Think Family Guidance
Version 1.1 - Issued 16/11/2015
Quick Start Guide
Click (or press ctrl-click) on the images below to jump straight to the relevant section of the guidance, alternatively
please continue reading.
Think Family
Assessment
Storing / Sharing Information
Overview of the Think Family
approach
How to begin, complete and
submit a Family Assessment
Principles of how information
should be stored and shared
Planning Services
Delivery of Services
Working with other services
Identifying what should happen
next
The role of the Lead Professional
and guidance for service delivery
Links with specific services /
processes
Closing the Think Family
Intervention
Together for Families
Additional Support
An overview of the requirements
for the Together for Families
programme
Summary of support available to
professionals
How / when work should be
completed
Foreword
Think Family means improving outcomes for children, young people, adults and families by considering and
understanding the needs of all family members and co-ordinating the support they receive from professional
services in a single family plan co-ordinated by a Lead Professional.
Whilst this approach is not new, this guidance has been created to help all professionals and volunteers across all
public services within Cambridgeshire to understand and use the Think Family approach in their work with
individuals and families. It describes the processes and ways of working that have been agreed by all agencies
supporting families in Cambridgeshire.
This document has been designed as a reference guide to re-enforce and add detail to the concepts described within
the Think Family training which is available (free of charge) for all professionals and volunteers in Cambridgeshire.
Further details can be found in the Additional Support section of the document.
How to use this document
It is anticipated that professionals will want to look at specific sections and the guidance begins with an overview of
Think Family before going into more detailed step-by-step guides to each stage of the process. Users can click on the
contents table below and be taken to the appropriate sections or professionals can;
Click here for the Think Family Process flowchart
Click here for the Think Family intervention flowchart
Click here for the Professional Support Pack (containing useful templates and materials)
If you would like to provide feedback on this guidance or request that additional information is included please
contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666 or ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Contents
Quick Start Guide .............................................................................................................................................................. 1
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................... 2
How to use this document ................................................................................................................................................ 2
Think Family ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Background and context ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Think Family Approach.................................................................................................................................................. 7
The Think Family process .............................................................................................................................................. 8
The Think Family Intervention ...................................................................................................................................... 9
Quality Assurance ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
Assessment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Family Common Assessment Framework ................................................................................................................... 12
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 12
Benefits ................................................................................................................................................................... 12
The Assessor............................................................................................................................................................ 13
Before you start an assessment .................................................................................................................................. 13
Beginning the assessment....................................................................................................................................... 14
Consent ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Completing the Family CAF ..................................................................................................................................... 16
Life cycle of the Family CAF / Recording changes ................................................................................................... 17
Submitting the Family CAF ...................................................................................................................................... 18
Other Assessments ..................................................................................................................................................... 18
Storing / Sharing Information ......................................................................................................................................... 19
Principles ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Storing and sharing the Family CAF ............................................................................................................................ 19
Storing and Sharing the Family Support Plan ............................................................................................................. 20
Planning Services ............................................................................................................................................................ 21
The voice of the Child / Young Person / Adult ............................................................................................................ 21
Respond to needs within own service ........................................................................................................................ 21
Request involvement from a Single Agency ............................................................................................................... 21
Team Around the Family (TAF) ................................................................................................................................... 22
Locality Allocation and Review Meetings (LARM) ...................................................................................................... 22
Delivery of Services ......................................................................................................................................................... 26
Family Support Plan .................................................................................................................................................... 26
Purpose ................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Identify Outcomes................................................................................................................................................... 28
Review ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Transition between early help and specialist services............................................................................................ 30
Lead Professional ........................................................................................................................................................ 31
Principles of the Lead Professional role .................................................................................................................. 31
Identifying the Lead Professional and where this is recorded................................................................................ 31
When the Lead Professional should be changed and what to do at handover ...................................................... 32
What is expected of the Lead Professional role ..................................................................................................... 32
What is expected of the Lead Professional role at different levels of need ........................................................... 33
What is not expected of Lead Professionals ........................................................................................................... 34
Things Lead Professionals may need to consider: .................................................................................................. 34
Managing a Lead Professional ................................................................................................................................ 34
Training ................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Engaging families ........................................................................................................................................................ 35
How to engage families........................................................................................................................................... 35
What doesn’t work in engaging families................................................................................................................. 35
Natural Consequences ................................................................................................................................................ 36
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 36
Principles ................................................................................................................................................................. 37
A guide to using consequences ............................................................................................................................... 38
Working with other Services ........................................................................................................................................... 40
Social Care ................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Early Support............................................................................................................................................................... 40
The Education, Health and Care Plan.......................................................................................................................... 41
Background: The Education, Health and Care Plan Process ................................................................................... 41
Family CAF and Education, Health and Care Plans ................................................................................................. 41
Schools ........................................................................................................................................................................ 42
Pastoral Support Plans ............................................................................................................................................ 42
Individual Alternative Education Plans ................................................................................................................... 43
Closing the Think Family Intervention ............................................................................................................................ 44
How to know when the Team Around the Family (TAF) should be ended ................................................................. 44
Recording that the Think Family intervention has ended .......................................................................................... 44
Think Family Involvement ........................................................................................................................................... 45
Responsibilities of the Lead Professional.................................................................................................................... 45
Together for Families ...................................................................................................................................................... 46
Identification ............................................................................................................................................................... 46
What does this mean for families? ......................................................................................................................... 46
Family Progress Data and Closing Summary ............................................................................................................... 46
Family Progress Data toolkit ................................................................................................................................... 47
Closing Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 47
Personalisation Budget ............................................................................................................................................... 47
What is the Personalisation Budget? ...................................................................................................................... 47
Is there anything that can’t be purchased using the personalisation budget? ...................................................... 48
How much money is available?............................................................................................................................... 48
Criteria for use ........................................................................................................................................................ 49
How do I request funding?...................................................................................................................................... 49
Guidance for submitting a funding request ............................................................................................................ 49
What happens once I have submitted my request? ............................................................................................... 50
How long will it take before I know if my request has been approved? ................................................................ 50
How are products / services purchased? ................................................................................................................ 51
Additional Support .......................................................................................................................................................... 53
Advice and Co-ordination Team ................................................................................................................................. 53
Think Family Training .................................................................................................................................................. 53
Clinical Supervision ..................................................................................................................................................... 54
How do I access the service? .................................................................................................................................. 54
Professional Support Pack .......................................................................................................................................... 54
Frequently Asked Questions ....................................................................................................................................... 54
Think Family
This section contains information and guidance on the following;
Background and context
Think Family Approach
The Think Family process
Quality Assurance
Background and context
Research shows that outcomes for families with multiple needs can be poor. These families may encounter many
different professionals over the course of their lives, who are often only able to work with them for a short period of
time on a specific issue. This lack of service continuity, combined with the complexity of the needs, contributes to
poor outcomes as the root causes of their problems have not been tackled.
Think Family
Research from an evaluation of the Common Assessment Framework in Cambridgeshire (Centre- 4 Excellence and
Outcomes, 2012) and the Family Intervention Partnership team (York Consulting Ltd, 2014) shows that significant
and sustained improvement in outcomes can be made and money can be saved by taking a coordinated Think Family
approach.
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Think Family Approach
In working with families, professionals can often see the needs of the individual through the lens of their specific job
role or the organisation that they work for. It is important to consider an individual’s needs, but without considering
the needs of all of the family members, the context and environment in which they live and how these needs interrelate, we are unlikely to get to the bottom of the difficulties. The image below illustrates the key components of the
Think Family approach:
Think Family
 One Lead Professional – nominated to co-ordinate the work with the family
 One thorough family assessment – which considers the needs of the whole family, how the issues interrelate and the wider context and relationships which surround presenting issues
 One overarching family support plan – one overarching support plan managed by the Lead Professional and
reviewed regularly with the family and professionals involved through team around the family meetings
 A team around the family – all professionals who are involved with any member of the family working
together to the support plan with agreed goals
 Limiting transfers families experience through our services - one coordinated intervention is more effective
than services taking it in turns and transfers between teams consume time and energy, and so incur cost
 Commitment to putting the family’s needs at the centre and overcoming professional difference – for the
professional to have a willingness to be open and reflective about their thinking and practices and
understand the perspective of other professionals to enable better multi agency working.
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The Think Family process
The flowchart below sets out the stages in the Think Family process:
Do you think the family you are
working with has needs
beyond which you can
address?
Advice and Co-ordination
Team (ACT):
Open and close Think Family
'involvements' on CCC ONE
System
Record and track CAFs and LPs
and support identification of
LP where necessary
Advise on processes
Research wider involvements
when appropriate and inform
assessor/LP
Advise on services which may
be appropriate
Contact details:
Tel: 01480 376666
Email:
ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Together for Families cases
All CAFs will be assessed by the
ACT to see if meet TFF criteria
If so LP will also need to
complete Family Progress Data
at the start and end of the
Think Family process and a
closing summary at the end
Yes
Child or Young Person, adult or
family at risk of immediate harm?
Call Contact Centre
Tel: 0345 0455203
Fax: 01480 376748
Email:
referralcentre.childrens@cambridgeshire.
gcsx.gov.uk
Yes
No
Does the family already have a
Family CAF or a Lead Professional?
Contact the Advice and Coordination Team (ACT)
Contact existing Lead Professional and
request to join / participate in the Team
Around the Family
Yes
No
Speak to family about initiating
Think Family process and get
consent from all where possible
Are you trained to complete a full
Family CAF, Single Assessment or
other approved family assessment?
No
Complete ‘flexible use’ Family CAF with as
much information as you have on the
Family’s needs
Yes
Carry out full assessment as
appropriate to the presenting needs.
The ACT may be able to provide
further information about needs and
which agencies are involved.
Send completed Assessment to ACT
This could include;

Request to attend a Locality Allocation and
Referral Meeting (LARM) for multi-agency
discussion based on the assessment

Arrange a Team Around the Family (TAF)
meeting with involved professionals.

Request involvement from a single agency
using the assessment

Respond to needs within own service
If the initial CAF assessment was partially completed consider if the
assessment requires further work to fully reflect the wholes families
needs and if so which trained professional will do it.
The ACT can support with problem resolution.
What kind of support is required?
If unsure contact the ACT
If a multiagency response is necessary to meet identified needs, confirm practitioners
who will form the Team Around the Family and choose the Lead Professional. Inform the
ACT of Lead Professional name, agency and contact details
The LP can change throughout the intervetntion following the Think Family guidance
Agree and implement a Family Support Plan for support including clear outcomes from
the Outcomes Framework. LP to upload to Think Family involvement (themselves if CCC
One User, or send to ACT securely to upload if not)
Close TAF and inform the ACT
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Think Family
Review as necessary through further TAFs (or LARMs if required) until needs are met.
8
The Think Family Intervention
It is important to remember that there could be multiple services, involved with the family, who begin/finish their
intervention at different times. However, the support that all services provide the family is considered as the ‘Think
Family’ intervention. The first graphic below identifies the possible stages of a Think Family intervention:
Think Family Intervention
The services below are just examples of who could be involved in an intervention
School(s)
Police Officer
Local Authority
Assessment
End of
intervention
Support
Plan
Job Centre Work Coach
Housing Officer
Think Family
Health professional
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The second graphic highlights some of the key timescales for the Think Family Intervention:
Think Family Intervention
The services below are just examples of who could be involved in an intervention
School(s)
Completed
within 6
weeks of
starting
Think
Family
Involvem
ent
opened
on ONE
Police Officer
Local Authority (Lead Professional)
Job Centre Work Coach
Support
Plan
Housing Officer (Lead Professional)
Health professional
Support
First TAF
Plan
meeting
uploaded
within 2
onto ONE
weeks of
within 2
allocation
weeks of
of service
TAF
During the intervention, as a guide TAF meetings should take
place no less than every 12 weeks, however they can be more
frequent dependent on the need.
End of
Interventionthe ACT
needs to be
informed
within 1
week of
closure
Think Family
Involvement
closed on
ONE
Support Plans will be uploaded onto ONE within 2 weeks of each
TAF meeting
For families that meet the criteria for the Together for Families
programme, the Family Progress Data (FPD) toolkit needs to be
completed following the first and last TAF meeting and sent to the TFF
team within 2 weeks.
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Think Family
Assessment
A case is
allocated
and a
Team
Around
the
Family
(TAF) is
set up
If the Lead Professional
(LP) role changes during
the Think Family
Intervention, the ACT
needs to be informed
within 1 week.
10
Quality Assurance
All professionals (and their managers) undertaking the Think Family approach are responsible for quality assurance.
This means ensuring that they use the processes and the systems appropriately and the Think Family intervention is
delivered to a high quality. However, there are some elements of the process which will be audited and qualityassured at a County level.
