CONTINUUM OF NEED AND SERVICES

Transcription

1 MULTI-AGENCY SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY AND PROCEDURES CONTINUUM OF NEED AND SERVICES Adopted (V5) by Stockton-on-Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board Effective from Updated Version

2 Contents 1. Introduction Levels of Need and Vulnerability The Role and Responsibilities of All Agencies Ensuring Equality of Opportunity Involving Children and Families Building on Strengths as well as Identifying Difficulties Engaging with Hard to Reach Children and Families Common Assessment Framework Lead Professional Family Intervention Project/Troubled Families Initiative Information Sharing The Role of Children s Centres The Role of Schools The Role of GPs The Role of Midwives The Role of Health Visitors The Role of School Nurses The Role of the Police The Role of First Contact The Role of the CAF Team The Role of the Family Support Teams The Role of Children s Social Work Teams Referrals to Children's Social Care Updated Version

3 1. Introduction Stockton-on-Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board The is the overarching framework for all agencies and services working with children and families in Stockton-on-Tees. When first introduced in November 2010, it replaced Children s Social Care: Eligibility Criteria and Initial Assessments, which had previously been operational since October The shared aim of all agencies and services in Stockton-on-Tees, from universal to highly specialist, is to provide support which focuses on meeting the needs of the child and family, enabling them to achieve their full potential. The purpose of this guidance is to ensure that services and the processes which support them are appropriately targeted, coherent and understood by all professionals working in Stockton-on-Tees. It is important to stress at the outset that this framework does not replace the Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures for safeguarding children. If any member of staff is ever concerned that a child may be at risk of suffering significant harm they should ring First Contact immediately (Tel ) who will provide advice, support and a protective response. For issues arising out of office hours the Emergency Duty Team should be contacted (Tel ). For the purposes of this guidance a child will refer to anyone under the age of 18 years. 2. Levels of Need and Vulnerability This section provides more information on the different levels of children s needs, supported by examples. This is not intended as an exhaustive list, however. If any member of staff has concerns about a child they should consult their line manager and if necessary share information with, and seek advice from, the most appropriate agency. Level 1 Children whose needs are met Universal services are available to all children and families. The most easily identifiable universal services are primary health and education. Most children will have their needs met by their families, universal services and informal support networks. Indicative examples of needs and circumstances: A new born baby is provided with the necessary post natal care through midwifery services A mother having problems with her child s sleep patterns and feeding difficulties has the child s needs met through health visiting services A child has their education and support needs met through their school A child aged 13 plus receives information, advice, and guidance (IAG) support from an external provider such as Youth Direction (formerly Connexions) Level 2 Children with additional needs, whose health and development may be affected without the provision of additional services For some children, universal provision will not be sufficient to meet their needs and additional services will be required. Updated Version

4 Indicative examples of needs and circumstances: A child is struggling to communicate at nursery. Speech and language therapy services are accessed and the assessed need is met A class teacher identifies a child s problems with accessing the curriculum and the school SENCO requests a service from another education professional for example specialist teacher, educational psychologist A health visitor assesses a child as having additional health needs and refers to a paediatrician A housing officer assesses that a family has financial difficulties and accesses welfare benefit advice and the need is met A child is assessed as being at risk of being involved in anti social behaviour by a youth worker who accesses specific activities and the child is diverted from risky behaviour Level 3 Children whose health and development is being impaired by a range of unmet needs and where a coordinated response from a number of agencies is required If a child s circumstances do not improve despite the provision of additional services, a multi-agency coordinated approach should be provided under the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and a lead professional identified. Indicative examples of needs and circumstances: A family where the children have complex needs, there is no extended family and one of the parents has a life limiting illness A child who is displaying a range of anti-social behaviours and is not attending school A parent with ongoing mental health problems who has been the victim of domestic violence and whose children are exhibiting a range of challenging behaviours A single unsupported parent who continues to miss their child s hospital appointments A child who has a disability or health needs which require coordinated intervention from a number of agencies A family with children of school age not engaged in education, receiving a sanction for offending/family members of any age involved in anti-social behaviour or with an adult in the household in receipt of out of work benefits (a minimum of two of these three criteria must be met for inclusion in the Troubled Families programme) Any assessment of additional needs at Level 3 must be recorded on a CAF form unless this is covered by another statutory process eg Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice. Where it is identified that a further specialist assessment may also be required the CAF will provide a better evidence base to access such services. Updated Version

