Welcome to

1. Welcome to CAF Training Better Outcomes for Children Working Together for Derbyshire Services

2. What we hope to achieve By the end of the course you will: • Have an understanding of Information Sharing, and the issues around it. • Understand the role of the Lead Professional • Have gained experience in using the CAF forms • Have developed an understanding of the CAF as a process • Have a clear impression of the benefits the CAF system could have for your case load

3. Please be aware… • We encourage you to think of and discuss case examples with the group • If you do so, please be aware of Caldicott Principles and other confidentiality issues.

4. Diversity statement Each practitioner attending today will need to consider issues around diversity for the families and young people with which they work and the impact this will have with their approach to the common assessment framework

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

6. Victoria Climbié • 2nd November 1991 – 25th February 2000

7. DRIVERS FOR CHANGE National Drivers • The Victoria Climbie inquiry report by Lord Laming (2003) • Every Child Matters: Change For Children • The Children Act 2004

8. DRIVERS FOR CHANGE Local Drivers • Children’s Trust • Derbyshire Information Sharing Protocols • Derbyshire CAF Procedures

9. Issues arising from the Laming Inquiry • 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

10. 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 i.e crisis point,

11. EVERY CHILD MATTERS: CHANGE FOR CHILDREN 5 Outcomes • Being Healthy • Staying Safe • Enjoying and Achieving • Making a Positive Contribution • Economic Well-Being

12. An introduction to information sharing

13. The CAF provides a standard approach to assessing the needs of children and young people A key aim is to improve joint working and communication between practitioners by helping to embed a common language of assessment

14. Are there any barriers you have come up against regarding sharing information?

15. Barriers: Lack of confidence Professional isolation Lack of common guidance for services Lack of understanding/trust of different agency roles and responsibilities Communication difficulties Not knowing who to contact for support Why have we not shared information?

16. Why Share Information? • Every Child Matters – Change for Children • Children’sAct 2004 “No enquiry into a child's death or serious injury has ever questioned why information was shared. It has always asked the opposite.” Georgina Nunney Solicitor & principal lawyer for the Children and Young People’s Directorate - Lewisham

17. The law • Legislation containing express powers or which imply powers to share: • The Children Act 2004 and 1989 • Local Government Act 2000 • Education Act 2002 and 1996 • Learning and Skills Act 2000 • Education (SEN) regulations 2001 • Leaving Care Act 2000 • Protection of Children Act 1999 • Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 • Crime and Disorder Act 1998 • National Health Service Act 1977 • The Health and Social Care Act 2003

18. 6 Key Principles of Information Sharing The process/practitioner must… • Be open and honest • Seek consent • Always consider a child’s safety and welfare • Record the reasons for the decision – whether it is to share or not.

19. 6 Key Principles of Information Sharing The process/practitioner must… • Ensure that any information shared must • be accurate • Up to date • Necessary • Only shared with appropriate people • Stored securely • Where in doubt, seek advice

20. 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.

21. Who can give or refuse consent? • Children/young people 16 and over Or • Children under 16 with sufficient understanding (Gillick Fraser competence)

22. Sharing information – good practice • Always seek consent • Where consent is not obtained • Weigh up the consequences • Decide using reasonable judgement • Record your decision and reasons, regardless of whether your decision is to share the information or not

23. Sharing information – good practice • “The decision to share must be a proportionate response putting the child’s safety and welfare as the overriding consideration” (Derbyshire Information Sharing Protocol) • Safeguarding procedures stress the importance of seeking the agreement of the parents to making the referral to children’s social care, unless to do so would place the child at risk of significant harm.

24. Exercise To share or not to share

25. Summary of key principles • A child’s safety and welfare is essential • Open and honest • Seek consent • Information quality and security • Record the reasons for the decision • Seek advice where in doubt – manager/supervisor or your lead person on child protection or a Caldicott guardian Refer to Information sharing protocol

26. An introduction to the Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

27. Key aims of the CAF • The CAF is a national tool to help practitioners working with children and families • The CAF encourages better communication and inter-agency working, and will result in more targeted referrals

28. Common Assessment should… • support an inter-agency approach. • avoid duplicating or unnecessarily repeating assessments. • ensure the assessment benefits from the knowledge of experts from other organisations and disciplines

29. Principles of the CAF Principles • A process supported by a standard form • Holistic • Focuses on strengths as well as needs • Simple and practical • Empowering and a joint process • Encouragement for the child/family to take ownership of the assessment

30. Positive change • 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.

31. Undertaking a common assessment Where there are Child Protection concerns follow Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. • You have concerns about progress • The child’s needs are unclear • The support of more then one external agency is required • If you are considering involving or referring to another agency for multi-agency working, then a CAF must be completed

32. 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

33. Elements of the CAF Form Split into 3 main sections Development of child Family and environmental Parents and carers

34. Elements of the CAF Form Split into 3 main sections Development of child Family and environmental Parents and carers

35. Health Basic Care Education Ensuring Safety Identity Child Family & Social Relationships Emotional Warmth Parenting Capacity Child’s Developmental Needs Emotional & Behavioural development Stimulation Guidance & Boundaries Social Presentation Self-care Skills Family & Environmental Factors Stability Community Resources Family’s Social Integration Family History & Functioning Income Employment Housing Wider Family Assessment Framework

36. 5 key steps to CAF Step 1 - Preparation • Pre-assessment checklist • Enquire if CAF already exist (Making Links team - 01629 532234) • Discuss with child/parent if CAF would be useful • Seek consent to share information

37. 5 key steps to CAF Step 2 - Assessment Complete assessment with the child/family Focus on areas of STRENGTH as well as need • Talk about things they feel are important in their family • Ensure their views are recorded in the CAF • Share views and ideas to clarify issues and develop solutions

38. We need to remember that the family may be so overwhelmed that they are unable to see how you can help

39. 5 key steps to CAF Arrange the Team Around the Child meeting… Step 3 - Planning • 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. • 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

40. Contact details Making Links CAYA Room 389, 3rd Floor, North Block County Hall Matlock Derbyshire DE4 3AG Email – making.links@derbyshire.gov.uk Tel – 01629 532234

41. 5 key steps to CAF Step 4 - Delivery Deliver agreed actions • 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

42. 5 key steps to CAF Step 5 - Review • 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

43. When Completing a CAF Please bear in mind the following points… • Ensure the CAF is produced in a holistic and child led manner • Use plain simple English • Make it understandable to the child and/or their parent • Ensure it is free from jargon and with any acronyms explained • The common assessment is undertaken with thechild/parent • It should be supportive and encouraging, focusing on strengths as well as needs

44. ExerciseCompleting a CAF

45. Introduction to Lead Professional - & the Team Around the Child meeting

46. Rationale for Lead Professional • 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.

47. Lead Professional role & 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.

48. Lead Professionalduties and responsibilities • To 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 ensure communication channels remain open • To ensure meetings and reviews take place

49. The family will need to… • Be listened to • Have their views taken into account • Be involved in decision making • Be informed when there are waiting lists • Be kept up to date about developments

50. Lead Professionals Are not: • Responsible 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.