Use of Interpreters, Signers or Others with Communication Skills

RELEVANT GUIDANCE

For additional information please see:

Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance on Interviewing Victims and Witnesses, and Using Special Measures which provides guidance on interviewing vulnerable witnesses, including learning disabled, and on the use of interpreters and intermediaries.

AMENDMENT

This chapter was updated in June 2023 to add new information regarding commissioned interpreting and translation services.

Agencies and professionals involved with children and their families have a responsibility to ensure that children and adults have the information they require to make sense of and understand the processes that are followed when there are concerns about a child's safety or welfare.

The information provided, in whatever format, should be made available in the first or preferred language of the child and family.

In the event that interpreters are required a professional and appropriately qualified, independent person should be used. The use of children, family members or friends as interpreters is not appropriate.

Services used by Knowsley are:

Interpretation, Translation and Transcription Services

Knowsley Council has a contract in place with DA LANGUAGES to provide interpretation, translation and transcription services to any Council departments which may require this.

DA Languages Ltd Logo

DA Languages offer the following services:

  • Telephone interpreting;
  • Face to face interpreting;
  • Video remote interpreting;
  • Translation/transcription of documents.

Telephone interpreting

To request an interpreter, you can call 0330 088 2443. Please note, the automated service requires an access PIN. Your Team Manager should have the PIN (which is specific to your team for invoicing purposes), so please consult with them for this prior to calling.

You will then need to enter the PIN for the specific language required – you can find a list of language PINs within the pack attached to the email. Requests for a telephone interpreter can also be made online (see below).

Face to face interpreting / Video remote interpreting / Translation and transcription of documents / Telephone interpreting

Requests for the above services can be made online via the DA Link website (Client Portal). Staff will not need to quote their access PIN for online bookings.

You may already have an account if you have used DA Languages before. However, if you require the set-up of an account for yourself and/or your team, please contact Kimberley Ward in Knowsley’s Commissioning Team (kimberley.ward@knowsley.gov.uk)

Training

DA Languages are able to offer training to any staff/teams around use of their online portal and accessing their services. If this is of interest to you, please contact Kimberley Ward, who can arrange this with the provider for you.

Use of other providers

Knowsley Council staff should always use DA Languages for the above services, as they are the Council’s contracted provider.

In the rare circumstances that DA Languages are unable to fulfil a request, staff are permitted to approach alternative providers for one-off orders. Other providers that the Council have accessed before (outside of contract) are Language Line and Beacon Languages.

All other information relating to DA Languages and answers to any FAQ’s have been provided in a pack (zip folder) for your convenience. If you are unable to find an answer to your query, please contact Kimberley Ward (details above).