Role of Lead Professional

Children and young people who require integrated support from more than one practitioner should experience a seamless and effective service. This is most effectively delivered when one practitioner takes a lead role - to ensure that services are coordinated, coherent and achieving improved outcomes.

The Lead Professional Role

A Lead Professional: acts as a single point of contact for the child or family.

A lead professional is a practitioner with whom a child, young person and/or family has, or can have, an effective working relationship: someone they can trust; and, who can engage the child/young person in making choices and navigate their way through the range of services.

Lead Professionals will expect any practitioner involved in the Child and Family Meeting to take active responsibility for their role in a multi agency action plan created to improve outcomes for the child/young person.

Note: A Lead Professional is neither responsible nor accountable for ensuring other practitioners complete tasks they have agreed.

Who should be the Lead Professional?

In most cases the lead professional will be identified from amongst the group of practitioners around a child/young person. She/he should be identified through discussion and agreement with the other practitioners and by taking into account the wishes of the child/young person or family

The following criteria may be useful in reaching a decision:

• A statutory responsibility to lead work with a child, young person and their family
• The main needs of the child/young person, and a practitioner with responsibility for working with a child, young person and/ or family to meet such needs
• The wishes of the child, young person and/or family
• The level of trust built up with a child, young person and/or family
• A previous or existing professional relationship with the child, young person and/or family
  

Documents

• Lead Professional
• Lead Professional and Schools  
• Lead Professional - Managers' and Practitioners' Guide