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Contents

1. Requests for Service
2. Referrals
3. Timescales
4. Decision Making Process
5. Initial Outcome of Referrals
6. Recording of Referrals

1. Requests for Service

A Request for Service is made where Children Services are contacted about a child who may be a Child in Need and where there is a Request for general advice, information or a service. All Requests for Service are dealt with by the Call Centre - Child Duty Screening Team. 

ESCR(ICS) records and Contact Point should be checked to ascertain if a child is "known" when evaluating Requests for Service and this information should be passed on to the duty team if the Request for Service becomes a Referral.

Any significant information received about a child who has an allocated social worker should be regarded as a Request for Service and passed to the child's allocated social worker's Team Manager and recorded on ESCR(ICS).

In all other cases, at the point when a Request for Service is made, the Call Centre - Child Duty Screening Team should establish whether the request could be dealt with by the provision of information and advice or redirection to other agencies or services through the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) process. If not, then the Request can be passed to C&YPSC as a Referral.

The CAF Form is not a referral form although it may be used to support a referral or a specialist assessment (section 2.17 of Working Together 2010)

Referrers should have an opportunity to discuss their concerns with a qualified social worker (section 5.32 of Working Together 2010)

Referrers should be asked specifically if they hold any information about difficulties being experienced by the family/household due to domestic abuse, mental illness, substance misuse, and/or learning difficulties (section 5.32 of Working Together 2010)

2. Referrals

A Request for Service will be progressed to a Referral where the Call Centre - Child Duty Screening Team Manager considers an assessment and/or services may be required for a Child in Need or a child at risk of significant harm. See Safeguarding Children Board Procedures, Recognition of Significant Harm

Where the CSO at the call centre has not captured this information at the point of Request for Service, the social worker will obtain as much of the following information as possible:

• Full names, dates of birth and gender of children
• Family address and, where relevant, school/nursery attended
• Identity of those with Parental Responsibility
• Names and dates of birth of all members of the household
• Ethnicity, disability, first language and religion of children and parents
• Any special needs of the children
• Any significant recent or past events
• Cause for concern including details of allegations, their sources, timing and location
• The child's current location and emotional and physical condition
• Whether the child needs immediate protection
• Details of any alleged perpetrator
• Referrer's relationship with and knowledge of the child and his or her family
• Known involvement of other agencies
• Information regarding parents' knowledge and agreement to referral

The Duty social worker will always talk to the referrer for further information and read the completed Request for Service / Referral  form, which should then be forwarded to C&YPSC as a written confirmation of the Referral by the referrer within 48 hours.

3. Timescales

Once received, all referrals must be recorded and a decision made about their disposal within one working day.

4. Decision Making Process

The decision making process for all Referrals will be based on consideration of the Threshold Criteria for Children in Need. See Levels of Need and the Common Assessment Framework Guidance

The process should establish:

• The nature of the concern
• How and why it has arisen
• What the child's needs appear to be
• Whether the concern involves Significant Harm
• Whether there is any need for urgent action to protect the child or any children in the household

The parent's consent should usually be sought before discussing a Request with other agencies unless this may place the child at risk of Significant Harm, in which case the manager should authorise the discussion of the referral with other agencies without parental knowledge or consent. The authorisation should be recorded with reasons.

The process will involve

• Discussion with the referrer
• Consideration of any existing records, including whether the child is the subject of a Child Protection Plan
• Involving other agencies as necessary

This section should be read in conjunction with the Managing Individual Cases section of the West Yorkshire SCB Procedures

If there are indications that a child may be at risk of Significant Harm, the manager will consider initiating a S47 Child Protection Enquiry and may authorise whatever actions are necessary to protect the child or others in the household from Significant Harm, which may result in the immediate provision of services.

If there is suspicion that a crime may have committed including sexual or physical assault  or neglect of the child, the Police must be notified immediately. The manager will arrange a strategy discussion with the relevant agencies including at least the Police, following the procedures for a S47 Child Protection Enquiry.

Any decision to remove a child must be discussed with Children Service Delivery Manager (CSDM).

Personal information about non-professional referrers should not be disclosed to the parents or other agencies without the referrer's consent.

5. Initial Outcome of Referrals

The initial outcome of a referral, which must be authorised by the team or duty manager, may be:

1. That the child does not appear to be a Child in Need, which will result in one of the following: the provision of information, advice, signposting to another agency and/or no further action.
2. That the child appears to be a Child in Need with a moderate level of need, in which case, the manager may authorise an initial assessment.
3. That the child appears to be a Child in Need with a high level of need, which must result in an initial assessment.
4. That it is suspected that the child is suffering or is likely to suffer from Significant Harm, where the manager should consider initiating a Section 47 Enquiry by conducting a Strategy Discussion, where the various decisions may be made, including that to undertake a Section 47 Enquiry and commence a Core assessment.

If there are indications that a child may be at risk of Significant Harm, the manager may authorise whatever actions are necessary to protect the child or others in the household from Significant Harm, which will result in the immediate provision of services.

Professional referrers should be advised of the outcome of the referral.

Feedback on the outcome of the Referral should also be provided to non-professional referrers in a manner consistent with respecting the confidentiality of the child.

6. Recording of Referrals

All Requests and Referrals should be recorded on ESCR(ICS) - see Section 1 of the Universal Assessments Procedures/Guidance.

End