Children's services

Cordis Bright helps its clients to deliver better outcomes for children, young people and their families.

We have an unusually high level of expertise in children's services, thanks to the combination of:

• Consultants with practical experience of commissioning, service provision, regulation and professional qualifications in social work, education, and probation
• A detailed understanding of the full range of children's services and issues, including safeguarding, mental health, drugs, young offenders, children with disabilities and SEN, and childcare
• In-depth and up-to-date knowledge of policy, guidance and statutory requirements
• Consultancy and research skills developed specifically for children's services

We cover children's services across all age ranges, from early years to young adults. We have developed particular expertise, and highly skilled teams around:

• Every Child Matters and integrated children's services
• Children's Centres, Sure Start, Early Years and childcare
• Youth offending and prevention

What we do in children's services

We help our clients in many different ways, including:

Consultancy

We provide a broad range of consultancy services, and are particularly experienced in:

• Integrated children's services: assisting local authorities, primary care trusts, education, youth justice and voluntary organisations with partnership working
• Strategy and commissioning: helping our clients to develop strategy and deal with operational and strategic questions around integrated and single agency commissioning, value for money and quality.
• Need and demand analyses, including childcare sufficiency analyses
• Performance and outcomes analysis and improvement

See consultancy for more on what we do.

Research

We have a strong in-house research team and can provide research and analysis ranging from the needs and aspirations of local populations to evidence based practice and central government spending and policy. See research for more information.

Participation and consultation with children and young people

Many organisations struggle to carry out effective consultation with children and young people and their parents and carers. We have built considerable skills and experience in this area, particularly with excluded groups. We have a range of methodologies covering universal and targeted services. See inclusion, involvement and consultation.

Evaluations and service reviews

Cordis Bright has a wealth of experience in conducting evaluations and service reviews in general, and evaluations of children's services in particular. For example we have conducted over 60 evaluations of local Sure Start Children's Centre, Children's Fund and other  programmes, and in work evidencing the impact of services. We have undertaken a number of service reviews, including Prevention, CAMHS, YOTs, community safety services and services for disabled children and young people. See evaluations for more on what we do.

Performance improvement and turnaround

We work with clients who want to improve their children's services, providing reviews, support and advice. This can range from examination of performance, financial modelling and value for money analysis to staff coaching, mentoring and training programmes. See performance improvement and turnaround for more information.

Inspection support

We offer health checks and both pre and post inspection support to providers of children's services, including Youth Offending Teams and for Joint Area Reviews. See inspection support.

Who we work with in children's services

Cordis Bright works with:

• Children and Young People's Trusts and other partnerships
• Both statutory providers and the independent sector
• Commissioners and providers of services across all age ranges: early years, children, adolescents and young adults

We have provided services for PCTs, CAMHS, local authorities and voluntary agencies.