.
The children and families of Newcastle are today supported by a wide range of organisations and people. Most people using these services are happy with the help they receive. However we still need to consider how we can improve outcomes for more children and young people in Newcastle.
One problem may be that a lack of co-ordination between services. If there is no joint planning between the services, inefficiencies in service provision may arise. Some services to the child or young person may be duplicated whilst others are omitted. Viewing this from a parent or carers point of view may be very confusing and also time consuming.
We want services to work harmoniously together sharing vital information to provide more efficient and better quality services. Currently many services are asking the same questions and not sharing the answers they are given, particularly so in assessments. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) aims to improve this.
We now need to involve children, young people and their families more both in influencing service design and also in evaluating the impact of such services. They are best placed to tell us what works and what doesn’t.
The Newcastle Plan for Children and Young People states clearly how we aim to change. Most money is spent on helping children and young people once problems have occurred as this is the point when agencies become involved. In the past not enough money has been spent on preventing problems at an early stage before things get serious.
Some children will always require help because of the disadvantage they face. We are working towards an approach that targets funding and resources at the first onset of problems before they escalate through our Early Intervention and Prevention Strategy.
By working more closely together we will create services by which the needs, interests and welfare of the children and young people in Newcastle can be better protected. They are entitled to services that not only safeguard them but also realise their potential to the very best of their ability.