1.2.1 Contacts and Referrals

1. Contacts

Duty Social Workers must distinguish a Contact and a Referral. This enables them to decide, on first receiving information relating to a child:

Whether this information meets the criteria for a Referral see Section 2, Definition of a Referral;
Whether the enquiry can be resolved by providing information and advice;
If the information simply needs to be recorded for future reference.

Contact is the first step in the system for all cases, so while all Referrals are preceded by a Contact, not all Contacts will lead to a referral.

The criteria for accepting Contact information are that the information must as a minimum:

Relate to the needs of a specific child at levels 2 to 4 of the Knowsley model of children in need; and
Contain sufficient information to create a record of a specific child in ICS- in practice this can be as little as an approximate age, as other details such as name and address can be entered as "unknown" - but obviously as much identifying information as is available should be recorded. The child concerned would ordinarily live in Knowsley or be resident for a period of time;
If information received from an external source does not meet these criteria the information should not be recorded as a contact and the person providing it should be advised that it is not being recorded.

In all other cases, at the point when an Initial Contact is made, the duty worker should establish whether the enquiry can be dealt with by the provision of information and advice or re-direction to other agencies or services.

Information is received by the Customer Services Assistant (CSA) in Knowsley Access Team (KAT). (Reference Crib Sheet Guidance for CSA's).

On receiving information the CSA will search ICS to see if the child or family is known or currently open. (See Section 1.1 ICS Guidance).

Where the child is not known, the CSA will record the information on a Contact within ICS, recording the date and time the information was received, and all the basic information relating to the child, young person and their family. It is important to ask appropriate questions to fully complete the Contact, including ethnicity, language, religion, details of parents and siblings and extended family where possible.

Where the person providing the information is a professional, they must be asked to send a copy of the completed Common Assessment Framework (CAF) within 24 hours and advised should they not receive any feedback to make enquiries as to the outcome within/in 72 hours.

All professionals providing information to CSC should also be asked whether they have advised the parent or person with Parental Responsibility that they were intending to do so, and also enquire whether they have obtained signed consent for this to take place and for information to be shared (unless they are of the opinion that the child is or is likely to be at risk of significant harm). (Reference Guidance regarding Information Sharing and Consent).

Unless the person providing the information refuses to give it, their telephone number or other details of how they may be contacted, must be included in the Contact record.

Where the caller is a professional they cannot remain anonymous. However where the caller is a member of the public, neighbour, family or friend of the child, young person or family, the CSA must establish with the caller whether they wish to remain anonymous.

The CSA will then assign the Contact to the Duty Social Worker tray. (Reference KAT procedures and flow chart).

If the contact relates to Domestic Violence, reference must be made to Domestic Abuse Procedure of the Knowsley Safeguarding Children Board Manual.

If the Contact is accompanied by documentation (e.g. letter, CAF) this should be copied into the body of the Contact record. The actual document should be scanned and attached to the child's record in ICS by the Business Support Assistant/Customer Service Advisor.

The Duty Social Worker picks up the Contact record and undertakes the following actions:

Correct (in conjunction with the CSA) the information recorded on the contact, where required, for example typographical errors, spelling mistakes, confused information;
Where the child or family have not been known previously, double check ICS against the parents details, dates of birth and address, as well as using the % to check on spelling;
Read / take note of any historical involvement in relation to the child(ren) and parents / extended family and record in the contact;
Establish whether there are ay issues which need to be explored or clarified?
Telephone the referrer to check on the information or to ask further questions;
Has the professional / person making the referral advised the person with parental responsibility that they are making the referral?
Has the professional making the referral sought consent from the parent / carer and can they fax this over?
Obtain CAF or query why this has not been completed;
Signpost to other agencies where appropriate;
Record actions taken and information on contact;
Complete contact;
Make clear recommendation, supported by reasons;
Send to Duty CSCM via ICS.

The possible outcomes of a contact are as follows:

Progress to a referral;
Link to an existing referral;
Provide information/advice;
No Further Action.

Knowsley's threshold criteria will be applied in making this decision with only contacts at Level 3 or 4 being accepted as referrals. Where the contact does not meet the criteria for Children’s Social Care, and a CAF should be considered this will be referred to the CAF co-ordinator and the referring agency. See Knowsley Eligibility Criteria.

Where a case does not meet the threshold for progression to a referral, the duty officer will signpost relevant community resources.

The Duty CSCM reviews the information recorded in the Contact record and makes a decision as to whether they are able to make a decision. Where further information is required, the Contact record will be rejected and returned to the Duty Social Worker.