Think Family
A robust quality assurance framework will be used to measure and monitor the quality and effectiveness of the
Think Family approach. In the event that issues are identified with particular services / agencies advice would be
given to identify any remedial action which needs to be put in place to resolve those issues.
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11
Assessment
This section contains information and guidance on the following;
Overview of the Family Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
Before you start
How to use the Family CAF flexibly
Consent
Submitting the Family CAF
Links with other assessments
Family Common Assessment Framework
Introduction
The Family Common Assessment Framework (Family CAF) is a standardised and holistic approach to conducting
assessments of the additional needs of families. It is designed to support decision making about how these needs
might best be addressed and to be used by anyone who works with children, young people, adults and families
across the workforce, whether they are employed or volunteers, and working in the public, private or third sector. It
can be used whenever you are concerned that a child, young person, adult or family has needs which might require
additional support.
Family CAF is the primary, generic early assessment tool used by practitioners working with children, young people,
adults and families in Cambridgeshire. By providing a common approach it helps practitioners in different
organisations to coordinate and plan their work and interventions to meet any identified needs. It can be used to
support children of all ages and their families and to help identify and address any type of need which would prevent
a child/young person reaching their potential.
An example of a completed Family CAF is available as part of the Professional Support Pack which is available here.
Benefits
 Creates a single record of the needs of a child/young person, adult or family and of the action being taken to
help them. This avoids duplication, repetition and confusion.
 Gives children/young people, adults and families one assessment, one plan and one point of contact.
 Ensures that needs and strengths are considered holistically i.e. from a broad range of different angles rather
than being focussed on any one agency, service or need; with a focus on the whole family and how the
needs of individual members interact.
 Makes it easier for practitioners to see and share information about a child/young person and their family.
This makes it easier to decide which services are needed, to coordinate delivery with others, and track
progress.
 Ensures that information is stored and shared appropriately (i.e. within consent) and securely between
agencies and practitioners
 Ensures that services are delivered efficiently and effectively and are proportionate to need. Better quality
assessments will assist services to target support to those with the greatest need.
 Ensures that progress is continually monitored and plans adjusted to meet changing needs through regular
reviews.
 Helps with cross-border, multi-agency working; the system works across geographic and organisational
boundaries.
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Assessment
The Family CAF makes it easier to understand the family’s strengths and needs and for different practitioners to
work together to meet them. The Family CAF:
12
 Can help to identify unmet need and can be used to inform strategic service planning and commissioning.
The Assessor
This is the term used for those professionals who are involved in the assessment process. This will include the person
who starts the assessment process as well as those other professionals who may contribute to the assessment.
Depending on whether it is agreed to provide support to the family once the assessment is complete, a Lead
Professional will be identified. The Lead Professional role, and how they are identified, is set out in more detail
below. Please note that the assessor who commences the assessment is not automatically the Lead Professional.
Support for Assessors can be obtained via the Advice and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666 or
ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Before you start an assessment
When to use the Family CAF
You may undertake the Family CAF in order to assess the needs of a child, young person, adult or family when you
think their needs are beyond those which you can address. If you feel that a child, young person or adult in the
family is at immediate risk of harm then you should call the Contact Centre on 0345 0455203
Professionals can also use the Family CAF as part of the ‘step-down’ procedure when a family are coming to the end
of a period of support from social care.
It is not appropriate to use the Family CAF when:
 A child/young person/adult or family are progressing well and have no additional needs
 There are concerns that a child/young person/adult may have been harmed or is at immediate risk of harm.
In those circumstances you should contact Social Care immediately (via the Contact Centre 0345 0455203).
 A CAF or Family CAF has already been completed for the child/young person/adult or family. You should
check whether a family is already receiving a Think Family intervention and, if necessary, contact the existing
Lead Professional. A family should never have more than one Family CAF at a time.
 If the child or young person or their parents and carers have not given their consent. Services can only act
without consent if there is a statutory duty for them to do so because of child protection concerns or nonattendance issues at school. In these exceptional circumstances the Social Care Referral Form should be used
to make a referral to social care, and the Statutory Intervention Form (SIF) should be used for school
attendance related concerns, rather than undertaking a Family CAF.
Check to see if there is an existing involvement of services
It is important that professionals are able to check to see whether a CAF, Family CAF or Think Family intervention
already exists before starting a new one. For this reason, there must be a record of each Family CAF on
Cambridgeshire County Council’s case management system (which can be accessed by the Advice and Coordination
Team).
When you are considering starting a new assessment, it is important that you inform the Advice and Co-ordination
Team by calling 01480 376666 and then send them a copy of the Family CAF. They will log the basic details of the
Family CAF but none of the assessment information.
The Family CAF is not currently available as an online form for completion although work is currently underway to
develop a new electronic solution.
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Assessment
Electronic Family CAF form
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Beginning the assessment
Talking to the Family
The Think Family approach is about a way of working, not just an assessment or a form. Time and care must be taken
to ensure the process is underpinned by good communication and that the assessment is undertaken with respect
for all parties. It is important that the process is collaborative and the discussion is family centred. Apart from a prenatal assessment, it is not possible to do a Family CAF without seeing or involving the child/young person or family.
Key things to remember
Each child/young person (or their parent/carer if appropriate) and adult must give informed consent, which means
ensuring that they understand exactly what the process involves and what they are agreeing to.
In addition:
 A Family CAF is not a guarantee that services will be provided. It is important that you manage the family’s
expectations to avoid possible disappointment.
 A good Family CAF will take account of the family’s strengths as well as their needs, and your own
professional judgement is key to identifying these and working with and advising the family and other
professionals effectively.
 Try not to make the assessment too formal. The questions on the form will prompt you to consider various
topics/questions but the form should not be used like a questionnaire; it is a way of recording your
discussions with the family. However the information obtained should be recorded on to the Family CAF
form itself.
 You will get a much better quality process if you reassure the family and ensure that the Family CAF is
presented in a non-threatening way.
 Always make it clear to the family that they can decide how much information they provide and who it is
shared with.
 Make use of information you already know about the family so they do not have to repeat themselves
(provided they know that you are including this information).
 Use a method or style that is appropriate to the child/young person or family that you are dealing with. In
some circumstances, you may wish to use pictorial prompts to engage children, or involve the child/young
person or family in completing parts of the assessment themselves.
Consent
The Think Family process is entirely voluntary. You must discuss your concerns with the child/young person or their
parent/carer before deciding to undertake an assessment and the family should be involved throughout the process.
When you begin to talk to a child/young person and the family about Think Family, the first thing you will need to do
is explain the process and tell them what will happen to their information. You will need to explain:
 What the Think Family approach is
 The benefits of the approach
 How the family’s information will be held, stored and used and their rights to see/change information held
about them
 What the family will be consenting to (see below)
By consenting to the Think Family approach, families support the Lead Professional in being able to share
information in order to:
 Identify the family’s strengths and needs and work out what support they might find helpful
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Assessment
Please note, sometimes young people or parents don’t want to give consent for other members of the family to see
their information. You will need to weigh this up but it is usually in the best interests of everyone to share the
information carefully and sensitively with each other, and over time- most family members understand the benefit
of this. See also the Information Sharing section below.
14
 Understand if the support the family has received or are receiving has been effective
 Share details about the family’s Lead Professional with other appropriate professionals on request to
support the Think Family approach
 Evaluate the quality of completed Family CAFs and the Think Family process
The Professional Support Pack contains guidance and hand-outs to help you explain the Think Family approach, and
to help you get consent, these are available here.
Gaining Consent
Families will be asked to consent to be part of a Think Family approach and the consent statement on the
assessment form outlines how information will be collected, stored and used as part of the intervention and beyond.
Once you have completed the Family CAF you should ensure that this has been checked and signed by all members
of the family aged over 12 to which the assessment relates to.
The consent allows the Lead Professional to share information with the relevant agencies to support the delivery of
the intervention. However, the Assessor/Lead Professional should share information proportionately to ensure that
only relevant/appropriate information is shared to support the Think Family approach and the achievement of the
outcomes identified as part of the assessment. This means you and the family may decide to only share portions of
the assessment with other professionals.
Refusal of Consent
If consent is withheld or withdrawn at any stage in the process, it is important that you keep a record of this in your
own case notes. You should also contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team to let them know that a Family CAF has
been offered but refused. It is important that we are able to understand why this may be the case. There is a process
in place to allow us to capture information on CAF refusals so that potential safeguarding concerns can be identified.
The Advice and Co-ordination Team will check to see if this is a repeat refusal and investigative work will be
undertaken on families that have refused a CAF on three occasions.
If a family refuse a Family CAF at the outset you should continue to work with them and ensure that the Think Family
process is explained clearly as they may decide to take up the offer of a Family CAF later on.
If the family withdraw consent to receiving support at any time during the intervention then the process should
cease immediately. The Lead Professional should alert both the Advice and Co-ordination Team and the other
members of the Team Around the Family.
It is important that the child/young person or family are involved in the process as much as possible. However, it
may not always be appropriate for a child to provide consent. Professionals will need to judge whether the child is
competent based on their perceived capacity to understand the implications of the Family CAF and make informed
decisions.
If you are unsure about whether a child is able to provide consent, consult the Fraser guidelines, seek advice from
your manager or visit the Department for Education website for guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-practitioners-information-sharing-advice
The Advice and Co-ordination Team will also be able to provide advice, they can be contacted on 01480 376666 or
ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Where parental consent is required, the consent of one parent is sufficient. In situations where family members are
in conflict, you will need to consider carefully whose consent should be sought. If the parents are separated, the
consent would normally be sought from the parent with whom the child/young person predominantly resides.
Consent should not normally be sought from non-relatives or members of the extended family unless they are the
child/young person’s primary carer. If the child is an unborn baby, consent should be sought from the mother.
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Assessment
Parent/carer consent
15
Recording Consent
When you have obtained verbal consent from the family to start and store the Family CAF, this should be recorded
on the Family CAF in the appropriate sections. Then, during the assessment, you should discuss sharing the
information with other practitioners. If you want to share information with a professional outside of the Team
Around the Family, then you must discuss and agree this with the family.
Obtaining a signature
When the assessment is completed, it is important to ensure that the child/young person or their parent/carer and
adults sign a paper copy of the form. This should be stored securely by the professional for auditing purposes.
Completing the Family CAF
It is expected that, in most cases, there should be no more than six weeks between obtaining consent for a Family
CAF and finalising the Family CAF assessment. This should allow time to involve other practitioners in the assessment
if required but ensures that the family are not left waiting unnecessarily. It is important that the family see the
assessment developing with momentum as this will help them to see that they are valued. The professional will need
to use their judgment between completing the assessment as quickly as possible and pacing it for the family to suit
the needs being identified.
Professionals should pay particular attention to the following sections to ensure the Family CAF can be fully
considered;
 Family Details – details of all the people living in the family home - You should record all those individuals
who are part of the household. If the assessment relates to that individual then a ‘Y’ should be recorded in
the appropriate box. All individuals who the assessment relates to should have an individual strengths and
needs section completed and provide consent.
 Summary of reasons section - On the front page of the Family CAF summarise the reasons for initiating the
assessment. This is not meant to be full summary but to highlight the areas of concern e.g. under education
you might state ‘attendance issues causing concern’. It is suggested that this box is completed at the end of
the assessment and please see below for guidance as to the type of needs/issues which need to be reflected
in each section:
o Education – including issues around attendance, exclusion, attainment/achievement, behaviour,
missing from education.
o Crime/Anti-Social Behaviour – proven offences, Anti-Social Behaviour interventions/orders, police
callouts/involvement (anti-social behaviour related).
o Employment/Financial Exclusion – receipt of out of work benefits, school leavers with no/few
qualifications, high risk of becoming Not in Education, Employment or Training, risk of homelessness
o Family Relationships – including domestic violence and abuse, police callouts (Domestic Abuse
related)
o Health – mental/physical needs, substance misuse, A&E admissions, child on an Education Health
and Care plan
o Other concerns – any other concerns which do not fit into the above
 What’s working / has worked and barriers and difficulties section - Provide details of what has / hasn’t
worked as part of previous interventions from the perspective of the family. This can include the
intervention itself, relationships with the worker and levels of engagement. If there haven’t been any
interventions or it’s unclear what has/hasn’t worked please write ‘unknown’ rather than leaving it blank.
 Child / Adult strengths and needs assessments - A separate ‘Adult: Strengths and Needs’ or ‘Child: Strengths
and Needs’ section should be completed for each adult or child included in the Family CAF.
