Northumberland Local Protocol for Assessment and Support

When it is identified that a family meets Level 2 Threshold of Need but there are multiple needs so the family would benefit from more intensive, targeted early help support, a Family Help worker is allocated to complete a whole family Early Help Assessment. A Family Help EHA is a more detailed holistic assessment of need completed alongside all family members, including children to ensure their voices are heard and inform the assessment. The EHA takes into account the families current and historical circumstances, information from other professionals working with the family and wider network of support, with consent, and includes areas of strength and resilience to build upon. Family help workers use a Signs of Wellbeing approach and consider everything that can impact on the family, such as housing, relationships, finances, education, health and wellbeing to accurately identify the family's needs. The assessments are completed within 6 weeks of the initial home visit with an initial Team Around the Family meeting being held within 7 weeks of the initial home visit to agree the plan of support for the family.

The Team Around the Family (TAF) consists of the family, professionals involved and wider network with meetings and plan being co-ordinated by the allocated Family Help worker.

Regular 6 weekly Team Around the Family meetings are held to review progress on the plan and make changes to the plan, if needed. TAF meetings support with plans being progressed in a timely manner ensuring everyone is doing what they should be, enabling families to achieve improved outcomes sooner.

Where an EHA identifies or risks increase to where the family meet Level 3 or Level 4 Social work threshold, then the family are advised that a referral for Social Work support is needed. A telephone discussion is then held between the Family Help Team Manager and Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) manager to begin the process to transfer the family for Social Work intervention. While any initial social work assessments are completed, the Family Help worker remains involved with the family to provide ongoing support to the family until there is an outcome from initial Social Work enquiries.

First Contact is our front door to a decision by the Local Authority and its partners about what help and support will be provided to meet the needs of children and young people. It is the same front door whether the help required is safety for a child from abuse or neglect or the help required is because a child is disabled or is a young carer or the help is required because a parent is not coping, ill or in prison.

First Contact is open from 08:30am in the morning until 5.00pm Monday to Thursday and from 08:30am until 4.30pm on Friday. At all other times, on evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays, the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) is available to respond where there are significant concerns about the safety of a child or young person. In an emergency however, if there is worry that a child or young person may be harmed, the Police should always be contacted first to provide an immediate response.

Where there is a concern for a child or young person, you should contact 01670 536400; state clearly that you have a concern for a child’s wellbeing and wish to report that concern.

For any call raising concerns about a child, First Contact will ask:

• All of the details known to you/your agency about the child;
• The family composition including siblings, and where possible extended family members and anyone important in the child’s life;
• The nature of the concern and how immediate it is;
• Any and what kind of support has been provided to the child or family to date;
• Where the child is now;
• Whether you have informed the parents/carers of your concern.

Every phone call will be followed up in writing. It is also best practice to keep a record of the contact you have made, the discussion and any decisions made. You should also record whether you have obtained parental consent and if not, why not.

There are two referral routes into First Contact – Early Help Support Request and Social Work request – both are accessed via the MARF.

Referral information is triaged to assess risks and worries to identify solutions, to ensure that children and their families receive the right help at the right time. Early Help Support Requests are managed by the First Contact Early Help Team, who co-ordinate a response, when needed. Social Work requests are triaged by a Social Work Team Manager to determine what approach is needed.

Where there is a reasonable cause to suspect significant harm, the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) will share information to make joint decisions to identify prompt and effective responses to risks.

The MASH is a hub or place in which a number of practitioners from different agencies that provide services to children and young people work together in one location to decide together what help and support is required to meet the needs of a child.

Information is shared to help come to a decision about what is the right help and support required to meet the needs of a child or young person. First contact will always try to make a decision on what help and support is required within one working day of receiving a worry about a child or young person.

Where the concerns for a child are immediate and serious, the information gathering process runs parallel to essential safeguarding action planning between children’s services, the police and health.

Procedures:

• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Pre-Birth Procedure;
• Children's Social Care - Assessment and Planning.

A children’s social care (statutory) assessment in Northumberland is called a Child and Family (C&F) Assessment. All C&F Assessments are undertaken using Signs of Safety. Signs of Safety is a way to assess risk and find solutions. It uses four simple questions to ask when thinking about and working with a family.

1. What are we worried about?
2. What’s working well?
3. What needs to happen?
4. How worried are we on a scale of 0 – 10.

This provides a sound and well-structured focus for the conversations that take place when we believe children’s needs are not being met and something else is needed to improve outcomes for the child.

The timeliness of the C&F Assessment is a critical element of the quality of that assessment and the outcomes for the child. The timescale in which an assessment is completed will be determined by the needs of the individual child or children, the nature and level of risk of harm experienced by the child and the degree that parents and family are engaging with the process.

A judgement will be made by the social worker, in discussion with their manager on each individual family and an assessment should not exceed 45 days (maximum limit suggested in Working Together 2023).

The Assessment should always be undertaken alongside a chronology of any referrals or significant events to ensure that historical information known about the child/children and their family is taken into consideration in the assessment. Past harm is the most important factor in assessing future risk.

How it will work; implications for partners and parents

The Social Worker will make a decision as to whether a contact requires a statutory response and becomes a referral to Children’s Services (Section 17 or Section 47).

In urgent and very serious situations (mostly Section 47) the decision will be made immediately and will be prioritised without delay with a visit by a social worker within the same 24 hours of referral decision to assess the child’s/children’s welfare.

For less urgent situations (Section 17) the child must be seen by a social worker within 5 working days of the referral decision.

For children who require immediate protection, action must be taken by the social worker, or the police if removal is required, as soon after the referral decision has been made (Section 44 and 46 of the Children Act 1989).

The team manager in discussion with the social worker will set the timescale at the outset of the assessment process for its completion. The maximum timeframe for the assessment to conclude, such that it is possible to reach a decision on next steps, should be no longer than 45 working days from the point of referral decision.

It is the responsibility of the social worker to make clear to the child and their family how the assessment will be carried out and shared with the child, their family and relevant partners within the agreed completion date.

