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Contents

1. Foreword
2. Model for Child-centred Working
3. A Case Study to Illustrate and Explain the "Step-Up / Step-Down" Process
4. Inter-agency Liaison and Dialogue
5. Resolving Differences
6. Glossary and Explanation of Terms Used Within the Model
7. Useful Contacts

1. Foreword

The purpose of this practice tool is to support the development of Integrated Working and Child Centred Working and so improve services to children young people and their families in Bradford.

("Children and young people" are defined as all those individuals who fall within the age range; from 24 Weeks of pregnancy (i.e.: pre-birth), up to and including young people who are 17 years of age.)

The tool incorporates and replaces previous related guidance. It reflects the delivery of services in the context of the Children's Trust Area / Locality based service delivery and the need to promote both preventative and 'protective' services....Throughout, the emphasis is on achieving outcomes for all children in line with the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda.

By assisting the early identification of need and appropriate intervention It puts both prevention and protection into a shared context. This is designed to inform inter-agency discussions centred around the child or young person. The model does not provide hard and fast definitions of need and service response.

It aims to inform all practitioners of the systems which are in place to assess and meet needs and to differentiate between them as and where appropriate.

It is a reference tool to help further develop our shared understanding of:

• The language used to identify children's needs.
• The importance of communication with children, young people and their parents / carers.
• The roles of different agencies and organisations
• Joint working across agency and organisational boundaries.
• The importance of early identification of need and
• Timely planning and delivery of appropriate preventative, targeted, or protective services.

As a reference document, this pulls together and helps inform the links between services offered by a single agency, 'preventative' services, 'targeted' services and services required to protect children.

Where more than one agency or organisation is involved it emphasises the need for:

• A "Step-up, Step down" approach to ensure that all needs are met at all stages in service provision.
• Establishing a "Team Around the Child" which continues to work with the child throughout multi-agency involvement
• The importance of a "Lead Practitioner" to coordinate services and act as a single point of information / contact for both colleagues and families.

The tool fills the gap between, and should be used alongside:

• The polices and procedures laid down by the Bradford Safeguarding Children Board (click the button on the left of the screen for details) in respect of those children perceived to be at risk of significant harm.
• The policies, procedures and practices of individual agencies and organisations where they are the sole provider of universal or specialist services to children young people and their families.

What to do if you think a child is being abused, or is at risk of harm or neglect;

You must not keep these concerns to yourself. Keeping children safe is everyone's responsibility. You need to ensure that you speak to the appropriate organisations who can listen to and record your concern, and then take appropriate action. In Bradford, these are the numbers that you can ring for advice and to make a Referral (see Initial Contacts and Referrals Procedure):

• If you have reason to believe that a child is at immediate risk of harm, contact the police on 999

2. Model for Child-centred Working

Click here to view the Model for Child-centred Working diagram

An explanation of levels of need and service provision used on the diagram:

NB: Details of local services for children, young people and their families can be found on the "Family Services Directory"

Universal Needs and Services:

The needs of children, young people and their families are being met through engagement with universal services.

Practice Examples	Agencies who may be involved
Isolated family, new to the area (perhaps from a minority ethnic community.) Child / young person displaying a change in their behaviour. Child / young person experiencing separation or loss.	Locality based services. Education; learning mentors, school nurses, parental involvement workers extended services Children’s Centres. Health; health visitors school nurses, midwife, general practitioners. Voluntary services, toddler groups, playgroups, youth clubs, community organisations and/or faith groups. Police services.

"Emerging Needs: Early Prevention":

Where universal services or services provided by a single agency cannot meet the needs of the child, young person and / or family.

Practice Examples

Agencies who may be involved

Child not meeting developmental milestones or potential in respect of: Social, emotional, behavioural, intellectual, or physical development. Child, young person displaying significant changes in behaviour and or school attendance. (Possible reasons, some compromised parenting; verbal domestic abuse, mild parental mental illness e.g. PND.) Changes in family relationships, bullying, minor criminal activity and or substance misuse. Teenage parents. (Things to consider, networks, housing, education, finance, parenting ability.) Child/young person with complex health and or disability, preventative support needed e.g. respite.

