Transfer to Children's Social Work Service from Early Help

Universal and Targeted Services will meet the needs of the majority of children and families in Leeds. It is an expectation that where families require support, their needs will be routinely identified and met through a single agency response or a multi-agency Early Help Assessment and Early Help Plan.

Practitioners may need to seek advice and information when working with a family where the needs are not being met despite an Early Help Plan being in place. Where this is the case, practitioners can seek advice and information from their own agency line managers and agency safeguarding leads (if this support is available).

Whenever it's felt a child is at significant risk of harm, professionals are advised to contact the Duty and Advice team directly 0113 376 0336 (not Early Help services).

If Duty and Advice feel support can be offered at an Early Help level, the information is shared with the Early Help Front Door team who are able to offer support and guidance, workforce development and/or signpost to the relevant service e.g. Children's Centre's, Schools, Clusters, Youth Work or the, Early Help Family Hubs, who may be able to lead on any Early Help support required. 

Advice and guidance can be offered by the Early Help Family Hubs immediately/directly, providing the case/details remain anonymous.

Specific advice and guidance requests from outside children's social work services for specific family members, should be made to family.hubs@leeds.gov.uk through completing the Early Help Part 1 Document ('Understanding Me/My Family Part 1, Our Early Help Support Needs'). The central Family Hub line (0113 535 0185) can also be used for requests.

Paper versions of the Early Help Part 1 Document can be sent to any professional who does not have access to Mosaic (old paperwork will not be accepted).

Professionals able to facilitate Early Help support will be expected to share the Early Help support/plans they have implemented prior to referring. A graduated response (from School, Cluster etc) should have been attempted before a request to the Family Hub. Where work has not been completed, was limited and/or there were barriers, workforce development may be an outcome of the request for support. This would be aimed at supporting working relationships, involving less professionals and enabling support to develop in/around the family's immediate circle of support.

Professionals may be required to complete an Early Help Part 1 Document (minimum). If they have an existing Early Help Plan open, there will be a request for parts 1 and 2 (Early Help Plan). Referrals cannot be accepted without this information.

If there is a CSE/CCE Risk matrix required (the above applies) and the Early Help Family Hub would be asking the referrer if they've completed one in the first instance.

Parental/Carer consent should be obtained before making a specific request to the Early Help Family Hubs where support is voluntary.

Early Help Requests should be responded to within 3 working days by Leeds Early Help Services. If it's felt the child is at risk of significant harm, direct contact should be made with the Duty and Advice team.

Professionals are advised to NOT leave messages/emails for workers they already know, requesting support for new families. There is no guarantee these will be seen and when. Professionals are advised to use the central email address (family.hubs@leeds.gov.uk) or telephone line (0113 535 0185) to ensure messages are picked up and responded to within the expected timescales.

Referrers with access to Mosaic

Where professionals already have access to Mosaic, an Early Help Contact can be started (completing sections 1-3 in the first instance) on the lead child to request support (providing there is not an existing Early Help workflow/plan open). Please do not close your Early Help contact when referring as it'll be added to.

The Mosaic number should be used when making a request to family.hubs@leeds.gov.uk.

Any workflow/streams should be updated to reflect the current presenting issues with a clear outline of the work completed thus far to help make an informed decision on any of the next steps required.

When a practitioner is concerned that a child is suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm, they must follow West Yorkshire Consortium Safeguarding Procedures and ensure the contact Duty and Advice at the Front Door immediately.

Outcomes of the contact to Duty and Advice at the Front Door include:

• Advice is given to the practitioner and no referral accepted;
• An Early Help Assessment and Early Help Plan is needed. The Integrated Processes Team at the Front door will advise;
• A Child and Family Single Assessment is considered; or
• An immediate emergency response.

Early Help assessments that have been registered and received by the Integrated Processes Team at the Front Door can be used by CSWS to inform the Child and Family Single Assessment. This can save a lot of time and duplication for practitioners and for the child and their family.

Outcomes of the Child and Family Single Assessment include:

• A social worker is allocated and a plan is developed to meet the need - this might be a Child in Need Plan or a Child Protection Plan;
• In rare occasions, emergency protective action may be taken and the child becomes Looked After either in the short term or longer term;
• Ongoing Children's Social Work Service is not required and the Early Help practitioner is given advice on how to access universal and targeted support to meet the child's needs.

Transfer from Children's Social Work Service takes place either as an outcome of the Child and Family Assessment or following social work involvement because the needs have been met and/or the risks to the child have decreased.

The child’s needs may now be able to be met through a multi-agency Early Help Plan by a Team around the Child (TAC) / Team Around the Family (TAF) with a Lead Practitioner or through a single agency response or through universal services only.

Plans to transfer to Early Help should be discussed and agreed at a Child in Need review meeting, or review Child Protection Conference.

Steps should be taken to identify a Lead Practitioner from an agency already involved with the family or the relevant practitioner if a single agency response is the outcome.

Following the meeting the case should be closed to the social worker who will provide a summary of advice to the identified Lead Practitioner or single agency practitioner. This should give the reasons

for the end of the plan and include the views of the practitioners involved, and the views, wishes and feelings of the child / young person and their parent / carers.

Families will not be expected to undergo another assessment, or immediately attend another meeting as the final social work plan and the most current Child and Family Assessment will be shared with the Lead Practitioner or single agency practitioner.

Where necessary to facilitate this transfer, the Social Work Team Manager and the local Targeted Services Leader may have a conversation to identify the right response. However, this may not be necessary if the lead practitioner has been identified.

If the decision is that the child's needs can be met in universal services and there is no need for an Early Help Plan or response, this must be clearly communicated to those agencies currently involved with the child and family.

The social worker should confirm what is happening in writing to the family and to the relevant agencies.