Please add attendance and progress at the time of the assessment so that progress can be tracked
If you are concerned that there is a risk of child sexual exploitation, substance misuse or there is domestic
abuse you may wish to consider undertaking a more specialist assessment. Specialist assessments /
screening tools are available here
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Assessment
Sections of the Family CAF
16
 Analysis - When carrying out the assessment, you should consider how each person’s strengths and needs
affect/interact with those of other members of the family. In addition, you should ensure that the
assessment reflects the views of all parties noting where there is any particular conflict or disagreement. The
key elements of the analysis are to look ahead, based on the assessment carried out, and consider what the
future might hold for the family. You should identify what the (realistic) position of the family could be in the
next 12 months if things do not change. This will help with planning interventions for the family.
The voice of the Child / Young Person / Adult
Children, young people and adults should be seen and listened to and included throughout the assessment process.
Their ways of communicating should be understood in the context of their family and community as well as their
behaviour and developmental stage.
All members of the family should be actively involved in all parts of the process based upon their age, developmental
stage and identity. The voice of each family member within the assessment is important as it ensures that
professionals understand the impact of issues on each other. The ultimate aim of the assessment is to improve
outcomes and life chances for all members of the family. The voice of the children, young people and adults should
also be heard within the review process.
Flexible Use
 The assessment document is a framework not a format to follow prescriptively – if you feel a ‘form’ will be a
barrier to the family’s engagement, there is no need to use it directly with the family to order your
assessment discussions.
 It is not essential to complete the whole form to start the process – there are a number of sections which are
mandatory (identified with an * on the form) to ensure the assessment can be progressed, but beyond this it
is for you to decide how much more you can complete based on your own knowledge, your relationship or
role with other family members or your experience of doing assessment, and involvement of other
professionals. If a child/young person or family has a very specific need you may decide to only include
information in one or two of the sections on the assessment. However, remember that a comprehensive
assessment at an early stage leads to swifter and more targeted plans and better outcomes for the family.
 The assessment you complete may be sufficient to start the Team Around the Family, or it may need to be
built upon by another professional.
 The assessment can be completed by one or multiple professionals – the ACT can support you to identify
other professionals who may already be involved with the family to support doing the assessment jointly. It
is important to make reasonable endeavours to find out who else may be involved already to ensure the
assessment is as good as it can be, as soon as possible.
 You should include strengths as well as needs, so if there are no needs in a particular section, consider
highlighting the strengths. If you are sure that there is nothing to comment on in a particular section, simply
indicate “not relevant”.
 The assessment can be completed when not all family members consent to participate – it is important to
always attempt to encourage all members to participate. However, if, for example, one of the adults and one
of the children are not willing, this can be identified by stating ‘N’ on page 2 in the column ‘does this
assessment relate to this person’. If you state ‘Y’ in this column you are indicating that those individuals have
consented to participate (or for children, parents have consented on their behalf) and there is a child or
adult profile completed for them.
Life cycle of the Family CAF / Recording changes
The Family CAF supports the identification of the strengths and needs of the family at a particular point in time.
There may be some circumstances where either support available to the family is delayed or where work is
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Assessment
The assessment is not a rigid framework and practitioners are encouraged to use their professional judgement when
using the Family CAF form. The form is intended to prompt you to consider all the sections, including areas not
immediately evident, but you will need to decide how much detail to include depending on the individual
circumstances. The following are guiding principles in relation to flexible use:
17
completed but families need additional support. In these situations it is important that the assessment remains
relevant and reflective of the family’s circumstances.
Therefore if the family re-engage with services after previously having had a Family CAF and the assessment is over 6
months old, or there has been a significant change in circumstances then the Family CAF should be re-done.
During the Think Family intervention any additional information / strengths / needs should be recorded on the
Family Support Plan and not the Family CAF.
Submitting the Family CAF
Once you have completed the Family CAF you should ensure that this has been checked and signed by all members
of the family aged over 12 which the assessment relates to. Once signed, either the signed Family CAF can be
submitted securely to the Advice and Co-ordination team via email ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or via post to
Advice and Co-ordination Team, Cambridgeshire County Council, Shire Hall, Cambridge CB3 0AP or the Family CAF
can be submitted with a covering letter from the assessor confirming they hold a signed version.
Please do not submit the Family CAF until consent has been obtained.
It is the assessor’s responsibility to decide what action to take and which services to involve, please see the next
section on planning and delivering services.
Other Assessments
In the majority of cases, a Family CAF will be the first assessment completed for a child/young person or family’s
additional needs. However, if a Family CAF assessment reveals the need for a specialist service, a more specialist
assessment might also be required in that specific area before a decision can be taken as to what support to provide.
In this situation, a Family CAF may run alongside a specialist assessment. See the planning section relating to the
alignment of planning processes when a specialist service is involved.
Where this is the case the Family CAF should strongly inform the more specialist assessment and where possible
information should be transferred between the two to avoid the need for the family to be asked to repeat their story
again. This initial duplication will lessen the need for repeated information entry in future, and for manual searching
between records held across various organisations or services.
If the specialist assessment also provides a holistic assessment of the family’s needs, it may be that this would then
supersede and replace the Family CAF as the family assessment. The key example of this would be a Social Care
Single Assessment (section 17 assessments or Section 47 enquiry).
Where the Family CAF is used to access the Education Health and Care Plan (ECHP) process, the Family CAF would
still inform the Family Support Plan with the EHCP forming part of that process (see further references to the EHCP in
this guidance).
In most cases it will be helpful to keep the Family CAF assessment live, alongside the specialist assessment so that
the family’s holistic needs are still captured as well as the more specific information from the specialist assessment.
Where a child has had one or more specialist assessments in addition to their Family CAF it will be important that the
Family CAF references the existence of these and explains how they can be accessed. This ensures that a single
complete record of all the needs and actions for a child or young person is maintained.
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Assessment
For example, a specialist physiotherapy assessment would probably not capture all of a family’s needs and so would
exist in addition to rather than instead of a Family CAF.
18
Storing / Sharing Information
This section contains information and guidance on the following;
Principles for storing and sharing the Family CAF and the Family Support plan
Principles
Whilst guidance cannot be given for every eventuality, it may be useful to consider the following principles when
considering how and when information can / should be shared as part of the Think Family process i.e. sharing
information recorded as part of the assessment or other information which comes to light as the Family Support Plan
progresses;
Storing and sharing the Family CAF
Sharing
With reference to the principles above, a copy of the completed Family CAF should be given to the family/individuals
who have completed the Strengths and Needs section. The Family CAF may be shared with members of the TAF if
the Lead Professionals feels this would support the development of the Family Support Plan.
Storing
The Advice and Co-ordination team will store the Family CAF securely and retain until the youngest child/young
person reaches the age of twenty five years. The Lead Professional should also retain a copy of the Family CAF for
one year after the Think Family intervention has been closed. This copy must also be stored securely.
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Storing / Sharing Information
 ‘Dare to share’ – Serious Case Reviews often highlight improvements can be made in sharing information
both across agencies as well as within internal services. Children are protected by sharing information,
therefore professionals should consider very carefully if they decide not to share information to support the
work with the family.
 Specific elements of the Family CAF can be shared - whole sections, individual strength / need sections, or
specific information can be removed for the purposes of sharing. This includes situations where certain
sections of the Family CAF may not be shared if, for example, there is animosity between family members,
separated parents or other situations which could prejudice the effectiveness of the intervention if the
information is shared.
 Sharing must be proportionate – whilst the consent allows information to be shared with all public services,
the Lead Professional should only share data with those agencies who are relevant to supporting the needs
of the family e.g. if there is no intelligence that there was crime / anti-social behaviour in the household then
the full assessment wouldn’t be shared with the police (although a marker might be placed on their system
to identify the family were receiving a multi-agency response).
 Level of information shared - usually it will be helpful for as much relevant information as possible to be
shared with all members of the Team Around the Family and this should be promoted with families.
However, their request to withhold certain parts of the assessment from other professionals should be
respected.
 Flexible meetings - TAF meetings can be organised flexibly to respond to the dynamics of the individual
family.
 Emerging safeguarding concerns - In all situations, professionals should continue to follow safeguarding
procedures and refer to social care where there are child protection concerns. This should be discussed with
the Lead Professional in advance if possible to avoid multiple referrals to First Response and Emergency Duty
Team.
19
Storing and Sharing the Family Support Plan
Storing
The Lead Professional is responsible for ensuring the completion of (with assistance from other professionals if
appropriate) and secure storage of the Family Support Plan once agreed by the family. The Table below outlines the
responsibilities and actions required:
If…
the Lead Professional is from the County Council
Then…
the Lead Professional should upload the Family Support
Plan to a communication log on the Think Family
involvement on ONE – see separate ONE technical
guidance available here
the Lead Professional is not from the County Council or
not a Capita ONE user but there is a County Council
professional involved with the Team Around the Family
the County Council Professional should upload the
Family Support Plan to a communication log on the Think
Family involvement on ONE – see separate ONE technical
guidance available here
the Lead Professional is not from the County Council
and there is no County Council professional involved
with the Team Around the Family
the Lead Professional should securely send the
completed Family Support Plan to the Advice and Coordination Team who will upload it to the Think Family
involvement. For guidance on sending documents
securely please contact the Advice and Co-ordination
Team via 01480 376666
Sharing
The Family Support Plan should be shared with the Family and with members of the Team Around the Family and
this should be overseen and co-ordinated by the Lead Professional. At the first Team Around the Family meeting
ensure an information sharing agreement is signed by all in the Team Around the Family and a template is contained
within the Professional Support Pack located here.
Members of the Team Around the Family should not share the Support Plan with other professionals without
discussing with the Lead Professional.
Storing / Sharing Information
In complex family situations the Lead Professional should use their judgement on how to structure the review
meetings (and documentation) to ensure that the parties involved feel confident in discussing the issues.
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20
Planning Services
This section contains information and guidance on the following;
Options for providing support
Creating and managing a Team Around the Family
Information on Locality Allocation and Review Meetings
Once the assessment has been completed you should have a much better idea of what the strengths and needs of
the Family are. If it is agreed that additional support is needed then the assessor (in conjunction with the family)
should identify what they would like to happen next. The possible options include:
 Respond to needs within own service
 Request involvement from a single agency using this assessment as we believe that one agency can address
the needs identified
 Arrange a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting with all family members (if possible / appropriate) and
involved professionals. This may involve requesting involvement with new services
 Request to attend a Locality Allocation and Review Meeting for multi-agency discussion based on this
assessment because it is unclear what services could be appropriate for the needs identified If the Assessor
is unsure, they can contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666 or
ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
The voice of the Child / Young Person / Adult
Children, young people and adults should to be seen and listened to and included throughout the planning process.
Their ways of communicating should be understood in the context of their family and community as well as their
behaviour and developmental stage.
All members of the family should be actively involved in all parts of the process based upon their age, developmental
stage and identity. The voice of each family member within the planning process is important as it ensures that
professionals understand the impact of issues on each other. The ultimate aim of the planning process is to improve
outcomes and life chances for all members of the family. The voice of the Children, young people and adults should
also be heard within the review process.
Respond to needs within own service
In a small number of cases, you might have started a Family CAF because the needs of the family were unclear but
find that after the assessment the identified needs can all be met your own service/agency. In this situation, you will
use the processes internal to your organisation to plan and deliver services. It will not be necessary to complete a
Family Support Plan unless your service is part of Cambridgeshire County Council.
On occasion the Family CAF may reveal the need for a more specialist assessment to be undertaken to discuss the
detail of a more specific need(s). The assessor should use the assessment to support the request for support from
the additional agency. Please be aware that some agencies require additional / specific information to support a
request for services therefore this should be considered prior to making the request. The Professional Support Pack
available here contains details of the current services which require additional information.
If you are unsure which agency would be the most appropriate to provide support then please contact the Advice
and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666 or via ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
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Planning Services
Request involvement from a Single Agency
21
Team Around the Family (TAF)
If it is clear, following the assessment that the needs assessed will require more than one service involved and you
are clear which services should be involved, you should consider organising a Team Around the Family (TAF). The
purpose of the TAF is to bring together a group of professionals, along with all members of the Family (where
possible / appropriate), to help meet the family’s identified needs. The TAF could be just the Lead Professional and
the family however it is likely that it will include a group of practitioners as well.
If you are unsure which services should be involved or the family have particularly complex or difficult needs then
you can discuss the family’s needs with the Locality manager through the Locality Allocation and Review Meeting
(see below) or you can contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666 or via
ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Before involving any other service you should review the Family CAF to ensure the child, young person or
parent/carer has not withdrawn their consent to sharing information with that particular professional or
service/organisation.