Where the Duty CSCM disagrees with the Duty Social worker’s recommendation, they will either reject the Contact record or advise the Duty Social Worker what further information they require or change the recommendation and authorise to progress.

Where the Duty CSCM agrees with the Duty Social Worker’s recommendation they will authorise the Contact record and progress to one of the possible outcomes (see 1.16).

Where the outcome is No Further Action and a CAF or Universal Support is required, the CSCM will reassign the contact / referral to the CAF Work Tray. The CAF Team will record the details of the child, record on case notes that they have received the information and reassign back to the CSCM for closure to CSC.

Where the child is known, the CSA will advise the caller that there is an allocated social worker. The CSA will record the information as a Contact and reassign to the responsible CSCM. This information will be recorded on ICS.

The CSA will record the date and time the information was received, and check the basic information already recorded on ICS.

New information should be recorded as a Contact where it relates to a new service request or information not previously known and would require a reassessment of the child’s needs, for example an allegation of abuse or a request for the child to be accommodated.

The responsible CSCM will authorise the Contact choosing an outcome from one of the options outlined above.

Contacts Under Specific Circumstances

Notifications of possible evictions will be sent by Knowsley Housing Trust at the stage where they are issuing Notice Seeking Possession. This would normally indicate that a lot of work has been undertaken with the family and they have not responded therefore placing the children at risk of being homeless and therefore in need of a child in need assessment. (Reference Eviction Notification Process).

Where information is received which relates to a complaint, and the Local Authority is not currently involved, this should be recorded as a Contact. The outcome of the Contact record is likely to be ‘provide information and advice’, with a record that a copy of the information has been sent to the Directorate Complaint Officer (DCO). This will then be allocated to the appropriate manager to investigate. (See Section 1.7 ICS Guidance).

Where information is received which relates to a complaint, and the Local Authority is involved, this should be recorded as a Contact. The contact should be assigned to the Responsible Manager. The outcome of the Contact record is likely to be ‘link to existing referral’. The responsible CSCM should notify the DCO. (Ref: Complaints Procedure - To Follow).

Where information is received which indicates that a child is or is likely to be at risk of significant harm, a visit must be undertaken within 24 hours of the Contact being received. The Duty CSCM will ensure that the relevant Referral and Assessment Team are notified of the information received and confirm who will undertake the visit. (Ref Guidance around Knowsley Access Team (KAT) Co-located Services).

Where information is received, which indicates an allegation or expresses concerns in respect of a Child Minder, the duty social worker must undertake a check with Early Years Services and record this information in the contact. The contact must then be copied to the LADO in QAU and forwarded to the Duty CSCM as per the process outlined above. The LADO will consider whether KSCB Allegations Management Procedures should be followed and a strategy meeting held. Consideration at each stage of the process should be given to notifying Ofsted, the regulatory body for child minders, that an allegation has been made.

Where information is received from another Local Authority that a child subject to a child protection plan has moved into the area, this is not recorded as a contact. The caller should be notified that notification must be in writing and the contact details of the QAU provided.

Where CAFCASS wish to establish whether a child, young person or family are known to Children’s Social Care, they normally do this in writing. The letter should be recorded as a contact and ICS checks undertaken. The pro forma submitted by CAFCASS should then be completed by the Duty Social Worker and approved by the Duty CSCM before returning to CAFCASS. NB where a child, young person or family are known to CSC, the CAFCASS officer should be invited to view the records by appointment, and provide evidence of their identity.

Where Knowsley Legal Department receive Court Directions in respect of private proceedings, they should contact the Knowsley Access Team to establish whether the child, young person or family are known and or currently allocated to a social worker. The CSA will record the information on a Contact Record, which will be dealt with either by the Duty CSCM or the Responsible SCSM.

Where the Statement of Educational Needs Team request information in relation to either the Initial Assessment process or subsequent reviews of the Statement of Educational Needs, a Contact should be taken by the CSA. Where the child is allocated to a social worker, the contact should be assigned to the Responsible Manager. Where the child is not known the Contact should be processed as per all other Contacts (See SEN Guidance Front Line Duty - To Follow).

