Service Integration Project (CWD)

Project Manager: Janet Leeson and Alison Plumb
Project Proposal agreed: Children Services Management Team Meeting on 24th October 2006
Purpose of the MI Sheet:
- To raise awareness of this Project with all Headteachers, SENCOs and School Governors.
- For sharing Project information / discussion with colleagues, as appropriate.
- Provide an opportunity to have an input to the Consultation part of Phase 1 of this Project, if one so wishes.

Original Project Mandate
"The Project Manager, Service Integration will lead and implement a Project to determine how best to bring together the Sensory Support Team with the three existing Children with Disabilities Teams and configure five Area teams across the county", as outlined in the paper, "Norfolk County Council Children's Services: Future Structure".

Background and Overall Aim
The Children's Services restructuring in 2006 created the post of Project Manager for Service Integration. This post was set up in order to scope, plan and manage a Project(s) that will bring together the different strands of specialist services involved in care planning and assessment for children and young people with a disability. As a result a Project Initiation Document has been created and the Norfolk County Council, Children Services Management Team agreed it on 24th October 2006.

This need for this Project has arisen from a number of national drivers but one of the key themes running throughout them all is to integrate services for children to improve coordination and information sharing between agencies.

Scope
The Project will include all the local statutory agencies, including Health, as these are intrinsic to the multi-disciplinary remit. The scope of the Project will also include contributions from the voluntary sector, parents / carers and children / young people. The Project will draw upon national and local research and consider other Local Authorities who have demonstrated good practice via their pathfinder children's trust status.

The client group for this Project will be those children and young people who would meet the inclusive definition of the Disability Discrimination Act, 2005. (The models explored in Phase 1 for developing five Area CWD teams will be based on this 'inclusive' definition).

Phases
To undertake this work the Project will be divided into a number of phases, which are interlinked, but each phase will be managed as a Project in its own right:

Phase 1: Feasibility Study to explore a number of different options to develop five local Area Children with Disability 'teams.' The Feasibility Study will conclude by proposing the desired option which will be presented as a Project Plan with a Business Case and a set of risks. Whilst the Project has been set out in a series of phases, Phase 1 will draw on the multi-agency work currently underway which supports the concepts of Care Pathways and Care Co-ordination. Therefore, Phases 2, 3 and 4 will progress this work in line with other developments.

Phase 2: The agreed outcome of Phase 1 of the Project will become Phase 2 i.e. implementing the development of a five, local Area Children with Disability 'teams.'

Phase 3: Progress Care Pathways / Protocols for integrated services, incorporating 'Care Co-ordination / Key Worker' and 'Lead Professional' principles, in line with the Children and Young People's Plan, section BH2.

Phase 4: Further the work towards multi-agency 'teams', both real and virtual, based on local 'service hubs' or centres, focusing on child specific work, in line with other local developments.

Outcomes
The outcomes of the Project will benefit both Service Users and their families, along with services for children. As it should:

• provide a visible profile of specialist resources in each of the five Areas which could interface with more universal or mainstream services


• facilitate a more co-ordinated approach as communication will be more effective in a multi-disciplinary 'team'


• improve liaison at a local level. It should allow for a more preventative approach


• lead to further integration of social care and education and, possibly, health, if this is agreeable to our health partners


• provide more efficient and effective communication and more integrated working with the support from the other Area Teams


• avoid duplication of resources.

The Project intends to interface with key Stakeholders / Service Representatives and other relevant local developments.

The plan is to make individual contact with as many Stakeholders / Service Representatives as possible over the coming weeks and collate peoples' views, about how the Project goals can be achieved. Alison Plumb will approach the Chairs of SNAP and NASH to seek an opportunity to attend one of their County meetings to discuss the Project aims and to consider ideas / views / potential models for the future.

In February, all the key Stakeholders / Service Representatives will be invited to a workshop to evaluate the models developed during the consultation phase, so a formal recommendation can be made to Senior Management in April 2007.

Please feel free to share this information as appropriate. If you wish for any further information or would like to input into the Project, please do not hesitate to contact either Alison Plumb or Janet Leeson; e-mail is the most effective way to communicate with them as they both work part time.

Some of the other Project documents available are:
Project Initiation Document for a Feasibility Study - Service Integration
Appendix A - Service integration Project Gantt Chart
Appendix B - Project Interfaces and influences
Appendix C - Project Assurance and Stakeholders