1

The Tower Hamlets Family Wellbeing Model

SCOPE The Family Wellbeing Model applies across the Children
and Families Trust partnership. It is for everyone who
works with children, young people and parents/ carers in
Tower Hamlets.

APPROVED BY Children and Families Trust

APPROVAL DATE August 2010

PLANNED REVIEW
DATE

September 2011
LEAD AUTHOR Susan Acland-Hood, Service Head Strategy Partnership
And Performance, London Borough of Tower Hamlets

DOCUMENT OWNED BY Children and Families Trust


Contents

Section Page
Introduction 2
A model for meeting families needs 3
Indicators of need 7
Decision tree 14
Family-based services 15
Common Assessment Framework 16
Turning the CAF into a clear action plan 18
Understanding risk and resilience 19
Lead Practitioner 20
Team Around the Child/ Team Around the Family 21
Finding services to support your plan 22
Referral Systems and Routes 22
Services and help at the Borderline 22
Exits, and steps down 25
Training and support 26
Information Sharing 26
Dispute resolution 27
Relevant documents and information 28
Glossary of terms 29








2

Introduction

The Family Wellbeing Model is a model for everyone who works with children, young
people and parents/ carers in Tower Hamlets to help them work together to provide
the most effective support for children and their families.

The purpose of the Family Wellbeing Model is to support children, young people and
families to achieve their full potential by setting out in one place our approach to
delivering services for all families across all levels of need. This includes health, early
years, education, youth, social care, crime and justice and housing services and any
other service impacting on a child/young person and/or their parents/carers.

The overall aim of Tower Hamlets Family Wellbeing Model is to:
safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and families
(Section 10 of the Children Act 2004)

This Model sets out how we work to respond to different levels of need in Tower
Hamlets, and gives practical descriptors which anyone can use to help get families
and children who need it the most appropriate help and support. The model also sets
out clearly our structure for consultation, co-ordination and co-operation between
agencies to promote family wellbeing, to ensure that the children of Tower Hamlets
get the best deal from what is on offer to support them.

The model provides detailed guidance for workers in meeting the needs of children,
young people and their parents/carers, from those at the lowest level of vulnerability
and disability requiring a minimum amount of support and/or services through to
those at the highest level, who may require immediate protection and/or supportive
services. A framework is provided to identify the different levels of vulnerability and
disability children/young people may experience.

This Model does not replace the London Child Protection Procedure and practitioners
should continue to refer to this procedure in child protection cases.

Definitions

The terms child or young person and children or young people are used throughout
this document to refer to unborn babies, infants, children and young people aged 0 to
19.
1


In this document, the term family reflects a broad and inclusive definition and is
used to describe all kinds of carers, including biological parents, same sex parents,
step-parents, grandparents, foster parents, siblings and other caregivers.

A full glossary of terms is available on page 31.

1
Some services working with children work with them up to age 16 or 18 for example Child
and Adolescent Mental Heath (CAMHs) after which adult services will take over responsibility
for the young person. Others will work with the young person until they are 24, for example,
Special Education Needs (SEN) services may support young people with SEN up to age 24.

3
A model for meeting families needs

The conceptual model outlined below is a way of developing a shared understanding
and explaining the Tower Hamlets approach across all our services. The model
illustrates how we will respond to children and young people across three levels of
need universal, targeted and specialist and in this guidance we have described
our services as falling into these three levels of support.

Of course all services at some points may work with children and young people at all
three levels of need. The examples given below of which services work at which
levels of need are only illustrative examples, not hard and fast rules.

Universal
All children and their families will receive universal services, such as maternity
services at birth, health visiting and the chance to use childrens centres in early
years, GP services/ primary care services and housing services at all ages and
school and youth services in their teenage years. Universal services seek, in
conjunction with parents and families, to meet all the needs of children and young
people so that they are happy and healthy and able to learn and develop securely.
Universal services are provided as of right to all children and/or parents/ carers
including those with targeted and specialist needs.

Targeted
Our services for children and their families with additional and vulnerable needs that
go beyond what is on offer in our universal services are known as targeted services.
Examples include extra support for parents in the early years, behaviour support or
additional help with learning in school, targeted work focused on a child or family's
emotional health and wellbeing or services from our targeted youth support service.

Many families will at some time have the need for a targeted service of some kind.
Some may need a very specific intervention to meet a very specific need, delivered
by a single service; others may have complex and interlocking needs which mean
they need to have access to a range of targeted services.

We will use the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) for all children and
families who need access to targeted services across a range of agencies and
in these cases, the CAF will act as the key assessment tool before any referral.
This is to make sure that we are assessing families needs properly; and have a
whole picture of the services they need and are being offered. It will help us
make sure that families dont get lots of well-intentioned support from different
directions that isnt co-ordinated or practical for their immediate situation. The
principle is therefore that a CAF should always be completed (and consent
received from the child/ young person and/or their parent or carer, unless the
case is so serious that consent can be waived) before any referral.

Where a family is receiving a range of targeted services, we will always identify
a Lead Practitioner to help co-ordinate their support and focus it on the needs
of the family. All Tower Hamlets services which work with children will readily
take on the Lead Practitioner role, because we understand how important it is
for children and families that someone takes a lead for them.





4
Specialist
Specialist services are where the needs of the child and their family are so great that
intensive or complex intervention is required to keep them safe or to ensure their
continued development. Specialist services often have a statutory element to them,
meaning that either the family and child are statutorily obligated to engage with the
service or the local authority or NHS are statutorily obliged to provide it, or both. Not
all specialist services have this statutory element to intervention. For example,
CAMHs provides specialist services, but a child or young person is only statutorily
obliged to engage with the service in cases where intervention has to be made under
the Mental Health Act.

Examples of specialist services include statutory Childrens Social Care
interventions; statutory Youth Offending Service work, services provided for children
and young people as a result of statements of SEN and services provided for
children and young people with complex mental health needs and/or substance
misuse dependency. By working together effectively with children with additional
needs and by providing targeted services, we hope to prevent more children and
young people requiring specialist services.

