Sutton Local Safeguarding Children Board

Multi Agency – Threshold Guidance

April 2015

Contents Page No

  1. Introduction3-4
  1. The Four Level of Need 5
  1. Assessment Model 6
  1. Assessment Process 6
  1. Sutton LSCB – Multi Agency Threshold Guidance Document 7
  1. Sutton LSCB Threshold Pathways for Accessing

Assessments and Services for Children and Families 8

7. Indicators of Possible Need 9

8.CYPLD Commissioned Services and Voluntary Sector Services 10

1. Introduction

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013) sets out a clear expectation that local agencies will work together and collaborate to identify children with additional needs and provide support as soon as a problem emerges. Providing early help is far more effective in promoting the welfare of children – and keeping them safe – than reacting later when any problems, for example neglect, may have become more entrenched. The importance of using a child-centred approach in following the child’s journey is also emphasised. All services which are provided must be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of the individual child in their family and community context.

Regulation 5 of the Local Safeguarding Children Board’s Regulations 2006sets out the functions of the LSCB, in relation to section 14 of the Children Act 2004. One function is to develop policies and procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority, including policies and procedures in relation to:

  • The action to be taken where there are concerns about a child’s safety or welfare, including thresholds for intervention.
  • The LSCB should publish a threshold documentthat includes:
  • The process for the early help assessment and the type and level of early help services to be provided; and 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 service 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 significant harm);

Section 31 (care orders); and

Section 20 (duty to accommodate a child) of the Children Act 1989.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children can be defined as:

 Protecting children from maltreatment

 Preventing impairment of children’s health or development

 Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

 Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

This Multi-Agency Early Intervention and Safeguarding Threshold document informs agencies in Sutton howto assess and identify a child’s level of needand how to access the right level support.The threshold guidance isdivided into four levels

  • Tier 1 - No Additional Needs
  • Tier 2 - Early Help
  • Tier 3 - Children with Complex Multiple Needs
  • Tier 4 - Children in Acute Need

This document should be used in conjunction with The London Child Protection Procedures and their associated threshold guidance:

If any person is worried or unsure about a child’s welfare, they should contact the Local Authority MASH on 0208 649 0418. All verbal referrals must be followed by a written referral and/or assessment. When there is an immediate need to protect the child, the Police should be contacted on 999.

2. The Four Level’s of Need

Tier 1: No additional needs

These are children with no additional needs; all their health and developmental needs will be met by universal services. These are children who consistently receive child focused care giving from their parents or carers. The majority of children living in each local authority area require support from universal services alone.

Tier 2: Early help

These are children with additional needs, who may be vulnerable and showing early signs of abuse and/or neglect; their needs are not clear, not known or not being met. These children may be subject to adult focused care giving. This is the threshold for a multi-agency early help assessment to begin. These are children who require a lead professional for a co-ordinated approach to the provision of additional services such as family support services, parenting programmes and children’s centres. These will be provided within universal or targeted services provision and do not include services from children’s social care.

Tier 3: Children with complex multiple needs

These children require specialist services in order to achieve or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development or to prevent significant impairment of their health and development and/or who are disabled. They may require longer term intervention from specialist services. In some cases these children’s needs may be secondary to the adults needs. This is the threshold for an assessment led by children’s social care under Section 17, Children Act 1989 although the assessments and services required may come from a range of provision outside of children’s social care.

Tier 4: Children in acute need

These children are suffering or are likely to suffer significant harm. This is the threshold for child protection. These children are likely to have already experienced adverse effects and to be suffering from poor outcomes. Their needs may not be considered by their parents. This tier also includes Tier 4 health services which are very specialised services in residential, day patient or outpatient settings for children and adolescents with severe and /or complex health problems. This is likely to mean that they may be referred to children’s social care under section 20, 47 or 31 of the Children Act 1989. This would also include those children remanded into custody and statutory youth offending services.

3. Assessment Model

The Assessment Model is based on the Framework for Assessment in Need and Their Families which is used for every unborn baby, child and young person, placing the child at the centre of our work.

Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need & their Families

From this, the level of need will be judged and a referral made using the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) or Early Help Assessment.

4. Assessment Process

Children and Young People Learning Directorate have defined good practice in relation to assessments in order to articulate the constituent parts of an effective assessment. This is in order to establish a shared and agreed vision of what all assessments in Sutton need to always look like.

