News & Updates
Surrey Supporting and Safeguarding during #covid19 response
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Staying in touch with children and families
Safeguarding Adolescents Teams (SAT) and Targeted Youth Support (TYS)
We are practicing in unprecedented circumstances. Colleagues across the agencies are being asked to work with families of colleagues’ caseloads in addition to those of their own. They are also being asked to re-deploy to another part of the service to support vulnerable children.
We have to pull together; we have to support each other to keep children safe.
For every child who has an allocated social worker, everything will be carried out to ensure children are safe and we meet our statutory duties.
In all cases, risk assessments will determine whether the child can be visited virtually, a mix if virtual and face to face visits or if the visits must be face to face. This can be done using WhatsApp onto all Surrey County Council phones, this is because many of our families can access WhatsApp and we can conduct video visits. This approach ensures there is an ongoing dialogue between social worker / practitioner and families that factors in the impact of the current situation is having on families and children. This way interventions can be responsive to current needs.
Talk about the work of the Surrey Voice and Participation Team UVP going virtual
The User Voice and Participation Team are the lead for Children’s, Families and Lifelong Learning on championing the involvement of service users in the shaping of future service delivery.
Since COVID 19 places restrictions on the work UVP have taken to sharing their plans to make sure user voice continues to fly the flag on behalf of Surrey children and families using their digital savvy to reach far and wide.
Examples of work going on currently
- Virtual Participation Groups – meeting more than weekly
Camhs Youth Advisors, SEND Youth Advisors Surrey, Care Council, Care Council Juniors & Youth Cabinet.
- Blogs – Blogs currently include, what to do if you’re feeling worried or anxious about Coronavirus and How to look after your mental health during Coronavirus
- Due to current circumstances the CYP Havens have physically closed temporarily, however the CYP Havens are still offering a virtual service over the phone! The phone-line 07773 008435 is available:
Weekdays 4.30pm-8.30pm
Weekends 12pm-6pm
CONTACTS: Email [email protected] Instagram & Twitter @OurVoiceSurrey
Council
Risk Management Meetings for child exploitation
RMM’s meet weekly in each of the Surrey quadrants to provide oversight and safety and disruption plans of each child exploitation case. The meeting is currently chaired by a children’s social care / targeted youth support service manager with multi agency membership from the police, health, education and our voluntary sector provider, WISE.
RMM’s provide crucial information about the child and their safety and will continue to do so during the COVID 19 restrictions on face to face meetings. RMM’s will meet on a virtual basis and invite participants to join the meeting as per required.
Surrey CEMU Teams
Surrey Police Child Exploitation & Missing Units (CEMU) stand firm during these extraordinary times to protect children from harm and exploitation.
The CEMU team are still able to carry out their core functions, albeit often remotely unless deployment is needed.
They are carrying out their single point of contact role by telephone and text messages with children at risk of exploitation and deploying when necessary.
The CEMU teams will create a management plan for the victim, which will include referrals to other support agencies, telephone contact with parents/carers to offer advice, regular contact with the child to offer support and gain disclosures and intelligence. They will also liaise with other departments, create Trigger plans if a child is at repeated risk of going missing and submit an NRM is they believe they have been Trafficked.
A Risk Management Plan is created for every suspect and the teams are still proactively pursuing those known to abuse children.
Missing Children and RHI’s
They continue to work tirelessly alongside uniformed officers and partner agencies to share the right information quickly so missing children are offered help, to reduce and prevent the repeat nature of this behaviour. Children are continually advised to stay at home and stay in contact with family members to avoid further harm, therefore reducing the risk of children being exploited.
CEMU officers continue to review the information that is shared with police about missing and exploited children via partnership intelligence forms and Return Home Interviews (RHI). With the help of partner agencies, police can better identify risks to children and increase safeguarding measures to help protect them in the community. This information will contribute towards the disruption of offender activity and inform police about where, when, why, with what and how offenders exploit our most vulnerable children.
Families
Children’s Single point of Access C-SPA
Please use email when sending a Children’s Services Request for Support Form to [email protected]
The Schools and Early Years Consulation line is s open Monday to Fridays 9.00am – 5.00pm dial 0300 470 9100 and select this option.
The Surrey C-SPA will continue to offer advice, support and referral and have put in place measures to ensure their continued specialist support around domestic abuse and substance misuse. This service offers consultation and advice to professionals /practitioners to support families and link to appropriate services. In addition, a Primary Mental Health Worker (PMHW) will support C-SPA staff with case consultations on requests for support regarding Mental Health and the Parenting Coordinatorsteam have put together helpful packs for families and this is available on Family Information Service Website or via CSPA. The Parenting Coordinators are also available to speak with professionals and parents finding it difficult to manage family life and being isolated together at this time. For example, how to deal with behaviour, boundaries, home schooling, parental wellbeing whilst in lockdown.
Online Safely – CEOP
Schools across the UK are now closed to most families. We know this is a difficult time for most parents. This page is intended to provide you with support and resources to help you learn about online safety at home with your child.
Home activity packs This page has been created to support parents during COVID-19 and the closure of schools. Each fortnight, we will be releasing new home activity packs with simple 15 minute activities you can do with your child to support their online safety at a time when they will spending more time online at home.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
Communities
Community Covid-19 Helpline – new community helpline has been created to help direct residents to services that can help during the coronavirus pandemic. The Community Helpline will support residents if friends and family are unable to, such as picking up shopping and to provide advice on where to register your offer of support to the community.
The Community Helpline number: 0300 200 1008 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).
10am-2pm at weekends
https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/emergency-planning-and-community-safety
Family Information Service and Local Offer Web Pages – there is a specific Covid-19 support page on the local offer and FIS website which can be found:
https://www.surreylocaloffer.org.uk/kb5/surrey/localoffer/advice.page?id=s8d0Hl3q3O0
Government Publications
Contact [email protected] for further information.