in Argyll and Bute
Getting It Right for Every Child in Argyll & Bute
Single Agency/Integrated Chronology of Significant Events
Guidance for Staff
Policy Reference: GIRFEC Practice Guidance / Date of Issue: 16/03/12Prepared by: Argyll and Bute GIRFEC Implementation Group / Date of Review: 16/03/13
Lead Reviewers: Patricia Renfrew, Liz Strang and David Bain / Version 1
Ratified by: Argyll and Bute Child Protection Committee / Date ratified 16/05/12
Distribution:
· Public Health Nursing Teams
· Education Staff & Schools
· Social Work, Children and Families Teams
· Early Education Team
· Early Years Establishments / · Head of Integrated Children’s Service
· Midwifery Leads
· Lead Allied Health Professionals
· Lead Nurse
· Child Protection Leads
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Getting It Right for Every Child In Argyll & ButeSingle Agency/Integrated Chronology of Significant Events
Guidance for Staff
GIRFEC focuses on improving outcomes for children based on a co-ordinated approach which is appropriate, proportionate and timely and results in long term improvements across the 8 well- being indicators SHANARRI
What is a chronology?
A chronology is a key part of an assessment. It is used to record significant events to help professionals from a range of disciplines understand what is happening in the life of a child or young person.
It is important to note that what might be a key event in one child’s life, such as a period of good health or good school attendance after a long period of absence or exclusion, will not even be relevant to another child. In this respect, agencies are asked to use their professional judgement in completing the chronologies.Why do we need a chronology?
Developing and analysing chronologies are essential to help identify patterns of behaviour /risk or concern that may be preventing a child achieve positive outcomes and ensures timeous action to protect the welfare of vulnerable children.
This can be particularly important where a child may be subject to neglect, poor parenting, and exposed to domestic violence.
Who should have a chronology?
Every child or young person who has a single or integrated plan should have an up to date chronology and specifically children who are on the Child Protection Register, Looked After at home Looked after and Accommodated and children referred to the Reporter.
Who should we share the chronology with?
Chronologies are part of recording, and should be available to the person they are about, unless there are justifiable legal reasons for withholding this information (please see the section on Sharing Information for more detail about this). The chronology should be shown to and discussed with the person it is about, or their parent.
Sharing chronologies with young people and their parents is not solely to check accuracy, but can be part of working together. Reviewing a chronology can help identify where a young person has succeeded, for example, improving attendance or keeping immunisation appointments for a young child.
What is a chronology used for?
Review and analysis of a chronology are both essential to inform an assessment of need or risk. They can be analysed during planning meetings, at Children’s Hearings, during supervision of staff. Chronologies provide a picture of the child’s life, transitions and professional interventions which can give practitioners important insight into the significant events in a child or young person’s life that impact on them. It also support longer term improved outcomes for a child which are sustained over time.
What should be included in a chronology?
To give us an holistic view of the child or young person, it is important to include all life events. Health, Education and Social Work have agreed the events which should routinely be included in chronologies, and these are detailed in this guidance.
Practitioners should ensure that there is evidence to support the positive, negative or unknown value of the event. Practitioners are encouraged to include positive events which develop resilience, and also events where the impact on the child or young person is not yet known. The chronology template has a column to indicate value and guides the practitioner to enter a positive, negative or unknown value to each event.
Accuracy is a vital element of a chronology and mistakes, particularly concerning dates of birth, dates when families moved home etc can creep into records and then be replicated over and over in assessments. This can be distressing for families and practitioners should ensure that the chronology is as accurate as possible.
How much information should a chronology contain?
Chronologies should contain sufficient detail, but should not substitute for recording in the file, for example, a chronology should not contain details of every contact with the child or young person, but may include details of the contacts that were missed. The details of all the contacts with the child or young person would be contained within the child’s file, according to your agency guidelines .in line with national guidance all services for children universal and specialist gather and share information, assess needs plan and co-ordinate a child’s plan which includes a chronology to be used for hearing reports, reviews of looked after children and child protection case conferences.
Who writes the chronology?
For single agency chronologies, the named person should complete the chronology. For integrated chronologies, the lead professional should collate the information from the health and education information. Health and education complete a template which will be transferred by social work into care first (and other relevant agencies), and combine them into an integrated chronology. This should be held electronically.
How do I filter columns in the chronology?
If you want to see how all the items in, for example, Category S safe, together, go to the top of the table, select the whole column Category Type, click Table and select Sort
How do I collate a chronology from different agencies?
