Practice Policy for EDS Control

I N D U C T I O N P A C K

Contents:

1. Answering the phone
2. Practice Policy for EDS Control
3. Occasions when Duty Manager should be contacted
4. Crisis Intervention Service (CIS)
5. Child Care
6. Booking Accommodation
7. Lone Workers
8. Checks to the Child Protection Register
9. Education Critical Response
10. Passenger Transport Service (PTU)
11. Mental Health
12. Adult Care
13. West Wilts Housing
14. Crisis & Home Treatment Service (CAHTT)
15. Youth Offending Service (YOS)
16. Team Contact Details
17. Health & Safety
18. Other useful tips
19. Telephone instructions & picking up messages
20. CareFirst instructions

PRACTICE POLICY FOR E.D.S. CONTROL

Answering Calls

Answer calls within 5 rings. Announcement should be standard - Emergency Duty Service, . (workers name) speaking.”

Callers should be treated with respect using non-discriminatory language, for instance, in taking details, ask “what is your first name” “ what is your last name” not Christian name or surname.

Answering the Phone

Answer appropriately as above. Once a message is shown on the answer machine. Messages must be responded to before any further live calls are taken.

Taking Details

Take details of the problem presented, using open questions and try to identify the issues. Demonstrate an understanding of the situation and come to some agreement with the caller as to the problem and to the appropriate response from E.D.S. This is not always straight forward and worker’s assessment of the situation should be made clear to the caller and the reasoning behind it should be stated. Whilst the aim should be an agreed response, we have to recognise that clients are not always going to agree with our professional judgement, or accept the limitations of our service or powers. However, a negotiated outcome should be the goal.

Making Assessment

It may be that time spent talking will be sufficient to resolve the perceived crisis, or there may be a need to refer to another agency or day-time team. A visit may be needed. Decisions must be made in line with our statutory responsibility and with W.C.C. policies.

When making such an assessment check the info system for information

which may prove helpful in decision making.

This process should not last any longer than 20 minutes. If it seems that the issues are not being resolved or clarified at that time, it may be that the worker should start to terminate the call - e.g. the caller could be asked to go away and think about the matter and to call back again if necessary. There will be occasions when E.D.S. cannot help and workers need to be clear and direct about this. Where appropriate re-direct to other agencies and avoid passing it inappropriately to day-time teams because it is difficult to resolve, or to make the worker feel better (passing the buck!). Where referrals are made to day-time teams or other agencies, take sufficient information so as to be able to present a coherent referral with a clear decision making process.

Feeding Back

On taking a referral, make it clear to the caller whether or not there will be feedback. Some callers may request information where it is not appropriate and it should be made clear at the outset what the position is. There are cases where feedback is not necessary - where there is agreement that the matter will be referred on, for instance. However, for the rest, the caller should be contacted and the outcome given.

Difficult and/or Abusive Callers

Callers in a stressful or difficult situation may be angry. Try to be receptive in your response and identify the problem and propose positive solutions. Treat the caller as if you were talking to them face to face. However, if someone is being abusive, they should be told that you will not discuss the matter with them unless they can do so in a reasonable manner. Request that they ring back later.

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF TIMES YOU SHOULD CONTACT THE DUTY MANAGER IF IN DOUBT, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO RING AND DISCUSS

These are guidelines and are not written in stone!

In the event that staff have an issue which falls outside of the above categories which they whish to discuss with Duty Manager they are welcome to do so.

INTERVENTION SERVICE (IS)

The EDS has management responsibility for the Intervention Service out-of-hours.

The IS are a team of dedicated workers (not SW qualified) who work with families to avoid the need to accommodate a young person. Their hours are 14.00 – 22.00 weekdays and 09.00 – 22.00 weekends.

Any IS referrals sent to the EDS by area teams must be accompanied by a completed Risk Assessment.

It may be necessary to arrange a joint visit with an EDS SW to a new referral.

IS workers ring in on the EDS Support telephone number to positively report. A sheet is filled out and whereabouts put on the white board and a line put on CIR. It should be agreed when they will next call in.

IS BANK WORKERS

We have a list of workers who are willing to be called out at night or weekends to respond to a situation which would otherwise necessitate the accommodation of YP. There is a file with their contact details and forms to complete if Bank Worker is called out.

CHILD CARE

See Multi Agency Child Protection Procedures and Guidance, this can be found via the intranet.

Any allegations of abuse should be discussed with the Duty Manager in the form of a Strategy Discussion.

Any requests for accommodation (other than if abuse has been established or suspected) should be assessed in terms of placing with family and friends before subjecting a child to move outside of its relative support network.

