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1.2.16 Protocol for Transfer between Teams within Specialist Children's Services and Safeguarding

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was updated in December 2011 to reflect current operational arrangements.


Contents

  1. Policy
  2. Transfer Standards
  3. Principles Governing Transfers
  4. Transfer of Cases between Teams 
  5. Unallocated Cases
  6. Contingency Planning


1.  Policy

1.1 Specialist Children's Services and Safeguarding are constructed into specialist teams in order to provide an effective and deliverable service.  This inevitably leads to transfer of cases between teams.  The system will seek to achieve the fewest possible number of transfers between teams and the fewest possible changes in worker for an individual child.  It is recognised, however, that children and families need staff who understand their specific needs and have the necessary skills.
1.2 Transfer of cases will be conducted in a timely fashion, according to defined standards ensuring as much continuity as possible for service users.  We aim to provide a "seamless service".  The child's experience within the system should be the central concern.
1.3 When cases meet the criteria for transfer, this should take place regardless of capacity issues in the receiving team.  Responsibility for managing unallocated cases will rest with the Team Manager for the receiving team.
1.4 The Service aims to keep the number of times a case transfers between teams to a minimum through high quality assessments and an approach, which remains focussed on the client.
1.5 Transfer arrangements will always be mindful of the need to ensure safety of children.  It is essential that good quality information is passed from old team to new team to prevent gaps in knowledge and to ensure that the welfare and protection of children is paramount.
1.6 Specialist Services and Safeguarding will use the London Child Protection Procedures (accessible via the button on the menu at the left hand side of the screen) as well as the policies and procedures in this handbook as a more detailed reference point concerning practice standards.


2. Transfer Standards

2.1 The allocated social worker in the referring team will ensure that all CareFirst records are in good order at point of transfer and on closure, as follows:
  2.1.1 Core information and chronology.
  2.1.2 All case recording will be up to date, including C.I.N., CP and CLA visits.
  2.1.3 Key information will be recorded on the Contact sheet (key details).
  2.1.4 Where relevant, Initial and Core Assessment reports will be completed on relevant children in the family and will have been shared with the family and referrer if appropriate.
  2.1.5 In the case of a child looked after, a copy of the birth certificate will be retained and scanned or will have been requested.
  2.1.6 In the case of a child Looked After transfer, all ICS LAC documentation must be complete.
  2.1.7 If one child is Looked After but other siblings remain at home, as a minimum an Initial Assessment of the other children is on CareFirst.
  2.1.8 Financial agreements are up to date and on ICS and logged with Finance.
  2.1.9 Supervision records are up to date.
  2.1.10 Copies of all current Legal Orders are included.
  2.1.11 Risk Assessments are included where the client is known to pose a risk (see handbook).


3. Principles Governing Transfer

3.1 The decision to transfer a case is taken by a Team Manager. The decision will be recorded on CareFirst.
3.2 Teams will give as much notice of the transfer as possible.
3.3 The receiving Team Manager will acknowledge receipt on CareFirst.
3.4 If there are concerns about the criteria for transfer, then the receiving Team Manager should immediately discuss the transfer with the sending Team Manager, agree a course of action and record any change on CareFirst. Any unresolved issues should be raised with the Service Manager for the team seeking to transfer the case.
3.5 A representative of the receiving team will be invited to any Review, Child Protection Conference or other planning meeting convened by the referring team. Dates should be put on CareFirst wherever possible.
3.6 A Team Manager cannot refuse transfer of a case because the quality of the CareFirst record is not up to the standards defined by Section 2 (Transfer Standards).
3.7 On the date of transfer, the CareFirst record will be signed off by the referring Team Manager using the checklist in Section 2 and allocated as necessary.
3.8 Where transferred CareFirst records are not up to the required quality standards, the receiving Team Manager will write to the referring Team Manager, listing the action required to bring the record up to standard. The record will remain with the receiving team.
3.9

The social worker from the referring team responsible prior to transfer will be expected to work on the CareFirst record to bring it up to standard within 2 weeks. If the worker has since left the Department, the responsible manager (referring team) will need to agree how the missing records can be produced.


