Professionals
Welcome to The Professionals Pages
Reporting A Concern About A Child
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
The MASH is there to acts a single ‘front door’ for children in need of additional support and/or protection. Co-located within the MASH is a partnership of professionals from a range of agencies including the police, health, education, children’s social care, early help, substance misuse, housing, probation and domestic violence services who work together to share and analyse information held on multiple client data systems to build a picture of the child’s history, current circumstances, support systems, needs and risks so that proportionate and timely decisions can be made about the type and level of services children need to safeguard their welfare, meet their needs and improve their outcomes, ensuring that children receive the right help first time.
Barnet MASH ensures that:
- All safeguarding referrals are dealt with in a timely and effective manner to ensure the immediate protection of children
- Decisions are timely, sound and based on high quality multi-agency information sharing arrangements
- All agencies have the confidence to share information safely and securely
- Risk is identified through robust analysis of a wide range of historical and current information and concerns.
- Children, young people and their families are referred to the right services first time and as early in the life of the problem as possible
- Professional agencies working with children and their families have access to information that is proportionate and relevant to their involvement in a child’s life
- Allocation of resources for children and families is timely, coherent and transparent
- Professionals have rapid access to qualified and experienced social work professionals for safeguarding advice, information and guidance on access to local resources
- The service is well understood and accessible to those that need it
- Our partnership arrangements are built upon to improve access and promote seamless delivery throughout the borough
How to contact the MASH:
Email: MASH@barnet.gov.uk or secure e-mail on MASH@barnet.gcsx.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 8359 4066
Fax: 0871 594 8766
Address: MASH
London Borough of Barnet
North London Business Park
Oakleigh Road South
London
N11 1NP
We ask that professionals, who are making referrals to the MASH, where appropriate, discuss intended referrals about children with the adults who hold parental responsibility for them prior to making a referral. Professionals include in the referral whether they have spoken to the child and parents about the referral they are making.
Together, we can tackle child abuse.
- All children have a right to be safe and should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect
- Anything you notice can help a child at risk. We all have a role to play in protecting children and young people from child abuse and neglect
- Last year nearly 400,000 children in England were supported because someone noticed they needed help
• To help protect a child or young person look out for changes in their Appearance, Behaviour and Communication (A B C)
- It’s up to all of us to keep children safe. Many people do not act because they’re worried about being wrong. You don’t have to be absolutely certain; if you’re concerned a child is being abused or their safety is at risk, speak to someone
- Report it anonymously to your local council, NSPCC or the police who can provide the support a child may need
- Information is gathered from many sources, and your report forms part of a bigger picture. Reporting your concerns to your local council, NSPCC, or the police, could provide the missing piece of information that is needed to keep a child safe.
Child abuse. If you think it, report it. Contact Barnet MASH www.barnet.gov.uk/mash.
To find out more about child abuse campaign visit: gov.uk/tacklechildabuse
Working Together and Information Sharing Guidance 2018
Working Together to Safeguard Children July 2018 is statutory guidance that replaces Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015. The new guidance supports key changes put into law by the Social Work and Children Act 2017.
What’s different?
Local Safeguarding Children's Boards are no longer statutory and will be replaced by Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements or MASA. The new arrangements must be in place and published by June 2019.
The guidance does not prescribe what this new arrangement should look like, only that responsibility rests with three safeguarding partners ‘with a shared and equal duty to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area’
These partners will provide the strategic leadership for safeguarding children.
Under the Children’s Act 2004 as amended by the Children and Social Work Act 2017; these three safeguarding partners are:
- the local authority Chief Executive
- a clinical commissioning group for an area any part of which falls within the local authority area
- the chief officer of police for an area any part of which falls within the local authority area.
Many of the functions that the new MASA will undertake will be similar to those under Local Children Safeguarding Boards. Such as implementing local and national learning from serious case reviews. Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership is currently working on what these new
arrangements will look like, but they must support local organisations and agencies in working together to ensure that:
- children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted
- partner organisations and agencies collaborate, share and co-own the vision for how to achieve improved outcomes for vulnerable children
- organisations and agencies challenge appropriately and hold one another to account effectively
- there is early identification and analysis of new safeguarding issues and emerging threats
- learning is promoted and embedded in a way that local services for children and families can become more reflective and implement changes to practice
- information is shared effectively to facilitate more accurate and timely decision making for children and families.
For more information on Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership please contact bscp@barnet.gov.uk
The DfE has provided advice on information sharing for practitioners involved in safeguarding service to Children and Young People this guidance has been update to reflect GDPR (general data protection regulation) it supercedes previous guidance published in March 2015.
Barnet Continuum of Support
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
Most children and young people have basic needs that are met well by their parents, wider family, support networks and universal services such as health, children’s centres and schools.
Children and young people with additional needs may benefit from access to early help services or targeted services, and for some children with more complex needs access to specialist help may be required and where a safeguarding risk is evident children will need to be referred to Children’s Social Care to safeguard and promote their welfare.
In Barnet, we want to ensure that children and young people are at the centre of all we do. This document is intended to support professionals working with children, young people and their families to consider their needs and any risks to their welfare in the context of the range of support that is available to help, support and protect them so that our responses are both timely and proportionate.
The document does not intend to replace professional judgement on how best to meet children, young people and family’s needs, but serves as a guide for professionals from which dialogue and decisions can be generated about what is in children and young people’s best interests.
Please click here for the full document.
WE WILL BE CONTINUALLY UPDATING AND REFRESHING THIS DOCUMENT, PLEASE DO NOT PRINT, but use this online version.
LADO
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
The LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) is the point of contact in the Council for anyone who has concerns/allegations about an individual working with children.
The LADO helps co-ordinate information-sharing with the right people and will also monitor and track any investigation, with the aim to resolve any allegations as quickly as possible.
