3.1.1 Cheviots Children's Disability Service

SCOPE OF THIS PROCEDURE

This chapter should be read in conjunction with the Direct Payments Policy and Practice Guidance.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Safeguarding Disabled Children: Practice Guidance

Introduction
Referrals to Cheviots
Initial and Core Assessments
Available Services
Procedures for Implementing, Monitoring and Reviewing Approved Plans of Support in the Community

1. Introduction

The Cheviots Children’s Disability Service (see Contact Details Appendix) provides services to disabled children in Enfield.

Cheviots accepts referrals where the disabled child meets the criteria for their services, (see Section 2, Referrals to Cheviots for the referral criteria for the service).

Services can be provided or support arranged at various levels. Access to specific resources can be accessed only with the approval of the Centre manager or Team manager.

2. Referrals to Cheviots

Cheviots will accept referrals in relation to disabled children who meet the following criteria.

A referral will be accepted in relation to a disabled child if he or she has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term effect on his or her ability to carry out day-to-day activities. This may include physical disability, hearing or visual impairment, learning or communication difficulties. It includes children with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, as well as children who are chronically sick or terminally ill.

The referral criteria do not include children diagnosed with ADHD, or children diagnosed with ADHD who may have some moderate learning difficulties as a result. However, if a child has been diagnosed with a global learning disability and has ADHD then he or she will meet the criteria.

The criteria do not include children with emotional and behavioural difficulties or children with mental health problems. However, if a child has a dual diagnosis of learning disability and mental health problems, he or she will meet the criteria.

Upon referral to Cheviots, the duty worker will request information in relation to the child’s medical diagnosis for consideration by the Centre Manager or Team Manager in order for a decision to be made as to whether there is sufficient evidence that the child in question may come within the above criteria and therefore justify an acceptance of the referral.

3. Initial and Core Assessments

Upon acceptance of a referral, a worker from Cheviots will undertake an Initial Assessment and, where appropriate, Core Assessment, in accordance with the Procedures contained in Part 1 of the Manual.

Following assessment, the child and family will either be provided with services directly from Cheviots or be referred to another appropriate agency or service provider.

Priority is given to those children with the highest level of need. All unmet need is reviewed and monitored. Social work support may continue to be provided from Cheviots.

The following factors will influence of the outcome of the assessment and determine the level of the child and family’s needs and the level of resource required to provide support:

Where the child’s condition is life limiting
Whether there is more than one child in the family with a disability
The number of children in the household
Whether the parent suffers from any disability or mental health problems
Whether the parent has a drug dependency problem
Whether the child has a school place and/or is excluded from school
Whether the family live in temporary or inappropriate housing
Whether the child is cared for by a single parent
Whether the child is Looked After or the subject of an Adoption Order
Whether the child is the subject of a Child Protection Plan or where there are child protection concerns

This list is not exhaustive and there may be other factors in individual cases, which affect the outcome of the assessment. A combination of factors will impact on the likelihood of family breakdown and therefore determine the prioritisation of the allocation of resources.

The worker will take the conclusions of his or her assessment to her/his manager for discussion. The manager may approve, amend, or refuse the recommendation for the allocation of resources, or may ask for more information to be gathered, either in a specific area, or through a Core Assessment.

Once the proposed package has the necessary managerial approval, the worker will complete a Children's Plan, specifying the details of the package to be provided.

4. Available Services

4.1 Advice

Cheviots will at any point in its contact with a child or family give advice on universal or specialist services.

Cheviots will also advice on the Direct Payments Policy and Practice Guidance.

4.2 Inclusion on the Disability Network

At the point of the Initial Assessment, the family will be given information about the Disability Network (Register of Children and Young People with Disabilities as required by the Children Act 1989) and asked if they wish to be included on the Network. It is a voluntary inclusion. The purpose of the Network is to provide information about disability issues affecting children and their families on a regular basis, through regular meetings and newsletters, which are generally held/sent once every school term.