4. Transfer of Cases between Teams

Children in Need
4.1

Transfer of Section 17 Cases from Referral & Assessment: Child in Need Cases
4.1.1

If as a result of an Initial Assessment or C.I.N. Core Assessment, the Referral & Assessment Service identifies an ongoing need for family support work, this will be provided by the Family Support Team (FST).
4.1.2 The case transfer will be undertaken upon the completion of an Initial or Core Assessment. There is a requirement to produce a Child in Need Plan and where possible, clear information relating to the agreement and acceptance of the family for ongoing family support work. As FST's involvement progresses, FST may need to complete or update a Core Assessment.
4.1.3 CIN Core Assessments conducted in the R & A Team will end in either a Network Meeting being held or the case being closed.
4.1.4 All Core Assessments transferring to the Family Support Teams will be transferred on the date of the Network Meeting. At least 5 working days prior to the proposed transfer to the FST, the R & A Team will contact the appropriate FST Team Manager and an agreed date for the Network Meeting will be set.
4.1.5 Network Meetings will be attended by FST managers (Practice Manager or Team Manager). The meetings will be chaired by a R & A Manager.
4.1.6 There will be instances where the outcome of a Core Assessment is that there are substantial risks to the children who were assessed, but the risks do not warrant a Child Protection Conference being called. This may be for instance in cases where children are found to be a risk to others or possibly beyond parental control. However, it may be evident in such cases that the children need ongoing risk management and intervention
4.1.7

Cases transferring from the R & A Service to the Family Support Teams should meet all stated file standards. It is expected that the R & A Teams transferring Core and Initial Assessments will complete Child in Need Plans. R & A social workers will be expected to be explicit in identifying tasks and outcomes for children who have been subject to assessment and needing a Child in Need Plan.
4.1.8

Other cases, which will pass from Referral & Assessment to the Family Support Team will be as follows:

  1. Ongoing family support work following an Alternatives to Care Team intervention;
  2. Family Assistance Orders;
  3. Ongoing packages of support;
  4. Section 7 work beyond the findings of the initial report.

4.2

Transfer of Children in need of Safeguarding
4.2.1

Cases which transfer from Referral & Assessment to the Family Support Team will be as follows:

  1. Children who become subject to a Child Protection Plan at the Initial Child Protection Conference;
  2. Children who are not made subject to a Child Protection Plan at the Initial Child Protection Conference but require ongoing family support;
  3. Children requiring ongoing support following a Section 47 Enquiry, which did not go to an Initial Child Protection Conference (e.g. where there is parental agreement);
  4. Where R & A decides to hold a Child Protection Conference, the R & A Team Manager who has signed off the Section 47 Enquiry/Core Assessment will contact the appropriate Family Support Team Manager at the point that the decision is taken to hold an Initial Child Protection Conference. The Family Support Team Managers will be informed via email of the proposed date it will occur. This notification will take place as early in the assessment stage as possible and certainly by the time of the last Strategy Meeting which will be at least 15 days prior to the Initial Child Protection Conference;
  5. There will be instances where the outcome of a Section.47 Enquiry/Core Assessment is that there are no substantial risks to the children who were assessed, for instance in some cases where the allegations made by the referrer are found to be malicious. However, it may be evident in such cases that the children have needs which would benefit from ongoing intervention.
4.2.2

Transfers to the Family Support Team will be managed in the following way:

  1. When an Initial Child Protection Conference is called, the point of transfer will be directly following the Conference;
  2. Both teams will be represented at the Initial Conference;
  3. The Referral & Assessment social worker will produce a Core Assessment report for the Initial Conference;
  4. If the Initial Conference is deferred, then the deferred Conference will be the point of transfer to the Family Support Team;
  5. If the Initial Conference does not make a Child Protection Plan, the point of transfer will be immediately following the Conference;
  6. If a Section 47 Enquiry/Core Assessment does not recommend an Initial Conference but there is agreement with the family that ongoing family support is required, then the transfer to the Family Support Team will be undertaken, following the completion of the Section 47 Enquiry/Core Assessment and via the Child In Need Network Meeting.
4.3

Referral & Assessment: Hospital Referrals
  See also Pre-Birth Assessment Procedure and Pre Birth Assessment Tool Procedure.
4.3.1 The Referral & Assessment Service will provide an Initial Assessment on any family living in Southwark regardless of which hospital the family is referred from. The team will send an acknowledgement of the referral.
4.3.2 Where a child in hospital is of no fixed abode, the Referral & Assessment Service will assume responsibility in situations where the last known address was in Southwark.
4.3.3

Case responsibility rests with the borough where the family had its last permanent address (Council or Private). The determination of this will be based upon the last fixed or known address of the family.  (Ref. London Child Protection Procedures)
4.3.4 If the last permanent address was not in Southwark, and the family are temporarily based in Southwark, case responsibility rests with Southwark in the first instance. The issue of whether the case should be referred to another local authority will be determined using the guidance regarding Mobile Families provided in Section 11 the London Child Protection Procedures.