The social worker will evaluate the type and seriousness of risks of harm to the child; in doing so all current ‘risk assessments’ provided by partner agencies will be considered. The evidence base of any risk assessments should be made available to the assessing social worker by the relevant agency so this can be discussed with the family (as appropriate).

Whatever the timescale for assessment and where particular needs are identified at any stage of the assessment, the social worker will not wait until the assessment is completed before commissioning services to support the child and their family. In some circumstances the needs of the child will mean that a quick assessment will be required.

Providing services or initiating Care Proceedings should not be delayed until the assessment is completed, as this can have a detrimental impact on the child’s development. It is important for the child that they are able to reach their full developmental needs at the right time throughout their life.

Where child protection concerns arise, the assessment will be completed in accordance with Section 47 of the Children Act 1989. The assessment must be completed within 13 days of the first strategy discussion to enable the assessment report to be available to an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC). The ICPC must be held within 15 working days of the strategy discussion at which the decision to initiate a Child Protection Enquiry was made.

The social worker will go through the C&F Assessment and chronology with the child/ children and family 2 days prior to the Initial Child Protection Conference.

Where there are no child protection concerns but where the child is believed to be a Child in Need, the assessment will be completed under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. At the start of the assessment, the social worker will see the children individually, discuss with the team manager and agree with the family the length of time it will take for the assessment to be completed within 35 working days.

Assessments carried out for Cared for Children will also be completed within 35 working days and focus on the child’s developmental progress, including his/her health, and the desired outcomes for the child, taking account of the wide range of influences which affect a child’s development both positively and negatively, using the Assessment Framework. These assessments take place in consultation with family members, the wider family network and carers and well as the child themselves, and will be shared accordingly.

The team manager and social worker will discuss the progress of the assessment prior to the anticipated completion date. If there are valid reasons for the assessment not being completed within the agreed timeframe, this will be recorded and a revised timeframe will be set if appropriate. The reason for delay must be valid and approved by the team manager.

Where child protection concerns become evident in the course of a S17 assessment then the team manager will convene a multi-agency strategy discussion in accordance with the NCASP Child Protection Procedures. This is the only occasion, prior to assessment completion, when it is routine to share progress of an assessment with other professionals, however, good communication between all professionals involved in the assessment is the expectation throughout.

A summary of the different types of assessments is included at Appendix 2: Types of Assessment.

High quality assessments are timely, transparent and proportionate to the needs of individual children and their families. Northumberland’s has adopted Signs of Safety as its practice model, which is used across the whole of Children’s Social Care. Signs of Safety is a relationship based, strengths oriented and outcome focused method of practice that fully involves the family network in decision-making, as well as the professional network around the child. A good assessment will reflect this model throughout.

The Practice Framework and Expectations Handbook sets out what is expected so that everyone is clear about what good Signs of Safety practice looks like.

All Assessments should:

• Identify what is working well in the family;
• Identify worries about the children and young people in the family through meeting them directly and eliciting their wishes, views and feelings or through observation of relationships;
• Identify what needs to change for the care of the children to be safe and stable in the long term;
• Be undertaken in partnership with family members, ensuring that each child and family understands the type of help offered and their own responsibilities, so as to improve the child’s outcomes;
• Be undertaken using a whole family approach which takes account of the perspectives of family and extended family, professional and naturally occurring networks.

The purpose of assessments is to enable effective, evidence based decision making. Decisions must be recorded and shared with children, families and partner agencies involved with them.

Recording will always include information on the child’s development so that progress can be monitored to ensure their outcomes are improving. This will reduce the need for repeat assessments during care proceedings, which can be a major source of delay.

Procedures:

• Assessments Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Assessment Procedure.

This assessment framework provides a model to examine how the different aspects of the child’s life and context interact and impact on the child. It is important that:

• Information is gathered and recorded systematically;
• Information is checked and discussed with each child and their parents/carers where appropriate;
• Differences in views about information are recorded;
• The impact of what is happening to the child is clearly identified.

All related children living in the same household will be included in the assessment to prevent families from negotiating excessive paperwork. However, the individual needs of each child must be explored separately, including their relationships with each other and their parents (including absent parents). Any concerns about ‘scapegoating’ of any child or children within the family should be explicit in the assessment. Where the needs of children greatly differ, consideration can be given to undertaking separate assessments for each child, particularly where this would benefit the child. Actions to meet a child's needs will begin before the assessment has concluded where this would benefit the child and prevent drift and /or delay.

Where there are concerns that a child may be at risk of, or experiencing harm outside the home, practitioners will work with the child, parents, carers, family networks and partners to determine:

• The nature and duration of the harm;
• Where risk is located and understand the context in which harm is or may be happening, including online;
• The level of risk associated with each concern and context identified.

Assessments will consider how a child’s experience within their family and networks, including their friends and peer groups, and extra-familial contexts, such as the places and spaces where they spend their time, interplay with the risk of harm outside of the home.

All information will also be analysed within the Signs of Safety framework to ensure that past harm, future danger, complicating factors, strengths and safety within the family and future safety needs are recognised and responded to.

The social worker’s team manager must review the assessment plan regularly with the social worker and ensure that actions such as those below have been met:

• There has been direct communication with the child alone and their views and wishes have been recorded and taken into account when providing services;
• All the children in the household have been seen and their needs considered;
• The child’s home address has been visited and the child’s bedroom has been seen;
• The parents (including all absent parents with Parental Responsibility) have been involved and their views and wishes have been recorded and taken into account;
• Wider family members and the naturally occurring network have been involved in the assessment;
• All partner agencies working with the child have been spoken with and contributed to the assessment;
• A multiagency chronology has been completed which helps inform the assessment and makes sense of previous patterns of concerns, referrals and interventions as well as when things have been working well.

They will also check that the assessment:

• Provides clear evidence for decisions and what needs to happen to provide good outcomes for the child and family, including any services required;
• Is holistic in approach and addresses presenting and underlying issues and each of the child’s needs, giving sufficient recognition and priority to the specific needs of disabled children and young carers and to any risks the child faces within or outside the home, including online;
• Explores the needs of all members of the family as individuals and considers how their needs impact on one another as well as how the family network could support and help de-escalate issues;
• Is a dynamic process, not an event, analysing and responding to the changing nature and level of need and/or risk faced by the child from within and outside their family;
• Recognises and respects the individual and protected characteristics of families, including the ways in which these can overlap and intersect, ensuring support reflects their diversity of needs and experiences;
• Leads to action, including the provision of services, the impact of which is reviewed on an ongoing basis;
• Recognises a child’s entitlement to a full-time education and the positive impact attendance at school has on personal development and attainment.

