue until the end of the fourth quarter. Readiness for change will be significantly influenced by: Previous involvement as a pilot site Previous involvement of LHO personnel in the Business Process Project Group Current deployment of RAISE system Current deployment of SWIS system. 3 A deliverable of the National Child Care Task Force A deliverable of the National Child Care Task Force 2009

51 Broadly speaking, pilot sites and those with team members involved in the BP project group will have significant advantage. Sites employing RAISE and more significantly SWIS will present particular challenges. The implementation team will consist of Implementation Steering Group Full time Change Manager Local teams (per LHO) including PSW, TL, Information Officer and Training Officers. The Change Manager, supported by the Steering Group, will: Survey the existing processes in each LHO social work team Design a change plan for each team Oversee change process Provide support and advice to each team during implementation phase. Although change will be managed per LHO, teams will be clustered around change champions i.e. stakeholders with knowledge of and commitment to the new processes. Change support will be provided through: Telephone/ Site visits Cluster meetings Implementation Blog Peer contact. There are two elements to the implementation, tasks that must be carried out at a national level (the National Plan), and local implementation plans. There will be a local implementation plan for each LHO National Plan - Work Breakdown Set Up 1.1 National Steering Committee Sign-off 1.2 Proof & professionally design SOPs and Forms 1.3 Develop Electronic Versions of the forms 1.4 Make SOPs & Forms available on Intranet & other 1.5 Engagement with Impact/HR 1.6 Publicise Changes I 1.7 Appoint Change Manager 1.8 Formal BP Standardisation Announcement 1.9 Specifics / Plan / Implementation announcement 1.10 Publicise Changes II RAISE 2.1 Identify incompatibilities 2.2 Meet system users/vendor 2.3 Resolve and agree changes 2.4 Implement changes SWIS 3.1 Identify incompatibilities

52 3.2 Meet system users 3.3 Resolve and agree changes to Process 3.4 Implement changes IDS 4.1 Agree changes to IDS / 4.2 Agree changeover date 4.3 Announce through the CCIO group* Local Implementation 5.1 LHO by LHO (see local plan below) Local Implementation Plan - Work Breakdown 1 Prepare Local Implementation Team 1.1 Set up local implementation team 1.2 Brief/ Train/Instruct Local Impl. Team - Familiarise with new processes 2 Assess readiness / Prepare LHO 2.1 Identify change steps req'd 2.2 From AS/IS to TO/BE 2.3 Interface of processes to existing local processes 2.4 Organisational changes 2.5 ICT Changes (i.e. RAISE, SWIS, Access database) 2.6 Identify any potential resistance to the new process. 2.7 Document and agree a transition timetable 2.8 Prepare LHO. 3 Prepare Social Work Team 3.1 Identify all users of new forms and procedures 3.2 Provide users ( SW Team with Forms & Procedures/ Training Materials) 3.3 Train/Instruct SW Teams 4 Go Live 4.1 Begin Operating the new processes 4.2 Remove existing versions of forms & procedures and replace with new forms and procedures. 4.3 Monitor progress, identify problems and action. Recognise successes. 4.4 Assess the effectiveness of the support arrangements & modify. 5 Step 4 Monitor & Control 5.1 Regular meetings between implementation sites 5.2 Ensure the new processes and work practices are being followed 5.3 Implement corrective action where new operating procedures are not being followed. 5.4 Ensure new ways of working are reflected in all relevant documentation 6 Communication 6.1 Continue communication activities, maintain focus. 6.2 Implementation review, lessons learnt, benefits realised. 6.3 Celebrate success 6.4 Close Handover Step 4 Monitor & Control Post implementation it will be important to ensure that the use of the new procedures and forms is sustained i.e. it is important that child care services avoid falling back into the old methods. Tasks Ensure the new processes and work practices are being followed by way of, interview, observation audit of case notes etc.

53 Implement corrective action where new operating procedures are not being followed. Ensure compliance is recognised and rewarded. Ensure that the new processes and ways of working are reflected in all relevant documentation, e.g. publications, job descriptions, etc. Continue communication activities, maintain focus. Celebrate success After the revised business processes have been operating for 12 months, quantitative data should be collected to evaluate how they are operating. Qualitative audit and evaluation of various aspects of the business process could also be considered. At the end of the evaluation period a formal review of the revised business processes should be undertaken. Implementation & Implications for Interim Data Set Changes to the Interim Data Set to facilitate the transition from the current situation to that in which the new Referral & Assessment Processes are fully implemented will be required. The issue of historical data (i.e. the fear that the data collected through the IDS to date may be lost) has been raised as a concern. As the data to be collected is more detailed than the data that has been collected in the past, it is may be possible to map from the new data back to the old and in this way the preserve the data already collected. Current ICT Position and Implementation Local child care information systems are in place in a number of areas. SWIS is operational for a number of years in the former ERHA region. RAISE is implemented or approved for implementation in HSE South East, North West, Cork North Lee, Mayo, Roscommon and Meath LHO. These IT systems will have to be upgraded. Other local databases e.g. access, are also in place in a number of HSE areas. Donegal Sligo Leitrim Mayo Roscommon Carlow Kilkenny Meath Greater Dublin Tipperary (S.R.) Wexford Waterford Cork North Lee