Working Together for the Benefit of Children and

Working Together for the Benefit of Children and Young People Unit 029

Outcome 1 Understand integrated and multi agency working

1. Explain the importance of multi-agency working and integrated working

‘Multi-agency’ and ‘integrated working’ are terms used to describe the way in which services work together, in different ways, to meet the needs of children, young people and their families

Multi-agency working This involves different agencies, services or teams of professionals working together to provide services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families Example – when practitioners form health, education and social services work together to provide support for a family and their child, who has down’s syndrome

Integrated working This involves different services joining together, usually in the same building, to offer more effective care for children, young people and their families. Example – in a children’s centre, parents may be able to seek advice from a health visitor, attend a play session with their toddler and access a training programme in order to improve their own education or employment prospects

The importance of working together Services for children and young people can involve many different agencies, each with their own roles and responsibilities. Different professionals may work with children in a range of situations and will therefore gain different information.

So that everyone has an holistic view of the child it is extremely important that information is shared, both between the practitioners themselves and with the children’s parents or main carers. This holistic approach is an important part of the Every Child Matters framework, which clearly states that professionals should work together in order to improve outcomes for children and their families.

2. Analyse how integrated working practices and multi-agency working in partnership deliver better outcomes for children and young people

Does the working together work? Is it good/bad? How does it effect all those involved?

3. Describe the functions of external agencies with whom your work setting or service interacts (Check within unit 25. 2. 4)

4. Explain common barriers to integrated working and multi-agency working and how these can be overcome

Barriers to effective partnership working For integrated and multi-agency working to be effective, it is important for all professionals involved to respect each other. This requires an understanding of the different areas of expertise and experience, which is not always an easy process.

There can sometimes be problems with partnership working q Roles may not be clearly defined q Information is not shared or communication between partners is poor q Approach not co-ordinated which can result in a duplication of services and confusion for everyone involved

Barriers to effective partnership working q Poor communication between partners q Lack of information sharing between partners q Lack of coordination between the different services q Inaccurate or inconsistent record keeping q Ineffective policies and procedures q Lack of understanding about the roles or involvement of different partners q Lack of evaluation and no review process of service provision

5. Explain how and why referrals are made between agencies

The referral process In order for professional to provide effective support for children and their families, they need to be fully aware of the help that is needed. This means that the various professionals involved need to communicate with each other, and the family, through the referral process.

A referral can be made by – q a professional practitioner q a parent/main carer q in some case the child/young person. Referrals can be q made verbally - in person/telephone q in writing - letter/email

Reasons for a referral q Disability q Behavioural problems q Health problems – asthma, allergies, intolerance, eczema q Development problems q ADHA, autism

The referral process q Parent has a concern about their child’s development q Parent takes the child to see the health visitor q Health visitor carries out checks and makes a further referral for a developmental assessment q Further referral made by more specialised assessments (speech and language; hearing test; physical examination) q Information is reported back to everyone concerned

6. Explain the assessment frameworks that are used in own UK home nation.

Common Assessment Framework The Common assessment Framework is a standardised framework for assessing the needs of a child/young person. It is intended for use by practitioners in all agencies so they can communication and work more effectively together. The main aim of CAF is to help practitioners make an holistic assessment of the child’s additional needs and to identify any support that may be required

Where families are receiving support from the different agencies; a lead professional will usually be appointed The role of the lead professional is to – q Provide a single point of contact for families and help them to make choices q Ensure that families receive appropriate intervention when needed q Reduce overlap and avoid inconsistency from other practitioners

The CAF summary should highlight the strengths and needs of the child and family and identify what is required to meet the needs of the child and family The main sections include – q Development learning) of the child (health and progress of q Parents/carers (how well parents are able to support their child’s development) q Family/environment (the impact of wider family and environment elements, such as housing)

Outcome 2 Be able to communicate with others for professional purposes

3. Prepare reports that are accurate, legible, concise and meet legal requirements (Prepare reports - In some settings where this is not practitioner’s lead responsibility (e. g. a school) it is acceptable for practitioners to produce an ‘example report’ or to support the lead practitioner in completing reports that are accurate, legible, concise and meet legal requirements. )

Outcome 3 Be able to support organisational processes and procedures for recording, storing and sharing information

3. Analyse the potential tension between maintaining confidentiality with the need to disclose information: q a. where abuse of a child or young person is suspected q b. when it is suspected that a crime has been/may be committed. (check within unit 51. 4. 3)