Social Work services to children and their families are a targeted resource aimed at addressing the needs of children requiring safeguarding (child protection),those who are Looked After or are Care Leavers and Children in Need (as defined by the 1989 Children Act).
We discharge our statutory duties in North Yorkshire by configuring ourselves geographically and functionally into teams of Social Workers (all of whom are professionally qualified and Registered with a regulatory body) and Family Support Workers who provide assessments and services to disabled children, looked After Children and Care Leavers and to those children referred to us for Child in Need assessments or who are in need of safeguarding.
To support these functions we have fostering workers, adoption services and residential facilities. We recruit and support substitute foster carers for Looked After Children and adopters for those requiring that sort of permanent placement and we have residential units which can offer short breaks or longer-term care if the child can no longer live at home or in a substitute family.
We have an Independent Reviewing Officer service which ensures the appropriateness of children's Care Plans or Protection Plans (if the child's name is on the Child Protection Register). Strategy and Performance officers develop procedures and guidance to inform best practice improved outcomes for children and work hard to ensure that children, young people and their families inform our service development.
Colleagues in Management information generate data and statistical returns which contribute to improve the performance of the service and meet our obligations to Central Government and the County Council. Finally the service is underpinned by skilled support staff who assist in the smooth running of a complex business area; this includes administration, personnel, legal, finance, contracting and learning and development.
