3.1.3 Family Support |
Social care Staff have a responsibility to undertake assessments of need and to provide preventative social work support to children in need, under the Children Act 1989.
In Brighton and Hove there is varying degrees of family support capacity in the 3 areas. This can be accessed in the following places:
EAST - via the Whitehawk Family Support Team (The Green House, 7 Twineham Close, Whitehawk, Brighton. Tel: 295933) or the Moulescoomb Family Support team (Hillview, Hodsgrove Lane, Brighton. Tel: 295600), or the duty team (East Area Social Care, Hodsgrove Lane, Brighton. 295920).
WEST - via the duty and family support team. (6 Locks Hill, Portslade, Brighton. Tel: 296527).
CENTRAL - via the duty and family support team. (Bartholomew House, Brighton. Tel: 294470).
NOTE: Guidance for the management of cases where a child's name has been removed from the register for Children subject to a Child Protetection Plan is provided below.
Also see Management of Supervision Orders Procedures.
The majority of families supported by these Staff are transferred from other social care Staff, either after an assessment or after a child has been removed from the register of children subject to a Child Protection Plan or returned Home from a period in the looked after system. (Known as pre or de-registration work.) Capacity issues and other statutory responsibilities dictate that the majority of children in need assisted by the social care family support Staff / teams have complex and high levels of family support needs.
All referrals from other professionals should be in writing on a referral form. The Parents must give permission for the referral to be made.
All the teams are willing to have discussions about the way forward with families or agencies, which may not involve a formal referral, provided the family give permission.
When a referral has been received, an initial assessment will be undertaken if one has not yet been completed. (DOH - Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families.) The family support plan will then be made, with the family, to outline the work required. This could involve Home visiting, office based appointments, referral to a group, and so on. This plan will be reviewed regularly. The plan will involve the other agencies involved with the child. Most support is of a short term basis, with the family returning to receiving support from primary services as soon as possible.
Guidance for the management of cases where a child's name has been removed from the register for Children Subject to a Child Protection Plan
Where it is anticipated that the CP conference will recommend that a child’s name should be removed from the register for Children subject to a Child Protection Plan and that ongoing support will be required, a member of the ‘receiving ‘team (i.e. the team that takes on the case) should be invited to attend the case conference.
In all cases where the child and his/her family continue to receive social work support or other statutory intervention following de-registration, an ongoing ‘support plan must be agreed with the family and all key agencies.
Ideally, an outline support plan should be drawn up in advance of the conference by the child’s key worker, with the agreement of the child’s family and the ‘receiving’ team (usually the family support team). However, where the conference decides to de-register the child and no support plan is available, the chair will be asked to identify the key requirements of the plan which will then be shared with the family, the ‘receiving’ team and other key agencies as soon as possible, post de-registration.
The Chair of the de-registration conference is also asked to specify the criteria for re-referral to child protection procedures, should certain circumstances prevail, so that the workers who continue to support the family are clear on when the case should return to child protection procedures. This action should ensure that the original reasons for placing the child on the register for Children suject to a Child Protection Plan are not lost although it is recognised that occasionally a different set of circumstances may arise, necessitating re-referral to CP procedures.
The ‘support plan’ must detail the conditions that would apply to re-refer the child to child protection procedures (as above); specify the frequency of visits to the child and family; the role of all other agencies and the outcomes to be achieved.
The support plan should be regularly discussed in supervision and reviewed on a three monthly basis in line with the current family support procedures.
The receiving team’s Practice Manager should retain an overview of the case until such time as they deem it safe to downgrade the scrutiny or close the case.
Workers are reminded that obtaining and recording the child’s view should be a priority. Where possible the child’s view of de-registration should be recorded on the casenotes.
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