Children Looked After
4.4

Referral & Assessment and Family Support Team: Transfer of Section 20 cases
4.4.1

A Core Assessment completed in Referral & Assessment or Family Support should be sufficient to determine whether an early rehabilitation is viable.  The Referral & Assessment or Family Support Team will also have access to the Alternatives to Care Team to facilitate intensive family support to return the child into the community.
4.4.2

If the child is not able to be returned home within the time scale of a Core Assessment and seems unlikely to be returned in the near future, then the case should transfer to either:

  • The Looked After Service 0 - 12; or
  • The Adolescent and After Care Service if the child is 13 or over;
  • It is expected that Core Assessments will have been completed by the time of the first Looked After Review;
  • ASAF teams need to consider whether it is appropriate to transfer such cases under the umbrella of the PLO. The younger the child and the more significant the safeguarding issues the more important this consideration is. If this is being thought of the case should be presented to the Gateway Legal Planning Panel to consider whether the threshold is met for continuing assessments and Section 20 status under the PLO;
  • If the PLO is followed then the most appropriate point of transfer will be the pre-proceedings meeting;
  • If the PLO is not to be followed then the it would be the first Looked After Review if sufficient notice is given.
4.4.3 The case shall transfer to the appropriate Looked After team at the first Looked After Review  This is unless (i) the plan is for immediate rehabilitation with an agreed date or (ii) the case will be under PLO procedures and a PLO meeting is outstanding. If this is so the pre-proceedings meeting under the PLO will be the point of transfer of the case.
4.4.4 Assessment Safeguarding and Family Support Services (ASAFSS) Team Manager will need to notify the relevant CLA Team Manager of the first Looked After Review date.
4.4.5 Where a Child Looked After is also subject to a Child Protection Plan and at the time of the transfer a Child Protection Review Conference is scheduled within the following 2 weeks, then the transferring social worker should produce the Review Conference Report.
4.5

Referral & Assessment and Family Support Teams: Care Proceedings / Transfer
4.5.1 The decision to initiate Care Proceedings is made at a Legal Planning Meeting
4.5.2 Specialist Children's Services and Safeguarding have a clear protocol, which facilitates comprehensive discussion and planning for initiating proceedings on notice (see Initiating Care Proceedings Procedure).
4.5.3 Where immediate legal action is required an urgent Legal Planning Meeting may be called and chaired by either a Service Manager or in exceptional situations, a Team Manager if delegated by a Service Manager.
4.5.4 If emergency legal action is required (through an Emergency Protection Order or Police Protection) and a Legal Planning Meeting cannot be held in advance, it should be convened within one week of the emergency action.  This will be chaired by a Service Manager or in exceptional circumstances a Team Manager, if delegated by a Service Manager.
4.5.5 In order to facilitate the best possible transfer arrangements for children in proceedings, Assessment Safeguarding and Family Support Services (ASAFSS) Teams will seek to maximise the use of scheduled Legal Planning Meetings. 
4.5.6 Whenever an urgent Legal Planning Meeting is convened or post-emergency action Legal Planning Meeting is scheduled the CLA Service Manager (0 - 12) will be notified in writing. The Service Manager will identify a lead CLA Manager or Senior Practitioner to attend the meeting if possible.
4.5.7

The minutes / decisions of the emergency Legal Planning Meeting will be sent to the CLA Service Manager within two working days. The CLA Service Manager will identify the relevant CLA Team within 5 working days.

