3.4 Referrals

1. Recognising Actual or Likely Significant Harm

See also Types of Abuse and Neglect chapter

The Children Act 1989 section 31 defines harm as ill-treatment (including sexual abuse and forms of ill-treatment which are not physical) or the impairment of physical  or mental health or physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development including, for example, impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. Where the question of whether harm suffered by a child is significant turns on the child’s health or development, their health or development is to be compared with that which could reasonably be expected of a similar child.

Practitioners should be alert to potential indicators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and listen carefully to what a child says, how they behave, and observe how they communicate if non-verbal (due to age, special needs and/or disabilities, or if unwilling to communicate).

Practitioners should never assume that information has already been shared by another professional or family member and should always remain open to changing their views about the likelihood of significant harm.

All practitioners working with children and families, including those in universal services and those providing services to adults with children, need to understand their role in identifying emerging problems. They need appropriate training so that they:

• know when to share information with other practitioners and what action to take to support early identification and assessment;
• are able to identify and recognise all forms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation;
• have an understanding of domestic and sexual abuse, including controlling and coercive behaviour as well as parental conflict that is frequent, intense, and unresolved;
• are aware of new and emerging threats, including online harm, grooming, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, radicalisation, and the role of technology and social media in presenting harm;
• are aware that a child and their family may be experiencing multiple needs at the same time.

2. Making a Referral

See also Professional Reporting Concerns (BSCP website)

Anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare should consider whether a referral needs to be made to local authority children’s social care and should do so immediately if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so. Where a child is admitted to a mental health facility, practitioners should make a referral to local authority children’s social care.

Local authority children’s social care has the responsibility for the referral process in their area. This includes specific arrangements for referrals in areas where there are secure youth establishments.

Contact details should be signposted clearly so that children, parents, other family members and community partners are aware of who they can contact if they wish to make a referral, require advice or support.

When practitioners refer a child, they should include any information they have on the child’s developmental needs, the capacity of the child’s parents, carers, or family network to meet those needs and any external factors that may be undermining their capacity to parent. This information may be included in any assessment, including an early help assessment, which may have been carried out prior to a referral into local authority children’s social care. An early help assessment is not a prerequisite for a referral but where one has been undertaken, it should be used to support the referral.

3. Action Upon Receipt of a Referral

Once the referral has been accepted by local authority children’s social care, a social work qualified practice supervisor or manager should decide, with partners where appropriate, who the most appropriate lead practitioner will be and with the lead practitioner’s agreement, allocate them.

The lead practitioner role can be held by a range of people, including social workers. When allocating the lead practitioner, local authorities and their partners should consider the needs of the child and their family to ensure the lead practitioner has the time required to undertake the role. The lead practitioner should have the skills, knowledge, competence, and experience to work effectively with the child and their family.

For child protection enquiries, the lead practitioner should always be a social worker

Lead practitioners should have access to high quality supervision. Effective supervision can play a critical role in ensuring a clear focus on a child’s welfare and support practitioners to reflect critically on the impact of their decisions on the child and their family. All lead practitioners should also continue to receive appropriate supervision and support for continuing professional development and to maintain professional registration, where appropriate, within their existing line management arrangements.

The responsibility for providing support and services remains with the local authority. Decision-making responsibilities, including the lead practitioner and social work qualified practice supervisor or manager should be set out in the local protocol for assessment.

In response to the referral, the lead practitioner should:

• clarify with the referrer, when known, the nature of the concerns and how and why they have arisen;
• make clear to children and families how the assessment will be carried out and when they can expect a decision on next steps;
• inform the child and family of the action to be taken, unless a decision is taken on the basis that this may jeopardise a police investigation or place the child at risk of significant harm.

4. Timeliness and Outcomes

Within one working day of a referral being received, local authority children’s social care should acknowledge receipt to the referrer and a social work qualified practice supervisor or manager should decide next steps and the type of response required. This will include determining whether:

• the child requires immediate protection and urgent action is required (see Immediate Protection chapter). This should happen as soon as possible after the referral has been made to local authority children’s social care;
• the child is in need and should be assessed under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (see Provision of Support and Services for Children in Need chapter);
• there is reasonable cause to suspect that the child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, and whether enquiries must be made, and the child assessed under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (see Section 47 Enquiries chapter). A strategy discussion should be held (see Strategy Discussions chapter);
• any immediate services are required urgently by the child and family and what type of services;
• further specialist assessments are required to help the local authority to decide what further action to take;
• to see the child as soon as possible if the decision is taken that the referral requires further assessment.

If the lead practitioner decides that no further local authority children’s social care involvement is necessary at this stage, but other action may be necessary, they should refer the child and their family to early help assessment or help from universal and targeted services (see also Early Help chapter).

Decisions on the nature and level of the child’s needs, and the level of actual or likely significant harm, if any, should be reviewed by a social work qualified practice supervisor or manager.

5. Feedback to Referrer

Feedback should be given by local authority children’s social care to the referrer on the decisions taken. Where appropriate, this feedback should include the reasons why a case may not meet the statutory threshold and offer suggestions for other sources of more suitable support.

Practitioners should always follow up their concerns if they are not satisfied with the local authority children’s social care response and should escalate their concerns in line with the Escalation, Challenge and Conflict Resolution Procedure if they remain dissatisfied.