5 Level 4 Children with significant additional needs which have not been met following a coordinated multi agency response and for whom significant concerns remain Where children and families have received a multi-agency, coordinated approach and the lead professional and team around the child (TAC) believe that concerns for the children remain or have escalated, and their outcomes remain poor, a referral to children s social care should be considered. Indicative examples of need and circumstances: All the above where there has been ongoing multi-agency support under CAF but no observed improvement A child whose behaviour leaves them vulnerable to sexual exploitation Level 5 Children at risk of or who have experienced significant harm Children will have a high level of vulnerability at this level and a referral must be made to children s social care. All professional referrals made by telephone should be followed up by the referrer with the submission of a completed Tees Multi Agency SAFER referral tool within 24 hours. The judgement about what constitutes significant harm is complex and is set out in more detail in Working Together to Safeguard Children (HMSO, 2013) and Tees LSCBs' procedures. Indicative examples of need and circumstances: A child who needs protection from harm, including an unborn child A child who is at significant risk of, or who has suffered, sexual exploitation A child who has been abandoned A child who makes an allegation of abuse against a professional A child with a serious and persistent eating disorder who refuses, or is refused, treatment A child who exhibits significant and life threatening self-harming behaviour Provision of statutory services will be considered by children s social care under the following circumstances: Duty to support a child in need (Section 17, Children Act 1989) a. The child is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services by a local authority b. The child's health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him of such services c. The child is disabled Updated Version

6 Duty to investigate a child suffering or at risk of significant harm (Section 47, Children Act 1989) a. The child is the subject of an Emergency Protection Order or is in police protection b. There is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm Duty to accommodate (Section 20, Children Act 1989) a. There is no adult with parental responsibility for the child b. The child is lost or abandoned c. The adult who has been caring for the child is prevented from providing the child with suitable accommodation or care. d. The child is over 16 and homeless and their welfare is likely to be prejudiced without the provision of such accommodation. Application for Care Order (Section 31, Children Act 1989) a. There is reasonable cause to believe the child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm and b. The harm, or likelihood of harm, is attributable to: - the care given, or likely to be given, to the child if the order is not made, not being what it would be reasonable to expect a parent to give to him, or - the child is beyond parental control 3. The Role and Responsibilities of All Agencies Working Together to Safeguard Children (HMSO, 2013) clearly sets out the principles that should underpin agency practice in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. In order to discharge their responsibilities, agencies are required to identify a child s needs through assessment, provide access to appropriate resources within their agency and involve partner agencies to meet any outstanding need. Agencies should work in partnership with families and partner agencies to ensure children s needs are met. All involvement must be fully recorded and any planned intervention should set out the intended outcomes for the child. 4. Ensuring Equality of Opportunity Equality of opportunity means that all children should have the opportunity to achieve the best possible development, regardless of their gender, ability, race, ethnicity, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation, circumstances or age. Some vulnerable children may have been particularly disadvantaged in their access to important opportunities and their health and educational needs will require particular attention in order to optimise their current welfare as well as their long term outcomes in young adulthood. Updated Version