Education; Targeted work by mentors, school nurses, family support clinics. Children’s Centre; targeted family support. Voluntary Services, Barnardos, NSPCC, community and/or faith groups. Youth Service. Health; specialist health needs, speech and language, dietician, complex health, paediatrics. Preventative respite services.

Complex needs: Targeted Child & Family Support:

Consultation may take place with specialist and / or statutory agencies where a child, young person or family's needs are not being met and their development or health is likely to be significantly impaired.

Practice Examples

Agencies who may be involved

Persistent Neglect. Deterioration in physical presentation of child, unkempt, hungry, withdrawn, living in deprivation, no basic provision, nappies, toys, food, clothing. Child / young person regularly unwell and medical advice not appropriately sought or acted upon. Parents are disengaging with universal services, to the detriment of their child or young person. Services are engaged with the child, young person, but there are no significant improvements in meeting the child young person’s needs. Parents’ capacity and ability to care for their children is significantly compromised e.g. involved in substance misuse, mental health concerns, domestic abuse. Child / young person with complex health and or disability, coordinated specialist support needed.

Family Centres, family support Children In Needs targeted work. Children Centres, targeted family Support work, Youth Service Inclusion Project Education. Behaviour Improvement Panels and services, education support services. CAMHS. Health, Paediatric specialist services, school nurses, family support clinics. All universal services with additional services identified for the family. Specialist voluntary organisations working with children and families e.g. Barnardos, NSPCC specific groups for disabled children and their families

Risk of Significant Harm: Safeguarding Services:

Consultation with statutory agencies must take place where a child / young person's needs are not being met and their development and or health is being severely impaired.

Practice Examples

Agencies who may be involved

Child young person believed to have explained or unexplained bruising or injuries or discloses sexual, emotional, physical abuse. Child displays other signs or symptoms of abuse. Child at risk of sexual exploitation. Child home alone. Severe neglect. Looked after children. Child young person with complex health and or disability where they are not reaching their potential.

Statutory Agencies; Social Care, YOT, Bradford Safeguarding Services. Health, specialist services. Education, PRU, Home tuition, Educational Social Work. CAMHS. Youth Service Voluntary Agencies, Turn Around, Hand in Hand. Police. All Locality based services supporting plans owned by statutory agencies. Specialist voluntary organisations and some adult services working in partnership with statutory children’s services

3. A Case Study to Illustrate and Explain the "Step-Up / Step-Down" Process

16 year old female (Sally) who is 5 months pregnant. Universal Needs and Services: The Midwife has some concerns re Sally’s parenting ability and her support networks after the birth of the baby. She has discussed with Sally the option of Children Centre support. Meanwhile, school have their own concerns in relation to deterioration in Sally’s behaviour and potential drug misuse. Sally herself has been very tearful recently and discussed domestic abuse in the home between her parents whom she describes as “constantly arguing.” As a result of the situation and the likely need for inter-agency support the Head of Year at the school completes an agency specific tool, or the Pre-CAF Checklist and decides that a common assessment would be appropriate.

"Step-up" to:

Emerging Needs: Early Prevention: School check with the CAF Administration Team and find that there is no current ongoing CAF assessment. They indicate their intention to initiate an assessment. School approach Sally and her parents obtaining both Consent and details of other involved practitioners. The school arrange a Team Around the Child (TAC) Meeting. Key agencies are invited to attend: Children Centre staff, teaching staff, the School Nurse, and Midwife. Also invited are the Piccadilly Project (re: support with drug use) and the Hope Project who support children/adolescents who are subject to Domestic Abuse. Sally and her mother attend the meeting. Each agency shares appropriate information to complete the assessment of need on the CAF Form. The meeting identifies the Lead Practitioner. Having collated relevant information about the family, the meeting agrees outcomes and develops a CAF Action Plan with the consent of Sally and her parents. The meeting arranges a review date, to check on progress. The Lead Practitioner sends a copy of the completed CAF form via Secure e-mail to the CAF Administration Team.

