Contacts and Referrals

1. Initial Contacts

Brent Family Front Door (BFFD) is a Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub, or MASH which co locates a range of agencies; including police; local authority children's social care; health professionals; with access to other council services to share information and spot emerging problems early, and to make risk assessments based on as full a picture as possible.

In Brent, Brent Family Front Door (BFFD) carries out multi agency risk assessments (MASH) and information gathering process. BFFD acts as a single point of contact when there are concerns about a child and their family with the aim of treating those concerns with the urgency appropriate to the need, and identifying the most appropriate services to meet the family's level and type of need.

An Initial Contact made by members of the Public/Professional agencies is assessed via Brent Family Front Door (BFFD). These may be concerning a Child in Need or a Child in Need of immediate Protection, and when there is a request for general advice, information or a service. All initial contacts are considered alongside the Brent levels of Need and the thresholds for Children in Need and a decision made within 24 to 48 hours regarding the level of response required.

At any time, an Initial Contact may become a Referral if it appears that services may be required for a Child in Need.

Any significant information received about a child who is an open case should be regarded as an Initial Contact, passed to the child's allocated social worker and recorded on the electronic data-base.

The Early Help Assessment is not a referral form, although it should be used to support a Referral or a specialist assessment.

In all other cases, at the point when an Initial Contact is made, Brent Family Front Door (BFFD) would establish whether the enquiry can be dealt with by the provision of information and advice, signposting to other agencies or if information should be gathered to assess what services would meet the child families and needs.

As part of the screening process BFFD Social Workers review the electronic data-base records to see if the child or family is known. Any historical involvement with Children's Social Care is considered, contact is made with the family and welfare checks are completed with other involved agencies. All information is recorded and passed onto the relevant team (see Section 4, Screening Process).

2. Referrals

An Initial Contact will be progressed to a Referral where BFFD managers consider intervention is required. This will be based on Brent levels of need.

Referrers are given the opportunity to discuss their concerns with a qualified social worker. The referrer will be asked specifically if they hold any information about difficulties being experienced by the family/household due to domestic abuse, mental illness, substance misuse and/or learning difficulties. Referrers will also be asked if the family is known to any other local authority.

Once the Referral has been accepted by local authority children's social care the lead professional role falls to a social worker.

The social worker should clarify with the referrer, when known, the nature of the concerns and how and why they have arisen.

The BFFD worker will contact the referrer and obtain as much of the following information as possible/BFFD would also be involved in gathering the below information at the point of contact:

• Full names, dates of birth and gender of children;
• Family address and, where relevant, school/nursery attended;
• Identity of those with Parental Responsibility;
• Names and dates of birth of all members of the household;
• Ethnicity, first language and religion of children and parents;
• Nationality and immigration status;
• Any additional needs of the children including the means in which they communicate;
• Any significant recent or past events;
• Cause for concern including details of allegations, their sources, timing and location;
• The child's current location and emotional and physical condition;
• Whether the child needs immediate protection;
• Details of any alleged perpetrator;
• Referrer's relationship with and knowledge of the child and their family;
• Known involvement of other agencies;
• Information regarding parents' knowledge and agreement of the referral.

3. Timescales

Within the Brent Family Front Door, during the initial contact stage the following timescales apply:

• Contacts needing immediate action including Child Protection – 4 hours;
• Where there are significant concerns but information does not indicate imminent risk – 24 to 48 hours;
• Where children and families may benefit from coordinated services – 72 hours.

Within 3 working day of a Referral being received, the social worker should make a decision about the type of response that is required. This will include determining whether:

• The child requires immediate protection and urgent action is required;
• There is reasonable cause to suspect that the child is suffering, or likely to suffer, Significant Harm, and whether enquires must be made and the child assessed under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (see also London Safeguarding Children Procedures, Child Protection s47 Enquiries Procedure);
• The child is in need, and should be assessed under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989;
• Any services are required by the child and family and what type of services; and
• Further specialist assessments are required in order to help the local authority to decide what further action to take.

4. Screening Process

All contacts received are screened by BFFD who make decisions on each case. The following process applies both to children who are already known to the authority and those who were not previously known.

The process of Referrals must include screening against the Threshold Document and/or Early Help Criteria and must include internal electronic database and agency checks to establish whether the family is previously known, and whether there is a Child Protection Plan in relation to the child and/or whether the child is Looked After.

The screening process should establish:

• The nature of the concern;
• How and why it has arisen;
• What the child's needs appear to be;
• Whether the concern involves Significant Harm;
• Whether there is any need for urgent action to protect the child or any children in the household.

This process will involve:

• Discussion with the referrer;
• Consideration of any existing records, including whether the child is the subject of a Child Protection Plan;
• The parent or carer should normally be informed that a Referral is being made unless to do so would place a child or vulnerable adult at increased risk of harm;
• The Information shared should always be necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate, timely and secure;
• Involving other agencies as appropriate and in accordance with Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners and Working Together to Safeguard Children.

If there are indications that a child may be at risk of Significant Harm, the manager may authorise whatever actions are necessary to protect the child or others in the household from Significant Harm, which may result in the immediate provision of services. There should be consideration of a Strategy Discussion and of a multi-agency response (see London Safeguarding Children Procedures, Child Protection s47 Enquiries Procedure, Strategy Meeting / Discussion).

If there is suspicion that a crime may have been committed including sexual or physical assault or neglect of the child, the Police must be notified immediately.

Personal information about non-professional referrers should not be disclosed to the parents or other agencies without the referrer's consent.

Parents/carers' consent should usually be informed before discussing a referral with other agencies unless this may place the child at risk of Significant Harm, in which case the manager should authorise the discussion of the referral with other agencies without parental knowledge. The authorisation should be recorded with reasons.

5. Initial Disposal of Referrals

The initial disposal of a Referral, which must be authorised by the manager, may be:

1. That the child does not appear to be a child in need, which will result in one of the following: the provision of information, advice, sign-posting to another agency and/or no further action;
2. That the child appears to be a Child in Need with a moderate level of need, in which case, the manager may authorise an assessment;
3. That the child appears to be a Child in Need with a high level of need, which must result in a Single Assessment;
4. That it is suspected that the child is suffering or is likely to suffer from significant harm, which will result in a Single Assessment, with a view to conducting a strategy discussion, prior to a section 47 enquiry commencing.

Professional referrers should be advised of the disposal of the referral.

Feedback on the outcome of the Referral should also be provided to non-professional referrers in a manner consistent with respecting the confidentiality of the child. 

The child and family must be informed of the action to be taken.

The child should be seen as soon as possible if the decision is taken that the Referral requires further assessment.

6. Recording of Referrals

All Initial Contacts and Referrals should be recorded on the electronic database.