Early Help Strategy

“Wakefield is a great place to grow up”

Document Status: Final

Version Number: V0.13
Created: June 2016
Printed:
Review

Reviewed by Name Organisation Date

Service Director Integrated Helen Sweaton WMDC 29th July 2015

Locality Working

Corporate Director John Wilson WMDC 1st September 2015

Children’s Services

Portfolio Holder for Children Olivia Rowley WMDC 1st September 2015
and Young People

Senior Management Team Stephen Crofts WMDC 1st September 2015

Integrated Locality Working Sally Williams
Lorraine Wood
Tamsin Mohans
Wakefield Youth Maria Green-Lynch WMDC 29th September 2015
Development & Support
Service

Children’s Transformation Stephen Hindmarch WMDC 22nd October 2015

Programme

BEST Corporate & Service WMDC 28th October 2015

Directors

Partnerships Service Manager – Claire WMDC 30th October 2015

Elliot

Quality Assurance Officer Rachel Hodges WMDC October 2015

Councillor Maureen Cummings WMDC 4th November 2015

Safeguarding Children’s Edwina Harrison WDSCB 19th January 2016

Board

Independent review Tracey Sparkes (on behalf of WDSCB) 12th February 2016

Stakeholders Various April – May 2016

Approval

Approved by Name Organisation Date

2
Document History

Version Summary of Changes Document Date

Status published

V0.01 DRAFT N/A

V0.02 Amendments from John Wilson DCS and SMT DRAFT N/A

V0.03 Amendments from Maria Green-Lynch DRAFT N/A

V0.04 Amendments to action plan DRAFT N/A

V0.05 Amendments to action plan DRAFT N/A

V0.06 Addition of summary re Continuum of Need DRAFT N/A

V0.07 Amendments to narrative DRAFT N/A

V0.08 Amendments to action plan and addition of What really DRAFT N/A
matters

V0.09 Comments received from Rachel Hodges, Quality DRAFT N/A

Assurance Officer

V0.10 Amendments to reflect the Wakefield District DRAFT N/A

Safeguarding Children’s Board development session
regarding the Continuum of Need.

V0.11 Amendments to document structure DRAFT N/A

V0.12 Inclusion of links to WEP, CSP and Health and Wellbeing DRAFT N/A

V0.13 Amendments made to reflect stakeholder comments DRAFT

received during consultation/ engagement events

3
Contents

Contents

Section Content Page Number

Foreword 5
Introduction 6
Section 1 Our Commitment to Early Help 7
The Partnership Pledge 8
Section 2 The strategy 9
Our Vision 9
Strategic Objectives 10
National and Local Context 11
What it will look like 12
Access to Early Help 13
Section 3 The Services 13
Continuum of Need 13
Wakefield Early Support, Advice, Information and Liaison 14
Integrated Early Help Hubs 14
Section 4 How we will know we’ve made a difference 15
Outcomes for Children and Young People 15
Governance 15
Glossary 17
Appendices 19

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Foreword

Welcome to Wakefield and District Early Help

Strategy and Pledge 2016 - 2019. The document is set
within the context of Wakefield Council’s District
Outcomes Framework and identifies the partnership’s
commitment to Early Help. The Early Help Strategy
and Pledge lays out our offer in order to Safeguard
Children at all levels as required by Working Together
to Safeguard Children 2015.

Our Early Help services are based on Wakefield’s Continuum of Need for children and young people.
This will encourage agencies to work together, organise services on level of need and to improve
outcomes for children, young people and families.

We will work to the District Outcome Framework’s vision to ensure that we protect children at risk,
support children who need help earlier in their lives and help our disadvantaged children do better
at school. To deliver this, we aim to ensure that:

• We know about every child in the district and understand their risks and ambitions
• We all work together to ensure that every child’s ‘flight path’ leads to a successful
destination
• We all take personal responsibility for ensuring children are safe
• Every Child gets the worker they need
• We can demonstrate that we provide outstanding value for money

This Strategy and Early Help Pledge is underpinned by staff from across all agencies having the
knowledge, skills and abilities to identify and engage with children and families to assess their needs
and build relationships. Staff will be able to motivate positive change, manage risk and know when
to refer to social work services to safeguard and protect. Through robust governance and clear
performance management, our commissioners will be clear about what they want and ensure that it
is delivered.

We know that working together we can identify children early to ensure we keep them safe, support
their families and transform their lives.

Edwina Harrison, Independent Chair of the LSCB.

5
Introduction

This strategy sets out Wakefield District’s commitment to children and young people; it is a
commitment shared by everyone who works with children, young people and their families.

In Wakefield Early Help is not a service, it is an

approach and together we have made clear in this
strategy; What our ambitions for all children and
young people are; What we need to deliver to
ensure they are safe and fulfil their positive
ambitions; How we will ensure we deliver services
to support them and their families and
communities and How we will know we’ve made a
difference.

What Early Help means?

Early Help may be needed at any point in a child’s life, although research shows it is important
during a child’s early years as they begin to develop it is also important as children are growing up
and becoming adults. Early Help is about providing support quickly whenever difficulties emerge to
reduce the impact of problems.

Often help and support comes from family and friends and universal services everybody accesses
like Health Visitors, School’s and Doctors. When events and circumstance occur which mean
children and families are more vulnerable, a coordinated programme of support is usually best,
based on a CAF assessment, with a Lead Professional who the family know and trust. Lead
Professionals can access support and a range of targeted services for children and families through
the Early Help Hub in their area. Support can also include specific help through group work
interventions. Children and families with complex needs can access support directly from the Early
Help Hub who will use the signs of safety approach to put the child and the family at the heart of the
decision making.

