Step Up to Children s Social Care / Step Down to Early Help

Transcription

1 Step Up to Children s Social Care / Step Down to Early Help March 2016

2 1.0 Introduction 1.1 The interface between Early Help Services and Children s Social Care (CSC) is an essential component of a robust service for children and families ensuring they receive the right help at the right time. The pathways between these two approaches are key to ensuring all children are safe, wherever they are within Cheshire East s levels of need. 1.2 The pathways between the levels of need particularly the interface between levels 3 and 4 on the Cheshire East levels of need framework must be simple and seamless with roles and responsibilities, and lines of accountability explicit and clear management oversight. 1.3 This policy details what is required of staff within Children s Social Care and the Early Help multi agency workforce. It includes the whole of the Children services and all partners who may be involved in Early Help at the Targeted / Complex level of Need (i.e. CAFs or Children and Family Combined Assessments. It covers the continuum of need- from Early Help to Children in Need/ Child Protection. 1.4 Decision making should always be child and family focussed. The child s needs should be kept paramount and the policy should be used as guidance for our decision making. 1.5 Safeguarding procedures will always remain paramount. If a child was at risk or believed to be at risk then individual agency safeguarding procedures must be followed and ChECS (Cheshire East Consultation Service) must be contacted in the usual way; 1.6 Contact ChECS on (opt2) Out of office hours call our Emergency Duty Team on

3 2.0 Cases coming down (de-escalating) from Children s Social Care to CAF/TAF, or directly to universal services 2.1 When a case has been open to CSC for the purpose of assessment only and the outcome of that assessment is that the case should be managed under the CAF then the Early Help brokerage service should be contacted to assist in identifying an appropriate lead professional. To support this the assessment must include an outline plan in the analysis and conclusion and clearly identify what is need to support the child, this will then inform the development of the CAF delivery plan. 2.2 When a case is open to CSC and the level of need reduces Social Work intervention will no longer be necessary. The recommendation to close or step down a case will be discussed and agreed in supervision between the social worker and Team Manager and the rationale and decision should be recorded on the case consultation record on the child s electronic case record, (liquid Logic). Where a case has been open to Social Care under CIN, the Lead Professional should be identified within the CIN meeting from the current professionals involved wherever possible. 2.3 Where this is the case, continued professional input may be needed to meet an identified need(s) following the closure of the case to CSC. If there is not a clearly identified lead professional for example an allocated Family Support Worker in Cheshire East Family Service,(CEFS) the Social Worker needs to contact the Early Help Brokerage Team to: 2.4 i. Discuss the fact that the case is being considered for a step down to CAF/Early Intervention, clarify outstanding needs within the family and the services at an early intervention level that could support the family and discuss the need for the identification of a new Lead Professional. 2.5 ii. Agree possible next courses of action that will be shared and discussed with partners at the final Child In Need (CIN) meeting, including any indicators that would lead in the future to the case being stepped back up to CSC. 2.6 iii. The social worker following discussion with their manager as detailed above, may recommend closure or step down to CAF, however the decision to step down to CAF or closure must be made at the multi agency Child in Need meeting. The CAF should be agreed with parents prior to the Step Down. If the parents/carers do not agree to a CAF then agencies, along with the family should agree specifically what should be their involvement beyond CSC closure. If the risks remain, then consideration will be given for the case to remain open to CSC as the lack of agreement by the family may indicate an unwillingness to engage on any level, and only superficial engagement may have occurred before; this affects the ability of the

