Virtual meetings success for Telford children's service

Jo Britton, Telford & Wrekin’s executive director for children’s safeguarding and family support, told councillors “parents and carers have felt they can engage more positively” by phone and video conference, and feel “less inhibited and sometimes a little more free to talk”.

Speaking to the children and young people scrutiny committee, she also said the authority had successfully campaigned to recruit foster carers during the Covid-19 pandemic, with new volunteers currently undergoing assessment.

Ms Britton said the crisis may have given potential carers “time to reflect” ahead of making the decision.

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She was replying to a question from committee member Janice Jones about how the pandemic had affected the department and whether it had increased the numbers of children in care.

Ms Britton said: “Covid clearly affected the way in which we provide services for children and families but, I’m pleased to say, when lockdown came into being, we quickly risk-assessed all of our children’s cases in terms of priority. Our children have continued to have contact with our children’s social worker and social care staff regularly.

“Any visits that we made, and continue to make, we undertake risk assessments prior to visiting.

Insight

“We’ve worked virtually. What it has opened up for a lot of us is another world, perhaps a bit of an insight into the children’s world that some of us are more unfamiliar with. We’ve engaged really well and really positively with our children in a virtual manner. So we’ve had WhatsApp conversations, [Microsoft] Teams conversations, we’ve had lots of different ways of working directly with children.

“I think a lot of young people like the fact that they feel more in control in that kind of conversation.

“We’ve got more in family engagement, for example, with child protection case conferences. Parents and carers have felt they can engage more positively in this way. I think they feel less inhibited and sometimes a little more free to talk. That’s the feedback we’ve been getting.”

She said referrals into the council’s Family Connect service had been “slow”, while the numbers of children in care had remained “steady” steady” during lockdown but were now seeing a “slight increase”, which she attributed to the court system.

“Courts have not been able to move forward as quickly in hearings where final orders would have been made and children would have come out of care,” Ms Britton said.

“But, I’m pleased to say, we’re starting to see those court hearing dates being made now, so those things are gradually unlocking and I’m hopeful those will balance out again.”

Chairman Angela McClements praised the council communications team for continuing to promote foster and adoptive care, and Ms Britton agreed the campaign had been successful.

“Perhaps Covid gave people time to reflect and make choices and perhaps changes in their lives,” Ms Britton said.

“We’ve assessed people who came forward during that time and they’re going through periods of assessment now to become foster carers for Telford and Wrekin.”