Staged Assessment & Intervention Form – Guidance Notes June 2013
General
This form will be implemented from August 2013.
The form is available electronically and where possible should be typed to ensure it is easily read. - The ‘Consents’ part (section 11) for parents/carers and the person being referred must be signed so would require to be printed off.
Section 1: REFERRAL DETAILS
Contact details should include phone numbers and address.
The date the form is completed should be recorded as this provides useful information for audit purposes
In most cases the referrer is likely to be the Named Person. However, there may be some instances where the Lead Professional has been identified before a Stage 2 meeting takes place.
Record the name of the Health Visitor (for pre-school children), the nursery or school, as one of these will be acting in the Universal Service capacity.
Section 2: CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON’S DETAILS:
‘Also known as’ section may help with any queries on databases, if the child/family have used different surnames.
Please provide information on religion, ethnicity and preferred language (if known) as this will assist in highlighting potential cultural issues.
Sections 3-5: PARENT OR PRINCIPAL CARER’S DETAILS
Provide as much information as possible on family composition as this may help with database checks. ‘Significant Others’ may include people important in the child’s life who don’t stay in the household (e.g. grandparents)
Section 6: OTHER AGENCIES INVOLVED:
As with either health visiting, nursery/school (details recorded under section 2) the General Practitioner is a universal service for all children and, if known, should be recorded Please complete details as known, including dates of involvement
Section 7. REASONS FOR REFERRAL/SUMMARY OF CONCERNS:
Provide a brief summary of the issues/concerns presented by the child/young person, using the SHANARRI Wellbeing Indicators to identify specific concerns. Identify what strategies/interventions have been attempted and what impact these had. Include what has worked well, as the strengths/positives may be used to respond to areas of need, as part of the Child’s Action Plan
Section 8. ANY OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:
Include anything pertinent which you have not had the opportunity to describe in previous sections
Section 9. WHO NEEDS TO BE INVITED TO THE STAGED ASSESSMENT MEETING This section is required for Early Years SAI meetings (formerly known as EYCAT meetings), which are administered centrally through Education Admin staff based in John Muir House, Haddington. They require this information when setting up meetings
Section 10. CHILD /YOUNG PERSON & PARENT’S /CARERS VIEWS
Please ensure that views have been sought on the issues, the intervention to date and what could help meet the child/young person’s needs. Seek views on strengths/positives, as these can be used when responding to areas of need.
Section 11. WHAT OUTCOMES ARE EXPECTED?
Indicate what outcomes services receiving the form should be concentrating on. This will be helpful in defining an action plan and identifying expectation.
Section 12. CONSENT TO REFERRAL AND SHARING INFORMATION:
Some agencies/services will be unable to accept the invitation to participate in the SA&I meeting as they require parental/carers cooperation and/or may only work with children and families on a voluntary basis. Consideration should also be given to any legal requirements regarding gaining consent.
Legally it may not be necessary to gain the child’s/young person’s consent if it has been given by the parents/carers. Best practice, however, would suggest that gaining the child/young person consent, where this can be gained, from the outset would lead to more positive outcomes for the intervention. If a young person has requested that a referral be made but does not want to inform his/her parents/carers, the referrer should be aware of any potential implications (for more information on the age of consent, please consult East Lothian’s Confidentiality Policy.
Consent to share information is essential in allowing agencies to work more effectively together.
Where possible, referrers should go over the consents section with parents/carers and the child/young person being referred, ensuring that they are fully aware of the benefits and implications of services/agencies sharing information.
In some cases it may be difficult to physically gain signatures (e.g. if a parent has been unable to attend the relevant discussion/meeting) prior to submitting the referral. Referrers should therefore be aware of service/agency requirements regarding consent before submitting referral forms, which do not include a written agreement/signature from parents/carers and those being referred. In submitting an unsigned form, Referrers are taking responsibility that the referral has been discussed and verbal agreement has been given to make the referral.
Where parents/carer and/or the person being referred has reservations about sharing information with particular agencies/services, these should be noted and attached to the referral form. These restrictions may have an impact on some agencies/services ability to accept the referral and/or engage with the issues presented. This should be explained to parents/carers and the person being referred.
It is the referrer’s responsibility to indicate the range of services/agencies who may share information and also that this could be a two way process. This can include the sharing of historical information and is not restricted to sharing just the information contained on this form.