"Step-up" to:

Complex Needs: Targeted Child and Family Support At the CAF review meeting it is highlighted that the situation in relation to Sally has deteriorated and that she is not engaging with all aspects of the plans. As a result of the more complex needs and after discussion, Children’s Social Care attend the review. Sally and her mother attend, Sally acknowledges the concerns. She agrees to co-operate and work more openly and honestly with agencies involved. The review decides there is no active role for Social Care on the grounds that the relevant agencies involved are able to meet Sally’s needs via the CAF process. The Team Around the Child continues to offer support and provides the Lead Practitioner with information to coordinate the CAF assessment. Several weeks later Sally leaves the family home to live with her new boyfriend Tom. Tom is aged 20 and he has had previous involvement with Social Care due to drug misuse and ongoing domestic abuse with his previous partner and their son aged 2. Also in the household is Toms father who has a previous offence against children. These changes in circumstances indicate Risk of Significant Harm to Sally and her unborn baby. An urgent referral is made to Children Social Care.

"Step-up" to:

Risk of Significant Harm: Safeguarding Services: The Lead Practitioner informs the CAF Administration Team that the CAF has been closed due to the involvement of Social Care services. Social Care undertake a Section 47 Child Protection enquiry working in partnership with all involved agencies. Sally and Tom move out of his family home and set up home together. However, due to concerns re Tom’s background and history of domestic abuse, a Case Conference is convened and Sally and the unborn child are both made subject to a Child Protection Plan. After an intensive package of support with Sally and Tom engaging with the involved agencies a decision is made at a Review Conference that neither Sally or her newborn son Ben need to remain subject to a Child Protection Plan . However it was felt that Sally still needed support in relation to parenting and isolation and that this could be met by the Children’s Centre and Health Visiting services and local Voluntary Agencies.

"Step-down" to:

Emerging Needs: Early Prevention: Social Care complete a “Case Closure Summary” and, with Sally’s consent, this is shared with the Children’s Centre and the Health Visitor. A new assessment is initiated with the CAF Administration Team, a Team Around the Child meeting takes place, a Lead Practitioner identified and an Action Plan agreed with Sally to take the outstanding work forward.

4. Inter-agency Liaison and Dialogue

The guidance in this practice tool cannot and should not replace the requirement for discussion between individual practitioners around the needs of the individual child or young person. In doing this we should be mindful that:

• We understand and can confidently use the available guidance on Consent and Information Sharing.
• Each child and young person will have individual needs.
• No single practitioner or agency will have the full picture of a child's needs. In effect:  "We each have a piece of the jigsaw which we need to put together to enable us to understand what the needs of the child or young person are, and the actions we need to take to meet them."
• We need to ensure that we seek the views of the child or young person and their parents and that their views inform the Action Plan.
• Research and experience both tell us that: "Involvement of Children, young people and families in assessing need and planning for change markedly increase the chance of positive outcomes."

5. Resolving Differences

It is inevitable that in the course of our work we may find there are differences of opinion between individual practitioners and partner agencies.

Any difference of opinion between practitioners or agencies should be quickly and effectively resolved with minimum impact on delivery of services to the child, young person or family.

1. Remember that the needs of the child or young person are the key issue.
2. Seek advice and guidance from your line manager,
3. Where possible arrange a face to face discussion aiming to:
   1. Reach an agreement that one course of action is in the best interests of the child or young person.
   2. Reach a compromise position based on the needs of the child or young person, or
   3. Clearly identify and evidence the areas of disagreement.
4. Both parties Inform their line manager that differences cannot be resolved.
5. The respective line managers pursue the matter to a conclusion.