Where information is received which relates to a child or young person at risk of harm through gun and gang activity and / or associated serious youth violence, giving consideration to whether this relates to gun and gang activity by young people / adults that presents a safeguarding risk to children in the same household, young people under age 18 who because of their direct involvement / associations with gun and gang activities and / or associated serious violence are themselves at risk of being harmed or young people under age 18 who because of their direct involvement / associations with gun and gang activities and / or associated serious violence are a risk of causing harm to other children and young people the following process should be followed. The agency raising the concern should determine what type of concern there is and the level of risk. For immediate urgent situations the referrer should call 999. Where the risk is low, consideration should be given to universal services via CAF. Where the risk is medium, high or imminent, agencies should notify Children’s Social Care to share their concerns. The Police would then be notified via KAT processes regarding the information received. (Ref: Safeguarding Children and Young People Affected by Gun and Gang Activity and Associated Serious Youth Violence).

2. Definition of a Referral

A referral may be defined as a request for services to be provided by Children's Social Care in respect of:

A child who was not previously known to the Division; or
A child who was previously known but the case has been closed.

Professionals who are unsure as to whether their concern about a child should result in a referral of safeguarding concerns to Children and Families Social Work Teams will consult with the designated professional within their own organisation.

Where further advice or consultation is necessary, the Duty Social Worker within Knowsley Access Team will provide this. KAT Duty Social Worker 0151 443 4061 / 0151 443 4306. The purpose of the consultation is to assist the potential referrer in deciding whether or not to make a formal contact / referral to Children’s Social Care.

Guidance is available via the Leaflet ‘How to Make a Referral’ (Ref: Leaflet).

As stated, all referrals will start as a Contact Record. The Duty Social Worker will undertake the appropriate work and recommend an outcome to the Duty CSCM.

Where the Duty CSCM agrees that the Contact should progress to a referral, they may request further information or direct the Duty Social worker to undertake further checks.

The Duty Social Worker will complete the work and reassign the referral to the Duty CSCM who will:

Scrutinise the referral to ensure all necessary information has been obtained and actions undertaken;
Return and request further information;
Authorise the referral;
Transfer the referral to the relevant Assessment Team or Children With Disabilities CSCM for allocation.

The Duty Manager's decision and actions in respect of the referral must be completed within 24 hours of receipt of the referral.

A request from a court for a report in respect of a child in one of the above groups should be treated as a referral. Where the child has an allocated social worker the request may be recorded as a Contact and linked to the existing referral.

Messages, enquiries, notifications and requests for information are not referrals and should be recorded as 'contacts'.

All referrals to Children's Social Care, including those that raise issues of Significant Harm, will be responded to within the terms of the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, except referrals for Applications to foster or adopt, including notifications of intention to adopt received from step-parents or other non-agency adoptions (see Non Agency Adoption Procedure - To Follow), where the children are not in need. This information relates to Adults and would therefore be directed or received by the Fostering or Adoption team.

3. Consent to Referrals

Subject to exceptions (see below), referrals should be received only with the knowledge and informed consent of at least one person holding Parental Responsibility (a parent) and the child (who is Fraser Competent). Where the referral is from a professional, they should be asked whether they have discussed the information with the parent or person with parental responsibility and child (where age appropriate) and whether they have received verbal or written consent. Where written, signed consent has been obtained this should be faxed or scanned and sent via e-mail.

Subject to exceptions (see below), further information should be sought from other agencies only with the knowledge and informed consent of a parent and the Fraser Competent child.

Where the referrer has concerns regarding the ability of the parent or carer to give consent they should undertake a Mental Act Capacity Assessment (Ref Mental Act Capacity Guidance).

Exceptions may be made in those cases where there are concerns of Significant Harm and where it appears that seeking parental and/or the child's consent to the referral may increase the risk to the child and/or prejudice any Police investigation. In these cases, referrals should be accepted and information sought from other agencies as appropriate without consent; however, the issue and timing of information sharing with parents and children should be discussed and agreed during the initial Strategy Discussion. See 4.5 of the SCB Procedures, The Strategy Discussions and Strategy Meetings.

Other than in the circumstances above, if consent to a referral is withheld by the parent the outcome of the referral should be recorded as NFA by the DSW and will then pass to the team management by Workflow for authorisation, clearly recording the reason for this recommendation. (See Consents Guidance).

4. Timescale for Decision about Response within 1 Working Day

There is an expectation that within one working day of a referral being received or new information being received about an open case, there will be a decision about what response is required. This should be confirmed in writing to the referrer.

NB The time must be recorded on all Contacts and Referrals, including outcomes, and this is achieved by typing ‘now’ in the date box.

