Social Care Case Study: Enfield London Borough Council

The results

Over the 18-week term of the project, the Skylakes team successfully managed 161 cases with an average case duration of six weeks. 158 assessments were completed (three were not required), with 99% of these delivered within the agreed timescales. All assessments were carried out in accordance with what was then the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013 statutory guidance on inter-agency working.

Just over 37% of cases were closed. 30.43% of cases were identified for step down to universal services. Our team worked closley with early help, jointly putting into place a very clear team around the child and family to ensure a sustainable and planned de-escalation. After
some intensive intervention throughout the single assessment process, only 23% of cases were identified as needing to be progressed to Child in Need (CIN) plans with a SMART CIN plan being produced.

In just under 9% of cases, the Skylakes social worker identified the need to convene an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC) with Skylakes presenting these cases to a multi-agency conference with a holistic strengths based child protection report and recommendations for planning.

Project Highlights

Enfield London Borough Council
July to November 2014
Skylakes social workers managed a total of 161 cases
All cases had a detailed single assessment and were managed through to clearly identified points of transfer or closure
158 assessments were carried out

The challenge

With an anticipated increase in the number of referrals into its Duty Service, Enfield London Borough Council needed additional capacity support from a fully-managed team of experienced social work practitioners whilst it focused on a long-term solution through the recruitment of permanent staff.

Skylakes flexible business model was a perfect fit and all that was required to continue to support the effective in-house practice and sustain well trained and motivated teams and manageable caseloads in the face of a spike
in demand.

Our approach

To assist in resolving the predicted areas of pressures in a timely and cost effective way, Skylakes put together a specialist Duty Team to operate remotely, comprising five experienced social workers, supported by two project support officers. They were supervised by a Skylakes Practice Manager, working on-site for a minimum of two days each week for project updates and consultation.
Our partnership with Enfield London Borough Council was a time-limited piece of work; an innovative solution chosen by an ambitious service striving to sustain effectiveness.

Meticulous planning was a key feature of the Skylakes model in guaranteeing a consistent high quality of service while the Council continued to invest in permanent social work teams, systems and support staff. We put in place a robust project workflow, enabling our team to successfully assess and case manage children through to very clear identified points of transfer or
closure.

At Skylakes we’re also strongly committed to clear reporting and quality control. To monitor the effectiveness of the project, we designed weekly management reports to the Council’s specification. We also delivered a detailed post-project review, not just to analyse performance against the brief, but also to provide valuable insights which might help drive future service transformation.