4.3 Other Services Accessed By Initial/Core Assessments

Referral to a specialist agency or resource
This is where such a referral requires a specialist service, for example to the SCAN Service.
Casework
Cheviots will work with both parents/carers/siblings and children:
- To explore the nature of the disability
- To explore its impact upon their own lives and the lives of people close to them
Package of support in the community
Cheviots ensures that services are provided in a timely way and are of significant intensity to minimise the potential impact of the child’s disability both on the child and his or her family

Services included as part of packages of support are:
- Home Care
- Home Sitting
- Holiday Play Schemes - run both at The Cheviots Centre and by voluntary agencies
- After-school and weekend Activity Groups run throughout the school term
- Siblings Groups
- Independent Counselling Service
- Short Breaks - with family-based respite carers or residential respite as appropriate

The eligibility criteria for these services are:

The child meets the criteria for Cheviots – see Section 2, Referrals to Cheviots.
The outcome of the assessment will determine the level and intensity of provision and identify the most appropriate service provider

Where short breaks in respite foster care are considered necessary, the foster carers must have been assessed and approved in accordance with the Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure, except that the assessment of the foster carers will be carried out by, or under the supervision of, the Short Break Coordinator, who is based at Cheviots.

The services to be provided will be set out in a Children's Plan and subject to regular review (see Section 5.6).

4.4 Looked After Services

This may be necessary where the child has suffered a family breakdown or is likely to do so if the service is not provided; and attempts at support within the family network and additional community support services have proved unsuccessful

If a decision is made that the child should be Looked After, the procedures set out in Part 3 of the Manual should be followed.

N.B. Looked After placements may require the approval of the SEN Panel, Placement Panel or Complex Issues Panel (see Placement Procedures)

5. Procedures for Implementing, Monitoring and Reviewing Approved Plans of Support in the Community

5.1 Child and Young Person Information Profile

Where the child is to receive support services, the child’s social worker will complete a Child Information Profile. The Profile contains information about the child, his or her needs and requirements as well as parental consents to activities, any necessary medical treatment and the appropriate sharing of information.

The purpose is to provide a full picture of the child to be used as part of a general and manual handling risk assessment. See also Activities and Transporting Children Procedure.

The information contained in the Profile must be shared with any service provider involved with the child. The Profile should be reviewed and amended where necessary as the child’s needs change and/or the services change.

5.2 Implementing Short Breaks in Foster Care

Once the plan for Short Breaks has received managerial approval, the child’s social worker should complete a Short Break Application and a Child Information Profile (as described in 5.1 above). The social worker should also ask the family if they would be prepared to make a short video recording of the child. If they agree, the family should be provided with a video camera on loan, with accompanying instructions for filming. On completion of the filming, the parents should be asked to return the camera and to consent to the film being shown to prospective carers.

The completed Form, Profile and film should then be passed to the Short Break Coordinator for the matching process to take place.

The Short Break Coordinator, in consultation with the Cheviots manager, will review the application against possible placements, contact prospective carer(s) and liaise with the child’s worker as necessary, where further information is required. In the interim, the child’s name will be placed on the waiting list.

If a carer considers that he or she could care for a particular child, the social worker should arrange to visit the carer.

If it is considered that the carer or carers would be appropriate to care for the child and the carer(s) confirm their interest, a plan for a phased introduction will be made. The purpose of the introductions is:

For the child, family and carer(s) to get to know each other
For the carer(s) to learn everything they need to know about the care and management of the child and to feel confident about the caring for the child
For the child to be happy about visiting the carer(s)
For the child’s family to have confidence in the carer’s ability
For the workers involved to be clear that the carer(s) have all the resources, equipment and support required

At the end of each stage of the introduction plan, the child’s social worker should speak to the child and the family, and the Short Break Coordinator should talk to the carer(s) so that all parties have the chance to reflect and voice any concerns before moving on to the next stage or even to withdraw if need be.

The child’s social worker must remember that the welfare of the child is his or her sole concern and he or she must be completely confident that the child is happy to be with the carers.