5. Decision Making and Action on Referrals

The Children's Social Care Manager is responsible for making a decision within one working day and ensuring that the referrer is informed of that response. (NB If the referrer does not receive a response within 3 working days; he or she should contact Children's Social Care again). NB This decision will be based on:

The information in the referral;

Information from other agencies where there are concerns about significant harm;
Where practicable and appropriate, discussion with the referrer;
Knowsley Eligibility Criteria;
Services available without an assessment; and
Previous information about the child and/or family from historical records;
Relevant demographic / relationship information.

The Duty Social Worker should consult previous records and referrals.

The Children's Social Care Manager should be satisfied that the Contact / Referral is appropriate, i.e. that it is a request for services to be provided by the Children and Family Division in respect of a child who may be a Child in Need and that, except in referrals that include concerns of Significant Harm, a parent and the competent child have consented to the referral being made.

If consent has not been secured, and the referral does not appear to include concerns of Significant Harm, the Children's Social Care Manager should return the Contact / Referral to the Duty Social Worker requesting they contact the referrer to discuss the omission. If, following this discussion, the Children's Social Care Manager concludes that the referral cannot be accepted without consent, s/he should ensure that the referrer is informed in writing. (See Consents Guidance).

Otherwise, the decision of Children's Social Care Manager will be one of the following:

Provision of information and advice;
Progress to an Initial Assessment. Where more than 2 initial assessments have been undertaken in a 12 month rolling period then would go to Core Assessment;
Refer to other Agency (Referral or signposting to other agencies or teams);
No further action;
Strategy Discussion;
Child Becomes Looked After;
Other action (please specify);
Non-Agency Adoption - Ensure there is an Allocated Case Worker;
Private Fostering Arrangement Assessment;
Child Protection Transfer In - Ensure there is an Allocated Case Worker.

The Children's Social Care Manager should record this decision on the Referral and Information Record and ensure that the referrer is informed of their decision and its rationale within 7 working days. See Section 2.6 ICS Guidance chapter for detailed recording guidance.

Where a referral from a partner agency raises concerns about significant harm, the referral will be acknowledged within one working day.

The Children's Social Care Manager should also ensure that the referred family is informed of the decision following the referral and its rationale, except where this would increase any risk of Significant Harm to a child.

Where it is a request for a review of a Residence Order Allowance or Special Guardianship Allowance, the Children's Social Care Manager should forward it to the relevant Adoption and Fostering Service for action.

Where the referral concerns a child who meets the threshold for Initial Assessment by the Children with Disabilities Team, the Children's Social Care Manager should forward the referral immediately to the Children with Disabilities Social Care Manager. Where there is insufficient evidence of disability or it does not meet the Children with Disabilities Team entitlement criteria, the Initial Assessment is completed by the relevant Referral and Assessment Team. For a full explanation of the criteria, see Children with Disabilities Referral Assessment and Planning Procedure.

A standard letter acknowledging receipt of the information that has formed the content of the Contact/Referral should be produced from the Forms tab on ICS and sent to the referrer, signed by the social worker following authorisation of the outcome by the CSCM.

6. Immediate Action

Where the Children's Social Care Manager is satisfied that there are concerns of Significant Harm, an initial assessment will be required. NB where there are concerns of significant harm, the child must be seen within 24 hours of receipt of the Contact Record. However, in such circumstances, the initial assessment may consist of little more than the clarification of the referral and a record check and be completed very promptly, before the Knowsley Safeguarding Children Procedures are initiated with a Strategy Discussion.

Under no circumstances should any essential emergency action to safeguard a child or urgent medical treatment be delayed pending the conclusion of an assessment.

Occasionally disputes arise between agencies making referrals to the DfE and the team concerned. These disputes typically concern issues where the referring agency feels that there is evidence of a risk of Significant Harm or that their seeking consent from the parents of the child concerned is unnecessary due to the degree of concern and the CSCM disagrees. It is essential to resolve these issues speedily and establish a consensus between the agencies concerned as to the needs of the child and the manner in which these should be addressed. See Section 7.3 of the Knowsley Safeguarding Children Procedures Manual.

Reference should be made to the Dispute Resolution Process. (see Escalation Policy Resolution Pathways Procedure of the Knowsley Safeguarding Children Board Manual).

7. Concerns that a Crime may have been Committee

Where any referral, or new information on an open case, indicates that a crime may have been committed, the case should always be discussed with the police at the earliest opportunity. Any decision not to inform the Police must be approved by a Children's Social Care Manager and recorded.

A referral form has been developed between Children’s Social Care and the VPU, Police. This ensures that the correct and relevant information is obtained and sent to the partner agency. This document can be scanned into the system and linked to ICS records.

End