National Public Protection Leadership Group: workplan

Priority 6: Tacking the difficult issues of transitions and pathways between services

Rationale for inclusion in workplan: Proposed that the workstream covers issues around pathways and links across services, gaps in transitions (ages; nature of harm; eligibility criteria) and services working together to wrap around individuals and families. Families are often linked into multiple public protection supports/systems at the one time, such as the allocation of an adult, child and justice social worker all supporting different members of the same family. Equally, someone in the household may also be linked into alcohol and drug services and/ or domestic abuse supports. One domestic abuse situation (victim/survivor) may be discussed at multiple different meetings. Public protection systems do not always work together cohesively - strategically and operationally - to ensure families and vulnerable individuals are at the centre. Some of the biggest risks are in the gaps between the systems, and in how people move or are moved between systems. The systems/services themselves are often not set up in a way that is navigable for individuals and families. Issues around 16 and 17 year olds, in particular challenges in relation to mental health supports for 16 and 17 year olds – complexity of landscape regarding roles of social work, Health, MWC etc.

Relevant extract from NPPLG term of reference: Provide national multi-agency leadership of public protection. Bringing more coherence and simplification to public protection policy (and delivery) as part of a whole systems approach to improving outcomes. Develop an agreed vision for public protection. Identify requirements for national policy responses to emerging risks and issues, and co-develop solutions which respond to identified barriers, and inconsistencies in practice, guidance and legislation across different parts of public protection

NPPLG Sponsor: Alison White and TBC

Objective of NPPLG workstream: To consider gaps in transitions between services with regards to age; nature of harm; eligibility criteria. To make recommendations on how we can improve a system fractured by design, and eliminate gaps created by the system.

Priorities for the NPPLG Workstream

Short term priority

Work to understand the lived experience journey of individuals and families with regard to our protection systems.

Progress work to better understand the issues in relation to the gaps in transitions between services in terms of age (16/17 year old issue); the nature of the harm, and eligibility criteria

Continue to progress work to assess impact of IRISS table/report and transitions principles document

Progress action 11 Equally Safe Plan to understand how we progress actions on the required links between VAWG and the wider public protection landscape

Medium term priorities

TBC

Long term priorities

TBC

Establish a new NPPLG Sub group

No – further work on priorities required and understanding what transitions groups that are in place are doing before a decision is made on whether a new subgroup is required and what its focus might be

Complementary work being progressed by existing groups now in the ambit of NPPLG

Propose that we get updates as appropriate from the following areas:

• Evaluation of the IRISS table/report “Understanding age in Child Protection guidance and Adult Support and Protection legislation”.
• CPC Scotland Guiding Principles for Safe Transitions from Childhood to Adulthood document.
• Updates on progress with regard to the Redesign of the Children Hearing System, specifically with regard to recommendation 11.19.
• Development of the Disabled young people: National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy.
• Work on GIRFE.
• Work in relation to contextual and transitional safeguarding.

Complementary work being progressed through local COG's which we want to support with a view to supporting the spreading of innovation

Work in complex needs seeking to work across pathways with people in criminal justice, mental health, drugs and alcohol.

Some local areas have updated transitions guidance