Cut and paste all the information onto a single table. Go to the headings of the table, select the whole Date column, click on Table, select sort and sort by date. This should then collate the information into date order. Save this as the integrated chronology. Further chronology information should be added to the integrated chronology, which now replaces the single agency chronology. Integrated chronologies should be shared between the practitioners involved and the family on a regular basis and used to inform the integrated assessment, and evaluate progress.
Practice and research has shown that integrated chronologies can be extremely important in identifying critical events in the lives of children and can assist professionals in decision making when working together with vulnerable children and families2
Getting It Right for Every Child – Single Agency/Integrated Chronology of Significant EventsDate: / Category Type
(filter by) / Significant Event / Positive Negative
Unknown / Source of Information / Action Taken / Name
Title
Agency
Time:
The date and time the event happened should be recorded or the date/time any impact on the young person is observed / See below to select and record a SHANARRI
category of significant events / A brief description of the event should be recorded here. Children, young people and families will see this information and may also be asked for their informed consent to share where this is in their best interests to do so. Language should be plain English, non judgemental, clear and concise, so that the chronology improves understanding and supports good decision-making. / A +/- value should only be assigned to the event if it is known whether the event is having a positive or negative impact on the young person, otherwise an unknown value should be assigned. The impact on the young person may become clearer or change - a new event should be entered to record the known impact on the young person / Information in the chronology should be current, factual and from a reliable source. Record where information has come from about the significant event. / To avoid duplication and simplify processes, everyone with access to the chronology needs to be clear what actions are being taken to support the child or young person as events happen rather than wait for meetings or multi-agency forums. This section should record what action has been taken by the agency that has been made aware of the significant event. How the agency has responded: offering support to the young person; offering support to the parents; requesting assistance from another agency; sharing information with other colleagues so that action can be planned or taken / Other colleagues may have further information which could improve knowledge and understanding of those supporting the child or young person. It is essential that everyone is clear about the name, title, and agency of the practitioner entering the significant event.
Category S Safe
Significant changes in the child’s safety and well- being, child should be supervised and protected from potential harm / Category H Healthy
Significant changes in the parent or carer’s health wellbeing which impact on the child or young person, child has injuries / Category A Active
Child is encouraged to participate in physical activity and to play outdoors / Category N Nurture
Child has positive contact with her father and has good attachment to primary carers / Category A Achieving
Pattern of failure to attend (e.g. appointments at school, school exclusion / Category R &R
Respected and Responsible
Child is listened to by mother and helps decide on contact arrangements with dad / Category I Included
Child spends time with other children and is less isolated from peers
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Getting It Right for Every Child – Single Agency/Integrated Chronology of Significant EventsDate: / Time: / Category Type
(filter by) / Significant Event / Positive
Negative
Unknown / Source of Information / Action Taken / Name
Title
Agency /
Getting It Right for Every Child – Agency Definition of Significant Events for Chronologies
Health Chronology – Definition of Significant Events
Positive negative or unknown changes which may include the following. It is not a prescriptive list.
· Registered / not registered / temporary registration with a GP and subsequent changes of GP
· New born child’s significant events that occurred during pregnancy and birth e.g. birth trauma, congenital abnormalities, foetal alcohol syndrome, blood borne viruses, low Apgar score at ten minutes (assessment of baby’s physical condition) etc.
· Kept or missed antenatal appointments
· Childhood illnesses, disabilities or periods of good health
· Any recorded concerns for the child’s wellbeing including attachment and care of child or environment
· The allocation of the health plan indicator and subsequent changes
· A missing child or missing family
· Parents or carers physical or emotional wellbeing including substance misuse, mental health, learning disability, domestic abuse, criminality or antisocial behaviour
· Family, care structure e.g. through separation, divorce, domestic abuse, criminality or antisocial behaviour
· Family, care structure e.g. through separation, divorce, bereavement, birth of a sibling, new partner
· Family circumstances e.g. re housing, homelessness, changes to those living in the home, custodial sentence
· Engagement with NHS staff to meet health and development needs of child
· Attendance at Accident and Emergency, Out of Hours and NHS24 / · Incidences of hospital admissions
· Kept or missed appointments for post natal appointments, immunisations, child health surveillance, hospital appointments, including refusal of entry
· Formal health assessments e.g. developmental, Looked After and Accommodated Children (LAAC)
· Requests for assistance for formal health assessments or services from within NHS such as Paediatric Services, AHP, CAMHS or other services
· Requests for Assistance to health from other agencies and by health to other agencies or any multi agency activity specific to the child
· Child protection activity, including antenatal period e.g. child protection request for assistance, investigation, registration, date when child protection activity ceased, child protection order, initial case conference, case discussion, planning meeting, NHSHighland child protection case supervision, child protection case conference dissent
· Any changes to the midwife, public health nurse or other key NHS staff member working with the family or any changes to services provided
· Any threats or actual incidents of violence towards NHS staff
· Significant information received by the named person
· Any other low level concerns or positive improvements
Education Chronology – Definition of Significant Events
Positive negative or unknown changes which may include the following. It is not a prescriptive list.
