1.5.6 KAT Protocol

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter should be read in conjunction with Contacts and Referrals Procedure.

The three Referral and Assessment Teams will rotate responsibility for the KAT / Front Line Duty Arrangements.

In the interim the KAT arrangements will be located in Kirkby Municipal Buildings, with the KAT team. Also located with the team will be the CAF Co-ordinator and CAF team.

Each week the teams will be responsible for covering KAT / Front Line Duty Services.

A team manager and two social workers will be based with the KAT team.

The social workers will monitor the duty work tray on ICS and pick up each contact and monitor whether the contact meets the criteria for children in need of social care assessment and services.

All contacts received will be progressed on the day that they are received and forwarded to the Team Manager.

The social worker will ensure that they complete the following tasks:

Check ICS and record historical information on the Contact;
Make appropriate telephone calls to gain as much information in respect of the contact received to support decision making;
Record all information in respect of work undertaken on the contact;
Where the contact does not meet the criteria for children in need of social care assessment and services, and CAF should have been completed a copy of the contact will be taken and sent to the CAF co-ordinator within 24 hours of the contact being received, and record on Contact;
Where the contact meets the criteria for children in need of social care assessment, the contact will be forwarded to the Duty KAT/ Front Line Manager to progress to referral;
Where the Duty KAT/ Front Line Manager requires further information or work, this will be returned to the Duty / KAT social worker for action;
The Duty / KAT social worker will complete the actions identified by the manager again within 24 hours of the contact being received;
Following completion of additional tasks, and recording on the referral, the referral will be forwarded to the Duty KAT/ Front Line Manager to progress to either closure or assessment;
Where a Child Protection contact is received, the Duty KAT/ Front Line Manager must be informed immediately for emergency action.

The Duty KAT/ Front Line Manager will ensure that they complete the following tasks:

Monitor the Duty Manager work tray on ICS;
Review all contacts forwarded from the duty social worker;
Where contact is complete and all information is available, progress contact appropriately;
Where contact is not complete, return to duty social worker to undertake further tasks;
Where referrals are complete and all information is available, progress referral appropriately to either closure or assessment;
Where referral is for assessment, transfer referral to the appropriate Referral and Assessment Manager work tray;
Ensure that CAF manager has been notified of all inappropriate or incorrectly referred children;
Be responsible for monitoring duty manager and duty social worker work tray to ensure that all work is completed, specifically in respect of additional tasks identified by the manager and timescales i.e. 24 hours.

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Notification to CAF Co-ordinator Protocol

Agencies may occasionally make a Contact to Children's Social Care, where a CAF could have been completed and the opportunity to undertake this still remains, that is, where an immediate Child Protection situation has not arisen.

Where a Contact is deemed not to meet the criteria for children in need of social care assessment and services, and a CAF should have been completed, the Duty / KAT social worker will take a copy of the completed printable version of the Contact and send this via e-mail to the CAF co-ordinator within 24 hours of the contact being received.

The Contact will include all information obtained and any telephone contact made to the referrer or any other agency to support decision making.

The Duty / KAT social worker will record this action in the Contact, in order to advise the Duty KAT / Front Line Manager that this has been undertaken.

The CAF Co-ordinator will process each e-mail and ensure that contact is made with the referring agency to advise in respect of completing a CAF and offering appropriate support.

End