Tameside Safeguarding Framework

Section 3 - Making Referrals

• What is a Referral?
• Who can make a referral?
• When should a referral be made to Children's Social Care?
• Consultation
• Pre-birth Referral & Assessment
• Referrals to Children's Social Care
• Referrals to Agencies other than Children's Social Care
• Recording
• Next Steps after Children's Social Care receive a referral
• Always consider this during the Referral process

3.1 Responsibility for the safety and welfare of all children in Tameside belongs to every parent, carer and practitioner and to everyone who lives in or visits Tameside; it does not belong to one person or to one agency alone. All of us are accountable for the way we respond to the needs of children. 

3.2 When anyone is thinking about what kind of response to make to a child's needs, they should refer to the Children's Needs Framework (see www.tameside.gov.uk/cypp). 

3.3 However, in all circumstances where it is believed that a child has suffered significant harm or is at risk of significant harm, Children's Social Care should be contacted immediately.

3.4 Children's Social Care is part of Tameside Council's Services for Children & Young People. Children's Social Care has the lead responsibility for further investigation and assessment of any concerns about harm to children. Therefore an appropriate response to such a concern about a child or young person is to make a referral to Tameside Council's Children's Social Care. 

3.5 However if there is uncertainty about whether a child has suffered, or is at risk of, significant harm then it is possible to consult with Children's Social Care in order to decide whether there is sufficient concern to make a referral. See Consultation below.

What is a Referral?

3.6 A referral occurs when a person tells someone who works for an agency that provides services for children and young people, (or for their parents and carers) information about a concern they have for a child's welfare. 

3.7 A referral also occurs where one agency passes information to another agency about a child and/or their parents/carers with a view to a service being provided.

Who can make a referral?

3.8 Anyone can make a referral.

When should a referral be made to Children's Social Care?

3.9 Practitioners in all agencies have a responsibility to refer a child to Children's Social Care when it is believed or suspected that the child: 

• Has suffered significant harm
• Is likely to suffer significant harm (i.e. is at risk of significant harm)
   

3.10 See Appendix 4 for further information about the definition of 'Significant Harm'.

Consultation

3.11 In cases where it is not immediately clear that a child has suffered, or is at risk of, significant harm, the Practitioner should discuss this, at the first opportunity, with their agency's designated child protection person, or with Children's Social Care or with the Police Family Support Team, to help them reach a decision that the concerns they have about a child are sufficiently serious for a referral to be made to Children's Social Care. 

3.12 If, as a result of the consultation, Children's Social Care conclude that a referral is required, then the referrer should comply by making the referral without delay. This referral does not have to use the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) (see section 5 for more about the CAF) although the information from the CAF, if one exists, may be useful in providing the required information. 

3.13 A referral should not be delayed by the absence of either a Common Assessment or the full information. If, as a result of consultation, Children's Social Care conclude that a referral is not required and the practitioner who contacts Children's Social Care does not agree then they should make this disagreement known to Children's Social Care as soon as possible and follow up immediately with a written statement of their concerns.

Pre-birth Referral & Assessment

3.14 Where agencies or individuals anticipate that prospective parents may need support services to care for their baby or that the baby may be at risk of significant harm, a referral to Tameside Council's Children's Social Care must be made as soon as the concerns are identified. 

3.15 See section 5 for further information about pre-birth referral and assessment.

Referrals to Children's Social Care

3.16 Referrals about children who are believed to have suffered, or be at risk of, significant harm should be made to Tameside Council's Children's Social Care if the child is in Tameside. 

3.17 When making a referral it is important that as much information as possible is given to the social worker. However it is more important that the referral is made, even if the referrer thinks that they do not have all the information required. Having a concern about a child is enough reason to make a referral. 

3.18 The referrer should be as clear as possible in making the referral what the cause for concern is, including details of any allegations, their sources, timing and location. 

3.19 Other useful information to be given in a referral also includes, 

• A Common Assessment, if this has been completed
• Full names, date of birth and gender of the subject child
• Family address and school/nursery attended
• Identity of those with parental responsibility
• Names, date of birth and gender of all household members
• Ethnicity, first language and religion of children and parents/carers
• Any need for an interpreter, signer or other communication aid
• Any special needs of the child
• Any significant / important recent or historical events / incidents in child's or family's life
• Child's current location and emotional and physical condition
• Whether the child needs immediate protection x Referrer's relationship and knowledge of child and parents/carers
• Details of person who is alleged to have either caused harm to the child or to have put them at risk of harm
• Known current or previous involvement of other agencies /practitioners, including Lead Professional
• Information regarding parental knowledge of, and agreement to, the referral
   

3.20 The referrer should tell the parent of the child, and the child also (depending on developmental age and understanding) about the referral unless to do so would put the child, or another child, at increased risk of significant harm. 

3.21 If the referrer is a practitioner or manager they should confirm verbal and telephone referrals in writing within 48 hours of the referral being made. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) provides a useful structure for the written referral but the absence of a common assessment should not delay the sending of the written confirmation (see section 5 for more information on the CAF). 

3.22 For all referrals to Tameside Children's Social Care, the child should be regarded as potentially a child in need, and the referral should be evaluated on the day of receipt (and no later than within 1 working day). A decision should be made regarding the next course of action and the referral acknowledged with the referrer within one working day of receipt. If this does not occur within three working days, the referrer should contact Children's Social Care again. 

3.23 However the referrer also has a responsibility to update Children's Social Care of any further developments in the child's circumstances.

