Children’s services

Shaping the whole continuum of need

Here at IPC our consultancy, applied research, evaluation and skills development activities as well as our publications relate to all aspects of the continuum of need for children and families.

We work with organisations and partnerships to explore the sufficiency of early help for families facing difficult times through to specialist social care services, including child in need, child protection, and services for looked after children and care leavers. We're also looking at how these different parts of the continuum relate to and support each other to ensure that children and families are getting the right help at the right time.

Evaluating innovation

We are an independent evaluation partner for the Department for Education’s Innovation and Partners in Practice Programme, currently supporting four innovation and Partner in Practice sites, including:

• The Hampshire Partner in Practice ‘Transformation Programme’ exploring whole system change in children’s social care
• Calderdale’s ‘Positive Choices’ Programme exploring support to very vulnerable first time parents
• Cornwall’s integrated early help services
• North of Tyne children’s services collaboration

We previously evaluated innovation programmes in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to improve targeted, culturally attuned family support to families at risk of requiring a Child in Need intervention / Child Protection Plan and in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to achieve a reduction in demand for social work-led interventions. To inform these evaluations we produced a series of What Works literature reviews:

• The role of volunteers within family support
• Supporting children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation
• Working with families with toxic trio issues
• The value of enhanced administrative support to social workers
• What works for young people on the edge of care
• How to deliver effective culturally attuned family support

We have also been commissioned by the Department for Education to evaluate the Adoption Support Fund from 2018 onwards.

For Welsh Government, we have evaluated the Outcomes for Children with a Care Order and the extent to which Parents with a Learning Disability are supported to care for their children (2018–19). 

For a variety of public and voluntary sector organisations including Barnardo's and Family Action, we are evaluating intensive family support services, edge of care provision, domestic abuse supports, and therapeutic support for children who have experienced trauma and emotional health and well being services. 

Our Consultancy Offer

• We are supporting a number of local authorities in England and Wales to review the extent to which their support for vulnerable families and children's social care model(s) are fit for purpose
• We have been commissioned by a region in Wales to develop a business case for and implement a regionally-led Resource Hub for looked after children with the most complex needs
• We have been commissioned to provide bespoke Leadership and Development Programmes for Heads of Service and Team Managers across Children's Services for local authorities across England and Wales
• We are supporting all local authorities in the Republic of Ireland to commission evidence-based edge of care services for children and families
• We have been commissioned to undertake a review of decision making across a pathway for looked after children for one local authority in Wales
• We have undertaken a review of the adequacy of adoption support commissioned across a large consortium of local authorities
• We have recently completed a project to review and support the continued personalisation of services for children with disabilities and their families including the development of a fair access tool
• For the Department for Education, we have explored the strengths and weaknesses of the Children’s Residential Care Market in England 
• We have worked with many  local areas to review and develop their Early Help including Team around the Family offer or a Business Case for the development of such an offer