Specialist services are likely in many cases to have their own specialist assessment
and referral criteria. Particular assessments may be necessary to investigate in detail
a specific area of concern and may require specialist knowledge for example, a
hearing assessment to explore the degree and nature of a hearing loss. Specialist
services will use CAFs and all will require a CAF as part of a referral unless a child is
in imminent danger. Additional detailed assessments should be used to support and
inform a holistic CAF or statutory assessment but do not replace it. They should not
require the repetition of assessment already contained in the holistic assessment.

In general, where a statutory specialist service is working with a child or young
person, and the child needs a Lead Practitioner to co-ordinate services for them, the
person from the service making the statutory intervention and who works most
frequently with the child will act as the Lead Practitioner. If there are two statutory
services working with a family they will need to decide together which one of them
will take the Lead Practitioner role, and should record this clearly. For more
information on the Lead Practitioner, see page 20.

5
Tiers of need
The descriptors below are designed to provide practitioners with an overarching view
on what tier of support a family might need. Remember that a child/young person/
families needs will change over time and families will move between levels of need.
For more detailed information on the four levels, please see Indicators of Possible
Need pages 7 to12.






















Tier 1: Universal
Child and/or family uses universal services and may at times require some
additional or differentiated support.
This is the earliest level of prevention and intervention. In general, the childs
emerging needs are isolated and less entrenched. They will often yield positive
outcomes with minimal intervention and usually do not require an integrated
response.
Tier 2: Targeted
Child and/or family has needs that are more intensive and / or more complex than
those that can normally be accommodated within good quality, inclusive and
differentiated universal services.
Targeted support for families can include interventions which vary in their level of
intensity and complexity. Sometimes specific support may be required in a limited
range of areas or even only in one area but could be required at an intensive level.
These needs require additional specific support to prevent them from escalating or
to prevent external factors having a serious negative impact on childrens abilities to
achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes.
Tier 2/3 Borderline
Some of the hardest decisions for practitioners to make will be around families who
they consider to be borderline cases between requiring targeted and specialist
services. Remember that a family at the very top of the priority list for targeted
support will probably get better and faster intervention than a family at the bottom of
the list for specialist help. It is always a good idea to get advice from your
organisations dedicated lead for child protection in the first instance or in cases
where you are concerned about the child or young persons mental health or
substance misuse, from the CAMHs Duty Team. Remember that the childs welfare
is paramount and this should determine the outcome of any assessment and
referral. Also remember the golden rule should be to prioritise action over referral
the CAF is not just about referring, it is about assessing need and developing an
action plan. A CAF should always be completed and acted on (and advice about a
referral sought alongside this, not instead). If the CAF and action plan that follows it
is not working, the IPST team can be consulted, or a referral to the Social Inclusion
Panel can be made, to help access more support. There is more on the help and
information on services that focus on the borderline on page 20.
Tier 3: Specialist
The child and/or family has difficulties that have already caused significant adverse
effects.
Families with these needs require specialist services and may be in a family
environment that is harmful. They are already experiencing poor outcomes and
need specialist and statutory support to address their needs and those of their
families. There is an increasing likelihood of many more poor outcomes, often
passed through the generations, the more problems that are present in the wider
family. This Tier also includes Tier 4 health services, which are very specialised
services in residential, day patient or outpatient settings for children and
adolescents with severe and/or complex health problems.

6

Tower Hamlets Family Wellbeing Model
















































* Within health services, CAF may not always be required if clinical assessment gives
no cause for concern and meets referral guidelines.

Severity
of need
TIER 1: UNIVERSAL
A differentiated and inclusive approach, and effective preventative
work, means most of the needs of most families can be met through
universal services most of the time
TIER 2:
TARGETED
TIER 3:
SPECIALIST
Intensive complex
intervention from
statutory service to keep
child safe/ ensure their
continued development.
BORDERLINE:
We put action before referral, and use
key services to stop escalation of need
CAF used in every case to
assess need on entry to
targeted provision and to plan
effective, coordinated actions
for families *
If needs are focused,
single agency support.
If needs are complex,
Lead Practitioner, and, if
necessary, Team
Around the Family
Clear referral mechanisms and thresholds into
specialist services using CAF and clear and
well-supported exit routes from specialist
services using CAF to provide ongoing targeted
support
I If in doubt, seek
advice:
- From your organisations
named child protection lead
- From the IPST team on
0207 364 5606
- From the CAMHs Duty
Team:0207 426 2375 (West)
or 0207 515 6633 (East)

7

The Indicators of Possible Need

The indicators on the following pages are designed to provide practitioners with an
overarching view on what tier of support and intervention a family might need.

This is not intended to be a tick box exercise, but to give a quick-reference guide to
support professionals in their decision-making, including about conducting further
assessment, referring to other services and understanding the likely thresholds for
higher levels of intervention.

Remember that if there is a combination of indicators of need under Tier Two, the
case may be a Tier Three case overall.

Also remember that need is not static; the needs of a child/young person/ family will
change over time.

If you have child protection concerns, you must also consult the London Child
Protection Procedure.

8
DEVELOPMENT OF THE BABY, CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON
This includes the childs health, family and social relationships, including primary attachment, and emotional and behavioural development.
Some of the indicators will depend on the childs age. These are guidelines to support practitioners in their decision-making. This is not intended
to be a tick box exercise and practitioners should use their professional judgement.
Tier One Tier Two Tier Three
The child is healthy, and has access to and makes
use of appropriate health and health advice
services.

Developmental milestones met.

The child engages in age appropriate activities
and displays age appropriate self-control.

The child is able to communicate with others,
engages in positive social interactions and
demonstrates positive behaviour in a wide variety
of social situations. Child demonstrates respect for
others.

The child respects his / her body.

The child has positive sense of self and abilities.

The child demonstrates feelings of belonging and
acceptance.

The child has growing level of competencies in
practical and independent living skills.

The child has a physical or mental health condition
or disability which affects their everyday
functioning.

The child rarely accesses appropriate health and
health advice services.

The child is at risk of becoming involved in
negative behaviour/ activities, for example crime or
substance misuse, or child displays early
involvement in negative activities.

The child undertakes no physical activity, and/ or
has an unhealthy diet which is impacting on their
health.

The child has significant communication difficulties.

The child has negative sense of self and abilities.

The child is a victim of discrimination / bullying.

The child interacts negatively with others and
demonstrates significant lack of respect for others.

Developmental milestones are significantly delayed
or impaired.

The child frequently exhibits negative behaviour/
activities that place self or others at imminent risk.

