1. Sharing and Assessment
Integrated Working
through Information
Sharing and Assessment
Welcome!

2. Group agreement Confidentiality Respect Ask questions Mobile phones
Time keeping
Handouts
Venue information

3. Programme outline Day 1 Day 2
Module 1 – Integrated Working and Information Sharing
Module 2 – the Common Assessment Framework, Part I
Day 2
Module 3 – the Common Assessment Framework, Part II
Module 4 – The Lead Professional

4. Why do we need an Integrated approach?
Victoria Climbié
Known to 3 Local Authorities
Unknown to any education dept.
Known to 12 different agencies
Died aged 8 as a result of extreme neglect
She had 128 injuries at the time of her death
Lord Laming Inquiry - looked at why at least 12 chances to save Victoria's life were missed by local authorities, by doctors and the police.
Lord Laming’s Inquiry- offered 108 recommendations.

5. Every Child Matters (ECM) Outcomes
Be healthy
Stay safe
Enjoy and achieve
Make a positive contribution
Achieve economic well being

6. Children Act 2004 Legal framework for Every Child Matters and Laming
Section 10 – Duty on the local authority promote co-operation with key partner agencies to promote the welfare of children in their area.
Section 11 – Statutory duty to safeguard & promote the welfare of children.
Section 12 – Establish an Index (ContactPoint) containing basic details about children and young people to enable better sharing of information –
NB – ContactPoint was discontinued in June 2010
Section 53 –Children’s Social Care to take reasonable steps to find out children’s wishes and feelings when assessing a child ‘in need’ and a child at risk of ‘significant harm’.
This should also happen in Common Assessments

7. ECM: Change for Children
Central government programme to safeguard and promote children’s welfare
Includes ‘Integrated Working’
Three interdependent elements:
The Common Assessment Framework
The Lead Professional
Information Sharing

8. Benefits of Integrated Working
Earlier holistic identification of needs
Earlier more effective intervention
Improved information sharing across agencies
Faster delivery of service for the child
Better service experience for children and their families
Benefits for practitioners and organisations

9. Barriers to effective Integrated Working
Lack of confidence about what, how and when to share information
Lack of common guidance on information sharing across services
Communication difficulties
Not knowing who to contact for support on information sharing
Professional ‘silos’
Professional hierarchies
Lack of understanding of different agency roles and responsibilities
Competing or conflicting targets

10. Guiding principles for front-line staff
Promoting the well-being and safeguarding children from harm is everyone’s business
Be proactive – identify concerns as early as possible and initiate actions
Follow LSCB procedures if concerned about significant harm
Be holistic – think about the child in context
Consider all potential sources of support
Involve families in decisions that affect them
Information sharing

11. Information Sharing

12. Seven Golden Rules for Information Sharing
Remember that the Data Protection Act is not a barrier to sharing information
Be open and honest 
3. Seek advice if you are in any doubt
4. Share with consent where appropriate
5. Consider safety and well-being 
6. Necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate, timely and secure
7. Keep a record of your decision

13. Who can give or refuse consent?
A person aged over 16
A child under 16 who has the capacity to understand and make their own decisions, may give (or refuse) consent to sharing information
We need to ask ourselves whether they are of sufficient age and understanding to make the decision
When weighing this up, we also need to consider what are the reasonably foreseeable consequences for the young person of deciding one way or another

14. Sharing information Information can generally be shared if….
it is not confidential
Confidential information can be shared if….
authorised by the person who provided it or to whom it relates
Evidence of, or reasonable cause to believe a child is suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm
To prevent significant harm to children or serious harm to adults.
Refer to or consult Children’s Services immediately if concerned about abuse
Confidential information can be shared - even if not authorised by the person - if justified in the public interest….

15. Consent Consent: Must be informed
Should normally be explicit but can be implied (written is preferable but can be verbal)
Must be clear and not inferred from a non response
Must be sought again if things change significantly
Can be withdrawn – fully or partially
Practitioners must:
Use clear accessible language
Explain there are times when confidentiality can not be maintained
Be aware of relevant legislation
Follow local policies and protocols.

16. What is confidential information?
Confidential information is:
information of some sensitivity;
information which is not already lawfully in the public domain or readily available from another public source;
information which has been shared in a relationship where the person giving the information understood that it would not be shared with others.