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Why Early Help is important?

Wakefield is ambitious for our young people; we want to make sure that our children are happy,
healthy, safe, supported and achieving their potential. We know that the vast majority of parents,
carers, families and communities want the very best for their children and we know that everyone,
at some point in their lives needs help.

The Wakefield Together Partnership wants to make sure services are delivered for all children and
families that need help, at the earliest opportunity and in the right places. Together we will make
sure that Early Help is delivered through joined up services to those who need it most, in the right
way, at the right place and time through an improved Early Help Offer.

Services in Wakefield are committed to working together in partnership to provide Early Help and
services which predominantly work with children, young people or adults are now taking a ‘Whole
Family’ approach with a shared understanding of the difficulties and a shared aspiration to achieve
better outcomes for children, young people and families

Who is the Early Help Strategy for?

This strategy has been developed for the benefit of local children, families and communities, service
providers (anyone who works with children, families and communities whether they are paid or not)
and people who commission (pay for) services.

It has been developed in line with the requirements in the OFSTED single inspection framework and
local priorities outlined in the Wakefield Together District Outcomes Framework.

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Section 1: Our Commitment to Early Help

1.1 The Children Act 2004 states that local agencies, including the Police, Health and
Education should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 states that the provision of early help
services should form part of a continuum of help and support to respond to the
different levels of need of individual children, young people and families.

1.2 Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 identifies the potential need for early
help for:
• Children with disabilities (any child or young person who is disabled under the
Equality Act 2010)
• Children with special educational needs (as defined in the Education Act 1996)
• Young Carers
• Children showing signs of engaging in crime or anti-social behaviour
• Families whose circumstance present challenges for their children e.g. adult
mental health problems, domestic abuse, substance abuse
• Children showing early signs of abuse or neglect

1.3 Part 3 of The Children and Families Act 2014 and the statutory guidance Special
educational needs and disability code of practice: 0-25 years states that agencies,
services and institutions must work together to:
• Identify all children with disabilities and those with special educational needs
• Fulfil the local authority responsibility for all children with disabilities and those
with special educational needs
• Promote integration and joint commissioning
• Assess, secure and review provision for all children with disabilities and those
with special educational needs
• Publish The Local Offer

1.4 Some services are provided universally to all children and families. This is Level 1 of the
Continuum of Need. Where needs are identified, individual services and universal
services may be able to take swift action and provide early help at Levels 2 and 3.
Wakefield has seven Integrated Early Help Hubs designed to give structure and
governance to the provision of early help at Levels 2 and 3. For more complex needs at
level 3 of the Continuum, the Integrated Early Help Hubs will provide a more intensive
approach and will coordinate early help services to the family. A minority of children,
young people and families will require intervention at Level 4 due to very high levels of
need, risk of significant harm or entry into the criminal justice system.

1.5 This continuum has been agreed by the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board
and by the Wakefield and District Safeguarding Children Board and will be used in all
settings that provide services for children and young people.

1.6 Every child or young person in the Wakefield district children deserves the opportunity
to achieve their full potential.

1.7 Focusing on improving and sustaining outcomes is the key to improving children and
young people’s wellbeing

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1.8 Wakefield District Safeguarding Children’s Board have pledged to deliver to a set of
principles which underpin our Early Help approach. These should be read alongside the
continuum of need (Appendix B).

Wakefield Together Partnership Pledge

• Early Help is an approach NOT a service

• We all work with children and families so we all need to understand our Early
Help approach
• Never do nothing – at the very least have a discussion with another practitioner
to help find a way forward
• Practitioners have discussions safely within the joint working information
sharing agreement, discussions will be recorded to ensure that the agreed
detail has been captured, confirmed and shared.
• Early Help involves shared decision making between practitioners, families and
children to avoid duplication or working in isolation
• When we identify vulnerable children and families, we act early before the
situation or the problem becomes worse
• Children and Families can ask anyone working with them for help
• Anyone working with a vulnerable child or family will begin to assess the need
and identify how help should be provided
• Early Help is explained to children and families in a way that is easy for them to
understand to ensure they make informed choice about receiving help
• When receiving coordinated Early Help, families are entitled to an assessment
and a plan that is regularly reviewed to meet their needs.
• Assessments lead to actions being identified and support networks being
created to improve outcomes for children and young people which are set out
in a plan
• Assessments and Plans demonstrate children and families have been part of the
process
• Plans identify the goals needed to address the problems. The plan will say what
is working well and what the worries are. Planning is SMART (specific,
measurable, agreed, realistic and with timescales).
• One practitioner working with the family acts as the lead practitioner. They
lead on making sure the plan works. They invite others back to review the plan
as required.
• Families have access to evidenced based services as close to home as possible.
• Families are supported to become independent, once improvement is made
and sustained for an agreed time, services will reduce and end their
involvement.
• When Early Help isn’t working and practitioners do not agree they refer to the
dispute resolution policy for guidance and gain support for themselves through
their own service.
• Young people are referred for group work interventions to help them with
issues which if unaddressed may lead to them not achieving their potential.
• Detached teams are deployed to areas where specific needs/issues have been
identified.
• Early Help is provided by a skilled and effective workforce supported by
appropriate leadership and management

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Section 2: The Strategy

2.1 Our Vision

By 2018 we know all children are safe.