The child is involved in persistent criminal activity.

The child displays little or no self-control.

The child persistently runs away.

The child displays inappropriate sexualised
behaviour.

The child does not possess, or neglects to use,
self-care / independent living skills appropriate to
their age.

The child's ability to understand and organise
information and solve problems is very significantly
impaired and the child is seriously under-achieving
or is making no academic progress despite
learning support strategies over a period of time.


9
The child possesses age-appropriate ability to
understand and organise information and solve
problems, and makes adequate academic
progress.

At age 18, clear progression plans toward adult
independence are in place.

The child's ability to understand and organise
information and solve problems is impaired and the
child is under-achieving or is making no academic
progress.

The child is not participating in sporting / cultural /
leisure activities.

The child is not participating in learning to age 18.

The child is refusing to engage with/ take-up
support.

The child has unsupported caring responsibilities.

There is a clear risk that the young person will be
NEET after age 18.
The child has a complex physical or mental health
condition that is having a serious adverse impact.

The childs substance misuse dependency is
affecting their mental and physical health and
social wellbeing.



10

PARENT FACTORS
Including basic care, emotional warmth, stimulation, guidance and boundaries, stability and parenting styles and attitudes, and whether these
meet the childs physical, educational, emotional and social needs. These are guidelines to support practitioners in their decision-making. This is
not intended to be a tick box exercise and practitioners should use their professional judgement.
Tier One Tier Two Tier Three
Parents / carers make appropriate
provisions for food, drink, warmth and
shelter.

Parents/carers protect their family from
danger / significant harm.

Parenting generally demonstrates praise,
emotional warmth and encouragement.

Parents/ carers set consistent boundaries
and give guidance.

Positive family relationships, including
between separated parents.

Parents/carers positively support learning
and aspirations and engage with school.

Parents/carers are engaged in parenting.

Parents are accessing adult learning
opportunities, or are in employment.

Parents are able to guide and support
career choice and route to success
Parents / carers make inappropriate or inadequate
provisions for food, drink, warmth and shelter.

Parents/ carers are not accessing ante/post natal care.

Parents/ carers are suffering from post natal
depression.

Parents/ carers have difficulties managing childs
sleeping, feeding or crying.

Parents/ carers display Inappropriate anxiety regarding
child health.

Parents/carers struggle to address absence from
school.

Chaotic, intolerant, critical, inconsistent, harsh or
rejecting parenting.

Parents/ carers struggle to set age appropriate
boundaries and have difficulties maintaining childs
routine.

Relationship difficulties between the child and
parents/carer significantly inhibit the child's emotional,
behavioural and social development.
Inability to judge dangerous situations and the child is
frequently exposed to dangerous situations in the
home and / or community.

Parental drug and/or alcohol usage is at a problematic
level and parent cannot carry out daily parenting this
could include blackouts, confusion, severe mood
swings, drug paraphernalia not stored or disposed of,
using drugs/ alcohol when child is present, involving
the child in procuring illegal substances, dangers of
overdose.

Parent rejects child/young person from home.

Evidence of parents or carers displaying
fabricated/induced illness.

Parents/ carer unable to protect child from harm.

Persistent concerns have been raised about the child
and parent(s) refusing to engage with professionals.

Parents/carers collude with child regarding absence
from school, and condone it.

The child is suffering from severe emotional neglect.


11

Drug and/or alcohol abuse is impacting on parenting -
this could include binge drinking, drug paraphernalia,
child cannot invite friends to the home, child worries
about parent.

Parents/ carers criminal or antisocial behaviour
affecting care of child.

Physical or mental health needs of parents/ carer
affecting care of child.

Learning disabilities affecting care of child.

Parent / carer displays significant lack of interest in
child's learning and/or route to adult independence.

The parent/ carer is resisting engaging with/ taking-up
support.

Adult mental health is significantly impacting on the
care of the child; any carer for the child presents as
acutely mentally unwell and /or attempts significant self
harm and/or children are the subject of parental
delusions.

Severe emotional abuse of child causing severe
distress.

Sexual abuse of child.

Parent significantly physically harms child.

The parent/ carer is persistently refusing to engage
with or take up support resulting in serious risk / harm
to child

12

FAMILY AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Including access to and use of: community resources; living conditions; housing; employment status; legal status. These are guidelines to
support practitioners in their decision-making. This is not intended to be a tick box exercise and practitioners should use their professional
judgement.
Tier One Tier Two Tier Three
The child is provided with an emotionally warm
and stable family environment.

The family is adaptable and accommodates the
needs of the whole family.

The family feels integrated into the community.

There is good access to good quality universal
services in the neighbourhood.

Family has a reasonable income over time and
financial resources used appropriately to meet the
family's needs.

Parents / carers are able to manage their working
or unemployment arrangements and do not
perceive them as unduly stressful.

The family's accommodation meets the 'Decent
Homes' standard.

There is a positive familial network and good
friendships outside the family unit.

The young person is supported to success in the
labour market.
Family environment is emotionally cold.

Family is chronically socially excluded and / or
there is an absence of supportive community
networks.

Extreme poverty / debt impacting on the familys
ability to care for the child.

Domestic violence is impacting on the child.

Financial resources frequently inappropriately used
for example, money is spent on drugs/ alcohol.

There is a pattern of intergenerational
worklessness.

The family's accommodation does not meet the
'Decent Homes' standard in a significant number of
areas.

The family environment doesnt allow adequate
control of health activities.

The neighbourhood or locality is having a negative
impact on the child for example, the child is a
victim of anti-social behaviour or crime, or is
Family environment is highly volatile / unstable.

Lack of adequate food, warmth, essential
clothing.

Children constantly appear dirty and clothing is
inappropriate to season or is not age appropriate.

Schedule 1 offender who is a serious risk is in
contact with or living with the family.

Family are homeless and destitute.

Domestic violence poses a significant risk to the
safety of the child.

Incident(s) of serious or persistent physical
violence in family, increasing in severity,
frequency or duration.

There is a history of previous assaults by family
members.

Family home used for drug taking and/or dealing,
prostitution and illegal activities.

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

13


participating in anti-social behaviour or at risk or
participating in criminal activity.

Destructive / unhelpful involvement from the
extended family.

