Agenda item

At the September meeting, the Committee learnt about the work that was underway in the Disabled Children’s team to identify children and young people who have additional needs such as speech and language therapy and  are known to Social Care  but not subject to Child protection plans.

The  Committee had heard in September that the Disabled Children’s Policy and Practice  Review Group would  examine  children with special educational needs  which  are met at school action  or School Action Plus.  As the local authority did not hold this information it was agreed  to identify children and young people  that are known to  social care  but not subject to Child Protection Plans . This group may have an additional need such as Speech and language therapy  and are known to the First Response service. 

 Vikki Monk, the borough lead  for therapies and specialist nursing Haringey Whittington Health provided the committee with a presentation of the key findings of the review. 

The committee were provided information on the therapy audit  tool   used in

The analysis, the  number of children chosen and  understood that the audit had concerned the Health service records (RIO) .

 The file audit had concerned  contact with the child, assessment, review,  interagency involvement,  examined the decision making at meetings, therapy assessments and interventions  and information sharing .

The  committee  were advised about  areas of good practice seen and where improvements were needed. They learnt about how the language used in recording  cases,  sharing of information by therapist  was crucial in understanding whether issues were long running and needed more  immediate attention and referral to  safeguarding. Also  where there could be more proactive communication  to quicken the pace of the  decision making.   Training was  suggested on how therapist could  describe risks  as this  important in gaining an understanding of  a wider problem. Line investigation on blue and red groups

The Safeguarding Policy  Review Group would be looking  at case recordings and  would conduct a case presentation  from mainstream schools and  do a case review which would be  reporting back to the LSCB(Local Children’s Safeguarding Board).

A Committee member asked about how  easily  health information could be passed from agency to agency ,borough to borough, or region to region  when a family moved  given that the RIO system  was  not a commonly used data base and does not easily communicate with other systems. It was noted that when a child moved to another borough  there was an active transfer of data   and it was a requirement to go and visit the child. It was vital to  ensure that any required context about the  case was added to the  file so that there was a good understanding of the child’s health and safeguarding  situation.

 The audit had demonstrated the willingness of the council and Health services to work together  to ensure a child’s needs are picked up in the assessment process  and that there is  good information on  both the RIO and framework I systems.

Following the audit an  Action Plan had been devised which would be monitored  by LSCB and there  would  be focus on  the areas such as making sure that therapists contact and speak with social workers.

 The independent member recommended that the  audit of one case which would be agencies having a collective examination of their work and  assessments of one child/young person should include the parent of the  child.