We protect children from harm and grow their resilience to ensure Communities in the
Wakefield District achieve the best possible outcomes for themselves and their families,
facilitated by co-ordinated services, provided as close to home as possible.

Our commitment:
• We know about every child in the district and understand their risks and ambitions
Information sharing which enables us to understand our children, families and
communities so that we can target and provide services to those most in need and those
most difficult to reach. An Early Help Offer which reduces the need for children to have
protective services in their lives, reducing the use and cost of acute and reactive services
• We all work together to ensure that every child’s “flight path” leads to a successful
destination
To enable practitioners across different disciplines to work collaboratively and in
partnership with families and children using the signs of safety strengths based
approach to assess, manage and prevent risk. Coordinated quality services which take a
‘whole family’ approach to improve the safety, health and wellbeing of vulnerable
children and their families, from locations within the area that are accessible.
• Every child gets the worker they need
A skilled and effective workforce provides the right support to children and families at
the right time.
• We all take personal responsibility for ensuring children are safe
A smooth transition when children and families need more or less support through a
shared understanding of the continuum of need (Appendix B) and a good step up/ down
process. We learn and improve every day.
• We can demonstrate that we provide outstanding value for money
Through transformation and integration to be confident children’s services are fit for
purpose, efficient and represent excellent value for money.

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2.2 Strategic Objectives

The Wakefield Together Partnership brings together all partners who contribute to a safe,
healthy and prosperous District. Strategic direction and democratic leadership is provided
by the Local Services Board, responsible for setting the district-wide objectives to tackle the
district’s most pressing challenges.

Providing good quality Early Help is a priority for the Children and Young People’s
Partnership Board and is reflected through the priorities for the Health and Wellbeing Board,
Community Safety Partnership and Wakefield’s Enterprise Partnership. This partnership
priority contributes to the following District Outcomes (Appendix C):

Modern Public Services

• Make sure partners work more closely together within communities
• Do more together so what partners do costs less
Ambitious for our Young people
• Protect children who are at risk
• Support children who need help earlier in their lives
• Help our disadvantaged children do better in school
Caring for our People and Caring for our Places
• Support people to smoke less and exercise more
• Reduce adult and youth re-offending
• Tackle domestic abuse and improve support for victims
• Help people to overcome the biggest barriers to work

In order to ensure we deliver the District Outcomes we have identified five key Aims to ensure:
• We know about every child in the district and understand their risks and ambitions
• We all work together to ensure that every child’s ‘flight path’ leads to a successful
destination
• We all take personal responsibility for ensuring children are safe
• Every Child gets the worker they need
• We can demonstrate that we provide outstanding value for money

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2.3 Common across a number of Government reviews (Munro, Marmot, Tickell, Allen, Field) and
policy developments including The 2015 “Working Together to Safeguard Children” statutory
guidance is the importance of providing help early in order to improve outcomes for
children, young people and their families, with concerns that range from helping parents
achieve the aspirations they hold for their children to preventing abuse and neglect.

Subsequently and in support of these reviews, the Government has continually emphasised
the importance of multi-agency working and early intervention in many policy areas,
including:
• The Early Intervention Grant
• The Child Poverty Strategy
• Introduction of the Troubled Families Programme
• Expansion of the Family Nurse Partnership
• The Health Visiting ‘Call to Action’ Programme

2.4 Wakefield - The district covers 350 square kilometres and almost
three quarters of the district is rural. The district is divided into 7
areas and 21 wards.

Population - The population of the district is 329,708 and is expected to grow to around
357,200 by 2023. Approximately 76,481 children and young people under the age of 19 live
in Wakefield (22% of the total population). Although there were 4055 births in Wakefield in
2014 the population is aging, with improved life expectancy resulting in a greater proportion
of the population being made up of older people. A growing proportion of the population
come from a non-white British background, in 2014 7.2% of the population are from a
minority ethnic group. Wakefield experiences a high rate of change in population diversity.
The Polish community are now a larger BME group in Wakefield than people of South Asian
origin, historically Wakefield’s largest BME population.

Deprivation – Wakefield is more deprived that the average area. More than 12% of the
population (around 40,000 people) live in neighbourhoods identified as being amongst the
top 10% most deprived in the country.

Child Poverty – Current figures show that in Wakefield 25% of children under 16
experience child poverty. In every ward in Wakefield more than 10% of the children
experience child poverty, in five wards more than 30% do.

Mental Health – 45% of Employment Support Allowance claimants in Wakefield identify

mental health as their work limiting illness. During 2013 there were 960 emergency
admissions for self-harm.

A detailed needs analysis demonstrating the different needs in each of the areas across the
Wakefield district was undertaken to inform the report: A Better Service For Children &
Young People (The Integrated Early Help Offer) and its recommendations. This has been
further updated to formulate our Children and Young People’s Joint Strategic Needs Analysis
(JSNA).

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2.5 Wakefield has a committed partnership providing children’s services through a range of
public, private, voluntary, independent and community sector organisations.

When there is a worry or a concern that a child will be harmed it is everyone’s responsibility
to do something to help them. Lots of people in Wakefield, including those working in
Children’s Services, tell children’s social care when they are worried about a child.

