Allocation of Work and Transfer between Teams
Related guidance
- Child Protection Enquiries (Section 47 Children Act 1989) (Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures)
Amendment
This chapter was refreshed in February 2025.
In Westmorland & Furness there are 3 districts, South Lakes, Barrow and Furness and Eden. In each area there are the following teams; Children Support and Protection Teams, Children with Disabilities (CWD), Cared For and Care Experienced. There is one Children’s Hub which receives Children’s Safeguarding contacts for Childrens social care requests for a service.
In addition there is a County Adoption Support Team who also have case holding responsibility.
This document sets out a framework for the management of the allocation of cases-holding responsibility in the above teams.
See also Appendix 1: Checklist for Managers and Workers When Handover is Necessary.
- Changes of worker within teams must only occur when unavoidable or for good reasons which must be recorded and evidenced as part of the child's Care Plan;
- All case transfers between safeguarding social workers should be maintained within the same team, for consistent management oversight wherever possible;
- There should not be outstanding tasks on ICS at the time of the case transfer;
- Transfer meetings should be held to ensure all information is in place and tasks completed. Transfers must include introductions/handover for the child;
- It is essential to minimise the number of times children and family are required to tell their story and the new worker must pay due attention to previous assessments and life events for the child and parents before engaging in work with them;
- Any work transferring between teams must have an updated plan;
- Until a case is formally transferred via ICS then the team still noted as responsible must ensure that all statutory requirements are met. Meeting children's needs and keeping them safe must not get lost when transferring between teams.
A case should not be transferred at any crucial point in the child's journey.
All contacts where there are concerns regarding a child's welfare or a consultation by any other agency about what to do when you are worried about a child, will go through the Safeguarding Hub.
The Safeguarding Hub will log all contacts for Child Protection or a Child in Need with parental consent onto ICS.
The Safeguarding Hub operates as a single access point for all contacts to Children's Services Social Care Teams. Contacts coming into the Safeguarding Hub will reflect varying levels of need and risk and will require an appropriate and proportionate response.
All concerns are RAG rated within 24 hours and actioned accordingly.
All potential concerns about the immediate safety of a child will be assessed on the day generally within 3 hours and will be sent to the relevant district Support and Protection Team to undertake an urgent assessment and initiate a Strategy Discussion where necessary.
Child in Need concerns are dealt with by the Safeguarding Hub within 48 Hours and sent to the relevant team.
Others that are less urgent e.g. private fostering are dealt with within 3 days.
A contact to the Safeguarding Hub may result in the following:
- No further action needed;
- Information and advice given;
- Early Help - Where a professional raises concerns about a child which appears suitable for early help (i.e. there is no Child Protection concern but there are additional needs that may well require a multi-agency response) the referrer will be asked to complete an assessment for early help;
- Child and Family Assessment – if an assessment is deemed necessary this will be sent to the relevant Children and Families Team to complete. The Safeguarding Hub does not undertake assessments.
Requests from Courts for Section 7 and 37 Reports
Where such reports are requested from local authority by the courts:
- If the case is already open the allocated worker should complete the report;
- If the case is not open the Safeguarding Hub should accept it as a referral and pass any direction for S37 Reports to the relevant Support and Protection Team for completion. The Team should notify legal services;
- If the case is not open and there has been active casework within the previous month of a request for a Section 7 Report then this should transfer to the team who last had the involvement, otherwise such reports are compiled by CAFCASS in accordance with national protocol.
Adoption and Permanence Related Contacts
- Applications for CAOS and Special Guardianship Orders
If the child is currently Looked After by the Authority the case will be dealt with by the team who has case responsibility.