If you suspect that a paid or unpaid worker, volunteer or person in a position of trust working with children, has harmed, may harm or failed to protect a child or young person You must tell Barnet’s Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) via MASH on 020 8359 4066
Neglect
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
Neglect is the most common form of abuse nationally, and in Barnet. We want to improve outcomes for children suffering from neglect in Barnet by intervening as early as possible.
“Child neglect is defined as a type of maltreatment related to the failure to provide needed, age-appropriate care. Unlike physical and sexual abuse, neglect is usually typified by an ongoing pattern of inadequate care and is readily observed by individuals in close contact with the child”
Neglect is about the relationship that a parent or carer has with their child. It is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs. Neglect causes great distress to children and is likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development in the short and long term.
Children who are neglected may have poor appearance and hygiene, health and development problems and housing and family issues. As they grow up, they are more likely to have mental health problems, poor physical health, difficulties with relationships and reduced employment in their adult life. In some cases, neglect can cause permanent disabilities and at the upper end of the spectrum, neglect can be life-threatening.
Nationally neglect is the most common of the four categories of child abuse (which include physical, sexual and emotional abuse).
As part of our resilience- based approach to working with children and families, the NSPCC’s Graded Care Profile 2 is being introduced to Family Services and the wider partnership.
What is the Graded Care Profile 2 tool?
Family Services in Barnet is using the NSPCC’s Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2) as a tool for assessing the ability of parents/carers to meet children’s needs. The GCP2 is an evidence-based assessment tool that measures the quality of care provided to an individual child over a specific period of time. It is designed as an objective tool which focuses on measuring the quality of care received by the child. The tool is child-focused as it specifically addresses whether or not the child’s developmental needs in each area are being met, to what extent and whether this is consistent.
How can it be used?
The tool can assist you to understand the willingness and ability of the parent/carer to meet the child’s developmental needs. Within the Graded Care Profile 2 there are five grades of care on a scale from positive to negative. The tool uses a scaling measurement of the level of care between 1 (best) and 5 (worst) and this scaling is based on direct observation of the extent to which the needs of a child are currently being met. The scoring applies to the areas of care that relate to particular developmental needs of children based on Maslow’s principles: physical care, care of safety, emotional care (love and belonging), and developmental care (care of esteem).
It is widely recognised that the level of care provided by parents to children can fluctuate over time. Therefore, this tool is useful as it can measure parenting at a specific time and then can be reviewed to ascertain whether there has been any changes over time.
The Graded Care Profile 2 tool was intended to be a helpful tool when assessing Neglect. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse both nationally and in Barnet. We want to improve outcomes for children suffering from neglect in Barnet by intervening as early as possible. The Graded Care Profile 2 tool promotes resilience within families by focusing on the ‘instinctive parenting strength’ within the social-environmental context as well as seeking the family’s own understanding of how the child’s needs are being met.
Can you use this tool?
In order to carry out Graded Care Profile 2 assessments, you are required to attend a full day of training. There will be a number of training sessions provided in Barnet to train practitioners to use this assessment tool, to better understand and respond to children who are experiencing Neglect. There are a number of training sessions available throughout the year.
For more information, training dates and course bookings login to Barnet CPD Online
If you have any problems please email us at childrensworkforce@barnet.gov.uk
Adolescent Risk
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
Safeguarding children and young people from the psychological and physical harm caused by sexual and criminal exploitation is a core priority for the Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP). To enable the Partnership to effectively support our children we have launched the following documents:
If you require further information please contact us at: BSCP@Barnet.gov.uk
CSE
The revised Pan London Child Sexual Exploitation Operating Protocol was released in June 2017 and outlined many helpful revisions. There is a clearer focus that managing and responding to Child Sexual Exploitation requires a multiagency response and that the risk of working with vulnerable adolescents should be a shared responsibility across partnerships.
The new protocol outlines the importance of ensuring that all professionals have a greater awareness that children who are subject to CSE, gangs and serious youth violence are very often themselves, extremely vulnerable and should be recognised as victims of abuse, which is often hidden. All interventions should adopt a child centred approach that reflects the individual child needs.
In response to the new protocol and recent inspection, Barnet is committed to ensuring that an approach to managing vulnerable adolescents is focused on the following principles:
- Early identification of the factors that could lead to problems and risks developing.
- Shared multiagency accountability and management of planning and intervention.
- The adolescent is central to planning and that they are seen in the context of their vulnerability rather than perpetrator or “taking risks”.
- Planning and intervention builds resilience.
Over the coming months there will be substantial changes, not only to the local response to vulnerable adolescents but also to the support which is offered to partners and stakeholders.
In the meantime Chris Kelly the lead for CSE and Missing can be contacted for any further information of support which is required.
Gangs and Serious Youth Violence
In recent years, London has seen a rise in gang-related activity, the problems are well described and a number of gang initiatives have developed, often in isolation of the safeguarding systems that concern themselves with the welfare and protection of young people who cross multiple domains of risk and vulnerability. Gang-involved young people often exist within complex individual, family and social environments that place them at a higher risk of criminality, harm and exploitation and to meet their wide range of needs, input is required via multiple universal, targeted and specialist agencies, professionals, services and pathways.
The REACH Programme
The REACH Programme brings together a multi-professional and multi-disciplinary team with expertise in safeguarding, mental health, parenting, education and learning, health and communication to jointly assess, plan and intervene with young people presenting with high risk/high vulnerability.
The team wraps around the child and their life at home, in school and in the community and can rapidly mobilise a range of expertise and support to build their resilience. The Team will also work closely with the Targeted Youth Service.
Families who access the service will have been matched with a number of ‘high risk/vulnerability’ criterion including; gang-involved, group offending, child sexual exploitation, frequent missing episodes, school exclusion, serious youth violence, low educational attainment/engagement, mental health needs and being a victim of crime.
REACH has capacity to work with up to 45 young people (aged 11-17) and their families at any one time. With a lead social worker, members of the team will contribute to child and family assessments, plans and interventions as needed.