Role of members of the Team Around the Family
Professionals who are part of the TAF but aren’t the Lead Professional would be expected to:
 Understand and respect the role of the Lead Professional
 Continue to follow safeguarding procedures and refer to social care where there are child protection
concerns. Discuss the need for this with the Lead Professional in advance if possible
 Participate in the gathering of information to inform assessment of family needs
 Update the Lead Professional on involvement, information gathered and work completed on a
regular/agreed basis
 Ensure the work undertaken is reflected in the Family Support Plan and works towards the common goals
agreed by the Team Around the Family. Be accountable for individual actions assigned to you and ensure
these are carried out
 Commit to attend Team Around the Family meetings as a core function of your role to ensure work is well
co-ordinated and consequently more effective with families. Where this is not possible to consider whether
it would be possible / appropriate for a representative to attend instead and / or ensure that information is
shared in advance of Team Around the Family meetings
 Agree to share information with other professionals in the Team Around the Family as agreed as part of the
Family Support Plan
 Commit to put the family’s needs at the centre and be part of the solution to overcome professional
difference. All members of the Team Around the Family need to share a willingness to be open and reflective
about thinking and practices and understand the perspective of other professionals to enable better multi
agency working
 Please note: In some settings and services such as nurseries and mental health services, a professional linked
to a child or adult is known as a keyworker. This means they are the designated professional from that
service for that child or adult, but does not mean they are the Lead Professional
The Team Around the Family should be convened and have its first meeting within 2 weeks of completion of the
assessment. However, consideration should be given balancing the need to secure the attendance of key
professionals, meeting the needs of the family and avoiding drift.
Locality Allocation and Review Meetings (LARM)
*The County Council is currently reviewing the LARM process and this section will be updated in 2016*
The Locality Allocation and Review Meeting (LARM) is a multi-disciplinary professionals meeting providing a timely,
co-ordinated and integrated response to identified needs of families. It has a focus on the allocation of resources in
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Planning Services
Timescale
22
terms of skill, expertise and capacity across services. It provides a forum for information sharing and problem
solving. Tasks to support the identified needs of the child and family will be allocated to professionals through this
process.
Differences between the LARMs and TAF
LARMs are multi-disciplinary professionals’ meetings aimed at providing a co-ordinated and integrated response to
identified needs of children, young people and families. The “allocation” element of the meeting focuses on
resources, information sharing and problem solving for children with more complicated or less clear needs. Cases
return to the LARM at agreed points to be reviewed. LARMs are held regularly, with a consistent membership and
consider several Family CAFs per session.
TAFs are bespoke meetings held to consider a particular Family CAF assessment. They are held with the child, young
person and family as well as the particular group of practitioners involved in meeting the family’s needs.
It should be noted that LARMs and TAFs are not mutually exclusive, in some cases both processes could be used for a
single Family CAF, for example with an initial discussion at a LARM leading to the agreement of the appropriate
practitioners who will then meet as a TAF thereafter. Similarly a Family CAF that is being managed through a series
of TAF meetings might run into a resource allocation problem and need then to go forward to the LARM for
resolution.
Types of LARM
LARMs cover children, young people and families from age 0-19. They are configured differently according to the
geographical size and number of schools in a Locality. Consideration should be given by the Assessor, in conjunction
with the relevant Locality Manager, as to where the family would be best discussed. This decision should be based
on either the complexity of need of the youngest child, or the level of need of other siblings/parents, whichever is
greater. Assessors should make it clear to the family that there will be a range of different professionals at the LARM
considering their case.
 LARMs will cover all age groups from 0-19
 All children and young people discussed will have been involved in a Family CAF assessment
 Agendas and membership will be organised wherever possible to reflect core members’ area of
responsibility and expertise and to make best use of everyone’s time
 It is recommended that wherever possible, LARMs will serve a geographical location covered by a school
cluster (secondary, feeder primaries and relevant Early Year’s settings). If the child attends a school out of
the cluster catchment, the locality manager will need to make a best fit decision about where the case
should be discussed
 Cases discussed will be mainly those at Levels 2 and 3 of the Model of Staged Intervention (MOSI)
 The child, young person and/or parent must consent to the sharing of information with representatives of
agencies attending
 All children, young people, adults and families discussed at the LARM will be allocated a Lead Professional
 Lead Professionals can ask the LARM for additional support / guidance but if the Lead Professional is within a
specialist agency (e.g. social care) then this will only be done by exception
 Children, young people and families will not usually attend the LARM; their views and opinions will be
represented by the Family CAF assessment and through the person who assessed them and/or the Lead
Professional. If the child/young person and family want to attend, a TAF meeting should be organised
instead
Membership and Chairperson
 The LARM will be chaired by the Locality Managers with business support provided by locality teams unless
there is a clear evidence that another arrangement would be more effective
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Planning Services
Additional points to note:
23
 Locality Managers may choose to delegate the role of Chair to Children’s Centre Manager for those LARMs
which are focused on 0-5 yr olds, where appropriate
 All LARMs to have a named Vice chair
 Membership will consist of a Core Group and an Extended Membership
 Core Members will be expected to prioritise LARMs and to commit to regular attendance. As a minimum
school nurses and a member of the Primary CAMHs team is expected to regularly attend at least one LARM
in each locality per fortnight. The decision over which LARM to attend will be made by discussion between
the Locality Manager and the Service concerned
 The Extended Membership will operate on an ‘invite-only’ basis and practitioners will attend only those
sessions where there are children or young people identified as likely to benefit from their input into the
discussion. The Locality Manager will take responsibility for liaising with and inviting practitioners in the
extended membership where appropriate
Core Membership:
Under 5’s LARMs
 Health Visitors
 Children’s Centre Manager or senior representative
 Midwife
 Early years Education Representative
Extended Membership-By Invitation
 Family Nurse Partnership
 Children’s Centre Family worker
 Early Years Settings
 Speech and Language Therapy
 Support for Learning Service
 Social Care as per Locality Agreement
 GP
 Police
 Early Support
 Housing
 CAMH
 Voluntary Organisations
 Other professionals invited as required for a specific discussion about a particular family









Senior Family Worker/Family Worker
Education Welfare Officer
Cambridgeshire Community Services School Nurse (school aged) - One LARM per locality
Secondary School Pastoral Staff as nominated by school (secondary school)
Education Inclusion Officers (secondary school and primary to secondary transition)
Youth Development Co-ordinator/young People's worker( secondary and transition)
Primary Care CAMHs worker - one LARM per locality
YOS Prevention Worker and Senior social worker when part of a Locality team
Voluntary organisations
Extended Membership: By invitation
 Primary specialist teachers
 Fire
 Guidance adviser (secondary)
 Police
 FIP workers
 Educational Psychologists
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Planning Services
Over 5s LARMs
24














Portage
CAMH tier 3 and 4
Alternative Provision provider
YOS
Early Support
Area SENCO (Support for Learning)
Social care (with reference to the social care/localities protocol)
Nominated school attendees (primary, secondary and special)
Early Years Settings
Housing
GPs
CASUS and other Substance Misuse Providers
Other relevant providers
Community Paediatrician
When to take a Family CAF to a LARM
A Family CAF should be considered at a LARM when;
 The needs identified are more complicated and would benefit from a multi-agency discussion on the best
approach
 The appropriate support required is not clear and initiator is not confident about how to proceed
 There is a need to discuss whether the required resource can be allocated
 There is a particular problem relating to a Family CAF or the support being provided which needs to be
discussed or escalated for consideration
 An ongoing Family Support Plan is not working and needs to be reviewed and a new approach agreed
Frequency
Planning Services
Locality teams can decide locally how best to configure their LARMs to ensure that every setting, early years, primary
or secondary schools have access to a LARM every fortnight. The dates for all LARMs are available here.
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25
Delivery of Services
This section contains information and guidance on the following;
Creating, using and reviewing the Family Support Plan
The role of the Lead Professional
Engaging families
Family Support Plan
Purpose
The purpose of the Family Support Plan is to allow the family and professionals to plan together how best to meet
the short term and long term priorities identified within the assessment to address the family’s needs. The Family
Support Plan should be used to record the outcomes the family wishes to achieve on all cases regardless of whether
there is a single agency or multi-agency response.
The Family Support Plan template (as well as an example of a completed plan) is available in the Professional
Support Pack available here and should be used by all services who are working with families in Cambridgeshire and
following the Think Family process. The only exception to this is where there is a child (ren) on a Child Protection
Plan.
Delivery of Services
The graphic below provides a description of the key elements of the Family Support Plan and outlines how it should
be completed.
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26
The overarching needs of the
individuals within the family. These
should be formed / summarised from
the analysis and goals section of the
Family CAF and framed as a need
rather than problem
The outcomes of the intervention are generated with the family, from a combination
of the goals identified through the initial assessment, and input from the professionals
(with reference to the outcomes framework). The outcomes should be measurable
through using through the outcomes framework indicators. This will focus the TAF
around what the family hope to achieve and being able to evidence the family
achieving sustained and significant progress
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The actions will be reviewed and progress noted
at each review meeting. E.g. Child A’s
attendance rate has improved and is now at
90% across 3 consecutive school terms
Delivery of Services
In consideration of the needs identified, the
actions which need to be undertaken to
progress the family towards achieving the
outcome will need to be recorded, ensuring that
a named professional / family member is
attached to each action and timescale. There
should be at least 1 family action included here
27
Identify Outcomes
The outcomes and success measures recorded on the plan should be identified using Cambridgeshire’s shared
Outcomes Framework (the Framework) which is available here
There are 5 outcomes for Cambridgeshire which have a list of eligibility priorities and indicators to evidence
improvements:
 Children are ready for and attend school, and make expected progress
 Adults and young people have the skills, qualifications and opportunities to succeed in the employment
market and make a positive contribution
 Families enjoy good physical and mental health and have a healthy lifestyle
 Families are protected from harm and neglect and are provided with support with their problems before
they become too difficult to manage, increasing their resilience
 Families contribute to the community and are not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour
The Framework has, in conjunction with Partner organisations, been designed to identify a standard suite of
indicators which can be used to quantify the progress towards achieving or making sustained and significant
progress towards the identified outcomes for families. Incorporating the Framework throughout the Think Family
process ensures we are putting in place actions relevant to achieving genuine sustainable changes to a family’s life.
When using the Outcomes Framework there is flexibility in the chosen indicators i.e. they can be made relevant to
the family whilst ensuring their meaning is maintained. For example, if there is a desired goal for the family that does
not align with an indicator on the Outcomes Framework it can still be included.
If you have queries over which indicator to use please contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666
or via ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Review
It is expected that during the Think Family intervention the Team Around the Family (or Lead Professional in cases
where there is not a Team Around the Family) should meet at regular intervals to review the support being provided
and identify the progress towards the identified outcomes the family is making. Where the Lead Professional feels
they need additional support / advice then then the case can be taken to the Locality Allocation Review Meeting.
These reviews should occur no less frequently than 3 months (for the duration of the Think Family intervention) but
these could take place much more often depending on the needs of the family.
Delivery of Services
At the review meeting it is expected that there is reflection by both the family and the professionals on how the
support is going, what is/isn’t working and whether the outcomes have been achieved. During the meeting the plan
should be reviewed and updated. Families (as well as the Lead Professional) are encouraged to sign the support plan
as an acknowledgement of the work they have been identified to complete. However, this is not a mandatory
requirement.
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28
Reviewing the Plan
The following sections provide a basic example of how the main body of the Family Support Plan should be
structured alongside an example of how the plan should be reviewed / updated. There is also a video guide which is
available as part of the Professional Support Pack available here.
First Review
Delivery of Services
Note that the fourth column (Family Support Plan Review) is updated to reflect the progress towards achieving the
identified outcome. As the outcomes have not been achieved the row has been added to the ‘New / on-going’ needs
section and two actions have been replaced. If through this review process it is identified that there has been a
significant change which has/is impacting on the family’s circumstances e.g. a death in the family or new needs have
emerged then these should be identified and added to the ‘New and ongoing needs’ sections of the support plan
(not added to the original Family CAF).
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29
Second Review
Note the ‘New / ongoing needs’ section from the first review has been copied to the top of the Family Support Plan
and the progress noted. On the basis that the outcomes have been achieved this section is not added to the ‘New /
ongoing needs’ section of the second review. If this was the final outcome to be achieved then the intervention is
likely to close.
Transition between early help and specialist services
Specialist services including Social Care (for Child In Need level cases), Youth Offending Team, Family Intervention
Partnership and Early Support will be using the same Family Support Plan template as Early Help services. As such,
the Family Support Plan should travel with the family if they transition between these services to avoid multiple
plans being open.
Delivery of Services
Specialist services should add additional needs/outcomes/indicators to the plan relevant to their intervention and
continue to store the plan in accordance with the guidance above.
