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Contents

1. Contacts and Referrals 
2. Timescales 
3. Management Action 
4. Initial Disposal of Referrals 
5. Recording of Referrals 

1. Contacts and Referrals

Contacts and referrals are dealt with in Southwark by the Referral and Assessment Team.

Any information sent to the Referral and Assessment Team is recorded as a Contact on CareFirst. Contacts may be made in various ways

• A telephone call
• A visit to the office by a service user
• A letter
•  An email/electronic CAF Form (Click here for CAF form)
• A Fax

This may include contacts made by external agencies where they are unclear whether a referral should be made and require advice as to the appropriate action to be taken.

Whenever contact is made with Specialist Children's Services and Safeguarding about a child, the duty information officer in the Referral and Assessment Team will check on CareFirst to establish whether the child is already an open case.

Where the child is an open case, the duty information officer will send the information to the allocated social worker or his or her manager - see New Information about Open Cases Procedure.

Where the child concerned is not an open case, if straightforward advice or information is required, this will be provided by the duty information officer and the contact closed. Otherwise, the duty information officer will pass the contact information to the Duty Team in order to determine the action required.

Where CareFirst indicates the child was previously known although not still an open case, the records on the child will be retrieved and passed to the Duty Manager to assist the decision-making.

A contact is progressed to a referral where action is required to be taken other than the straightforward provision of advice or information, for example 'Refer to Other Agency.

The Referral and Assessment Team will establish as much of the following information as is necessary to determine the level of risk or need and to enable the screening process to take place, taking account of Appendix One of the Thresholds for Children's Social Care Safeguarding Services - see Section 3, Management Action:

• Full names, dates of birth and gender of children
• Family address and telephone number for the family
• Where relevant, school/early years setting attended
• Identity of those with Parental Responsibility and their surnames if they are different from the child's and parents' names
• Names and dates of birth of all members of the household
• Names, address and telephone numbers of any other significant adults
• Ethnicity, 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
• Name of key professionals involved with the child and family, including health visitor, GO and any other health professionals
• Information regarding parents' knowledge and agreement to referral

*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.

Referrers should have an opportunity to discuss their concerns with a qualified social worker.

Referrers from other agencies and other professionals should be asked to confirm the information given in writing using the Inter Agency Referral Form (which is available online) within 48 hours and this should then be acknowledged in writing by the Referral and Assessment Service within one working day of its receipt.

2. Timescales

Any contact made with any member of staff within Specialist Children's Services and Safeguarding, which involves information about a child who may be a Child in Need, must be redirected to Referral and Assessment Team immediately and within one hour at the very longest.

Once received by the Referral and Assessment Team, all Referrals must be written up, redirected where appropriate and, where they are not redirected, a decision made about their disposal within 24 hours.

3. Management Action

The management action process should have regard to Appendix One of the Thresholds for Children's Social Care Safeguarding Services and 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 management action will involve consideration by the duty manager in the Referral and Assessment Team of the information provided when the Referral was received. Where further action is required to enable the duty manager to carry out the management action process, the duty manager will request this to be carried out by the duty information officer or the duty social worker, as appropriate. Such action should entail:

• Discussion with the referrer
• Consideration of any existing records, particularly in relation to closed cases)
• Involving other agencies as necessary

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 may result in the immediate provision of services. 

If there is suspicion that a crime may have been committed including sexual or physical assault or Neglect, the duty social worker should notify the Police immediately. This will usually be the Child Abuse Investigation Team.

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

The parent's consent should usually be sought before discussing a referral 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.

4. Initial Disposal of Referrals

The initial disposal of a Referral, which must be authorised by the manager having regard to Appendix One of the Thresholds for Children's Social Care Safeguarding Services, 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, sign-posting to another agency and/or no further action.
2. That the child appears to have a low level of needs or risks which are unlikely to escalate. In these circumstances the manager may authorise an Initial Assessment.
3. That the child appears to have moderate to high needs, which must initiate an Initial Assessment
4. That it is suspected that the child is suffering or is likely to suffer from Significant Harm. In these circumstances, the Manager must arrange an Initial Assessment, with a view to conducting a Strategy Discussion, prior to Child Protection Enquiry and Core Assessment commencing.

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

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

5. Recording of Referrals

CareFirst must be updated in relation to all Referrals, including the disposal of the referral and confirmation that this has been authorised by the Duty/Manager.

A manager must sign and approve the outcome of a referral and ensure a Chronology is started or updated.

End