17. Information sharing Not all information about families is confidential
At the time of collecting a person’s information, inform them about:
Why you require it.
Whether it may be shared with other departments and external organisations.
What information is to be shared.
How it may be held e.g. electronic system/ paper records.
Who has access to it.

18. Key points about Info Sharing - 1
Explain openly and honestly at the outset what information will or could be shared and why
Seek agreement
The child’s safety and welfare must be the overriding consideration
Respect the wishes of children or families who do not consent to share confidential information – unless there is sufficient need to override this
Seek advice if in doubt

19. Key points about Info Sharing - 2
Ensure information is accurate, up to date, and relevant to the purpose
Share only with those who need to see it and shared securely
Check whether the recipient intends to pass the information on
Always record the reasons for your decision
Confidentiality is never a reason for not sharing information if this is in the child’s interests

20. Information Sharing and the Law
Common law duty of confidence
Human Rights Act 1998 (articles 8.1 & 8.2)
Data Protection Act 1998
Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (s115)
NB none of the above creates an absolute right to privacy. Information will need to be shared if a child or adult is at risk of significant harm or impairment.

21. Parental Responsibility
All Birth Mothers
Birth Fathers if…
Married to the child’s mother (before or after child’s birth)
Parental Responsibility Agreement
Named on birth certificate - children born after 1st Dec 2003
Residence (s.8 CA 1989) or PR Order (s.2 CA 1989)
Step parents by written agreement with birth parents (if married/civil partnership with a birth parent)
Adopters
Others - through court application, e.g. Residence and Special Guardianship Orders - Members of extended family, step parents (if application opposed) and foster carers
Local Authorities - through Emergency Protection, Interim Care and Care Orders

22. Guidelines for access to files
A parent with parental responsibility can request access to their child’s information
This is not an automatic right and may need to be weighed against potential risks to a child or adult
‘Gillick competent’ children under 16 may consent to or veto parental access to their information
In cases of intimate partner violence:
Has a court ordered disclosure/non disclosure of information?
Would disclosure escalate domestic abuse?
Always record your reasons for sharing or not sharing information

23. Key principles underlying a decision to share information
Is there a legitimate purpose for sharing information?
Does the information enable a person to be identified?
Is the information confidential?
Do you have consent to share?
Is there a statutory obligation or court order to share?
Is there sufficient public interest to share?
If you share, is it the right information in the right way?
Have you properly recorded your decision and action taken?

24. The Common Assessment Framework
(CAF) – Part I

25. What is the Common Assessment Framework (CAF)?
A key part of the Every Child Matters: Change for Children Programme
A Standard national approach to identifying need at the earliest opportunity
Used across the entire children’s workforce
It should ensure that EVERY child/young person receives any additional services they need at the earliest opportunity

26. What is the Common Assessment Framework? continued…
A simple pre-assessment checklist to help practitioners identify children/young people who would benefit from a common assessment;
A process for undertaking a common assessment, to help practitioners gather and understand information about the needs and strengths of the child and family
A standard form to help practitioners record, and, where appropriate, to share with others, the findings from the assessment

27. Complex Needs
Additional Needs
No Additional Needs
Level 3 - Specialist Services
Level 2 - Targeted Services
Level 1 - Universal Services

28. Family & Environmental
Health
Emotional and social development
Behavioural development
Identity
Family and social relationships
Self-care skills and independence
Learning
Basic care, ensuring safety and protection
Emotional warmth and stability
Guidance, boundaries and stimulation
Parents and Carers
Development of Child
Family & Environmental
Family history, functioning and well-being
Wider family
Housing, employment and financial
Social & community elements and resources, including education

29. Basic principles of an effective common assessment
Assessment should be:
Child/young person centred
Non-discriminatory
Collaborative – work with the C/YP/family
Continuous – ongoing process rather than a one-off event
Progressive
Transparent – be clear, open and honest
Consensual
Current – valid and reliable
Sufficient and informative
Grounded in evidence
Consider strengths as well as needs

30. What are additional needs?
Continuum of Needs and Services – A Common Model For All Agencies
Information sharing, Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and lead professional support across the continuum:
Lead Professional from this point
Lead Professional Consultation Group
Statutory or specialist
assessments from this point
I = Identification and action
T = Transition
N = Needs met
Level 2
Level 1
Level 3
Fast track through levels when serious injury/allegation or high level of concern from any agency.

