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Please note that the Child Concern Model and threshold document is attached as a document on the right hand side of this page.
Introduction
2.1 The Change for Children agenda establishes that all children and young people have a right to achieve their full potential as detailed in the Every Child Matters, ‘Five Outcomes’.
2.2 Through a consent-based holistic assessment process, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) seeks to establish in which of the Five Outcomes a child or young person is failing to reach their full potential. This process seeks to establish both strengths and needs in the child/young person and their environment, seeking to identify issues that are stopping the child/young person reaching their full potential.
2.3 Having identified issues that require either Early Intervention or Prevention, and having identified the child/young person as a ‘Child With Additional Needs’ a Multi-Agency Team is established to form a ‘Team Around the Child’. This team is responsible for delivering a ‘CAF Plan’, which details what services are required, who is responsible for delivering them, how and when by.
2.4 The CAF Toolkit offers a step by step guide on how to access and initiate the CAF process. Any practitioner who has contact with children and young people should know how to fill out a CAF form which is then processed by the CAF Co-ordinators.
2.5 Those who have not yet attended CAF Training can access a CAF Training Course by contacting the Workforce and Development Team on 01472 324097. Similarly, those who wish to investigate specific issues around CAF can do so in the first instance, by accessing the CAF Toolkit, which can be found via the CAF web page, where you can also find a copy of the CAF Form and Guidance Notes or by contacting the CAF Team on 01472 323439.
2.6 The CAF process is an integral part of the identification and intervention processes as determined by the Child Concern Model, which identifies four escalating intervention levels. (As demonstrated below)
2.7 This Model (The Hardiker Model) demonstrates that children lay upon a continuum of needs and is based on the principle that there needs to be access to a continuum of services for all children and young people appropriate to their level of need.
2.8 The model provides guidance to assist practitioners in their assessment of the factors impacting on children and young people. The guidance should be referred to when completing the “request for service referral form” to North East Lincolnshire Children’s Social Care.
2.9 Practitioners need to be aware that whilst Common Assessment Framework is aimed at early identification, intervention and/or prevention, it by no means replaces Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines and procedures and in any case involving safeguarding of children, the LSCB guidelines and procedures must be followed.
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Significant Harm
Some children are in need because they are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. The Children Act 1989 introduced the concept of significant harm as the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life in the best interest of children, and gives Local Authorities a duty to make enquiries to decide whether they should take action to safeguard or promote the welfare of a child who is suffering / likely to suffer, significant harm.
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Information Sharing
Knowing when and how to share information is not always easy, but it is important to get it right. Children and families need to feel reassured that their confidentiality is respected. In most cases you will only share information about them with their consent, but there may be circumstances when you need to override this.
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Six Key Principles:
- Explain openly and honestly at the outset what information will / could be shared, why, and seek agreement, except where doing so puts the child or others at risk of significant harm.
- The child’s safety and welfare must be the overriding consideration when making decisions on whether to share information about them.
- Respect the wishes of children or families who do not consent to share confidential information unless in your judgement there is sufficient need to override that lack of consent.
- Seek advice when in doubt.
- Ensure information is accurate, up-to-date, and necessary for the purpose for which you are sharing it, shared only with those who need to see it and shared securely.
- Always record the reasons for your decision
The Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 have extended the rights of individuals and families to confidentiality and professionals as a general rule should seek the agreement and consent of parents/carers before making a referral to Local Authority’s Children’s Services. However seeking consent is not necessary where it could increase the danger of risk of significant harm to the child.
Where a professional is in doubt as to whether consent is necessary, the facts of the case can be discussed anonymously with the Local Authority’s Referral and Assessment Service, who have the power to dispense with consent to safeguard a child in the public interest. If it is decided that consent is not necessary, the referrer will then give identifying details.
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Common Assessment Framework / CAF
The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) provides:
- A standardised assessment that is designed to get a complete picture of a child’s additional needs at an early stage.
- It can be used for children and young people of any age, including unborn babies.
- It enables information to be gathered in a structured way through discussions with the child and their parent(s).
- It looks at all unmet needs, not just those in which individual services specialise.
- It is an approach that is helping children and families get access to the right services earlier.
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Role of the Lead Professional
When a child needs a package of support, experience shows they and their family benefit from having one person who can help them through the system and ensure they get the right services at the right time. Where a child has additional or complex needs, the lead professional acts as a co-ordinator. They help create a partnership, not just with their colleagues, but with the child and young person and their family too. It is a new role which builds on existing good practice.
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Initial Assessment
A decision to gather more information by Children’s Services in respect of a child constitutes an Initial Assessment. It should involve all the agencies relevant to a child and be undertaken within a maximum of 7 working days from the date of the decision by Children’s Services to undertake the assessment. The Initial Assessment is a brief assessment of each child referred to Children’s Social Care where it is necessary to determine whether the child is in need, the nature of any services required and whether a further, more detailed core assessment should be undertaken. The analysis of information gathered is a crucial element of the process and will inform recommendations for the provision of services.
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Core Assessment
A core assessment is an in-depth assessment that addresses the central or most important needs of the child and the capacity of his or her parents or caregivers to respond to those needs within the wider family and community context. The Core Assessment is also the tool which is used when Children’s Social Care undertake S47 Enquiries to assess whether the child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. The assessment is led by Children’s Social Care but it is essential that key agencies contribute information they have about family members, specialist knowledge or advice and potential and ongoing support to the family. The time-scale for completion of a core assessment is a maximum of 35 working days. A core assessment can commences in any of the following circumstances:
- The conclusion of the Initial Assessment which recommends that one is undertaken
- When a strategy discussion decides to initiate enquiries under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989.
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Conclusion
This summary guide provides an overview of the continuum of needs of all children in NE Lincolnshire. It provides guidance on the key concepts and processes in working with children, young people and their families according to their needs.
It is acknowledged that decisions about how and who is best to meet a child’s needs are based on individual judgements and involves professional and personal values. Professionals are encouraged to discuss concerns openly with their own agency line manager or with Children’s Social Care (If in doubt consult).
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Child Concern Model Index:
- A model for identifying and assessing risk and need when working to support families
- Context
- Model of Assessment
- Principles
- Stage 1 Assessment
- Stage 2 Planning
- Stage 3 Intervention
- Stage 4 Review
- Underlying child concern model
- Universal (Level 1)
- Vulnerable (Level 2)
- Complex (Level 3)
- Severe (Level 4)
This document is attached below.
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