Transcript National And Local Context

Welcome to
CAF Training
Better Outcomes
Working
Derbyshire
Together
Services
for
for Children
What we hope to achieve
By the end of the course you will:
• Have an understanding of Information
Sharing, and the issues around it.
• Understand the role of the Lead Professional
• Have gained experience in using the CAF
forms
• Have developed an understanding of the CAF
as a process
• Have a clear impression of the benefits the
CAF system could have for your case load
Please be aware…
• We encourage you to think of and
discuss case examples with the group
• If you do so, please be aware of
Caldicott Principles and other
confidentiality issues.
Diversity statement
Each practitioner attending today will
need to consider issues around diversity
for the families and young people with
which they work and the impact this will
have with their approach to the common
assessment framework
National And Local
Context
Why are we here today?
Victoria Climbié
• 2nd November 1991 – 25th February 2000
DRIVERS FOR CHANGE
National Drivers
• The Victoria Climbie inquiry report by Lord
Laming (2003)
• Every Child Matters: Change For Children
• The Children Act 2004
DRIVERS FOR CHANGE
Local Drivers
• Children’s Trust
• Derbyshire Information Sharing Protocols
• Derbyshire CAF Procedures
Issues arising from the
Laming Inquiry
• Poor communication between agencies
• Professionals working in isolation
• Managers unaware of frontline situations
• Variation/confusion about sharing information
• Quality of assessments/assessments not
shared by professionals
• No one person saw the complete picture
Issues From within Derbyshire
• Dartington research 2003
– only 1 in 4 children with needs identified by
any agency
– Services were continually referring on to other
agencies without carrying out any work with
the family
– As a result of the above children were
reaching the threshold of specialist
intervention i.e crisis point,
EVERY CHILD MATTERS:
CHANGE FOR CHILDREN
5 Outcomes
• Being Healthy
• Staying Safe
• Enjoying and Achieving
• Making a Positive Contribution
• Economic Well-Being
An
introduction
to information
sharing
The CAF provides a standard approach
to assessing the needs of children and
young people
A key aim is to improve joint working and
communication between practitioners by
helping to embed a common language of
assessment
Are there any
barriers you have
come up against
regarding sharing
information?
Why have we not
shared information?
Barriers:
– Lack of confidence
– Professional isolation
– Lack of common guidance for services
– Lack of understanding/trust of different agency roles and
responsibilities
– Communication difficulties
– Not knowing who to contact for support
Why Share Information?
• Every Child Matters – Change for Children
• Children’s Act 2004
“No enquiry into a child's death or serious injury
has ever questioned why information was shared.
It has always asked the opposite.”
Georgina Nunney
Solicitor & principal lawyer for the Children and Young People’s
Directorate - Lewisham
The law
Legislation containing express powers or which imply
powers to share:
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The Children Act 2004 and 1989
Local Government Act 2000
Education Act 2002 and 1996
Learning and Skills Act 2000
Education (SEN) regulations 2001
Leaving Care Act 2000
Protection of Children Act 1999
Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Crime and Disorder Act 1998
National Health Service Act 1977
The Health and Social Care Act 2003
6 Key Principles of
Information Sharing
The process/practitioner must…
1. Be open and honest
2. Seek consent
3. Always consider a child’s safety and welfare
4. Record the reasons for the decision –
whether it is to share or not.
6 Key Principles of
Information Sharing
The process/practitioner must…
5. Ensure that any information shared must
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be accurate
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Up to date
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Necessary
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Only shared with appropriate people
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Stored securely
6. Where in doubt, seek advice
Consent to share
and record
Consent is the key to successful information sharing.
Even where the Data Protection Act does not demand it.
– Must be informed
– Should normally be explicit
– Must be willing and not inferred from a non
response
– Must be sought again if things change significantly
– Can be withdrawn
Who can give or refuse
consent?
• Children/young people 16 and over
Or
• Children under 16 with sufficient understanding
(Gillick Fraser competence)
Sharing information – good
practice
• Always seek consent
• Where consent is not obtained
– Weigh up the consequences
– Decide using reasonable judgement
– Record your decision and reasons,
regardless of whether your decision is to
share the information or not
Sharing information – good
practice
• “The decision to share must be a proportionate
response putting the child’s safety and welfare
as the overriding consideration”
(Derbyshire Information Sharing Protocol)
• Safeguarding procedures stress the importance
of seeking the agreement of the parents to
making the referral to children’s social care,
unless to do so would place the child at risk of
significant harm.
