Community Operating Groups
(COGs):
An Introduction to
Targeted Family Support
and
Weekly COG Case Discussion
Meetings
April 2016
[IL1: PROTECT]
Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………..3
Weekly COG Meetings…………………………………………………………...4
Tipton COG………………………………………………………………………...6
Wednesbury COG………………………………………………………………...7
West Bromwich COG…………………………………………………………….8
Oldbury COG………………………………………………………………………9
Rowley COG……………………………………………………………………...10
Smethwick COG…………………………………………………………………11
COG Contact Details……………………………………………………………12
Weekly COG Case Referral Form…………………………………………….13
[IL1: PROTECT]
2|Page
Introduction
Targeted Family Support: Community Operating Groups (COGs)
COG Teams provide Targeted Family Support to families at tiers 3 or 4 of the Sandwell
Safeguarding Board Threshold Document. They also provide advice and guidance to
professionals about how to provide help to families as early as possible.
Our ambition is for COGs to become truly multi-agency hubs that coordinate and provide
support to children and families. Multi-agency colleagues who are already based alongside
local authority staff in COGs include:
 Domestic Abuse Advocates (employed by Sandwell Women’s Aid)
 Troubled Families Employment Advisers (seconded from DWP)
A COG Team is based in each of Sandwell’s six towns. Each COG Manager is supported
by two Senior Targeted Family Support Workers and up to five Targeted Family Support
Workers. Each COG also has an Early Help Social Worker as well as Business Support.
Targeted Family Support Workers (TFSWs) can act as Lead Professional where families
require targeted family support, where the worker is best placed to do so. TFSWs support
effective parenting and prevent family breakdown or the need for statutory social work
intervention, as well as reducing crime and anti-social behaviour and helping to secure better
outcomes for families.
Early Help Social Workers can offer advice and support to other professionals (including
schools and the voluntary sector) so that we can be fully confident about the application of
thresholds and effective working between Universal Services, COGs and Children's Social
Care.
They can also offer advice about Early Help Assessments and the Lead Professional role to
help partner agencies to meet their statutory duties to safeguard children.
COG Managers are keen to develop local networks and to explore more effective ways of
working, so please do get in touch if you would like to explore how we can work more
effectively to provide services that make sense to families.
Signs of Safety & Outcomes Star
Increasingly, we are using Signs of Safety and Outcomes Star as recognised methods to
support families. We always work with parental consent. If you would like to find out more
about these tools and what they mean, please contact your COG Manager.
[IL1: PROTECT]
3|Page
Weekly COG Meetings
Weekly COG Meetings take place in each COG Locality. They provide an opportunity to
discuss the co-ordination of support to families where the Team Around the family (TAF)
process is not securing the right outcomes. Professionals from any agency can seek further
advice and support. Where appropriate a decision can be made to escalate the case to
Children’s Social Care. Parental consent for a case to be discussed must be obtained
wherever possible in line with established information sharing protocols. Speak to your COG
Manager if you are not sure COG Managers work closely with colleagues from other
agencies to make sure that families are effectively supported. They work to agree a way
forward where







Consent cannot be obtained
Consent is withdrawn
Consent has been given but the family are not engaging
A Lead Professional cannot be identified, is not present or is no longer suitable
Actions have repeatedly not been completed by professionals involved
TAF meetings have become difficult due to non-attendance, partnership
disagreements or other factors
There is a gap in the support plan which needs addressing
If the challenge cannot be resolved then the case may benefit from discussion at the weekly
COG meeting. The COG Manager will agree cases for discussion in advance and ensure
that these are on the agenda.
Weekly COG Meetings take place to facilitate effective multi-agency working on a case by
case basis; paying particular attention to those cases which are most challenging and
complex, with little or no progress made.
Everybody who works with children and families in any particular locality is a member of their
locality Community Operating Group and should be encouraged to attend a weekly COG
Meeting if they have a contribution to make regarding the needs of children.
The Weekly COG Meeting is an opportunity for practitioners to reflect on effective practice,
identify areas for development and agree how good practice can be modelled across the
partnership
Weekly COG Meetings are co-chaired by the COG Manager and Care Management Team
Manager. It is important that there is regular multi-agency attendance with representatives
from key agencies.
The families’ details that are to be discussed at the COG Meeting will be available on the
Early Help System for members to carry out checks prior to attendance. COG members will
be notified of the case list at least two working days prior to the COG meeting, allowing
members adequate time to check their systems for relevant information.
Attendees should have necessary authority to make decisions and allocate resources (or
have these delegated to them for the purpose of the COG Meeting functions).
[IL1: PROTECT]
4|Page
Group Head (Targeted Support): Tom Common
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 8471
Tom joined Sandwell in April 2014, having held similar early help and targeted social
work management roles in previous authorities: the last of which was recognised by
Ofsted as delivering Good and Outstanding services to children and families. He is a
qualified and HCPC registered Social Worker.
[IL1: PROTECT]
5|Page
Tipton COG
(Located in Tipton Local)
High Street
Tipton
DY4 9JB
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7291
COG Manager – Kate Griffiths
Kate has a degree in Youth and Community Work. She has worked within the authority for
13 years in various roles within the Youth Service, Connexions, Youth Offending Services
and Targeted Youth Service. In the last 11 yrs Kate has been working within the criminal
justice system setting up and leading services in resettlement of young people being
released from the secure estate, restorative justice, reparation and setting up the new Out of
Court Disposal in partnership with the Sandwell LPU. She has extensive experience of
partnership and family working to divert young people away from crime.