· Family or care structures i.e. separation, divorce, bereavement, birth of sibling, new partner, foster placements etc.
· Family circumstances e.g. re housing, homelessness, custodial sentence
· Physical and mental health and wellbeing of parents / carers
· Any recorded concerns about the child’s wellbeing
· Identified additional support needs
· Single Agency plan in place: Additional Support Plan / Individualised Educational Programme (transition planning, More Choices More Chances, young carer, travelling children)
· Request for Assistance to specialist pupil support services
· Discussion at multi agency support meeting
· Attendance patterns i.e. <80% or consistent pattern of improved attendance
· Child’s performance, behaviour, attainment or achievement
· Communication with parents i.e. engagement or support with child’s learning
· Episodes or exclusion or re integration
· Significant allergies or illness
· Looked After at Home
· Child Protection referral
· Child Protection event, registration, case conference or core group meeting
· Homelessness issues
· A missing child or a missing family
· Social inclusion within the school setting including evidence of bullying, discrimination or positive support networks / · Request for Assistance from education to outside education services
· Request for Assistance received from another agency
· Placement requests to changes education establishments
· Failure to transfer records
· Home educated episodes
· Significant periods of hospital education or home tuition
· Educational placement outside of the authority
· Episodes of parental aggression or violence towards child or staff
· Domestic abuse incident
· Parental or sibling substance misuse
· Referral from the police
· Changes in professional staff or nursery, school or educational services
· Any other relevant low level concerns or positive improvement
· Parent withdraws consent to share information
· Other
Social Work Chronology – Definition of Significant Events /
Positive negative or unknown changes which may include the following. It is not a prescriptive list.
Household / family composition
· Separations
· New members of the household (e.g. new partners)
· Births
· Deaths
· Employment / unemployment
· Income
· Housing / homelessness incidents
Significant Events
· Recorded concerns or Requests for Assistance from other agencies
· Dates of assessments / risk assessment or any social work involvement with child / young person or related others
· Evidence of engagement or lack of engagement (appointments kept) Patterns only
· Evidence of resilience or coping strategies
· Education and general development – patterns of exclusions / non attendance at school / positive attainments at school or in the community
· Health – disabilities / illness / mental health issues / injuries / GP concerns / A&E attendance / hospital admissions / missed appointments
· Significant change to routine (e.g. attending club or community resources
· Relevant meetings
· Significant home visits and telephone calls with other agencies where the information shared relates to a significant event in the child or young person’s life (i.e. this is not a record of visits or multi agency contact)
· A missing child or a missing family
· Domestic abuse incidents
· Substance misuse incidents
· Criminal justice activity with parents / carers or siblings
· Changes in the wellbeing of the child or young person
· Changes in behaviour of the child or young person
· Changes in the behaviour of the parent / carer / Significant Events (contd)
· Any patterns of missed appointments without acceptable reasons, including refusal or entry
· Any emergency requests for assistance from child / young person or carers
· Any other significant concerns or positive improvements such as achievement awards, job opportunities, referral for work placement
· Any changes to social worker or other key member of staff and / or services
· Any threats or actual incidents of physical violence towards staff including verbal threats
Child Protection
· Date of referrals / investigations
· Nature of investigation
· Decision of investigation
· Dates of initial conference
· Decision of initial conference (NFA / Registration if CP)
· Category of abuse
· Conditions of contact
· Dates of Review conferences (registration status if CP)
· Decision of Review conferences
Legislative
· All periods of Looked After and Accommodated children and young people
o Date commenced
o Accommodation type
o Legislation type
o Date ended
o Decisions and actions (child returned home, fostered, adopted)
· Any measures taken under child protection procedures
o Date commenced
o Accommodation type
o Date ended
o Decision / Actions
Legislative (contd)
· Periods of respite / short term care
o Date commenced
o Accommodation type
o Date ended
o Decisions / Actions
· Sex offenders registration
o Date of registration
o Period of registration
· Periods of custody
o Date of custody
o Length of sentence
o EPL
o Post release statutory requirements / · Interventions under Vulnerable Adults
o Date of case conference
o Decisions / Actions
o Statutory outcomes
· Interventions under Mental Health Act
o Date of intervention
o Nature of intervention
o Date of review
· All other periods of statutory and non statutory involvement
o Date commenced
o Date ended
o Legislation type
o Decisions and actions (supervision terminated, child accommodated)
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