REACH will seek to address identified areas of concern relating to family life, peer relationships, school exclusion, mental health and behaviour in the community through a semi-structured programme of resilience-based systemic and behavioural interventions that aim to achieve minimisation of risk and healthier and safer life’s styles for our clients and their families.
How to refer?
REACH is a statutory service and follows the same procedures as other Social Care teams. If a case is known to the SCS department certain panels such as the Multi Agency Sexual Exploitation (M.A.S.E.) and the Gang and Serious Youth Violence Panel (G.S.Y.V.) will act as a trigger for R.E.A.C.H. referral if the family is deemed to be high risk or highly vulnerable.
If a case is not known to the SCS, the normal process should be followed i.e. referral to the M.A.S.H, assessment by the Duty and Assessment Team (D.A.T.s), finally the case will be graded regarding safeguarding concerns with regards of REACH criteria, if these remain high, the case will be transferred after discussion with REACH manager.
Our Approach
In Barnet we have developed an approach to working with children, young people and their families where there are a range of risks and vulnerabilities including group offending, missing from home, exploitation and abuse, drug dealing, substance misuse, mental health, school exclusion, serious youth violence and harmful sexual behaviours.
Our approach is based on the following principles:
- Families may face adversity but they can also find ways to thrive using resilience based approaches
- Professionals will assess, plan and work together to understand the risks young people face and keep them safe
- Assessments are thorough and demonstrate curiosity about the family ‘story’ and their strengths, taking into account of the views of the child and family and their familial and professional networks
- Assessments result in a strong analysis of risk and need based on the child and family’s lived experience culminating in a robust plan to help them find ways to move forward
- Interventions take place as early in the life of the problem as possible to improve the likelihood of successful outcomes
- Services are flexible, responsive and respectful to engage young people successfully
- Interventions are tailored to fit the learning needs and styles of young people
- Achieving mental health is a goal we will strive for in all families
- Children, young people and their families do not exist in isolation from the family, neighbourhood and professional systems around them
- Harmful behaviour will be understood, addressed and disrupted.
Child Protection
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
If a child is suffering or may be at risk of suffering, significant harm:
- S47 enquiries may be undertaken to investigate their circumstances and ensure they are provided with immediate protection, if needed
- A Child Protection Conference may be convened to share information about the children and analyse their parent’s capacity to safely care for them within the context of wider family support and their environment. - - A Child Protection Plan will be made for children who need a multi-agency team of professionals to ensure that they are safe, protected from harm and their lived experience improves. This Plan will be reviewed regularly to ensure progress is being made.
Children In Need
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
Children in need may be assessed under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, in relation to their special educational needs, disabilities, as a carer, or because they have committed a crime. Where an assessment takes place, it will be carried out by a social worker. The process for assessment should also be used for children whose parents are in prison and for asylum seeking children.
A child in need assessment can lead to the development of a Multi-Agency Child in Need Plan which will ensure the children are provided with the support they need to improve their outcomes within agreed timescales. This Plan will be reviewed regularly to ensure progress is being made, if it is not a Child Protection Plan may be necessary.
Unborn Protocol
The Unborn protocol sets out guidance and locally agreed procedures to practitioners working with pregnant women in early help, health agencies and Children’s Social Care settings with the purpose of ensuring every unborn baby in need of support and protection is safeguarded through multi-agency assessment, planning and decision making as early in the pregnancy as possible.
This protocol should be read in conjunction with:
Early Help
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
In order to have an integrated approach in delivering and commissioning services that meets the Early Intervention and Prevention agenda Barnet has in place an Early Intervention and Prevention Strategy that is approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board and The Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership.
The strategy has the following guiding principles
- Intervene as early as possible;
- Take a whole family approach; and
- use evidence based monitoring systems
The overall intention of the strategy is to treat problems at the earliest level of need possible; and to seek to shift families down the tiers of need through successful interventions.
Children’s Centres and Early years providers together with partners across a range of health services such as midwifery, health visiting and Family Nurse partnership provide universal services for parents to be and families with children under 5 as part of our early help offer. Additional and targeted services are also provided, usually as part of Family Support and the CAF process for those families where there is additional need that does not require a statutory intervention. Support is available for parents of eligible 2, 3 and 4 year olds to access their Early educational Entitlement and to support child care and early years providers in quality improvement and delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage.
MASH is the for door for Early Help services that require a multi-agency approach and intervention (CAF). The CAF team comprises CAF social workers and CAF Co-coordinators who work with families, Lead Practitioners across the partnership and a range of professionals to ensure a coordinated plan for the whole family is in place to build resilience and prevent the need for statutory intervention where possible.
The Family Resilience Service provide family support and parenting programmes for families of children 0-19 where there is a CSC plan or CAF in place. Requests for parenting programmes where no other intervention is required can be made via the Universal Plus form.
Families First (Troubled Families)The Families First programme works across all services to provide interventions for families where school attendance, anti-social behaviour and worklessness is an issue.
Targeted Youth Support Provide support, interventions and activities for young people particularly those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged.
Domestic Violence and Abuse
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
Safeguarding children exposed to domestic abuse
Children who live in families where there is domestic abuse can suffer serious long-term emotional and psychological effects. Even if they are not physically harmed or do not witness acts of violence, they can pick up on the tensions and harmful interactions between adults. Children of any age are affected by domestic violence and abuse. At no age will they be unaffected by what is happening, even when they are in the womb.
The physical, psychological and emotional effects of domestic violence on children can be severe and long-lasting. Some children may become withdrawn and find it difficult to communicate. Others may act out the aggression they have witnessed, or blame themselves for the abuse. All children living with abuse are under stress.
