Deliver our services

Services you can deliver

Through our Scale-up Unit, we are supporting partners to deliver:

• Baby Steps – helping new parents in need of extra support
• Coping with Crying – a film to help new and expectant parents learn how best to respond when their baby is crying
• Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together (DART™) – supporting children and their mothers following domestic abuse
• Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2) – an assessment tool identifying neglect by evaluating family strengths and weaknesses
• Harmful Sexual Behaviour Framework – helping local areas develop multi-agency responses to children displaying harmful sexual behaviours
• Letting the Future In – helping children who’ve been sexually abused rebuild their lives and express themselves
• Reunification Practice Framework – helping social workers make decisions on returning children home from care.

Information about delivering these services can be found under the individual tabs.

Baby Steps

We worked with Warwick University to develop Baby Steps, a service to help new parents in need of extra support.

It is designed to sit alongside mainstream provision, and to be co-delivered by health and social care practitioners.

> Find out more about Baby Steps

How we know Baby Steps works

We’ve found that parents who completed the Baby Steps programme:

• showed improved mental health and were better protected against relationship breakdown and postnatal depression
• experienced improved birth outcomes, such as fewer low-birth-weight babies, and lower rates of caesarean sections and premature births.

We’re committed to learning from our partners and improving how we work together. So, we’ve evaluated how we’re supporting other organisations to deliver this programme.

> Read our implementation evaluation of Baby Steps

> See a full list of evaluation reports for this service

What support can we offer?

We will provide:

• a detailed readiness assessment, plus pre-implementation support
• a licence for the area to deliver Baby Steps in accordance with the model
• comprehensive training for up to 12 Baby Steps group facilitators covering the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to deliver the groups.

Our emphasis is on ensuring fidelity to the model while offering some flexibility to tailor the approach to your local groups. This ‘flexibility within a fidelity framework’ promotes outcomes and local relevance.

Our training is delivered over three separate events, totalling six days. Training includes:

• group facilitator training before the programme starts
• further facilitator top-up training, 4 to 6 months into delivery
• the use of video-enhanced reflective practice training
• additional training for midwives and stakeholder engagement, depending on your local delivery requirements.

We provide a tapered-implementation support package to project leads over the course of the licence. Initially, you will receive monthly support to ensure that the service is being successfully implemented. This support then reduces as the service becomes embedded.

How to deliver Baby Steps

If you want to deliver Baby Steps, we can provide training and support for your local teams to help them deliver it successfully.

Email babysteps@nspcc.org.uk for more information about delivering this service.

Coping with Crying

We worked with Warwick Medical School and Great Ormond Street Hospital to develop Coping with Crying. It’s a film that practitioners such as midwives, maternity support workers, health visitors and children’s centre workers can watch with new and expecting parents.

It helps prepare them for parenthood and gives practical advice about what to do if their baby won’t stop crying. This can help keep babies safe by reducing the risk of non-accidental head injuries.

> Find out more about Coping with Crying

How we know Coping with Crying works

Our evaluation of Coping with Crying found encouraging evidence that it helps parents react in a positive way when their baby is crying.

Parents who watched the film reported improvements in their knowledge about infant crying, and coping strategies they could use to soothe their baby. They had more understanding about the impact of shaking their baby.

> Read our full evaluation report

> See a full list of evaluation reports for this service

What support can we offer?

We’ve put together an online training package for practitioners who want to show Coping with Crying to new parents. It covers:

• the risks associated with babies that cry excessively
• advice and guidance on how to support parents and keep babies safe
• guidance on how to effectively implement the programme and show the film to parents.

The course also contains downloadable programme resources, including:

• the Coping with Crying film
• a step-by-step guide for managers on how to implement the programme
• leaflets for parents
• a script for practitioners to use when showing the film to parents
• a detailed manual for managers and practitioners on how to deliver the programme to parents
• promotional materials.

How to deliver Coping with Crying

Sign up to our online training course to access all the resources you need to deliver Coping with Crying.

> View the Delivering the Coping with Crying programme training

Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together (DART™)

Through DART, children and their mothers can talk to each other about domestic abuse, learn to communicate and rebuild their relationship.

> Find out more about DART

How we know DART works

We’ve found that DART has proven positive results for mothers and children. After completing the programme:

• substantial improvements were reported by almost two thirds (62%) of mothers with low self-esteem
• substantially improved relationships were reported by nearly 9 in 10 (88%) children who originally said that their mothers struggled to show them affection.

We conducted a robust evaluation of how we support organisations to deliver DART, to help us continue to improve the support we give.