Where a child becomes cared for, the assessment will be the baseline for work with the family while the child is away. Any needs which have been identified must be addressed before decisions are made about the child’s return home.

The parent’s consent should be sought, before discussing a referral about them with other agencies, unless this may place the child at risk of Significant Harm, in which case the social work manager should initiate a Strategy discussion (see North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Child Protection Enquiries - Section 47 Children Act 1989 Procedure, Strategy Discussion/Meeting). If there is suspicion that a crime may have been committed including sexual or physical assault or neglect of any child, the Police must be notified immediately.

When consent is obtained, all agencies and professionals involved with the child, and the family, have a responsibility to contribute to the Assessment process. This might take the form of providing information in a timely manner and direct or joint work. Differences of opinion between professionals should be resolved speedily but where this is not possible, the local arrangements for resolving professional disagreements should be implemented.

It is possible that professionals have different experiences of the child and family and understanding these differences will actively contribute to the understanding of the child and their family.

Attention will be paid to ‘drift and delay’ and all parties contributing to the assessment will be responsible for timely completion. If drift or delay is having an impact on the outcomes for the child, there is accountability for all agencies to the NCASP.

Where there is a delay, or any other issue of concern, the NCASP Resolving Professional Disagreements process or individual agency complaint processes are available for professionals, parents and children.

All agencies contributing to the statutory assessment process will have a responsibility to ensure that their staff work within the Protocol and that their staff have received the necessary safeguarding training.

If during the course of the Assessment, it is discovered that a school age child is not attending an educational establishment, the social worker should contact the local education service to establish a reason for this.

Agencies providing services to adults who are parents, carers or who have regular contact with children must consider the impact on the child of the particular needs of the adult in question.

The Child

The child should participate and contribute directly to the Assessment process based upon their age, understanding and identity. They should be seen alone and if this is not possible or in their best interest, the reason should be recorded. The social worker should work directly with the child in order to understand their views and wishes, including the way in which they behave both with their care givers and in other settings.

The pace of the Assessment needs to acknowledge the pace at which the child can contribute. However, this should not be a reason for delay in taking protective action. It is important to understand the resilience of the individual child in their family and community context when planning appropriate services.

Every Assessment should be child centred. Where there is a conflict between the needs of the child and their parents/carers, decisions should be made in the child’s best interests. The parents should be involved at the earliest opportunity unless to do so would prejudice the safety of the child.

In all Social Work Assessments, the child’s home address must be visited and the child’s bedroom must be seen.

The Parents, Caregivers and Family Network

The parents’ involvement in the Assessment will be central to its success. At the outset they need to understand how they can contribute to the process and what is expected of them to change in order to improve the outcomes for the child. The Assessment process must be open and transparent with the parents. However, the process should also challenge parents’ statements and behaviour where it is evidenced that there are inconsistencies, questions or obstacles to progress. All parents or care givers should be involved equally in the Assessment and should be supported to participate whilst the welfare of the child must not be overshadowed by parental needs. There may be exceptions (for example where there is sexual abuse or domestic abuse for example) where the plan for the Assessment must consider the safety of an adult as well as that of the child.

The family network should be engaged in the assessment where there is agreement to do so from the parents. Encouraging the involvement of wider family can often provide additional support and/or safety for the child and assessments should be made to determine this. It can also help parents understand what professionals are worried about. Social Workers should explore the wider network with the child and parents and a family network meeting should be held in the early stages of an assessment (by working day 20) to support this process in the best interests of the child. Family members will always need to be assessed where a child goes to live with them during the course of an assessment.

See Family Networks and Family Group Decision Making Procedure.

An increasing number of referrals involve families from abroad, necessitating assessments of family members in other countries. However, the Court of Appeal has pointed out that it might not be professional, permissible or lawful for a social worker to undertake an assessment in another jurisdiction. CFAB advise that enquiries should be made as to whether the assessment can be undertaken by the authorities in the overseas jurisdiction. UK social workers should not routinely travel overseas to undertake assessments in countries where they have no knowledge of legislative frameworks, cultural expectations or resources available to a child placed there.

See also: 

Cross-border child protection cases: the 1996 Hague Convention (DfE)

The International Child Abduction and Contact Unit

Child protection: Working with foreign authorities Guidance (DfE, July 2014)

The reasons for the Social Work Assessment and the outcomes of the assessment should be explained in language that the family can understand, using family or children’s terms where understanding will be enhanced by doing so. Explanations should be free from professional jargon, acronyms and abstractions. The use of the Signs of Safety approach and tools will promote this.

Where a child or parent speaks a language other than that spoken by the social worker, an interpreter should be provided.

Where a child or parent with disabilities has communication difficulties it may be necessary to use alternatives to speech. In communicating with a child with such an impairment, it may be particularly useful to involve a person who knows the child well and is familiar with the child’s communication methods. However, caution should be given in using family members to facilitate communication. Where the child has had a communication assessment, its conclusions and recommendations should be observed.

Assessments must be shared in writing with families using straight forward, jargon free language.

The social worker should analyse all the information gathered from the enquiry stage of the assessment to decide the nature and level of the child’s needs and the level of risk, if any, they may be facing. The analysis will focus on:

• The impact of past harm on the child;
• The future danger to the child if nothing changes;
• Any complicating factors which may prevent change/make change more difficult;
• What is working well in the family, including strengths and safety;
• What needs to happen to ensure future safety and wellbeing for the child, and allow specialist services to withdraw.

The social work manager should provide regular supervision and challenge the social worker’s assumptions as part of this process. An informed decision should be taken on the nature of any action required and which services should be provided. Social workers, their managers and other professionals should be mindful of the requirement to understand the level of need and risk in a family from the child’s perspective and ensure action or commission services which will have maximum positive impact on the child’s life.