Professionals should:
- Consider the presence of domestic abuse as an indicator of the need to assess a child’s need for support and protection
- Make sure the child’s experiences and views are captured and included. In contexts where the safety of the adult victim is seen as the main priority this can dominate people’s immediate thinking and action, and children’s voices can be lost.Safe Lives, a national domestic abuse charity, has created a toolkit practitioners and front-line workers can use to identify high risk cases of domestic abuse, stalking and ‘honour’-based violence. The purpose of the checklist is to give a consistent and simple-to-use tool to practitioners who work with victims of domestic abuse in order to help them identify those who are at high risk of harm and whose cases should be referred to a MARAC meeting in order to manage the risk.Safe Lives have produced an updated version of the RIC, which now includes comprehensive guidance explaining each risk question, how they can be asked, as well as practice points. There is also a frequently asked questions page with some useful tips on the checklist. The Safe Lives website has helpful resources about other ways your agency may access support, training or download the checklist in other languages. The BSCB also offers annual training on the use of the checklist which is free for all professionals in the borough to attend, however, for more questions about the use of the RIC, access to training, and questions about domestic violence MARAC process,
- Domestic abuse is defined as “any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality”. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to:
- The toolkit has been endorsed by agencies such as the police (Association of Chief Police Officers), National Centre for Domestic Violence, and CAFCASS, who believe that the primary audience should be front line practitioners working with victims of domestic abuse who are represented at MARAC. This will include both domestic abuse specialists such as IDVAs and generic practitioners such as those working in a primary care health service or housing.
- Use the Safe Lives Risk Checklist for the identification of high risk cases of domestic abuse, stalking and ‘honour’-based violence
- Psychological
- Physical
- Sexual
- Financial
- Emotional Controlling and coercive behaviour
Controlling behaviour is a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or independent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.We know that the first incident reported to the police or other agencies is rarely the first incident to occur; often people have been subject to violence and abuse on multiple occasions before they seek help.Supporting the non-abusing parent in a holistic way that acknowledges the impacts of coercive control is important in achieving good outcomes for children. Research showed that children also experience the impacts of coercive control of a parent; for example, becoming isolated from family and friends, finding it difficult to gain independence, and feeling disempowered. The resources, which include five detailed case studies, will support practitioners to improve their understanding of the dynamics of power and control that underpin domestic abuse, enabling them to build trusting relationships with children and survivors. The Barnet Domestic Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a risk management meeting where professionals share information on high and very high risk cases of domestic violence or abuse and put in place a risk management plan. The aim of the meeting is to address the safety of the victim, children and agency staff and to review and co-ordinate service provision in high risk domestic violence cases. A tailored action plan will be developed at the MARAC to reduce the risk to the victim, children, other vulnerable parties and any staff and to ensure that the risk the perpetrator presents is managed appropriately. Examples of actions that will be agreed include flagging and tagging of files, referral to other appropriate multi-agency meetings, prioritising of agencies’ resources to MARAC cases.
Further Information and Resources
Useful Links:
- See the Domestic Violence information in the London Procedures http://www.londoncp.co.uk/chapters/sg_ch_dom_abuse.html
- Any service agency signed up to the MARAC Information Sharing Protocol may refer a case to the MARAC using the MARAC Referral Form, and all agencies should be actively screening for domestic violence or abuse. Referrals should be submitted to each agency’s MARAC representative. Please contact your line manager to find out who your agency’s MARAC representative is.
- To be referred to the MARAC the individual must reside in the London Borough of Barnet, be over the age of 16, be currently experiencing domestic violence or abuse (according to the cross Government definition of domestic violence)[1] and be assessed as being at high or very high risk of harm of domestic violence or abuse in accordance with the Barnet MARAC referral risk criteria..
- Safeguarding high-risk victims of domestic violence and abuse – referring to the MARAC
- The Chief Social Worker’s Office at the Department of Health has commissioned a set of materials, which were developed by Research in Practice for Adults and Women’s Aid. http://coercivecontrol.ripfa.org.uk/
- Supporting health and social work in situations of coercive control
- Coercive behaviour is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.
- What might look like an isolated incident of violent abuse could be taking place in a context of controlling or coercive behaviour.
- Domestic abuse can also include forced marriage and so-called “honour crimes”.
Private Fostering
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
What is Private Fostering?
Private fostering is a private arrangement that is made between the parent and the person caring for the child.
A ‘privately fostered’ child is one aged under 16 (or under 18 years if they are disabled), who is cared for by an adult for more than 28 days who is not their:
- Parent
- Close relative, i.e. grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt or step parent
- Legal guardian
Privately fostered children could include:
- Adolescents that have to live away from their family as a result of separation, divorce or disputes at home
- Children who are living with somebody else because their parents are studying or working during unsociable hours
- Children sent to this country for education or health care opportunities by birth parents living overseas
- Cultural exchange students
- Refugee children or teenagers living with the family of a girlfriend or boyfriend
- Any child whose parents have made a private arrangement for them to be looked after by someone else
The law
The Children Act 1998 states that parents and private foster carers must notify their local council of the private fostering arrangement, ideally before the arrangement begins.
If you intend to, or are already caring for a child in a private arrangement, the law requires you to tell us six weeks before arrangement begins or immediately if the arrangement is in place. Parents and private foster carers who do not notify us would be breaking the law.
Barnet Council’s Family Services/Children Services has a duty to safeguard the welfare of all children in the borough. This includes privately fostered children.
Under this duty, we have to make sure that the child is being properly cared for, we will visit the child to monitor the care and give help and advice to the carer when it is needed.
What you must do if someone else is or will be looking after your child
If your child is due to be cared for by someone you have chosen to privately foster your child, you must
- Notify us at least six weeks before the arrangement commences. If your child is already living with the private foster carer then you must notify us immediately
- Ensure that the private fostering arrangement is safe for your child
- Agree on financial arrangements for your child
- Keep in regular contact with the private foster carer to make sure that your child is being looked after as you would wish
- If your child’s carer changes address, or if you decide to change carers you must notify us of this change immediately. If you do not notify us we will not be able to make sure your child is safe
Information you will need to give the private foster carer includes:
- Health details
- School details
- Ethnic and cultural background
- Eating preferences
- Hobbies
- Religion
This information will give the carer a clear understanding of your child’s needs, and will help them to look after your child properly.