[IL1: PROTECT]
6|Page
Wednesbury COG
(Located in Wednesbury Library)
Walsall Street
Wednesbury
WS10 9EH
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7294
COG Manager – Suki Sian
Suki has worked in Sandwell for the last 8 years in the Preventative arena of Youth
Offending Service and Targeted Youth Support, for the first year as a Frontline worker and
then as the Prevention Manager.
Previous to this she has 11 years’ experience in Early Years and 4 years in Domestic
Violence and Refuge work. Throughout her working career she has always worked in a
multi-disciplinary team and has over 20 years’ experience of working with Young people and
their families.
[IL1: PROTECT]
7|Page
West Bromwich COG
The Court House
High Street
West Bromwich
B70 8LU
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7293
COG Manager – Claire Martin
Claire is a qualified Probation Officer with 12 years experience in the criminal justice system.
She is currently leading on Integrated Offender Management for Youths in Sandwell,
working closely with partnership agencies, including Probation and the Police. Her main area
of current supervision is the high risk and prolific young offender cohorts within the Sandwell
area.
[IL1: PROTECT]
8|Page
Oldbury COG
(Located in Brandhall Library)
Tame Road
Oldbury
B68 0JT
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7295
COG Manager – Naomi Clarke-Huggan
Naomi has worked for Sandwell for 10 years. She spent her time working with Vulnerable
Children and Young People in a number of occupations ranging from DECCA Senior Worker
to Specialist Team Manager within Targeted Youth Support providing her with in-depth
knowledge, skills and experience to provide support, advice and information to children,
young people and families as well supporting staff to contribute towards the Early Help
Strategy by identifying most vulnerable at the earliest opportunity ensuring a robust
assessment and action plan is in place to ensure a sustainable future for those we support.
Her passion for working with families to achieve better outcomes for their lives is a
combination of Naomi being a mother and having that innate maternal instinct to want the
best for any child as well as generally being interested in people and human behaviour
(Hence why she studied Psychology, Sociology and Counselling all at degree level). Naomi
is excited about new changes being implemented and looks forward to working with you all!
[IL1: PROTECT]
9|Page
Rowley COG
(Located in Sandwell Local)
Payne Street
Blackheath
B65 0JT
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7296
COG Manager – Rofia Noreen
Rofia has extensive experience spanning 14 years working directly with families and
children, managing people in a variety of family support roles and working in partnership with
other agencies to ensure a holistic support for families. She does hands on work with
families allowing her to see the positive impact that intervention has in the lives of families.
She enjoys her work and has learnt that safeguarding children is best achieved by taking the
child's entire environment into consideration. She worked with families intensively to tackle
anti-social behaviour and crime using a whole family approach. Working with families
entrenched in ASB and crime requires patience, resilience and building trust. Rofia is
persistent and successfully builds up trust even when families have shut the door in her face.
She could not have made progress without the support of colleagues. Team working is the
key to successful work with families and she is looking forward to working within a wider
team to continue to make a difference to families.
[IL1: PROTECT]
10 | P a g e
Smethwick COG
Hollies Family Centre
Smethwick
B67 7DW
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7297
Interim COG Manager – Barry Cole
Barry has a degree in Youth Community and Health Studies and has managed Local
Authority Multi-Agency/Disciplinary teams for over 12 years. He has worked in a number of
settings including Residential Social Work, Youth Offending Team Prevention Officer, Youth
Inclusion Support Team Assessment officer and Local Area Manager for the Connexions
Service in Wolverhampton. He has extensive experience of working with schools and
partners to affect best outcomes for children and young people.
[IL1: PROTECT]
11 | P a g e
Early Help Desk
Town
Tipton
Wednesbury
West
Bromwich
Oldbury
Rowley
Smethwick
Council
House
Manager Contact Details
Kate
Griffiths
Suki Sian
Claire
Martin
Naomi
Clarke
Huggan
Rofia
Noreen
Barry Cole
Early Help
Desk
6-8 Unity Walk
Owen Street, Tipton, DY4 8QL
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7291
Wednesbury Library
Walsall Street, Wednesbury WS10
9EH
Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7294
The Court House
High Street, West Bromwich, B70
8LU
Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7293
Brandhall Library
Tame Road, Oldbury, B68 0JT
Email:[email protected]
k
Tel: 0121 569 7295
Sandwell Local
Payne Street, Blackheath, B65 0DH
Email:[email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7296
Hollies Family Centre
Coopers Lane, Smethwick, B67
7DW
Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 0121 569 7297
Council House
Freeth Street
Oldbury
B69 3DE
Tel: 0121 569 3100
[IL1: PROTECT]
12 | P a g e
When Weekly COG’s
take place
When: Monday
Time: 2pm
Where : Unity Walk
When: Thursday
Time: 10am
Where : Wednesbury
Town Hall
When: Thursday
Time: 2pm
Where: Court House,
West Bromwich
When: Thursday
Time: 11am
Where: Brandhall Library
When: Wednesday
Time: 3.30pm
Where: Blackheath
Library
When: Tuesday
Time: 10am
Where: Hollies Contact
Centre.
Weekly COG Case Referral Form
Date:
Town :
Referrer :
Contact No:
Agency:
Email:
Family Composition (Family members, D.O.B, addresses) eCAF numbers
Child:
Siblings:
Parent/Carers details:
Why are you making this referral to Weekly COG Panel?: Concern that the caf is no longer
working
Brief outline of the concerns:
What measures/interventions/risk management have you put in place?
Risk Factors
Protective Factors
Is there a significant risk to a vulnerable
Child/Young person?
Family views to case being discussed at Panel:
[IL1: PROTECT]
13 | P a g e