Transforming child welfare: Overcoming backlogs in Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council (LCC) faced a significant backlog in statutory child protection cases. To address these delays, LCC partnered with Acacium Group to ensure timely and effective resolution, safeguarding vulnerable children and maintaining statutory compliance.
Key Statistics
- 688 child protection visits
- 43% of cases closed within the contract period
- 197 cases progressed overall
The Challenge
LCC faced a backlog of complex child welfare cases requiring urgent attention. Historic delays in case progression and stretched resources jeopardised the wellbeing of the children involved. Immediate and effective intervention was needed to bring cases up to date and ensure timely decision-making and support.
Why Acacium Group?
As the UK’s largest staffing provider, Acacium Group has experience leading effective workforce strategies across the public and private sector.
LCC partnered with Acacium Group to access its bank of highly skilled social workers. Experienced in deploying skilled teams rapidly, our operational function had proven successful in supporting local authorities in managing complex caseloads and delivering results within strict deadlines.
The Solution
Acacium Group assembled a specialised support team, including a team manager, a practice manager, qualified social workers, and a family support worker. The team handled an initial caseload of 140 children and their families, focusing on child protection, children in need, care proceedings, and child looked after cases.
During the six-month project, the operational team worked closely with LCC’s existing staff to understand current systems. As social care experts, they supported the LCC team in improving processes, leading to better outcomes and progressing 197 cases over the contract’s duration.
Impact
Meeting key milestones
The partnership between LCC and Acacium Group significantly improved case management and child protection. This enabled LLC to provide timely support to children and families, enabling 43% of cases to be closed within the project period.
Comprehensive case management
The partnership effectively engaged with vulnerable families, building trust and ensuring they received the support needed to improve family welfare. The progression of 197 cases ensured that each child protection case received necessary interventions and resources, leading to more effective outcomes and improved child protection services.
Improved compliance
LLC’s child protection services improved statutory compliance by sharing best practice processes, knowledge, and expertise throughout the partnership. This elevated the service to better support children and their families, completing 688 child protection visits in six months.
“I have no hesitation in recommending Acacium Group to any local authority in need of building capacity within its workforce without compromising the quality of work afforded to children and families under their care.”
Lancashire County Council
For local authorities seeking a reliable and effective partner to improve child welfare outcomes, contact: clientenquiries@acaciumgroup.com