The child's family is inflexible and the needs of the
adults are consistently to the fore.

Familys legal status puts them at risk of exclusion
(eg asylum-seeking families or illegal workers).

Siblings or other members of the family have a
disability or serious health condition, including
mental health concerns.

Siblings or other household members drug or
alcohol abuse is impacting on the child.

The child is looking after members of their family
(is a carer) which is impacting on their
opportunities.





14
Decision tree



15

Family-based services

In Tower Hamlets we have deliberately developed a Family Wellbeing Model rather
than a Child Wellbeing Model. It is rarely helpful to consider the adults and children in
a family entirely separately even though they may not always be seen together by the
same agency.

In order to support this family-based approach, we have:

Included in our Family Services Directory (available at
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/fis) services aimed at supporting the adults in a
family, and in particular those where there is a focus on both adults and
childrens needs. Examples include the CHAMP project, which works with
adults with mental health needs who have children, to minimise the impact of
the mental health on the outcomes for their children, and Breaking the Cycle
and MPACT which both focus on reducing the impact of parental substance
misuse and reducing the harm caused to children.

Worked within the Council to ensure that we can carry out family-based
assessments within Children and Adults Social Care that look at the needs of
a family together.

Developed a clearer, more consistent approach to supporting parents with
parenting, which we are making sure is shared by all those who work with
parents in Tower Hamlets. We will take this forward as we develop our new
Family and Parenting Strategy.

Adopting a Family Approach when working with a child/young person, parent/ carer

Think Family. If you are working with a child, while ensuring that the childs
welfare is always the priority, consider their parent/carer and the services they
may need to support the family as a whole, rather than just looking at the
childs needs (CAF will support this). If you are working with a vulnerable
adult, ask if they are either a parent or a carer and consider the needs of any
children or vulnerable adults they may care for. In some cases, Adult Services
may be the only services aware of the needs of a child, and they may also be
the only agency the parent/ carer is willing to engage with, for example if the
parent/ carer is using drugs or alcohol. This means Adult Services have a key
role to play in safeguarding children.

If the parent that you are working with is misusing substances it is likely to be
impacting on the child. When the parent/carer engages in treatment there are
more likely to be positive outcomes for the whole family. We have a wide
range of treatment services in the borough. For more information please
contact the Drug and Alcohol Action Team on 0207 364 4594/5488 or email
emma.bond@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Remember that working with an adult to support his/her child can be a way
in to supporting the adult develop more positive outcomes for themselves.
For example, evidence has shown that engaging prisoners in staying involved


16
in their childrens schooling and working towards other positive outcomes for
their children means they are less likely to re-offend themselves.

Remember that the Lead Practitioner can support a family as well as a child
and that the Team Around the Child can be a Team Around the Family,
bringing in those working with adults in the family as well as those working
with the children.

Make use of services that support parents with parenting skills. Contact Jill
McGinley, Acting Head of Parent Support Services at
jill.mcginley@towerhamlets.gov.uk or on 020 7364 4946

Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

The CAF is a guided conversation with a child or young person and their parents. It
provides a series of standard headings to ensure all areas of the childs
development, and any other factors that may affect this, are taken into consideration
when looking at the strengths and needs of a child or young person. It requires
practitioners to engage with a child or young person and their parents to gather and
analyse information using a standardised format.

As well as acting as the basis of an action plan for intervention that can help the
family move forward, this process also helps to identify who would be the most
suitable Lead Practitioner to take forward and coordinate the support required.

You can access the eCAF system to complete a CAF at:
https://www.ryogensonline.org.uk/common/homepage/lbth.html

You can access guidance on how to complete the CAF, and the CAF form and CAF
review form at www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

If you have any queries about completing a CAF or using eCAF, you can
contact the eCAF helpdesk on 020 7364 6238 or email
thischild@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

You will find detailed guidance on the website above on how to complete a CAF.
Below is a quick-reference summary:

Before beginning a CAF:

Check who else is working with the child or young person. Asking them is
often the most straightforward way. You can also check the eCAF system for
previous CAFs or phone the CAF systems manager on 020 7364 1965. If an
assessment already exists and/or other practitioners are working with the
child and family, make links to build on existing work rather than starting from
scratch.

Discuss the CAF with the child and family and get their consent to proceed. It
can be helpful to explain that the CAF is a way of helping them explore issues
in their lives and decide if there are areas they want some support with. With
their agreement it can then be shared with others to request support. It is not


17
about judging them: it is their assessment and their plan and can only be
undertaken or shared with their consent.

Normally a CAF can only be completed with consent but there are some legal
frameworks in which a CAF could be completed without consent e.g. in the case
of persistent non-attendance, the Attendance and Welfare Advisory Service use
the CAF to describe the issues and steps already taken to reduce this problem.
As the law is being broken persistently, and court action may be required,
consent for completing the CAF or sharing the information in it is not required.
However, even in these situations parents /carers should be informed and given
an opportunity to contribute or comment on the assessment. They should also be
provided with a copy.

There are some circumstances when concerns are so serious that a CAF should
be completed without seeking consent and where it is not appropriate to share
the CAF with the family e.g. where to do so would put a child, young person or
others at risk of significant harm or if it would undermine the prevention, detection
or prosecution of a serious crime, including where seeking consent might lead to
interference in a potential investigation.

For more information about these exceptional situations please consult the
borough's guidance, "A Guide for Integrated Working in the Children's Workforce
- Sharing Confidential Information" which is available at
www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

Doing the CAF:

Use the headings in the CAF domains and the prompt information to shape
your discussion with the family and to ensure you have not missed anything
significant. Gather information: this will mostly come from what the family tell
you but you should also record information youve observed, seen records of,
or information from other practitioners working with the family.

Use the Tower Hamlets scoring system to score each area of the CAF as you
go through it, with the family. This helps you understand the significance they
attach to a particular concern and helps you decide where support is most
needed and will be most welcomed. It often prompts discussion - Can you
tell me why you feel this area is more difficult for you than that one? It also
gives a baseline to see what is working when we review progress.

Remember that the CAF is a tool to help you. You should at least consider
each area in case something relevant emerges but you do not need to fill in
every part of the CAF form in the same level of detail. For some families,
needs may be very focused in one area and for other areas you may just
record no concerns and score the area as a 1. You can fill in parts of a
CAF even if you are working with the adults in a family and have never met
the child or children about whom you have concerns the important thing is
that you use the CAF to consider what you know and develop plans to
help the family, which may include passing on what you know to
another agency.



