Our business plan: 2023 to 2026

Our business plan is written for all services who work with children and adults in Stockport. In developing the plan we have consulted extensively with our partners from both the children and adult partnerships. It sets out what our main focus will be over the next 3 years and how we will work with our residents.

Our Plan has been written in plain English to make sure everyone can understand it. Versions are available in other languages through emailing lsb@stockport.gov.uk

By working together we can make sure that all children, adults and their families who need support to remain safe, healthy and independent get the best possible outcomes from us.

Each priority in our Plan is structured around 3 main areas:

Why? Why have we chosen this particular area as one of our priorities?
How? What actions are we going to take as a Partnership to address our findings?
So what? What difference will the children, adults, families and practitioners of Stockport see as a result of our work? How will we know if we’ve made a difference?

This plan will be delivered by all partners of the Stockport Safeguarding Children’s Partnership and Stockport Safeguarding Adults Partnership.

Previous versions of the business plan have included priorities around domestic abuse, which now sits with the One Stockport Safer Partnership (OSSP). This plan clarifies our position and information sharing arrangements between the Partnerships’ structures, and how we will both seek, and provide, assurance from OSSP. Where there are specific joint pieces of work, for example around Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs), clarification is provided in the governance section of this plan around our working arrangements.

Download a copy of the business plan:

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Joint Priority: Improve partnership working and information sharing

Why?

Our Rapid Reviews show a need to improve information sharing and seeking in 67% of cases in 2022/23, with reviews telling us that not all agencies know what information should be shared, and the system was not
always supportive of information sharing. This is also seen in Safeguarding Adult Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews.
Learning from our CSPRs shows agencies are sometimes unaware of the broader significance of information they hold but that isn’t always shared with multi-agency professionals.
The National Panel has identified “weak information sharing and seeking within and between agencies” as a key practice episode in the national review into the deaths of Star and Arthur.
A slow-down in the rate of Safeguarding Adult Review referrals has meant the Safeguarding Partnership suggests that not all staff are aware of the criteria and purpose of a SAR.
An audit of MAARS cases in January 2023 showed that for some adults not all agencies are aware of who else is involved.

How?

Develop and launch multi-agency training on effective information sharing and seeking, and professional curiosity. Attendance and engagement at training will be monitored through the Training & Workforce Development Sub Group
Relaunch SAR criteria and refresher training across Partnership.
Complete a thematic review of all CSPR, SAR and DHR learning around information sharing, from action plan reviews at the Learning From Practice Sub-Group.
Hold development sessions that prioritise building and maintaining professional relationships.
A multi-agency audit of MAARS will be completed and presented to the Adults Quality Assurance Partnership to explore how services work together and share information on risk and vulnerability.
Review the Information Sharing Agreement and support a relaunch through briefings and learning circles. This will include engagement work with children & young people, adults and their families.

So what?

Children and young people will be supported in a holistic way where all agencies take account of context and family history.
Adults who have experienced serious abuse or neglect will be subject to high-quality Safeguarding Adult Reviews that result in strengthened multi-agency safeguarding practice.
Professionals will have access to a full range of family history, previous trauma, and contextual information that allows more streamlined and effective working with children, adults and their families.
Where adults are supported via MAARS or Team Around the Adult, they are aware of who is involved, and why.
The proportion of cases seen where this is an issue in audit will reduce by 25% in 2023/24 and 50% in 2024/25.
Information sharing as a theme in Rapid Reviews will reduce to 40% in 2023/24 and 20% in 2024/25.
As a result of awareness raising and new training, the number of SAR referrals to the Safeguarding Adults Partnership will increase by 25% in 2023/24 and 25% in 2024/25.

Joint Priority: Effective transitions from childhood to adulthood

Why?

We have seen an increase in the number of care leavers coming through services, requiring multi-agency support with independent living.
Learning from our Rapid Reviews and CSPRs has highlighted heightened risk for young people who need support in adulthood.
There is a Greater Manchester wide ambition to be a trauma informed city region by 2024.
We have seen an increase in the number and complexity of young adults referred into the Multi-Agency Adults At Risk System (MAARS):
- 26% of all referrals into MAARS in 2022/23 were for adults aged under 30.
- 29% of all MAARS cases feature vulnerability to criminal exploitation
- 41% of MAARS cases are for support with housing
2 of the last 4 SAR referrals received since April 2022 were for young adults aged under 20.

