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The Anna Freud Centre and in particular the clinical leadership team are renowned for our capacity for creative thinking and problem solving; and our appetite for innovations, which improve outcomes for children and families, and have the potential to deliver sustainable change. We’re keen to respond to what you need and will co-design specific types of support with you.

Please get in touch with us to start the conversation. You can fill out this quick form to share your enquiry with us.

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Integrated Care System consultancy support

As we welcome the changes of the new Integrated Care Systems (ICS), we recognize that there are many and multiple demands on systems leaders. The focus on improving the system’s connectedness to support improved outcomes for children and young people is especially welcome in the new arrangements.

Following requests for help from senior leaders in local authority and in health, Anna Freud has developed a facilitation approach that helps bring partnership leaders together. The time is focused on talking about what’s needed for local children and families to improve mental health support and how ICS arrangements can be co-designed and developed together.

Download and share our Integrated Care System Consultancy flyer.

What we offer

This half day programme is designed bespokely for the region it is supporting, there is no one size fits all. In the regions we have worked with so far, partnership leaders have come together to:

  • understand the ICS arrangements and the strategic context for children’s mental health development through the investment of the Long Term Plan.
  • plan beyond prevalence: enabling a more nuanced analysis of need/risk and consideration of children and young people experience to inform strategic planning.
  • make the argument for children in an ICS landscape that has to manage many competing priorities – the preventative case, building on the evidence.
  • bring local authority and health economy leaders together in more engaged partnership to co-design governance, priorities and alignment of strategic vision and investment.
Feedback from senior leaders
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"The world of NHS Integrated Care Systems (ICS) and the creation of local Integrated Care Boards (ICB) seemed highly complex and confusing. The team from Anna Freud delivered an excellent workshop for Directors of Children’s Services and Lead Members that not only explained the role and purpose of the ICS and ICB’s in a way everyone could understand, but also provided us with ideas and challenge us as to how we could ensure the local ICB's deliver for children and families."

Children’s Services Advisor (South East), Local Government Association and former President of Association of Directors of Children's Services


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"The session the Anna Freud team organised for Lead Members and Directors of children's services (DCSs) on the implications of NHS reorganisation and the opportunities for us in working with the new Integrated Care Boards provided clear information, helpful insight and constructive challenge, delivered with sensitivity and in an accessible “bite sized” way which engaged attendees very well." 

Director of Children’s Services, Children’s Services Department


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"Professional colleagues from across education, health and care, joined by regional lead members for children’s services, came together to participate in an excellent workshop delivered by the Anna Freud Centre. At a time of significant NHS change, and with the development of local Integrated Care Boards, the Anna Freud colleagues successfully explained the role and purpose of the ICS and ICB’s in a language accessible to all. Colleagues were challenged to consider how, working together, the region could ensure ICBs can deliver improved outcomes for children and families. The session was delivered by highly engaging and very knowledgeable experts who were skilled presenters  and facilitators."

Local Government Association (LGA) Children’s Improvement Adviser, North East Region


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"The Anna Freud session offered the regions DCS’ an opportunity to ensure that the children’s agenda within the development of the NHS Integrated Care System was shared and understood within the North East. The presenters facilitated useful discussions and provided effective and constructive challenge to encourage contributions and engagement from all participants."

Chair of Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) - North East


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"Great session with our Directors of Children Services with Health Directors across North East and North West Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). Time to explore opportunities across our ICS and how we can work with each other. Thanks Andrea King."

Chief Executive of Integrated Care Boards - North East and North Cumbria


"Your gentle but focused advocacy was brilliant." Director of Children’s Services - South East


"What a star! Brilliant leadership development!" Children’s Services Advisor, Local Government Association (LGA)


"You reminded me of the importance of compassion and encouraged me to keep going, when I had given up. I feel energised!" Director of Children’s Services - North East

How to contact us

Please contact clinicalservicesenquiries@annafreud.org to start the conversation for your region. Or alternatively, you can fill out this quick form to share your enquiry with us.

Clinical facilitation and transformation support

As the pressure and demand on children’s services continues to increase, many of us are reviewing our partnership priorities, considering where we invest precious resources best to help and support children, young people and families. Some areas have contacted us asking for help to facilitate partnership discussions or reviews about how best to support children’s mental health and how to transform the emotional health support co-designed with the local children, families and all partner agencies. Other areas are re-considering their early help and preventative services in the community, to reach children and families with the help they need sooner, and make best use of finite resources, by sharing capacity, investment and team efforts. Sometimes it’s a combination of the two.

What we offer

We have really welcomed the requests we’ve received to help facilitate children’s partnership transformation design and planning discussions, and children’s mental health transformation and design discussions too.

We start with understanding your context. Your experiences so far, your vision for children and families, and the assets you are building on locally. We take a relational approach to facilitation to bring people together. This often involves supporting gap tasks, reflecting vision and milestones, helping scaffold discussions about the identification and mitigation of risk as your plans develop.

Feedback from senior leaders
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“The workshop, led by Andrea, was well received by partners.  Andrea was inspirational and her passion was contagious. She facilitated many conversations (which have since continued and are developing into actions) around how we can all work together to focus support to children, young people, their families and their communities. The impact of this workshop will be long lasting.”

Jeanette Keyte, Senior Commissioner (Children and Families), Southampton Integrated Commissioning Unit


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"Thank you so much for attending our away day yesterday and sharing important information about your role and service. The information shared was extremely valuable and has provided us with further ideas and support around how we can continue to work together moving forward."

Assistant Team Manager, Buckinghamshire Children’s Services

How to contact us

Please don't hesitate to tell us what you need and we will shape something that responds to you. Contact us via clinicalservicesenquiries@annafreud.org to start the conversation. Or alternatively, you can fill out this quick form to share your enquiry with us.

Consultancy for family hubs and early years services

In light of our role hosting the National Centre for Family Hubs, we also have a specific offer to support in Family Hub and wider Early Years and Prevention transformation, design and development.

Who we are

The National Centre for Family Hubs was established in May 2021 to champion family hubs and work with local authorities to share best practice on evidence-based service models.

What we offer

We are working with our regional team to develop a consultancy offer which supports our stakeholders by providing:

  • In-depth support in the planning, implementation, and delivery of family hubs
  • Training in key topics which support our vision to ‘close the gap’ and improve outcomes for children and young people, parents and carers nationwide.

Consultancy services will be delivered by trained staff at our Centre, whose widespread expertise include clinical delivery, evaluation and outcomes, co-production, family hub implementation, and much more.

We are passionate about supporting colleagues who are developing their early years offer. Our staff have experience of working in local authority and NHS settings with children in the early years and their families. This enables us to provide bespoke consultancy that is grounded in clinical experience with a range of partner agencies.

How to contact us and send us your feedback

Our consultancy offer is currently in development. If you are a local authority or are involved in the delivery of early years services, then we would love to hear from you on how we can help. From workforce planning to family engagement. Please contact clinicalservicesenquiries@annafreud.org to start the conversation. Or alternatively, you can fill out this quick form to share your enquiry with us.

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