31. Examples of Indicators of Additional Needs and Complex Needs
Children with additional needs (Level 2) might include:
Disruptive or anti-social behaviour
Overt parental conflict or lack of parental support/boundaries
Involvement in or risk of offending
Poor school attendance/exclusion
Experiencing bullying
Special educational needs
Disabilities
Disengagement post-16
Poor nutrition
Ill-health
Substance misuse
Anxiety or depression
Housing issues
Pregnancy and parenthood
Children with complex needs (Level 3) include:
When there is a child protection plan
Children in care
Care leavers
Severe and complex educational needs
Children with complex disabilities or complex health needs
Diagnosed with significant mental health problems
Young offenders involved with youth justice services( community and custodial)
Children/young people in need and/or at risk of significant harm(s17 and 47 Children Act 1989)
Children/Young people for whom adoption is the plan

32. Aims and principles of the CAF
A standard national approach
Assessment to support earlier intervention
A process supported by a standard form
Holistic
CAF cannot guarantee service provision
Empowering and a joint process
Simple and practical
Focuses on needs and strengths
Improve joint working and communication
Rationalise assessments
Support the sharing of information
Support better referrals, where appropriate
Principles
Aims

33. Who will use the CAF? Every practitioner should:
Be able to recognise and respond to key signs of need
Know the CAF basics
Know how to have a CAF completed or how to complete one
Every agency will train some staff to complete common assessments
Where more than one practitioner is involved, one will take the lead
(the Lead Professional)
Agencies (statutory, community or voluntary) include:
Health
Children’s Services
Connexions
Children’s Centres
Early Years
Schools
Police and Youth Justice
Housing
Adult Services

34. When to undertake a common assessment
You could undertake a common assessment when it will help a child to achieve one or more of the five priority outcomes.
Follow Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures where appropriate
Likely to be of help
when:
There are concerns about progress
Needs are unclear
Needs cannot be met by a universal service alone e.g. the School or the GP
Need not be done when:
Progress is good
Needs are identified and being met successfully by the universal service alone
Needs are already being met through an existing CAF or specialist provision

35. Steps of the CAF process
Preparation:
Identify whether the child or young person may have additional needs
Contact the ISA Team to see if a common assessment already exists
With the child/parent, decide if a common assessment would be helpful (or needs updating if it already exists)
Note: The pre assessment checklist can support professional judgement in making this decision
If a common assessment would be helpful, seek the consent of the child/parent to proceed

36. Steps of the CAF process
CAF discussion
Undertake the assessment together in a child centred way
Work together to understand issues and develop solutions
Focus on strength as well as need
Consider the needs of the individual child
Delivery and Review
Determine and deliver interventions to meet identified needs
Appoint a Lead Professional if relevant
Review on an ongoing basis

37. Child and family Step1 Preparation Step 2 Discussion Needs met?
Identify whether
the child may have additional needs, possibly by using the CAF Checklist
Step 2
Discussion
Gather and analyse information on strengths and needs using the CAF
Needs met?
Close involvement
Needs not met?
Return to stage 2 or consider alternative approaches
Child and family
Step 3
Delivery
Decide on action plan to meet identified needs. Share information.
Appoint a LP if relevant.
Step 4
Ongoing monitoring
and review by those
involved

38. The Common Assessment Framework
(CAF) Part II

39. Family & Environmental
Health
Emotional and social development
Behavioural development
Identity
Family and social relationships
Self-care skills and independence
Learning
Basic care, ensuring safety and protection
Emotional warmth and stability
Guidance, boundaries and stimulation
Parents and Carers
Development of Child
Family & Environmental
Family history, functioning and well-being
Wider family
Housing, employment and financial
Social & community elements and resources, including education

40. CAF and specialist assessments
Threshold cannot be crossed without CAF
(except emergency CP)
CAF must be registered

41. Structure of Children’s Services in Barking and Dagenham
Quality and School Improvement
Children’s Policy & Trust Commissioning
Safeguarding and Rights
Integrated Family Services

42. Critical thinking in assessment
What are the unmet needs?
What am I basing this view on?
Have I used a framework to think about the needs?
Have I checked out my concerns with others (and do they share these?)
Could my own biases have had an influence?
How does the family see the problem?
What are the child’s wishes and feelings?