Wakefield receives 3 times as many contacts at our front door than other authorities with a
similar population. In 2012 an independent reviewer told us too many children in Wakefield
had a social worker. Lots of children had a social worker because they needed co-ordinated
help and support. The Local authority asked universal children’s services to coordinate the
help and support for children and families when children’s social care were not worried
about them. Universal children’s services told the local authority they didn’t always feel this
was their responsibility and that they were worried they didn’t have the time, training and
support to do this well. The local authority developed integrated Early Help Hubs to help and
support children and their families in local communities. As well as providing some of these
Early Help universal services the hubs have teams providing whole family support. When
children don’t need a social worker but co-ordinated support provided by universal services
is not meeting their needs, anyone can have a conversation with the Early Help Hub. If
needed, an early help practitioner from the hub will work with the child and their family.

2.6 What will it look like?

• Integrated multi-agency teams are accessible in each of the seven areas of the Wakefield
District to provide the right services for children, families and communities in the right
place, at the right time.
• All services using the signs of safety framework to take a whole family approach to
assessing and addressing need at the earliest opportunity.
• Commissioners work together with robust governance; we are clear about what we
want and make sure it is delivered.
• We have practice standards and workforce development to support all staff to deliver
good quality services
• We have excellent service delivery across all commissioned and local authority services
evidenced through Performance Management and Quality Assurance
• Cross partnership information is informing our decision making, prioritisation and risk
management
• We listen to feedback from all stakeholders including children and families and this
informs what we do
• We have an effective communications plan so everyone is clear and understands about
Early Help

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2.7 Access to Early Help

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 states that children, young people and
families may need support from a wide range of local agencies. Where a child, young
person or family would benefit from coordinated support from more than one agency
(e.g. education, health, housing, police etc.) there should be an inter-agency
assessment. This is achieved by using the Common Assessment Framework, MY Support
Plan, Education Health and Care Plan or the signs of safety assessment tool called the
Early Help Assessment.
For an early help assessment to be effective it should:
• Involve children and families
• Are child centred and focus on the needs and views of the child
• Are holistic in approach, addressing the child’s needs within their family and
wider community
• Build on strengths as well as identify difficulties
• It should be focussed on the outcomes that are desired for the child, young
person or family
• Are a continuing process, not a single event
• Lead to action, including the provision of services
• The plans implemented as a result of the assessment should be reviewed in line
with the desired outcomes
Early Help Assessment will be undertaken by a lead professional who should:
• Provide support to the child, young person or family
• Act as an advocate on their behalf
• Coordinate the delivery of support services

Decisions about who should act as lead profession should be made on a case by case
basis and should be informed by the child and their family as well as discussion about
who is best placed to undertake this role effectively.

2.8 Insert visual flow chart

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Section 3: The Services

3.1 The Wakefield continuum of need and service provision

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

•Universal - •Univeral Plus - •Co-ordinated - •Specialist- Children

Children or children or Children and whose health or
families whose families with Families who need a development is
needs are being additional needs coordinated significantly
met or whose that can be met by programme of impaired due to
needs can be a single agency support from more compromised
met by providing than one agency parenting or whose
universal additional support using the family needs require acute
services or by signposting CAF/ MY Support services or care away
to an additional Plan/ Education from their own
agency Health and Care home
Plan/ Early Help Plan

3.2 The Wakefield District Families Information Service (FIS) is provided and delivered by
Wakefield Council. The FIS is able to provide families (and the other professionals working
with them) with information on a wide range of subjects such as parenting and relationships,
childcare, physical and mental health, sports, play and recreational opportunities, support
services for young people, and much more.

From a single point of contact, we provide free, impartial, advice and support to parents to
be, parents and carers who would like to access childcare or other services and support for
families.

3.3 The ‘Local Offer’ is to help people to easily find information about the services,
activities and support available in the local area for children and young people with Special
Educational Needs and/or Disabilities and their families. This information will include Health,
Social Care, Education, Leisure and information from charities and support groups and is
available for anyone who may need to use it.

The Local Offer was developed by a

working group made up of Parents, the
NHS, Wakefield Council, the
Voluntary/Community Sector, Schools,
Colleges, the Connexions Service and
WeSail using the views of service users,
professionals and the technical
expertise of shop4support.

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 3.4 Wakefield Early Support, Advice, Information and Liaison (WeSail) for families with
Children with Special Educational Needs and/ or disabilities

WeSail includes Wakefield's Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and
Support Service (SENDIASS). The role of a SENDIAS service is to provide access to free,
accurate and impartial information, advice and support about matters relating to special
educational needs and/or disability including issues related to health, education, social care
and around personalization & personal budgets.

WeSail also manages the Information Network, this is for families of disabled children and
provides the Local Authority with a register of disabled children in its area. Members of the
Information Network receive the News and Views Newsletter quarterly and other relevant
information.

WeSail provides Early Support through a district wide Designated Keyworker Service. Parents
of disabled children can benefit from a Designated Keyworker, who can act as a coordination
point for getting the right support in place, giving advice, information and emotional
support. The WeSail service can also offer targeted support from a team comprised of staff
from other agencies, including Family Services, Connexions and NHS Wakefield. This multi-
agency team contribute to the advice and information offered by WeSail and can also offer
specific short term support

3.5 The Integrated Early Help Hubs

The Integrated Early Help Hubs (Integrated Early Help Hub) are designed to provide
additional structure and governance to the provision of early help to families in the
Wakefield District and to ensure that professionals offering early help are supported to
provide the right services to families at the right time.

There are seven Integrated Early Help Hubs, one in each of the local Areas of the Wakefield
District.

