How Caremark (Aylesbury and Wycombe) Can Support Children Using Outcome Stars and the Buckinghamshire Thresholds

Introduction

Caremark (Aylesbury and Wycombe) offers essential care and support to children with diverse needs, especially those facing challenges in their emotional, physical, and social development. As a leading provider of care services, Caremark emphasizes the importance of delivering tailored support using tools such as Outcome Stars and the Buckinghamshire Threshold Document. These tools provide a structured, evidence-based approach to understanding and responding to the needs of children across different levels of vulnerability and development.

Outcome Stars are designed to help children, families, and support workers assess progress across multiple areas of life, fostering empowerment and well-being. Meanwhile, the Buckinghamshire Threshold Document serves as a comprehensive guide for professionals to understand the different levels of need a child might experience, and how to ensure appropriate services and interventions are implemented at each stage.

In this blog, we will explore how Caremark (Aylesbury and Wycombe) supports children using Outcome Stars, while also adhering to the guidelines and support pathways provided in the Buckinghamshire Threshold Document.

Understanding the Outcome Star for Children – My Star

The Outcome Star is an evidence-based tool used across care services to measure and track progress in various aspects of an individual’s life. For children, this is represented by My Star, which focuses on eight key areas of a child’s well-being: being safe, confidence and self-esteem, physical health, friends, where you live, education and learning, feelings and behaviour, and relationships(A5-My-Star-leaflet-Buck…). Each of these areas is assessed on a five-point scale, allowing both the child and their support worker to reflect on what is going well and what areas need improvement.

How My Star Works

The My Star tool is designed to visually map a child’s progress, helping both the child and their family or carers to understand where they stand on the Journey of Change scale(A5-My-Star-leaflet-Buck…). The steps are colour-coded, with red indicating areas of significant concern, through to blue, where things are going well. This visual tool provides a practical way for children and families to reflect on their progress and identify next steps in their care journey.

For example, in a scenario where a child is struggling with confidence and self-esteem, they might be at a “red” or “orange” level, indicating that things are difficult and require intervention. Over time, with targeted support from Caremark (Aylesbury and Wycombe), the child may progress to “green” or “blue,” showing that their confidence has improved significantly.

Personalising Support with My Star

My Star is not just about measuring progress but also about involving the child in their own care plan. At Caremark, support workers use this tool to initiate meaningful conversations with the child and their family, ensuring the child’s voice is central to the planning process. As children participate in discussions about their progress, they gain a greater sense of control over their care. This empowerment is particularly crucial for children who may feel disempowered by their circumstances.

For example, in the area of physical health, if a child struggles with chronic health issues or developmental delays, My Star enables Caremark to track health interventions over time and adapt the care plan as necessary. By using a child-friendly, visual format, even younger children can engage with the process, making the assessment and care planning both accessible and collaborative.

Building Strong Relationships through My Star

One of the core components of My Star is the focus on relationships(A5-My-Star-leaflet-Buck…). Caremark (Aylesbury and Wycombe) recognises the importance of nurturing positive relationships in a child’s life, whether with family members, friends, or within educational settings. By assessing this area, Caremark support workers can identify where a child may be struggling socially or emotionally and provide tailored interventions to foster better relationships. This might involve helping children develop social skills, facilitating family therapy sessions, or connecting them with peer support groups.

By focusing on relationships, Caremark is ensuring that children have the social and emotional support they need to thrive, reinforcing the holistic care approach that encompasses all aspects of a child’s life.

The Buckinghamshire Threshold Document

The Buckinghamshire Threshold Document offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the levels of need in children and young people, from universal services to those requiring targeted interventions and statutory support(Threshold-Documents). It highlights four levels of support:

Universal Services (Level 1) – Children whose needs are met within standard services like schools and GPs.
Additional Support (Level 2) – Children with additional needs requiring early help interventions from a single agency.
Complex Needs (Level 3) – Children requiring coordinated multi-agency support due to multiple and complex needs.
Acute/Child Protection (Level 4) – Children with acute or safeguarding concerns needing statutory intervention.

