Sufficiency Strategy for Cared for Children 2026-2030

Advocacy

Advocacy is a statutory requirement under the Children Act 1989. It ensures that the voices of children and young people are heard in decisions that affect their lives. Independent advocacy empowers children to express their wishes and feelings, challenge decisions and access their rights, promoting transparency and accountability in care.

We commission independent advocacy service for children in care, care leavers and those subject to child protection processes. Awareness and uptake of services need to be strengthened to ensure all eligible children and young people know how to access support.

In terms of increasing awareness, we will deliver targeted communication campaigns and training for social workers , carers and young people to promote advocacy services.

Transition support for our care experienced young people

Within the Care Experienced team, we have personal advisors who work with our young people to assess and support the accommodation needs of the young people. We work in partnership with our housing teams and jointly facilitate an accommodation pathway.

For young people who have been living in our residential homes we support via the Staying Close project. This project offers support on a 1to1 basis to prepare young people for independence and supports the transition from residential to their new accommodation, working with accommodation partners.

We publish up-to-date information about the services we offer for care leavers and other services which may assist care leavers in or preparing for adulthood and independent living. The local offer covers health and wellbeing; relationships; education and training; employment; accommodation; participation in society.

Our care leavers should be aware of and understand the local offer, which is ambitious, clear and accessible. It takes account of the corporate parenting principles and sets out how we as the local authority deliver on young people's statutory entitlements and what further discretionary support the local authority offers.

The local authority consults care leavers effectively on the local offer and monitors how effective the local offer is at providing good experiences for young people and helping them to make progress. We review and update the offer regularly to ensure that it continues to meet young people's needs.

Children's services should work closely with other local authority departments and local partners to develop a multi-agency offer for care leavers that supports their overall wellbeing. The Corporate Parenting Board take ownership of the offer and monitors its effectiveness.

Trauma-informed support

Trauma-informed support is offered to practitioners in Gateshead by Trusting Hands, a multidisciplinary team working into Gateshead Childrens Services.

The core offer is a graduated approach consisting of:

• Connected conversation: advice, guidance and reflection is offered to a Children's Services practitioner, facilitated by a Trusting Hands clinician.
• For young people with multi-agency involvement, support is facilitated by two clinicians to provide support around mentalisation. The purpose of the consultation is to develop a trauma-informed understanding of the young person's presentation, provide guidance on their care pathway, and support the system working around the child and family.
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) Clinic: advice and guidance is offered to multi agency practitioners by an Advanced Speech and Language Therapist.
• Understanding the Story ("Formulation"): For children and young people with multiple and complex needs, and/or significant multi agency involvement. Understanding the Story sessions are facilitated by two Trusting Hands clinicians and support the system to develop a shared understanding of the young person's risks, needs, and vulnerabilities, in the context of their life experiences.
• Intervention: Where indicated, Trusting Hands clinicians will offer indirect support to the system around the young person. This is agreed in line with the identified needs, and may include: providing resources, offering a trauma-informed lens within care or risk planning meetings, providing advice or consultation to professionals or carers, or specific SLCN advice and support

Virtual school

Gateshead Virtual School is responsible for promoting the educational achievement of Gateshead Children in our Care (CIOC). Education is central to all decision making regarding the welfare of our children and will feature in all care planning together with social care colleagues. Social workers, VSH, IROs, school admission officers, and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) team will work together to ensure that, except in an emergency, appropriate education provision for a child is arranged at the same time as a care placement.

In-house training

Where an external provider is caring for one of our children or young people and that child or young person has complex needs that we are supporting the care team with via the delivery of training, this training offer will also be extended to the key workers from an external provider.

Community foster carers

Gateshead has a key resource - community foster carers who are skills foster carers that support families on the edge of care and our in-house foster carers with peer support and placement stability. Where appropriate this offer is extended to our external providers to support stability for our children and young people.