Are you still able to make decisions regarding your child’s needs?
Yes, the private foster carer is only looking after your child on a day-to-day basis. You still have parental responsibility for your child and should continue to be involved in all important decisions concerning their development. This is why you need to keep in regular contact with your child and the private foster carer.
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s private fostering arrangement, in the first instance you should try and discuss this with the carer. If your concerns remain, then contact us and we will investigate further.
If you are planning to privately foster a child, you must:
- Make an arrangement with the parent about how the child should be cared for and uphold this agreement
- Inform us at least six weeks before the child comes to live with you
- Work with social workers to make sure that the child’s needs are fully assessed and met
- Allow social workers to carry out all the necessary checks
- Make an arrangement with the child’s parents about the type of information they would like to receive about their child and provide this information on a regular basis
Please note:
You are responsible for looking after the child on a day-to-day basis. The child’s parents maintain parental responsibility and by law the need to be involved in all decisions made about their child.
What information do I need to give to Family Services/Children Services?
When you contact us you must give us the following details:
- Personal details of the child
- Your name and address as the private foster carer
- The names of everyone aged over 16 living in your home
What is Barnet Family Services/Children Services responsible for?
We are responsible for making sure that all privately fostered children are well cared for and safe. We will do this by:
- Completing an assessment to ensure that these care arrangements meet the child’s needs
- Making compulsory police checks on the private foster carers and anyone aged over 16 living in that household
- Ensuring that the private foster carer receives the relevant support and advice required for looking after someone else’s child
- Ensuring the child’s educational, emotional, cultural and physical needs are met
- Helping parents and private foster carers to work together for the benefit of the child
- Taking action if the care provided is not satisfactory
We are not responsible for:
- The day to day care for your child
- Any financial dispute between the parents and the private foster carer
As a practitioner what must I do if I know of a privately fostered child?
If you are a practitioner working with children, it is important that you notify us if you are in contact with a child in private foster care, as this will ensure their safety against abuse or neglect and will also help ensure that the child is being cared for properly.
Privately Fostered children will come into contact with a range of professionals, for example they should be registered with a G.P. and if they are of school age then they should be attending school.
All practitioners have a responsibility to notify us if they believe a child they are in contact with is in a private fostering arrangement. The notification should include the name and address of the private foster carer.
Who do I need to contact?
MASH Team
Tel – 020 8359 4066
Web – www.barnet.gov.uk/private-fostering
Email: mash@barnet.gov.uk
Quality Assurance
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
One of the core functions of the BSCP is to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of what is done by the safeguarding partnership individually and collectively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and to advise them on ways to improve.
This requires the LSCB to develop its own comprehensive overview of the quality, timeliness and effectiveness of multi-agency practice in Barnet, which is facilitated through the LSCB Performance Management System and is made up of four components:
- Monitoring partner compliance with the statutory requirement to have effective safeguarding arrangements in place (Section 11)
- A Performance Management Framework which collates data from across the partnership about safeguarding activity.
- ‘Outcomes Based Accountability’ approach, asking three questions:
- How much did we do?
- How well did we do it?
- Did it make a difference?4. A multi-agency Quality Assurance and Audit Programme. This is designed to provide much more information about the quality of the work being undertaken and its impact on outcomes for individual children and young people.
- This system complements and feeds into the Framework for Learning and Improvement which helps to promote a culture of continuous improvement across the partnership.
- A series of scorecards have been developed which summarise performance across two areas; LSCB Strategic Priorities and Groups of vulnerable children and young people who have been identified as a priority for the LSCB (child protection, children and young people who are looked after and children and young people who go missing/are suffering or at risk of sexual exploitation).
Further information about the quality assurance work of the BSCP can be found in the BSCP's Annual Report.
Barnet Joint Housing and CSC Protocol for Homeless 16 17 Year Olds
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
Barnet recognises the value that a strong and stable family life provides to young people aged 16/17, particularly in relation to the quality of their relationships, education, financial security, preparation for adulthood and positive health; this is widely supported by research which tells us that children and young people do better when they remain living within their own families.
As such, we will always strive to find ways to help young people remain living with their families by helping to repair relationships with their parents/carers or exploring other members of the family who might be able to offer the security of a stable home into adulthood.
We recognise that for some young people, this type of stability and security may not be available to them within their own families, and when this is the case we will assess their needs thoroughly in order to decide the type and level of accommodation and support that will need to be provided to them.
This protocol sets out Children’s Social Care and Housing Options joint procedure for responding to 16/17 year old homelessness. It covers what will happen from the point young people present asking for help to longer term support arrangements.
Our commitment is:
- To ensure that all young people approaching our services for help are treated fairly, with respect and with sensitivity to their age, understanding and individual backgrounds or circumstances
- To thoroughly assess a young person’s circumstances without prejudice
- To seek to find the best outcome for young people by listening to what they have to say and working in their best interests and in collaboration with them
- To maintain a professional and calm approach towards young people at all times
- To ensure that is safe for young people to return home
- To ensure that accommodation provided to young people is of a good quality
- To ensure that young people are escorted to their accommodation and helped to settle in and/or introduced to those that will be providing day to day support to them
- To listen to young people’s views and feedback about their experiences
You can find the full Barnet Joint Housing and CSC Protocol for Homeless 16 17 Year Olds here
Barnet's MASH Protocol
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Here you can find the Barnet MASH Protocol 2018 (Updated October 2018)
Barnet Safeguarding Partnership Resolution Policy
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Introduction
- Effective working together depends on an open approach and honest relationships between agencies. Problem resolution is an integral part of professional co-operation and joint working to safeguard children.
- Problem resolution is across all partner agencies
- Occasionally situations arise when workers within one agency feel that the actions, inaction or decisions of another agency do not adequately safeguard a child. This inter-agency policy defines the process for resolving such professional difference and should be read alongside the London Child Protection Procedures and relevant internal policies on escalating matters of concern.
