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Contents

1. Background
2. Aims of the Protocol
3. Definitions
4. Initial Contact with Family made by an Adults Team
5. Initial Contact with Family made by a Children's Team
6. Long-term packages
7. Funding
8. Direct Payments
9. Information to Parents and Children

1.Background

Department of Health (DoH) guidance ((2003) Fair Access to Care Services, London, DoH ) suggests that where a disabled parent requires support to meet their parenting needs, both Adults and Children's Services may need to be involved in a joint assessment of the family to determine the level of support that it may be appropriate to provide to that family. This is consistent with an earlier DoH report (Goodinge, S (2000) A Jigsaw of Services: Inspection of services to support disabled adults in their parenting role, London, DoH ) which also suggested that Disabled Parents were left bemused and frustrated by the lack of coordination or even mutual understanding of roles between Adults and Children's Services. The report also condemned service responses as slow and the quality of information available to parents as poor.

2.Aims of the Protocol

Research suggests that nationally social workers are often 'confused about how to respond to disabled parents' (Morris, J (2004) They said what? Common myths about disabled parents and community care legislation,  York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation). The aim of this protocol is to remove that confusion and replace it with clarity so that all parties (parents as well as Adults and Children's Social Workers) can be clear about what to expect from whom when a disabled parent presents to social care services to request support in caring for their children. The protocol also aims to ensure that the needs of both the parent and the children are assessed and met.

3. Definitions

A disabled parent is an adult who is or appears to be eligible for a social care service, under Community Services eligibility criteria for adults with social care needs, in their own right, who is also a parent with a child under 18.

Children of disabled parents should be regarded as Children in Need where their parents have requested (or a referral has been received for) an assessment for support in meeting their parenting needs.

4.Assessments

Where a request for such an assessment is received the family should be assessed both by Adults' Services under the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 and Children's Services under the Children Act 1989 and all associated guidance. This is to ensure the needs of both children and adults are adequately and appropriately addressed. Both teams should consider whether a referral to the Young Carers Project is appropriate.

The remainder of this protocol will set out a standard procedure whose aim is to ensure that these assessments are coordinated, completed in a timely manner, produce coordinated packages of support, have mutually consistent aims and objectives and thus lead to an improved experience for parents.

5.Initial Contact with Family made by an Adults Team

1. The Adult Team should complete at least an initial assessment with the family. The Adult assessment will need to clearly identify the disabled parent's personal needs and suggest likely needs in terms of support in parenting tasks.
2. The Adult worker should then refer the family to the Referral and Assessment Service (RAS) within Children's Social Care using the Multi-Agency Referral and Initial Information Form.
3. The RAS will acknowledge receipt of the referral within 48 hours and undertake a joint assessment visit with the Adult worker within 7 days of the referral. Where possible it is recommended that the locality Community Resource Officer (CRO) also attend this assessment. The RAS worker and the Adult worker (and the CRO) will then agree an appropriate package to recommend to their respective budget holders.
4. When funding has been agreed and the package set up it should be reviewed jointly after 6 weeks. This review will usually be carried out by a worker from the RAS/Children's Neighbourhood Team and the Adults team worker. Following this review, any changes agreed should be implemented and a date for a further joint review should be agreed.

6. Initial Contact with Family made by a Children's Team

1. The RAS/Children's Neighbourhood Team should complete an Initial Assessment of the family. This assessment should identify the needs that are likely to be met by a joint support package and should be recorded in the form of a draft Child in Need Plan.
2. The RAS/Children's Neighbourhood Team worker will then need to refer the disabled parent to the appropriate Adult Team.
3. The Duty Worker from the Adults Team will acknowledge the referral within 48 hours and undertake a joint assessment visit with the RAS/Children's Neighbourhood Team worker within 2 weeks of the referral. The Adult Duty worker and the RAS/Children's Neighbourhood Team worker will then agree an appropriate package to recommend to their respective budget holders. The Adult Team should be able to put a care package in place within 4 weeks of the referral date.
4. When funding has been agreed and the package set up it should be reviewed jointly after 6 weeks. This review will usually be carried out by a worker from the RAS/Children's Neighbourhood Teams and the Adults team worker. Following this review, any changes agreed should be implemented and a date for a further joint review should be agreed.

7.Long-term packages

Clearly many of the packages agreed through the above process will be long term. However changes in parental circumstances and the ongoing development of the children will mean that packages need regular review. Joint reviews will normally take place every 6 months. Where specific risk factors have been identified these reviews may occur every 3 months by joint agreement.

Either team or the parent can also request an unscheduled joint review where needs have changed or the support package is inappropriate for any other reason. There may be occasions when it is appropriate for either team to individually agree an increase to the support package. This should only occur for small increases in need, or emergency increases pending a joint review. Neither team can withdraw services without a joint review.

8.Funding

Delays in obtaining funding decisions must not be allowed to delay the implementation or continuation of any agreed support package. Where appropriate for new referrals, either team can put in place provisional services to either child or parent in order to effectively manage risk. However the following guidelines should help ensure there is clarity for budget holders from both services:

1. Services to meet the personal care needs of the parent should be funded by the Adults Team and appear on the parent's care plan. The existence if not the detail of these services should be noted on the Child in Need Plan
2. Services to meet the individual needs of the children should be funded by Children's Social Care and appear on the Child in Need Plan. The existence if not the detail of these services should be noted on the parent's care plan
3. Services that meet the needs of both parents and children should be funded on a 50:50 basis by both teams. Such services should be recorded on both the parent's care plan and Children in Need Plan with the joint funding identified.

Both Adults and Children's Social Care need to ensure the appropriate long term budget commitment is agreed.

9. Direct Payments

Any service provided under this protocol can be provided to the parent in the form of a Direct Payment where the parent is 'willing and able' to manage a Direct Payment with an appropriate level of support. The parent MUST be offered a Direct Payment by the Adult team and good practice would suggest that Children's teams should also always be offering Direct Payments.

Penderels, the contracted Direct Payments Support Agency, is able to offer support to users, whatever the source of the Direct Payment.

Advice is also available to workers from the Independent Living Adviser in Community Services. Workers should refer to the Direct Payments Policy for further details.

10. Information to Parents and Children

A copy of this protocol should be given to any parent or older child taking part in such a joint process. This will allow them to clearly understand agreed roles for workers for both teams.

End