Exercise
To share or not to share
Summary of key principles
• A child’s safety and welfare is essential
• Open and honest
• Seek consent
• Information quality and security
• Record the reasons for the decision
• Seek advice where in doubt – manager/supervisor or
your lead person on child protection or a Caldicott
guardian
Refer to Information sharing protocol
An introduction
to the Common
Assessment
Framework
(CAF)
Key aims of the CAF
• The CAF is a national tool to help
practitioners working with children and
families
• The CAF encourages better
communication and inter-agency working,
and will result in more targeted referrals
Common Assessment
should…
• support an inter-agency approach.
• avoid duplicating or unnecessarily
repeating assessments.
• ensure the assessment benefits from the
knowledge of experts from other
organisations and disciplines
Principles of the CAF
Principles
• A process supported by a standard form
• Holistic
• Focuses on strengths as well as needs
• Simple and practical
• Empowering and a joint process
• Encouragement for the child/family to take ownership of
the assessment
Positive change
• Better outcomes for children are more likely to be
achieved when parents and practitioners hold a common
perspective about the difficulties facing the family.
• Completing a CAF with the family should lead to a broad
agreement about the difficulties as well as highlighting
the strengths.
• A common perspective on the family’s strengths and
difficulties is more likely to result in appropriate services
being provided and a better take-up of those services.
Undertaking a common
assessment
•
You have concerns about progress
•
The child’s needs are unclear
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The support of more then one external agency is required
•
If you are considering involving or referring to another
agency for multi-agency working, then a CAF must be
completed
Where there are Child Protection concerns follow Local
Safeguarding Children Board procedures.
The CAF as part of
a continuum
Multiple needs met by
All needs met by internal
multiple
services or by referral
to
Additional
Needs agencies CAF is
Essential, along with
other internal agency e.g.
Single Practitioner
Integrated support
Action Plan & Lead
CAF may be useful but not
Professional
essential
Children with no
identified
additional needs
Complex Needs
Universal Services
Integrated support
from Statutory or
specialist services
Elements of the CAF Form
Split into 3 main sections
Development
of child
Family and
environmental
Parents and
carers
Elements of the CAF Form
Split into 3 main sections
Development
of child
Family and
environmental
Parents and
carers
Assessment Framework
Health
Basic Care
Education
Ensuring Safety
Identity
Family & Social
Relationships
Emotional Warmth
Emotional &
Behavioural development
Social
Presentation
Self-care
Skills
Stimulation
Child
Family & Environmental Factors
Guidance &
Boundaries
Stability
5 key steps to CAF
Step 1 - Preparation
•
Pre-assessment checklist
•
Enquire if CAF already exist (Making Links
team - 01629 532234)
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Discuss with child/parent if CAF would be
useful
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Seek consent to share information
5 key steps to CAF
Step 2 - Assessment
Complete assessment with the child/family
Focus on areas of STRENGTH as well as need
• Talk about things they feel are important in their
family
• Ensure their views are recorded in the CAF
• Share views and ideas to clarify issues and
develop solutions
We need to remember that the
family may be so overwhelmed
that they are unable to see how
you can help
5 key steps to CAF
Step 3 - Planning
Arrange the Team Around the Child meeting…
• Within 10 days of the completion of CAF
• Invite the necessary parties including the parent, child, CAF
originator and any other services involved with the family.
• Discuss content of CAF and complete any missing
information
• Agree and record action plan
• Select Lead Professional
• Arrange date/venue of review meeting
• Ensure all necessary signatures are on CAF
• Pass a copy of the completed CAF (including action plan) to
Making Links Team
Contact details
Making Links
CAYA
Room 389, 3rd Floor, North Block
County Hall
Matlock
Derbyshire
DE4 3AG
Email – [email protected]
Tel – 01629 532234
5 key steps to CAF
Step 4 - Delivery
Deliver agreed actions
• Each agency is responsible for the delivery of their
own service
• As co-ordinator the Lead Professional is only
responsible for ensuring each agency has a copy of
the action plan agreed at the TAC meeting
5 key steps to CAF
Step 5 - Review
• Lead Professional to convene TAC review
meeting
• Review the progress of the child/young person
and the service delivery
• Revise action plan
• Send reviewed action plan and other changes in
information since last review to Making Links
team
When Completing a CAF
Please bear in mind the following points…
– Ensure the CAF is produced in a holistic and child led
manner
– Use plain simple English
– Make it understandable to the child and/or their parent
– Ensure it is free from jargon and with any acronyms
explained
– The common assessment is undertaken with the
child/parent
– It should be supportive and encouraging, focusing on
strengths as well as needs
Exercise
Completing a CAF
Introduction to
Lead
Professional
- & the Team Around
the Child meeting
Rationale for
Lead Professional
• Laming suggests that the lead professional is central to
the effective delivery of integrated services to children
who require support from a number of practitioners.
