2.1.8 Overview of the Integrated Children's System |
Contents
- Overview of the Integrated Children's System (ICS)
- Why has it Been Developed?
- The Aims of ICS
- Who Does it Apply to?
- Overview of the Exemplars/Forms
- Children in Need Exemplars/Forms
- Looked After and Leaving Care Exemplars/Forms
- Reviewing Process
- Guidance: Child Protection Planning
1. Overview of the Integrated Children's System (ICS)
The Integrated Children's System (ICS) is an, integrated, framework of records for children from the point of Referral to Closure.
The ICS forms replace the 'Assessment Framework' and ‘Looked After Children' (LAC) forms.
The key purpose of ICS is to provide frontline Staff and Managers with the necessary help, through Information Communication Technology (ICT), to record, collate, analyse and output the information required.
It has been developed to improve outcomes for children defined as being in need, under the Children Act 1989.
It provides a conceptual framework, a method of practice and a business process to support practitioners and Managers in undertaking the key tasks of assessment, planning, intervention and review.
It is based on an understanding of children’s developmental needs in the context of Parental capacity and wider family and environmental factors. It has full regard for current legislation.
Because the work with children in need requires skilled use of detailed and complex information, ICS is designed to be supported by an electronic case record system.
2. Why has it Been Developed?
ICS has been developed, over a several years, in response to the findings of inspections, research and inquiries.
These findings have demonstrated the need for conceptual systemisation in working with children in need.
The use of information required for recording the facts and events of children’s lives, for assessing the needs of children and monitoring their developmental progress is fundamental to good, safe practice and better outcomes. Central to many of the shortcomings in children’s Children's Services has been the failure to record, retrieve and understand the significance of information about children.
3. The Aims of ICS
All practitioners and Managers, responsible for children in need, should work in accordance with the ICS conceptual framework, from case referral to case closure.
- Assessments of children in need should be completed with the necessary detail and within the required timescales.
- Case-based information should be aggregated through computer systems into management information, required for day-to-day service planning.
- All practitioners should feel they are supported in their work by working directly with Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems that support ICS.
4. Who Does it Apply to?
Primarily, the requirements of ICS apply to allocated Social Workers/Placing Authorities. Children’s Social Workers will be primarily responsible for using, drafting and monitoring the new forms.
However, Foster Carers and Children’s Homes Managers and Staff should have a good understanding of the forms, how they are integrated and what their roles is in helping to keep them up to date.
5. Overview of the Exemplars/Forms
The exemplars/forms replace the 'Assessment Framework' (e.g. Core Assessment Record') and 'Looked After Children (LAC)' forms (e.g. LAC Placement Plan or Essential Information Record).
The exemplars/forms structure information systematically in order to:
- build up a picture of the child’s needs, within the context of their family and the community in which they live;
- facilitate the processes of gathering of information, collation and analysis at each stage;
- support the development of plans, which include clear objectives and measurable outcomes for children;
- facilitate review processes which monitor the child’s progress and the effectiveness of interventions;
- enable information to be aggregated;
- estimate and monitor costs of services provided.
The exemplars/forms provide a clear and consistent framework for the gathering and production of information. They are designed to work within an electronic information system, which supports single data entry of information, i.e. information once entered into the system can be stored and transferred from one record to another. Stored information can be extracted for a variety of reporting functions.
