2.1 Child in Need Policy, Plans and Reviews

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter sets out the policy, plans and review procedures in Bexley where services are delivered to Children in Need. This chapter does not apply to children who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan. Where the child is subject to a Child Protection Plan, this will be drawn up in outline at the Initial Child Protection Conference and in detail at the Core Group meeting(s). It will be reviewed by a Child Protection Review Conference.

The policy document underpinning this chapter will be reviewed in September 2011.

Legal Duties
The Purpose of a Child In Need Meeting
Chairing of Child in Need Meetings
When to refer to the Child In Need Reviewing Officer
Referral
Setting up the Child in Need Meeting
Timescales for Child in Need Meetings
The Child In Need Plan
Management Ratification of Recommendations
Administration
Monitoring
Dispute Resolution Process
Effectiveness of Child In Need Meetings

1. Legal Duties

Every local authority must protect and promote the welfare of Children in Need in its area. To do this it must work with the family to provide support services that will enable children to be brought up within their own families.

The Children Act 1989 , Section 17 ( 10),define Children in Need as children who are aged under 18 and:-

Need local authority services to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development
Need local authority services to prevent significant or further harm to health or development
Are disabled.

While all children have basic needs which should be met through education, preschool, leisure and health services, the Children's and Young People’s Services provide services to Children in Need. We determine if a child is in need through a process of assessment.

We aim to provide services that:

Prevent family breakdown
Avoid children being separated from their families and communities
Promote the health, education and social development of children within their own families
Prevent children from suffering significant harm
Support the family when children and young people are on the cusp of accommodation.

2. The Purpose of a Child In Need Meeting

This is a family meeting, including the child (where age appropriate), and professionals to meet together to share information, identify need, and agree the most effective inter-agency plan to meet those needs with measurable outcomes for the child identified within stated timescales.

3. Chairing of Child in Need Meetings

Currently, Child In Need meetings are chaired by Senior Social Workers or Practice Managers within the child care teams, as well as a percentage of the meetings being chaired on a regular basis by the Child In Need Reviewing Officer. Where the child care teams have reached a decision that the case would benefit from the intervention of the Child In Need Reviewing Officer, then a referral should be made directly.

4. When to refer to the Child In Need Reviewing Officer

The eligibility criteria for a Child In Need Reviewing Officer to become involved relates specifically to Level 2 cases as outlined in the Bexley's Safeguarding Continuum of Need Matrix as having medium to high risk (as laid out in the orange section). These are children and young people who may be at risk of significant harm if services are not provided.

The concerns for possible significant harm may include:

Significant parental difficulties such as:
- Domestic violence (Scale 3 Domestic Violence Matrix) identified using the London Child Protection procedures Domestic Violence Risk Identification Matrix (Barnado's Matrix)
- Parental mental health, learning disabilities or substance misuse that results in difficulty in providing adequate care for the child.
- Chronic/significant neglect
- Parental lifestyle which impacts significantly on the child
  (Inability of parent to provide appropriate boundaries for the child's behaviour)
- Evidence of attachment issues for the child
- Risk of sexual exploitation
- Repeated incidents of going missing
- Serious substance or alcohol misuse by the young person
- Those at risk of accommodation,

In addition to the above criteria circumstances where:

The child/ren are being discharged from Care and or/the child/ren are no longer subject to a Child Protection Plan.
Where there is professional disagreement about the Child In Need Plan

This procedure covers all Children in Need in Bexley.

5. Referral

Referrals should be made to the Child In Need Reviewing Officer directly and copied to the CIN Reviewing Officer’s Line Manager. The referral must be sanctioned by the social worker’s line manager and deemed as meeting the eligibility criteria.

A referral form should be completed with the following update on CF21

Completed referral form
Chronology
Care Plan
Core Assessment or up-to-date information detailing what work has been undertaken and identifying what the child/parent/social worker wants to achieve and the timescales for this.

On receipt the Child In Need Reviewing Officer will read the referral and accompanying information and make a judgement as to whether or not the criteria for the intervention of the Child In Need Reviewing Officer has been met. The social worker and their senior will be notified of the decision via e-mail (on Outlook as well as the child’s file) within 7 working days of receipt of the referral. In instances where the Child In Need Reviewing Officer is on leave then the final decision will be made by the responsible line manager who will advise the child’s social worker and their senior of the decision in absence of the Child In Need Reviewing Officer.

Should the referral not meet the Child In Need criteria then it is expected that the case will be reviewed by the responsible senior and the network on a 6 weekly basis. The same guidance applies to all Child In Need cases whether they are chaired by the Child In Need Reviewing Officer or not.

6. Setting up the Child in Need Meeting

The Child In Need Reviewing Officer will discuss the invitations, venue and timing with the Social Worker

The Chair will speak to the:

Social Worker
Child
Parent(s)
Other professionals ( and/or request a report)

7. Timescales for Child in Need Meetings

The first Child In Need meeting will be chaired by the Child In Need Reviewing Officer, Safeguarding Children Service. The Child In Need Reviewing Officer will then chair the 3rd Meeting (approximately 3 months after the first).
The second meeting should take place 6 weeks after the first and should be chaired by the social worker. It serves the function of bringing the whole network together to review the progress of the Child In Need Plan.