• It helps to overcome some of the frustrations traditionally
experienced by children and families with a range of
needs e.g.
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numerous lengthy meetings;
lack of co-ordination;
conflicting and confusing advice;
not knowing who to speak to;
the right support not being available at the right time.
• It can also help alleviate the frustrations often felt by
practitioners in accessing other services.
Lead Professional role &
Safeguarding
• Although the Lead Professional will likely have a
good overall picture of the child’s needs, all
members of the team around the child have a
responsibility for protecting the child from
significant harm.
• If any professional suspects the child is at risk of
significant harm, it is their individual
responsibility to report this to Children’s Social
Care.
Lead Professional
duties and responsibilities
• To act as a primary point of contact for the child
or family
• To facilitate the co-ordination of service
provision (ensuring all parties have up to date
copies of the action plan)
• To ensure communication channels remain open
• To ensure meetings and reviews take place
The family will need to…
• Be listened to
• Have their views taken into account
• Be involved in decision making
• Be informed when there are waiting lists
• Be kept up to date about developments
Lead Professionals
Are not:
• Responsible for ensuring the delivery of other
services
• To be used by other involved professionals as
a method of communication back to the child
or family.
• Necessarily a permanent fixture
• On their own.
Choosing the
Lead Professional
• Explain the role of Lead Professional to the
young person
• Determine their wishes / opinion
• Discuss with the relevant team members to
assess their availability
• Consider the opportunity to split the role
Choosing the
Lead Professional
• In discussion with the Team Around the Child,
the most appropriate person should be selected
taking into account •
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The child’s needs
Relationships with the child or family
Level of involvement
Ability to fulfil the role
*They should have completed the CAF training.
• The role is transferable where appropriate
The Team Around the Child
- as a resource
• Providing:
• Organisational skills
• What services do they know which could help?
- After discussion with the young person/family, could these
be referred to and invited to join the process?
• Shared knowledge of services
• Meeting rooms, photocopying facilities,
administration time
What services are
available?
• Local authorities are required to have a
service directory providing comprehensive
information on local providers, eligibility
criteria, geographical location and referral
procedures
www.derbyshire.gov.uk/derbyshiredirectory
Other sources of information
and training
•
Every Child Matters: Change for Children
• www.ecm.gov.uk
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Every Child Matters: The Framework for Inspection of Children’s Services
• www.ofsted.gov.uk
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National Service Framework for Children, Young People and maternity
Services
• www.ecm.gov.uk/publications
•
Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the Children’s Workforce
• www.ecm.gov.uk/commoncore
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Guidance and training materials on What To Do If You Are Worried A Child Is
Being Abused and Working Together to Safeguard Children
• www.ecm.gov.uk/safeguarding
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Guidance and training materials on integrated working processes and tools
• www.ecm.gov.uk/integratedworking
Other sources of information
and training cont.
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Integrated working fact sheets
• www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice
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Integrated working case examples
• www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice
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Information sharing guidance and training materials
• www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/informationsharing
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Lead Professional guidance and training materials
• www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/leadprofessional
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Multi-agency working toolkit
• www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/multiagencyworking
• The primary purpose of ContactPoint is to let
practitioners know who else is working with a child or
young person
• Only authorised managers and practitioners will be
granted access to ContactPoint once they have
received information sharing and ContactPoint training
and are in receipt of an enhanced CRB check
• The key benefit anticipated from ContactPoint is a
reduction in manager and practitioner time currently
wasted on unnecessary referrals, or trying to find out
whom else is working with a particular child
Integrated Children’s
System (ICS)
• ICS is a systematic assessment process for
children with complex needs
• Information is gathered, recorded and analysed
in a consistent manner to enable practitioners to
better understand children's needs and identify
strategies and solutions
• ICS enables practitioners to identify priority
needs and work towards better multi-agency
planning
eCAF
• eCAF is an electronic template of the CAF
form.
• Work is being done at national level to
determine a national solution as to the
model of eCAF and how it can be used
effectively.
Working closer together…
Others?
Information
Sharing
CAF
Lead
Professional
…to
make it
happen
eCAF
Multi-agency
Working
ICS
ContactPoint
So what happens next?
• Think of your current case load…
• Follow the CAF procedure for your new cases
• Speak to your manager
CAF starts here
Objectives
Look back at what you wanted to achieve
What we hoped you would achieve
– Have an understanding of Information Sharing, and the
issues around it.
– Understand the role of the Lead Professional
– Have gained experience in using the CAF forms
– Have developed an understanding of the CAF as a process
– Have a clear impression of the benefits the CAF system
could have for your case load
– Have an understanding of how this training fits with other
activities across the county