The use of IS should always be considered, as it is their primary role to seek to prevent children being accommodated: please see relevant studies and research on outcomes for LAC

In the event that the child needs accommodating but there are no in-house placements areavailable, contact the Duty Manager to discuss use of IFA..

BOOKING ACCOMMODATION for HOMELESS REFERRALS

The EDS hold a HSBC purchase card so depending who is on duty the transaction must be authorised unless the spend is within approx £50.

When booking with Travelodge it is imperative that you get a confirmation number from them, otherwise it is impossible to get an invoice which can then be printed off from the Travelodge web site by a SW (if they have time) or by the Admin Manager.

All claims must have the report (printed from CareFirst), the AA1 form (or whichever form is appropriate) and invoice if possible passed to Admin.

On CIR choose the case category which says ‘Accommodation booked’. This enables Admin to track details.

If booking a B & B please try and get the proprietor to fax over or post the invoice to us.

EDS TELEPHONE SYSTEM OPERATION

1. Control Desk

On taking over duty change control phone to ‘Night’ mode (press button 24 until light continuing on red)

Incoming calls will ring concurrently on the Control and Ops desk. If both of these lines are busy it will hop over to ext 260 on the DC desk, if this line is busy it will hop back to Control and leave a message on the voicemail

1. Dom Care

The Dom care phone does not need to be touched at all it is permanently on night.

To pick up any extension which is ringing please press

button 3.

The emergency number will ring on all extensions except Lorraine’s and Jean’s.

CHECK TO THE CPR

The EDS holds responsibility for checks to the Child Protection Register out-of-hours.

Attached are details on how you can access this information

Making a Child Protection Enquiry

Fig 1

Using the Child Protection menu select Logged Register Enquiry

Fig 2

The Find CP Register Enquires Screen will open (fig 2)

Put any initials in ‘on behalf of’ box, organisation can be a few letters, type name of enquirer in ‘role’ and reasons in Notes. The box ‘on behalf of’ won’t accept full names so that’s why a few letters will let you move on. If this all fails you can, for the moment, still go into the old system.

Complete the Enquiring about field and search the database using the find person screen (fig 3).

Fig 3

Fig 4

The On Behalf of is a required field and requires a search of the database to find the name of the person making the enquiry. (7th April 2008 until further notice use free text, however this field will only take a limited amount of characters, enter as much of the name as possible, i.e. Smit.

Complete the Organisation field, search for the Organisation or using short codes if known (Fig 5 / Fig 6)

Fig 5

Fig 6

Fig 7

Complete the Role field and also enter the full name of the enquirer i.e. Casualty Staff Nurse Amy Winehouse. (Fig 7)

Complete the Reason field (Required) using the drop down selection see fig 8

Complete the notes section.

Select Log Enquiry

Fig 8

The enquiry result screen will now display the following information, (Fig 9)

Registrations (if the child or young person was previously registered on the Child Protection Register)

Investigations This shows previous s47 and CP Case Conferences

Register Enquiries This shows the current enquiry and previous enquiries including Date, Name of the Enquirer, Reason and details.

Fig 9

To view previous enquiry details highlight and select details (as above Fig 9). The enquiry can be viewed (see Fig 10).

Fig 10

EDUCATION CRITICAL RESPONSE

The EDS holds the contract for out-of-hours on behalf of the Department of Children & Education DCE – Education Critical Response.

Head teachers may contact EDS out-of-hours to report a critical incident this could include:

• student/staff lost or injured on a school trip
• student/staff suicide
• physical attack on student/staff
• terminal illness student/staff
• sudden death of a student/staff/parent

You may learn of any of the above incidents via other professionals e.g. police or indeed a member of the public. The same procedure applies regardless of the source of information.

There is a red folder titled Critical Incident Duty Manager which gives further information.

7.

CRITICAL INCIDENT PLAN

EMERGENCY DUTY SERVICE PROCEDURE: Critical Path for Page Holder (held at EDS Office)

Further information regarding the Council’s response is contained on pages within this folder.

Once the Page Holder (EDS) has been contacted:

1. Assess the nature and scale of the incident, to include:

Who is involved?

What happened?

When did it happen?

Where did it happen?

Why did it happen?

These factors are contained within the HEADINGS on the EDS CIR.

1. Contact Principal Educational Psychologist FIONA

BOXLEY: Mobile 07789 940 972

Home 01985 214121

Office 01225 713 858

1. Inform the Assistant Directors or their Duty Officer: This is located in the section titled LEA Contacts, first plastic sleeve, with 6 pages contained within their tel no’s.

