The challenge
Kirklees Council faced an urgent and complex situation when a young person (YP) had to be relocated from the East Midlands back to Kirklees due to their foster placement breaking down.
Emma Ash, a Social Worker at Kirklees Council, explained: "The YP needed to be accommodated in unregulated temporary accommodation within the Kirklees area whilst a permanent regulated provision was identified." This required a team of support workers to supervise the YP around the clock.
The council sought a safe staffing solution until the YP's 16th birthday, when they could transition to semi-independent living. The immediacy of the requirement, coupled with the uncertainty of when the YP would arrive and where they would be residing, posed significant challenges. Emma noted: "Reed’s consultants showed good knowledge and understanding and suggested a 2:1 staffing solution 24/7 which included staff sleeping in, which we then implemented."
The solution
Reed’s specialist health and care consultants, Rob Muddiman and Lucie Nguyenova, leveraged their specialist knowledge and experience to address Kirklees Council's needs effectively.
Rob, Senior Area Manager at Reed, said: "To tackle the client’s brief, I obtained as much information as possible and utilised our experience in these types of emergency placements to suggest a solution to their needs."
Reed immediately put a core team of four support workers on standby while finalising the details. Rob emphasised: "We used our specialist knowledge of the sector, including safeguarding, to identify the YP's staffing needs." The team ensured constant and appropriate communication with Kirklees Council, addressing challenges promptly and keeping the young person’s best interests at the centre of their efforts.
Kirklees Council’s Emma praised Reed's responsiveness, stating: "Reed went above and beyond, outside of standard office hours, to ensure we had a staffing team in place and at the placement within three hours of briefing. Their communication and speed of response stood out in particular, and they seemed very knowledgeable and offered suggestions."
The results
The placement was a success, providing the YP with the necessary support and supervision during a critical period.
Emma said: "The support team they placed with the YP performed very well. They were highly focused on the person’s needs and handled the challenges calmly and effectively." This level of care and competence gave Emma peace of mind, allowing her to focus on sourcing a permanent placement.
The impact of Reed's support extended beyond immediate needs. "Knowing that the YP was well looked after removed a lot of stress from me. Overall, I trusted in Reed’s competence and received a great service with great staff,” said Emma. The resilience and dedication of the support workers were particularly noteworthy, as they were able to effectively deal with the YP's behaviours, which further reinforced Emma's confidence in the placement.
Lawrence Aina, one of the support workers placed by Reed, shared his experience, "It was a good job. The main challenge was communication, as the YP didn’t speak English, so we had to be creative in ways to communicate with him, including using translation software." Lawrence appreciated the opportunity and expressed his desire for more shifts with Reed, stating: "Reed’s communication was perfect."
Rob reflected on the success of the placement, he said: "We are a highly specialist team with a specialist pool of workers that can respond to requests of this nature. The placement was a success, and we were really happy to hear the level of trust the client had in us."