4 parent/s to promote long term change and increases risks (this would have to be reviewed on a case by case basis, some cases would remain open, and some would carry on to closure with the additional information recorded on the closure record to inform future contacts). If the case had already closed to CSC (family had initially agreed then changed their mind), and there were concerns as described above, then the previously identified CAF lead would need to consult with ChECS about what next steps should be. ChECS would open a new contact. If there is disengagement from a CAF at any stage, the Lead Professionals would need to consider what impact this was having upon the child and if it is necessary to escalate to Social Care. CAF is a voluntary process and disengagement in itself should not always result in a contact with ChECS, unless there is evidence to suggest that the lack of engagement will present a safeguarding risk to the child(ren). 2.7 iv. The CiN meeting must discuss and agree appropriate services where it is deemed that a CAF is not necessary and that the family can step down directly to Universal services. 2.8 Wherever possible the Social Worker and the Early Help Brokerage team should support the identification of the CAF lead professional prior to the final CIN meeting, taking into account the child and family s wishes. The minutes of the final CIN meeting will inform the new CAF delivery plan, and must include a section stating if there are any specific indications that would require the case to be stepped back up to CSC and evidence the parental consent to CAF. Once the CIN documentation is complete, the social worker should forward this to the Early Brokerage Team, Lead Professional or FSW and line manager in CEFS if the case is already open to CEFS. 2.9 The final CIN meeting should agree the appropriate time scale for the first CAF review meeting, and the final CIN meeting documentation will need to be received at least 2 weeks prior to this date. This will ensure a seamless transition and an appropriate package of support continues for the family. At the first CAF review meeting the delivery plan and review documentation should be completed and forwarded to the CAF inbox by the Lead Professional. This process will change over time with the roll out of ecaf, those professionals who use ecaf will not need to send in paper copies as they will record directly on to the Childs Electronic Record (liquid Logic Early Help Module) Where the lead professional has been identified and agreed in advance they will attend the final CIN meeting. If it has not been possible to agree in advance a lead professional for the family, a discussion must take place with EHB to identify the need for their intervention and support in identify a Lead Professional. EHB should only be considered when a Lead Professionals cannot be identified from the current professionals involved with the family. Where the case is open to CEFS the FSW will be invited and attend.

5 2.11 At the final CIN meeting, any outstanding needs will be identified, shared and future plans will be agreed with the family and partners and recorded on the CAF delivery plan. The outcome of the meeting will be one of the following: 2.12 i. Child and family needs remain at level 4 and the case will remain open to CSC ii. Child has some outstanding needs and would benefit from a step down to early intervention/caf or support will be provided by a single agency iii. Child has no outstanding needs and can continue to access their universal entitlements 3.0 Cases escalating from CAF (or other multi-agency assessment) to CSC (Planned Step Ups) 3.1 Where a family is being actively supported at Targeted /CAF level, and there is concern from the multi-agency team supporting the family that needs are increasing, and there is or may be a risk of harm or neglect the lead professional should contact the ChECS team for a consultation, clearly stating the evidence to support a possible step up. 3.2 N. B. This policy does not override any safeguarding policies and all professionals working with children who suspect that a child is or has been at risk should follow their own agency safeguarding procedure and take immediate action. 3.3 If the decision is that the case is allocated for a combined assessment by children s social care, the CAF is suspended whilst this is undertaken. Any pre-arranged CAF meeting within the first 15 days of the assessment may go ahead provided the social worker undertaking the assessment is available to attend and the meeting can become part of the assessment process. Any meeting arranged to take place after this 15 day check point should be kept as it will either continue to be held as a CAF meeting; or it will become the initial Child In Need meeting. 3.4 If completion of the combined assessment indicates that needs have escalated and risks cannot be managed via a CAF then the case will remain with CSC and the social worker will be the key worker for the case. The case will then continue to be managed under CiN / Child Protection processes. 3.5 If a decision is made following consultation with the ChECS service that the case should remain at the CAF level advice will be given as to how the CAF can be enhanced to ensure the family is supported and the Early Help Brokerage Team will be informed so that support can be offered to the Lead Professional. 4.0 Resolving Professional Disagreements 4.1 If there is disagreement about the level of need that child and family should be supported at (following consultation with ChECS about a potential step up to Children s Social Care or a Step Down from children s Social Care following a recommendation to a CiN meeting) then the LSCB Resolving professional Disagreements process should be followed.

6 4.2 Whilst the situation is being resolved then the lead agency must continue to hold case responsibility and ensure the child and family continue to receive co-ordinated support, i.e. the social worker if open to Children s Social care or the Lead Professional if open at CAF level.