IMPOWER has led the debate on an issue of national importance, devised a ground-breaking solution – the Valuing Care programme – and worked closely with clients to successfully implement it. As a result, thousands of England’s most vulnerable children and young people will receive support that is tailored to their needs and gives them a better start in life.
Drawing on its experience of working with local authorities over a number of years, iMPOWER has built a body of evidence highlighting how the current system for supporting children in care is broken.
Children’s services departments are spending more and more money on those in care, and yet the amount spent is not linked to outcomes – the indicators which help monitor whether the care system enables people to lead productive and healthy lives. Too often, there’s little or no connection between the needs of the child, the suitability of the homes or settings they are placed into, and the money being spent.
Despite the broader impacts of austerity, English councils spend over £4 billion per year looking after the 73,000 children in their care – a number which rose by over 17% between 2010 and 2017. With demand for care placements continuing to rise, and council budgets still being cut, children’s services are facing a funding gap of £2 billion by 2020. And tragically, councils have little confidence in what care is achieving for the children they look after.
The Valuing Care programme addresses these issues by transforming the way services are delivered. It helps professionals form a better understanding of children’s needs and the most appropriate way to support them, and in doing so enables them to use scarce resources more effectively.
Through opinion pieces in the media, a hard-hitting white paper and by lobbying key influencers in central government, IMPOWER raised awareness of the issue and the solutions their programme could offer.
IMPOWER has worked with forward-thinking councils to put Valuing Care into practice. It is proving highly effective, and has created advocates within local government and the broader public sector.
Far from approaching this as a traditional consultancy offer, IMPOWER has taken thought leadership to a delivery level, and in doing so has created a nationwide movement.
View the IMPOWER company profile in the MCA Members Directory.