The appropriate transfer point for these cases should be following the completion of the core assessment around the first CLA review or second court hearing. There may need to be some flexibility in this depending on key court hearings. In a particular case. Team Managers may need to negotiate the agreed transfer point

When transferring any cases ASAF should ensure that contact arrangements are planned to continue at least 1 week following the point of transfer.
4.5.8

Should the court application be refused, the case will not transfer to the Looked After Service.
4.6

New Birth Assessments
See also Pre-Birth Assessment Procedure
4.6.1

Pregnancy of service users already known to Specialist Children's Services and Safeguarding, where previous children have been removed through Care Proceedings, will be managed as follows:

  1. The case will be referred to the Pre-Birth Team in the R & A Service for an assessment as soon as information is received about the pregnancy unless the unborn child is conceived (and known about) prior to the final hearing in family proceedings relating to siblings;
  2. If information about the pregnancy does not become available until four weeks before the baby is due to be born, the CLA team already working with other siblings should convene an Initial Child Protection Conference if appropriate (the allocated CLA social worker will need to provide a report for the conference). In these circumstances, the relevant Family Support Team will allocate a worker to attend the conference and undertake any post-conference casework;
  3. If the assessment is brought to the Legal Planning Meeting Panel and it is agreed that Care Proceedings will begin, the CLA Service Manager (0 - 12) will identify the team which will take on responsibility for the case and the case will be transferred to that team prior to birth.
4.7 

Pregnancy of Children Looked After:

See also Pre-Birth Assessment Procedure and Pre Birth Assessment Tool

It should not be an automatic decision to complete a pre-birth assessment in relation to the pregnancies of all care leavers unless the thresholds are met as outlined above.
4.7.1

When it is established that a young person in care or a supported care leaver is pregnant, the allocated social worker must ring for a consultation with the Pre-Birth Team. A decision will then be reached about the assessment process between both the referring team and the Referral & Assessment Service.
4.7.2 It should not be an automatic decision to complete a pre-birth assessment in relation to the pregnancies of all care leavers unless the thresholds are met as outlined in the Pre-Birth Assessment Procedure and Pre Birth Assessment Tool.
4.7.3

Following a pre-birth assessment, a planning meeting involving the Looked After child's allocated social worker, Referral & Assessment social worker, other local authority social worker, the foster carer and/or key worker, fostering supervising social worker and Looked After Child (or care leaver) will be held to discuss the assessment and identify a clear plan.

The pre-birth planning meeting will be chaired by the team leading the pre-birth assessment.
4.7.4

One of the following will be agreed:

  1. Baby requires family support from Universal Services and Children Centres in their locality with ongoing support provided for the mother (who is Looked After) by the CLA Service social worker and the mother's carer (where relevant);
  2. Transfer to Family Support Team via Child In Need Network Meeting due to assessment highlighting high need;
  3. Baby is potentially at risk of Significant Harm and a Child Protection Conference should be convened;
  4. Baby should be placed into accommodation with the mother (who is Looked After);
  5. Newborn baby to be made subject to interim Care Proceedings.
4.7.5 If, as a result of the pre-birth assessment, it is decided that the newborn baby can be managed through the provision of local universal services, then the case will remain allocated to the relevant CLA worker (Adolescent & After Care Service) who will ensure that the mother receives the agreed support to help her look after her baby.
4.7.6

If the Section 47 threshold is met, a Strategy Meeting should be convened and a manager from the Adolescent and After Care (AAC) Service should be included. The AAC service should provide a full written history and chronology of the young person either at the Strategy Meeting, or within 14 days following it. The meeting should consider the Care Plan for the young person and any additional resources needed to support the young person throughout the pregnancy. N.B. If the young person is looked after by another Local Authority and living in Southwark then the allocated social worker from that Local Authority should be invited to the Strategy Meeting. 

If the unborn baby is taken to an initial Child Protection Conference and made subject of a Child Protection Plan, the baby will be allocated to a worker in the relevant Southwark Family Support Team
4.7.7 If it is decided that the expected / recently born baby should be Looked After (under an Interim Care Order or Section 20) the baby will be allocated in the relevant (0-12) CLA Team until such time as the Looked After status is ceased. The case will need to be taken to the Legal Planning Meeting Panel by the relevant 0-12 team.
4.7.8 If the young person's placement is out of borough the CLA service must refer the case of the unborn to the relevant Referral & Assessment service. The London Child Protection procedures clearly state that 'where a child is a mother/expectant mother and is accommodated or subject to leaving care arrangements (potentially up to 25 years), and is placed by the originating authority in another borough, the authority in which the mother is living is responsible for the baby.' This is an area where there can sometimes be disputes regarding case responsibility.  It is therefore important that case responsibility is negotiated at an early stage by managers. The Quality Assurance Service can also be consulted in terms of agreeing child protection conference arrangements in such cases.
4.7.9 The relevant Independent Reviewing Officer, when reviewing the mother's (CLA) Care Plan will be able to explore whether the baby's needs continue to be met by his/her mother and universal services
4.8