> Read our implementation evaluation of DART

> See a full list of evaluation reports for this service

What support can we offer?

First, we’ll ask you to complete a readiness assessment. After this, we provide a licence to deliver DART in accordance with the manual.

We then provide:

• a pre-implementation support visit
• a day-and-a-half of DART training
• a minimum of two post-implementation support discussions per year, in addition to the initial visit
• up to 9 hours post-training consultation during the first DART group
• one visit per year for the duration of the licence
• additional training is also available as a one-day Train the Trainer course, so you can train your own staff
• the DART manual as one hard copy and an electronic copy
• editable DART leaflets for children, mothers and professionals, so you can add your organisation’s contact details.

How to deliver DART

If you’re interested in delivering DART, we can provide support and training to help your team successfully implement the service in your area.

Email dartenquiries@nspcc.org.uk for more information about delivering this service.

Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2)

Graded Care Profile 2 is a tool to evaluate family strengths and weaknesses, to help in the identification of neglect.

> Find out more about Graded Care Profile 2

> Download our Graded Care Profile 2 case studies (PDF)

How we know Graded Care Profile 2 works

Professionals who were already embedding the tool have told us that:

• referrals were clearer and more likely to lead to actions that would support the child
• some practitioners felt it enabled parents to better understand professionals’ concerns
• some families were reported to make positive health and lifestyle choices as a result.

These findings come from our evaluation of how we support organisations to use GCP2.

> Read our implementation evaluation of Graded Care Profile 2

> See a full list of evaluation reports for this service

What support can we offer?

We’ll provide:

• a training course to support local delivery (minimum of two delegates)
• support and advice to effectively implement the tool in your local area
• access to over 25 documents to support practice, which can be tailored for local use
• a licence to use GCP2 in the agreed geographical area, which allows you to use the tool and train staff
• free annual events to come together and meet other authorities using the tool.

How to deliver Graded Care Profile 2

Our consultancy and training can help professionals in your area to use GCP2 effectively.

Email gcp2@nspcc.org.uk for more information about delivering this service.

Harmful Sexual Behaviour Framework

A framework aiming to help local areas develop and improve multi-agency responses to children displaying harmful sexual behaviours (HSB).

> Find out more about the Harmful Sexual Behaviour Framework

How we know the Harmful Sexual Behaviour Framework works

Eight pilot areas agreed to test and help further develop the framework in 2015. They used the audit tool with their local workforce and multi-agency groups, and collated, analysed and fed back the findings to their Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) sub-groups.

Key feedback was:

• the framework acted as a platform for discussion and reflection on current policies and practice; strengths and weaknesses were identified, improvements not previously considered were highlighted, and clear recommendations and action plans developed
• it also acted as a persuasive device to help them to argue for the retention of services, and secure funding.

What support can we offer?

Our implementation support package is delivered over 3 to 6 months. During this time, we provide:

• a pre-implementation assessment with strategic leaders to ensure necessary preparations have been made for the audit
• support with planning the audit and advice on collation of data
• administrative materials to help you coordinate partner agencies
• advice throughout the audit process and during the analysis of the audit findings
• support with developing an action plan and identifying NSPCC and partner organisations’ resources that can help you to implement it.

How to deliver the Harmful Sexual Behaviour Framework

Our implementation support package can help local areas to implement the framework successfully.

Email hsbframework@nspcc.org.uk for more information about delivering this service.

Letting the Future In

We’ve developed this service to help the recovery of children and young people who’ve been sexually abused.

We want more children and young people to be able to benefit from Letting the Future In. So as well as delivering the programme in some of our service centres, we want to provide training and support to other organisations to help their local teams implement and deliver it in their area.

> Find out more about Letting the Future In

How we know Letting the Future In works

Letting the Future In is the only intervention of its kind that has a robust evidence base.

It is recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2017) and showcased as an example of commissioning practice in the Home Office’s commissioning framework for support services for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in England (Home Office, 2019).

Through our evaluation in collaboration with the Universities of Bristol and Durham we know that Letting the Future in:

• is a cost-effective solution, with an average cost of £2,300 per case compared to the cost of an average case for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Teams of almost £5,000
• can be delivered by therapists or social-care professionals who receive additional training, allowing for children and young people to receive the support they need without having to be escalated to services at a higher threshold.

This service was evaluated in collaboration with the Universities of Bristol and Durham.

> Read the full evaluation report

What support can we offer?