18
Use the CAF to consider the impact of services that are already being
provided, and think about what has worked and what has not in the past. This
will help plan for the future.

Analyse the CAF to identify strengths and needs. It is important to identify the
strengths that might help a family move forward, as well as the needs they
may have.

Where you suspect that a parent may have crossed the statutory threshold
(eg critical or substantial risk to independence) you can contact the adult
social care team direct on 020 7364 5005.
Turning the CAF into a clear action plan
The most important stage of doing the CAF is turning your assessment into a plan of
action. We will gain the cooperation of families if they see their concerns being met
with practical support assessment without action attached isnt likely to help
families move forward.
As you develop the action plan:
Involve the family. Young people and parents will have their own views about
what support will be most effective in meeting the needs identified in the
common assessment. They will also need to give consent to the action plan
before its put into effect (unless there are child protection concerns).
Be clear about the outcome that you want, the action thats proposed to
achieve it and who is going to do it. The child and family should be involved in
the planning and wherever possible they should have actions of their own to
complete. Remember that the ultimate objective is to support them to be able
to manage their own concerns with reducing levels of support.
Make sure the plan has targets which are SMART (specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic and have timescales).
Where possible, the Lead Practitioner should ensure that, where the parent
has consented, all agencies are informed of the action plan. This will not be
possible in some cases, where there may be a reason why information cannot
be shared, such as in child protection cases.

The CAF Action Plan will include actions in order of priority, with the following
information:
Desired outcome
Action
Who will do this?
By when?
Your action plan may involve referring the young person or family to a specialist or
targeted service; but you should make sure you have also considered the
contribution that the strengths of the family, the wider community and universal
services can make. These can make the action plan sustainable.
Once you have a plan which the family has agreed, it should be reviewed regularly to
check whether it is working. It is good practice to ask the family to score the CAF


19
again after 3 months, and this should certainly be done within a maximum of six
months. This is to see whether things have moved on as a result of the plan.

Understanding risk and resilience

In understanding CAFs, the cases that often cause practitioners most concern are
those that seem to be at the borderline. When working with families it is essential to
have good conceptual understanding about risk.

In thinking through the case, it is important to identify:
the cause for concern (distinguish between immediate and other causes of
concern and on what evidence it is based)
the strengths of the family
the risks to the child/children
the childs needs for protection
the ability of parents and wider family and social networks to safeguard and
promote the childs welfare.

It is important to understand the information you have gathered, including previous
concerns/history and areas you dont know about. Consider how risks can be
managed.

When working with families the below may be helpful:



Analysis of
Information

Severity
(Type and degree of
harm)

Vulnerability
(age of child ,
development
functioning level )

Likelihood
(likelihood of harm
repeating, continuing
or cumulating )
Judgement of
Risk

Harm consequence
(Actual and believed
harm extreme,
serious or concerning)
+
Harm probability
(What is likely to
increase/ decrease
probability of harm
highly likely, likely,
unlikely)
-
Mitigating or protective
factors





Risk













Gathering Information

(Referring to the Assessment
Framework & five key areas)
The Child or Young Person
age development functioning

The Parents
attitudes to harm and to the child
relationship with the child functioning
parenting capacity parenting history

The opportunity for harm
access of alleged perpetrator
exposure to harm

The Source of harm
incidents or harm causing behaviour
severity history and pattern (one off
incident, or series or pattern of abuse
or neglect) type of abuse or neglect
(or combination)

The Networks
informal and formal alternative carers
and significant others


20
Lead Practitioner

If the child or family you are concerned about are already working with a wide range
of services, or if your CAF and Action Plan mean that it is clear the family need multi-
agency support, you should identify the best person to act as Lead Practitioner for
the family, to make sure the support they get is joined-up and meets their needs. This
may or may not be the person who originally wrote the CAF and Action Plan.

A Lead Practitioner acts as a single point of contact for the child, young person
and/or family someone that they can trust, who is able to engage and support them
in making choices, in navigating their way through the support systems and in
effecting change. This system benefits young people and their families by reducing
the number of times they have to repeat information to different practitioners and by
ensuring that there is one person who will coordinate the delivery of actions agreed
by the practitioners involved.


How to identify the right Lead Practitioner:

The Lead Practitioner should be decided primarily based on the predominant
needs of the child or family and the quality of any existing relationships with
the family.

Use the CAF and Action Plan. Often, it is clear from the assessment and
action plan what the predominant needs of the family are and this should
guide the choice of Lead Practitioner.

Meet (actually or virtually) to discuss and agree. Those involved in delivering
services to the family should agree on the choice of Lead Practitioner. The
family themselves also need to have a say, and be listened to.

Remember that the role of Lead Practitioner is allocated for a time limited
intervention linked to the action plan and can change over time as the needs
of the child or young person change.

Do not spend time resisting acting as Lead Practitioner when it is in the best
interests of the child and family. Acting as Lead Practitioner for a particular
case may involve you in some extra work; but the system as a whole prevents
duplication and wasted effort and gives better services to families.

The idea for a Lead Practitioner came directly from feedback from families who said
they found liaising with lots of different people confusing, time wasting, impersonal
and demoralising. Having a Lead Practitioner contributes to effective and integrated
action and reduces the likelihood of a child or young persons needs or safety being
overlooked.

Detailed guidance on the role of the Lead Practitioner, and the linked role of the
Team Around the Child, is available at www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk
.A brief summary is set out here:






21
The Lead Practitioner should:

Act as a single point of contact the family can trust, and support them in
making choices and navigating the system.

Pursue the actions set out in the action plan, working with other services, and
with the family. Review it periodically, looking at what has worked and what
hasnt.

Identify any additional services or support the family may need, and broker
these with others.

Supports the family through key transitions and ensure a careful and planned
handover takes place.

Where it is needed, draw together a Team Around the Child (or Team Around
the Family) to help with seamless support for the family. Meetings can be
real or virtual and may not always be needed having a Lead Practitioner
working actively may in some cases be enough to co-ordinate services for a
family.