The Integrated Early Help Hubs will integrate a variety of early help professionals and
services in locality based hubs where they can work closely together to provide support to
families across the entire continuum of need. The Integrated Early Help Hubs will enable
these professionals to work jointly together and to support and learn from each other.

Each Integrated Early Help Hub will also be able to develop close links with other services in
their area including the local schools and voluntary sector groups as well as specialist and
targeted services including the Safeguarding and Family Support Service Locality
Safeguarding Teams. These close links will ensure that support to families is coordinated and
should enable the level and intensity of service provision to increase or decrease with the
family’s needs.

Professionals located in or linked to the Integrated Early Help Hub will provide support
across the entire continuum of need from universal services right through to Level 4.

At Level 3 of the continuum, where early help provided by professionals at a lower level e.g.
CAF has not resulted in the desired outcomes, the Integrated Early Help Hub will assume
responsibility and will take the lead role in coordinating the services to the family.

16
Section 4: How we will know we’ve made a difference

4.1 We have agreed a set of outcomes that ‘really matter’ for our children and their families.
These are linked to the District Outcomes and the Aims described in the Early Help Action
Plan, so that we can measure our progress towards achieving them.

In delivering this strategy we will know:

• Children develop secure attachment

• Children display safe and age appropriate attitudes and behaviours
• Children develop a sense of identity and social and emotional skills
• Children and families are confident to talk about any health worries they have and
can find and access services.
• Children develop their potential to fulfil positive ambitions
• Adults in families engage with support to address, avoid or mitigate the barriers
associated with substance or alcohol use.
• Adults in families have developed the skills required for employment including self-
management and problem solving
• Adults in families have a sense of purpose and positive aspirations
• Children and Young People actively and positively engaged in nursery, school or
college and the local community
• Children and have improved self-confidence and communication skills
• Children and families have strengthened support networks
• Children and Young People are able to avoid or mitigate the experiences of being
bullied, being left open to abuse or engaging with gangs.
• Our communities embed an understanding of good relationships in childhood and
adolescence
• Survivors of domestic abuse receive support based on their individual needs to
enhance their wellbeing
• Fathers are a positive part of family life

4.2 This strategy has been approved by the Wakefield District Safeguarding Children’s Board on
behalf of the children and young people of Wakefield. The delivery of an effective Early Help
approach is not the responsibility of a single agency. It requires a whole family approach
owned by all stakeholders working with children, young people and families. These include
Health, Police, Probation, Education, Adult Services, Housing and Private, Independent,
Voluntary and Community Organisations, Job Centre Plus, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

Working Together 2015 states that providing early help is more effective in promoting the
welfare of children that reacting later. Working Together 2015 requires local agencies to
work together to identify children and families who would benefit from Early Help,
undertake an assessment of the need for early help and provide targeted early help to
address the assessed needs of children and families.

17
To support the implementation of Early Help a Transformation Sub group reporting to the
Children and Young People’s Partnership Board will be the main delivery vehicle for
implementation of the strategy. The Children and Young People’s Partnership Board will
monitor progress against the strategic objectives on a quarterly basis. The Children and
Young People’s Partnership Board is responsible for reporting to Health and Wellbeing
Board, Community Safety Partnership and Wakefield Enterprise Partnership.

Governance will be provided by the Local Services Board via the Children and Young People’s
Partnership Board. Scrutiny and challenge will be provided by ‘Wakefield District
Safeguarding Children’s Board’ and the ‘Ambitious for our Young People Overview and
Scrutiny Committee’.

The Wakefield District Safeguarding Children’s Board will challenge the Children and Young
people’s Partnership Board on the effective delivery of the strategy via regular performance
reporting.

Children’s Children & Young People

Safeguarding Partnerships Board

Board

The Transformation
programme Board

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Glossary

For the purposes of this strategy we have used the following definitions:

Vulnerable: the term used when a child or family is at risk of experiencing one or more poor
outcomes without the provision of additional help and support.

Early Help: the term used to describe our approach and a range of interventions that are provided to
respond to the needs of children, families and communities in Wakefield early in the life of a
problem

Universal Services: Services available to all children, families and communities across the Wakefield
District such as schools, health visiting, GP, a number of groups delivered by the voluntary sector and
so on.

Continuum of Need: The Wakefield Thresholds Criteria are described in the multi-agency continuum
of need which provides a guide to the levels of need for children, young people and families using a
continuum to acknowledge that children can have different levels of need at various stages in their
lives, and that with the right help at the right time they can usually be returned to support at a lower
level. The continuum of need was developed with partnership working and agreement, followed by
formal endorsement by the Wakefield District Safeguarding Children’s Board.
The agreed levels of need are:
Universal – Level 1: Children, young people and Families whose needs are being met or
whose additional needs can be met by universal services

Universal Plus – Level 2: Children, young people and families who need extra support that
can be provided by universal services or can be met by signposting to another service

Early Help – Level 3: Children, young people and families who need a coordinated
programme of support. Some of these children and young people are likely to require
statutory intervention at Level 4 if their difficulties are not addressed at Level 4.

Specialist and Protective Services – Level 4: Children who are in need or have suffered or
are likely to suffer significant harm as a result of physical/verbal abuse, neglect, exploitation,
maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape and other types of aggression . Children who
present a risk of serious harm to themselves or others. Children who require a statutory
intervention as a result of offending. Children who have acute health needs or disability
requiring significant medical interventions.