If the case is not already open, the Safeguarding Hub would be the first point of contact the family should be advised to seek legal advice. Where a child is identified as being in need (S17) then Children Services Teams may have an involvement in private law proceedings, Legal and Placement panel; - Non-agency Adoptions
The initial referral should be taken by the Safeguarding Hub who will then pass this to the Support and Protection Team who will deal with the request and undertake the assessment if deemed appropriate. If this is an application by a Foster Carer, it would normally be an agency adoption of a known child, and there would be a joint visit between the CLA team SW and the Adoption and Fostering Assessment Team to assess the viability of this; - Overseas Adoptions
There is a service level agreement with a voluntary agency in the North West and advice should be sought from the adoption advisor; - Step Parent Adoptions
Step parent adoption requests are transferred to the Support And Protection Team from the Safeguarding Hub; - Requests by parent(s) with PR or Guardian(s) to the LAAA to place baby for adoption
Where a parent makes a request for a child to be adopted the case should transfer to the Cared for Team from the Safeguarding Hub; - Adoption Support
If the Safeguarding Hub decides a contact may need the services of the Adoption Support team, then they will consult with the Team Manager Adoption Support to determine whether a specialist adoption assessment is required or whether to proceed by way of a single assessment. The Adoption Support Team will be responsible for undertaking the adoption support assessment if it is agreed an Adoption Support Service is required; - Private Fostering
Arrangements for private fostering are the responsibility of district Children's Services who will respond to private fostering situations either on receipt of formal notification or becoming aware of a private fostering arrangement in accordance with the current See Private Fostering.
The child and carer must be visited within 7 days to ensure the child's immediate welfare and safety set in process the arrangements for checks regarding the suitability of the arrangement. If the case is open, responsibility for completing the private fostering assessment rests with the district team that has the case.
If the case is not open, the responsibility for the first visit and assessment rests with the relevant Support and Protection Team. If appropriate, on-going visiting and support responsibilities would remain in the Support and Protection Team.
The Safeguarding Hub will transfer cases to the Support and Protection Team where the child is felt to be at immediate risk of Significant Harm. The Team will be responsible for undertaking the Child and Family Assessment and initiating a Strategy Discussion if needed.
If the Manager decides that a Strategy Meeting is not required or the outcome of the S.47 is provision of short term services, the team would still complete the assessment and plan.
The Safeguarding Hub has assessed that the child needs a statutory child and family assessment.
Where children are no longer subject to Child Protection Plans, there should be a robust exit strategy planned with other agencies or other teams as needed at the final child protection conference. There is no automatic “3 month monitoring/continuous assessment” period after a Child Protection Plan ends.
- Case is stepped down to early help. A lead coordinator is identified and a team around the child is established. The multi-agency support plan and continuing team around the child will be agreed with the lead professional at the final CP conference. The Early Help Assessment will be registered with the Early Help Service;
- Case closed as no services or further intervention is required (or single agency intervention only);
- The child becomes looked after and therefore remains in the Support And Protection Team until longer terms decisions are taken at the second review after 4 months for any S.20 episode. There after transfer to the Cared For team will occur;
- Cases will transfer from the Support And Protection Team/s to the Cared For team/s at the end of care proceedings unless there is a plan for adoption and an adoptive placement has been identified, where the case will transfer to the Adoption Team.
Process for Cared For Children for social workers
Cared For & Care Experienced Transfer meeting to be held every first Monday of the month with Cared For and Care Experienced Team Managers present.
Support and Protect Team Managers are expected to attend the meeting if they have a child or young person who;
- Is subject to Care Proceedings with a likely plan of long term foster care or residential, and those Care Proceedings are expected to come to an end within 3 months;
- Is cared for under s20 where it is anticipated this will be a longer term arrangement.
All children to be presented at the transfer meeting prior to their care plan being ratified at Permanence Panel.
Support and Protect Team Managers to give a thorough overview of the child/ young person and their circumstances.
Minutes from meeting to be added to Child’s LCS file documenting discussion.
Next Steps
The Support and Protect Social Worker will continue to be the allocated worker and responsible for day to day case management. A Social Worker from the Cared for Team will be identified and added to ICS as an involved worker.
The Cared for Social Worker will attend the final Permanence Planning meeting alongside the Support and Protect Social Worker prior to attendance at Permanence Panel for ratification of the care plan.
A joint visit will be undertaken for the child to meet their new social worker, prior to conclusion of the proceedings, or ratification of S20 at Permanence Panel.
The Cared for Social Worker will be invited to attend the Final Hearing for children and young people subject to care proceedings.
For children subject to care proceedings, upon the making of the Final Order, case responsibility will transfer to the Cared for Social Worker.
