CAF PRACTITIONER TRAINING

1. CAF PRACTITIONER TRAINING WELCOME ML22.05.09

2. By the end of the day, you will • Be prepared for undertaking your first CAF • Have an understanding of the CAF process as part of Integrated Working • Have an understanding of the CAF form • Have an understanding of the Lead Professional role and the Team Around the Child • Have a ‘Next Steps’ Plan

3. Programme overview • Introduction • National & Local Context • Information Sharing exercise • CAF Overview • Steps of the CAF process • CAF form familiarisation • Lead Professional & Team Around the Child • Next Steps • Close

4. Please be aware of: • Confidentiality/Caldicott principles • Respect for each others views and learning • Diversity issues

5. National And Local Context Why are we here today?

6. DRIVERS FOR CHANGE • National agenda for Integrated Working • CAF has been adopted by the Children’s Trust for all children’s services • National Information Sharing Guidance • Derbyshire Information Sharing Protocol

7. Issues arising from the Laming Inquiry (2003) • Poor communication between agencies • Professionals working in isolation • Managers unaware of frontline situations • Variation/confusion about sharing information • Quality of assessments/assessments not shared by professionals • No one person saw the complete picture

8. Serious Case Reviews: Families Drugs and Alcohol Mental Health Difficulties Domestic Violence Learning Difficulties Hostility and Aggression

9. Serious Case Reviews: Practice Issues Children not being listened to Recognising risk and symptoms of abuse Reluctance to share information Accepting standards of care that would not be ‘good enough’ elsewhere False optimism – rely too much on what parents tell us

10. Multi-agency responses in place to deal with young people at risk of suicide and self-harm Use of CAF/Lead Professional systems Safeguarding procedures apply to young people up to the age of 18 Closure of cases – new protocol required Adult Health Services providing for 16 and 17 year olds to be reviewed Police: new systems to identify vulnerability in older young people Working with hostile families – review effectiveness Serious Case Reviews: Practice Challenges

11. Local Issues from within Derbyshire • Dartington research 2003 • only 1 in 4 children with needs identified by any agency • Services were continually referring on to other agencies without carrying out any work with the family • As a result of the above children were reaching the threshold of specialist intervention therefore CRISIS point

12. Every Child Matters Being Healthy Staying Safe Enjoying and Achieving Making a Positive Contribution Achieving Economic Well-being Common Children’s Workforce ‘everyone who works with children and young people and their families – or who is responsible for their outcomes’ Integrated working ‘everyone supporting children and young people, work together effectively to put the child at the centre, meet their needs and improve their lives.’ Key Principles

13. Integrated Working • CAF • Team Around the Child • Information Sharing • Integrated Working • Children’s Directory • eCAF (2011) • ContactPoint (2010)

14. Information Sharing • Exercise

15. Information Sharing Pocket Guide

16. Seven golden rules for Information Sharing • Data Protection Act is not a barrier to sharing information • Be open and honest • Seek advice • Share with consent where appropriate • Consider safety and well-being • Necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate, timely and secure • Keep a record.

17. Common Assessment Framework ‘The CAF form is a standardised tool used to conduct an assessment of a child or young person’s additional needs and helps practitioners to decide how those needs should be met. It is used by practitioners across children’s services in England.’ (CWDC) • a process for undertaking a common assessment • pre-assessment checklist • a standard form

18. When? • The Common Assessment Framework process should be followed if a child’s needs are unclear or has additional needs that require a multi-disciplinary and co-ordinated team approach, unless there are immediate safeguarding concerns (when safeguarding procedures must be followed). • With full consent of child’s parent or carer, or of a young person

19. Additional Needs Single Practitioner Integrated support Children with no identified additional needs Complex Needs Integrated support from Statutory or specialist services The CAF as part of a continuum Multiple needs met by multiple agencies CAF is Essential, along with Action Plan & Lead Professional All needs met by internal services or by referral to other internal agency e.g. CAF may be useful but not essential Universal Services

20. Essential support mechanisms Team Around the Child (TAC) • Young person • Parent(s) or Carers • Agencies or professionals currently or recently involved with the child/young person • Those who may need to become involved Lead Professional (LP) • Family’s preferred link with the Team Around the Child • Co-ordinating role for the Team Around the Child

21. Better outcomes for children are more likely to be achieved when parents and practitioners hold a common perspective about the difficulties facing the family. Completing a CAF with the family should lead to a broad agreement about the difficulties as well as highlighting the strengths. A common perspective on the family’s strengths and difficulties is more likely to result in appropriate services being provided and a better take-up of those services. Positive change

