Key Worker Schemes

Barnardo’s is playing a successful part in the national rollout of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to provide Key Worker support to children and young people with a learning disability and/or who are autistic.

This transformational delivery sees us working in partnership with families, parent carer forums, NHS Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Local Authorities across complex boundaries in four pilot and early adopter sites with 20 Key Worker roles nationally.

As a delivery partner, Barnardo’s can offer:

• learning from involvement at a national level in the delivery of pilot and early adopter sites
• strong principles of coproduction with families and young people from the outset, elevating their voice, leading to excellent buy-in 
• reach into communities and  Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise (VCSE) networks
• successful young people and family-led recruitment campaigns resulting in high volume of Key Worker applications and the appointment of people with lived experience
• support to wider system aims at a regional level as a third sector partner, including involvement in transforming care partnership pathway groups
• provide NHS with expert children and young people and carer lens in Steering Groups
• more flexibility in recruiting Key Worker roles.

Case study – Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland

Our Key Worker scheme in Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland works with 3 family carer forums with regular representation from 5 parents/carers on the Key Worker Steering Group.

In focusing on building trust and creating safe spaces for parents/carers, Barnardo’s staff supported the forums to raise an issue about the referral process in the Dynamic Support Register (DSR), positively challenging the CCG and having their voice heard.