When new information comes to light or circumstances change the child’s needs, any previous conclusions should be updated and critically reviewed to ensure that the child is not overlooked as noted in many lessons from Safeguarding Practice Reviews.

Supervision records and/or checkpoints in the assessment should reflect the reasoning for decisions and actions taken.

A useful comment from ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’ to bear in mind for all professionals when reviewing progress:

“A high quality assessment is one in which evidence is built and revised throughout the process. A social worker may arrive at a judgement early in the case but this may need to be revised as the case progresses and further information comes to light. It is a characteristic of skilled practice that social workers revisit their assumptions in the light of new evidence and take action to revise their decisions in the best interests of the individual child.”

Every Assessment should be focused on outcomes, deciding which services and support to provide to deliver improved welfare for the child and reflect the child’s best interests. In the course of the Assessment, the social worker and their line manager should determine:

• Is this a Child in Need? (Section 17 Children Act 1989);
• Is there reasonable cause to suspect that this child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, Significant Harm? (Section 47 Children Act 1989);
• Is this a child in need of accommodation? (Section 20 or Section 31A Children Act 1989).

The possible outcomes of the assessment should be decided on by the social worker and their line manager, who should agree a plan of action setting out the services to be delivered how and by whom in discussion with the child and family and the professionals involved.

The outcomes may be as follows:

• No further action;
• Additional support which can be provided through universal services and single service provision; or early help services;
• The development of a multi-agency child in need plan for the provision of child in need services to promote the child’s health and development;
• Undertaking a Strategy Discussion/Meeting, a Section 47 child protection enquiry;
• Emergency action to protect a child.

The outcome of the Assessment should be:

• Discussed with the child and family and provided to them in written form. Exceptions to this are where this might place a child at risk of harm or jeopardise an enquiry;
• Taking account of confidentiality, provided to professional referrers;
• Given in writing to agencies involved in providing services to the child with the action points, review dates and intended outcomes for the child stated.

Assessment should be a dynamic process, which analyses and responds to the changing nature and level of need and/or risk faced by the child. A good assessment will monitor and record the impact of any services delivered to the child and family and review the help being delivered, in partnership with the child and their family. Whilst services may be delivered to a parent or carer, the Assessment should be focused on the needs of the child and on the impact any services are having on the child.

The Assessment process can be summarised as follows:

• Gathering relevant information;
• Analysing the information and reaching professional judgments;
• Making decisions and planning interventions;
• Intervening, service delivery and/or further assessment;
• Evaluating and reviewing progress.

Recording by all professionals should include information on the child’s development so that progress can be monitored to ensure their outcomes are improving. This is particularly significant in circumstances where Neglect is an issue to guard against drift and evidence sustainable changes.

Records should be kept of the progress of the assessment on the individual child’s record and in their chronology to monitor any patterns of concerns.

Assessments, chronologies, genograms and resulting plans following from meetings should be circulated to the participants including the child, if appropriate, and the parents.

The recording should be such that a child, requesting to access their records, could easily understand the process taking place and the reasons for decisions and actions taken.

Where a child is involved in other assessment processes, it is important that these are coordinated so that the child does not become lost between the different agencies involved and their different procedures. All plans for the child developed by the various agencies and individual professionals should be joined up so that the child and family experience an assessment and planning process which shares a focus on the outcomes for the child.

Supporting Disabled Children and their carers

The term disability covers a broad spectrum of needs and it is not always easy to define. A child or young person’s needs resulting from disability may not require an assessment by a Social Worker and can be understood and met through universal services or Early Help. However, where a child or young person’s needs resulting from disability are more severe and complex and result in a child or young person not being able to stay safe, enjoy or achieve, the Disabled Children Team (DCT) will undertake an assessment. The DCT is a small, specialist team of Social Workers will undertake a C&F Assessment where the child or young person has moderate or severe learning disabilities and/or complex physical disabilities and health needs. Where a child has a disability or need relating to Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, dyspraxia and dyslexia or visual and/or hearing loss, the DCT will not undertake a C&F Assessment but will signpost to other services for ongoing assessment and support.

A disabled child in a family will receive a Statutory Assessment as any other child. Any service eligibility assessment, carer assessment or special educational need assessment will be taken into consideration by the assessing social worker before concluding the analysis and agreeing with the family any future multi-agency plan.

Any Education, Health & Care Plan assessment will take into account any statutory assessment that has occurred within 3 months. Where a child is known and open to a social worker or family help worker, then the Education, Health & Care Plan Co-ordinator leading the assessment will initiate contact and receive an update of the child’s progress and family circumstances as identified in the last review of any plan so that assessments of educational, social and health needs are coordinated.

In line with the commitments made in the Special Educational Needs and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, Northumberland have implemented the role of Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) who provides the capacity and expertise to improve the links between social care services and the SEND system. The DSCO role supports both operational input (such as the contributions from social care to education, health and care, EHC, assessments) and more strategic planning functions (such as the commissioning of care services such as short breaks) for disabled children and those with SEN. Within EHC assessment, planning and review, it is important that the social worker or family practitioner provides an update of the child’s progress and family circumstances as identified in the last review of any plan so that assessments of educational, social and health needs are coordinated.

If a child aged 13+ has a disability which means they may receive a service when they become an adult, the assessing and reviewing social worker will use the Transition Protocol to guide further assessment of needs for services into adulthood.

Procedure: Children and Young People Aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Practice guidance: Safeguarding Disabled Children.

A Child or Young Person with a Special Educational Need

Most children who require additional support with their education will receive this through a SEN Support Plan which is completed by their educational setting. Some children may require more support than the setting can provide and may need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

An Education, Health and Care Plan is a legal document which records a child or young person’s aspirations, needs, outcomes and provision in relation to their special educational needs and/or disability (SEND). The relevant legislation is the Children and Families Act 2014 and guidance is provided in the SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25years (2015).

An Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) can be requested for any child or young person aged 0-25 who has or may have SEND. Requests can be made by the young person, their parent, or a professional involved with the child. Most often a request is made by the school, nursery or college.

