- It aids communication of feelings, concerns and news while fresh in the minds of children and young people
- Improved data quality improves caseworkers’ response to individual’s needs, reduces paperwork and supports interaction
ACTION
Since Coventry’s children’s services were rated “requires improvement” in its 2017 Ofsted report, the city has been intensively refocusing on how the voice of the child can be better recorded, projected and used to improve responses to needs.
While inspectors praised children’s services leaders for the presence in assessment documents of the voice of children who need help and protection, it was noted that “their views do not always clearly inform planning”.
A key tool in this drive is an app by digital specialists Mind of My Own, which has been rolled out across Coventry’s children’s services since June 2019, following a successful six-month pilot.
The company’s website states the data collected by the app “reflects the real thoughts of young people collected in real time” which provides the evidence “to transform practice and build resilient services”.
This is how it is playing out so far, according to Coventry City Council’s children’s champion Sheila Bates, who says that in the past when young people have read their case files, “they don’t always feel that they reflect how it was for them”.
Bates explains that using a mobile device to communicate takes the pressure off children and young people who may not want to speak with professionals directly. It also helps “structure thoughts in a way that general conversation does not always achieve”.
This can be while they are in a meeting with a caseworker, whether it be face-to-face or virtually, when they are focused on a screen rather than making anxiety-inducing eye-contact.
Outside caseworker meetings, users may have a fear or other emotion they want to articulate, or some good news, and they can report this to members of their support team as it happens.
It is not just about documenting and sharing. The caseworker must assess the information and, where appropriate, adjust the support.
As a result, Bates says the young person feels more empowered, leading to outcomes they are more likely to feel positive about.
Elsewhere in Coventry, it is used by young carers and the city’s youth offending team is also looking at implementing it.
Using the app
The app is used in a range of scenarios across children’s social care services including within Coventry’s Social Work Academy (see below).
Any child or young person with an internet connection can use the app, be it on their smartphone, a school computer, or via their caseworker’s tablet.
There are two versions: “One App” for young people and “Express App”, for younger children and those with additional needs.
Each update generates a pdf “statement” which is sent securely to their caseworker’s email inbox, to be uploaded to the case file and accessible by the team.
The app is divided up into different themes such as “my life”, “preparing for a visit”, “sharing good news” and “reporting a problem”.
“Each theme takes the young person through a number of structured activities within that theme which helps to get to the nub of the problem,” says Bates.
“One bit I particularly like is the sliders, which allow the young person to express how they are feeling and is recorded on the statement as a number out of 10.
“Zero corresponds to a very low mood and 10 is their happiest self.
“This number can be compared over time to determine distance travelled.”
Bates adds that the app is “particularly useful” with children and young people on the autism spectrum.
Scale of use
There are currently 373 children and young people with the app on their own devices out of 1,890 eligible.
In addition, 633 children in Coventry use it during meetings with caseworkers. Parental consent is required for children to use the app. Schools are also encouraged to provide access for those who do not have a personal device. A total of nearly 2,000 statements have been produced since the rollout.
Bates and her team log on to her portal daily to check messages are being picked up and dealt with in an appropriate and timely way.
One of the challenges Bates has found is keeping the app at the forefront of caseworkers’ minds, because of the high volume of demands placed on them.
She explains: “We do this by sending out regular updates and newsletters.
“We include stories from workers who have used the app and the benefits it has shown.
“We are also keen to hear about any problems or difficulties staff may encounter and do our best to help.”
Bates says that during the first Covid-19 lockdown there was an initial slowdown of staff using the app with young people.
“So, we helped by identifying how direct work using the app could be achieved virtually with the worker sharing their screen across MS Teams,” she explains.
“We also sent out a diary challenge to all our young people which involved them inputting into the app over a 10-day period.
“Our operational leads also, periodically, ask who in their team are and are not using the app and invite us in to give refresher sessions during team meetings.”
Another challenge during the initial stages of rollout was ensuring the resource was offered to young people who did not read or write in English.
“By producing the set-up details for the app in the top 10 most common languages in Coventry we were quickly able to explain to a whole new audience how to use Mind of My Own and to change the settings into their preferred language,” says Bates, adding: “This has proved to be really valuable and the worker receives the statement converted back to English.”
IMPACT
Bates delves in detail into a sample of around 30 case files each quarter, looking for a strong sense of the child’s lived experience, how that has fed into planning and hopefully made a difference to them.
Bates is also currently asking independent reviewing officers and child protection chairs to monitor, through their reviews, how the voice of the child is recorded and to direct staff to the app for more qualitative feedback.
Bates reports back to the leadership team on her findings and she says: “All this intelligence helps leaders make strategic decisions when improving services.”
In addition, the data produced by the app helps her chart use by staff and children and young people, so it is clear which areas of the app are being used most by both.
A Mind of My Own Champions group helps to identify concerns, highlight good practice and areas for development.
Bates’ audit also checks that care planning, Signs of Safety worry statements, signs of success and goal setting all reflect the lived experience of the child or young person.
“To see all this coming together feels truly like we are achieving a child-centred approach and the needs of the child are both understood and being met,” she says.
“Feedback from audits are shared within our practice development forum and through staff training.
“Observations of practice suggests that practice is getting better in Coventry.”
In addition, two new participation workers have just been employed to support her with this and other initiatives.
SCENARIOS FOR USE
- Looked-after children
Messaging the caseworker to request they take them out during their next visit so that they could talk privately about their worries. - Children in need
Sharing good news because life at home is improving. - Child protection
Following a missing episode, sharing why and where they had gone, resulting in them collaborating with their worker to develop a safety plan. - Care leavers
Raising concerns about a placement, enabling the caseworker to support a planned move. - Social Work Academy
Sharing views in advance of their review so the independent reviewing officer understands how things are going from the young person’s perspective.
Read more in CYP Now's Digital Innovation in Social Care Special Report
