About Quality Assurance Unit (Qau)

ABOUT QUALITY ASSURANCE UNIT (QAU)

The Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Unit seeks to ensure that vulnerable children and young people in Knowsley are safe and protected from the risk of significant harm. The Unit monitors quality standards across all agencies who share a responsibility of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and aims to ensure that the child’s voice is central to all aspects of practice within the Unit.

The Unit specifically provides monitoring and review support to ensure that all children on a child protection plan, children looked after or those subject to professionals meetings chaired by the Unit are provided with high quality intervention with clear and effective planning and managing best use of resources.

The Unit has 1 Unit Manager, 9 Independent Reviewing Officers /Child Protection Chairs, 1 LADO, 1 Quality Assurance Lead, 1 Participation Officer, 1 Admin Manager and 5 Minute Takers.

MEET THE TEAM

Debbie Cashman, Quality Assurance Unit Manager
My name is Debbie Cashman and I have worked for Knowsley Children’s Services for 32 years. My background is Looked After Children and Care Leavers. I have been the Manager of the Safeguarding Quality Assurance Unit since February 2015.

IROs/CP Chairs/LADO

/ Karen Nock
I have worked for Knowsley since April 2015 as a Child Protection Conference Chair. I qualified in 2005 and the vast majority of my experience has been frontline child protection work as a social worker in London and Manchester and then as an Assistant Team Manager in Tameside. I spent a short period in a Child Sexual Exploitation team in Manchester and then four years at Liverpool Cafcass before moving to Knowsley.
I am the named CP Chair for CP2 team.
/ Debra Shannon
I have worked for Knowsley since July 2015 primarily as a Child protection Conference Chair. I qualified in 1991 working for Liverpool for many years as a social worker and Team Manager. Prior to coming to KnowsleyI worked as anIRO in Halton and Jersey.
I am the named CP Chair for CP1 team.

IROs/CP Chairs/LADO (Continued)

/ Lindsey Heaton
I have worked for Knowsley since September 2015. I am a Child Protection Conference Chair. Prior to this time I worked for Lancashire Council in a College of Further Education for 5 years and then onto St Helens council for 23 years as a Social Worker, Team Manager and then IRO.
I am the named CP Chair for CP5 Team
/ Kathleen Orrett
I have worked for Knowsley since June 2015 as an independent reviewing officer and the local area designated officer. I qualified in 2002 working for Seftonfor many years as a social worker, assistant team manager and independent reviewing officer. Prior to coming to Knowsley I took a little bit of time off work to enjoy life.
I am the named LADO for QAU.
/ Joanne Sheridan
I have worked for Knowsley since December 2015 as an independent reviewing officer. I also worked for Lancashire Council as an independent reviewing officer between 2013 and 2015. Havingqualified in 1999 I was employed by Rochdale Council for 8 years as a social worker in various roles before moving to Knowsley as a social worker and senior practitioner. I have also managed a number of children’s residential units within the private sector.
I am the named IRO for YOS and YPT team
/ Jenny Brady
I have worked for Knowsley since September 2015. I am an Independent Reviewing Officer. Prior to this I worked for Sefton Council for 27 years. I worked in various positions and then qualified as a social worker in 2004. I became an Assistant Team Manager, then Team Manager in Looked After Children’s Teams, Family Support Teams and Leaving Care Teams.
I am the named IRO for Children with Disabilities team
/ Wendy Simon
I first started working for Knowsley in 1980 in a Residential Children’s Home. Over the next 35 years I have done many different roles including Social Worker, Senior Practitioner and most recently for the last 10 years as an IRO and Case Conference Chair.
I am the named CP Chair for CP4 team.
/ Angela Ballans
I joined Knowsley Children’s Services in 1988 and have worked here for many years as a social worker and Team Manager. Over the course of my career I have also worked for Fostering Solutions and Halton and Liverpool City Council. I returned to work in Knowsley as a Child Protection Conference Chair/IRO nine years ago.
I am the named IRO for CLA1 team.

Quality Assurance and Audit Lead

/ Lisa Mulcahy
I started working for Knowsley in January this year after working in Wigan for nearly 20 years as a Social Worker, IRO, Conference Chair and then as Senior Safeguarding Conference Chair managing the conference chairs for the authority. I had a role in undertaking audits and quality assurance in Wigan which I enjoyed so the role of Quality Assurance and Audit Lead in Knowsley was very appealing to me.

Participation Officers

/ Danny Duffy
My names Danny Duffy I am the acting Participation officer, I have been in this post since August 2015. I started in KMBC in 1981 in the youth service and joined what’s now called Social care on the 03/01/1983, I have worked all over Knowsley in in different roles.I am responsible for supporting Children in care/care leavers to have their voice heard, Working with the MADE group we have regular sessions, recently we had a three day Residential in the Lakes. We have a role on the Cooperate Parent Panel, Knowsley and North West Children in care councils. We are involved in facilitating training to staff, carers and social work students, We also have an input on safeguarding, YPT and Fostering service development in our Borough.
/ Sam McIver
My name is Sam McIver, I am the Participation Officer for Knowsley’s Children Looked after and Care leavers. Within my role I work to drive forward Knowsley’s Participation agenda through the use of meaningful Engagement and involvement of Knowsley’s children and young people.