A SEND Panel will review the request and if it agrees that the criteria for an EHCNA is met, then advice will be gathered from professionals and family relating to needs, provision, and desired outcomes. The SEND Support Team have 20 weeks from the date the request is received or the child is brought to their attention to complete the process which may or may not result in a plan being issued. There is a maximum of 6 weeks for professionals and family to return ‘Advice’ to the SEND Support Team. Information and advice must be sought from:

• Child’s parent or young person;
• Educational advice;
• Medical advice and information from a health care professional;
• Advice and Information in relation to social care;
• Advice and Information from any other person the local authority or parent thinks appropriate (if the local authority considers it reasonable);
• Advice and information in relation to preparing for adulthood and independent living.

In some circumstances, a child or young person may already have a statutory Child in Need, Cared for Child or Child Protection plan, or an Adult Social Care plan from which information should be drawn for the EHCNA.

All completed EHCNAs are considered by the SEND Panel and if the panel agrees that an EHCP is appropriate, the panel will determine what provision is required to meet the needs of the child/young person.

EHCPs are reviewed at least annually and a similar process should be followed for reviews where advice is sought from children’s social care to inform the review process and update the plan.

Young Carers and Families

Young carers are children under the age of 18 who provide regular and ongoing significant unpaid care or emotional support to a family member or friend who is physically or mentally ill, disabled, or misuses alcohol or other substances.

The child or young adult has caring responsibilities that are important and relied upon within the family in maintaining the health safety or the day to day wellbeing of the person receiving care or of the wider family. It does not apply to the everyday and occasional help around the home that may be often expected of or given by children and families and is part of community and family cohesion.

Young adult carers are aged 16 to 25 years and have specific needs and rights as they make the transition to adulthood.

The Children and Families Act 2014 amended the Children Act to make it easier for young carers to get an assessment of their needs and to introduce ‘whole family’ approaches to assessment and support. Local authorities must offer a young carers needs assessment if a child or their parent requests it or where it appears that a child is involved in providing, or intending to provide, care.

This legislation is aligned with similar provision in the Care Act 2014 requiring local authorities to consider the needs of young carers if, during the assessment of an adult with care needs, or of an adult carer, it appears that a child is providing, or intends to provide, care.

In these circumstances the authority must consider whether the care being provided by the child is excessive or inappropriate; and how the child’s caring responsibilities affects their wellbeing, education and development.

These duties were implemented on 1st April 2015 and are reflected in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

If it is considered that a child or young person may have support needs as a result of caring for another person or the young person or their parent requests an assessment, a Young Carers’ Needs Assessment (YCNA) will be undertaken. The YCNA does not replace assessment for Early Help or Social Care. It has been co-produced to specifically focus on a child or young person’s lived experience as a carer and result in a plan that supports the specific needs resulting from this role.

No care package for a child or adult should rely on excessive or inappropriate caring by children and young adults. The Local Authority can combine the needs assessments of more than one family member if everyone agrees. To do this effectively requires local services working together across the statutory and voluntary sectors to consider the whole family’s needs.

A young carer’s needs assessment must include an assessment of whether it is appropriate for the young carer to provide, or continue to provide, care for the person in question, in the light of the young carer’s needs for support, other needs and wishes. A local authority, in carrying out a young carer’s needs assessment, must have regard to the extent to which the young carer is participating in or wishes to participate in education, training or recreation, and the extent to which the young carer works or wishes to work.

Assessments of a young carer must always take into account the capacity of their parents to offer a level of care necessary to respond appropriately to the child’s needs. Parenting capacity will need to be assessed in the context of the family’s structure and how family members relate to one and other and to their wider community. Where the person is a young carer, caring for their parent (or a parental figure) it will be important to protect the child from taking on a role in which they feel responsible for “parenting” the adult who would usually be caring for them.

The results of a young carer’s needs assessment will include establishing whether the child should be provided with services as a “Child in Need” (under section 17 of the Children Act).

The starting point for any assessment will always be children are children first. For a Young Carer Needs Assessment contact First Contact.

Procedure: Young Carers.

Procedure: Children Involved in the Youth Justice System: Additional National Guidance.

An Unborn Child at risk of abuse

Young babies are particularly vulnerable to abuse, and early assessment, intervention and support work carried out during the antenatal period can help minimise any potential risk of harm. An assessment provides a valuable opportunity to develop a proactive multiagency approach to families where there are acknowledged vulnerabilities and an identified risk of harm.

Where professionals become aware that a woman is pregnant, at whatever stage of the pregnancy and they have concerns for the woman or unborn baby's welfare they should not assume that Midwifery or other Health services are aware of the pregnancy or the concerns held and should refer to First Contact. Fist Contact will establish whether an Early Help Assessment or C&F Assessment is required to identify what help or support may be required to meet the needs of the Unborn child during the antenatal period and any ongoing support following birth. Assessment, if required, will commence at the point of referral and is not dependent upon the period of gestation.

For an assessment of the needs of an Unborn Child where there are worries that their needs may not be met, contact First Contact.

Procedures:

• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Pre-Birth Procedure;
• Children's Social Care - Assessment and Planning.

Children and Young People with specific communication needs

Children and young people whose needs are assessed will be listened to. This is a practice standard that all Practitioners undertaking assessment are required to work to. In recognition of the diversity of communication needs, the practice standard does not limit the voice of a child or young person to the spoken word – for some children due to age, development or communication need it will not be possible for the Practitioner to listen to what the child says verbally.

The Standard is understood in the widest possible sense so that if the Practitioner is not able to obtain direct verbal, written or drawn feedback from a child, the Practitioner will seek to understand the ‘voice’ of the child through observation of and/or a reflection on child’s known circumstances and lived experience. This enables the ‘voice’ of the unborn, very young child and those with communication difficulties and disabilities to be heard and acted upon. We are committed in assessment to work sensitively and effectively with children and young people, so that the child’s world and experience is understood through the use of a creative range of tools which meet their communication needs, developmental needs and preferences.

Procedures:

• Assessments Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Working with Interpreters and others with Special Communication Skills Procedure.

Practice guidance: Voice and Lived Experience of a Child.