How?

Facilitate a learning hub event with a focus on transitions. From this, we will consider our offer to helping young adults live independently.
Develop a working group under the Complex Safeguarding Sub-Group to focus on transitional safeguarding.
Review and refresh MAARS and Team Around the Adult guidance across all agencies working with children and adults in Stockport.
Multi-agency audits on MAARS and transitional safeguarding practice.
We will include learning from the Greater Manchester Adolescent Framework in local multi-agency practice.
The local authority will share learning from regional and national work around Changing Futures initiatives.

So what?

Young adults will understand their journey through services, who will remain involved in their care and how to access support at a time when they need it most.
More young people will experience a planned and systemic transition between services, without going into
crisis to get a safeguarding response.
Young adults will be supported through a coordinated multi-agency response (Team Around the Adult) when they need more intensive support.
Young adults will develop their independence and be supported to maintain tenancies. We will see a reduction in the rate of housing-related referrals to MAARS for young adults to 30% in 2023/24 and 25% in 2024/25. We will have clear multi-agency agreement about the
offer to care leavers.
As a result of the Complex Safeguarding Sub-Group there will be a multi-agency offer to young adults to support child and adult survivors of exploitation and reduces future risk. Reduction in exploitation cases to MAARS to 24% in 2023/24 and 15% in 2024/25.

Joint Priority: Understanding complex trauma and assessing risk

Why?

Statutory safeguarding reviews across children and adults over the last 12 months have told us all rapid reviews and CSPRs over the last 12 months have included learning around understanding complex trauma and assessing risk. This includes learning on how unaddressed trauma and distress can lead to family relationships breaking down.
Parents who have experienced trauma themselves need additional support when parenting their own children.
A SAR referral for a young adult with complex needs highlighted the importance of assessing risk, and sharing information on risk with multi-agency professionals.
The use of victim-blaming language can have a negative impact on children and young people’s development.
53% of MAARS referrals over the last 12 months had 3+ different risk factors identified. Reporting to the joint executive safeguarding partnership in March 2023 showed increasing complexity of MAARS referrals in the last 12 months.

How?

Develop and launch refreshed guidance on trauma informed and restorative practice.
Thematic review of Caring Dads programme to understand the impact of parenting support programmes.
Develop operating guidance on high-quality risk assessment approaches.
Develop and launch guidance on trauma informed reporting and the use of language when working with
children, adults and families.
Multi-agency audit on risk assessments and trauma informed practice.
Multi-agency audit of MAARS
Assurance reporting to the Complex Safeguarding SubGroup on developments against this theme.

So what?

The proportion of Rapid Reviews where complex trauma and risk assessments is identified as a theme reduces from 100% to 80% in 2023/24, and 60% in 2024/25.
The number of MAARS referrals with 3+ complex vulnerabilities identified will reduce to 48% in 2023/24
and 44% in 2024/25.
Practitioners will be aware of how to work with children and adults in a trauma-informed way. Victim blaming language will not be used in risk assessments.
Parents will feel supported by multi-agency professionals to develop strong and resilient parenting techniques.
Practitioners will be confident in completing high-quality risk assessments, which support effective information sharing and early intervention with children and adults.

Children's Priority: working with men

Why?

Working with men has been highlighted as a theme in 50% of rapid reviews between April 2022 and March 2023.
A learning hub held in July 2021 focused on working with men and highlighted areas to improve upon in practice across the Partnership. Out of 16 cases audited, 56% of birth fathers’ details were included in the birth records
The thematic review of safeguarding children under 1 from non-accidental injury (“The Myth of Invisible Men”) specifically focused on men within a child’s household and found evidence that agencies need to be more proactive in involving men in work with universal through to specialist services.
Since 2018, the National Child Safeguarding Panel has considered 257 raid review cases of babies under 1 year old, seriously harmed or killed through non-accidental injury. Specifically, in these cases, men (fathers and step-fathers) were a greater source of physical abuse to these babies than their mothers.
We are currently not fully measuring the impact and satisfaction of the Caring Dads programme.

