1.6.10 Working with Complex Families: Need for Two Workers |
This guidance is intended to offer clarity about the responses from Children’s Social Care when working with families that may present hostility to Social Care Workers.
This chapter was new in April 2010.
OTHER RELEVANT CHAPTERS
From time to time within Children’s Social Care we are required to work with families that may present particular difficulties either due to the number of children in the family or due to the hostility that the family may present to social care workers. This guidance is intended to offer clarity about the responses from Children’s Social Care in such situations.
Management in Children’s Social Care needs to ensure that workers are adequately supported in order to work with difficult and complex families. It is important that workers do not feel overwhelmed in a situation which will result in poor analysis and decision making. Therefore the following guidance should be carried out in Children’s Social Care.
All situations need to be dealt with on a case by case basis. What is important is that the issues in this procedure are considered by managers and their decisions are carefully recorded on ICS.
All cases where workers are carrying out a Section 47 Enquiry should involve 2 workers, e.g. a Police officer if the decision has been made that it is to be a joint investigation together with a social worker. If the police are unavailable to attend or it is a single agency investigation then two workers need to attend. This may be two CSC workers or another professional who knows the family if this is appropriate. This is required due to potential risks that workers may experience but also to ensure that the workers are able to focus on their assessments and decision making.
Consideration must always be given to two workers being allocated to a case where there are four or more children subject to a Child Protection Plan. It should also be considered where there is significant hostility from the family or complex needs within the family.
All decisions regarding whether two workers will be allocated to a family or not must be recorded on ICS by the team manager for that case.
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