Child in Need Procedures and Practice Guidance

1. Introduction

CiN procedures aim to ensure that children subject to a CiN Plan receive the same high level of service as children subject to Child Protection (CP) plans. It should be noted that the threshold for CiN means that there are usually safeguarding issues with these families and as such it is high priority work.

The principles of the new guidance are that the CiN process is structured and ensures that all Strengthening Families (SF) Plans are reviewed every 8 weeks. Paperwork is kept to a minimum to ensure the focus is on progressing plans.

There is an additional layer of Pod Manager oversight once a family has been open under Child in Need for 12 months. This will be to review whether the plan is effective or whether there needs to be a change of direction. If a family remains open for 18 months a Head of Service will undertake the same review. This is to ensure families do not remain on Child in Need plans with little progress.

2. Statutory Framework

A Child in Need Plan results from social work assessment and analysis that determines that a child is 'in need' under S.17 Children Act 1989.

3. Circumstances where a Child in Need Plan is Made

A Child in Need Plan may be established whenever an assessment identifies the child as having significant needs and where a coordinated response from more than one agency is needed in order for the child's needs to be met. A Child in Need Plan may result from:

• A Strengthening Families Assessment (SFA);
• The decision to remove a child from a Child Protection Plan at a Review Child Protection Conference where the child needs multi-agency support to safeguard and promote their welfare;
• The decision at a Me and My World Review that a child will cease to be looked after and the child needs multi-agency support to safeguard and promote their welfare;
• A child being made subject to a Supervision Order as a result of Care Proceedings;
• A child being subject to private law proceedings where a S7 or S37 report is required for court.
• If young parent is open as Child in Need (including Relevant Child), Child in Care or under Child Protection procedures, their child must be open as a Child in Need with a separate allocated social worker.

4. Child in Need Pending

For the following types of cases, a CiN Plan would not be appropriate, and these cases can be opened under the category of CiN Pending, with subcategories as follows:

• CiN due to move into Brighton and Hove;
• Pregnancy under 12 weeks where an assessment is required (see Pre-Birth Assessment Guidance);
• Child where a Section 7/Section 37 court report has been completed but awaiting court date;
• Child in a family with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

CiN cases should only remain open when other services are being provided to a family if there is an active social work role with the family.

5. Visits

The CiN Planning/Review Meetings should agree frequency of social work visits to the family with the minimum being every 20 working days. The frequency may change during the CiN process which should be agreed at review meetings. Visits should regularly take place in the child's home. The child's views and wishes should always be obtained, and consent should be sought to talk to the child alone (if age-appropriate). In some cases unannounced visits will be needed to ensure the child's welfare and the family should be advised of this.

6. Reviews

CiN Review meetings will take place every 8 weeks, where the plan can be reviewed and progress or obstacles discussed and addressed. There should be a minimum of 2 social work visits between each CiN Review meeting. At the review the focus of discussion should be on the progress of the plan and goals within it.

7. Ending the Plan

If concerns increase for a family Children’s Safeguarding and will end the Child in Need work and step across to Child Protection Work in these instances there will not be a final CiN Review meeting as a Child Protection Conference will take place. In families where concerns have decreased, Children’s Safeguarding and Care will cease Child in Need work and a final CiN Review Meeting will need to take place involving all relevant professionals and family members to agree any ongoing support from the network. This final SF Plan will include a ‘What If… Plan’ setting out what scenarios the network and family are expected to manage and what would require a referral back to Front Door For Families (FDFF). This final SF Plan will be the plan for the family and network to follow. If the network do not agree to the CiN Plan ending a Pod manager will chair the CiN Review Meeting and make the final decision taking into account all views.

8. CiN Disability

Procedure for Children in Need where there is a support package for identified additional needs and held in the Specialist Community Disability Service, where there are no safeguarding concerns.

Managers in SCDS are responsible for determining that a case may be managed under this procedure. This must be clearly recorded on the child's file. Other Child in Need cases with safeguarding concerns held in SCDS are subject to the procedures outlined in the sections above: Visiting and review frequency for CiN Disability and CiN Disability Plus is detailed below. N.B. The CIN Disability policy is currently being reviewed and will be subject to change.

Click here to view the Child in Need Disability Flowchart.