The exemplars are used to record information gathered at each stage of the process of work with children and families. They are divided into four types:
- Information
- Assessment
- Planning
- Review
| OLD/EXISTING FORMS | NEW FORMS |
| For Children in Need or subject to Section 47 Investigations/Enquiries
Note: A explanation of the forms listed in this table can be found in Section 6, Children in Need Exemplars/Forms |
|
| New Contact Record | |
| Referral and Initial Information Record | Replaced with revised Referral and Information Record |
| Initial Assessment | Replaced with revised Initial Assessment, which includes Initial Plan |
| Core Assessment | Replaced with revised Core Assessment |
| New Child’s Plan which includes Child Protection Plan | |
| New Record of Strategy Discussion | |
| New Record of Outcome of Section 47 Enquiries/Investigations which includes updated Initial Plan | |
| New Initial Child Protection Conference Report, which includes Outline Child Protection Plan | |
| New Chronology | |
| New Review Record | |
| New Closure Record | |
| For ‘Looked After Children’ e.g. placed in Children’s Homes or Foster Care Note: A explanation of the forms listed in this table can be found in Section 7, Looked After Children Exemplars/Forms) | |
| Essential Information Record Part 1 | Replaced with revised Referral and Information Record |
| Essential Information Record Part 2 | Replaced with new Chronology |
| Placement Plan Parts 1 and 2 | Replaced with Placement Information Record (which includes Parental agreements and consents) |
| Care Plan | Replaced with revised Care Plan Parts 1 & 2 |
| Health Care Plan | The new Care Plan incorporates a Health Care Plan |
| Personal Education Plan (PEP) | The new Care Plan incorporates a Personal Education Plan (PEP) |
| Permanence Plan | The new Care Plan incorporates a Plan for Permanence |
| Review Form | Replaced with revised Review Record |
| Assessment and Action Records | Replaced with revised Assessment and Progress Records |
| New Closure Record | |
6. Children in Need Exemplars/Forms
This is a summary of the purpose of each ‘Children in Need’ exemplar/form (For Looked After Exemplars/Forms, see Section 7, Looked After and Leaving Care Exemplars)
Contact Record
The Contact Record should be started when any contact is made by or on behalf of a child and family to Children’s Services – usually upon Referral.
Referral and Information Record
The Referral and Information Record should be completed whenever a referral or request for service is made by, or on behalf of, a child or young person to Children’s Services. Where services are being provided, the Referral and Initial Information Record should be regularly updated to ensure essential information about a child or young person and family remains accurate and up to date. The Referral and Information Record has 3 functions:
- to record the source and reason for referral or request for services;
- to record the response of Children's Services and other relevant agencies to a referral or request for services;
- to provide a record of essential information about a child or young person.
Initial Assessment Record
The Initial Assessment Record is the record of an initial assessment, and the decisions and actions resulting from this assessment.
An initial assessment identifies whether a child is a child in need, and the services and interventions that are required to respond to those needs. It will also identify where a Core Assessment is necessary to develop a fuller understanding of what is happening to a child and family in complex circumstances.
It includes an Initial Plan for the child.
Initial Plan
An Initial Plan is set out at the end of the Initial Assessment Record. A Child must have an Initial Plan where:
- Services are provided as a result of an Initial Assessment and a Core Assessment is not required;
- Where services and actions are being provided whilst a Core Assessment is being carried out
An Initial Childs Plan is used to support the provision of services whilst other assessments are being carried out. Where there is a significant change in a child or young person’s circumstances, the initial child’s plan should be replaced by the plan appropriate to the child or young persons circumstances, for example if the child were to become Looked After the Initial Childs Plan should be replaced by the Care Plan.
Core Assessment Record
A core assessment provides a structured, in-depth assessment of the child’s needs where their circumstances are complex. The Core Assessment Record provides a structured framework for Social Workers to record information gathered from a variety of sources to provide evidence for their professional judgements, and facilitate analysis, decision making and planning. A core assessment should be completed within 35 working days of its commencement. A completed Core Assessment Record is then used to develop the Child’s Plan.
Child's Plan (Children in Need: not Looked After or Leaving Care)
For children identified as having more complex needs, usually after a Core Assessment has been undertaken, a Child's Plan should be developed.
The format for the Child's Plan is more detailed and will revise and replace an Initial Plan (if one was completed following an Initial Assessment).
A Child's Plan is a Child Protection Plan for those children whose names have been placed on the Record of Children with a Child Protection Plan.