Team Around the Child/Team Around the Family

The Team Around the Child brings together relevant practitioners with the family to
address the familys unmet needs. The team works together to plan co-ordinated
support from agencies to address problems in a holistic way through an agreed plan
(which should be based on the CAF plan). Parents and carers are equal members of
the Team.

When deciding whether to use the Team Around the Child/Team Around the Family
model:

Consider whether a physical meeting is needed, or whether a clear Lead
Practitioner with a good action plan will be enough to co-ordinate support. Do
not meet for the sake of meeting.

Consider the added value that may come from discussion. A meeting may be
valuable where issues are entrenched or existing plans are not working well.

A Team Around the Child/Team Around the Family meeting should:

Start from an existing CAF and Action Plan, and consider what is working well
and where there are still unmet needs

Meet in order to improve on the existing plan by adding clear objectives and
actions, with owners and timescales. Discussion should be focused on this
aim rather than on general information sharing or updating

Hear from the family both about issues and solutions

Chase progress on actions previously agreed



22
Identify and resolve any areas of tension or difficulty between agencies
working with the family.

For more information on conducting meetings, included suggested agenda, refer to
the Tower Hamlets Protocol on Team Around the Child and the Role of the Lead
Professional available at www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

Finding services to support your plan

Your plan may identify the need for a targeted service for the family to support a
specific need. In order to find out what is available, you can:

Use the Family Services Directory. This is a directory of all services
available to families in Tower Hamlets, and includes universal as well as
targeted support (which may also be useful for supporting families in need).
You can search the family services directory at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/fis
You can also telephone the Family Information Service on 0207 364 6495
or by email on fis@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
For more complicated cases, and in particular those at the borderline, you
can consult the IPST on 0207 364 5606 who can give advice not only about
what services are available, but about what might suit a particular complex
set of circumstances.

Referral systems and routes

Targeted services in Tower Hamlets should all now use the CAF as their main
referral document. Your CAFs main function is not as a referral tool it is to help you
undertake a thorough assessment to inform your action plan - but using it for referral
makes sure that a referral to services is part of a wider plan, and that it is based on a
proper assessment of the familys needs.

Services and help at the borderline

Some of the hardest decisions for practitioners to make will be around families who
they consider to be borderline cases between requiring targeted and specialist
services. In these cases, it is always a good idea to get advice; but the golden rule
should be to prioritise getting action for the family and ensuring the child/young
persons safety. A CAF and action plan should always be completed and acted on
(and advice about any referral sought alongside this, not instead).

At present, we use some key panels to offer support and assist with referrals for
many types of case at the borderline:

Social Inclusion Panel (SIP)

This is a multi agency panel seeking to reduce social exclusion and ensure a
coordinated approach to planning across agencies for very vulnerable children and
young people and their families who are at risk but do not meet thresholds for
statutory intervention.

In all these cases there is an expectation that agencies will already be working
actively with the child and family as a Team Around the Child, but that concerns


23
remain. The panel looks at the CAF, which should clarify why advice is required,
what has been tried previously and what extra support is required.

The panel considers children and young people who are thought to be vulnerable
and at risk of not achieving one or more of the Every Child Matters outcomes, and for
whom schools and other agencies request multi-agency advice or intervention
(where the Team Around the Child/ Lead Practitioner arrangements are not
producing the desired outcomes).

Cases considered by SIP are at the Tier 2/3 borderline, with the aim of preventing
them requiring statutory intervention and/or to ensure that our finite supply of
targeted services are accessed by the children and young people who need them
most.

The following are the types of cases that can be referred to SIP:

Cases where there are multi-agency concerns and the Team Around the
Child/Family is seeking further advice and/or support. This includes those
cases where medical or mental health problems are impeding progress or
where outcomes are affected by social or housing issues such as those that
may be faced by young carers or refugees.
Cases where the child/ young person is at risk of exclusion from school as a
result of poor behaviour
Cases where the child/ young person is at risk of involvement in crime / anti-
social behaviour
Decisions on action in relation to chronic and persistent non attendance or for
pupils out of school.
Cases where the child/young person is at risk of becoming Not in Education
Employment or Training (NEET), or where they are NEET.

The following are cases which must be referred to SIP:

Cases where court action for non-attendance is requested
Discussion of cases to Prevent Violent Extremism (PVE) where front line
strategies have failed to reduce concerns
All requests for placement in the Pupil Referral Unit (with the exception of
children who have had a fixed term or permanent exclusion, children
accessing PRU through the Fair Access Protocol and children with a
statement of SEN for whom referral is through the SEN Panel)
All requests for a Key stage 4 engagement programme requiring placement
over two days outside mainstream school (with the exception of children with
a statement of SEN for whom the request is through the SEN Panel)
All medical cases where there is a request for home tuition.
Referrals to the Family Intervention Programme (FIP): families must present a
complex, multidimensional set of problems.

From September 2010, the SIP will meet on a fortnightly basis. It is open to any
agency to refer a child or young person who they consider could benefit from the
extra help and/or advice the panel can offer.





24
How to refer to SIP

To refer a child, young person or family to SIP for support, contact the SIP Systems
Manager on 020 7364 1965 to ask for the deadline for the next panel and for further
advice on referring. All referrals should be on a completed CAF unless there is an
existing up to date statutory assessment that can be used instead.

Special Educational Needs Pre-Assessment Panel

There is also a Special Educational Needs Pre-Assessment Panel which considers
applications for Statutory Assessment of Special Educational Needs. These must be
referred with a CAF and supported by the views of an Educational Psychologist. The
pre-assessment panel may decide to proceed to statutory assessment or give advice
on how the childs needs may be supported at School Action Plus. To refer to this
panel contact Margaret Bailey, Senior SEN officer on 020 7364 4462 or at
Margaret.Bailey@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Family Support Panel

The Family Support Panel does not currently provide access to additional services,
but meets to advise family support practitioners on particularly entrenched and
critical multi-agency cases where advice may serve to move things forward. To have
a case you are working on considered by this panel contact the Family Intervention
Group administrator, Denise Mentessi 020 7364 6734. You will be asked to come to
the panel with your manager to present the case.

Integrated Pathways and Support Team

For circumstances where you are working with a family at the borderline, and more
help and advice about services is needed, including about whether a case should be
referred to Childrens Social Care, telephone the Integrated Pathways and Support
Team who can give advice both about referral and about other options. They can be
reached on 0207 364 5606. The team is also available out of hours on this number.