Our training and implementation support package includes:

• a licence to deliver the service in accordance with the model but with the flexibility to meet local needs and practice
• pre-implementation support to assess readiness and understand training needs
• pre-training workshop for senior managers to work with you to identify how you can make the most of the service and establish methods for ongoing evaluation and outcomes
• a bespoke, individual needs-assessed training programme
• ongoing implementation support.

How to deliver Letting the Future In

If you’re interested in delivering Letting the Future In, we can provide training and support to your local teams to help you implement and deliver the service in your area.

Email lettingthefuturein@nspcc.org.uk for more information about delivering this service.

Reunification Practice Framework

An evidence-informed framework designed to help social workers make decisions on returning children home from care.

> Find out more about the Reunification Practice Framework

How we know the Reunification Practice Framework works

Like all our services, the framework is evidence-informed. There are many benefits to implementing it in your local authority, such as:

• it has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a resource to improve placement stability
• it was put forward as a recommended option for change in the 2018 Care Crisis Review report
• it can also generate significant cost savings through its focus on supporting the child and their family on their return.

To ensure we are offering the best possible support, we have evaluated how we work with organisations using the framework.

> Read our implementation evaluation of the Reunification Practice Framework

What support can we offer?

We help local authorities to use the framework through:

• implementation workshops for strategic leads to think through systems changes and articulate the vision for improvement in their local area
• training for practice champions to support practice leads to roll out a programme of learning and skills development to all relevant staff in the authority
• practice forums to share learning and troubleshoot challenges with other local authorities who are implementing the framework.

How to deliver the Reunification Practice Framework

Our implementation support package can help local authorities to implement and successfully embed the framework within their local teams.

Email reunification@nspcc.org.uk for more information about delivering this service.

References and resources

Baby Steps

Brookes, H. and Coster, D. (2014) Evaluation of the first year of Baby Steps: parents’ perspectives. London: NSPCC.

Brookes, H. and Coster, D. (2014) Baby Steps in a prison context: parents’ perspectives. London: NSPCC.

Brookes, H. and Coster, D. (2015) Baby Steps: perspectives of parents from a minority ethnic background. London: NSPCC.

Coster, D., Brookes, H. and Sanger, C. (2015) Evaluation of the Baby Steps programme: pre- and post-measures study. London: NSPCC.

Hogg, S., Coster, D. and Brookes, H. (2015) Baby Steps: evidence from a relationships-based perinatal education programme: summary document. London: NSPCC.

Johnson, R. and Andersson, T. (2018) Implementation evaluation of Baby Steps scale-up. London: NSPCC.

Coping with Crying

Coster, D. et al (2016) Evaluation of Coping with Crying: final report. London: NSPCC.

Coster, D. (2017) Changing parents’ behaviour using a psycho‐educational film as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of non‐accidental head injury. Child Abuse Review, 26(6): 465-476.

Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together (DART)

Smith, E. (2016) Domestic abuse, recovering together (DART): evaluation report. London: NSPCC.

Stokes, I. (2017) Implementation evaluation of Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together (DART) scale-up: impact and evidence briefing. London: NSPCC.

Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2)

Johnson, R. and Cotmore, R. (2015) National evaluation of the Graded Care Profile. London: NSPCC.

Johnson, R., Smith, E. and Fisher, H. (2015) Testing the reliability and validity of the Graded Care Profile version 2 (GCP2). London: NSPCC.

Smith E., Johnson, R. and Andersson, T. (2018) Implementation evaluation of the scale-up of Graded Care Profile 2. London: NSPCC.

Harmful Sexual Behaviour Framework

Hackett, S., Holmes, D. and Branigan, P. (2016) Operational framework for children and young people displaying harmful sexual behaviours. London: NSPCC.

Letting the Future In

Carpenter, J. et al (2016) Letting the Future In: a therapeutic intervention for children affected by sexual abuse and their carers: an evaluation of impact and implementation. London: NSPCC.

Home Office (2019) Commissioning framework for child sexual abuse support (PDF). London: Home Office.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2017) Child abuse and neglect: NICE guidance (PDF). London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Reunification Practice Framework

Magilton, S. (2018) Implementation evaluation of reunification practice framework scale up: learning points for sustainable practice. London: NSPCC.

Wilkins, M. (2015) How to implement the reunification practice framework: a checklist for local authorities. London: NSPCC.

Wilkins, M. and Farmer, E. (2015) Reunification: an evidence-informed framework for return home practice. London: NSPCC.

Scale-up

Romanou, E. (2018) What have we learnt from scaling up NSPCC services? (PDF) London: NSPCC