Following the ILACS in May 2024 and subsequent inspection report in July 2024, Children’s Services have developed a programme around the stabilisation and redesign of Children’s Social Care to become a proactive early intervention and prevention system across Halton. Executive Board have approved funding of £4.2 million over the next 3 years to invest in the delivery of this programme.
Part of this programme was the implementation of a newly formed Edge of Care Team (EOC). This team will work with complex and vulnerable families who are on the edge of care. They will support families to remain safely in their home environment or be reunited within their family/kinship networks where it was safe to do so. The aim of the service is to reduce the demand for high cost residential placements, which often means moving children away from families and local networks. This will be achieved through offering more stability and better connections with families, and building relationships within communities and increasing resilience into adulthood.
The service proposal consisted of roles recruited to within Halton Borough Council and also specialist clinical roles (Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Practitioner) to support this team to achieve their aims and outcomes. All internal recruitment is now complete with the team going live in June 2025.
Following strategic discussions with our partners it was agreed that Merseycare would support in delivering the clinical expertise needed to support the Edge of Care Team. Further discussions have been collaboratively ongoing with a contract between both parties being drawn up.
Due to the desire to recruit these roles and embed them into the Edge of Care team as a priority, and the summer recess meaning no Executive Board meeting to sign off the waiver the request is to sign off the waiver so as not to delay the recruitment process. The contract for of these roles will be £146,539.99 per annumn.