At the point of transfer
Support and Protect Team Manager to initiate transfer form on LCS. This must be completed in its entirety, including the checklist.
As a minimum, in order to transfer the Chronology and Case Summary must be up to date, and Child and Family Assessment must have been undertaken within 12 months.
Process for those requiring Personal Advisors
Cared For & Care Experienced Transfer meeting to be held every first Monday of the month with Cared For and Care Experienced Team Managers present.
Support and Protect Team Managers are expected to attend the meeting if they have a young person who:
- Is 15 years 9 months and eligible for a Pathway Plan & Personal Advisor
Next Steps
Support and Protect Social Worker to complete Word doc. referral and send to Care Experienced Team Manager for their consideration.
Personal Advisor to be allocated and added as an involved worker.
Support and Protect Social Worker and Personal Advisor to arrange joint visit to meet young person.
Process from Cared for teams to Care Experienced team
Cared For & Care Experienced Transfer meeting to be held every first Monday of the month with Cared For and Care Experienced Team Managers present.
Cared For Managers who have a young person who is 17 years 9 months are expected to give a thorough overview of the young person and their circumstances to prepare for transfer to the Care Experienced Team.
At the point of transfer
As a minimum, in order to transfer the Chronology and Case Summary must be up to date, and a Family Network Meeting has been held within the last 3 months.
Most children or young people will leave care via adoption, special guardianship orders or as they become of an age to leave care.
Where Special guardianship support plan has been agreed by legal & placement panel, then the plan of support will be overseen by a Support And Protection Team, the case will be transferred once the final hearing has occurred and the orders made.
Access to the Children with Disabilities Team is via the multi-agency Safeguarding Hub team criteria. The CWD team will undertake all child and family assessments for children who fall within the eligibility criteria for their service If the outcome of the assessment identifies that the needs of the child meet the CWD eligibility criteria a worker will be allocated to complete a child in need plan and this will be reviewed in line with CWD procedures.
Where there appear to be Child Protection issues and Child Protection procedures are initiated, for example a strategy discussion, the CWD team will retain case responsibility and processes will be followed by the team. This will also be the case through any ICPC, PLO and any public or private law proceedings. This is to maintain consistency for the child and family.
If the case needs to remain open to any district team due to Child Protection or other concerns the allocated worker will be from those teams, and the Adoption Support Service will, if appropriate, be provided by an “involved” worker from the Adoption Support Team.
If the Child Protection concerns become apparent on an open case to the Adoption Support Team then the Adoption Support Team Manager will consult with the Team Manager for the Support And Protection Team. If required the Support And Protection Team will allocate a worker with case responsibility who will take the lead on these issues and the Adoption Support Team Worker will remain 'involved' to provide support/guidance on the Adoption Support issues and continuity for the child/family.
When any team have completed work on the case and propose to cease their involvement where the Adoption Support Team are involved there must be consultation with the Team Manager for Adoption Support about this issue and the proposal that the worker from the Adoption Support team becomes the allocated worker.
When a looked after child is to be adopted and the case closes to the responsible team, but there is a need for post adoption support from the Adoption Support team, a representative of the Adoption Support Team must contribute to the adoption support plan and also attend the final CLA Review.
These enquiries are joint-worked with the Child Support And Protection Social Worker taking lead responsibility for the enquiries when concerns have originated from open cases in Adoption Support teams. If, following a Child Protection Conference, a Child Protection Plan is required, the Key Worker will be the Social Worker from the Support and Protect Team.
Within CLA and Leaving Care Teams Strategy Discussions and S.47 enquiries will be undertaken by these teams and not by the Support And Protection Teams.
Access to Records / Subject Access Requests
This is outlined in the Access to Records / Subject Access Requests Procedure.
Disagreement resolution
In all circumstances the relevant Team Manager should resolve any dispute between themselves or their team members.
Team Managers are responsible for ensuring their staff complete records prior to transfer, but this should not hold up transfer between teams as case drift is not acceptable.
In the event of serious disputes that cannot be resolved, despite clear discussions about the child's need and relevant professional judgements, then the Team Manager should discuss options for resolution with their Service Manager.
Last Updated: February 5, 2025
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