Signs of Safety: The approach the Wakefield Children’s Partnership has collectively agreed to use to
provide help and support to children and families across all levels of the continuum of need. ‘Signs
of Safety’ provides an evidenced based framework recognised as strengths based approach
alongside an exploration of danger and risk to enable practitioners across different disciplines to
work collaboratively and in partnership with families and children.

Common Assessment Framework (CAF): The assessment framework used by universal services to
coordinate early help at Level 3 of the Continuum of Need. This assessment utilises the ‘signs of
safety’ approach and is aligned to the Early Help Assessment and the Single Assessment.

Early Help Assessment: The assessment framework used by Wakefield Council Early Help
practitioners to coordinate early help at Level 3 of the Continuum of Need when CAF support cannot
improve and sustain outcomes. This assessment utilises the ‘signs of safety’ approach and is aligned
to the CAF Assessment and the Single Assessment.

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Single Assessment: The assessment framework used by Wakefield Council Safeguarding and Family
Support practitioners to assess risk and coordinate statutory support at Level 4 of the Continuum of
Need. This assessment utilises the ‘signs of safety’ approach and is aligned to the CAF Assessment
and the Early Help Assessment.

ASSET: The assessment framework used by Wakefield Council Youth Offending Team practitioners
to assess risk and coordinate statutory support at Level 4 of the Continuum of Need.

MY Support Plan: The assessment and planning tool used by universal services to coordinate
support when a child or young person is identified as having extra needs as a result of special
educational needs or disability at Levels 2 and 3 of the Continuum of Need.

Education Health and Care Plan: The assessment and planning tool used by the Special Educational
Needs Assessment and Review Team (SENART) when a child or young person is identified as having
extra needs as a result of special educational needs or disability and the MY Support plan cannot
improve and sustain outcomes.

Integrated Area Working: the term used to describe partnership working in one of seven
geographical areas (Appendix A).

Early Help Hub: the term used to describe a building where partners are integrated to deliver
services within each geographical area (through co-location or partnership working arrangements).

Group Work: an offer to young people to help them address specific identified vulnerabilities.

Detached Work: an offer to work with young people in their own environment, helping them to
make positive choices.

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Appendices

Appendix A: Map of the seven areas in the Wakefield District

Appendix B: Continuum of Need Practitioner Guidance

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Appendix A

Map of the seven areas in Wakefield District

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Appendix B

Continuum of Need Practitioner Guidance

Practitioner Guide

(Thresholds) Level 1-4; Universal, Universal Plus, Coordinated Support, Specialist and Protective Services
at a glance

The purpose of this document is to establish a common language and definition across all levels of the continuum to support multi-agency
practitioners to identify an individual child’s, young people and/or family’s/carer’s level of need.

When the needs of a child and their family are met they will achieve the outcomes identified in the Early Help Strategy, examples of these are provided in
this guidance as desired outcomes.

Most children and families will have their needs met with support from extended family, friendships, their community and via access to universal services.
Some children and families will require additional help and a very small minority will need intervention aimed at protecting them from significant harm.
The Children Act 1989 & 2004 necessitates an assessment process where priorities of need can be identified.

Where it is felt that a child, young person or families has needs that are beyond the remit of universal services alone the Common Assessment
Framework, MY Support Plan or Education Health and Care plan should be used as a means of identifying the level of need.

This guidance identifies indicators which provide examples of what you might see, suggested actions to take and wherever possible a description of the
agencies/ services who may be able to help. The indicators listed are examples only and can never replace professional judgement, analysis and
discussion. The continuum assumes that it will usually be a combination of criteria that will determine the level of concern, rather than any one indicator.