If the introduction plan is successful, a planning meeting should be held to agree the detailed plan for the short breaks – building up to the agreed level. A written agreement (in a standard format) will be completed and signed by the parents, carers and the child’s social worker.

In addition, prior to the first overnight stay, the same documents should be drawn up for the child as for any Looked After Child - namely, a Care Plan, Placement Information Record and Referral and Information Record – see Decision to Look After and Care Planning Procedure. The social worker should also complete a Form 4A (Notification of Child Being Looked After or Change of Circumstances).

When the child is placed, the child’s social worker should visit and record the visit as set out in the Social Work Visits Procedure.

Where a child is already Accommodated in foster care and has short break placements with different carers, there must be a separate Care Plan and Placement Information Record for each arrangement, although the same Profile and Referral and Information Record can be used.

At every stage of any short break arrangement, the child’s worker should liaise with the child and the family, and the Short Break Coordinator should liaise with the child’s social worker and the carer(s). This will enable the early identification of any potential difficulties and the need for amendment and/or review.

5.3 Implementing Short Breaks in Residential Care

Once the plan for Short Breaks has received managerial approval, the child’s social worker should contact the Short Break Coordinator, who will contact and identify a suitable residential provider. The Coordinator will arrange visits for the child and the family and if the provision is considered suitable, the child’s social worker will complete a Short Break Application Form for a Residential Service.

A planning meeting will be held to agree the details of the short break placements, sign the contract and set a date for the first review (after the third stay).

When the child is placed, the child’s social worker should visit and record the visit as set out in Social Work Visits Procedure.

Where a child is already accommodated and has short break placements in residential care, there must be a separate Care Plan and Placement Information Record for each arrangement, although the same Profile and Referral and Information Record can be used.

5.4 Recording the Plan

Once a Children’s Plan is approved, the child’s social worker will notify the Cheviots’ administrative staff, who will enter the details on the child's electronic recording system.
The administrative staff will notify the Finance section, who will arrange for payments as necessary to service providers.

5.5 Monitoring the package

In relation to all packages of support, the worker will visit the family within the first four weeks of the package commencing and thereafter as agreed with manager, to ensure that the package is working well.

The worker will agree action with his or her manager where any complaints about the quality of the service are received, and consult with his or her manager if in her/his opinion the components of the package need revision.

5.6 Reviewing the Plan

Short Break placements will be reviewed within three months of the first stay and thereafter, six-monthly, and will be chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer. Otherwise the review will take place within three months and thereafter annually and be chaired by the Cheviots Manager or a Team Manager.
The venue can be the child’s home, carer’s home, residential home or The Cheviots. Prior to the Review, the child’s social worker will complete the Review of Arrangements Form and gather any completed Consultation documents in preparation for the meeting. All those invited should have a copy of the completed Review of Arrangements Form before the review meeting. Future Review dates will be set at each review, but where this is not possible, it is the responsibility of the child’s social worker to ensure that a Review occurs within the required timescale.
Where the package of support is part of a Child Protection Plan within the Children's Plan, the Reviews will take place within the Core Group meetings or at a Child Protection Review Conference.
Otherwise, reviews of packages of support will follow the procedure set out in e. to h. below.
Before the due review date, the administrative staff will remind the child’s social worker that a review is due.
The child’s social worker will visit the family, and with them, examine each component of the package, and its relationship to their needs.
The child’s social worker will write a report with recommendations, together with an amended support package if necessary, and will discuss it with her/his manager. The Review will confirm or amend it as necessary, and the Chair will countersign it.
The child’s social worker will action any amendments to the support package, and will notify the child and family of the amendments.
In all cases, arrangements should be made wherever possible for the child to attend the Review. If not, the child’s social worker should consult the child and ascertain his/her views, if at all possible.
The outcome of any Review should be recorded on a Review Form, signed by the Chair and a copy should be sent to the child and the family and any others involved in the provision of services, for example the carer or provider. The signed copy will be scanned into the child’s record.

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