1.3 Disagreements can arise in a number of areas, but are most likely to arise around:
- Levels of need
- Roles and responsibilities
- The need for action
- Progressing plans and communication.
1.4 Where professionals consider that the practice of other professionals is placing children at risk of harm, they must be assertive, act swiftly and ensure that they challenge the relevant professionals in line with this policy.
The safety of individual children is the paramount consideration in any professional activity.
- Resolution should be sought within the shortest timescale possible to ensure the child is protected.
- As a guide, professionals should attempt to resolve differences through discussion within one working week or a timescale that protects the child from harm (whichever is shortest).
- Disagreements should be resolved at the lowest possible stage
1.5 Any worker who feels that a decision is not safe or is inappropriate can initially consult their supervisor/manager to clarify their thinking if required. They should be able to evidence the nature and source of the concerns and should to keep a record of all discussions.
2. Stages of Resolution
2.1 Stage One: Discuss with the other worker
2.2 The people who disagree have a discussion to resolve the problem. This discussion must take place as soon as possible and could be a telephone conversation or a face to face meeting. It should be recognised that differences in status and/or experience may affect the confidence of some workers to pursue this unsupported.
2.3 Stage Two: Escalate
Please refer to the following for how to escalate an issue in the case of:
- Barnet Children’s Services
- Barnet Police
- Barnet Health agencies
- Barnet Schools
Barnet Police:
First line of escalation
“Duty officer” An Inspector or on duty in charge of the uniform response shift (24/7). For a specialist unit this may be the “Detective Inspector (DI)” but they have less coverage. In their absence it would default to the Duty Officer. If the police team dealing is not Barnet the Duty Officer would be expected to deal with this on their behalf. The contact details for them will be available from the officer dealing with the case / incident.
Second line of escalation
Between 0700hrs and 2100hrs the on duty / on call member of the “Senior Leadership Team” for Barnet. Their contact details will be available via the Duty officer . This may within office hours go to the Safeguarding lead.
Between 2100hrs and 0700hrs the Night Duty Superintendent who will be covering all of North London. The contact details will be available via the Duty Officer
Third line of escalation
The Borough Commander for Barnet police.
Barnet Schools
Where there it is believed that the response from a school does not meet the safeguarding requirements for a child, the appropriate person to escalate to is, in the first instance, the Head Teacher. In schools where the Head Teacher is also the Designated Safeguarding Lead, complaints should be directed to the Safeguarding Governor or Chair of Governors. If concerns have still not been resolved the school complaints/escalation procedure should be utilised. In cases where the matter is urgent or if the school is not responding in accordance with its policy contact either the Barnet Cambridge Education School Safeguarding Officer or the school’s Learning Network Inspector.
Barnet Family Services
For children accessing early help services, professionals should raise concerns at Team Around the Child meetings or other multi-agency planning meetings. For children subject to Child in Need, Child Protection or Child in Care Plans, concerns can be shared at the child’s multi-agency review meetings or via the Independent Reviewing Officer or Conference Reviewing Officer. Professionals should always consider the impact of professional disagreements on families attending meetings.
The following stages of resolution and escalation should be followed for children referred to, or open to Barnet Family Services
Initial resolution
Open Cases: by contacting the allocated social worker or lead professional
New Referrals: by contacting the MASH Social Worker
Out of Hours: by contacting the Emergency Duty Team (5pm – 9am Monday to Friday, weekends and Bank Holidays)
First line of escalation
Open Cases: by contacting the allocated social worker’s or lead professional’s Team Manager
New Referrals: by contacting the MASH Team Manager
Out of Hours: by contacting the Head of Service on Duty (5pm – 9am Monday to Friday, weekends and Bank Holidays)
Second line of escalation
Open Cases: by contacting the service area Head of Service
New Referrals: by contacting the MASH Head of Service
Third line of escalation
Open Cases or New Referrals: by contacting the relevant Family Services Operational Director
Barnet Health
Where there it is believed that the response from a health agency does not meet the safeguarding requirements for a child, the appropriate person to escalate to is in the first instance the Head of Safeguarding for the Provider organisation concerned and the Designated Nurse and Doctor NHS Barnet CCG.
If an acute safeguarding situation occurs Out of Hours which requires an immediate health assessment the Duty Paediatric team at the Hospital local to the child should be contacted.
For Barnet Hospital, the Duty Paediatric Team can be contacted through the hospital switchboard on 0208 216 4600.
2.4 Stage Three: Resolution by Senior Leaders
2.5 Escalate at the time until the matter is resolved satisfactorily or it becomes impossible to escalate further. If it cannot be resolved satisfactorily or there is a need to escalate to the Director of Children’s Services, Borough Commander or Chief Operating Officer for the CCG, also notify the safeguarding chair via: BarnetSCB@barnet.gov.uk
2.6 The independent chair can be called upon to mediate on behalf of any of the partners where senior leaders are unable to resolve a situation.
2.7 There is a requirement for the record of any escalation to be placed on a child’s record.
3. Additional Notes
3.1 The Independent Chair will send out a summary of the issues monthly to all heads of units. At the safeguarding Executive Group the trends and patterns and responses are considered
3.2 The Safeguarding Chair will provide an annual thematic review of issues and action taken to resolve these in order to ensure that children are kept safe.
3.3 Where issues are raised with partners from other authorities, including other local authorities, please follow the procedures as identified across stage 1. If you are unable to resolve the issue the Independent Chair can be approached to liaise with the relevant senior leaders in the other authority.
Escalation Of Concern
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Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and front-line staff need confidence in talking with each other about decisions that have been made, discussing any concerns regarding those decisions and where there isn’t agreement; escalating those concerns as appropriate.
Remember, equally important is the culture of how we work; and it is vital that front-line staff are encouraged to remain professionally curious and to raise issues where they feel that their concerns for children and young people aren’t being addressed.