43. A Child ‘In Need’
he is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services by a local authority...
(b) his health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him of such services; or
(c) he is disabled.
(Children Act 1989, section 17.1)
‘Development’ means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development; and “health” means physical or mental health.

44. Some pointers on significant harm
Is the child at risk of harm?
Is it significant? The OED describes significant as ‘considerable, note worthy, or of importance’.
Think about severity, intent and chronic effects
Is the harm attributable to:
Parental care not being what it would be reasonable for a parent to provide for this child?
Child beyond parental control
Impairment caused by seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another

45. Some stages in an interview
Introductions
Rapport building
Open questions
Focused questions
Closure

46. Common language for the CAF
Language used for the CAF should be:
Plain simple English
Understandable by the child and/or their parent
Understandable by all other practitioners
Free from jargon and with any acronyms explained
Emphasising that common assessment is undertaken with the child/parent at the centre of the process
Supportive and encouraging
Focused on strengths as well as needs
Based around the language used in the CAF guidance

47. Partnership
What are nine things we can do to demonstrate to a parent that we are working in partnership with them
Note a word or short phrase (5 words max) in each box on the worksheet

48. What helps in developing partnership - 1
Families want to be shown respect, trust and to have their point of view acknowledged
Co operation between workers and families should be developed at the outset
An emphasis should be placed on building the strengths of the family.
Turnell and Edwards 1999

49. What helps in developing partnership - 2
Families need to know:
Why we are there
What we want them to change
Why we want them to change
How we will measure change
What powers we have
What (if anything) will happen if things don’t change
Source: Ivanoff et al, 1995

50. What children want - 1
Introduce yourself. Tell us who you are. What your job is.
Give us as much information as you can.
Tell us what is wrong with our mum or dad.
Tell us what is going to happen next.
Talk to us and listen to us. Remember it is not hard to speak to us. We are not aliens.
Ask us what we know, and what we think. We live with our mum or dad. We know how they have been behaving.
Barnardo’s 2007 (study in Merseyside of
young carers of parents with mental illnesses)
A group of young carers in Merseyside (Barnardo’s 2007) came up with following 10 messages as a simple checklist for practitioners who come into contact with families where a parent has mental health problems:

51. What children want - 2
Tell us it is not our fault. We can feel really guilty if our mum or dad is ill. We need to know we are not to blame.
Please don’t ignore us. Remember we are part of the family and we live there too!
Keep on talking to us and keeping us informed. We need to know what is happening.
Tell us if there is anyone we can talk to. MAYBE IT COULD BE YOU.
Barnardo’s 2007 (study in Merseyside of
young carers of parents with mental illnesses)

52. Coordinating Delivery
The Team Alongside the Family (TAF) and
the role of the Lead Professional (LP)

53. Child and family Step1 Preparation Step 2 Discussion Needs met?
Identify whether
the child may have additional needs, possibly by using the CAF Checklist
Step 2
Discussion
Gather and analyse information on strengths and needs using the CAF
Needs met?
Close involvement
Needs not met?
Return to stage 2 or consider alternative approaches
Child and family
Step 3
Delivery
Determine and deliver interventions to meet identified needs. Appoint a LP if relevant.
Step 4
Review process

54. The CAF key steps – Service delivery
1: Preparation
2: Discussion
3: Service delivery
Likely common assessment outcomes:
Concern resolved or
Actions agreed for single agency with child/parent or
Actions require multi-agency response or
Level Three needs are identified
If more than one agency needs to be involved:
Assessor arranges meeting with relevant professionals
Team comes together with the family and appoints a LP
Agree a multi-agency plan (and record on the CAF form)
Make referrals or broker access to other services if needed (use the CAF form as evidence of need)
Monitor and review progress

55. Multi-agency working: The Team Alongside the Family (TAF)
Effective multi- agency working and the Lead Professional are key elements of improving outcomes for children, young people and their families
Team Alongside the Family (TAF) is a framework for multi- agency working with children with additional needs
The TAF brings together relevant practitioners with the child/young person and/or their family to address any unmet needs
The team works together to plan coordinated support from agencies

56. Team Alongside the Family (TAF)
The TAF framework aims to achieve the following for the child/family:
They are fully involved in all decisions regarding the help and support they receive
Parents/carers, and where appropriate, the child are equally valued members of the TAF
Coordinated, seamless support is provided to the family
Practice is child-centred and focussed on solutions
Empowers child / family
Key to the TAF approach is the role of
the Lead Professional (LP)

57. The rationale for a Lead Professional
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 service users 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.

