Authority
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Purpose
To improve children's services by changing the culture and empowering staff
Funding
Each three-day programme costs roughly £5,000 for a group of staff
Background
Five years ago Southend-on-Sea's children's services department was struggling, gaining only "adequate" inspection ratings. There were high numbers of looked-after children and children subject to child protection plans and staff turnover rates were as high as 34 per cent. "No authority thinks adequate is good enough," says group manager for fieldwork services Ruth Baker. The solution was to introduce an entirely new culture and attitude among staff using "transformational coaching".
Action
All staff underwent a three-day coaching programme developed by Youth at Risk, a charity that works with vulnerable young people and adults and the professionals that support them.
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