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30
Lead Professional
Principles of the Lead Professional role
The Lead Professional role aims to ensure the provision of holistic care and support to meet the individual needs of
all children, young people and adults within a whole family.
Lead Professionals should aim to uphold the following principles in their activity:
 The needs of adults and children will be addressed in the context of the whole family and not as individuals
in isolation from one another
 The Lead Professional is for the family, not the individual. Where there are complex family needs there may
be multiple services involved for different family members
 Children, young people, adults and families will be empowered to enable them to make informed choices,
develop family resilience and also access universal and community services wherever possible
 The views of the child, young person, adults and family, and other professionals involved with the family will
be listened to and respected
 The safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults remains
paramount
 Children’s needs are usually best met by supporting their parents to look after them
 Needs are best met by timely assessments, support and provision of services; all experienced by the child,
young person, adults and family as holistic, coordinated and seamless
 Service responses should be needs-led, aim to support the child, young person, adults and family, respect
their private life and prevent unnecessary problems from arising
 Diversity will be valued and fully considered in agency responses
Identifying the Lead Professional and where this is recorded
The Lead Professional can be anybody who works with children, young people, adults or families, and should have
access to the appropriate training and supervision in order to undertake the role. The Advice and Co-ordination team
may assist in the identification of the Lead Professional where it has not been possible through usual routes. There
will be some professionals who are more likely to undertake this role than others but in all cases the following
principles should be considered when identifying who should be the Lead Professional:
It should be decided in partnership with the family where possible
It is often the person who is most involved already
The Lead Professional is not necessarily the person who initiated the involvement or assessment.
If the family begin working with Children’s Social Care under section 47, Child Protection, the Social Work
Unit will always take the Lead Professional role.
 If the Family Intervention Partnership team become involved, they will always take the Lead Professional
role unless Children’s Social Care is involved under section 47, Child Protection.
 If the family begin working with a statutory service such as Children’s Social Care under section 17, Child in
Need, or Adults Social Care or the Youth Offending Service, a discussion should be held between the existing
Lead Professional and statutory service to discuss who is best placed to hold the Lead Professional role.
Where it is possible the statutory service involvement will be short term, it is likely therefore to be
appropriate for the existing Lead Professional to retain the role. The Lead Professional does not in these
circumstances assume any responsibility for the delivery of the statutory obligations of the statutory service.
 Central records of who is taking the Lead Professional role for families are held on the County Council’s ONE
system. ONE users are able to view this record themselves in the ‘Think Family’ involvement screen. Non
County Council users are able to contact the Advice and Co-ordination team to request information or
update the record following a change.
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Delivery of Services




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When the Lead Professional should be changed and what to do at handover
The Lead Professional may be changed if:
 a statutory service or the Family Intervention Partnership team become involved as above
 the relationship is not working
 the Lead Professional is a member of school / Early Years setting / college or employment staff and the child
or young person moves school or setting
 the family moves to another location
 the service the Lead Professional works for has completed their work with the family
 the Lead Professional leaves their job/moves away
 there is a need for a transition of responsibilities e.g. child with main needs is now over 18 and there is a
need to transfer responsibility to adults services.
 it is felt appropriate for another reason and this is agreed by the family and the Team Around the Family
The family should always be part of discussions about changing the Lead Professional but when an existing Lead
Professional hands over the role to a new Lead Professional then:
 The handover should be well planned and all information, including the assessment, and previous Family
Support Plans, should be given to the new Lead Professional. County Council ONE system users will have
access to Family Support Plans through the Think Family involvement. CCS System ONE users will have
access to Family Support Plans for those on the Early Support Pathway through System One.
 The new Lead Professional must inform the Advice and Co-ordination Team that they are the new Lead
Professional. The Advice and Co-ordination Team will update the central record.
 If the family is part of the Together for Families cohort then the existing Lead Professional must handover
the Family Progress Data Toolkit to the new Lead Professional for completion when the Think Family
intervention ends.
 Wherever possible a joint meeting between the old and new Lead Professional should take place.
What is expected of the Lead Professional role
It is unlikely that the Lead Professional will personally carry out all of the functions outlined below. They should
however, ensure they are being carried out, as appropriate, by someone within the Team Around the Family.
Co-ordination
 Facilitate Team Around the Family meetings (or arrange for someone else to do so), ensuring they are held
regularly as required. The Team Around the Family is a multi-agency team of professionals that have been
identified by the Lead Professional and family as being best placed to support the family to meet their needs.
 Ensure any services which are needed in addition to those already identified, are contacted and involved.
Negotiate with those services where necessary
 Be a central contact point for families and professionals. Ensure everyone is working to a common purpose
using the Outcomes Framework
 Coordinate any interventions that the family is receiving and help minimise duplication
 Proactively manage the potentially difficult dynamic inherent in multi-agency working. Ensure members of
the Team Around the Family understand the role of the Lead Professional and their role as a member.
Encourage openness and sharing the purpose of the role of all members of the Team Around the Family.
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Delivery of Services
Emotional and practical support
 Build a trusting and collaborative relationship with the child, young Person and family. Be persistent to
engage them where necessary
 Help them feel part of their plan and in control of their lives, despite involvement from what may be several
services
 Provide emotional and practical support via regular contact with the child, young person or family (not just
in times of crisis) e.g. by phone, visits, email. Or arrange for others in the Team Around the Family to do so.
 Empower families to take the initiative where possible and keep them central in decision making
 Advocate for families in accessing or communicating with other agencies as needed
 Support families to help them navigate and access services needed for their child and family.
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Seek advice from line managers or Together for Families clinicians (see below for details) where the
dynamics are becoming a barrier to progress.
Assessments and planning
 Ensure there has been an assessment of the whole family’s needs using either the Common Assessment
Framework (Family CAF) or other approved family assessment (Single Assessment, Family Intervention
Partnership assessment)
 Ensure there is a Family Support Plan which clearly identifies the outcomes the Team Around the Family are
working towards, the role of all family members and professionals in achieving these outcomes, and how
success will be measured from the Outcomes Framework
 Ensure the Family Support Plan is regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with Family Support Plan
guidance and shared with the family and other Team Around the Family members. All professionals will use
the Family Support Plan unless there is a Child Protection Plan/Child In Need Plan
 Be mindful through ongoing assessment and discussion with the Team Around the Family of any changing
circumstance which may require the child, young person or family to require more specialist support
 Identify the strengths and needs of all family members involved and identify associated risks and areas for
concern
Information sharing
 At the first Team Around the Family meeting ensure an information sharing agreement is signed by all in the
Team Around the Family. A standard template for this can be found in the Professional Support Pack
available here. Ensure the family are clear about what will be shared and what won’t and with whom.
 Ensure information is being shared in line with the agreement between professionals and with the family.
 Provide the family with accurate and up to date information
 Promote seamless integration of specialist, enhanced and universal services
Records
 County Council Lead Professionals will ensure the record on the County Council’s ONE system is updated. If
not, Lead Professionals should inform the Advice and Co-ordination Team.
 Users of the County Council ONE System must upload their Family Support Plan onto the Think Family
involvement. Those who are not users of the County Council ONE System must send their Family Support
Plans to the Advice and Co-ordination Team who will update the central record.
 For Together for Families cases, ensure the Data Toolkit is completed at the beginning and the end of the
intervention, and a closing statement is completed when the Family Support Plan comes to an end.
What is expected of the Lead Professional role at different levels of need
Emerging needs
 Unlikely to have a complex Family Support Plan and Lead Professional will take a minimal role
 Short term support, unlikely to require frequent and regular proactive contact
Targeted needs
 Likely to have quite a complex Family Support Plan requiring more Lead Professional activity as there will be
multiple professionals involved
 Family may benefit from frequent and regular proactive contact and responsiveness in early stages, but likely
to reduce after a short period of time
 May require hands on and practical help
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Delivery of Services
The level of work required to perform the role of Lead Professional will vary depending on the needs of the family.
The role includes the same themes in relation to activity; however, the level of activity will be proportionate to the
situation. It is important that Lead Professionals and managers take account of the wide range of factors which can
contribute to the level, intensity, frequency and number of functions that children, young people and their family
may require. This includes the level of need, complexity of the package of support and the family’s resilience,
resources, support networks and times of transition or change.
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Complex needs
 Likely to require a complex Family Support Plan, and intensive Lead Professional activity over an extended
period of time, with involvement of multiple practitioners
 Family may benefit from a Lead Professional who can dedicate a significant amount of their time, at least in
the early days or at times of crisis, to offer this intense level of support
 Persistent and assertive challenge to the child, young person and family may be required
 May require hands on and practical help
What is not expected of Lead Professionals
The Lead Professional is not an expert in all aspects of the different needs the family presents. It is therefore vital
that all members of the Team Around the Family contribute fully. In addition:
 The Lead Professional is not responsible or accountable for the actions required by or carried out by other
professionals within the team around the family
 Being the Lead Professional does not mean that person is the ‘best’ professional within the Team Around the
Family, all professionals are experts in their own field and all contributions valued as such
 The Lead Professional is not expected to respond personally to unmet need but rather to consider with the
Team Around the Family how this could be met
Things Lead Professionals may need to consider:
Family
 Family needs: parental capacity, emotional needs, social isolation, support networks, working patterns
 Living conditions: housing
 Changes in family life e.g. moving house, divorce, new baby
 Consider the implications of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, language, SEN and disability
Social development
 Peer interaction
 Transition to adult services
 Supporting Independence
Care
 Medical needs
 Medical needs of other family members
 Special Educational Needs and Disability
School attendance
 Exclusions
 Transition into Further Education/ Employment/ Training
Managing a Lead Professional
It is important that for your organisation, work has been completed as part of Think Family implementation to create
a framework which helps determine how many families professionals/workers/volunteers within your organisation
can be expected to be Lead Professional for. The framework should include processes to:
 Ensure that the Lead Professional feels well supported. This will be through the organisation’s own
supervision arrangements, or through an agreement with another organisation
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Delivery of Services
Learning / employment
 Good start at school
 Transition to setting or school
 Transition to secondary school
 Other family needs and their relationship with school
 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
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 Ensure the Lead Professional has access to all the training that they need to carry out the role well. All Lead
Professionals should complete the Think Family Lead Professional module.
 Offer advice in the case of difficulty, or know where to point the Lead Professional for that advice
 Endeavour to ensure through regular communication that the Lead Professional has a manageable caseload,
taking into account the number of families they are Lead Professional for, and the level of involvement or
potential involvement with those families
Training
A full range of training sessions have been developed to support practitioners in working through the Lead
Professional role. It is recommended that all professionals who are likely to take on the Lead Professional role
undertake at least the Lead Professionals module, and then assess their own professional development needs and
attend other modules as appropriate. The training modules / support available for both Lead Professionals and other
professionals involved in the Team Around the Family are outlined in the Support section below.
Engaging families
How to engage families
Positive engagement methods should always be used. Research evidence shows that to engage families agencies to
consider the following:
What doesn’t work in engaging families
 Highly controlling professionals with a rigid adherence to rules - Flint (2011) notes that ‘engagement with a
project [does not] occur in a social or emotional vacuum in which the quasi-legal and contract-based
rationalities of sanction or threat of enforcement [are] of primary significance’
 Disregarding individual circumstances - failing to locate the person/family in their social and cultural context.
Morris and Featherstone (2010)1 note the importance of ‘listening to parents and children’s experiences of
1
Morris, K and Featherstone, B (2010) ‘Investing in children, regulating parents, thinking family: a decade of tensions and
contradictions’
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Delivery of Services
 Being realistic: it takes time to change entrenched behaviours – expect lapse and relapse.
 Favour approaches that create rapport and build positive relationships: People are influenced to change
(and not to change) by those whose advice they respect and whose support they value. Develop open,
trusting, moral, warm and good humoured relationships. Flint (2011) notes that the evidence from Intensive
Intervention Projects shows that ‘securing the support and co-operation of young people and their families
and the ability to informally challenge them, coupled with the use and withholding of rewards, were the
central mechanisms in facilitating engagement and behavioural change, rather than recourse to formal
sanctions of enforcement’.
 Respect individuality: a one size fits all approaches run the risk of fitting no-one.
 Recognise the significance of social contexts: engaging people to work to give up crime or other forms of
behaviour requires the building of new networks of support and opportunity in local communities and a new
attitude towards the re-integration of people.
 Co-produce: this is not what the practitioner does but what s/he does in collaboration with the service user,
i.e. co-relate, co-engage, co-assess, co-plan, co-review and act as a font of hope for the future.
 Promote redemption: recognise and reward efforts to give up crime or other behaviour as to encourage and
confirm positive change and promote engagement.