Children and Young People who are Asylum Seekers

Children and young people who are asylum seekers are children and young people first and First Contact will establish whether an Early Help Assessment or C&F Assessment is required to identify what help or support may be required to meet their needs.

Where a child or young person has no responsible adult to care for them and is therefore ‘unaccompanied’, they will always be assessed by a Qualified Social Worker using a C&F Assessment unless it is determined that the child or young person is over the age of eighteen.

The age of an unaccompanied asylum seeking child or young person is extremely important because it determines the support available and effects the way in which their asylum claim is processed. If a child or young person is, in fact, an adult over the age of eighteen years old they are entitled to support, including accommodation and essential living needs, from the Home Office. However, for children and young people seeking asylum, the Local Authority is responsible. This is why prior to the commencement of a C&F Assessment of the child or young person’s needs, an assessment of the child or young person’s age may be necessary – this will only be carried out where there is significant reason to doubt the self-reported age and a reasonable concern that the child or young person is in fact an adult.

The Local Authority will undertake an age assessment based on evidence-informed best practice. A Social Workers will be allocated from the Social Work Assessment Team to undertake the assessment. Age determination is an inexact science. Age assessments cannot be concluded with absolute certainty as there is not any current method that can determine age with 100% accuracy. The outcome of the age assessment will be clearly communicated to the child, young person, or adult.

Where a determination is reached that an unaccompanied child or young person is under the age of eighteen years, a C&F assessment will be undertaken to establish their needs. Where a determination has been made that the child or young person is an adult, safe transition to adult support will be made through referral to the Home Office. If during the age assessment or C&F Assessment  it is determined that the child or young person has been trafficked, a referral to the national referral mechanism will be also be made.

For an assessment of a child or young person seeking asylum, contact First Contact.

Procedures:

• Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Child Victims of Trafficking and Modern Slavery Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Children from Abroad, including Victims of Modern Slavery, Trafficking and Exploitation Procedure.

Supporting children at risk of, or experiencing, harm outside the home

Often referred to as “extra-familial harm”, harm to children outside the home can occur in a range of extra-familial contexts, including school and other educational settings, peer groups, or within community/public spaces, and/or online. Children may experience this type of harm from other children and/or from adults. Forms of extra-familial harm include exploitation by criminal and organised crime groups and individuals (such as county lines and financial exploitation), serious violence, modern slavery and trafficking, online harm, sexual exploitation, teenage relationship abuse, and the influences of extremism which could lead to radicalisation. Children of all ages can experience extra-familial harm.

Where children may be experiencing extra-familial harm, children’s social care assessments will determine whether a child is in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 or whether to make enquires under section 47, following concerns that the child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. All children, including those who may be causing harm to others, will receive a safeguarding response first and practitioners will work with them to understand their experiences and what will reduce the likelihood of harm to themselves and others.

First Contact will establish whether an Early Help Assessment or C&F Assessment is required to identify what help or support may be required to meet their needs. A range of specialist evidence-informed assessment tools may additionally be used to inform the assessment.

Procedures:

• Contextual Safeguarding Guidance - PILOT;
• PREM: Briefing for children's services;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Child Exploitation (Sexual and Criminal) Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Children from Abroad, including Victims of Modern Slavery, Trafficking and Exploitation Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Gang Activity, Youth Violence and Criminal Exploitation Affecting Children Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Organised and Complex Abuse Procedure.

Children in hospital for more than 3 months

Hospitals should be child-friendly, safe and healthy places for children; children under 16 should not be cared for on an adult ward. Any concerns about Significant Harm to a child within a hospital or health-based setting must be referred to the Children’s Social Care via First Contact.

When a Northumberland child has been in hospital for three months or more, the hospital must notify Children’s Social Care. First Contact will establish whether an Early Help Assessment or C&F Assessment is required to identify what help or support may be required to meet the needs of the child or young person.

Discharge from hospital should be planned where professionals have concerns about a possible child protection issue, including a holding strategy meeting and ensuring a multiagency action plan is in place to safeguard the child where there are concerns about significant harm. This must be agreed and recorded before the child leaves hospital. Particular attention is required in the discharge planning of newborns from neonatal intensive care units, since these babies are at high risk of re-admission to hospital. All children should have in place a properly co-ordinated programme of follow-up, and co-ordinated input of services.

For an assessment of a child or young person who has been in hospital for more than 3 months contact First Contact.

Procedures:

• Placements in Other Arrangements Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Children Living Away from Home Procedure.

A child or young person in mental health inpatient setting

Any child admitted to an adolescent inpatient unit should be considered to be a Child in Need. They/their parents have the right to request a Child in Need (CiN) assessment under the Children Act 1989, or the Unit should seek informed consent to notify Social Care of the admission and to request a child in need assessment via first contact as detailed above. Where children are already known to Children’s Social care as a child in need, child in need of protection or cared for child, their plan should be updated to reflect the child’s needs during and post admission.

For all children, discharge planning should start from the day of admission, and the lead social care worker should attend CPA reviews and discharge planning meetings as appropriate. The CPA Discharge Planning Meeting must be held before the child is discharged. The purpose of the meeting is to ensure that there is an appropriate multiagency plan in place for the child’s discharge and appropriate aftercare support.

The views and wishes of the child must be taken into account alongside an analysis of the risks and protective factors, and should be attended by the child, their advocate where they have one, the lead social care worker, CPA co-ordinator, ward staff and key worker, psychiatrist, parents/carers and wider family as appropriate.

The discharge meeting should be followed by the appropriate child in need review meeting, Core group/Child protection conference or cared for review to ensure plans are coherent and coordinated. Where a child is cared for, the Review of their care plan must take place within 8 days of their discharge from the in-patient unit.

Procedures:

• Placements in Secure Accommodation on Welfare Grounds Procedure;
• Aftercare under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983 Procedure;
• Placements in Other Arrangements Procedure;
• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Children Living Away from Home Procedure.

Children and Young People at risk of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a collective term for procedures, which include the removal of part or all of the external female genitalia for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons. The practice is medically unnecessary, extremely painful and has serious health consequences, both at the time when the mutilation is carried out and in later life. It is a form of child abuse and violence against women.