Transfer of Children Leaving the Care System (Discharge)
4.8.1 Wherever rehabilitation is achieved by the CLA Service and ongoing support is required, where possible the FST will be invited to the final Looked After Review. The case will fully transfer to the Family Support Team six weeks after the child has been rehabilitated.
4.8.2 Should the rehabilitation plan (discharge of Section 20) involve a young person (13+) and require additional support to ensure its success, then the Alternatives to Care Team (ACT) can be invited by the CLA Service and FST to provide time-limited task-focused additional support.
4.8.3 Should a rehabilitation plan for a young person (13+) be implemented and experience a crisis, then a referral may be made to ACT using their current criteria.
4.8.4 If a final hearing or court application awards a Residence Order Allowance or Special Guardianship Allowance then the ongoing family support will be provided by the Family Support Team.
4.8.5 Where a CLA Team is considering seeking a Supervision Order at a final hearing the relevant manager for the Family Support Team will be contacted. The final Care Plan will be seen and endorsed by the Family Support Team Manager.
4.8.6 If a final hearing makes a Supervision Order, the case will transfer to the Family Support Team. The Family Support Team will be invited to the final hearing.
4.8.7 If no order is made but ongoing family support is required, then this will be provided by the Family Support Team who made the application.
4.8.8 In all cases, a final Looked After Review should be convened to co-ordinate post care support and lead responsibilities.
4.9

Distribution of Cases Between CLA Teams
4.9.1 

Allocations will be managed as follows:

0 - 12 Service

Almost all transfers from ASAF to the CLA O-12 Service are managed though Legal Panels. Teams will be designated by the Service Manager within the agreed timescale above.
4.9.2

13+ (Adolescent & After Care) Service

There are two 13+ CLA teams and the A&AC Unaccompanied Minors (UM) Team.

All unaccompanied minors are allocated to a social worker in the UM Team.

Cases requiring transfer should be notified to the Team Manager for the UM Team.

CLA aged 13 -17 are allocated to either CLA Team1 or Team 2 according to the surname of the child. Children with a surname beginning with the letters A - L are allocated to CLA Team 1. Children with surnames beginning with the letters M - Z are allocated to CLA Team 2.

CLA aged 13 - 17 requiring transfer should be notified to the relevant Team Manager.
4.10 

Closed Cases
4.10.1  Once a CLA case has been discharged from care for 13 weeks  then any re-referral will be managed by the Referral and Assessment Service (but see section 4.12.3 below for the exception to this rule)
4.10.2 If a case is closed in FST, any re-referral within 13 weeks (from the date entered on Care First) will be managed by the closing team.
4.10.3 Relevant children. If a child has been looked after on their 16th birthday, and has been looked after for 13 weeks since the age of 14, they are described as ''relevant children'' under the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. If a ''relevant child'' is discharged from care aged 16 or 17, that case will not be closed or transferred but will remain allocated in the 13+ CLA Team as there are specific duties imposed on the local authority in respect of relevant children.


5. Unallocated cases

5.1 Wherever possible, a new social worker will be allocated prior to or on point of transfer.  Where it is not possible to allocate an incoming case immediately, the following arrangements will apply:
5.1.1 The receiving Team Manager must set up a system to offer a monitoring service to the family/young person through telephone contact or duty visits, in order to meet statutory expectations and protect children at risk.
5.1.2 Reviews, CP Conferences or core group meetings, will not be cancelled because a case is unallocated in the receiving team.  As a minimum, a Duty contact will be made prior to the meeting and the Duty Officer will attend the meeting.
5.2 The Service Manager should be informed where such arrangements cannot be achieved.
5.3 N.B.: Unallocated Child Protection or CLA require an "Exception" report to be sent to the Assistant Director of Specialist Children's Services and Safeguarding.
5.4

The Quality Assurance Service Manager must be informed if there is any delay in allocating a child with a Child Protection Plan.


6.  Contingency Planning

Requests to suspend parts of this protocol because of any difficulties will be placed in writing to the relevant Business Unit Manager. Any decision to modify or change the protocol must be made in the form of a clear proposal that outlines how and where it will impact on the transfer protocol. Suspension of part of the protocol must be agreed by Business Managers and communicated to all staff. The length of time the suspension is effective will be provided.

End