7 5. Involving Children and Families In the process of finding out what is happening to a child, it is important to listen and develop an understanding of their wishes and feelings including any needs they may identify. It is also imperative to develop a cooperative working relationship with parents or carers so that they feel respected and informed and believe practitioners are being open and honest with them. The consent of children and their parents or carers should always be obtained when sharing information, unless to do so would place the child at risk of significant harm. Decisions should also be made with the child s agreement, whenever possible, unless to do so would place the child at risk of significant harm. If a decision is made to share information without consent, the reasons for this should always be fully recorded. 6. Building on Strengths as well as Identifying Difficulties Identifying both strengths and difficulties experienced by the child and their family and the context in which they are living is important, as is considering how these factors have an impact on a child s health and development. Working with a child or family s strengths is an effective way of encouraging change and resolving difficulties. 7. Engaging with Hard to Reach Children and Families Some children and families can be hard to reach, that is they do not wish to work with agencies to resolve their problems or difficulties, or find doing so in a consistent manner difficult. It is always important that agencies do everything they can to be flexible and adaptable so that children and families who perhaps find it challenging to fit into routines and patterns of appointments are encouraged to do so. No professional should ever give up on a child or family, no matter how challenging they are to engage. If efforts to engage parents and carers on a voluntary basis are unsuccessful and there are concerns about a child s welfare, a referral should be made to children s social care in order to pursue this through legal channels if appropriate. Consequently, there should never be a no further action (NFA) response to any child or family whilst an unmet need is identified. 8. Common Assessment Framework The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a national standardised approach to conducting an assessment of a child s additional needs and then providing services to meet these needs. CAF is a key tool for delivering integrated and child focused frontline services. CAF has been designed to help practitioners assess needs at an early stage and then work with the child and parents/carers, alongside other practitioners and agencies, to meet identified needs. Updated Version

8 The aim of CAF is to: Stockton-on-Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board ensure that children receive the required services to meet their needs at the earliest opportunity and be a mechanism for involving additional services to address any unmet needs facilitate multi-agency working and communication avoid children and families having to undergo unnecessary, repeat assessments Further information regarding CAF is available on the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council website at: 9. Lead Professional A lead professional takes the lead to coordinate service provision and be a single point of contact for a child and/or parents/carers, when a range of services are involved and an integrated response is required as part of the CAF process. Their role is to: Act as a single point of contact for the child, parents/carers and other practitioners Support the child and/or parents/carers in making choices and finding their way through the system Ensure interventions are well planned and reviewed to facilitate effective delivery Reduce overlap and inconsistency by practitioners involved with the child/family Identifying a lead professional ensures that professional involvement is rationalised, coordinated and communicated effectively. Most importantly, it provides a better experience for children and their parents/carers involved with a range of agencies. The lead professional role will be agreed at the first TAC meeting (see CAF guidance for further detail). It is essential that this is agreed with the child, parents/carers and all other practitioners involved. It will be necessary to identify the specific remit of the lead professional when agreeing a package of support, who will deliver it and timescales for outcomes to be achieved. 10. Family Intervention Project/Troubled Families Initiative The Family Intervention Project (FIP) can be accessed via a specific referral against the following criteria: Families who have children between the ages of 0-19 living within the family home Families who have multiple support needs eg mental health problems, alcohol/substance misuse, domestic violence and/or be perpetrators of anti-social behaviour or criminal offending Families that may have children on the edge of care or looked after children with a view to returning to the family home Updated Version

9 The five key principles for working with Troubled Families as defined by the Department for Communities and Local Government are: A dedicated worker, dedicated to a family Practical hands on support A persistent, assertive and challenging approach Considering the family as a whole gathering the intelligence Common purpose and agreed action Families are identified by a scoring system weighted against the following 'Troubled Families' criteria: A family with one or more children of school age not satisfactorily engaged with education One or more children receiving a sanction for offending and/or one or more family members of any age coming to attention of agencies for anti-social behaviour One or more adults in the household in receipt of out of work benefits The FIP/Troubled Families Panel oversees allocations, shares intelligence/monitors progress and verifies the closure of all FIP/Troubled Families cases. 11. Information Sharing The effective and timely sharing of information is essential to deliver high quality services focused on the needs of the child. It is vital to ensure that children with identified needs get the services they require when they most need them and when they can have the most impact. A culture where information is shared with confidence as part of routine service delivery must be encouraged. Professionals can often be concerned about the possible legal or ethical restrictions on information sharing and about the impact of disclosure on their relationship with the child and/or family. There are some clear circumstances in which professionals have a duty to share information in order to protect a child at risk of significant harm. Additionally, it is increasingly recognised in practice that a failure to share information, even regarding a low level need, may have serious consequences for the welfare of a child if not considered together with the concerns of others. To assist professionals who need to make decisions about information sharing, a Tees Information Sharing Protocol has been published on the Tees LSCBs Procedures website at Updated Version

