Children’s Services receive a high volume of referrals which do not meet the threshold for a service from Family Support & Intervention. In addition there have been delays in providing services for those meeting threshold due to insufficient information within the original referral. It was therefore felt by the managers of the Assessment & Support Team that an investment was needed into delivering training direct to Education and Health staff in order to improve the appropriateness and the quality of information received.
Three training events per service were organised, targeting 180 staff. The training provided information and examples of when to make a referral and how to make a good quality referral to Children’s Services. The training clarified the distinction between a Child in Need referral and a Child Protection referral and provided examples of good referrals and insight into the poor quality of some of the referrals received. The training explained the threshold to receive a service from Children’s Services and also allowed the opportunity to develop positive working relationships with colleague from other agencies.
Feedback from these training events has been very positive and as a result we are receiving better quality referrals which provide the information that allow our managers to make informed decisions without unnecessary delays. Data from 2016/2017 should provide the evidence to the effectiveness of the training delivered and whether it has had the desired outcome.