Sandwell creates network of early intervention local hubs

Known as Community Operating Groups (COGs), the hubs will operate virtually in the six major towns of the West Midlands region bringing together frontline social care, police, voluntary sector and NHS staff.

Agencies will feed information about contacts with families to a central co-ordinating team who will flag up those who need support. Referrals will be passed to COGs to do local follow-up work and arrange interventions before families reach crisis point.

Earlier this month, Sandwell’s child protection services received an inadequate inspection rating from Ofsted, and has been struggling for a number of years to tackle deep-seated problems in its children’s services department. Last December, it brought in private company Impower to help drive improvements across children’s services.

COGs will be able to commission youth work and parenting support services to develop local interventions based on the specific needs of families in that town. They will hold monthly meetings in local venues, from schools to police stations.  

The COG model has been piloted in Tipton and Wednesbury, with five further sites in Oldbury, Smethwick, Rowley Regis and two in West Bromwich planned to open in the autumn.

Sandwell cabinet member for children’s services, councillor Simon Hackett said COGs were part of the council’s “masterplan” to help children and families as early as possible.

“It’s all about ensuring local services for local communities and helping families at an early stage.

“Any initial enquiries will go to a co-ordinating team which will then pass them on to a COG or more intensive support schemes.”

Sandwell is paying for the creation of the COG network out of existing budgets and hopes it will reduce demand on more specialist services.

In May, Simon White director of children’s services at Sandwell, told CYP Now that one of the key elements of the children’s services recovery plan was to reduce the amount of unnecessary referrals from police, education and health agencies to child protection teams.