Child in Need Plans and Reviews

Where the Children and Families assessment identifies a child as being a child in need of support as defined by s17 of the Children Act 1989 then an initial Individual Support Plan (ISA) will be created by day 14. The first Child In Need Meeting will be convened by day 20. This is to reduce any unnecessary delay in supporting the child and family.

Where a strategy discussion decides that the child is a Child In Need then the Child In Need Meeting will take place within 10 working days of the strategy discussion.

Where the outcome of a s47 Enquiry is that the child is in need of support and not at risk of on-going harm then the first Child In Need Meeting will take place within 10 working days of the end date of the s47.

In particular, the Child in Need Plan should be an individual, outcome-focused plan which:

• Describes the identified developmental needs of the child, the worries/harm, what needs to happen, who is responsible for the tasks and identify clear timescales which can be monitored;
• 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;
• Include the frequency of visits to the child.

The Disabled Children and Young People's Service is currently revising their Child in Need procedures in line with the Short Breaks Guidance.

The wishes and feelings of the child and their parents/carers should be sought. It is imperative that parents understand what people are worried about and the reason for the plan, that they understand the plan and what needs to happen and whether there is anything we could do better or differently to support them.

Children and young people will have an understanding of the plan and where appropriate the actions that are being taken.

Child In Need visits are to take place at intervals no less than once every three weeks and more frequently where required to meet the needs of the child and drive the overall progress of the plan. The child should be visited at home wherever possible. The purpose of the visit is to ensure the welfare of the child, address any specific issues, undertake direct work with child, gain their wishes and feelings and those of their parents and assess progress of interventions.

North Yorkshire Children & Families Service wants to build strong, trusting relationships with children, their families and network so we can all work together well. Children & Families Service knows this won’t happen instantly, so we will put in the time, commitment and dedication to building this relationship with children and to get the best outcomes for children and their families.

When working with children we will make sure we listen to them and their family, and record things in a clear way, using the children’s words. The Children & Families Service will explain to children why a social worker is involved with the family, how often he/she will visit and the purpose of each visit. Together, everyone can identify worries and/or risks, set goals and find solutions, along with celebrating strengths and successes.

The Child In Need meeting will plan and review the Child in Need Plan. The plans will be robust, outcome focused and formed in partnership with children and their families.

The Child In Need Meeting will be chaired by a qualified social worker and held by day 20 of the Children and Families Assessment or within 10 days of the strategy discussion or the Section 47 enquiry. The meeting will include the child (where appropriate), their family and key agencies. Invitations to an initial Child in Need meeting should be issued at least a week before the meeting. In most circumstances the date of the next meeting should be agreed at the end of the current meeting.

Subsequent Child In Need Meetings will take place every four to six weeks and no less frequently that once every six weeks. If the date of the meeting was not agreed at the previous meeting then a minimum of a week's notice of the meeting is required. Business Support will assist in the setting up of the meeting, circulation of minutes and plans.

The objectives of the Child In Need Meeting are:

• To involve the child and family at every step of the process;
• Ensure the plan is robust and outcome focused;
• Support the family and ensure risks are managed and safety plans are in place;
• Identify and engage the network around the child/young person to provide support and ensure the safety plan remains in place;
• Review actions and progress against the outcomes;
• To explore the worries, what is working well and identify next steps.

Following the meeting the plan will be updated and sent out with notes of the meeting to the family and professionals within 5 working days.

Consideration should always be given to a Family Group Conference.

Oversight of the Child In Need Plan will take place through supervision. The supervision should provide a focus on the Plan. The frequency of supervision will be in line with the supervision policy.

Where a Child In Need Plan has been in place longer than 9 months then the case will be reviewed by the team manager, this will be in the form of a joint supervision or mapping.

The decision to close a case will usually be at a Child In Need meeting where everyone agrees the safety is enough and permanent (usually a score above 7). Where this is agreed the CIN Status should be ended by the team manager on LCS and closure letters sent to the family.

If a case is closed outside of a meeting because the family decline a service then this should be clearly recorded on LCS by the Practice Supervisor/Team Manager.

A step down to the Early Help Service should be considered for all cases that are closing, where this is agreed the Step Down Procedure will be followed.

In a number of situations, children and their families moving to another local authority offers a positive option. However, and particularly where children and their families may have moved on more than one occasion in a short space of time, any assessment should consider whether the child is subject to trafficking or modern slavery. (See Assessments Procedure).

For Children Looked After see Out of Area Placements Procedure.

• When a Child in Need moves from one local authority area to another or there is a dispute at the initial referral stage as to which LA has case responsibility, the Children Act 1989 is clear that the responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child lies with the local authority where the child is to be found;
• Given the child has already been identified as having particular needs or is vulnerable in some way, or urgent consideration/assessment should be given as to the impact of the move for the child in respect of their vulnerability, for example, through changes in the protective factors, increased risk with known perpetrators or whether they might be subject to trafficking or modern slavery;
• Given the circumstances, and in line with the above, a timely response should be made with regard to levels of assessed risk;
• The parent/carer should be made aware of their responsibility to ensure the child receives appropriate education and health support in the area they plan to move to, together with any other specialist service required for the child;
• The social worker should assist and promote the family accessing relevant and appropriate services with regard to meeting the child's needs. Any deficits in services to meet specific needs by the receiving local authority should be noted;
• The local authority Children's Social Care Services where the child and family are moving to should be formally notified and all relevant information should be shared:
  • Social work assessment;
  • Child in Need Plan;
  • Minutes of latest Child in Need Review;
  • A summary / case report.
• Parent/carer's permission should be sought to share this information with the receiving local authority in line with Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners.
  
  However, the Data Protection Act should never be a barrier to 'sharing information where the failure to do so would result in a child or vulnerable adult being placed at risk of harm' or indeed on those occasions where seeking consent might increase the risk of harm.
  
  Otherwise, the social worker or team manager, should consider seeking advice from their Caldicott Guardian or their Legal Services;
• The social worker should ensure that other agencies involved in the Child in Need Plan are made aware and prepared to ensure that their relevant information is shared as soon as possible with their respective counterparts in the area the family have moved to (for example school and GP records, etc.);
• The social workers and team managers of the respective authorities should ensure there is clear and good communication during any transition and any risks are clearly communicated and understood;
• Where possible, the social worker should seek to meet their counterpart and where geography allows, to consider a joint visit and attendance at the Child in Need Meeting, so that the issues can be fully shared. The process should reflect the family's needs and any associated risks;
• Where there is dispute about case responsibility; delay in the receiving local authority accepting responsibility of the case, or a dispute about Children in Need thresholds, the team manager should promptly notify the Group Manager who should make a decision regarding next steps, including, where necessary, to take legal advice. Where there are disagreements regarding case responsibility the escalation process should be followed using the NYSCP Professional Resolution practice guidance;
• The family should be kept informed of any respective responsibilities during a transition stage and when the receiving local authority (where the family reside) take full responsibilities;
• Receiving local authorities should seek to convene a Child in Need Meeting within 20 working days of the family being resident in their area and include all relevant agencies and, where possible, the social worker and other specialist staff where the child and family have moved from;
• All actions, decisions and arrangements should be fully recorded on the child's case record during this process. This should include management decisions, which should identify the rationale for any decisions made, especially where specific services cannot be provided and/or it is considered the child is no longer a Child in Need.