Where there is a concern that a child or young person has been or may be likely to suffer FGM, a referral should be made to the police and to First Contact. Regulated professionals in health and social care and teachers in England and Wales have a legal duty to report 'known' FGM (either the child or young person informs them it has been carried or there is a reasonable belief it has been) to the police. First Contact will decide what needs to happen.

Procedure:

• North and South of Tyne Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures, Female Genital Mutilation Procedure;
• FGM Pathway (multi-agency).

Children involved in the Youth Justice System: Youth Justice Assessments

Where the Youth Justice Service is involved, the YJS worker will be expected to contribute to the statutory assessment. YJS staff may have also completed or contributed to an Early Help Assessment. All specific youth justice assessments will take account of any statutory assessments and plans in place for the young person.

The Youth Justice Service carry out assessments for young people in a range of circumstances:  young people at risk of offending (i.e. prevention services), triage and diversion, out of court disposals (e.g. Youth Cautions) and statutory interventions. The main framework for the assessment of young people in the youth justice system is AssetPlus.  AssetPlus is an assessment and planning framework approved by the Youth Justice Board and mandated by National Standards 2019. AssetPlus provides a framework for practitioners to analyse the young person’s offence(s) and anti-social behaviour and identify factors or circumstances which may contribute to similar behaviour in future. AssetPlus places a focus on identifying strengths and factors which may help or hinder the process of desistance. The information gathered from AssetPlus is used to inform court reports and help formulate plans of intervention to address needs, safety and wellbeing and future offending, including harm to others.

Where a child becomes cared for as a result of being remanded to youth detention accommodation (YDA), Children’s Social Care will undertake a full assessment (as described above) and make a decision about how they should be supported. This information will be used to prepare the care plan, which will set out how the child’s needs will met whilst they remain remanded and make plans for their transition back to the community or receiving a custodial sentence. The care plan will be reviewed in the same way as a care plan for any other looked after child. Visits to the secure establishment may take place jointly with the youth justice worker in order to avoid multiple assessment interviews for the young person and to encourage a joint approach.

Children with a parent in custody/prison

The Prison Service undertakes a child safeguarding enquiry with children’s social care for all newly sentenced prisoners and will identify prisoners who present an ongoing risk to children from within custody. Prisons will decide on the level of contact, if any, they will allow between a prisoner and a child based on a child contact risk assessment and will prohibit or restrict a prisoner’s contact with a child where necessary.

In response to a child safeguarding enquiry, children's social care will:

• Review information provided by the Prison Service and record it as required;
• Respond to a child safeguarding enquiry and share with the Prison Service any concerns about the prisoner and any contact with a child;
• Contribute to the prisons’ child contact risk assessment where a child is known to children's social care, or has previously been known, by providing a report on the child's best interests and verifying the child's identity. Where the child is not known to children’s social care, they should still provide a view on child contact and should advise the prison to complete a child safeguarding referral if one is required.

The Probation Service will share information with children’s social care about supervised individuals who have contact with children or who pose a known risk and will also request information by making child safeguarding enquiries. Information exchange between probation and children’s social care help both agencies develop a better understanding of the children and families they work with and ensures risk assessments are accurate and well informed.

Where parents do not present a risk to their children, workers in early help and social care will seek to work with incarcerated parents as they do with parents in the community, which can mean working around some obstacles and challenges. Being in prison does not mean that parents lose parental responsibility of their children. Additional support in understanding processes and working with prisons can be found through Pact website.

Although it can be difficult to call prisoners, and they have limited accessibility to phone and no email, by working with the family officer, it is possible to send important documents and even have prisoners attend Teams meetings where enough notice is given. Most prisons also have rooms where face-to-face meetings can be held. Legal/professional visits should also be arranged in order to conduct assessments and gain parental views and wishes.

Family time for children with their incarcerated parent will depend on the nature of their offence, but in most cases where the parent presents no risk to their children, family rooms and family time is well supported and can be observed by workers where necessary. Family days also take place in many prisons which is a good opportunity for parents to spend quality time doing crafts and activities with their children. Workers should also liaise with prisons about sentence planning and release, to support any work that may be required of parents while they are in prison, and ensure they are supported appropriately upon release into the community.

Children in kinship care

Kinship care is any situation in which a child is being raised in the care of a friend or family member who is not their parent. The arrangement may be temporary or longer term.

The following are all types of kinship care arrangements however this list is not exhaustive:

Informal kinship care/ family arrangements (not approved foster care). This includes private family arrangements in which a close family member who does not hold parental responsibility raises the child, the local authority has had no major role in making the arrangement for the child, and the Family Court has not made an order in respect to the care of the child. It also includes situations where a child under the age of 16 is being provided with accommodation for less than 28 days by an individual in their own home who is not a close relative, and where a 16 or 17 year old is being provided with accommodation by an individual who is not a close relative in their own home.

In private family arrangements where the local authority have had no role in making the arrangement, any concerns for the child should be referred through in the usual way. If children’s social care are already working with the family and the parent makes a private family arrangement, the child will be supported under a child in need plan/child protection plan. However, oversight and legal advice will be obtained where children’s services would intervene if the child were removed from the kinship care arrangement by the parent.

Private fostering arrangements in which someone who is not a close relative of the child looks after the child for 28 days or more (as per section 66(1)(a) and (b) of the Children Act 1989)241. In these circumstances, a Private Fostering Assessment will be completed by children’s social care. This statutory assessment is to ascertain the carer’s suitability to care for the child and must also consider the child’s needs to ensure the carers are able to provide suitable day to day care of the child. The assessment will be completed by a social worker within 42 working days of the referral.

See Private Fostering Procedure.

Child arrangements orders, where the order has been granted in respect of the child, in favour of someone who is a friend or family member but is not the child’s parent.

Special guardianship orders, where the order has been granted appointing a friend or family member as the child’s special guardian.

Assessments of friends or family capacity to become Special Guardians or exercise parental responsibility via a Child Arrangement Order for a child is different from a statutory assessment of a child’s needs, but the child’s need must be considered during any relevant private law or public law proceedings to ensure the carers are able to care for the child and meet their needs.