The Child's Plan should be used for all children who are not Looked After or Leaving Care. However it may be used for children who are receiving short break care in conjunction with Part One of the Care Plan.
The Child's Plan addresses the following:
- The identified developmental needs of the child or young person
- Attributes which impact on parents and carers capacity to respond to the needs of the child or young person, drawing on their strengths and areas of competences whilst recognising difficulties.
- Wider family and environmental factors which may have an impact on the child or young person and family, drawing on strengths in the wider family and community as well as identifying difficulties.
The Child's Plan should identify What, Who and When in relation to the needs of the child., for example:
- What actions are to be taken to meet the needs of the child?
- Who is responsible for undertaking, organizing, facilitating the actions?
- When the action will be completed.
The Child's Plan should be a fluid-working document that adapts as the needs of the child are identified, met or change; it should be reviewed on a regular basis.
The child, family and network should be integral and contribute to its formulation, development and review.
All parties including the child or young person, if appropriate should sign the completed plan and are provided with a copy.
The details of the plan are bench marks against which the progress of the family and commitment of workers are measured, and therefore it is important that they should be realistic and not vague statements of good intent.
In the case of a Child in Need becoming a Child Looked After, the Child's Plan becomes Part 2 of the Care Plan until the second Looked After Review when part two of the Care plan should b completed.
Reviewing the Child's Plan: See Section 8, Reviewing Process
| Completing the Childs Plan (Guidance) | |
| Type of Plan | The plan should clearly indicate that it is a Child's Plan (as opposed to a Child Protection Plan) |
| Aims | The plan should have an overall aim, which should be clearly laid out, in the appropriate section: |
| Actions and Services | The actions and services should be recorded under the appropriate headings of the three systems or domains of the Framework for Assessment of Children in Need. The plans should include actions to be provided by the family members and the child where appropriate. Any actions or services to be provided by another agency or organization should be discussed and agreed with the agency or the organization before it is included in the Child's Plan. Any service that requires resources from the Local Authority should be discussed in detail with appropriate line managers, to ensure that it is appropriate and available. The plan should be specific about the actions to be taken, identifying who is responsible for each action, and any services or resources that will be required to ensure that the objectives set can be achieved within the agreed time scales. The plan should include actions to be taken by the child/young person and his or her family. |
Chronology
The Chronology is started as part of the process of Core Assessment. It records all significant events and changes in the life of a child or young person. The Chronology is an analytical tool designed to help Social Workers understand the impact, both immediate and cumulative, of events and changes on the child or young person. The Chronology replaces Essential Information Record Part Two for Looked After Children.
Child Protection/Safeguarding
There are a number of exemplars/Forms which are used as part of the Child Protection process:
| Record of Strategy Discussion | To record the outcomes of a Strategy Discussion/Meeting |
| Record of Outcome of Section 47 Enquiries/Investigations | To record the outcome of a Section 47 Investigation/Enquiry – it includes an updated Initial Plan |
| Initial Child Protection Conference Report | To record the outcome of an Initial Child protection Conference – it includes an initial Child Protection Plan. |
| Child’s Plan | The Child’s Plan can be used for Non Looked After Children; and can incorporate a Child Protection Plan. |
Where a child is at continuing risk of Significant Harm, the child’s name is placed on the Record of Children with a Child Protection Plan at a Child Protection Case Conference.
Safeguarding the child requires inter agency help and intervention delivered through a formal Child Protection Plan. It is the role of the initial Child Protection Case Conference to formulate the Outline Child Protection Plan in as much detail as possible.
Where a child is to be the subject of a Child Protection Plan, the conference is responsible for recommendations on how agencies, professionals and the family should work together to ensure that the child will be safeguarded from harm in the future. This should enable both professionals and the family to understand exactly what is expected of them and what they can expect of others. For example, outlining the Child Protection Plan, identifying what needs to change in order to achieve the planned outcomes to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child.
