Solutions 4 Reading

Presented by:

Anna Wright: Reading Borough Council

Paul Z Jackson & Janine Waldman: The Solutions Focus

Vision

Creating a positive and ambitious environment for Reading children and young peopleThree key outcomes for children:• Happy, healthy, safe and coping with change and challenge• Enthusiastic and skilled learners• Value themselves and others

Readingchildren’s and young

people’s trust priorities

we will: •enhance emotional well-being•deliver outstanding services for children in need and children in need of protection•improve schools and raise attainment•promote positive parenting•foster thriving neighborhoods

Why focus on emotional well-

being

• Results of major survey of 3000 children• Needs analysis showing impact of poverty

on children’s well-being• Teenagers engage in high risk behaviours

due to low self esteem and need for affirmation

• Lack of confidence in professionals that they had the power to change things

Aim of the programme

• To build skills and knowledge in solution-focused approaches, we will develop a culture of strengths-based working across all teams and services, partners and agencies within the Reading Children’s Trust.

• In this we can achieve our vision of making Reading a positive and ambitious environment for all our children, young people and families

2 key aspects of the programme

• To integrate SF principles into planning services, our work with children, young people and families, how we work with each other, review and evaluate outcomes.

 • To develop and support a local ‘SF Champion’

in every service or team involved to become a local driver of the programme.

Our Approach

• Strategic• Flexible• Emergent• Make use of what’s there

Key elements

• Initial session with stakeholders• DMT event• Briefing Sessions• Development of SF champion network• Whole service events• Ongoing consultancy & support • VLE

Examples of using SF in day to day management

• Future perfect: Pretending to make a documentary of how the Council would be responding to children in need in 3 years time

• Learning from past success; identifying how in the past we successfully made efficiency savings

Example of initial work by solutions focused champions

• Moving a group from focusing on problems in delivering parenting training to learning from past success

• Helping a child affirm his progress and identify his goals using scaling and future perfect

• Developing a new agenda for team around the child meetings which focus on strengths

Current Projects• SF Supervision x 2• SF & Staff development • SF Functioning – whole life perspective• SF’ing South Reading CATT team• SF 4 educational success• SF MATRIX implementation (Quality Standards)• SF project management• Win Win Win with SF – YOS • SF Mentoring in schools• SF parent planning meetings• SF Child protection conferences

Aims and Objectives 3 Way Win-Win-Win:

YOS PRACTICE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE (CPD) YOUNG PERSON’S PRACTICE

YOS PRACTICE

To increase the number of WDYT to be completed. To evidence WDYT responses in ASSET. For all WDYT to have the “ …..in 3 months time”

box completed. For the quality of the “… in 3 months time”

response to be improved so that it is SMART. To record the “….in 3 months time” response in

the TPG (Intervention Screen). To regularly review the progress made against

the “….in 3 months time” goal with the YP and update the intervention screen accordingly.

More positive factors and previous positive experiences to be outlined and evidenced in the TPG (other comments).

South Reading Children’s Action Team Celebration of Success Steps taken so far

Setting up of a ‘positive board’

Revised agenda for for Team around the Child meetings

Line management have signed up to the project

0 5 9 10 How do you feel about school ? 0 never

Counters:Good BrainEat good foodSupport from Home and school

More Counters:Excellent foodVitaminsLots of Support from CarerKumon Eng/MathsBetter playgroundAfter school activities- betterSwimming sessions

Small actionsTop in ArtTop in ftballLots of certificatesChocolate rewards

Next steps•Ongoing support of champions

•More champions

•More briefing sessions

•First whole service event:8 July

•Visibility – e.g. Schools Leaders Conference, specialist press

•Keep responding to client needs & making connections