Kinship/family and friends foster care, where a child is a ‘looked after child’ by virtue of either an interim or final care order or being accommodated by the local authority under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, and the child is being cared for by a friend or family member who is not their parent, and the friend or family member is approved as a local authority foster carer on a temporary basis or following full assessment and receive ongoing support by the local authority.

Procedures:

• Kinship Care Procedure;
• Placements Procedures.

Children returning home from care

When a child or young person first becomes cared for by the Local Authority a C&F assessment is undertaken to understand the needs of the child or young person and plan how they will be met whilst in care. This is undertaken by a Qualified Children’s Social Worker. During the period of care, an updating C&F assessment is undertaken to inform every Cared for Review – four months after becoming cared for and then every six months thereafter to ensure that the child or young person is getting both the help and the care that they need.

No return home from care for a child or young person should happen without such a significant decision being informed by an up-to-date C&F assessment which also clearly identifies what the needs of the child or young person are and how they will be met, by when and by whom to make the return home from care a success. The C&F assessment will develop a Safety Plan which clearly sets out a set of behavioural rules and arrangements necessary to achieve everyday safety for the child or young person. For children and young people returning home, it is particularly important that the Safety Plan is co-created by the child or young person and their network and that it describes how the family will live its everyday life to show the child or young person and the network, that the child or young person will be safe in the future. It is also important that the Safety Plan has Bottom Lines detailing what will happen if everyday safety is not achieved for the child or young person, including in what circumstances the might be a need for a return care.

See Ceasing to Look After a Child Procedure. 

A Care Leaver

Young people become ‘Care Leavers’ at 18 years of age when they are legally no longer a cared for child. They are supported by the Leaving Care team in accordance with guidance from the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and the Children and Social Work Act 2017. To support this transition, coworking with the young person’s Social Worker begins at 17 years of age when a Personal Advisor (PA) is allocated. A Pathway Plan is completed with the young person to identify priorities for the young person as they move forward on their journey into adulthood.

The Pathway Plan for the young person is reviewed with the young person every six months (although this can be sooner at the request of the young person or when there is a change to the plan). When a young person reaches 21 years of age and does not wish to have a Pathway Plan, their PA will continue to focus on areas of importance to them and will update the Pathway Plan as a record of work undertaken.

Young people who have ended their involvement with the Leaving Care Team but wish to return and access support and advice prior to age 25 can contact the Team and an assessment will be undertaken to identify the support the young person needs, this may be support from the Team or through signposting to appropriate services.

For an assessment of a Care Leaver, contact the allocated Social Worker or the 18+ Team.

If a Court has concern for the welfare of a child during the course of proceedings in a private law application then they can ask a social worker to conduct a Section 37 assessment. The information gathered during this assessment will assist in the decision making and care planning for the child.

Where a child is currently in receipt of or has received a service from Northumberland County Council Children’s Services in the month, the court may ask Northumberland County Council for a Section 7 Assessment when they are considering any private law application under the Children Act 1989. Otherwise social workers from Child and Family Court Advisory Support Service (CAFCASS) may produce such reports for the court.

All private law referrals will be directed through first contact and screened against the protocol between ADCS and Cafcass. Appropriate requests for a section 7 report and all requests for a section 37 report will be sent through to the relevant team and be overseen by a social worker. The social worker with their team manager will consider whether undertaking an assessment under s17 or an enquiry under s47 is appropriate and take appropriate action alongside undertaking the court report and sending to court within the agreed timescale.  

Health assessments can provide valuable input and insight into the wider assessment process and should be considered for all children where a Section 47 assessment is being considered. Health assessments should be performed in a timely manner by health professionals who have the experience and capacity to undertake a comprehensive medical and developmental history and perform an appropriate physical examination. This will be a Specialist Paediatric Registrar, an associate specialist or a Consultant Paediatrician (a consultant would oversee all assessments). Practitioners undertaking the assessment of Sexual abuse requires additional forensic training and have relevant experience and competence which the majority of paediatricians will not have.

Where there are concerns about physical abuse or neglect a discussion should take place initially within your own agency and in consultation with MASH if appropriate. Children can be discussed with the local on-call Consultant Paediatrician during the day and a decision regarding the need for assessment and the timing of an appointment agreed. In some circumstances an urgent appointment will be arranged depending on the needs of the child. If there is an injury to an infant under 1 year or a significant injury requiring medical treatment (at any age), or an injury out of hours the acute paediatric team should be contacted.

All children where sexual abuse (historical or recent) is considered should be referred to first contact for a strategy discussion (police, children’s services and an appropriate health representative such as a paediatrician, forensic medical or nurse examiner) to decide whether a holistic medical assessment is required through the SARC (Sexual Assessment Referral Centre).

The strategy discussion will agree the level of urgency and timing of the appointment. A decision regarding medical examination will usually be done after the ‘Achieving Best Evidence’ interview for all children under 13 and considered from 13-18 years.

Examinations should be avoided from 10pm to 7am when young people are sleeping unless there is an exceptional reason, this is in the best interests of the child. These assessments take time. Historic concerns (more than 21 days since assault) will usually receive a non-urgent appointment, ideally within 2 weeks of referral. If the assault occurred within 7 days of the disclosure the appointment will be arranged as soon as possible (avoiding 10pm-7am) in order that forensic samples can be obtained and if the assault occurred in the previous 7-21 days the timing should be agreed as part of the strategy discussion but seen within the 21 day window.

If the child is under 13 this will be with a paediatrician. A paediatrician would not generally attend if the child is over 13 unless they have additional needs. These examinations are undertaken by forensic nurse practitioners.

Any limitations of a parent or older adolescent (16 plus) to consent and contribute to a statutory assessment under the Children Act 1989 may be assessed under Mental Capacity Act or Mental Health Act by health or adult professionals. The outcome of this assessment should be fully considered in ongoing interventions and planning, particularly with regard to the impact on parenting capacity.

In general it is good practice for the child’s social worker to attend the appointment to ensure that the child is supported and that all relevant information is shared with the medical practitioner.