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Contents

1. Children in Need
2. Principles
3. Record of Child in Need Meeting
4. Child in Need: Responsibilities for Assessment, Locality Teams and Complex Needs Teams
5. Closure

1. Children in Need

If a child's identified needs require services provided either by Children's Social Care Services or other services, an initial Child in Need Plan should be formulated, involving other professionals as appropriate.

A Child in Need Plan can be required

• as a result of a referral and Initial Assessment,
• following a Strategy Discussion
• following a Section 47 Enquiry,
• following an Initial Child Protection Conference when it is decided not to make the child/ren subject to a Child Protection Plan
• following a Child Protection Review Conference when it is decided to discontinue the Child Protection Plan

The initial Child in Need Plan should indicate that the multi agency professionals are aware and informed of their responsibilities and if there is no further role for Children's Social Care Services the case can be closed.

If the Child in Need Plan indicates the need for a Core Assessment then the case must be transferred immediately to the locality team.

When identified needs indicate the need for referral to other agencies this must be specified on the Management Action Record, and must be co-ordinated through a Child in Need Planning Meeting, within 20 days of an Initial Assessment being completed by the Locality Team.

Where a child subject to a Child in Need Plan is considered to be at risk, or likely to be at risk, of Significant Harm a decision should be made by the manager to convene a Strategy Discussion/Meeting

2. Principles

• To provide a quality and responsive service that focuses on outcomes
• To provide a service to children and families that is compliant with legislation and regulatory requirements
• For all children in need a process of assessment, planning, intervention and review must be in place
• Both parents, any other carers and the partners of the parents must be included in any assessment
• When a Child in Need is identified in a family, this child becomes the subject child; all children in the household must be seen as part of the Assessment Framework triangle section 'family and environmental factors - wider family' and the relationships between siblings assessed. If during this assessment one or any other sibling are identified as Children in Need, then each of these children should have a separate file.  Any siblings not deemed Children in Need do not require an open file. This principle also applies for children with disabilities
• There must be a separate file for every child who is deemed to be a Child in Need
• There should be no unallocated cases.  It is poor practice for a family to wait for allocation, or have to deal with a series of duty workers

3. Record of Child in Need Meeting

This will be completed by the manager who chairs the Child in Need Meeting and distributed within 10 working days of the meeting.

4. Child in Need: Responsibilities for Assessment, Locality Teams and Complex Needs

Click here to view Child in Need Assessment Flowchart

5. Closure

Children in need cases will be closed when the:

• Assessed needs of the child have broadly been met or
• Family are judged to be successfully working towards meeting the child's needs with or without support from other agencies or
• Child or family move out of the area

The reason for closure, and the child and parents views about closure must be recorded, and all relevant agencies informed. Closure should be agreed with all professionals concerned.

End