Purpose

The council intends to enter a
partnership agreement with a specialist charity SHiFT to provide a
new service for children and families where children are involved
in crime or at risk of involvement in crime.  This partnership brings in grant funding to create
a ‘SHiFT Practice’ within Croydon Children’s
Social Care providing intensive support working with the whole
family to reduce risk and improve life chances.
 
The partnership agreement is
for a 3 year period, SHiFT and Croydon Council will work together
providing support to 127 children over that 3 year period, reducing
risk of crime, reducing risk of family breakdown, improving
outcomes holistically for the child and family.   
 
For the reasons set out in the
report, the Executive Mayor is recommended:
 
To agree the 3-year partnership
between Croydon Children’s Social Care and SHiFT.
 

Content

For the reasons set out in the
report and appendices, the Executive Mayor
AGREED:
 
As part of the Helping Families
Thrive Programme, to agree to pilot the SHiFT Model by entering
into a Memorandum of Understanding and a Partnership Agreement for
a period of three years with SHiFT National
 
To note that the cost
implications are set out in section 8 of the report, including
£690,000 of match funding from the Council over 3
years.
 

Reasons for the decision

‘Every £1 spend
on SHiFT saves £8 over 5 years, and £33 over 20
years’ (SHiFT Organisation?Ltd. (2023). Report of the
Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2023. Manchester: SHiFT
Organisation?Ltd. (Referencing economic analysis by Cornish
&?Grey, June?2022)
 
The SHiFT model is designed to
‘break the destructive cycle of children and young people
caught up in, or at risk of crime.’ It is a structured,
relationship and practice-based intervention model grounded in
trauma-informed practice, evidence from systemic family therapy,
and intensive support models.
 
A Youth Endowment Fund
Feasibility Study of SHiFT found that the model has a strong
potential to deliver as part of differentiated model/offer to those
at risk with a view to reducing pressure on statutory
services.
 
The test & learn pilot will
test the size of the impact this new way of working can have in
Croydon. A cautious estimate based on modelling suggests a saving
of over £380k (see below for further detail).
 

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – Do nothing.
 
No change to the existing way
of working with children and families where children are involved
in crime or at risk of involvement in crime.
 
Without the test and learn
approach, Croydon will not be able to transform it’s
Children’s services.
 
The opportunity to access the
MHCLG grant for 50% of the funding for 3 years, will be
lost.
 
Potential cost avoidance and
savings cautiously estimated to be over £380k will not be
achieved.