1. Inform Director of Education: Located in the above section. Consider whether the Director of Community Services (Sue Redmond) and/or the Chief Executive (K Robinson) and the Director of Environmental Services (G Batten) needs to be contacted. These tel no’s are also located in the EMERGENCY CONTACT DIRECTORY which is near the back of the red folder.

1. Contact Emergency Planning Duty Officer:

Pager no: 07625 127 311

7.

1. Contact ‘Press Office’ through tel or mobile. Currently first point of contact is ADAM BUTCHER Mob: 07803 174020
2. Fax recording/information to CAROL WAKEFIELD:

She is located at County Hall. Please use HEADINGS ON EDS CIR for report. Fax no: 01225 713812.

PASSENGER TRANSPORT UNIT

The PTU faxes the EDS a list of journeys arranged via their unit.

We are often contacted when transport has failed to arrive.

Check the Yellow Transport File for details. This file also contains voluntary driver and taxi information.

Should you need to arrange transport you will need to complete a DCS & DCE Transport Request Form.

They can be found in the top drawer on the ops desk. You will need to quote the EDS number written in the top left hand section of the form to the voluntary driver or taxi firm.

Have a mind to cost, if possible use voluntary driver rather than taxi.

Admin will post off to PTU leave form in admin control red file

MENTAL HEALTH

The EDS has a statutory responsibility for providing an AMHP to assess under the 1983 MHA.

In the event that you are not an AMHP you should always discuss a request with either the AMHP on-call or the Duty Manager.

Useful Files:

Standocs: Information of Consultants / S12

Red File Doctor’s Approved under MHA S12

Mental Health Procedures file.

The EDS is not able to provide a support/counselling service for low risk MH users. They should be signposted elsewhere, or if known a possible referral to the Intensive Support Service (MH), although that is usually sourced via Primary Care.

Attached is a list giving suggestions re signposting.

ADULT CARE

See Blue Files for information.

The EDS SUPPORT STAFF Desk is a good source of information and guidance on Adult Care issues.

The aim should be to keep the person in their own home if it is safe to do so. Extended family may need to offer extra support and should be encouraged to do so.

Admitting to people to Residential or Nursing Home Care should only be done in extreme cases where identified risk is too high.

WILTS HOUSING

The EDS holds the contract for homelessness cover for Wilts Housing Options.

All other enquiries should be sign posted to the appropriate contact number.

See Blue File Adult Accommodation and Standocs ‘Homelessness’for details.

YOUTH OFFENDING SERVICE (YOS)

The EDS covers for the YOS outside of office hours.

There is a VOLUNTEER register kept in the Yellow YOS file.

Use a volunteer for AA cases which do not involve Looked After Children and are not serious in nature.

For LA young people and serious allegations use EDS worker.

Special Court. YOS have a rota for special court. This is also found in the Yellow Folder.

Details on how you can access the YOIS files is also in the Yellow Folder.

See the folder for Protocol and Procedures.

HEALTH & SAFETY

EDS takes Health & Safety issues very seriously.

During your induction Geraldine Cornford will contact you via email and agree a mutually convenient time to meet in order to go through the Health and Safety issues, this will include the following:

• Positive reporting process
• Fire Regulations (see attached sheet)
• Incident reporting procedure

Geraldine will also provide operational staff with the following:

• Torch
• First Aid Kit (car)
• Fluorescent waistcoat

IF YOU DISCOVER A FIRE AT EDS

SHOUT: FIRE, FIRE, FIRE.

Admin Manager or Control Worker to call Fire Brigade immediately.

Leave the building using the nearest available exit and report to the person in charge of evacuation and assembly point

Assemble in the car park.

Admin officer or control worker will take charge of evacuation and report to Fire Brigade on arrival

Copy of rota and reflective waistcoat for person in charge.

OTHER USEFUL TIPS

1. Don’t forget to print off your log and check that all relevant reports have been appropriately sent to area teams.
2. If you are dealing with an important ongoing issue and are awaiting a call back from another professional eg police, GP etc give them your work’s mobile as a by-pass.
3. Record any extra hours worked when attending meetings etc in the Pool hour sheet.
4. Always check the rota. Any changes should be emailed to you and major changes agreed beforehand, but sometimes things slip through!
5. Always check CareFirst Team View and Your View for e-messages.
6. Always check your own email as well as the EDS duty desk email. Sometimes referrals are sent to the team individually.
7. If you are not happy with arrangements made for a visit due to worker safety speak out and ensure you feel satisfied that your safety will not be compromised.
8. If in doubt ASK, even in the dead-of-night you always have someone available to ask eg your Pool SSW or your Duty Manager.