Section 11 Audit
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The Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP) undertakes an annual Section 11 audit process of all agencies, as identified in Working Together 2015.
What is Section 11 of the Children Act?
Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places duties on a range of organisations and individuals to ensure their functions, and any services that they contract out to others, are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
For further information regarding these duties please refer to Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015.
Section 11 Audit process
This ‘Section 11 Audit’ is designed to allow the BSCP to assure itself that agencies placed under a duty to co-operate by this legislation, are fulfilling their responsibilities to safeguard children and promote their welfare.
Which Organisations Does this Affect?
Section 11 places a duty on:
- Local authorities and district councils that provide children’s and other types of services, including children’s and adult social care services, public health, housing, sport, culture and leisure services, licensing authorities and youth services;
- NHS organisations, including the NHS Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups, NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts;
- The police, including police and crime commissioners and the chief officer of each police force in England and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in London;
- The British Transport Police;
- The Probation Service;
- Governors/Directors of Prisons and Young Offender Institutions;
- Voluntary and private sector organisations;
- Early years and child care;
- Faith organisations;
- Directors of Secure Training Centres; and
- Youth Offending Teams/Services
The BSCP has two self-assessments. One is specifically for the third sector. This self -assessment will be launched in May 2018.
The self -assessment tool for all other organisations as identified above is now live and can be found here.
The self -assessment will enable organisations to identify whether they have the necessary safeguarding arrangements in place. For schools, completing this self -assessment process will provide evidence of meeting other statutory guidance, such as Keeping Children Safe in Education.
How to complete the self -assessment
Organisations are asked to provide a brief description of how they meet the criteria and to either attach or provide a link to evidence demonstrating they meet the criteria.
The BSCP business unit will review and evaluate the evidence presented against the criteria. Organisations will receive confirmation of the evaluation. Where either the organisation, through its own self-assessment, or the BSCP, through the evaluation, considers the evidence does not demonstrate sufficient compliance to the criteria organisations will be invited to meet with the Chair and partnership director for a discussion on how the BSCP can support the organisation to meet the criteria.
The Section 11 process will be undertaken between April and July 2018, with evaluations completed by August 2018. A section 11 report will be included in the Annual Report.
If you have an enquiry please email: BSCP@Barnet.gov.uk
Professional Networks – Workforce Development
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As part of its Learning and Development Strategy, the LSCB provides a series of multi-agency safeguarding Learning and Development opportunities including core courses and our additional specialised courses, as well as briefing sessions and conferences.
As well as providing access to multiagency training, our main focus is understanding the impact of that training. Therefore it is really important that you should complete the evaluation forms after each training session. We will also explore, through our quality assurance system, how well the training has been used to improve outcomes for children.
Barnet LSCB inter agency safeguarding training is offered to staff and volunteers who come into contact with children, young people and/or families within Barnet.
The training is delivered at different levels:
- Introduction to Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People is for those staff whose work brings them into contact with children and families and adults who are parents or carers. Usually this course is accessed in house; however the LSCB has a multi-agency course for those who are not able to do this. The course is a four hour session and will be held on average once a week during term time.
- Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People is for those staff who work regularly with children and families and adults who are parents or carers. This consists of a two day course which is run on a city wide basis and will take place on average once a week during term time. This is the equivalent to Health Level 3 training.
- Additional and Specialist courses and briefings for those staff working with children, families and/or adults who are parents or carers. These courses look at specific issues in relation to safeguarding such as neglect, compromised parenting and safer recruitment.
The LSCB hosts an annual conference which also offers an opportunity for practitioners to further expand their skills and knowledge through specialist training, key note speeches and networking opportunities.
Individuals should identify their training needs and which courses are appropriate for them through supervision and discussions with their organisation's safeguarding representatives, based upon their job roles and contact with children and young people (see our chart for guidance).
Training should be updated every three years in line with your own organisation's policies and procedures. A refresher briefing is provided by the LSCB to help professionals achieve this.
Health staff who access Level 1 and 2 training in-house have received the equivalent to Introduction to Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People. Therefore Health staff looking for Level 3 training need to access the LSCB Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People.
Click here to be redirected our Multi Agency Training Portal
Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing
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Emotional Well Being means a lot of different things, for example: being happy and confident and not anxious or depressed. As Professions working with Children and Young people we are always concerned about their safety and particularly with regards emotional wellbeing.
We want them to flourish and be able to do things for themselves, to be able to solve problems, manage their emotions, be resilient to life’s challenges, have good relationships with others and not exhibit behavioural issues, such as being disruptive, violent or bullying.
However, there are lots of reasons why some young people become emotionally unwell, for example, experiencing abuse, having poor relationships with people that are close to them, struggling to get on with people at school, living in challenging home conditions.
Just as we all have physical health, we have mental health too. And just as our bodies can become unwell, so can our minds. Like physical illness, mental illness affects people of any age, race, religion or income.
Poor emotional health can lead to problems later in life. Did you know? 1 in 10 young people experience mental health problems
Even as professionals we do not always know where to look for help if we suspect that our children are going through a tough time, experiencing poor emotional wellbeing or mental health. Indeed some may feel that to ask for information, help or support reflects badly on them as parents, when the opposite true.
Line manager and colleagues have learned knowledge and are often an excellent starting point.
However should you wish to source additional knowledge or support then you could try
Young Minds - they have also got lots of useful information and tips for children and young people and parents.
There are lots of simple, everyday ways we all can support a child or young person who may have emotional wellbeing mental health problem. Small things can make a big difference – like being there to listen, keeping in touch and reminding them you care. This poster has been produced by Time to Change as a reminder how you can help.
