The problems of implementing integrated working on the ground are well documented. Not only do mindsets and working cultures have to change, but practical strategies such as the Common Assessment Framework have to be embraced by a range of agencies.
As part of its drive to tackle these issues, the Children's Workforce Development Council is inviting bids for funding to help people who work with children, young people and families share their experiences of working together. Its CWDC Share! project will provide individual grants of £10,000 to nine successful sites across England.
According to CWDC, projects should demonstrate effectively how integrated working can help improve the lives of children, young people and families. They should expose the issues and barriers that organisations encounter when implementing integrated working and demonstrate how these can be overcome in working together.
CWDC is interested in receiving bids from sites which are developing approaches to CAF, supervision in an integrated setting, the role of the lead professional, the role of the budget-holding lead professional, multi-agency working and general innovation in integrated working.
Team Journey
Another dimension of CWDC Share! has involved special teams travelling around the country talking to and learning from frontline practitioners, managers, parents, children, young people and directors of children's services.
Eight local areas have so far taken part and their ideas and experiences are documented in three resources, which include a magazine entitled Sharing the Journey, an interactive e-book and a DVD. CWDC recently brought together all the regional teams involved for a roundtable discussion in London, where views and initiatives were exchanged.
As Deirdre Quill, CWDC director of Workforce Reform, says, 'the magazine, e-book and DVD are designed to be lively and easy to use and provide real insights into how professionals in different areas of the country are making integrated working a reality.'
Eight local authorities are included in the magazine, including Doncaster, where information sharing and assessment development manager Liz Roe shares a diary about her progress with the Common Assessment Framework. In Bath and North East Somerset, practitioners recount their efforts to ensure that the child's voice is kept at the centre of CAF practice.
The accompanying 40-minute DVD brings this work to life and provides plenty for practitioners to think about.
Further information: Tenders for CWDC Share! opened on 5 May and will close on June 13. Application forms are available at www.cwdcouncil.org.uk. The DVD, magazine and e-book can also be accessed on the website.