Always telephone this team if you are concerned that a child or young person may be
at immediate risk, or if there are clear child protection issues.

Family Group Conferences

Another tool which may help in cases at the borderline is a Family Group
Conference. This is a meeting of family members and others close to the family:
To talk about the needs of the children and make plans for them
To get together, find out what is happening and think about what family
members can do for their children who face some kind of difficulty.
To enable the family to let professionals know what input would be helpful to
them.

The independent coordinator meets with all key family members to ensure they know
why they need to make a plan for the child and how the process works. The meeting
is then held in three parts:


25
Information giving, where those working with the family give information on
what needs to be addressed and the resources they can provide to support
the family.
Private time, for the family to discuss and formulate their plan
Feedback of the plan to those working with the family.

To arrange a Family Group Conference, contact the Family Group Conference
Service on 02073643443, or email familygroupconference@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Schools Social Work Team

Through preventative social work practice, the Schools Social Work team works
directly with children, young people and their families identified by schools as
needing targeted social work support to address safeguarding and welfare needs.
School Social workers are school based and work closely with designated child
protection leads and other school based professionals.

Exits and steps down

It is essential that, when working with families, we consider how services will stop
working with them, as well as how they will start. Some families will need some
services in a very long-term and sustained way for example, children with the most
serious disabilities are likely to need a high level of support for a sustained period.

But for many services, the aim must be to build the capacity of the child, young
person or family so that they do not have to rely on its support indefinitely. Support
should never create dependency. It is also important that support particularly where
families have had very intensive support does not end with a cliff-edge.

For these reasons it is important that when getting families support and services, we
also think from very early on about exit routes and steps down from services.

When you are planning action with a family, think from the outset about
building the familys capability and independence, not just about getting them
a service.

When seeking referral to a targeted or specialist service, make sure this is
part of the plan, but not the only plan. Do not let go of the family because
they have been referred the intervention should be time-limited and aimed
at helping the family become independent. Discuss exit as part of the referral.
Consider how you will help the family when they are exiting from the service
again.

Remember that the borderline services described above can be used as part
of exit as well as to prevent entry to specialist services.

A CAF should be written (or reviewed and refreshed, with a new plan for exit),
as part of the exit strategy from all specialist services, as these children and
families are likely to need some ongoing support to prevent needs from
escalating again. If a CAF is being completed for the first time as part of a
step down from a specialist service and a specialist assessment already
exists, a CAF should still be completed with reference made to the specialist


26
assessment to avoid repetition. The need for a Lead Practitioner or Team
Around the Child should also be considered, and a record should be kept of
what was concluded about how the child or young person should be
supported to exit the service, and why.

Transition to Adult Services

Careful planning will be needed when the young person moves into adult services, to
ensure continuity of service. The CAF should be used to inform Adult Services
planning. At this point, it will be appropriate to re-consider who the Lead Practitioner
should be.

Training and support

Training and development will be available to support the implementation of the
Family Wellbeing Model, including training on the tiers, refresher training on CAF,
Lead Practitioner, and Team Around the Child, as well as training focused on
developing family resilience and providing help in a way that creates strength rather
than dependency.

Contact ecm.training@towerhamlets.gov.uk for details of current training on
integrated working.

Information Sharing

Sharing information is vital for effective joined up service provision to ensure that
children, young people and their families get the services they need. This will help to
ensure that children and young people are effectively safeguarded. It is important
that practitioners understand when and how they can share information legally and
professionally so that they can do so confidently and appropriately as part of their
day-to-day practice.

Sharing information effectively also means better-informed referrals, and a better use
of resources. Families with high levels of need are often referred to multiple
agencies. Where information is shared more widely, practitioners can identify which
services families are already engaged with so that they can make informed decisions
as to whether to refer families for additional services. This can free up resources for
other families and can help reduce dependency on services for those families that
traditionally use a wide range of services.

Key information sharing principles
The practice of good information sharing is underpinned by six key principles:

Explain to children, young people and families at the outset what and how
information will or could be shared.
Always consider the safety of the child when making decisions about sharing,
where there is concern that the child may be suffering or is at risk of suffering
significant harm, the childs safety and welfare must be the overriding
consideration.
Where possible respect the child / familys wishes and seek consent to share.
You may still share this information if in your judgement on the facts of the
case there is sufficient need to override the lack of consent you should


27
always share information if you consider that a child is in danger, even if you
do not have consent..
If in doubt it is important that you seek the support and advice of your line
manager and /or one of the information governance contacts.
Ensure that the information you share is accurate, up to date and shared with
those who need to see it, and that any information you do share is done so
securely.
Record decisions, whether or not you share a piece of information. Good practice
would be to maintain a log of information sharing decisions you have made in
relation to a case, outlining your reasons for sharing or not sharing. Remember
you may need to justify your decision at a later date.

For further guidance on sharing information please consult the borough's guidance,
"A Guide for Integrated Working in the Children's Workforce - Sharing Confidential
Information" which is available at www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

Dispute Resolution

It is inevitable that despite positive attitudes and close working relationships, there
will occasionally be disputes between services about the best way to help a family.

Where a Lead Practitioner is in place, the Lead Practitioner should be given primacy
in resolving any differences related to the support a family needs. Other
professionals should respect the role the Lead Practitioner has taken on and work
with their proposals for supporting the family wherever possible.

Where there are disputes that cannot be overcome in this way including disputes
about who is to act as lead professional:

1. Resolution should first be attempted between the relevant practitioners, who
should remember at all times that the needs of the family should come before
the needs of the service.

2. In the event that practitioners cannot agree, their immediate line managers
should be involved. They should work with practitioners to resolve the
dispute. They should also, subsequently, look into why there was a problem
resolving the issue in the first place and if necessary address any structural
issues, or offer any helpful training or advice, that would prevent a similar
dispute arising in the future.

3. Thereafter the issue should be taken through the line management structure
of each agency and ultimately to the senior managers in the Children and
Families Trust, if the dispute cannot be resolved in any other way.

Family complaints procedures

Families should be in a position to inform someone if they feel the Lead Practitioner
or other members of the Team Around the Child are not fulfilling their required roles
and to be clear about the process to resolve these issues.