For more information and lots of resources, visit the Time to Change website
Time to Change have also produced a conversation starter. Download the template and have a go. Conversation starter
In Barnet, there are local agencies and organisations that can provide support if you suspect children and young people of experiencing poor state of emotional wellbeing or if you are worried about their mental health. These include:
BEH Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) -explains what NHS services are provided, information for families and professionals on how/when to make a referral
LB of Barnet - Local Offer – for wider information on health services within Barnet
If you feel the Child or Young Person would prefer to talk to someone anonymously, interact with other young people who may be feeling the same but in a moderated environment or would like to read information for themselves then
KOOTH – is a free confidential online counselling service for Barnet Young People 11-19 yr olds
Childline – Is a national Charity that has a wealth of experience of supporting Children and Young people though a varit of mediums, online, on the phone, via an app and in some circumstances face to face
Also the Young Barnet Foundation –hold a wealth of information on local charities that can offer support and advice to young people and families on emotional wellbeing.
Child Protection Information Sharing
If a child is in immediate danger please call 999
CP-IS is now live in Barnet, this means that the Local Authority, and Health Partners (Barndoc Healthcare, The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London Central & West Unscheduled Care Collaborative and Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust) now share information on current looked after children (LAC) and child protection (CP) cases as well as those that closed in the last 6 months electronically from the Children's Social Care system to Health systems.
What it is
The Child Protection - Information Sharing project (CP-IS) is connecting IT systems together so that local authorities and the NHS can share child protection information securely.
It means that when a child who is Looked After or on a Child Protection Plan attends an unscheduled care setting, like an emergency department or minor injury unit:
- The health team is alerted that they are on a plan and has access to the contact details for the social care team
- The social care team is automatically notified that the child has attended, and
- Both parties can see details of the child's previous 25 visits to unscheduled care settings in England
This means that health and social care staff have a more complete picture of a child's interactions with health and social care services. This enables them to provide better care and earlier interventions for children who are considered vulnerable and at risk.
CP-IS is currently being rolled out to local authorities and healthcare organisations across England.
How does it work?
- Every day, a limited amount of essential non-clinical information is uploaded automatically from Barnet's children’s social care systems to the NHS system.
- When a child is booked in at an unscheduled care setting that has CP-IS, staff are alerted that the child has a CPP or LAC status.
- Health staff are provided with contact details for the social care team responsible.
- The social care team is automatically alerted that the child has presented at an unscheduled care setting.
- Health and social care staff can see details of the child’s previous 25 visits to unscheduled care settings.
Benefits of CP-IS
Child Protection - Information Sharing (CP-IS) aims to improve outcomes for vulnerable children. But there are also benefits for Healthcare Teams and Children's Social Care Teams.
- Early intervention - taking action to prevent or reduce future harm happening to children
- Knowing the child protection status of the child contributes to a more holistic clinical assessment whilst in a healthcare setting. As a result, decisions can be made to seek intervention earlier. With instant access to CP-IS information, communication with the appropriate social worker can take place quickly leading to a better outcome for the child.
- The social worker is notified immediately that a child in their care has presented at an unscheduled care setting. The social worker has knowledge of the child and family and can assess whether an intervention is required to achieve a good outcome for the child.
- Improved safety and care - doing the best when children need help
- CP-IS is a national system. Health staff can see vital information about children based anywhere in England. Social care staff can see if a child in their care attends an unscheduled care setting anywhere in the country.
- Health and social care staff are provided with each other's contact details so they are able to work more closely together. Sharing information will support better decision making about the child's care.
- Health staff in unscheduled care settings have more reliable checks and the risk of missing a child who is known to a local authority is reduced. In addition, a flagged vulnerable child is more likely to see a senior clinician ensuring a senior overview of the child's care.
- Increased workforce efficiency and effectiveness - doing the most for children with the resources we have
- Child Protection - Information Sharing replaces manual processes, thus freeing up resources to be used elsewhere. The process is automated and information is sent to the NHS Spine daily ensuring child's data is always up to date and current.
Policies and Procedures
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The Barnet Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) is governed by, and adheres to different policies and procedures, developed in accordance with the ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015’ and other National Guidance.
London Child Protection Procedures provide standards for agencies and a framework to promote children’s welfare and protect them from abuse and neglect.
We also have a series of local policies and procedures. You can find them here
Licensing
Barnet SCP Licensed Procedures
CSE License Information
BSCP Tobacco and Electric Cigarettes Information
BSCP Safeguarding Children Policy for Licensed Premises
BSCP Explosives License and Fireworks Registration
Third Sector
Third Sector (voluntary, community, faith) agencies make a huge contribution to supporting and enriching the lives of children and young people in Barnet.
This section provides information for professionals and volunteers working in the sector to support working with children and young people. This is designed to help you keep up to date with developments in safeguarding practice and provides information across a range of issues and how to respond to them. A key part of this section sets out safeguarding policies and procedures that supports effective multi-agency working.
Policies and procedures provide the framework within which an organisation and its staff / volunteers operate. They define what an organisation does and how it does it. Clear policies and procedures support effective decision making, providing guidelines on what staff / volunteers can and cannot do, what decisions they can make and what activities are appropriate.
All organisations working with children and young people and / or their parents and carers should have robust policies and procedures which will ensure that children are safe, workers know and understand their roles and responsibilities and how to respond appropriately if they have concerns about a child or young person’s safety or welfare.
The NSPCC have taken forward the safe-network standards. The standards help organisations to take responsibility for keeping children, young people and young adults safe; have a practical approach; and comply with legislation and national guidance. They provide useful templates, examples, and links to further information.
As a provider of services to children and young people in London you will also need to be working within the London child protection procedures. Guidance on the responsibility of third sector organisations can be accessed here.
BSCP third sector strategy
The Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP) VCS Plan 2018 sets out how the Safeguarding Partnership will work with the VCS in future. Starting from the BSCP’s commitment to respecting and supporting the sector to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in Barnet.
We have established a Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector sub group of the Safeguarding Partnership. This group will provide the opportunity for infrastructure organisations, organisations that represent large community groups or who convene existing forums, to work alongside core partner organisations to maximise the safeguarding arrangements for Barnet children and families.