5.6.1 Supervised Contacts Service |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
All arrangements for supervised contact of a Looked After Child must be made via Red Gables Family Centre.
This Chapter outlines the services for supervised contact provided by Red Gables Family Centre.
Also see: Contact with Parents and Siblings Procedure
FORMS
Any forms used by Red Gables can be found in the Forms Library (see relevant button on the left hand side of the screen).
Contents
- Introduction
- Gate Keeping Form/ Placement Request Form
- Referral Process
- Venue
- Contact Reports
- On-going Review
1. Introduction
The information outlines the services offered by Red Gables Family Centre in relation to contact.
The document is intended for all social workers within Children's Services who wish to make a referral to the service.
Red Gables is currently in the process of reviewing and developing the contact service within Haringey. The aim is to develop the contact service so that it is coordinated and delivered from a team dedicated to contact in order to improve the service offered to our children and young people.
There will be a number of permanent contact workers and the aim is to have some consistency for the family by having an allocated contact worker to the family.
2. Gate Keeping Form/ Placement Request Form
Social workers are required to outline in the Gate Keeping Form and in their placement request papers, what contact is likely to be required, taking into account the child's age and needs. This will allow the placement team to address the issue of contact when exploring the location of a foster placement. It will also allow the placement team the opportunity to discuss how the carer will transport the child(ren) to and from contact, or whether it is safe for contact to take place in the home.
3. Referral Process
The social worker will complete a Contact Referral Form, which also incorporates a risk assessment and contact details of the family and professionals involved.
Contact will not be arranged without a planning meeting.
The social worker will contact Red Gables to arrange a Planning Meeting, which will cover details of the contact with the parents/others having contact. An agreement with the parents will also be incorporated within the minutes of the meeting.
A written copy of the planning Meeting will be sent to the social worker and will be uploaded onto Frameworki. The social worker is responsible for providing the parents/other with a copy of the meeting.
4. Venue
The contact service is currently working with various venues throughout the borough. The planning meeting will take into account the travel arrangements for the child, the risk involved and will then decide where contact should take place.
5. Contact Reports
Contact will be supervised and a written copy of the session will be sent to the social worker within three days. It is the social workers responsibility to read the report and upload the report to Frameworki.
A standard format of recording the session is used by all workers.
A standard form will also be used to record contact that has been cancelled, outlining who cancelled and why.
Contact reports can be used to assess the quality of contact within court proceedings. In these instances the social worker is responsible for submitting the reports to the legal department on the specified dates.
If the contact worker is required to give evidence in court then the allocated social worker should inform the management of Red Gables as soon as possible to ensure that the workers can make arrangements to attend.
6. On-going Review
A review of how contact is going will take place on a 6 weekly basis. The social worker will be expected to attend with the family and the contact worker where possible.
A review can be booked at any time if there are concerns about the contact or if changes need to be made.
Children and families will also have the opportunity to discuss any concerns they have in the meeting.
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