6. Glossary and Explanation of Terms Used Within the Model

Address Consent Issues / Information Sharing	The majority of the work we do with children, young people and their families is done with their agreement. At the start of our involvement, we seek the "consent" of the parent or young person to share information with colleagues in other agencies. Whether we seek the consent of the parent, or the young person or, in certain circumstances, act without their consent are all issues covered by information available from the Bradford website.
Common Assessment Framework	Is a government initiative being implemented throughout England. It is designed to increase information sharing, promote early identification of need and support early intervention. It combines guidance on good working practices with a specific document to record an inter-agency assessment and action plan to meet the needs of children and young people. An overview of the CAF process is available from the Bradford website
CAF Action Plan	The purpose of assessment process is to agree an "Action Plan" involving the Team Around the Child and the child / young person and their family. The Action plan records: "What needs to change", "who will do it", "by when" and "how will you know when things have improved?" The Action Plan should also indicate when a review meeting will take place.
CAF Administration Team	Keep and maintain an electronic register of all the common assessments undertaken in Bradford. They can be contacted by telephone on 01274 437902 or 437685, or by e-mail: cafhelpdesk@bradford.gov.uk
Child-centred Working	Ensuring that children and young people are consulted and involved in the work we do with them. Ensuring that their needs remain at the centre of all we do. Ensuring that the strengths of the child young person and their family are identified as a contributing factor to supporting the Action Plan.
Children's Trust, Area / Locality based service delivery	The overall responsibility for all services to children and young people in Bradford rests with the "Children's Trust". The trust ensures that services are planned coordinated and delivered within each of the 5 "Constituency Areas": Keighley; Shipley; Bradford East; Bradford West and Bradford South. To ensure that services are responsive to local needs, Bradford is also sub-divided into 14 "Localities" which inform the delivery of services within the community.
Child Protection Plan	A Case Conference may decide that a child is at continuing risk of harm and identify the need for a multi-agency plan. The overall aim of the Child Protection Plan is to: Ensure the child is safe and prevent him or her from suffering further harm; Promote the child's welfare, health and development; and, provided it is in the best interests of the child, to support the family and wider family members to safeguard and promote the welfare of their child. See the West Yorkshire Consortium Procedures Manual.
Integrated Working	Practitioners working with children and young people in any capacity sharing information and working together to: Assess need. Create an Action Plan to meet that need. Deliver the support required to meet the desired outcomes for the child. See the Department for Education website.
Lead Practitioner	A key element of the "Common Assessment Framework" (CAF). One identified individual who acts as a contact point and source of information for the child / young person and other involved practitioners. They take responsibility for coordinating (by liaison or by inter-agency meeting) all the services being offered to the child, and ensure that the assessment and "action plan" is shared, reviewed and kept up to date.
The Pre-CAF Checklist	This document allows you to decide whether it is appropriate to initiate an inter-agency  "Common Assessment". Generally, you would consider this if your own agency or organisation is unable to meet the needs of the child or young person and you believe that the help and support of another agency is required. The document can be found at the Bradford website. The assessment document itself is also available at the Bradford website.
Risk of significant harm: Section 47	..of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to make enquiries, or cause enquiries to be made, where it has reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm. 'Harm' means ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development, including for example impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another; 'Development' means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development; 'Health' means physical or mental health; and  'Ill-treatment' includes sexual abuse and forms of ill-treatment that are not physical. There are no absolute criteria on which to rely when judging what constitutes significant harm and advice should be sought from: During office hours (8.30 - 5.00 Monday to Thursday, 4.30 on Friday) call Children's Social Services Initial Contact Point - 01274 437500  At all other times, Social Services Emergency Duty Team - 01274 431010  If you have reason to believe that a child is at immediate risk of harm, contact the police on 999 Also, see the West Yorkshire Consortium Procedures Manual.
Secure e-Mail	The secure e-mail system can be used by any practitioner as long as they have completed a successful "Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau" (CRB Check. Once you have initiated the Common Assessment  by providing details to the CAF Administration Team, you will be provided with details of a secure e-Mail system which will allow you to share CAF information electronically with other involved practitioners who are involved with the CAF. If other practitioners become involved in the assessment they can also request this secure e-mail facility.
Step-up, Step down	A key element of the "Common Assessment Framework" (CAF). Different services are engaged as needs increase. No agency disengages without ensuring that colleagues in other agencies are sufficiently informed to continue working with the child or young person.  At the point where an agency disengages from the CAF process as needs decrease or their work is finished, they update the TAC and Lead Practitioner with the work they have done. This is achieved by sharing an updated CAF or equivalent (agency specific) summary of work done.
Team Around the Child (TAC)	A key element of the "Common Assessment Framework" (CAF). As needs increase services are engaged from other agencies. Individual staff from those agencies join the team and remain part of it until their role is no longer necessary.
The web-based  "Family Services Directory"	This is a directory of all the services available in Bradford for children, young people and their families. It is searchable by postcode and is a valuable tool to enable all workers to identify support available from statutory, voluntary and charitable organisations. See the Family Services Directory of the Bradford website.

7. Useful Contacts

For CAF Forms and Integrated Working Guidance - see the Integrated Working section of the Bradford website

CAF Helpdesk - Tel: 01274 437902 or 437685, Email: cafhelpdesk@bradford.gov.uk

West Yorkshire Consortium Procedures Manual

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