Learning and improvement framework

This framework is designed to underpin and facilitate the development of a culture of continuous learning and improvement, across the whole children’s safeguarding system in Leeds. It is based on:

• Establishing locally agreed priorities set out in the LSCP Annual Report
• Knowing our strengths; what we do well and how we can do more of that
• Knowing what children and young people say
• Learning from national research
• Adopting an Outcomes-Based Accountability (OBA) methodology which asks:
  • how much did we do?
  • how well did we do it?
  • what difference did it make to outcomes for children?
• Maintaining a shared commitment to implementing and embedding improvement actions
• Engaging in a shared commitment to focus and learn from good practice, as well as from those cases meeting statutory criteria for further review.

The operation of the framework requires trust between partners. That trust will foster a high level of mutual support, allow partners to set ambitious expectations and enable effective, professional challenge. It will fully involve professionals, encouraging them to contribute their perspective, without fear of being retrospectively blamed for actions they took in good faith.

In order to ensure transparency and public accountability, learning and improvement activity should:

• Include the involvement of children and their families, supporting improvements in the work of the LSCP 
• Be evidenced by the publication of programmes of learning and improvement activity with content reflecting its impact on outcomes for vulnerable children and young people
• Be reflected in the content and publication of the LSCP Annual report, evaluating the effectiveness of Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements in Leeds.

Partner agencies should contribute to a shared programme of learning activities and respond meaningfully to improvement initiatives in a timely manner. This will include:

• nominating a training representative to be a member of the LSCP Learning and Development Subgroup who will act on behalf of their organisation. This nominee will communicate to the subgroup their organisation’s learning and development needs, and will cascade learning and development opportunities and information within their own service
• supporting the LSCP performance management function, working collaboratively with the Audit and Review Subgroup to ensure necessary practice changes are embedded through learning and development work
• fulfilling an effective roll in Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, Rapid Reviews, Child Death Reviews and Appreciative Inquiries through. 
  • the timely provision of high-quality information and analysis via the appropriately identified route
  • attendance of relevant agency personnel at review panel meetings
  • a commitment to knowledge transfer, dissemination of learning and changes in practice which promote improved safeguarding outcomes for children and young people
• demonstrating a commitment to enabling effective safeguarding activity in Leeds through the sharing of findings from:
  • external inspections
  • internal reviews
  • quality assurance and audit activity.
• implementing actions identified to improve multi-agency working and outcomes for children and young people.
• ensuring the voice of the children and young people is central throughout all the work of the LSCP.

All partner organisations have a responsibility to provide the LSCP with relevant, detailed and up to date information. from a range of sources, to inform wider learning methodologies and activities. (see Appendix B)

All learning will be underpinned by principles of appreciative enquiry, in order to promote a full understanding of ‘what we do well’

It will also be used to challenge the Partnership, and partner agencies, to make improvements, through the implementation of action plans from inspections, reviews, audits etc.

Learning will be used to make real, sustainable improvements to services to reduce the risk of future harm to children

The LSCP recognises that, as part of its ‘Learning and Improvement Framework’, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews and other review processes should be seen as a valuable resource, and are a significant tool which can be used to prompt the dissemination and embedding of learning from practice.

The LSCP recognises that it has responsibility to enable this function, disseminating lessons from reviews to its partner agencies. It is the responsibility of those partners to further disseminate learning within their own practice areas, in order to meaningfully embed learning.

The dissemination of learning across the partnership will be conducted through:

• the LSCP Communications Strategy, including:
  • the publication of review reports, where appropriate, published on the LSCP website
  • the circulation of the LSCP newsletter 
  • the development of practitioner briefings
• the LSCP Learning and Development Strategy including:
  • the embedding of learning into training
  • the regular and routine exploration of opportunities for ongoing learning and development 
  • the facilitation of briefing events across the partnership
• learning which is disseminated through the work of individual agencies
  • the cascade of information to practitioners through single agency communication processes
  • the development of policies and procedures, appropriately reviewed and updated
  • the incorporation of learning within partner agency safeguarding training

The embedding of learning is monitored by the LSCP through the Learning and Development Subgroup in relation to learning points/findings from reviews and all associated action plans. With regards to embedding of best practice by partner agencies, including single agency learning, the monitoring of action plans and of Section 11 compliance (using the LSCP Organisational Safeguarding Assessment Tool) provides assurance that this responsibility has been fulfilled.

In order to ensure that improvements are embedded, sustainable over time and have the desired effect, monitoring will be facilitated within the LSCP Sub-Group structure, through the following processes: 

• performance analysis:
  • LSCP Performance Management Framework
  • Partner agencies performance systems
• quality assurance and audit activity:
  • LSCP Quality Assurance and Audit Programme
  • Audit activity undertaken by partner agencies
• survey activity:
  • gathering the views of children, young people and their families
  • gathering the views of practitioners and line managers
• feedback from:
  • practitioners and line managers, considering the impact of learning and development activity on practice
  • children, young people and their families considering the impact of Early Help services and other statutory interventions

The LSCP is committed to the provision of accessible, suitable and appropriate safeguarding training for all practitioners who have contact with children and their families in Leeds. As part of this commitment a comprehensive multi-agency training programme is provided which includes core (Introduction to Working Together and Working Together) and additional training courses, as well as providing other learning and development opportunities such as briefings, seminars and conferences.

A number of bespoke topic-based sessions are delivered over the course of the year; this programme is updated each quarter, to ensure that current learning/practice changes are included, and up to date information disseminated. The selection of topics is linked directly to LSCP priorities, learning from reviews, findings from audits and learning from inspections. All sessions are delivered by subject experts from across the Partnership, drawing on the wide expertise of professionals in Leeds.
Additional resources are used to promote effective learning, using a range of delivery methods: 

• ‘Team Briefing’ packages: a series of topic-based resources; videos, audios, themed power point presentations, all available to use in small group sessions, to enable shared team learning
• LSCP YouTube Channel: a series of videos, offering you a range of information on local and national policy and practice changes, keeping practitioners up to date on the current safeguarding agenda. 
• Online learning sessions: E-Learning sessions offering different route of access to online training to fit around practitioner working patterns.