Admin Team

/ Jo-Anne Simon-Redman
I am the Admin Manager for QAU and also support Lisa in respect of setting up the monthly and thematic audits. I provide support for the QAU Manager and production of monthly reports in respect of activity within the QAU. I have worked for Knowsley Council for 27 years and previously worked as a Project Manager for ICT programmes for schools and also on the Families Programme supporting clients back into sustainable employment.
/ Karen Daly
My name is Karen Daly. I joined Knowsley MBC as an apprentice in 2002 which helped me to gain employability skills. I managed to secure permanent employment outside of Knowsley but I returned in 2007 and have worked in Children’s Social Care since this time, in various roles. I am currently a Child Protection Minute Taker in the Safeguarding & Quality Assurance Unit.
/ Carol Perry
My name is Carol and I am a minute taker in the Quality Assurance Unit.
I joined the unit in 2008 after being made redundant after 18 years in my previous employment. I worked for Sayers, the Bakers, for 18 years. Firstly in the factory and then the Technical Department for the last 10 years of my employment. My role included:- micro testing products (Shelf life etc) internal auditing of the bakery/shops and helping to create and maintain the British Standard approved quality system.

Admin Team (Continued)

/ Amy Wilding
My name is Amy and I am a Minute Taker for the Quality Assurance Unit. I have worked within Children’s Social Care for 8 years, where I worked in the Management Team for Children’s Social Care and I have been in the Unit for 5 years.
/ Alexandra Lunt
My name is Alex. I first started working for Knowsley Council under the Knowsley Apprenticeship Scheme when I was 18 years old. A year later I gained a full time position as a Child Protection Minute taker for the Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Unit, where I remain 7 years later!
/ Lisa Carroll
My name is Lisa, I am a Child Protection Minute Taker in the Quality Assurance Unit, I started in the unit in October 2015 having transferred from the Library Service where I had worked for 14 years.

LADO

The Local Authority Designated officeris Kathleen Orrett. The LADO role is located in the QAU and provides an allegations management service to all professions who work with children in the Knowsley area. I am here to offer advice and guidance to anyone who comes across incidents of concern this can include inappropriate behaviour in their personal life that needs to be considered in relation to their work with children.

I am here to offer advice and guidance on any matter that you think may meet the LADO threshold. LADO is a two-part process with normal safeguarding considerations being done in the normal way followed by an allegations management meeting. The LADO does not investigate issues for concern, but manages the process with other professionals completing the investigation. The procedures are on Tri.xand please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further advice or guidance in respect of LADO.

RESEARCH SHARED IN TEAM MEETINGS

In our team meetings we have been sharing research to develop our knowledge and build on the expertise of the unit. In the last 12 months we have gained further evidence-based insight into witchcraft, safeguarding disabled children, criminal exploitation and clinical judgements/decision making. We have also discussed the LADO procedures and had complex case discussions. One of the most important objectives of sharing the research is to build upon our knowledge so that we can continue to offer the most informed and up to date advice/support to the social work teams.

PARTICIPATION

The MADE consultation and advisory groups are set up as three separate groups that are specifically designed to provide a place for children and young people to have a voice, get involved, have fun and make a positive difference. The group’s agendas are always aimed to be fun and interactive as well as informative for individuals attending. The main focus of the groups is to work together and alongside lead officers, elected members and front line staff to make positive change to ‘care’ for all.

More recently at the beginning of April, the MADE group had their first Residential in the Lake District. 20 people, 16 young persons from the age of 12 to 19 spent the weekend at the YMCA Activity Centre at Lakeside. This included participation from members of the QAU and Danny Duffy, Participation Officer, was instrumental in helping to ensure that this event went as smoothly as possible.

The weekend’s activities included team building games, abseiling, rock climbing, fell walking, canoeing and zip wire across Lake Windermere. The weather wasn’t perfect in fact “we were all soaked on the Saturday”, however, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The young people enjoyed the challenges and gave 100% effort, developing their confidence, interpersonal/social skills supporting each other’s personal development. It was a most enjoyable experience, all returning to Knowsley on the Sunday afternoon, exhausted with lots of happy memories.

MADE members also have the benefit of:

• Having an increased understand what ‘being in care’ is all about?
• Getting involved in fun social activities?
• Having opportunities to grow, learn and build confidence and self-esteem?
• Having the opportunity to share ‘real’ experiences and make suggestions to improve care experiences for children and young people?

If you know a young person who may be interested then please don’t give it’s a second thought – just give Sam or Danny a callon 0151-443-4021 and we can have a chat about one of the groups available that will be best suited based on the child’s own individuality. MADE (Making a Difference Everywhere)

REQUESTS FOR INVITATIONS

The QAU will send out requests for invitations to be completed. It is really important that this is undertaken so that we can maximise the participation at conferences and reports can be shared with professionals and parents in a timely manner.

LEAFLETS

The QAU has recently developed a variety of leaflets for LADO; IRO Handbook for Young People and leaflet/consultation document for young people to support them in Child Protection Conferences.

GOODBYES AND NEW STARTERS

Alan Doran left the QAU in February after 42 years working for the Authority and had a wealth of experience in children’s social care and will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues and we wish him well as he can now spend some much needed rest and fun with his lovely new Granddaughter, Esme.
Sue Wilkinson also left the QAU in January but she will be returning at the end of May 2016 for a short period, as Lisa Mulcahy will also be leaving us next week as she pursues a career with OfSTED as an Inspector for Children’s Homes.
Jacky Evans will be commencing her role as the new IRO for the team shortly. We really look forward to her joining the team and she will bring with her a wealth of experience in Children’s Services in child protection, leaving care, looked after children and fostering.

FINALLY….

This will be a quarterly newsletter so please feel free to make comments and suggestions for inclusion in the next newsletter.

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