 Working restoratively: people will make positive changes when those in positions of authority do things with
them rather than to them or for them. According to the Social Discipline Window, a restorative approach
requires a balance of high levels of limit setting, boundaries and challenge with high levels of support,
encouragement and nurture. Flint (2011) notes that ‘more likely to bring about engagement with support
packages is … a clear and non-negotiable structure of expectation in which the persistent and assertive
approach of … interventions … based upon the positive relationships established with families, with an
emphasis on guidance and reflection rather than simplistic notions of challenge’.
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family life; paying close attention to how they go about making moral and practical decisions in particular
contexts; understanding the contemporary array of family forms…[and understanding] people’s experiences
of transitions’.
 Trying to fix people – all approaches need to work towards empowerment for people to ‘do’ for themselves
not have professionals ‘do’ for them
 Labelling people - labelling and stigmatising people runs the serious risk of establishing negative identities
rather than diminishing them.
 Failing to use judgement as to the reasonableness of pursuing sanctions and the nature of failures e.g. wilful
non-compliance or the person’s level of maturity inhibits their understanding of requirements.
Natural Consequences
Introduction
Within Cambridgeshire the term ‘natural consequences’ is used to describe to families what possible outcomes there
could be if behaviour or their situation does not change.
The word consequences is therefore used throughout this strategy as a collective term to describe the various
sanctions, tools, powers and levers that are used by public sector organisations in Cambridgeshire.
A key element of the Think Family approach is to develop more persistent, assertive and challenging practice with
families where appropriate. There has been a growth in recent years of policy rhetoric relating to the provision of
‘non-negotiable’ support by linking non-engagement with the support to a sanction. Flint (2011)2 argues that the
rationality of ‘non-negotiable’ support fails to be translated into practice. This is due to ‘misunderstanding of the
impact of potential sanctions on the subjectivities and conduct of individuals, the voluntary basis of intensive
intervention and the primary influences upon behavioural change being located in the informal aspect of the
relationship between the providers and the subjects of support’.
In all cases it is therefore vital as a first principle that positive engagement methods are employed to begin and
maintain a working relationship with families.
However, agencies in Cambridgeshire will need to continue to use the tools and powers available to them for the
purposes of child, adult, family and community safety.
Therefore there are three key reasons why guidance in this area is needed:
1. To prevent use of consequences by one agency when information from another would indicate this
to be inappropriate
Case example
A mother who was on Jobseekers Allowance missed an appointment with her JCP Advisor as she was the
victim of a serious episode of domestic violence and was placed following emergency intervention in a hostel
for her and her children’s safety. Unfortunately as the JCP Advisor was unaware of this, due to her non
attendance, the mother was put forward for a sanction to stop her benefits payment.
2
Flint, J (2011) ‘The role of sanctions in intensive support and rehabilitation: rhetoric, rationalities and realities’
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Delivery of Services
The majority of public sector organisations working with children, adults and families have a range of tools
and powers available to them. When there are several different professionals involved with a family it is
possible for the use of these consequences to be a source of disagreement between professionals and cause
further problems for families who experience fragmentation in approach and disunity between agencies. At
worst, the application of a consequence could cause a high degree of additional distress to families and
unnecessary cost to other agencies.
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2. Where appropriate to make better use of consequences to promote engagement of families who
are less initially willing to engage with services
Research conducted by the national Troubled Families team indicates that families who have been less
willing to access support services may be more willing to accept support at the point of crisis. There are key
crisis points which can lead to families being willing to accept support:
o Loss of home
o Loss of liberty
o Loss of children
o Loss of finances
The presentation to families of the risk of these events occurring therefore could provide a one-off
opportunity to engage families with support services.
Case example
A family who were perpetrators of long term Anti-Social Behaviour in their community had been offered
support by a range of agencies over a period of time but had refused to engage with the support. The housing
provider then felt forced into a position to serve a Notice of Seeking Possession and move to evict the family
due to the impact on the community. At this point no agencies offered to support the family to change their
behaviour at this point of crisis for the family. As a result the family were evicted and the issues continue at
their new property.
3. To promote greater openness and transparency with families about the possible consequences of
their situation not changing; greater partnership working about the management and application
of consequences and generally promote better understanding and communication of how
consequences are used.
To support the management of an effective Family Support Plan for a family, it is important that families are
clear about the possible consequences of their situation not changing. This is not about presenting threats to
families, but rather ensuring that there is no hidden agenda and if there is a risk of a consequence happening
that this can act as continued motivation for families to continue to engage and work to improve their own
situation. These consequences can be set out in terms, not just of levers and powers available to partner
organisations, but also possible negative outcomes for family members.
Case example
A family experiencing a wide range of difficulties including problems with a chaotic family lifestyle, behaviour
and attendance at school of 3 children, mother’s substance misuse, and a partner who was in prison for
assault but due out shortly to return to the family home. The mother began to disengage from services
complaining there were so many professionals making demands of her that she didn’t know what to do first
and she felt judged by them.
The model of delivery for the Think Family working is based on the principle of building a co-ordinated support plan
for the whole family, which pulls agencies together and meets all needs. This should include the family’s objectives,
individual family members’ contributions (where appropriate) and the contribution of services, with timescales and
reviews built in to ensure accountability.
 Our first principle is that positive engagement methods (see below) should always be used, including at
times when consequences are being actioned.
 Consequences are primarily seen as a potential lever for change and an opportunity to (re-)engage as
opposed to a punishment. Consequences are not limited to formal powers and levers but also the potential
to not secure positive outcomes or indeed miss out on a potential reward.
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Delivery of Services
Principles
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 Where it is possible and appropriate a decision to use a particular consequence should be made in
partnership with other agencies involved with the family. This will rely on timely and proactive information
sharing and gathering by those responsible for the consequence, before the consequence is applied.
 It is important that the consequence is considered proportionate to the families’ situation, recognises the
full range of their needs and attempts where relevant to balance the needs of the family with that of their
community.
 All professionals are encouraged to recognize the different priorities of individual agencies and to respect
these as valid priorities.
 Professionals should not threaten a consequence they are not prepared to carry out, or don’t know is
possible.
 Where possible the consequences of things not changing for families should be made clear to them at the
outset of work starting and be made clear to all in the Team Around the Family.
 Where consequences are linked to particular targets or requirements for families to achieve change, it is
important these requirements are realistic and linked to/based on the holistic assessment of the families’
needs.
 It is likely there will be times where there is professional disagreement about how consequences should be
used. Where there is professional disagreement about the use of consequences this should be discussed and
debated between professionals. It is important that families are not aware of professional disagreement.
A guide to using consequences
The following section aims to provide a non-exhaustive guide to working in partnership with consequences. As every
situation is unique, whilst this may be a helpful starting point, professionals will need to, with the support of
managers, learn to apply the principles set out above both around how consequences should be used but also
around positive engagement.
Different types of consequence
 Non-attainment of positive outcome - professionals may use the Support Planning process to set out clearly
to families what positive outcomes they could achieve in family life with changes they may be able to make.
This is part of helping families to have their own goals of what they want to achieve. Therefore a
consequence of no change, is not achieving these positive outcomes.
 Non acquisition of rewards - professionals may use small and specific rewards with children, young people,
adults and families to promote and encourage motivation and therefore change. The reward may be
provided by the parent to the child, or indeed from the professional.
 Formal consequence - where professionals/agencies use the formal tools and powers available to them in
response to the action or inaction of a child, young person, adult or family.
Whilst the use of the first two types of consequence are important, there is potential for more disagreement or
higher impact from poor co-ordination of the latter and this is therefore the focus of this guide.
I am considering using a consequence with a family and I am aware there is a Team Around the Family
It may be appropriate to hold a professionals meeting, without the family present, to discuss this to ensure that
professionals are outwardly in agreement about the action to be taken. It is important families are made aware this
meeting is happening unless it is felt this is likely to cause additional risk.
It will be important for members of the Team Around the Family to ask the following questions:
 Has the possibility of this consequence been clear to the individual/family for sufficient time?
 Has sufficient support been offered to the individual/family to change?
 What is the individual’s/family’s capacity to change?
 What is the likely outcome of applying the consequence?
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Delivery of Services
In this situation it is important that the Team Around the Family are engaged in a discussion about the
appropriateness of applying this consequence at this point in time.
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 What are the possible positive and negative unintended consequences, to all members of the (extended)
family?
I am considering using a consequence with a family and there isn’t a Team Around the Family that I am
aware of
In this situation it is possible there is other work happening or pending with the individual/family which you are not
aware of. It is important to stop and think about the wider family and assume, to start with, that there is wider
involvement.
It is therefore essential to make reasonable attempts to find out if this is the case before proceeding. Ways of doing
this include:
 Contacting the Advice and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666 or ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to
ascertain whether there is current social care involvement
 Using local informal approaches to partners organisations
Once you are aware of involvement, the questions above for TAFs should be applied.
I don’t agree with action another professional is taking in applying a consequence
This is the most challenging circumstance and will require careful and professional response. It is important to first
recognise the shared principle ‘All professionals are encouraged to recognize the different priorities of individual
agencies and to respect these as valid priorities’. Whilst this may oppose the priority you have as a professional, to
help manage your personal response to this, recognising the motivations of the professional is important.
The first step should always be ensuring there has been a full Team Around the Family discussion about the
consequence, to try to resolve differences of opinion and agree an appropriate course of action.
It is true that some consequences have to happen regardless of professionals’ opinions, there may be no choice. In
this situation it is still important to co-ordinate our responses to potentially lessen the negative impact of the
consequence and if possible use the consequence as a lever for change.
It is recommended where it is possible to choose whether or not to proceed and there is not a unanimous view that
a vote is taken and a minimum of two other professionals must be in agreement with the action being taken.
Delivery of Services
Once the decision is made, it is important that professionals present a united front to the family and are not
outwardly in disagreement.
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39
Working with other Services
This section contains information and guidance on how specific services including Social
Care, Early Support, Schools and the Education, Health and Care Plan
Social Care
If the involvement of Children’s Social Care with a child and their family is coming to an end after a period of support
then the Family CAF can be used to assess what the ongoing needs of the child / young person or adult will be and
which agencies should be involved in supporting them further. The Social Worker will consider and liaise with the
professionals that they believe will be best placed to meet the family and child’s continuing needs at a lower level of
intervention. They will then invite these professionals to a final Child In Need (CIN) meeting to agree jointly with the
family what the new arrangements and plan will be once Social Care are no longer involved. This should be done
with the child and family’s consent.
At this meeting the transfer of the Lead Professional role from the Social Care Worker to the most appropriate
practitioner will be agreed, again with consent from the child and family. The new Lead Professional would then
begin a new Family CAF (if one hasn’t previously been completed) to manage the work going forward. However, to
avoid the need for the family to tell their story again, the existing Single Assessment and / or Child in Need Plan
would be used as the basis for the ongoing support provided that these were still relevant and up to date. The Lead
Professional might therefore complete just the first two pages of the Family CAF, additional strengths and needs
sections, consent agreement and update the Family Support Plan and reference to the appended Child In Need Plan
/ Single or Initial Assessment.
As part of the Step Down from Social Care into the Family CAF, the new / updated assessment needs to be logged
with the Advice and Co-ordination Team. The Lead Professional should contact the ACT on 01480 376666 or
ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to log the Family CAF / update the Lead Professional details. In the majority of cases it
will be good practice to have a handover ‘Child in Need’ Meeting to ensure that the child and family are aware of
and comfortable with the new arrangements.
In some cases it might also be helpful for the ‘step down’ from Social Care Services to be managed through the
Locality Allocation and Review (LARM) process. This is likely if the situation is complex and the resource required is
not clear. In these cases the Social Care Worker would be invited to attend the LARM to present the work to date
and to agree which agencies will be involved in future. The Team Around the Family meeting would then be held
with the family after the LARM to ensure that there is consent for what is agreed.
Early Support coordinators provide additional support to professionals working with families of children who meet
the Early Support criteria to ensure the Think Family process is followed and ensure these families receive all
information and support they are entitled to.
All families who have a child or children who meet the Early Support criteria will be following the Think Family
process. Early Support is an enhancement to the Think Family process for children 0-5 years who have significant and
complex needs affecting their development and learning. All have lifelong needs requiring considerable specialist
support from across Education, Health and Care. The key points to note are;
 The Think Family process may or may not continue after the Early Support involvement has ended. For
example the additional needs of the Family have been met but a child(ren) require additional (and
potentially lifelong) support. The involved professionals may not be working towards an outcome of
reducing the support provided to the child(ren) and as such the Think Family intervention would close but
professionals would remain involved
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Working with other Services
Early Support
40
 Professionals who are working with families also following the Early Support Pathway will have additional
support from the Early Support Co-ordinators. This additional support is detailed in the Early Support
Pathway document available from the Early Support web page
The Education, Health and Care Plan
Background: The Education, Health and Care Plan Process
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans) have replaced Statements of Special Educational Need. The EHC Plan is
for children and young people aged 0 – 25. It focuses on identifying individual outcomes and puts children, young
people and their families at the centre of the assessment, planning and review process.
