Children in need and child protection
What this means and what we are doing
The sustained high volume of contacts to children's services over recent years may reflect not only increased need in families but also pressures on universal and targeted services, where professionals feel unable to hold risk or intervene without social care involvement. Shared and strengthened understanding of thresholds across partners is essential to ensure consistency, reduce inappropriate referrals, and ensure children and families receive the right help at the right time.
The redesign of the Stockton-on-Tees front door arrangements into a multi-agency, integrated front door with a clear focus on prevention and early intervention will be essential to supporting referring professionals from across the partnership to enable them to work confidently with families at the early help level, reducing unnecessary escalation into statutory services.
While our children in need are more likely to achieve good outcomes in their education compared to national, regional and statistical neighbour averages, overall, they are much more likely to require additional support than their peers and achieve lower educational outcomes. The role of the Virtual School in Stockton and the continued connective working between social care, SEND and education are crucial factors to narrow the attainment gap for our children and young people and keep them safe.