10 12. The Role of Children s Centres Children s centres have a multi-disciplinary approach to working with children and families. There are 12 children s centres in the borough, 8 of which are commissioned to delivery partners Big Life Families and 4Children. In the children s centres there are a range of different staff roles including early years, community development, customer care and outreach with other roles which vary according to provider. Health visitors, midwives and speech and language teams are co-located within 4 of the children s centres and deliver key health services including ante natal and support the child health programme across all 12 children s centres and other local settings across the borough. Children s centres also support the delivery of public health priorities such as: dental health, stopping smoking in pregnancy and breastfeeding support and advice. The underpinning principle of children s centres is the bringing together of early education, childcare, health and family support services so that families have one point of access. The Government s vision regarding the core purpose of children s centres is to: Improve outcomes for young children and their families, with a particular focus on the most disadvantaged families, in order to reduce inequalities in: Child health and school readiness Parenting aspirations, self-esteem and parenting skills Child and family and life chances In addition, children s centres work closely with key partners such as: children s social care, local education and training providers, local schools, local private, voluntary and independent childcare providers, childminders, Job Centre Plus and the Families Information Service. This working partnership allows children s centres to provide a range of services and activities. Safeguarding children and their families is a high priority for all children s centres and staff access relevant training which is updated at regular intervals. All children s centres are inspected by Ofsted of which safeguarding is a limiting judgement. This reflects the significance of safeguarding for all children s centres to meet the needs of every child, young person and their family. Updated Version

11 13. The Role of Schools Stockton-on-Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board As universal services, schools are very well placed to identify and meet the individual needs of the children they serve. Schools are a vital player in the TAC in ensuring assessments, planned intervention and referrals are in line with the educational, social and emotional needs of the child. School staff are well placed to lead or contribute to a CAF and take on the role of lead professional where appropriate. At level 1, schools need to ensure they offer provision which is preventative through the curriculum to ensure children understand how to stay safe and are empowered to do so. At Level 1, schools meet the needs of children through high quality teaching and learning, specialist support and inclusive practice. This includes the effective deployment of designated teachers, trained staff, including staff who play the role of mentors, and those who engage in family liaison work. At level 2, if a school s tracking and monitoring of a child s progress indicates they are not making the appropriate progress in learning or social and emotional development, additional and different provision should be put in place through the school s special educational needs processes and provision for vulnerable children and young people. At level 3, if a school believes that the involvement and support of other agencies is required to ensure a child s needs are met. the CAF process should be initiated. Processes covered by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice do not require the completion of a CAF unless it is considered that a child is not making the required progress or additional needs are identified. At levels 4 and 5, schools should have designated staff who are trained to refer to other agencies swiftly and effectively when a child requires further specialist intervention. School governors have a statutory responsibility to ensure their school has excellent quality assurance and risk assessment systems which are routinely informed by the views of children, parents and carers. They must ensure that there is a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues amongst staff at all levels, all of whom receive regular training on safeguarding and, in particular, child protection. This responsibility is supported and monitored through the local authority and inspected by Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) for independent schools. This reflects the significance of safeguarding as schools work to meet the needs of every child. 14. The Role of GPs The general practitioner (GP) or family doctor or is the first point of contact with the health service for most families. GPs are well placed to recognise risk factors, triggers of concern and signs of abuse and neglect in children and to identify when a parent or other adult has problems that may affect their capacity as a parent or carer. GPs are in a prime position to recognise children and families requiring early intervention to prevent their conditions becoming worse so that a need for action to protect children from harm is reduced. Updated Version