An Outline Plan of Protection should be informed by an Initial Plan or any other type of plan for example a current Childs Plan.
For Guidance on the completion of a Child Protection Plan see Section 9, Child Protection Planning (Guidance)
Closure Record
Completed when services cease/are terminated
Reviewing Plans For details of the reviewing process for Children in Need Plans, see Section 8, Reviewing Process
7. Looked After and Leaving Care Exemplars
Children’s Homes/Fostering Services may have their own Referral process and forms, which are likely to include some form of Risk Assessment. As part of these ‘internal’ processes, Managers may require/obtain certain Exemplars/Forms generated by the Local Authority/Children’s Services (e.g. a copy of the Referral and Information Record).
All the Exemplars/Forms listed below are required by the Integrated Children’s System (ICS): Unless otherwise stated, the responsibility for completing them rests with the allocated Social Worker/Placing Authority.
Referral and Information Record
The Referral and Information Record replaces LAC Essential Information Record Part 1. It should be given to Staff/Carers before or upon admission/placement.
The Referral and Information Record is completed by Children’s Services when a child is referred to them; it is then updated by them as circumstances change.
When a child becomes Looked After, Staff/Carers should be provided with a copy of the Referral and Information Record: it provides the Staff/Carers with essential information about the child who is looked after.
Chronology
The Chronology replaces Essential Information Record Part 2 for Looked After Children. It should be given to Staff/Carers at the time of admission/placement – or within a reasonable timescale (e.g. 14 days).
The Chronology is started as part of the process of Core Assessment. It records all significant events and changes in the life of a child or young person. The Chronology is an analytical tool designed to help Social Workers understand the impact, both immediate and cumulative, of events and changes on the child or young person.
Care Plan
The new Care Plan is in two Parts:
Part One - sets out the overall aim of the plan for the child which can only be changed at a statutory child care review.
Part Two - identifies what services and actions are required to respond to the child’s identified developmental needs.
When a child becomes Looked After, a Care Plan must be drawn up; preferably before the child is placed. If this is not possible, the Care Plan must be completed within 14 days of the placement.
NB: Homes/Services should also be given a copy of an up to date Core Assessment Record.
The Care Plan includes the Personal Education Plan (PEP), Health Plan and Plan for Permanence.
The completed health assessment should be used to inform the health section of a child or young person’s Care Plan.
Placement Information Record
The Placement Information Record replaces the LAC Placement Plan Part 1 and 2.
It incorporates Parental consents.
In all cases, except emergencies, all sections of the Placement Information Record should be completed by the time a child is placed. It is important for Carers to have all of the information at the start of the placement. Where this is not possible, as much information as possible should be entered on the record. All remaining sections of the Placement Information Record should be completed as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter.
Home’s/service Managers must retain their own ‘internal’ Placement Plans or Placement Agreements (each Home/service may use different terms) to provide detail of the arrangements for looking after children – this may include detailed Behaviour Management Plans.
Assessment and Progress Records
Assessment and Progress Records replace LAC Assessment and Action Records.
The responsibility for completing Assessment and Progress Records rests with Social Workers/Placing Authorities, but Home’s/service Managers may agree they are best placed with complete or assist in completing the records.
The Assessment and Progress Record builds on the information held in the Core Assessment Record.
There are four age related Assessment and Progress Records |
An Assessment and Progress Record (APR) should be updated prior to each review. Prior to the review the child, where appropriate, Carer, Parent(s) and Social Worker should meet to prepare for the review. A decision will need to be made about whether the APR reflects the child/young person’s current progress and the APR should be updated as appropriate.
Pathway Plan
The Pathway Plan is completed in relation to all eligible, relevant and former relevant young people. (see end of this section for definitions)
The Pathway Plan replaces the Care Plan.
The responsible authority must complete a needs assessment within 3 months of a young person becoming an eligible or relevant child (see end of this section for definitions) whether he or she does so on turning 16 or later. It must also prepare a Pathway Plan for eligible and relevant children, as soon as possible after completing the needs assessment.