If a practitioner has reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering, or is at immediate risk of suffering significant harm they must make an immediate
referral to Social Care Direct who will ensure the Joint Investigation Team or Emergency Duty Team undertake an investigation under Section 47 of The
Children Act. It is especially critical that appropriate referrals are made to Children’s Social Care to ensure the safety and well-being of children and
young people in Wakefield.
Universal
Description Examples of what you might see
Children, young people The indicators listed below are
and Families whose examples only and are not intended to
needs are being met or be a comprehensive list. The
whose additional needs indicators can never replace
can be met by universal Universal services include:
professional judgement and analysis.
services
These children, young people and families
have no additional needs other than those
which are provided by universal services
for example relating to health or
education.
This includes:
• Immunisation and vaccination
• Routine health visiting services
• Housing needs
• Positive youth activities
• Neighbourhood policing
• Supporting the community with
accident prevention initiatives, healthy
eating and obesity
• Supporting the community to provide
cleaner, safer neighbourhoods
• Providing help to find employment
• Supporting the community to reduce
anti-social behaviour e.g. by
implementing alcohol exclusion zones
Action to take
At this level needs are met by parents,
carers and communities and by universal
services
• Antenatal support via midwifery
• New baby support via Health Visitor
• Baby groups, “stay and play” groups
etc.
• Early Years Library
• Child-minder support and advice on
childcare
• Advice on benefits
• Advice on school enrolment
• Schools and out of school provision
• Community/ Voluntary Sector Groups
• Private and Independent sector
services
• School Nursing
• General Practitioners and other
universal health services
• Neighbourhood policing
• Jobcentre Plus
And many others…….
Desired outcome
Children and young people are:
• Physically, emotionally and sexually healthy
• Looked after by parents or carers who
promote healthy and safe choices
• Not affected by avoidable hospital admissions
as a result of health, accidents etc.
• Safe from abuse, neglect and exploitation
• Ready for school and able to attend and enjoy
school and achieve educational milestones
• Achieve developmental milestones in
accordance with their potential ability.
• Are ready to participate in appropriate
employment, education or training after
leaving school
• Safe from bullying, maltreatment,
exploitation, discrimination & non-accidental
injury.
• Safe from criminal or anti-social behaviour
and do not take part in it either.
• Confident and taking part in leisure, sporting
and social opportunities
Parents:
• Provide a safe, supportive home
• Provide age appropriate boundaries
• Promote healthy life-style choices.
• Promote positive behaviour
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Universal Plus
Description Examples of what you might see Action to take Desired outcome
Children, young people The indicators listed below are examples Consider using CAF Assessment as a means The overall outcome from activity at level
and families who need only and are not intended to be a of identifying the level of need*. 2 is that the child and family are provided
extra support that can comprehensive list. The indicators can with appropriate support to enable them
be provided by universal never replace professional judgement and “Universal Plus” means that a family’s to achieve the outcomes described in
services or can be met needs can be met by a universal service Level 1 developing their potential to fulfil
analysis.
by signposting to offering extra support within its own remit positive ambitions.
another service or by signposting to another service.
• Children and young people with emerging
Universal Plus can be provided by many
health or developmental problems for
different services including:
example relating to diet and nutrition, dental
health etc.
• Health Visiting support
• Wakefield Early Support, Advice,
• Children with disabilities who require help/
Information and Liaison for families
signposting to leisure activities and/or peer
with Children with disabilities
groups/ social activities to provide social
• Community/ Voluntary Sector Groups
inclusion
• Private and Independent sector
services
• Children and young people with isolated or
unsupported carers • Extra learning support
• Money and debt advice
• Children and young people who need • Family Learning
support due to mental or physical health • Help to find work
difficulties • 1:1 family support and home visits
• Healthy lifestyle support e.g. weight
• Children and young people requiring management, smoking cessation etc.
additional educational support e.g. • Substance and alcohol support
behaviour, emotional or social difficulties • Adult support services

• Children and young people who have brief

and occasional episodes of unauthorised * Some agencies and services that provide
absence from their home support at Level 2 of the Continuum of
Need will require a CAF assessment to have

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Universal Plus
Description Examples of what you might see Action to take Desired outcome
• Children and young people who live in been undertaken prior to referral. This will
households where there has been parental help the service to ensure that the child,
conflict young person or family meets their criteria.
Some services may undertake a CAF
• Young people who need support or advice in themselves or offer support to others to do
relation to housing this.

• Young people who are starting to experiment

with substances

• Children and young people who have parents

in custody

• Children and young people who are involved

in anti-social or nuisance behaviour in their
communities

• Children and young people who are NEET or

at risk of becoming NEET

• Parents who need support to deal with low

level domestic conflict or substance misuse

• Parents who are struggling to manage their

children’s behaviour

• Parents who need support to maintain school

attendance

• Parents or carers who are affected by low

level mental, physical or learning disabilities

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Universal Plus
Description Examples of what you might see Action to take Desired outcome
• Parents or carers needing support with
finances

• Parents or carers who need support to

improve hygiene or safety in the home

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Co-ordinated Support
Description Examples of what you might see
Children, young people The indicators listed below are examples
and families who need a only and are not intended to be a
coordinated programme comprehensive list. The indicators can
of support led by a never replace professional judgement and
Universal Service
analysis.
• Children and young people with multiple
Level 2 indicators
• Children with disabilities, who require
substantial assistance to take part in leisure
activities, spend time with their peer groups/
social activities to provide social inclusion
and develop independence, choice and
control.
• Parents/carers/ siblings of Children with
disabilities who require assistance to engage
in personal leisure activities not appropriate
for their Child with disabilities and/or to give
uninterrupted time attention to themselves/
other dependents
• Parents/ carers of Children with disabilities
who require a one off/ time limited short
break in an emergency because their capacity
to care is temporarily exhausted.
• Children and young people whose parents
need coordinated support to meet their
child’s needs as a result of illness, mental
Action to take Desired outcome
Professionals should utilise the family The overall outcome is that following the
Common Assessment Framework, MY early help and support and access to
Support Plan or Education, Health and Care appropriate services the child and family
assessment to establish a holistic plan for gain resilience and achieve the outcomes
the family that is aimed at reducing the identified in their plan developing their
level of need. potential to fulfil positive ambitions.
NB some agencies and services who provide
support at Level 3 of the Continuum of
Need will require a CAF assessment to have
been undertaken prior to referral. This will
help the service to ensure that the child,
young person or family meets their criteria.
The Wakefield Risk and Resilience
Frameworks and similar tools can support
the measurement of changes in risk and
resilience.
The Education, Health and Care panel** can
be referred to for support with identifying
appropriate provision for Children with
disabilities and their families/ carers.
In cases where a young person may be
vulnerable to CSE the West Yorkshire CSE
Risk Assessment should be used to assess
need and risk.
Involve other services** to work alongside
agencies to provide coordinated multi-
disciplinary support aka a “team around the
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Co-ordinated Support
Description Examples of what you might see
health or learning difficulty or disability
• Children and young people with increasingly
severe behavioural, emotional and social
difficulties
• Children and young people with prolonged or
acute absence from school
• Children and young people who are at risk of
becoming homeless
• Children who have previously been subject to
a Child in Need or Child Protection Plan and
whose parents need support to help them
maintain progress in the longer term
• Children and young people who are
consistently not accessing universal services
and are therefore “invisible” to agencies
• Children and young people whose health is
being impaired as a result of health
appointments not being kept
• Children and young people whose parents
are unable to meet their basic needs as a
result of extreme poverty
• Children and young people who are at risk of
becoming involved with crime or anti-social
behaviour
Action to take Desired outcome
family”.
Support children, young people and families
to engage with targeted services
Coordinate multi-agency meetings to
review progress with the family.
Where the Integrated Early Help Hub is
identified as the lead professional they will
provide intensive support through specialist
skilled workers as well as coordinating the
support offered by partners outside the
Integrated Early Help Hub.
**Support on how to refer to other
agencies and Education, Health and Care
panel can be accessed through the
Integrated Early Help Hubs and/ or
Wakefield Early Support, Advice,
Information and Liaison for families with
Children with disabilities
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Co-ordinated Support
Description Examples of what you might see Action to take Desired outcome

