Protocol for Working with Children and Young People in Need (Continuum of Need Model)
WINDSCREEN
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Development of Child or Young Person
Health
Universal / Vulnerable / Complex / Acute-
- Appropriate height & weight
- Physically healthy
- Development checks & immunisations up to date
- Adequate & nutritious diet
- Regular dental & optical care
- Good emotional development
- Motor skills within normal range – crawling, walking, running, climbing, games, drawing, jigsaws
- Speech, language & communication appropriate to age.
- Growing level of age appropriate
- Good state of mental health
- Sexual activity appropriate to age
- No misuse of substances
- No self-harm or risk of self-harm
- Access to & use of appropriate health advice & information / - Weight not increasing at expected rate
- Slow in reaching developmental milestones and/or not attending routine appointments
- Persistent minor health problems – perhaps resulting in less than 80% nursery/school/college attendance
- Frequent accidents or A&E attendances
- Poor or restricted diet
- Not registered with a GP
- Dental/Health care not sufficient – poor attendance for dental/medical checks or treatment
- Experimenting with tobacco / alcohol (age dependant)
- Too early sexual activity
- Vulnerability to mental health problems e.g. acrimonious divorce of parents, unduly anxious, angry or defiant
- Poor language stimulation environment e.g. TV always on or soother/dummy always in use
- Ability to understand and use language limited for their chronological age
- Poor ability to attend & listen in comparison to their chronological age
- Some difficulties in making themselves understood in comparison to their chronological age
- Family history of speech & language/communication difficulties / - Child has chronic health problems
- Concerns about development progress e.g. overweight/underweight/enuresis
- Learning significantly affected by health problems
- Limited/restricted diet
- Significant & persistent dental decay
- Missing routine & non-routine health appointments
- Developmental milestones are unlikely to be met
- Unsafe sexual activity
- Smokes / substance misuse
- Conception/termination
- Difficulties in coping with anger & frustration
- Some evidence of superficial, non-persistent self-harm
- Some concerns about mental health
- Mental health issues emerging 0 conduct disorder, ADHD, autism, anxiety, eating disorders
- Significant difficulties in understanding & using language in comparison with age & general abilities
- Inability to make themselves understood with both familiar & unfamiliar adults
- Limited or inappropriate interaction with peers in relation with age & general development
- Behaviour and/or educational attainment is directly affected by ability to communicate / - Child has severe disability
- Health conditions or impairments which significantly affect everyday life functioning, whether chronic or acute, including obesity
- Child has severe chronic health problems
- Development milestones are unlikely to be met
- Sexual exploitation
- Dangerous sexual activity and/or early teenage pregnancy
- Uncontrolled use and/or psychological/physical dependency on substances
- Any intravenous drug use
- Involvement in drug dealing/exploitation by drug dealers
- Acute mental health problems – threat of suicide/suicide attempts, psychotic episode, sever depression
- Regularly indulges in self-harming behaviour
- Inability/unwillingness to understand or communicate feelings
- Evidence of phobias/psychological difficulties
- Suffers from periods of acute depression
- Medical/physical difficulties which affect the development of speech/language skills etc e.g. cleft palate, severe head injury, cerebral palsy
- Severe speech & language impairment in comparison with their age & cognitive skills
- Sever social impairment with little interest in interacting with others
- Severe dysfluency (stutter) affecting child at school & in the home environment
- Feeding & drinking difficulties
Protocol for Working with Children and Young People in Need (Thresholds Protocol) Page 2 of 3