1. Home |
2. Families |
3. Social care and health |
4. Child health and social care

• Social care and health
  • Child health and social care
    • Breaks for children's carers
    • Young carers
    • Children with disabilities
    • Children missing from care
    • Residential care for children
    • Young people leaving care
    • Concerns about a child?
  • Carers
  • Adults and older people
  • Benefit entitlements
  • Health and medical care
  • Your say
  • Support groups
  • Policies and reports
• Education and schools
• Caring for children
• Families Information Service

If you are a professional with concerns

If you are a professional, come in to contact with children as part of your work, or as a volunteer, you have a statutory duty and responsibility to safeguard children and therefore report any allegations or concerns about the welfare or safety of a child.  It may be that you have identified that a child or young person needs a service, or needs help or support. 

If you are concerned that a child is being harmed in some way, or is at risk of being harmed.  Any concerns should be reported, following your organisation’s Safeguarding Children Procedures. 

Knowsley uses the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to assess a child’s additional needs and decide how those are met.

The CAF must be used by all agencies and completed before making a contact to Children’s Social Care, unless there are clear and urgent child protection concerns when prompt contact should be made and a CAF forwarded within 48 hours .

Likewise, if at any time during the assessment immediate child protection concerns arise or the agency believe the child to be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm a contact should made to Children’s Social Care.

The reason for asking professionals to complete a CAF before deciding to make a contact to Children’s Social Care is so that the information held by the agency with the concern can be gathered in a comprehensive way (including from other involved professionals and the child and family themselves) and consent for a contact (if necessary) can be given. Once a CAF has been completed, it should be possible to determine whether the concern meets the threshold for a contact to children’s social care or whether the needs can be more appropriately met by other services.

What is a contact?

A contact is information sent to Children’s Social Care requesting services for a child or young person. The information is normally received by the Customer Services Assistant (CSA) in the Knowsley Access Team (KAT) or directly by a social worker. It is recorded electronically and sent to a manger to make a decision about what should happen next.

What is a referral?

Where a manager decides further information and action is required the contact will progress to a ‘referral’. An assessment must then be undertaken before a service can be provided. The assessment establishes whether the child is in need of social care services.

Timescales

A decision has to be made by a manager within 24 hours of the contact being received.  The decision may be:

• Close: no further action as the appropriate information or advice has been provided or it was an inappropriate contact/ referral
• Initial Assessment
• Core Assessment
• Section 47 (Child Protection) Core Assessment

Feedback

The referrer will be informed of the decision taken and the rationale within 24 hours of the contact.  In the event the referrer is a member of the public; feedback will be limited as the Authority has a duty to give due regard to the confidentiality/privacy of the children and their family in need, however, Children’s Social Care will take all contacts seriously.  The parents or caregivers and the child, if appropriate, will also be told a contact has been made and the outcome.

If the person making contact with Children’s Social Care is a professional and have not received any feedback within 48 hours they should contact their area their local referral and assessment team for an update.

What makes a good contact/referral?

• The contact should be about the child or your person – not in the name of the adult.
• Basic details are required e.g. full name, date of birth, address, family members, school, GP, Health Visitor, ethnicity, religion and who has parental responsibility. Not all of this information may be available at the time, however as much information should be collated as possible.
• The reason for the contact/ referral; the issue causing the person to make contact with Children’s Social Care and what services the referrer feels are needed by the child/ young person and their parent/ carer.
• Information on whether the child, or person with parental responsibility knows about the referral. Have you gained their consent to make the contact/ referral? Is consent in writing or given verbally? If not, please say why.
• Do you feel that the child or young person is at risk of significant harm, or likely to suffer significant harm?
• Jargon free, plain clear language

What to do if you are not sure whether to make a contact/ referral

• Talk to the designated professional within your agency or your line manager about your concerns
• Telephone the KAT and ask for the duty social worker – the contact numbers are highlighted below.

Knowsley Access Team (KAT) 0151 443 3868 or  3798. Fax 0151 443 4782.