• Families who have frequent neighbour

disputes or are reported for nuisance
behaviour or are reported for ASB or issues
regarding physical the state of their home

• Victims of ASB and crime including racial

abuse or other hate crime

• Children, Young people and families

previously supported by specialist services
where the risk of harm has reduced, who
continue to require intensive and
coordinated support to ensure they are not
likely to suffer significant harm.

• Children, young people and families whose

needs have not addressed despite
coordinated support using the family CAF,
MY Support Plan or Education, Health and
Care plan

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Specialist and protective services
Description
Children who have acute
health needs requiring
significant medical
interventions.
Children with complex
medical conditions life-
limiting conditions or
terminal illness.
Children who are in need
or have suffered or are
likely to suffer significant
harm as a result of
abuse, neglect or
exploitation.
Children who present a
risk of serious harm to
themselves or others.
Children who require a
court ordered youth
justice intervention as a
result of offending.
If you see…
The indicators listed below are examples
only and are not intended to be a
comprehensive list. The indicators can
never replace professional judgement and
analysis.
Examples could include:
• Children or families whose needs have not
been addressed despite intensive and
coordinated support at level 4, as detailed
in the step up process
• Children or young people who need
intensive support packages due to complex
disability or health issues
• Children and young people with chronic ill
health or life-limiting conditions
• Children and young people who are not
able to live at home due to complex, life-
threatening or terminal illnesses
• Children with special educational needs or
disabilities who require overnight respite
care provided by the local authority
• Parents/ carers of Children with disabilities
who require regular short breaks to
maintain their capacity to care.
• Children and young people whose
parents/carers are unable to provide care
Action to take… Desired outcome
If you have reasonable cause to suspect a The overall outcomes from activity at level
child is suffering, or is at immediate risk of 4 are that the level of risk to the child is
suffering significant harm you must make reduced to the point at which the child is no
an immediate referral through Social Care longer likely to suffer significant harm.
Direct who will ensure the Joint
Investigation Team or Emergency Duty When the risk of harm to the child has
Team undertake an investigation under reduced and the family continue to require
Section 47 of The Children Act. intensive and coordinated support to
maintain progress it is expected that
Children with needs at Level 4 may require services will be “stepped down” to lower
higher level, coordinated services from levels of support.
agencies including the council, police,
health, education and other partners. In some cases where this is not possible the
outcome is likely to be that alternative
Those with chronic and serious health arrangements are made for the care of the
needs are likely to be in receipt of medical child for example in specialist medical
intervention including hospital admissions. provision, with family members or within
The Children with Complex Care Needs the Looked After Children system.
Team is a specialist social work team that
offers social work assessment and support
to disabled children, young people and their
families. Referrals to the Children with
Complex Care Needs Team must be made
through Social Care Direct.
Those whose needs are as a result of abuse,
neglect, exploitation, who present a risk to
themselves or others or who have been
involved in offending are likely to require a
specialist intervention from the
Safeguarding and Family Support Service or
if they have entered the criminal justice
system, from the Youth Offending Team.
32
 whether for physical, social, intellectual or
emotional reasons, where evidence
suggests the child is at immediate risk of or
is suffering from significant harm. N.B.
these could include unborn babies
• Children and young people who have
suffered or are likely to suffer significant
harm as a result of sexual, physical or
emotional abuse by an adult or a child
• Children and young people who are at risk
of significant harm due to chaotic or
multiple substance misuse issues
• Children and young people who have
suffered or are likely to suffer significant
harm due to sexual exploitation or violence
within a relationship
• Children and young people who have
entered the criminal justice system
• Children and young people whose
behaviour presents a serious risk to
themselves or other
• Young people aged 16 and 17 who are
homeless and require the council to provide
accommodation
Children may be subject to Child Protection
Plans or may be in the care of the Local
Authority including in specialist therapeutic
or secure facilities.
Dependant on the circumstances, actions
may include:
• Seeking emergency medical
treatment by calling an ambulance.
• Seeking advice from your
designated worker or child
protection lead.
• An urgent referral should be made
to the Police if a child, young
person or adult is in immediate
danger
• If you feel a child has suffered
significant harm you have a duty to
refer to the Safeguarding and
Family Support Service.
If you are referring to the Safeguarding and
Family Support Service you must provide
evidence of the support that has been
provided to the family such as CAF
documentation and/or plans and reviews
The referral should be followed up in
writing within 48 hours
Those families with serious crime and
domestic abuse can be referred to the
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MARAC or in some cases will be dealt with
through MAPPA arrangements.

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35