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Contents

1. Threshold for Providing a Service
2. Family Intervention and Support Service Remit
3. Making a Referral to the Family Intervention and Support Service
4. Referrals
5. Working with Family Intervention and Support Services
6. When Family Intervention and Support Services Work Ends
   
   Appendix 1: Level of Needs
   
   Appendix 2: Flowchart for FISS

1. Threshold for Providing a Service

Many families are referred for family support because of high levels of professional concern in the context of multiple risk factors. In order to ensure that resources are appropriately focussed on Children In Need and more specifically on those in need of protection, Looked After Children and their families, the following priorities have been developed.

Circumstances considered as low priority referrals would be unlikely to receive a service other than sign posting to community or other agency resources.

Medium Priority referrals may become eligible for a service following an assessment of the child’s needs, parenting capacity and environmental factors.

High priority referrals are those which are concerned with the assessment of risk or harm, contribution to a child protection or child in need plan, work aimed at improving parenting capacity to enable a child to return to or remain safely in their parents care, (See Appendix 1: Level of Needs for examples of low, medium and high priority referral contents).

2. Family Intervention and Support Service Remit

The Family Intervention and Support Service is a time limited responsive service. The work that we will undertake must fall under one of the following categories.

1. Prevent Family Breakdown;
2. Support Rehabilitation Home Plan;
3. Support Looked After Children’s Placements;
4. Prevent Children and Young People Coming Into Care;
5. Support to Prevent Post Adoption Breakdown Other;
6. Time Limited Specific Pieces of Work In Accordance With A to E above.

3. Making a Referral to the Family Intervention and Support Service

This procedure covers making a referral for work to be undertaken with a child or family by the Family Intervention and Support Service, which is located within Kirklees Safeguarding and Specialist Provision.

A referral to another service can take place at any stage in our involvement with a child and their family. For Family Support Services provided by Kirklees safeguarding and specialist provision, referrals are made following an Initial Assessment or a Core Assessment.

4. Referrals

Referrals must be discussed with the worker’s line manager and this discussion is recorded on the file. The line manager and Unit Manager should countersign the referral form.

Referrals for Family Support are made on a referral form. This must be signed by the parent/child and must be accompanied by a completed and up to date Initial Assessment Record, a Core Assessment, Care Plan, or Child In Need Plan.

The referral should be sent to the Team Manager Family Intervention and Support Service, who will forward it to the next referral meeting. Referrals to the Family Intervention and Support Service are considered on a weekly basis.

An entry must be made in the case recordings indicating that a referral has been made and the purpose of the referral a copy of the signed referral form must be kept on a child’s file.

This should include the expected outcomes of any such referral. This may be clearly set out in the referral from in which case reference to this form will be sufficient, or any supervision record, which sets out the reasons for making the referral.

Depending on the level of knowledge and the length of involvement with the child and her/his, family referrals should be accompanied by supporting information giving background information and a recent assessment of the child’s needs. This would usually mean the initial assessment or a core assessment if this has been completed. It is helpful to provide a care plan or child in need or child protection plan.

Following the referral meeting, a letter is sent to the referrer informing them of the outcome.

5. Working with Family Intervention and Support Services

Family Intervention and Support Service involvement requires continuing social work involvement.  In exceptional circumstances, FISS will work with a family where the case is “stacked” and will liaise closely with the team manager, who will be expected to attend planning meetings and reviews while the case is “stacked”.

Family Intervention and Support Service work intensively with children, young people and their families in order to prevent children becoming Looked After, to prevent disruption of a placement or to facilitate a child in ceasing to be Looked After.

The team review their work every six to eight weeks and the allocated CMS team worker is invited to each review. Where the child is subject to child protection procedures, these reviews may be brought together and Core Groups will take precedence.

Referrers and any other relevant agencies will be invited to each review. The Family Intervention and Support Service should be invited to any other meetings or reviews in respect of clients with whom they work.

6. When Family Intervention and Support Services Work Ends

When the Family Intervention and Support Service conclude their work, the case file is returned to the team who commissioned the work. Written feedback is requested form both the service user and the referrer after the work has ended.

See Appendix 2: Flowchart for FISS for flow chart of FISS process.

Appendix 1: Level of Needs

LOW	MEDIUM	HIGH
Advice/information request. Respite request (no other factors) Child in need of socialisation. Isolated parent. Single issue referral – e.g. child in poverty / sub standard housing. Referrals for reasons of normal child development e.g. sibling rivalry. Disabled child.	Parent focused referrals, e.g. Parents with mental health/impairment/drug use. Multiple risk factors with some evidence of risk. Domestic violence. Relationship problems between parent and child.	Care proceedings. Child Protection Plan. Significant harm/impairment. Looked after children. Risk of placement breakdown or plan to return to parents. Risk of becoming looked after. Contribution to core assessment (e.g. child dev and parenting capacity).

Appendix 2: Flowchart for FISS

Click here to view Appendix 2: Flowchart for FISS.

End