How?

The Safeguarding Partnership will hold quality assurance activity in this theme to seek assurance.
Facilitate courses aimed at supporting men, including Caring Dads and New Beginnings. Success measures will be developed and implemented to understand impact of the programmes.
Multi-agency guidance will be developed on how to complete comprehensive risk assessments that include men, reducing the risk of non-accidental injuries, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Complete a thematic review on the theme of men’s voicesto inform practice improvement and understand
barriers to engagement with services.
Section 11 assessment activity will include a specific query on this theme to seek assurance that practice
improvements are having a positive impact on the children & young people of Stockport.

So what?

Working with men as a theme in rapid reviews to reduce to 35% in 2023/24 and 25% in 2024/25.
Fewer children will experience non-accidental injuries, and where these occur, all agency records will include complete information on family context and direct work and interventions delivered to the family.
Records for children and young people will be more complete and comprehensive, including records of all
significant males. Increase in recording of details of key males from 56% to 70% of audited cases in 2023/24.
Practitioners will feel confident in working with men and understanding their role within the family and the wider holistic plan. Fewer rapid reviews, CSPRs and audits that highlight gaps in engaging fathers and key males, measured through audit work.
More fathers in Stockport will be supported through the Caring Dads programme, with all agencies aware of the impact of the programme through reporting to the Quality Assurance Partnership.
Multi-agency practice improves to deliver stronger engagement with fathers, measured by annual audit.

Adults Priority: Working with adults to manage risk effectively and make safeguarding personal

Why?

Adults at risk experience abuse and neglect in different settings:
- Data shows higher levels of safeguarding Section 42 safeguarding enquiries that included physical abuse
  (51%)
- 47% of all Section 42 safeguarding enquiries included neglect and acts of omission
- 45% of all MAARS cases in 2022/23 featured self-neglect
- Only 16% of safeguarding referrals to Adult Social Care progress to an enquiry.
- 71% of adults aged 18-64 reported feeling safe in 2021/22 (reported in ASCOF data to March 2022)
Adults are not routinely asked about their Making Safeguarding Personal outcomes – 70% of adults were
asked in 2022/23.
We have seen a decrease in the number of Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) referrals made to the Partnership. We need to ensure that all agencies are aware of the criteria and process.
Only 9% of referrals to MAARS in 2022/23 were repeat referrals.

How?

Refresh multi-agency guidance around the following themes, which will be co-produced with adults with lived experience where possible:
- Person In A Position Of Trust (PIPOT)
- Physical abuse
- Financial abuse
- Self-neglect and hoarding
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
- Equality Diversity and Inclusion
We will refresh SAR guidance across all agencies.
Develop and launch a decision making risk matrix for all professionals to support decision making and encourage professional curiosity.
We will launch a revised multi-agency performance framework, which will include evidence of single-agency audit and assurance work.
Complete a multi-agency audit on adult safeguarding referrals, as well as seeing how well adults are asked about Making Safeguarding Personal outcomes. Adults with lived experience included in this work.

So what?

More adults will have safeguarding outcomes that match their views and wishes, with an increase of adults asked about their Making Safeguarding Personal outcomes will increase to 80% in 2023/24 and 85% in 2024/25.
Adults will receive the right response, proportionate to the level of risk delivered by the right agency. They will have an active voice in their care plan. As a result we will reduce contacts to Adult Social Care that do not progress to a Section 42 enquiry from 84% to 64% in 2023/24 and 44% in 2024/25.
Self-neglect referrals to MAARS will reduce to 25% in 2023/24 and 20% in 2024/25.
Adults will report increased confidence and more positive experiences of accessing services as professionals
understand and meet their needs. The percentage of adults 18-64 reporting feeling safe will increase from 71% to 76% in 2023/24 and 80% in 2024/25.
Adults will receive the right multi-agency intervention at the first point of contact, and the rate of repeat referrals to MAARS will reduce and will continue to be between 7% – 10% of all referrals.