58. Vision and functions of the Lead Professional
Vision: All children and young people with additional needs who require support from more than one practitioner should experience a seamless and effective service in which one practitioner takes a lead role to ensure that services are co-ordinated, coherent and achieving intended outcomes
3 Core Functions
Act as a single point of contact for the child or family
Co-ordinate the delivery of actions agreed by the practitioners involved
Reduce overlap and inconsistency in the services received

59. Lead Professional from this point
Continuum of Needs and Services – A Common Model For All Agencies
Information sharing, Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and lead professional support across the continuum:
Lead Professional from this point
Lead Professional Consultation Group
Statutory or specialist
assessments from this point
I = Identification and action
T = Transition
N = Needs met
Level 2
Level 1
Level 3
Fast track through levels when serious injury/allegation or high level of concern from any agency.

60. Selecting a lead professional
Could be drawn from any of the people currently involved
Practitioner who is most relevant to the child or young person’s action plan and who has the most appropriate skills.
Not necessarily the first person to be involved nor the practitioner who carries out the common assessment.
Deciding on lead professional can be done most effectively as part of the assessment and planning process

61. Key Accountabilities of a LP
Each lead professional is accountable to their home agency for delivery of:
their part of the action plan; and
the lead professional functions (as defined previously).
The lead professional is not responsible or accountable for services delivered by other services.
The LP will be responsible for gathering people together to review progress, but it is up to the individuals to deliver on their agreed actions.
A clear line of accountability for LPs runs from the practitioner, through their management structure to the children’s trust arrangements and the Director of Children’s Services.

62. Useful skills for LP functions
Strong communication skills; diplomacy; sensitivity
Establish a successful and trusting relationship with child/family
Empower child/family to make decisions and challenge when appropriate
Understand boundaries of own skills and knowledge
Knowledge of local and regional services for children and families
Understand implications of the child’s assessment, for example in relation to risks and protective factors
Convene meetings and initiate discussions with relevant practitioners
Support and enable child / family to achieve their potential
Work effectively with practitioners from a range of services

63. Support in developing skills and confidence
The following ideas were offered by practitioners to help develop skills and confidence to undertake the LP role:
Provision of regular area support network meetings for LPs to discuss issues and good practice
Appoint a person(s) with additional responsibilities around the LP, to provide advice/support
Set up a structure to enable LP professional peer mentoring
Use a newsletter to share ideas and practice tips
Shadow another LP
Telephone / support from nominated experienced lead professionals
Conference for LPs
Training needs analysis carried out to determine need

64. Managing workload implications
Time taken up by lead professional functions will
vary. Experience suggests that:
Being the lead professional can mean greater involvement with a particular child. However, practitioners can save time on cases where they are not the lead professional
Communication is particularly important where staff may be working part-time in a multi-agency setting and part-time in their home agency
Managers must ensure:
lead professional responsibilities are taken into account when allocating workload
performance in delivering the lead professional functions is recognised and recorded.

65. Lines of accountability
Director of Children’s Services
Coordinated arrangements in the Children’s Trust
Line management in home agency
Practitioner
Operational level management arrangements
Strategic level management structures
Process for communicating and resolving disputes

66. Being a LP is not a permanent thing:
Transfers and endings
Being a LP is not a permanent thing:
Needs change (in their level, extent and focus)
Situations and relationships change
Practitioners change
Children and young people get older
Transfers and endings of the LP functions, where appropriate, need to be carefully planned and managed

67. Tips for Lead Professionals
Always ensure the C/YP/F and relevant practitioners have your contact details and make sure you have theirs
Set a review date at the first TAF meeting
Plan your contacts with the C/YP/F so they know you will be actively involved and check back with them at regular intervals
Remember you are part of a team working collaboratively with the family – you are not expected to do everything!
Be prepared to reconvene a meeting if things are not going according to the agreed plan
If another practitioner/agency is not carrying out their contribution as agreed, raise this with them and find out the reason
If it continues, raise it with your line manager and/or the ISA team
If you are no longer the person best placed to be the LP or you move on, plan your handover