Effective Support for Children, Young People and Families in Bexley

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 states that safeguarding partnerships should publish a threshold document that includes:

  • The process for early help assessment and the type and level of early help services to be provided
  • The criteria, including the level of need , for when a case should be referred to local authority children’s social care for assessment and for statutory services under:
    • Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (children in need)
    • Section 47 of the Children Act 1989(reasonable cause to suspect children suffering or likely to suffer serious harm)
    • Section 31(Care Orders) and Section 20 (duty to accommodate a child)
  • Clear procedures and processes for cases relating to the sexual exploitation of children and young people.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 goes on to say:

“The three safeguarding partners should agree levels for different types of assessment and services to be commissioned and delivered. This should include services for children who have been or may be sexually exploited, children who have undergone or may undergo female genital mutilation and children who have been or may be radicalised. Local authority children’s social care has the responsibility for clarifying the process for referrals.”

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children–2

Bexley’s ‘Effective Support for Children, Young People and Families in Bexley: Shared guidance to help all practitioners working with children, young people, families and carers to provide additional and early help, intensive and specialist support’ document was refreshed after November 2019:

https://bexleysafeguardingpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/effective-support.pdf

The document contains the following:

  • Our vision for effective support in Bexley
  • Understanding need, support and help
  • Consulting with other services, schools and setting
  • Levels of need and help
  • Children in special circumstances
  • Access to Level 2 services – Additional
  • Access to Level 3 services – Intensive
  • Access to Level 4 services – Specialist Children’s Social Care
  • Effective support at a glance
  • Indicators of possible need.

As part of the London wide MASH review, the London Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (LSCP) has produced a revised thresholds document in 2023 which provides a framework for professionals who are working with children, young people and families:

https://www.londonsafeguardingchildrenprocedures.co.uk/thresholds.html

 

effective support