Thresholds for access to services
and neglect practice guidance
Margaret Dennison
Introducing Thresholds
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What are thresholds
Why do we need them
Who are they for
How they will be applied
Communication and learning
When to start using them
Thresholds are not…….
• A substitute for a common assessment
• A substitute for a social work or specialist
assessment
• A means to secure a service
• Any form of guarantee
……….BUT ARE
• A guide
• More explicit about when to refer to the local
authority Children and Young Peoples Services
Assessment and Intervention Team
Why?
As an aid
• To clarify roles and responsibilities
• To increase awareness and understanding of
layers of service
• To support the implementation of ECM policy
• To implement the legal framework
• To mandate the Children’s Trust Partnership in its
commissioning agenda prevention
• To increase consistency of decision making
Children’s Services Strategy
Universal Services
Targeted Services
Behavioural
Strategy
Specialised
Services
Partner agencies
form a ‘safety net’
between each stage
DANGER
Parenting
Strategy
r
Section 17
• s.17. Provision of services for children in need, their
families and others.
(10) For the purposes of this Part a child shall be taken to be
in need if—
(a) he is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the
opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable
standard of health or development without the provision
for him of services by a local authority under this Part;
(b) his health or development is likely to be significantly
impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him
of such services;
Section 47
• s.47. Local authority's duty to
investigate
(1)Where a local authority
(b) have reasonable cause to suspect that a
child who lives, or is found, in their area is
suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant
harm [.]2
BENEFITS
• Open statements
• Useful in training
• Clearer about ACCOUNTABILITIES throughout
the Children’s Trust
• Allows LSCB to monitor more effectively
• Capable of further development
• Bottom line on child protection referrals where
Section 47 enquiries are necessary
Communication
• Start using them now
• Hard copies of the thresholds are on tables
• The full guidance is available on Children’s
Trust and LSCB websites
Further learning
• A practice guidance booklet is being drafted
and should be available within next few
weeks
• Models of “grading tools” for “neglect” from
other areas are receiving active
consideration
www.iwight.com