Following completion of the meeting it is expected that the Chair records the outcome of the meeting in the Child In Need Review Chairs Report which is located on CF21.

The social worker will forward the minutes of that meeting, no later than 3 working days before the commencement of the 3 monthly Review Child In Need Meeting.

8. The Child In Need Plan

The Child in Need Plan will be developed in the Child in Need Planning Meeting and should cover;

The Child in Need Plan must identify the Lead Professional, any resources or services that will be needed to achieve the planned outcomes within the agreed timescales and who is responsible for which action and the time-scale involved.

In particular, the Child in Need Plan should:

Describe the identified developmental needs of the child, and any services required;
Include specific, achievable, child-focused outcomes intended to promote and safeguard the welfare of the child;
Include realistic strategies and specific actions to achieve the planned outcomes;
Include a contingency plan to be followed if circumstances change significantly and require prompt action;
Included timescales that are not too short or unachievable;
Not be dependent on resources which are known to be scarce or unavailable;
Clearly identify the 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 and the means by which it will be judged.

9. Management Ratification of Recommendations

The Child in Need Plan will be framed in such a way that identified needs and outcomes are clear. The person responsible for implementing the recommendations and the timescale for implementation will be recorded on the Child in Need Plan.

The recommendations made by the Child In Need Reviewing Officer must be approved by the responsible social work line manager within seven working days of receiving the Child in Need Plan . The responsible social work line manager must advise the Child In Need Reviewing Officer and all those, who attended the meeting, if they are not able to to endorse some aspect of the Plan. If no objections are received the decisions of the Child in Need meeting will be deemed as endorsed and should be implemented within the timescales set out in Child In Need Plan.

In the event that they are challenged within that initial seven-day period, this should be notified in writing to the Child In Need Reviewing Officer (using Outlook) and all those who attended the meeting/review. Attempts will be made to resolve the issue by the Child In Need Reviewing Officer. However, should agreement not be reached then the local dispute resolution process or complaints process should be activated as appropriate. In this way the child and all adults involved in the care and planning for the child can be confident on our commitment in seeking a quick resolution so that a Child In Need Plan can be effectively actioned.

In the event that an individual wishes to make a complaint regarding the Child In Need Reviewing Officer this should be forwarded directly to the Line manager in the Safeguarding Children Service.

10. Administration

The Child In Need Reviewing Officer will read any relevant reports or background information, including the report from the social worker, which should be available at least three working days before the commencement of the meeting/review.

The Child In Need Reviewing Officer will produce a written record of the recommendations made, together with a full record of the meeting/review within 7 working days and notify the social worker on CF21 of their completion. The social worker will then refer the minutes to their senior who will endorse the recommendations. The social worker will then forward the minutes of the meeting to all those invited to the meeting.

All those who were invited to the meeting/review should receive a copy of the record, the recommendations and the Plan, with any identifying details removed as necessary, for example the address of the child.

Within 10 days, of the senior endorsing the recommendations of the meeting/review the social worker should update the Child in Need Plan.

11. Monitoring

Good communication is essential for promoting the child’s safety and ensuring that the Child in Need Plan is effective. In the event of a change/event in the child’s life that any child or parent would consider as significant, the social worker must inform the Child In Need Reviewing Officer.

Such changes might include:

Proposed change of Child in Need Plan
Court Care Plans and directions
Major change to contact arrangement : which affects the safeguarding the child
Changes of allocated social worker
Child protection enquires and outcome of Child Protection Conferences
Complaints from or on behalf of child, parent or carer

Additionally, prior to closure of a case the Child In Need Reviewing Officer should be advised and available to chair the final Child In Need Meeting, which consider how the step down process might be implemented and whether there is a need for the child to continue to receive services from the Team Around the Child from targeted or universal services. The last Child In Need meeting will be the first TAC meeting and a new Lead professional should be identified.

12. Dispute Resolution Process

One of the key functions of the Child In Need Reviewing Officer is to resolve problems arising out of the Child in Need planning process. It is expected that the Reviewing Officer establish positive working relationships with the social workers of the children for whom they are responsible. Where problems are identified in relation to a child’s case, for example in relation to Child in Need planning, the implementation of the Plan or decisions relating to it, resources or poor practice, the CIN Reviewing Officer will in the first instance, seek to resolve the issue informally with the social worker or their managers. A record of this initial informal resolution process will be placed on the child’s file.

If the matter is not resolved in a time scale that is appropriate to the child’s needs, then the Child In Need Reviewing Officer will consider approaching the complaints officer regarding the need for instigating the local authority’s formal dispute resolution process.

13. Effectiveness of Child In Need Meetings

The Child In Need Reviewing Officer will produce a quarterly report of meetings, Plans and reviews against a series of benchmarks as a part of the safeguarding quality assurance process.

Additionally the Child In Need Reviewing Officer will have responsibility for auditing other Child In Need cases, which are not chaired by the Child In Need Reviewing Officer It is envisaged that audits will take place on an annual basis and feedback will be given to the line managers as well as senior managers in the form of an Annual Report prepared and published by the Child In Need Reviewing Officer.

End