Regulatory change is often met with caution by the social care sector. What does it mean? Is it necessary? Will it just create more red tape and hoops for providers to jump through?
However, the latest shift in position by Ofsted has landed differently this time – certainly from a Tristone perspective. Last month, the regulator announced changes to its social care common inspection framework (SCCIF), in response to concerns that some providers are rejecting referrals for children with complex needs due to fears about how it will impact their Ofsted rating.
In many situations, this means children are being placed far from family and friends, experience multiple moves, or end up in unsuitable accommodation.
The changes are intended to reinforce the purpose of the SCCIF, which was designed to ‘focus on children’s progress and experiences, as opposed to their outcomes’.
Ofsted said the changes would put a sharper focus on:
- How providers promote and sustain stability for children, including those with high needs
- How providers balance the needs of a child requiring placement with those already living in the setting
- The timeliness of a provider’s work to prepare children for their next move
- How accurately placement decisions reflect a provider’s statement of purpose.
Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s national director for social care, said: “We want providers to be risk-aware, not risk-averse.”
The move from Ofsted is a helpful one for the sector and one that should be embraced. History and experience tells us that the ‘focus on children’s progress and experiences, as opposed to their outcomes’ has not always been followed; in certain cases, little acknowledgement has been given to the small but significant wins, or the time it takes to really support children with complex needs.
Ultimately, regardless of frameworks and ratings, as providers we have to take a chance on children who come to us with heavier baggage than others. It’s our responsibility to provide them with the best service possible. Surely it’s our reason for being? We have to see the children behind the problems. We have to go on a journey with them and, along the way, celebrate the successes – however small they might be. It’s essential, therefore, that Ofsted recognises those tiny steps forward, rather than taking punitive action if outcomes don’t match tick box targets.
One big challenge in embracing this approach is around skills development for staff teams. We need to ensure the good people who we employ are trained as well as is possible. It’s all well and good being idealistic about how children with complex needs should be supported, but without the best people to build those relationships, earn the trust of traumatised young people, celebrate the small wins, and provide a safe space for them without fail, then delivering on those promises can be a lot harder to achieve.
While skills and teams are vital, therapeutic care models, such as Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), can also play an important role in informing effective practice and how we successfully manage hard to reach young people.
Above all, the biggest tool in our toolbox is resilience. Whether it’s children or vulnerable adults, they will always display challenging behaviours and, as providers, as teams, we need to be brave, we need to be resilient. Regardless of how difficult a shift was, to go back in the following day and approach those difficult relationships with the same positivity and care is what separates the great social care professionals from the good.
Because there is no better therapy than being parented well, whether that’s substitute parenting or otherwise. If a child knows that no matter what they do, they are loved and they are treasured for who they are, that somebody recognises the good things that they bring to the world, and they see in themselves that they are someone worth spending time with, then that is as good a recovery experience as a child can have.