Caremark’s Use of the Threshold Document

At Caremark, the Threshold Document guides decision-making regarding the appropriate level of support and intervention for each child. By adhering to these guidelines, Caremark ensures that children receive the right level of care, whether through early help or more intensive statutory support.

For example, a child with Level 2 needs, who might display early signs of emotional or behavioural challenges, would benefit from Outcome Star assessments alongside targeted interventions, such as counselling or mentorship programs. If their needs become more complex, moving into Level 3, Caremark would coordinate with other agencies, including health services, educational professionals, and social care teams, to create a holistic support plan.

Early Help and Universal Services

Caremark is well-positioned to offer early help services, ensuring that children receive the support they need before their situation escalates(Threshold-Documents). This may involve working directly with children who have mild emotional or behavioural issues, offering support in confidence-building and communication skills. The My Star tool would be instrumental at this stage, helping children and families see the tangible progress made as they move from red and orange zones into green and blue.

For children in Level 1 or Level 2 on the Threshold, Caremark provides interventions that work in partnership with existing universal services such as schools, GPs, and community health services. These interventions are designed to prevent further escalation of need by addressing concerns early.

Multi-Agency Collaboration for Complex Needs

When children present with Level 3 needs—requiring multi-agency collaboration—Caremark adopts a team-based approach. Working alongside social services, healthcare providers, and educational professionals, Caremark coordinates the necessary interventions for children with complex needs. This might involve addressing health concerns, managing risks associated with emotional and behavioural disorders, or ensuring the child’s safety in the home environment.

An example of this multi-agency approach can be seen when a child with a disability requires specialised educational support and health interventions. Caremark’s role would be to ensure that all involved parties—schools, therapists, and health professionals—are working towards a unified care plan. This ensures that the child’s physical, educational, and emotional needs are met comprehensively.

Acute Needs and Statutory Intervention

For children identified as having acute needs at Level 4, Caremark follows statutory guidelines in collaboration with social services to ensure the child’s immediate safety and well-being(Threshold-Documents). This may involve child protection plans, safeguarding interventions, and even care proceedings where necessary.

In such cases, My Star remains an essential tool for tracking the child’s progress through statutory interventions, ensuring that while their needs may be acute, there is still a focus on long-term well-being and recovery.

Tailored Support: Case Study Example

Consider a child named Emma, who has been referred to Caremark for support due to behavioural challenges and anxiety at school. Using My Star, Emma’s support worker maps out her current well-being across the eight key areas. Emma is showing high levels of anxiety (red zone) in the feelings and behaviour section, while her confidence and self-esteem are in the orange zone. However, her physical health and relationships are in the green zone, indicating these are areas of strength.

Over the course of six months, Caremark implements a tailored support plan, involving counselling, confidence-building activities, and close collaboration with her school to create a supportive learning environment. By regularly reviewing Emma’s progress with My Star, Caremark can visually track her improvements. Gradually, her feelings and behaviour improve, moving into the green zone, and her confidence rises as well.

At each stage, the Buckinghamshire Threshold Document guides the level of intervention, ensuring that Caremark provides Level 2 support, coordinating with her school and family. If Emma’s needs had escalated, the Threshold Document would have provided clear guidance on how to increase interventions to Level 3 or even Level 4 if required.

Conclusion

Caremark (Aylesbury and Wycombe) provides a robust and responsive support system for children, using the My Star tool to track progress and ensure that children receive personalised, meaningful interventions. By integrating the Buckinghamshire Threshold Document into their practices, Caremark ensures that every child is met with the right level of care, whether they need early help or more intensive, statutory support.

Through the combination of Outcome Stars and threshold-based interventions, Caremark is able to offer a structured, compassionate, and effective approach to child care, fostering better outcomes for children and families alike.

Contact us to find out more:

Caremark (Aylesbury and Wycombe)
01296 641 662
4 Haybarn Business Park, Cublington Road, Aston Abbotts, Buckinghamshire, HP22 4ND
www.caremark.co.uk/aylesbury-and-wycombe
aylesbury@caremark.co.uk