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7.1.13 Interface Procedure between Walsall's Vulnerable Children Service and Spurgeon's Family Support Service

This procedure was introduced into the Manual in October 2011.


Contents

  1. Introduction and Context
  2. Cases Transferring from IRS following the Completion of an Initial Assessment
  3. Contact with the Vulnerable Children Service
  4. Case File Recording


1. Introduction and Context

At any one time Spurgeon’s Family Support Service works with approximately 50 young people who are subject to Child In Need or Child Protection Plans. The needs of these young people vary in complexity and as such they require differing levels of support and input from workers within the Vulnerable Children Service. The Vulnerable Children Service currently holds case responsibility for these young people.

Some of these young people solely have needs relating to poor and deteriorating family relationships which impacts upon their behaviour and self-esteem and may affect their engagement with education and health. For other young people their needs are more complex, often because they have associated problems relating to alcohol and substance misuse; criminal activity; placing themselves at risk and/or because they have additional emotional needs. These young people may present as challenges to care and usually have a number of Universal and Specialist services working with them. For a very small number of young people their needs are such that they are considered to be at risk of Significant Harm and they are made subject to Child Protection Plans.

All children in Walsall who have been made subject to a Child Protection Plan are allocated to a qualified social worker. Qualified social workers and Children’s Services Support Officers are also allocated to young people with more complex needs, usually because a number of Universal and Specialist services are involved and planning for the young person requires a greater degree of co-ordination and support.

For many young people with less complex needs, experience has now shown that their most positive working relationship tends to be formed with their Spurgeon’s worker. Spurgeon’s may be their primary source of support, although other agencies may also be involved, and the nature of this work means that home visits and direct work is frequent, regular and very targeted. For many young people there is no additional role for a separately allocated worker from within the Vulnerable Children Service. It is because of this that Walsall has taken the decision for such cases to be managed by Spurgeon’s Family Support Service. Whilst the Vulnerable Children Service will retain overall case responsibility, Spurgeon’s will take lead responsibility for case management and day to day decision making.

The Purpose of this Document

This document outlines the agreed procedure for managing cases where Spurgeon’s are the primary source of support for the young person and family and social work assessment has identified that Spurgeon’s take lead case responsibility.

This document details how case transfers between the Vulnerable Children Service and Spurgeon’s will be managed and how child protection matters and cases that are becoming increasingly complex should be dealt with.

There is no change to the current process for transferring and allocating young people who are in receipt of a Child Protection Plan or complex Child In Need Plan where an allocated worker within the Vulnerable Children Service is required.


2. Cases Transferring from IRS following the Completion of an Initial Assessment

2.1 The allocated IRS worker will make a telephone referral to Spurgeon’s. Basic details of the young person/family and circumstances surrounding the referral to IRS must be provided. Spurgeon’s will record this information on their Service Referral Form.
2.2 The allocated IRS worker will also provide details of any universal services currently involved with the young person and any service to which they have made a referral as a result of their Initial Assessment / Section 47 Enquiry. This might include for example Street teams; T3; CAMHS. The allocated IRS worker must be clear about what support has been requested from these agencies and what the agency has advised that they will do. It is essential that Spurgeon’s are clear about the whole package of support being put into place as they will take responsibility for monitoring and reviewing this.
2.3

IRS will send the following documents to Spurgeon’s immediately after the telephone referral has been made:

  • Initial Assessment;
  • Section 47 / Core Assessment if these have been completed;
  • Child In Need plan;
  • A brief Chronology which details the history of referrals to VCS and any previous support offered to the young person and family;
  • Written referral form.

Spurgeon’s will allocate in accordance with their current allocations procedure. If there is a need to implement a waiting list then the receiving team manager at SFS will be advised of this in due course.
2.4 All PARIS case files will continue to be transferred from IRS to SFS as per the current transfer arrangements.
2.5 Prior to transfer IRS managers will record an MDR which states that the plan for the child is for Spurgeon’s to take lead responsibility for ongoing support. The manager must detail their rationale for this decision making.
2.6 Prior to transfer IRS workers will continue to complete a comprehensive transfer summary on the PARIS case file. This must outline the whole plan for the child and be clear that a referral has been made to Spurgeon’s.
2.7 IRS will transfer the PARIS file to the SFS team manager who is duty for that week. The duty team manager will then allocate the case on PARIS to the ‘Spurgeon’s worker’ within their PARIS team list. The SFS manager will retain overall managerial responsibility for the case. The allocated IRS worker must inform Spurgeon’s which SFS manager the case file will be transferred to.
2.8 If a case file has been transferred from IRS and to SFS and the SFS manager subsequently determines that the case is appropriate for management by Spurgeon’s only then the manager must record a further MDR which details the rationale for their decision-making. A telephone call then needs to be made to Spurgeon’s to advise of the decision. Points 2.2 and 2.3 will need to be undertaken if IRS have not already done so.
2.9 Following referral from IRS Spurgeon’s will make contact with any agencies identified within the Child In Need plan for the young person to ensure that agencies are aware of their involvement and role.
2.10 As per their current procedure Spurgeon’s will undertake 6 sessions of work with the young person and/or family at which point there will be an internal review of the progress being made. The allocated Spurgeon’s worker will liaise with the other agencies involved and consider their activities within the review. The allocated Spurgeon’s worker will complete their Service Review record. An electronic copy of this must be sent to the responsible team manager within SFS who will arrange for this to be attached to the PARIS file by SFS admin.
2.11 Spurgeon’s will continue to undertake this reviewing process every six weeks until it is determined that the young person and family are no longer in need of their service. If, during the course of their work Spurgeon's consider that the needs of a family have reduced from level 3 to level 2 then a Child In Need review should be held. If there is agreement then the Children Services file can be closed and Spurgeon's take on the lead professional role at level 2.
2.12 At the point of closure the allocated Spurgeon’s worker will contact the duty worker in the responsible SFS team to advise of what work has been completed; what outcomes have been achieved and of any further support that is being recommended. The duty worker will record this conversation on a PARIS case note and send a PARIS notification to the team manager.
2.13 The allocated Spurgeon’s worker will complete a closure record and send this electronically to the responsible team manager. The team manager will arrange for a duty worker to open up a Closure record on Paris and complete this attaching the Spurgeon’s closure record. The case file can then be closed down by the team manager. SFS team managers should ensure that this is undertaken in a timely manner so that only the cases actively being worked by Spurgeon's are open.