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5. Sutton LSCB – Multi Agency Threshold Guidance Document
Tier 1 – No Additional Need
Child / Young Person Developmental Needs
  • Developmental milestones / needs are being met
  • All basic and health needs being met
  • Age appropriate emotional development
  • Good/Excellent attendance and punctuality at school
Parenting / Carer Capacity
  • Regular access to universal services to meet child’s needs
  • Regular demonstrations of positive relationships with child / young person
  • Consistent evidence of secure and caring parenting
Family and Environmental factors
  • Stable and safe housing
  • Safe environment
  • Financial stability
  • Good social networks and access to community resources
/ Tier 2 – Early Help
Common Assessment Framework (CAF)/Early Help Assessment
Consent required -Single Agency Assessment / Lead Professional
Child / Young Person Developmental Needs
  • Developmental milestones are not fully met as expected
  • Concern about child’s / young person’s basic needs
  • Occasional demonstration of emotional or behavioral difficulty
  • Attendance is on or below the persistent absence threshold
  • Significant unauthorized absence from school or educational establishment
  • Child is not in receipt of education
Parenting Capacity
  • Parent/s / Carer not accessing universal services appropriately
  • Low level parental mental health
  • Low level parental conflict and tension
  • Irresponsible parental substance misuse when child / young person is not present
Family and Environmental Factors
  • Overcrowding in home / Housing transience
  • Experience of social exclusion / hate crime / Anti-Social Behavior
  • Irresponsible financial planning and budgeting for the family

Tier 3- Children with Complex Multiple Needs
Single Assessment required - Consent required
Children’s Social Work Assessment
Child / Young Person Developmental Needs
  • Needs are neglected or require specialist support and intervention
  • Persistent demonstration of emotional difficulties
  • Persistent demonstration of behavioral difficulties
  • Poor relationships (including adolescent domestic abuse)
  • Attendance is on or below the persistent absence threshold
  • Significant unauthorized absence from school
  • Child is not in receipt of education
Parenting / Carer Capacity
  • Poor engagement with recommended support and services
  • Mental health, disability or learning difficulties impact on child’s outcomes
  • Historic or current domestic violence impacts on child / young person’s wellbeing
  • Substance and alcohol misuse when child/ young person present
Family and Environmental Factors
  • Housing, financial need and transience has a serious impact on the child
  • Social exclusion / hate crime / exposure to violence & Anti- Social/CriminalBehavior
/ Tier 4- Children in Acute Need
No consent required
Children’s Social Work Assessment
Child/ Young Person Developmental Needs
  • Developmental needs are not being met with a significant risk to wellbeing
  • Persistent demonstrations of emotional and behavioral difficulties
  • Attendance is on or below the persistent absence threshold
  • Significant unauthorized absence from school or educational establishment
  • Child is not in receipt of education
  • Ongoing significant risk of harm from bullying, gang activity, violence, etc.
Parenting / Carer Capacity
  • No engagement with support services or are unable to meet basic developmental needs; Child / Young Person is at significant risk of harm
  • Prioritization of own needs above those of the child / young person
  • Mental health, disability or learning difficulties places presents a significant risk of harm
  • Severe domestic abuse and substance and alcohol misuse presents significant risk of harm
Family and Environment Factors
  • Evidence of physical, emotional, sexual abuse and / or neglect and persistent neglectful home environment
  • Significant violence and exposure to criminal behavior

6. Sutton LSCB Threshold Pathways for Accessing Assessments and

Services for Children and Families

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7. Indicators of Possible Need

For a list of indicators, please follow the link to:

where the indicators are outlined in the threshold section.

They are designed to provide practitioners with an overarching view on what tier of support and intervention a family might need.

This is not intended to be a ‘tick box’ exercise, but to give a quick-reference guide to support professionals in their decision-making, including conducting further assessments, referring to other services and understanding the likely thresholds for higher levels of intervention.

Remember that if there is a combination of indicators of need under Tier Two, the case may be a Tier Three case overall.

Also remember that need is not static; the needs of a child/young person/ family will change over time. Where a plan has been agreed, this should be reviewed regularly to analyse whether sufficient progress has been made to meet the child’s needs and on the level of risk faced by the child. This will be important in cases of neglect where parents and carers can make small improvements, but an analysis will need to be undertaken on whether this leads to significant improvements for the child/young person.

If you have child protection concerns, you must also consult the London Child Protection Procedures and you must inform your safeguarding lead or line manager.

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  1. CYPLD Commissioned Services and Voluntary Sector Services

This Directory is a very welcome resource to improve the knowledge of service provision across CYPLD. It has been compiled by the CYPLD Commissioning team who are keen to ensure that all services are used to maximum effectiveness and capacity.

This directory aims to supports our internal communications and is primarily aimed at social workers and front line managers.

It is available online at:

May I encourage you to use this Directory and share your knowledge amongst your colleagues. By doing so you will be making a positive impact on the potential outcomes for the children and young people you work with.

Tolis Vouyioukas

Strategic Director

Children Young People and Learning Directorate

Disclaimer

Information about the organisations listed in this directory has been gathered from internal registers and publicity literature. All information has been checked and is as up to date as possible however; if you are aware of any changes to services within this directory please email the CYPLD Commissioning Team:

For associated documents, such as Self Harm Protocol, Child Sexual Exploitation and others, please go to the LSCB website on:

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[BL1]Could we please double-check that this document shows up on the system when uploaded?