Families should first discuss the issue with the Lead Practitioner who should, where
appropriate, speak to another team member to resolve the concern. Where the


28
concern is about the Lead Practitioner, families should ask to speak to the Lead
Practitioners line manager.

Thereafter they should follow the standard complaints procedure for the agency
involved, e.g. Childrens Services or Health. The Lead Practitioner should always
advise families of the complaints procedure for their agency.
Relevant documents and information

Resource Where to find it
Family Services Directory www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/fis

Family Information Service 0207 364 6495
fis@towerhamlets.gov.uk

All London Child Protection Procedures www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

Threshold to Children Social Care
guidance
www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

Working together 2010 to Safeguard
Children
www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

Tower Hamlets Children and Young
Peoples Plan
www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk

Tower Hamlets protocol on the Team
Around the Child and the role of the lead
professional

www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk
A Guide for Integrated Working in the
Children's Workforce - Sharing
Confidential Information

www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk
Using the CAF in Tower Hamlets:
Common Assessment Framework

www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk
A Guide for Integrated Working in the
Children's Workforce - Sharing
Confidential Information
www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk
Strengthening Families, Strengthening
Communities, Race Equality Unit
www.raceequalityfoundation.org.uk/sfsc/

Case studies (To be developed) www.childrenandfamiliestrust.co.uk













29
Glossary of terms

Borderline
Borderline refers to cases where the childs needs do not neatly fit into either
targeted or specialist.

Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
CAMHS promote the mental health and psychological wellbeing of children and
young people. They provide high quality, multidisciplinary mental health and
substance misuse services to all children and young people with mental health
problems and disorders. They can also provide a specialist service for young people
with substance misuse dependency.

Childrens Centre
A multi-agency centre offering integrated early learning, childcare and a wide range
of health & family support to children under 5 and their families.

Children and Families Trust
The Children and Families Trust is responsible for developing and implementing the
Children and Young Peoples Plan. It is a local partnership which brings together
organisations responsible for services for children, young people and their families in
the borough.

Common Framework Assessment (CAF)
The CAF for children and young people is a standardised approach to conducting an
assessment of a childs additional needs. The CAF has been designed to help
practitioners assess needs at an earlier stage and work with families, alongside other
practitioners and agencies to meet those needs.

Electronic Common Assessment Framework (eCAF)
The eCAF promotes a standard, best practice approach to the CAF for all childrens
services across England.

Every Child Matters (ECM)
ECM is the programme that sets out the Governments aim for every child, whatever
their background or circumstances, so that all children are supported to be healthy;
stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; and achieve economic
wellbeing. The Every Disabled Child Matters programme sits alongside this.

Extended School
This is a school that is open to pupils, families and the wider community during the
normal school day and beyond at weekends and during school holidays. Extended
schools provide a core offer of services including childcare in primary schools,
parenting support and a range of additional activities.

Family Intervention Project (FIP)
Family Intervention Projects have developed from the governments antisocial
behaviour strategy, to improve the behaviour of challenging families and reduce their
impact on their community. They bring stability to families lives, prevent
homelessness and improve opportunities for children and young people.





30
Family Services Directory
Family Services Directory is a directory of all services available to families in Tower
Hamlets. It includes universal as well as targeted support

Integrated Pathways and Support Team (IPST)
The IPST is a multidisciplinary team in Childrens Social Care which provides a
holistic approach to increasing protection for vulnerable children and families. The
IPSTs main functions include screening, advice and defining an Exit Strategy

Lead Practitioner (sometimes referred to as Lead Professional)
A Lead Practitioner acts as a single point of contact for the child, young person
and/or family. This system benefits young people and their families by reducing the
number of times they have to repeat information to different practitioners and by
ensuring that there is one person who will coordinate the delivery of actions agreed
by the practitioners involved.

Pupil Referral Unit (PRU)
Local Authorities have a duty under section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to provide
education for all children of compulsory school age. PRUs are centres for children
who are unable to attend mainstream or specialist schools. PRUs have to offer a
basic curriculum.

Schools Social Work Team
Through preventative social work practice, informed by solution focused and anti-
discriminatory practice, the Schools Social Work team works directly with the
children, young people and their families identified by schools as needing targeted
social work support to address safeguarding and welfare needs, School Social
Workers work in partnership with children, young people, their families and other
professionals to ensure best outcomes, using Team around Child/ Family and
Common Assessment Framework.

Social Inclusion Panel (SIP)
A multi agency panel seeking to reduce social exclusion and ensure coordinated
approaches to planning across agencies for vulnerable children and young people
who are at risk but do not meet the thresholds for statutory intervention.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)
A child is defined as having Special Educational Needs if he or she has a learning
difficulty that needs special provision. A learning difficulty means that the child has
significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of their age.

Specialist services and needs (tier 3)
The child and/or family have difficulties that have already caused significant adverse
effects. Specialist services often have a statutory element, so that either the family
and child are statutorily obligated to engage with the service or the local authority are
statutorily obliged to provide it, or both.

Statutory intervention
A statutory intervention is an intervention that is required by law, where the child has
crossed a statutory threshold, e.g. Child in Need, Child Protection or Special
Educational Needs. Where an intervention is statutory, either the family and child are
statutorily obligated to engage with the service or the local authority is statutorily
obliged to provide it, or both.


31

Targeted services and needs (tier 2)
Child and/or family have needs that are more intensive and / or more complex than
those that can normally be accommodated within good quality, inclusive and
differentiated universal services. Services for children and their families with
additional and vulnerable needs are known as Targeted services. Examples include
behaviour support or additional help with learning in school.

Team Around the Child / Team Around the Family
These teams bring together relevant practitioners with the family to address the
families unmet needs. The team plans coordinated support which address problems
in a holistic way. This model is to be used in situations where a lead practitioner will
be unable to develop an appropriate action plan independently.

Universal services and needs (tier 1)
All children and their families receive Universal services, such as maternity services,
health visiting and the chance to use childrens. Universal services are provided as of
right to all children and/or parents/ carers including those with targeted and specialist
needs.

Youth Inclusion and Support Panel (YISP)
The YISP is part of the council Youth offending teams early intervention and
prevention initiative. The YISP is a preventative programme for children and young
people aged from 8 to 13 years old. It aims to ensure that children receive
preventative services at an early age.