12 15. The Role of Midwives Stockton-on-Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board The healthy child programme starts in pregnancy. Midwives are the primary health professionals likely to be working with and supporting women and their families throughout pregnancy. The close relationship they foster with their clients provides an opportunity to observe attitudes towards the developing baby and identify potential problems during pregnancy, birth and the child s early care. 16. The Role of Health Visitors Health visitors are responsible for leading the healthy child programme (0-5 years) which provides a framework to ensure the promotion of the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Through their preventative work, they are frequently the first to recognise children who are being or are likely to be abused or neglected and therefore when safeguarding procedures need to be initiated. Knowledge of the child, family and their circumstances gathered during home visits enables the health visitor to recognise signs and symptoms of a worsening environment, lack of progress to improve the child s circumstances, or actual harm being suffered by the child. 17. The Role of School Nurses School nurses are key professionals in supporting children in the developing years (5-19) to have the best possible health and education outcomes. School nurses lead, deliver and evaluate preventative services and universal public health programmes, as set out in the Healthy Child Programme. This includes the management of issues such as obesity, smoking, drugs, relationship issues and sexual health for school age children within both school and community settings. Through assessing health and wellbeing they are often the first to identify concerns and are able to offer early help to those children who may be at risk or offer advice and support long term conditions, repeat A&E attendances and mental or emotional health issues. 18. The Role of the Police Cleveland Police deliver all policing services to the Stockton area including initial response to calls for assistance, investigation of offences and specialist services to ensure appropriate safeguarding of children and other vulnerable people and protection of life. The priority for the police will always be to protect individuals. Officers and staff responding to any incident or report will consider the risks to children and other vulnerable people and take appropriate action. Officers responding to families in crisis situations eg Domestic Abuse reports will always consider children within the family to ensure initial safety and identification and response to other identified risks. Any concerns regarding children will be passed to First Contact for follow up under CAF arrangements or for assessment by children s social care. The police have a key role to play in multi agency strategy discussions and joint investigations in order to ensure a professional partnership response to any risks and threats to children within the community. Updated Version

13 The police also have the lead role in managing adults who pose the greatest risk to children. Specialist police teams are involved in the daily management of sex offenders in the community, working directly with other agencies (including those involved in Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) to minimise the risks individuals pose to children. The recently formed Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) team tackle those offenders who offend on the internet and seek to view and/or distribute indecent images of children online. 19. The Role of First Contact First Contact is the first point of contact for all referrals to children s social care. Referrals from members of the public (who can remain anonymous) are dealt with in the same respectful manner and level of seriousness as referrals from professionals. All referrals are screened by a qualified Social Worker. First Contact undertakes initial information gathering in order to determine the most appropriate response to the referral. This will include gathering information from professionals, parents/carers and children s views. Any known historical information will also be taken into account. Should it be determined that further assessment is required, the referral will be passed through to one of the Assessment Teams to undertake a single assessment. Alternatively referrals can be signposted to relevant agencies to offer support. 20. The Role of the CAF Team The CAF team is a point of contact in the First Response Service within Children and Young People s Services for any professional who has a query about CAF or whether a child may already have an active TAC. The CAF team coordinates the collation and registration of work carried out by agencies under the CAF as part of the early help offer in Stockton-on-Tees. The team has been expanded with four CAF support officers who work to support agencies to carry out assessments under the CAF, establish and further develop successful TAC meetings. In addition, the team works to promote the use of the CAF across all SLSCB agencies and they will follow up CAF episodes to aid effective early help with children and families. CAF support officers will also offer return interviews to children who have been reported missing where they do not already have an active referral with children s social care. Updated Version