The Pathway Plan contains two sections within the record; Needs Assessment and Pathway Plan.
Eligible Young People are young people aged 16 or 17, have been Looked After for a period or periods totaling at least 13 weeks starting after their 14th birthday and are still Looked After. (This total does not include a series of short-term placements of up to four weeks where the child has returned to the Parent). There is a duty to support these young people up to the age of 18.
Relevant Young People are those aged 16 or 17 who are no longer Looked After, having previously been in the category of Eligible Young Person when Looked After. However, if after leaving the Looked After service, a young person returns Home for a period of 6 months or more to be cared for by a Parent and the return Home has been formally agreed as successful, he or she will no longer be a “Relevant Young Person”. A young person is also “Relevant” if, having been looked after for three months or more, he or she is then detained after their 16th birthday either in hospital, remand centre, young offenders’ institution or secure training centre. There is a duty to support relevant young people up to the age of 18, wherever they are living.
Former Relevant Young People are young people aged 18 to 21 (or up to 24 if in full-time further or higher education), and have left the Looked After service having been previously either “Eligible”, “Relevant” or both. There is a duty to consider the need to support these young people.
Permanence and Adoption Plans
A plan for permanence must be in place for all looked after children at the four month statutory review;
Where a decision is made in a review that the best plan for a child is adoption as this is the most appropriate plan for permanence for a child, an Adoption Plan should be drawn up. The Adoption Plan outlines the key processes and time-scales and records all the actions required to complete the adoption process. It also records the date the child is referred to the National Adoption Register.
8. Reviewing Process
Placement Planning Meetings and Looked After Reviews: This manual contains detailed Chapters on these subjects, please see Looked After Reviews Procedures
Reviewing the Child's Plan
As with all plans within the Integrated Children System, the Childs Plan should be reviewed.
The plan should set out the planned outcomes for each child and at Review the actual outcomes should be recorded The impact of service provision on a child’s developmental progress should also be reviewed .
It is good practice for the Childs Plan to be reviewed at least every 6 months. If it becomes apparent that the Childs Plan is no longer relevant or their needs to be changes it can be reviewed at an earlier date.
The plan will be reviewed in many ways:
- Through working with the family and the network, it may become apparent that an aspect of the plan is no longer relevant or particular needs have been met
- It may become apparent that areas need to be added to the plan
- The Childs Pan should be central during supervision and case discussion with line managers
- In line with the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families 2000, there should be a formal review of the Childs Plan every 6 months
- The Initial Review is a meeting Chaired by the Team Manager
- Subsequent reviews to be chaired by the allocated social worker, this can be in the format of a meeting (network) or through consultation with the child, family members, and the network.
All reviews should support the following processes:
- Monitoring the child or young persons developmental progress over time and identification of where needs are being met, partially or are unmet
- Updating key information on the child or young person’s progress
- Consideration of the impact of services on a child or young person and identification where planned services have not been provided
- Identify and recommend any changes to the plan for the child or young person
Click here to view Reviewing Process Flowchart
Within the review process you are required to look at the impact of actions and services provided to a child or young person and family.
Detail the social work interventions since assessment or last review (for example details of when the child or young person has been seen)
Evaluate the extent to which the Childs Plan is meeting the needs of the child or young person and identify any changes that are required in light of information presented during the review process or since the last review.
The process of the review should also be recorded, for example how the young person was involved in the process
Record the changes and outcomes from intervention and progress.
Having gathered all the information available consideration should be given to whether changes should be made to the Childs Plan or whether a Childs Pan is still required and the case can be closed.
9. Guidance: Child Protection Planning
An Outline Child Protection Plan must be drawn up at initial and review conferences, following the decision that a child is likely to suffer significant harm without such a plan. The aim of the outline plan is to assist the core group to form a more detailed plan and ensure that it is implemented.