Referrals to Agencies other than Children's Social Care

3.24 People sometimes choose to talk to practitioners from other agencies about their concerns, especially if they are unsure about the concern or if they have already had contact with the other agency. 

3.25 When a member of the public contacts any agency with concerns, about the welfare of a child or an unborn baby, the practitioner who receives the contact should always: 

• Gather as much information as possible, as set out above (Referrals to Children's Social Care), to be able to make a judgement about the seriousness of the concerns
• Explain the limits of confidentiality (see section 2)
• Discuss the case with their manager and the agency's designated child protection person to decide whether to:
• Make a referral to, or consult with, Children's Social Care
• Make a referral to the Lead Professional, if there is one
• Undertake a Common Assessment
• Record the referral during and immediately after the contact, with the detail of information received and given, separating out fact from opinion as far as possible
   

3.26 If a decision is taken not to refer or consult with Children's Social Care then this decision must be recorded, with the reason why, by the worker, as well as by the manager and/or the designated child protection person in the agency. 

3.27 The Practitioner should give the member of the public the telephone number for Tameside Children's Social Care and encourage them to contact Children's Social Care directly in future to share their concern about significant harm to a child. 

3.28 Individual members of the public may prefer not to give their name to the Practitioner. Alternatively they may disclose their identity, but not wish for it to be revealed to the parent/s of the child concerned. 

3.29 Wherever possible, Practitioners should respect the referrer's request for anonymity. However Practitioners should not give referrers any guarantees of confidentiality, as there are certain limited circumstances in which the identity of a referrer may have to be given, e.g. legal proceedings in the Court arena.

Recording

3.30 The referrer should keep a written record of: 

• Discussions with child
• Discussions with parent
• Discussions with their managers/designated child protection person
• Information provided to Children's Social Care
• Decisions taken (with time & date clearly noted, and signed)
   

3.31 The referrer should keep a copy of the written referral, confirming the verbal and telephone referral.

Next Steps after Children's Social Care receive a referral

Checking and Information Gathering

3.32 The Social Worker in Children's Social Care should gather information through: 

• Discussion with the referrer
• Consideration of any existing records for the child and for any other members of the household
• Involving other agencies as appropriate (including the Police if an offence has been or is suspected to have been committed; or probation if the child is at risk of harm from an offender)
   

3.33 This checking and information gathering stage must involve immediate assessment of any concerns about the child's health and development, or actual and/or potential harm, which justify further enquiries, assessments and/or interventions. 

3.34 This stage may also include making inter-agency checks. Further information on these is in section 5. 

3.35 Therefore, during this checking and information gathering stage the response to referrals may be: 

• No further action at this stage and signpost to other services
• Provision of services (e.g. through a Child and Family Meeting - see appendix 2), and/or
• A fuller initial assessment of needs (see section 5)
• A core assessment if indications exist that the case is particularly complex/severe or several initial assessments have previously been completed (see section 5)
• Emergency action to protect a child (see section 6)
• A s47 strategy discussion, where child and/or family are well known or the facts clearly indicate that a child protection enquiry (under s47, Children Act) is required (see section 6)
   

3.36 Where there is to be no further action by Children's Social Care, feedback should be provided to family and referrers about the outcome of this stage of the referral. 

3.37 In the case of referrals from members of the public, feedback must be consistent with the rights to confidentiality of the child and her/his family.

Always consider this during the Referral process

3.38 Personal information about non-Practitioner referrers should not be disclosed to third parties (including subject families and other agencies) without consent. 

3.39 The parents' permission should be sought before discussing a referral about them with other agencies, unless permission-seeking may itself place a child at risk of significant harm or jeopardise a criminal investigation. 

3.40 Interviews with family members (which may include the child) should be undertaken in their preferred language and, where appropriate, using a range of methods including non-verbal communication methods. 

3.41 A decision that social workers should discuss the referral with other agencies without parental knowledge or permission should be authorised by a Children's Social Care Manager, and the reasons recorded. 

3.42 Children's Social Care should make it clear to families (where appropriate) and other agencies that the information provided for this assessment may be shared with other agencies and contribute to the written form completed at the end of the assessment.

3.43 If it is not the Lead Professional who has made the referral then the referrer and Children's Social Care should decide who will inform the Lead Professional of the referral (where there is already a Lead Professional). 

3.44 The Children's Social Care Manager should be informed of any potential s47 enquiries and authorise the decision to initiate action. In most cases this will first involve an initial assessment, which may be brief when the threshold for child protection enquiries is met (see section 6 for further information on the threshold for s47 enquiries). If the child and/or family are well known to agencies or the facts clearly indicate that a s47 enquiry is required, it may be appropriate to hold a strategy discussion without undertaking an initial assessment. 

3.45 The threshold may be met for a s47 enquiry at the time of referral, following checks and information gathering or at any point of Children's Social Care involvement. In these circumstances the Initial Assessment will be incorporated into the Core Assessment. 

3.46 The Police must be informed at the earliest opportunity if a crime is believed to have been committed. The Police must decide whether to commence a criminal investigation and a discussion should take place to plan how parents are to be informed of concerns without jeopardising Police investigations. There are no circumstances in which it is justifiable to delay informing the Police when it is clear that a crime has been or may be committed. 

3.47 A Children's Social Care Manager must sign and approve the outcomes of a referral and ensure a chronology on the front of the file has been commenced and/or updated.