Ofsted raises concerns over 'front door' child protection services

Writing in her monthly social care commentary, Eleanor Schooling said many councils are not yet up to scratch in terms of so-called "front door" services.

"Throughout the country, local authorities are struggling to get the front door service right," Schooling said.

"While it is a hugely complex task, there are some basics that always need to be done well."

As well as responding to child protection concerns, an effective front door service needs to be welcoming to the public, professionals and service users alike, she said, adding that this is especially important for police, and those in health and education services to ensure they receive advice on referral thresholds.

Croydon's front door service is among examples of good practice she wants to see shared England-wide. At the London borough a duty social worker is available at all times to young people and the public, through the reception at council offices.

The council also runs an advice line for professionals and allows anyone considering making a non-urgent referral the chance to discuss their concerns. As a result, "this is improving the quality of referrals", Schooling said.

Strong out-of-hours cover is also vital, Schooling added. She cites the continuity of case management between day and overnight social work teams at Wakefield Council as another example of effective front door delivery she would like to see mirrored by other councils. 

Other improvements she is calling for include ensuring robust information systems are in place to ensure evidence is gathered quickly, accurately and can be shared among those across health, social care and police.

Too often family histories are not taken into account when dealing with families with child protection concerns and front door services needing to be proactive in seeking these details, she added. 

Signposting also needs to be improved, with the best front door services having a good knowledge of local support available for families. In addition, Schooling wants to see all those dealing with initial concerns to see the case through the eyes of a child.

Children's services managers also need to be more sophisticated in measuring the effectiveness of front door services, as quantitative measures such as low re-referral rates can give "false reassurance", Schooling said.

Instead she urges managers to "dip-sample" cases looking at issues such as effectiveness of information sharing, joint decision making and whether there are differences linked with the time of the week and which professionals are on duty. 

She also wants to see better support for social workers at front door services, ensuring they have manageable caseloads and those with less experience are working alongside more experienced members of staff.

Improvements in workforce planning are needed to ensure that front door professionals feel part of a "stable, knowledgeable workforce", with rotating staff among the practical ways of achieving this, Schooling said.

"Supporting front door staff well is integral to a good front door service. Too often, caseloads are high, which impacts on the quality and timeliness of the work. Looking after your staff and helping them to be skilled and confident in their decision-making is an important part of getting it right for children," she added.