Abstract
Tackling problems for children in contact with social care is a national priority, with £1.35M of Public Health investment was secured in 2019 to improve key Public Health outcomes and to focus on the following “Early Help and Prevention” strategic priorities in the Trust’s Improvement Plan. This includes:
• To strengthen Early Help
• To refresh and deliver the Sufficiency Strategy
• Improve Health Outcomes for Children in Care and Care Leavers
• To strengthen Corporate Parenting
• To strengthen its offer for adolescents
The funding was agreed for a two year period and split across three projects: Foster Family Support/Capacity Building Project, Vulnerable Adolescent Mentoring Project, and Care Leavers Mental Health and Wellbeing Project. The Trust sought to evidence impact against priority, public health outcomes, most notably improvements to the mental health and wellbeing of children in care, care-experienced young adults and vulnerable adolescents that lead to presentation with health services but also longer-term health implications.
Working as part of Northamptonshire Health and Care Partnership, in line with Northamptonshire’s Future in Mind strategy and action plans, the Trust seek to continue with therapeutic input for the priority cohorts, via clinical professional input for staff and children, young people and young adults, and commissioned therapy to support individuals to address trauma. There is currently a Future in Mind refresh, so commissioning leads across children and young people Health, Public Health, Education and Social Care services are currently planning for focus areas for 2023/4 and budget for this period. Key cohorts for investment in therapeutic interventions were children in residential care, foster children receiving in-house foster care, foster children receiving other foster care, care-experiences young adults and children affected by domestic abuse. The Trust focus on ensuring investment is made at the earliest opportunity to sustain placements and to give our children and young people the best chance of addressing past trauma and developing resilience for life.
As the Trust’s public health projects have taken shape, it has become evident that there is a need to present outcomes and impact in ways that signpost to Health funding partners the significant savings to be made in health costs for children and young people in later life if investment is made in early intervention. Furthermore, that the approach to support for children and young people is trauma informed. Through focused trauma informed support, the Trust aims to provide children and young people with the tools to seek appropriate and timely Primary Care support which stops them needing to access crisis interventions and services once their problems have become too big to manage.
This report presents findings for an evaluation of the impact of the three early-help projects, with quantitative and qualitative evidence from the evaluation presented.
• To strengthen Early Help
• To refresh and deliver the Sufficiency Strategy
• Improve Health Outcomes for Children in Care and Care Leavers
• To strengthen Corporate Parenting
• To strengthen its offer for adolescents
The funding was agreed for a two year period and split across three projects: Foster Family Support/Capacity Building Project, Vulnerable Adolescent Mentoring Project, and Care Leavers Mental Health and Wellbeing Project. The Trust sought to evidence impact against priority, public health outcomes, most notably improvements to the mental health and wellbeing of children in care, care-experienced young adults and vulnerable adolescents that lead to presentation with health services but also longer-term health implications.
Working as part of Northamptonshire Health and Care Partnership, in line with Northamptonshire’s Future in Mind strategy and action plans, the Trust seek to continue with therapeutic input for the priority cohorts, via clinical professional input for staff and children, young people and young adults, and commissioned therapy to support individuals to address trauma. There is currently a Future in Mind refresh, so commissioning leads across children and young people Health, Public Health, Education and Social Care services are currently planning for focus areas for 2023/4 and budget for this period. Key cohorts for investment in therapeutic interventions were children in residential care, foster children receiving in-house foster care, foster children receiving other foster care, care-experiences young adults and children affected by domestic abuse. The Trust focus on ensuring investment is made at the earliest opportunity to sustain placements and to give our children and young people the best chance of addressing past trauma and developing resilience for life.
As the Trust’s public health projects have taken shape, it has become evident that there is a need to present outcomes and impact in ways that signpost to Health funding partners the significant savings to be made in health costs for children and young people in later life if investment is made in early intervention. Furthermore, that the approach to support for children and young people is trauma informed. Through focused trauma informed support, the Trust aims to provide children and young people with the tools to seek appropriate and timely Primary Care support which stops them needing to access crisis interventions and services once their problems have become too big to manage.
This report presents findings for an evaluation of the impact of the three early-help projects, with quantitative and qualitative evidence from the evaluation presented.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | University of Northampton |
| Commissioning body | Northampton Community Foundation |
| Number of pages | 164 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2023 |
