I keep hearing professionals ask, ‘why do families keep coming back into the system?’

One reason, I believe is that social workers and other leading professionals aren’t given the time to give the families the support they actually need.

Who really takes (or has) the time to fully understand how the family functions and the dynamics within the family system they are assessing/ supporting?

Case loads are still too high, and far more complex, as the early support teams take on the less complex cases. So you might hear a practitioner only has 15 cases and case loads are being reduced. What you are not hearing based on complexity of the cases, is that practitioners are struggling to meet the demands of their case loads and the computer systems.

Families have been known to some local authorities for many years, yet the parents journey unknown. Without this knowledge how can we say we truly understand the lived experiences for the children or their parents.

I ask time and time again, what is the parents storey? Why are they stuck? Have the parents been exposed to childhood adversity, and how do they regulate and manage their lived experiences? What’s in the pot? I always ask, because that is the dynamic in which the children are living, absorbing everyday. It’s not just the presenting issue, it’s why the presenting issues.

Many local authorities state they are trauma informed, yet many practitioners don’t know what the ACEs are. And I ask why they don’t know?

This is why I have developed the MAAPP LinkIndex key ring, as it gives practitioners and families the tools to support their learning. There are some amazing professional organisations websites and resources that are available to us all online, that many are not aware of.

One of the first categories that is on the LinkIndex key ring is the ACEs, and Trauma Informed Practice, as it is imperative that we truly understand this.

I have learnt so much putting the MAAPP LinkIndex key ring together, and am confidant that this tool will promote professional curiosity and improve outcomes for children and families.

We need to work smarter, families need us to know!

We must never stop learning!

For more targeted resources to support your learning and to share with families go to: www.qrcoderesources.co.uk