14 21. The Role of the Family Support Teams There are two dedicated family support teams in the First Response Service within Children and Young People s Services. The teams work with children who have additional needs that require a multi-agency targeted response under CAF. The targeted support offered by the teams includes: Assessment under CAF Parenting assessments to identify and plan interventions to meet specific areas of need Providing advice, guidance and positive parenting strategies to families Individually tailored parenting programmes Group work with children and parents/carers The teams are also responsible for coordinating the sponsored day care programme for children aged under 5 years. 22. The Role of Children s Social Work Teams In addition to the Assessment Teams, there are six Fieldwork Teams dealing with longer term interventions. These teams are supported by a range of teams dealing with specific groups of service users such as looked after children, care leavers and children with complex needs. The role of the social work team is to: Assess the needs of children and families Assume the role of key worker Coordinate the provision of services to children and families Provide services to meet the identified needs of children and their families 23. Referrals to Children's Social Care In the vast majority of cases, there will have been a history of additional needs prior to a child being referred to children's social care. It is the responsibility of all agencies working directly with children and families in Stockton-on-Tees to attempt to respond to these needs at an early stage under CAF. For this reason, it is now expected that all referrals to children s social care made during office hours from agencies working directly with children and families will be accompanied by a completed CAF and evidence of CAF activity. The only exception to this would be where a child is believed to be at risk of significant harm. This protocol does not relate to referrals made to the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) outside of office hours. Due to the specific role and remit of EDT, referrals will continue to be made by telephone. Updated Version

15 When to make a referral to Children's Social Care When efforts to address additional needs under CAF have not been successful and a child is deemed to be 'in need' as defined by Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (Level 4). When there have been no prior concerns and a child is deemed to be at risk of significant harm, triggering the local authority's duty under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (Level 4). When efforts to address additional needs under CAF are ongoing and a child is deemed to be at risk of significant harm, triggering the local authority's duty under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (Level 4). How to make a referral to Children's Social Care All referrals to children s social care must be made in writing using the Tees Multi Agency SAFER Referral Tool, accompanied by a completed CAF wherever possible. Where it is believed that a child is at risk of significant harm, triggering the local authority's duty under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, the Tees Multi Agency SAFER Referral Tool must be completed, although it is recognised that not all the required information may be available at that time and this should not the delay the referral being made. All professional referrals made by telephone should be followed up by the referrer with the submission of a completed Tees Multi Agency SAFER referral tool within 24 hours. Referrals not accompanied by a completed CAF All referrals where it is believed that a child is at risk of significant harm, triggering the local authority's duty under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and there have been no prior concerns will be responded to according to Tees LSCB procedures. All referrals where it is believed that a child is 'in need' as defined by Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 will be returned to the referrer to undertake a CAF. If the referrer believes that the child is at risk of significant harm, triggering the local authority's duty under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, this can be escalated as necessary through line management channels. Consent For referrals where it is believed that a child is 'in need' as defined by Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, consent should always be sought prior to making the referral and the referral will not be accepted unless reasonable attempts have been made to obtain consent. For referrals where it is believed that a child is at risk of significant harm, triggering the local authority's duty under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, it is expected that parents will have been made aware of the referral but this should not delay the referral being made. Advice about obtaining consent can be sought from First Contact. Updated Version

16 Effective Referrals Stockton-on-Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board An effective referral provides the basis for a productive and successful response. The characteristics of a good referral are: That it is timely and accurate in the description of the child or family s circumstances. The information provided is balanced, highlighting strengths and complexities of the child or family. That it provides factual information about the child or family, offering an informed opinion as to the overall circumstances and has a brief analysis of the problem, circumstances or difficulties. Whenever possible engages the child or family in a positive way in providing information and seeking help and support. Those receiving a referral are responsible for: Ensuring the information received, including decision and course of action, is accurately logged into the system and processed efficiently in a timely fashion. Providing feedback in writing to the referrer as to the outcome of the referral and contact with the user. Updated Version

17 Updated Version