An SEN Support Plan is completed by the School and supports the School in identifying the need for an EHC Plan.
Once it has been agreed a child should have an EHC Plan, the SEN Case Officer will take on a Lead Officer role for the
EHC Plan. This is not the same as the Lead Professional role.
The EHC plan when completed may contain other plans as part of its appendices – this is a statutory requirement
around how the plan is presented.
Family CAF and Education, Health and Care Plans
Where no Family CAF already exists
When a school/setting decides there is a need to apply for an EHC Plan, and there is no Family CAF and Family
Support Plan in place, the school/setting need to contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team (ACT) to inform them
they will be starting a Family CAF. They may also wish to seek advice from the ACT about other services /
professionals to involve in completing the Family CAF. As part of this process they will need to identify all the
professionals who need to be or are already involved with the family
If a parent requests an EHC Plan then the expectation is that there should be a Family CAF already and if there isn’t
one, the school/setting would initiate
Once the Family CAF is completed this should be submitted along with the EHC application form. The only
circumstance where an EHC application would be accepted without a Family CAF is when the Statutory Assessment
and Resources Team (START) agree to this.
Where the needs in the family centre mainly around the child with SEN, it may be that the SENCO is the best placed
professional to act as Lead Professional. However where the needs are more complex, it is likely that another
professional will need to take this role.
Where a Family CAF and Family Support Plan are already in place
This is the more likely scenario as the Family CAF is likely to be already in place to access SEND specialist services.
In this situation the Family CAF and Family Support Plan should be submitted along with the EHC application.
The SEN Case Officer will take responsibility for facilitating the drafting of the EHC Plan.
The school/setting should ensure the existing Lead Professional is fully aware of the application for an EHC Plan and
that this is detailed in the Family Support Plan.
All professionals involved with the child / family ensure that together, the Family Support Plan and EHC Plan identify
the needs and set out a complementary set of actions to facilitate the achievement of the agreed outcomes for the
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Working with other Services
The SEN Case Officer will facilitate the development of the EHC Plan for the parent and child, organising and chairing
the planning meeting. At the planning meeting, the group will need to decide who is best placed to take the Lead
Professional role for the whole family.
41
relevant members of the family. To facilitate this, the SEN Case Officer should be part of, and participate in, the
Team Around the Family
Review arrangements
EHC Plans are, by statute, reviewed annually, however reviews may happen more frequently. The Lead Professional
may also decide in conjunction with the family and other professionals, that at the EHCP Review, the full Family
Support Plan is reviewed with all family members involved. This must be decided on a case by case basis as this may
not be appropriate in all circumstances. There is flexibility for professionals and the family to decide whether Team
Around the Family and ECHP Review meetings are combined or not.
Transition arrangements (in relation to old CAFs and Statements)
Where there is an existing CAF assessment and Support Plan but these were created before the Think Family launch
and are therefore not Family CAF/Support Plan, these can still be used to support the application for EHC. The Lead
Professional should take a Think Family approach regardless.
There are many Statements of SEND currently in place and will continue for up to 4 years. The same principles
regarding joint planning and review with the Think Family process should apply. If there is a Statement in place and
no Family CAF/Support Plan and it is felt that this is necessary, this process should be started. The ACT can assist in
identifying appropriate professionals to support. There may have been a CAF in the past which has been closed. In
these circumstances a new Family CAF should be started.
Schools
Pastoral Support Plans
Background: The Pastoral Support Plan Process
A school will commence a Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) to meet the needs of a child or young person with Social,
Emotional or Mental Health (SEMH) needs. It may have been decided that additional support is required from a
Specialist Teacher (Primary) or Education Inclusion Officer (Secondary).
A PSP contains specific and detailed information about one child or young person, and their school based needs only,
and is written in full conjunction with the child/young person and family.
A child or young person may have a Family Support Plan and a PSP at the same time. The PSP addresses the
educational needs of one child. The Family Support plan addresses all the needs of all family members.
If the school or those professionals working with the child or young person has any concerns about the child / young
person or their family which fall outside of the remit of the PSP, then a Family CAF should be started.
It is likely that the person who has noticed the concerns is best placed to start the Family CAF, however this can be
done flexibly. The Think Family guidance should be referenced.
Once a Family Support Plan is in place, the PSP for the SEMH needs should then be referenced as part of the Family
Support Plan. Relevant and up to date information from the PSP should be copied across to the Family Support Plan
to prevent the family from having to repeat themselves.
If there is a Family Support Plan already in place, when and how should a PSP be started?
Where there is a Family Support Plan already in place, and specific, school based concerns about the child or young
person’s SEMH needs become apparent, it may be necessary to start a PSP.
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Working with other Services
If a PSP is in place, when and how should a Family CAF be started?
42
If, following discussion, it is decided that those needs are more specific and detailed than is appropriate for the
detail in the existing Family Support Plan, then a PSP should be started and referenced in the Family Support Plan.
Relevant and up to date information from the Family Support Plan should be copied across to the PSP to prevent the
family from having to repeat themselves.
Team Around the Family and PSP Reviews
If there is a Family Support Plan, then the family will have regular reviews with the Team Around the Family. If a PSP
is used to address a certain aspect of the child’s needs, it should be included as a specific outcome and action on the
Family Support Plan and then covered as part of any reviews. PSP Reviews could be amalgamated with this process
depending on the needs and wishes of the child / young person and family. If a PSP review is needed outside of
planned TAF dates, then this should go ahead and the outcome fed back into the next Team Around the Family
meeting.
Individual Alternative Education Plans
Working with other Services
In those very few cases where a decision is made that there is a need for a pupil to be educated for a period of time
at an alternative site, a plan is needed for entry to (and possibly exit from), that provision. This is sometimes called
an Individual Alternative Education Plan. This should be planned and written as part of the Family Support Plan,
alongside the PSP where there is one.
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43
Closing the Think Family Intervention
This section contains information and guidance on how to know when to end the
intervention with the family and how to record this
The Think Family intervention is expected to represent a period in the family’s life during which support is provided
to meet the additional needs of the family. It is not expected that a Think Family intervention will continue
indefinitely and therefore there should come a point when the family have either achieved the identified outcomes
or where there has been significant and sustained progress towards meeting those outcomes to allow the family to
continue without extra support. The existence of a Think Family intervention, and associated Team Around the
Family, represents the need for co-ordinated support from a number of different professionals due to the range of
needs of the family. Once this is no longer needed the Team Around the Family will finish meeting/working together
and the Think Family intervention should be closed.
How to know when the Team Around the Family (TAF) should be ended
All cases will be different and considered in relation to their individual circumstances. However the following
provides a guide around some of the indicators which would show it is possible to end the Team Around the Family:
 The outcomes the TAF were working towards have been met and are likely to be sustained.
 The outcomes the TAF were working towards have been met. There may be ongoing involvement of services
but the TAF feel that there is no need for professionals to continue to work together through a TAF. This may
happen where there is a family member with a disability who may be receiving low level ongoing support in
relation to their condition. It may be appropriate to start the Think Family process again should needs
become more complex.
 Some of the outcomes the Team Around the Family were working towards have been met and the TAF
believe the family will continue to work towards the remaining outcomes or feel the progress is
sufficient/good enough
 Despite considering and attempting all methods to re-engage positively, the family have disengaged from all
professionals and there is insufficient concern to warrant involvement of statutory services
Recording that the Think Family intervention has ended
When the Team Around the Family has finished meeting/working together, the central record of the Think Family
intervention needs to be closed. This is the Lead Professional’s responsibility and they should state the reason for
the closure on the Family Support Plan and inform the Advice and Co-ordination Team. The reasons are;




Needs met in full – all outcomes relating to the identified needs have been achieved
Needs partially met – some outcomes relating to the identified needs have been achieved
Needs not met– no outcomes relating to the identified needs have been achieved
Family disengaged – family have disengaged from the process / consent has been withdrawn / family has
moved out of county
Cases which are identified as part of the Together for Families cohort will also require a short closing summary of
whether the intervention was a success (or not) or clearly state why the intervention is coming to an end. This forms
part of the Family Progress Data toolkit and guidance will be provided directly to Lead Professionals at the
appropriate time.
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Closing the Think Family Intervention
The Lead Professional should lead the process of deciding when the TAF can be closed with other members of the
family.
44
Think Family Involvement
**This section is relevant to Cambridgeshire County Council staff only**
The Think Family Involvement replaces the existing CAF and Together for Families involvement on Capita ONE. It will
allow other professionals to identify families which have a Family CAF and / or meet the criteria for Phase II of the
Together for Families programme.
Responsibilities of the Lead Professional
The involvement will be open / closed by the Advice and Co-ordination Team and will be opened against the whole
family. The Lead Professional (and other County Council services) will continue to open and manage their service
involvements in the usual way).
However, Lead Professionals will be required to;
 Advise the Advice and Co-ordination Team via 01480 376666 or ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk that they are
Lead Professional, or if they are ceasing to be the Lead Professional.
 Upload the Family Support Plan to the Think Family involvement in accordance with the requirements
outlined in the Family Support Plan section above
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Closing the Think Family Intervention
Panel 1 will be of most use to Lead Professionals and the graphic below shows the key information available
45
Together for Families
This section contains information and guidance on;
The Together for Families programme in Cambridgeshire
How families are identified
Data collecting requirements for Lead Professionals
The Personalisation Budget
The Together for Families (TFF) programme is responsible for both supporting the embedding of the Think Family
approach across Cambridgeshire’s Public Services as well as serving as our local response to the national Troubled
Families programme. The National programme is concerned with identifying and supporting those families who
present a high cost to the public sector and have poor outcomes.
More information on the programme can be found here,
Between 2015-2020 there will be a managed cohort of at least 2820 families representing the families with the most
complex needs who will most benefit from a co-ordinated Think Family approach.
The following sections highlight the benefits and requirements for Lead Professionals when working with a family
who meets the criteria for the programme.
Identification
Families will be identified to be included in this managed cohort if they meet 2 of the 6 nationally defined criteria
and due to their complex needs (or phrase from the top of the nom matrix) would benefit from a multi-agency
response. The Advice and Co-ordination Team will review all completed Family CAFs to see if this criteria is met and
will notify the Lead Professional if the family is to be included.
In addition, Professionals are able to use the TFF Nomination matrix which is available via the link above in the event
that there is no Family CAF or the family’s circumstances have changed.
What does this mean for families?
As it is our aim to ensure that all families we work with receive a Think Family intervention, families included within
this cohort will not experience a different intervention/service than described in this guidance document. However,
there will be greater local and national scrutiny over the outcomes these families achieve (or not) and whether they
have been sustained.
As part of the local and national evaluation of the TFF programme, the County Council (through the Lead
Professional) is required to provide:
1. A small amount of personal information for every individual assessed for the programme in order for the
Government to conduct a National Impact Study (NIS), and
2. Family Progress Data (FPD) for all individuals in families who are being supported by the programme against
a small number of measures for which there are no national administrative datasets
Through the participation in the NIS it will allow both a reduction in the requirements on Lead Professionals to
collect information and will provide a wide range of information on outcomes for families on the programme.
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Together for Families
Family Progress Data and Closing Summary
46
However, there are a number of important issues not available from national administrative datasets so the County
Council is required to collect these separately. These are:













Number of evictions
Number of homelessness applications
Number of weeks of homelessness
How much is owed in rent arrears?
Number of Anti-Social Behaviour incidents resulting in further action
Number of Anti-Social Behaviour incidents resulting in no further action
Number of domestic violence incidents
Number of police callouts
Engaging in alcohol misuse
Engaging in drugs misuse
Suffering from mental health issue
NEET – not in education, employment or training (16-24 only)
Missing from school
Combining the information from the NIS and FPD will allow us to fully understand family progress and estimate cost
savings resulting from any improvements.
Family Progress Data toolkit
Data should be collected at the beginning and end of the Think Family intervention.
An electronic Toolkit has been developed to assist in the collection of the indicators which we are unable to obtain
centrally. The Toolkit has been designed to be simple to use by Lead Professionals and it contains clear guidance and
useful hints and tips to assist you in completing the required information. However, Lead Professionals can also
contact the TFF Data Team on 01223 715460 or view the instructional video if they require additional support which
is available here
Closing Summary
At the end of the intervention, demonstration that an eligible family:
1. Has achieved significant and sustained progress, compared with all their problems at the point of
engagement, and / or
2. An adult in the family has moved off benefits and into continuous employment
The Closing Summary has been built into the Toolkit (described above) to allow the Lead Professional:
1. To summarise the needs of the family at the beginning of the intervention and whether there are any
outstanding needs at point of closure.
