Allocation of Children in Child Protection Inquiry Teams.
When a new referral is received from CASS/MASH, the Team Manager for the CP Inquiry Team will allocate it to a Social Worker/Senior Social Worker for a child protection response. If it emerges after the strategy discussion or S47 Inquiry that a child protection response is not required, and instead a S17 response is required, the child will be referred back to the relevant district Family Help Team for allocation.
Where the child needs to be presented to an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC), then all child protection tasks will be completed by the social worker/senior social worker in the Child CP Inquiry Team. They will also complete a conference report which will be submitted to the conference. At the ICPC, if the child is made the subject of a child protection plan, then they will be transferred to the Child Protection Service.
Where the ICPC determines that a child protection response is not required, and a S17 response is required instead, this will be sent to the relevant district Family Help Team for allocation, as per the postcode.
Allocation and/or Response to Children Open to Family Help When Child Protection Issues Arise
Child protection concerns may become apparent on an open case in Family Help where the FHLP is not a qualified social worker. In this situation, the family does not immediately need to be re-allocated to a social worker in Family Help whilst the s47 enquiries are undertaken. This will avoid changes of worker for the family in the first instance.
If a CP issue emerges on an existing case, any strategy discussion and S47 Inquiry should be carried out by the Team Manager and Social Worker from the Child Protection Inquiry Team. The team manager of the Family Help Team will inform the Team Manager of the Child Protection Inquiry Team as soon as there is a need for a child protection response and a strategy discussion. The Team Manager for the CP Team will chair any resultant strategy discussion, but the FHLP and/or the Practice Supervisor must attend and continue to provide case management service.
Discussion must take place with the Family Help team manager and the CP Team Manager to clarify statutory child protection roles and responsibilities where a FHLP remains involved with children requiring an ongoing child protection response.
As a rule of thumb, all child protection paperwork eg strategy meeting minutes and S47 documents may be completed by the CP Team especially where the FHLP may not be social work qualified. If the case requires an Initial Child Protection Conference, then the social worker in the Child Protection Inquiry Team will support the writing of the conference report and present the child to the ICPC. If a Child protection plan is made, then the child and family will be transferred to the Child Protection Service, where the child must be allocated to a social worker.
If the case progresses to a child protection conference and the child is not considered to need an ongoing child protection response, then the allocated FHLP will remain the allocated worker and the role of the CP Team ends. If the allocated FHLP with the family up to this point was not a qualified social worker, the Family Help team manager will decide whether the FHLP remains involved, or there is a need to consider a social work qualified Lead Practitioner, or Senior Lead Practitioner. Where possible continuity of practitioner involvement with families to support relationship-based practice should be maintained.
Children habitually resident in another local authority area.
When a Child Protection Response eg a strategy meeting is required for a child who is habitually resident in another local authority area, the strategy meeting will be chaired by the CASS Team managers rather than the CP Inquiry Team Manager as we would not be allocating these children or undertaking the inquiry.
