Multi Agency Levels of Need Guidance

Multi Agency Levels of Need Guidance

Guidance to help support children, young people and families in the county. Updated September 2021.

Introduction

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) requires the safeguarding partners to publish a threshold document which sets out the local criteria for action when an early help response and the criteria for making a referral to local authority children’s social care. Effective early help relies upon local organisations and agencies working together to:

  • identify children and families who would benefit from early help
  • undertake an assessment of the need for early help
  • provide targeted early help services to address the assessed needs of a child and their family which focuses on activity to improve the outcomes for the child

Local authorities, under section 10 of the Children Act 2004, have a responsibility to promote inter-agency co-operation to improve the welfare of all children The terms ‘early help’ and ‘early intervention’ are often used interchangeably, and this can cause confusion.

The Department for Education and Ofsted both use the term ‘Early Help’ and this has also been adopted by Worcestershire. The term refers to the support which is needed for children and families at the first sign of additional unmet needs, at any point in the child’s life from pre-birth through to 18 years. Providing the right help at the earliest opportunity can help to solve problems before they become more pressing and complex and avert the need for statutory intervention later on in their life.

This document is intended to assist professionals to make decisions about how to respond to the needs of the children, young people and families they are in contact or working with. It is not intended to be prescriptive or exhaustive or is a definitive way to open or close a gateway to a particular service or range of services. Every child and family are unique, and their needs should be considered on a case-by-case basis and decisions made using professional judgement, supported by this guidance

A shared responsibility

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, protecting them from significant harm, is dependent upon effective joint working between practitioners with different roles and expertise. Individual children, especially some of the most vulnerable children, may need co-ordinated help from a range of services such as police, health, education, children’s social care, youth justice services, and sometimes the independent or voluntary sector.

Practitioners who work for specialist services for adults, such as mental health or substance misuse services, should always consider the needs of any children and young people in the family. In particular the ability of parents or carers to meet the needs of the children but also to safeguard and protect children and young people from harm. This should always be a consideration when addressing an adult’s on-going care plan, treatment programme or discharge from their care setting into the community.

Making a professional judgement about levels of need

Professionals who work with children and young people make judgements about children’s needs every day as part of their core responsibilities and they will help children and families to access their agencies own resources as a normal part of their everyday work. In some situations, your agencies resources will not be sufficient or appropriate and consideration will need to be given to involving other partner or voluntary agencies with the agreement of the child, young person, or family. In many cases this will involve engaging one other agency to provide a specific service or meet a need. In other cases, more than one other agency might need to be involved, but it is still a straightforward process in engaging other services to work together with the family as part of a multi-agency early help offer.

However, as a child’s situation becomes increasingly complex, or professionals become more concerned about emerging risks or vulnerability, a more structured approach will be required to co-ordinate how agencies work together, how they engage with the family and how they ensure they keep the child at the centre of their approach.

Learning from case reviews suggests that when several agencies are involved it is especially important to ensure that professionals talk to each other, share information and fully understand each other’s roles in order to avoid assumptions being made about what information is known and who will do what and by when.

A number of agencies provide specialist services and have statutory responsibilities. When a child is assessed as having level 4 needs and becomes a Child in Need, including a child in need of Protection, or a Looked After Child as defined by the Children Act 1989, the Local Authority has a statutory duty to that child which includes working with partner agencies in a co-ordinated way. Other specialist services for example is Youth Justice when a child has committed an offence and CAHMS mental health services when a child has an acute mental health need.

When making these decisions, the following questions are generally found to help:

  • What additional needs does this child have?
  • What is the child and young person telling me?
  • What is their Parent / carer saying about the situation?
  • Is this something I can support them with or help them access?
  • Who can work with me or help me support this child / young person?
  • Who is already involved with the child / young person or parents /carers?
  • Is this a child at risk or likely to be at risk of serious harm?
  • Is the child a Child in Need as defined by the Children Act 1989? This includes children in need of
    protection.

Any professional who considers that a child needs multi-agency help or support should always consider discussing this with their safeguarding lead or a line manager/supervisor. Professionals may wish to discuss this with a colleague from another agency who is also involved with the child or family to gain a better understanding of the child’s situation before deciding on a course of action. This should generally be with the consent of the child, if appropriate, or the family.

If you believe a child is at risk of significant harm, the child must always be referred to children’s social care without delay.

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