2. To use their judgement / knowledge / data and Team Around the Family input, to advise if all members of
the family have achieved (or made significant progress) towards achieving the identified outcomes and no
longer need significant intervention from public services.
The toolkit has clear guidance and useful hints and tips to assist you in completing the Closing Summary. However,
Lead Professionals can also contact the TFF Data Team on 01223 715460 for further assistance.
Personalisation Budget
What is the Personalisation Budget?
The Personalisation Budget (PB) is additional funding available for families who are part of the Together for Families
cohort. The funding is intended to encourage creativity, innovation and co-production between the family, Lead
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Together for Families
is required.
47
Professional and Team around the Family in defining how identified needs might be met. The funding should
empower families to become active participants in the identification of their strengths and needs and in defining
how the identified needs might be met. It may be used in a number of different circumstances:
 Where there are identified gaps in service provision – for example accessing play therapy ( see note below)
or relationship counselling
 Where a particular purchase may encourage engagement of the family in working with professionals to
resolve their needs – for example, a replacement bed for a child who bed wets with associated protection
and adequate bedding may be number one priority for the family and resolving this would reduce anxiety
and help them to engage with professionals to improve their lives
 To reward and encourage progress – for example, purchasing a positive activity for a young person who has
reached an attendance goal
Is there anything that can’t be purchased using the personalisation budget?
The budget is very flexible and there are very few exclusions around what can be purchased. However the following
points should be noted:
 The funding will not cover costs relating to the provision of education which should be part of a child or
young person’s school timetable as these needs should be met through school or the Education, Health and
Childcare Plan.
 The funding also does not replace that available to social care units through Section 17 funding and this
should be used as normal prior to requesting a PB.
 Direct Payments to families may be considered, however additional checks and safeguards will be required.
 If the request contains a request for therapeutic work such as play therapy or family therapy, as part of the
approval process we would ask for a TFF clinician to discuss the case with the Lead Professional to ensure
this is an appropriate intervention.
 The funding is not intended to be a long term arrangement, for example, for long term transport costs, as
this does not promote sustainability.
 It is important that Lead Professionals have considered why the family can’t afford to purchase the item
themselves, and also have considered other streams of funding such as grants.
How much money is available?
Together for Families
We don’t anticipate by any means that all Lead Professionals will need to access the budget as this will be on a case
by case basis and dependent on the needs of the family. We also expect that Lead Professionals will consider always
consider getting the best possible value, to enable us to maximise outcomes for all families in Cambridgeshire. Some
requests for funding in the past have been as small as £10. As a maximum requests would be considered up to
£1,000 per family – the family would not be eligible for any further funding once this threshold was reached
(regardless of the length or number of interventions).
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48
Criteria for use
Before starting your funding request please check that you and the family you are applying on behalf of meet the
following criteria
The family been identified for meeting the criteria for Phase II of the Together for
Families programme
You are the Lead Professional for the family
There is a whole family assessment and family support plan3 in place and being
worked to?
You have completed the Family Progress Data (FPD) template for this family
If you have met all of the above then proceed to completing the PB request form.
If you / the family do not meet any one of these requirements your funding request
will not be processed, therefore you may wish to take the following steps as
appropriate:
 If the family you require funding for has not been identified as meeting the
criteria for Phase II, contact the TFF Data Team for a Nomination Matrix and
consent form togetherforfamilies@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
 If you are not the Lead Professional, and are not aware who is, contact the TFF
Data Team to find out who the LP is and then discuss the funding request with
them.
 If you are unsure how you complete a whole family assessment or family
support plan, consider accessing the relevant Think Family training module
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/learntogether/social
 If you have not completed the FPD contact the TFF Data Team via
togetherforfamilies@cambridgeshire.gov.uk for guidance
How do I request funding?
All funding requests must be made using the PB Request Form available within the Professional Support Pack
available here with reference to the guidance set out in the following section.
The PB Request Form enables Lead Professionals, the TFF Data Team and the person approving your request to
ensure the request meets the criteria and also track the progress of the request.
When completing the PB Request Form you will need to be able to evidence (either in the Family Support Plan or
using the ‘supporting evidence’ section of the PB Request Form) the following:
 Your plan reflects the needs of all family members which have been assessed using an approved family
assessment tool (Family CAF assessment, Single Assessment, FIP assessment)
 The purchase(s) support(s) achievement of the outcomes in the family’s support plan
 The family will not make progress against the relevant desired outcomes without the purchase
3
This could include a Family CAF and Support Plan, FIP Assessment and Support Agreement, YOS Asset Plus with Family CAF and
Family CAF Support Plan, Single Assessment and CIN /CP plan
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Together for Families
Guidance for submitting a funding request
49
 Your plan has clear measurable outcomes identified from the Outcomes Framework (see separate guidance).
This will help you be able to be clear how you will know if a difference has been made.
 The outcomes achieved through the purchase can sustained once the service / item provided through the
funding has stopped
 Why the purchase cannot be made by the family or how much they may be able to contribute towards it. A
contribution from the family can encourage their buy in to the outcomes intended.
 Why this is the best timing to make the purchase. Receiving several items at the same time is not always
successful in helping a family to achieve their goals. A purchase could be linked to goals being reached
rather than getting them beforehand.
 If there any risks associated with the purchase and if there are how you have mitigated them.
 You or the family have accessed quotes for the service/item and provided this.
Do’s and Don’ts of completing the PB Request Form
Do… provide as much evidence as possible to evidence the points above
Do… ensure that you are clear what the funding will be used for and how you
know if it is successful or not
Do… send your funding request to the TFF Team, ensuring you also send the
family support plan and the assessment to:
togetherforfamilies@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Do not be surprised if you are asked for additional information from the reviewer
if the above is not clear
What happens once I have submitted my request?
Once you have submitted your request it will be checked first by the TFF Data Team to ensure it meets the initial
criteria. It will then be reviewed by the relevant approving manager along with the evidence provided, to ensure it
meets the required standards. If the approving manager has any queries or questions about the request, these will
be raised in a timely manner.
How long will it take before I know if my request has been approved?
Due to the need to process and review the request in accordance with the guidelines set out here as well as ensuring
compliance with Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) financial procedures it is not always possible to arrange
immediate payment. Therefore please plan your request ahead of time to avoid any situation where a payment is
needed to be made immediately. Please allow 10 working days for a request to be fully processed.
Together for Families
Once a decision has been made this will be communicated via email.
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50
How are products / services purchased?
If your request for funding has been successful, you are able to go ahead and make the purchases. The purchasing
process differs depending on which service you are in.
Locality Team
or
Family Intervention Partnership
You are responsible for sourcing and making the purchases
for the family yourself or via your business support team.
This can be done using the following payment methods:
 Group Purchasing Card (GPC)
 Petty cash via Imprest
 By cheque or invoice
Please recharge the costs to the TFF cost codes (CD21203
30990 000) and email receipts to
togetherforfamilies@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
Technical guidance is available in the Professional Support
Pack
Other services (not Locality Teams or
Family Intervention Partnership)
You are able to purchase items via the following methods:
 Using your own payment method (e.g. GPC, petty
cash) and recharge it to the TFF cost codes
(CD21203 30990 000)
 TFF Business Support Assistant purchases the
item/service. Where this is the case, the LP must
complete a Purchase Details Form which will be
provided by the TFF team when this is the planned
method of purchase
If your request to purchase any of the following items then
these must be purchased by the Lead Professional;
 Taxi fares
 Train fares
 Fuel
All receipts should be scanned and emailed to the TF Team via
togetherforfamilies@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Purchasing Notes
Where the purchase is for a train fare, taxi or petrol, the TFF team will not
purchase these items for you. As Lead Professional, you are responsible for
purchasing and then recharging the cost to TFF using the TFF cost codes.
Direct payment to families may be considered if the LP can evidence that the
following has been considered:
1. All other options of payment have been investigated but are not possible
and why
2. How you as the Lead Professional will seek proof that the money has
been used for what it was intended for (i.e. receipts)
3. What risk mitigation has been put in place (i.e. staggered payments)
4. What the consequences will be if the money is not used as intended
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Together for Families
Follow the technical guidance for purchases set out in Appendix 3
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Together for Families
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52
Additional Support
This section contains information and guidance on the additional support available to
professionals
In addition to the below, all County Council Locality Teams (Enhanced and Preventative Services) have a Think Family
Champion who can offer further support. For more information please see the list of Locality Team Managers
available here or contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team on 01480 376666 or via ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Advice and Co-ordination Team
The Advice and Co-ordination Team is available to provide advice in relation to Think Family processes and services
available for children, young people, adults and families. Support is available from 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday
via telephone 01480 376666 or via ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Advice service for professionals:
 A talking service directory: expert advice around local services and contacts appropriate to presenting need
 Advice on processes for accessing services: How to respond to concerns and initiation of the Think Family
process / Family CAF or escalation to safeguarding if appropriate
 Information about whether a Family CAF already exists, who else is involved with the family and whether
there is a Lead Professional and how to contact the Lead professional
Co-ordination:
 Logging the start of a Think Family involvement (Family CAF started)
 Conducting multi agency research in relation to current needs, strengths, resources and apparent risk for a
family where there is sufficient evidence to indicate this may be necessary
 Supporting identification of a Lead Professional
 Facilitating referrals into services where appropriate
 Logging and tracking who is Lead Professional in all cases regardless of level of need
 Supporting establishment of Teams Around Families (remotely)
 Identifying families for the Phase II Together for Families cohort
 Following up families referred to the First Response Team who do not meet social care thresholds and would
benefit form support from preventative services to the most appropriate agency
Think Family Training
We will no longer offer separate Family CAF training sessions but will instead provide clear packs and guidance for
use regarding the form and process. Other aspects of completing a good quality Family CAF such as Assessment and
outcome planning will be covered in the relevant Think Family sessions. The Family CAF will be covered in the Think
Family overview.
The courses are:
 Think Family and Family CAF Overview – this is a one day course designed for those who will be part of a
Team around the Family but not in a Lead Professional role. Experienced staff should discuss with their Line
Manager prior to attending.
 Think Family courses for those in a Lead Professional Role – a series of five one day courses designed for
those who will be the Lead Professionals of a Team around the Family. These are:
o The Lead Professional Role
o Whole Family Assessment
Contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team for advice and support │ 01480 376666 │ ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Additional Support
There are a number of courses for those working as a Lead Professional or as part of a Team Around the Family. The
sessions will support professional practice and confidence in supporting children, families and young people and
build an understanding of the roles and processes employed across Cambridgeshire in the Think Family context.
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o
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Family Support Plans
Identifying and responding to risk
Engagement, assertiveness and challenge
There is no expectation that staff will undertake all five courses, the recommendation is that they undertake the
Lead Professional course and others should only be attended following discussion with their Line Manager to
establish current levels of knowledge/experience and to identify where gaps need to be filled.
For course details and booking please go to: http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/learntogether/social
Clinical Supervision
All lead professionals (regardless of which service they come from) will have access to Think Family Supervision - a
service which is designed to embed a systemic, whole family way of working.
There is evidence to suggest that access to clinical supervision can contribute to better, safer outcomes for families,
and also helps professionals feel better supported. It allows time for practitioners to step back and explore their
work with a family, and consult with the supervisor and their peers in a facilitated, supportive way. It also involves
some teaching and training elements, to complement the Think Family Training. Clinical Supervision does not
change or replace case management decisions which Lead Professionals should continue to discuss with their line
manager.
The Together for Families (TFF) Specialist Clinicians offer:
 Group supervision
 One to one consultation
 In some circumstances and following discussion, accompany workers on home visits to support skills
development, e.g. tricky assessments or challenging complicated situations.
 Email or telephone contact for consultation
 Training / skills building sessions
How do I access the service?
The TFF Clinicians operate on a countywide basis. Please contact the Advice and Co-ordination team via 01480
376666 or ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to find details of the TFF Clinician in your area.
Professional Support Pack
The Professional Support Pack is available here and contains a suite of documents including but not limited to:
Family CAF form
Family Support plan
Examples of completed Family CAFs and Family Support Plans
Specialist referral forms / screening tools
LARM dates
Personalisation Budget request form
Frequently Asked Questions
A Frequently Asked Questions documents is actively maintained and contained within the Professional Support Pack
available here
Contact the Advice and Co-ordination Team for advice and support │ 01480 376666 │ ACT@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Additional Support
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