22. 5-Step model 1. Preparation 2. Assessment 3. Planning 4. Delivery 5. Review

23. 5 key steps to CAF Step 1 – Preparation • Pre-assessment checklist • Enquire if CAF already exist (Making Links team - 01629 532242) • Discuss with child/parent if CAF would be useful • Seek consent to share information

24. 5 key steps to CAF Step 2 - Assessment Begin assessment with the child/family Focus on areas of STRENGTH as well as need Talk to the family about things that are important to them Ensure that their views are recorded in the CAF Share views and ideas to clarify issues and develop solutions “Gives them as individuals a real voice; even when a parent and teenager have different viewpoints” Signpost worker

25. 5 key steps to CAF • Arrange the Team Around the Child meeting… • A STRONG recommendation within 10 days of the completion of CAF • Invite the necessary parties including the parent, child, CAF originator and any other services involved with the family. • Gather information from those unable to attend • Discuss content of CAF and complete any missing information • Agree and record action plan • Select Lead Professional • Arrange date/venue of review meeting • Ensure all necessary signatures are on CAF • Pass a copy of the completed CAF (including action plan) to Making Links Team Step 3 - Planning

26. 5 key steps to CAF Step 4 - Delivery • Deliver agreed action • Each agency is responsible for the delivery of their own service • As co-ordinator the Lead Professional is only responsible for ensuring each agency has a copy of the action plan agreed at the TAC meeting and to link with the family “ They used a CAF and everyone started to talk to each other” Young Person, Youth Reach, Derbyshire

27. 5 key steps to CAF • Lead Professional to convene TAC review meeting • Review the progress of the child/young person and the service delivery • Revise action plan • Send reviewed action plan and other changes in information since last review to Making Links team Step 5 - Review “She was a real Godsend – I was really worried that I’d be dumped again by people that were supposed to be helping me sort out stuff but ……was there to speak to on the end of the phone” Parent, Amber Valley

28. The CAF Form

29. Consent to share and record • Must be informed • Should normally be explicit • Must be willing and not inferred from a non response • Must be sought again if things change significantly • Can be withdrawn Consent is the key to successful information sharing. Even where the Data Protection Act does not demand it.

30. Rationale for Lead Professional • Lord Laming suggests that the lead professional is central to the effective delivery of integrated services to children who require support from a number of practitioners. • It helps to overcome some of the frustrations traditionally experienced by children and families with a range of needs e.g. • numerous lengthy meetings; • lack of co-ordination; • conflicting and confusing advice; • not knowing who to speak to; • the right support not being available at the right time. • It can also help alleviate the frustrations often felt by practitioners in accessing other services.

31. Lead Professional - exercise • Card sort

32. Lead Professionals Are not: • Responsible or accountable for ensuring the delivery of other services • To be used by other involved professionals as a method of communication back to the child or family. • Necessarily a permanent fixture • On their own.

33. Lead Professionalduties and responsibilities • Act as a primary point of contact for the child or family • To facilitate the co-ordination of service provision (ensuring all parties have up to date copies of the action plan) • To support arrangement of meetings and reviews

34. Choosing the Lead Professional • In discussion with the Team Around the Child, the most appropriate person should be selected taking into account - • The child’s needs • Relationships with the young person/child or family • Level of involvement • Ability to fulfil the role *They should have completed the CAF training. • The role is transferable where appropriate

35. Safeguarding • Although the Lead Professional will likely have a good overall picture of the child’s needs, all members of the team around the child have a responsibility for protecting the child from significant harm. • If any professional suspects the child is at risk of significant harm, it is their individual responsibility to report this to Children’s Social Care.

36. District Information • To be kept up to date locally.

37. How does the Making Links team help you? • Provide CAF tracking service • Basic quality and safeguard check • Support organisations adopt and embed CAF • Supporting materials on DCC website

38. What is your next step? • Review caseload – identify children/young people • in need of a CAF • Discuss CAF at supervision • Discuss CAF with your managers • Identify CAF users • Identify a CAF mentor within your service • Keep up to date with ECM,DFCS, DoH websites • Keep in touch with people you met today

39. Making Link Team Details Making Links Team Room 391 North Block County Hall Matlock Derbyshire DE4 3AG Tel:01629 532242 Email – making.links@derbyshire.gov.uk