3. Contact with the Vulnerable Children Service

There may be times when Spurgeon’s will need to contact the SFS team responsible for a case either because there are child protection concerns; there has been a deterioration in circumstances; the situation has become increasingly complex or support is required to make a referral to another agency on behalf of the young person/family. In this situation the allocated Spurgeon’s worker must contact the duty worker within the SFS team that holds overall responsibility for the case. 

3.1 Child Protection Concerns

The allocated Spurgeon’s worker will speak with the SFS duty worker about their concerns in a timely manner.

Following discussion the SFS duty worker may determine that there is no further Child Protection action that needs to be undertaken. In these circumstances the concerns and associated decision-making must be recorded on a PARIS case note and a PARIS notification sent to the team manager. The allocated Spurgeon’s worker will retain their lead role.

The SFS duty worker may determine that further information is required about the concerns/allegations being made. Given that a relationship will have been established between the young person and their Spurgeon’s worker, it may be appropriate for the Spurgeon’s worker to gather this information and report this back to the SFS duty worker. Alternatively, depending upon the nature of the concerns it may be considered more appropriate for the duty worker to undertake this work alongside the allocated Spurgeon’s worker. The SFS duty worker will then consider whether there is any further action to be taken.

SFS may then determine that a Section 47 child protection enquiry needs to be undertaken. In these circumstances the SFS team manager must transfer the PARIS case file to a qualified social worker within their team. Spurgeon’s will continue their work with the young person if appropriate during the course of this process but the Vulnerable Children Service will take over lead responsibility during the course of the enquiry. Once the Section 47 Enquiry and Core Assessment have been completed the options may be:

  1. Further child protection action is required. In these circumstances the case will remain allocated to a qualified social worker while Spurgeon’s continue their engagement with the young person/family;
  2. No further child protection action is required but the case has become more complex. In these circumstances the case will remain allocated to a social worker or Children Services Support Officer while Spurgeon’s continue their engagement with the young person/family;
  3. No further child protection action is required and the case remains less complex. In these circumstances the team manager will transfer the case back to the ‘Spurgeon’s worker’ and Spurgeon;’s will resume their lead responsibility.

    The social worker undertaking the enquiry must complete all PARIS documents relating to the Section 47 Enquiry and Core Assessment. An MDR must be recorded by the team manager to evidence decision-making and the rationale for this.

3.2 There has been a Deterioration in Circumstances / Lack of Progress being Made / Circumstances are becoming increasingly Complex

If there has been deterioration in circumstances the allocated Spurgeon’s worker must contact the SFS duty worker to discuss the concerns. Following discussion and it may be determined that  a) no additional action is needed or b) that further action is needed but that the allocated Spurgeon’s worker can complete this work. In these circumstances the concerns and associated decision-making must be recorded on a PARIS case note and a PARIS notification sent to the team manager. The allocated Spurgeon’s worker will retain their lead role.

If there has been a deterioration in circumstances and the case has clearly become more complex, including borderline Child Protection, then case responsibility must transfer back to the SFS team. In these circumstances the concerns and associated decision-making must be recorded on a PARIS case note and a PARIS notification sent to the team manager. The team manager will then transfer the case to a qualified social worker or Children Services Support Officer within SFS. An MDR must be recorded to evidence decision-making and the rationale for this.

If concerns and issues are less clear then the duty worker may determine it necessary to hold a Child In Need review meeting for further discussions to be held. The duty worker will arrange and chair this meeting. The outcome may be that issues are less complex than initially feared in which case the allocated Spurgeon’s worker should retain lead responsibility. If the meeting concludes that circumstances have deteriorated or concerns have become increasingly complex then the SFS manager must transfer the case to a qualified social worker or Children Services Support Officer within SFS. The duty social worker must open up and create a record of the meeting on a PARIS Child In Need review document.

3.3 A Simple Request is being Made

The allocated Spurgeon’s worker may require the support of an SFS duty worker for a simple task, for example making a referral to CAMHS. The duty worker must record the nature of the request and the action taken on a PARIS case file. For these matters there should be no change in case allocation arrangements.


4. Case File Recording

At any point that case responsibility is transferred between Spurgeon’s and SFS, the responsible team manager must record an MDR that provides an up to date summary of circumstances and evidence for decision-making.

Any conversation between Spurgeon’s and the Vulnerable Children Service must be recorded on a PARIS case note and the team manager notified.

If a Section 47 Enquiry and Core Assessment is undertaken or the duty worker chairs a Child In Need review then the relevant PARIS documents must be completed.

Spurgeon’s will continue to maintain their service case files and records as per current procedures. These case files will detail for day to day work with this case. This information will not be recorded on PARIS. Spurgeon’s will ensure that their 6 weekly review records are sent electronically to the SFS team manager so that these can be attached to PARIS and therefore evidence the work being undertaken and progress being made.

End