Click here to view Outline Child Protection Plan Flowchart
The outline plan should:
- Describe the identified developmental and welfare needs of each child
- Describe specific, achievable, child-focused outcomes intended to safeguard each child
- Describe the types of services required by each child (including family support) to promote his/her welfare
- Set a timescale for the completion of a core assessment, if appropriate
- Identify any specialist assessments of each child and the family that may be required to ensure that sound judgements are being/can be made on how best to safeguard each child and promote her/his welfare
- Clearly identify roles and responsibilities of professionals and family members, including the nature and frequency of contact by professionals with children and family members;
- Lay down points at which progress will be reviewed, the means by which progress will be judged and who will monitor this
- Develop a robust contingency plan to respond if the family is unable to make the required changes and the child continues to be at risk of significant harm e.g. legal action and the circumstances which would trigger this
- Set out clearly the roles and responsibilities of those professionals with routine contact with the child, for example, health visitors, GPs and teachers, as well as those professionals providing specialist or targeted support to the child and family
The outline Plan should include an indication of what the conference believes needs to change before the possibility that a Child Protection Plan is no longer needed can be considered.
Role of the Core Group
The ‘Outline Child Protection Plan’ will in turn be developed by the Core Group
into the Childs Plan, which will then become the Child Protection Plan.
The core group is responsible for the formulation and implementation of the detailed Child Protection Plan, previously outlined at the conference.
There should be a Child Protection Plan for each child covering the following areas in the context of the outline Protection Plan:
- Identification of what needs to change to reduce the risk of significant harm
- A description of the identified needs of the child and what services are required
- Ethnic / cultural / religious considerations – e.g. necessity for an interpreter, avoidance of appointments with family on significant religious festivals
- Issues arising from any disability
- A consideration of the views of the child, insofar as this is consistent with the child’s welfare
- A consideration of the views of the parents, insofar as this is consistent with the child’s welfare
- Identification of risks to the child and means of protection
- Identification of parenting strengths
- A clear identification of roles and responsibilities of professionals and family members
- Identification of actions to promote the child’s health and development
- Identification of actions to support the family and wider family members in promoting the welfare of the child
- A description of the nature and frequency of contact with the child and the roles and responsibilities of professionals, including specialist resources
- Identification of what further core and specialist assessment is necessary to assist in judgements about safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child
- Identification of who (including family members) will be responsible for what actions, taking into consideration the wishes and feelings of the child
- Establishment of specific short term and long term aims and objectives
- Identification of time scales for the aims and objectives to be achieved
- Identification of measurements for success (how will the family and professionals know there has been a change)
- Method of monitoring and evaluating progress, including identifying which professional is responsible for checking required changes
- Consideration of a contingency plan if circumstances change quickly, or if insufficient change occurs
The key worker must make a record of the core group meetings and formulate the detailed Child Protection Plan in the form of a written agreement for all parties to sign. Each local safeguarding children board should ensure that standard arrangements for the recording of the written agreement are in place
Completion of the core assessment, within 35 working days, should include an analysis of the child’s developmental needs and the parents’ capacity to respond to those needs, including parents’ capacity to ensure that the child is safe from harm. Decisions based this analysis should be used to develop the Child Protection Plan.
Purpose of a Child Protection Plan
The purpose of a Child Protection Plan is to facilitate and make explicit a co-ordinated approach to:
- Ensure that each child in the household is safe and prevent him/her from suffering further harm
- Promote the child’s health and development i.e. welfare
- 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
The Child Protection Plan should take into consideration the wishes and feelings of the child, and the views of the parents, insofar as they are consistent with the child’s welfare. The key worker should make every effort to ensure that the children and parents have a clear understanding of the planned outcomes, that they accept the plan and are willing to work to it. The plan should be constructed with the family in their preferred language and they should receive a written copy in this language. If family members’ preferences are not accepted about how best to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, the reasons for this should be explained. Families should be told about their right to complain and make representations, and how to do so.
End