A team at Cornwall Council that supports families with disabled children has now helped more than 1,000 youngsters.
The Supporting Change in Partnership (SCIP) was developed in 2016 following consultation with parents and carers about a different way of providing support rather than a social work assessment.
It is focused on early intervention and empowering parents, carers and young people to work through issues and overcome obstacles together.
The approach is based on the belief that families are resilient and have the answers to their problems.
SCIP started out with three support workers but now has nine who help families across our communities.
Its creation has led to a significant reduction in social work caseloads, freeing up social workers to focus on statutory social work when it matters.
Crin Whelan, Disabled Children’s Early Help Team Manager, said:
“It’s a huge achievement for the team that we have now helped more than 1,000 children across Cornwall and I’d like to pay tribute to the dedication and hard work of the support workers and the families they support.
“SCIP is all about early intervention and understanding the views and wishes of children, young people and their families to improve their lives.
“It is clear that the service is now making a real difference to disabled children and their families in Cornwall, giving young people a brighter future and a greater chance of independence. We are now sharing the approach with other local authorities.”
Positive outcomes for children following intervention by the SCIP team include:
- A child’s head-banging reduced significantly from 15 episodes during the 45-minute car journey to school each day to no more than one episode.
- A young person who had not come out of his bedroom for two years has been shopping for new shoes.
- A child who had not attended any form of education is now attending full-time school and thriving.
- A child was offered a voluntary work placement after a successful work experience placement set up by SCIP. He had refused to attend any placement offered to him before the intervention.
Typical quotes from families are:
“Our child is happier, understands her world better and has a voice (she is non-verbal)”
“Our child is able to function better and her barriers are being broken down”.
Kay Henry, of Parent Carers Cornwall, which helped in the formation of SCIP, said:
“The co-production of SCIP was based on parents telling us that they sometimes needed help, but they didn’t always need a social work assessment.
“We hear from families on a weekly basis about how invaluable the work of the SCIP team is and the support they have offered families. Early intervention and the right information are key to families and SCIP provides that.”
Examples of comments from young people who have been supported by SCIP include:
“I can talk to my worker, and she can then tell mum things that I can’t always say.”
“I get excited when my worker comes to see me. She listens to me and understands me, and she has got things done in school to make things better for me.”
And feedback from families includes:
“Our child is able to function better and her barriers to learning are being broken down.”
“Our child, who is non-verbal, is happier, understands her world better and has a voice.”
SCIP is part of the council’s Disabled Children & Therapy Service (DCTS) which is made up of multi-disciplinary teams who support disabled children, young people and their families.
For more information on SCIP visit the Children and Young People with Disabilities pages on our website.
You can also view a short film about the work of SCIP here:
Press release issued on June 20, 2024.