TAC case study: Bradley aged 10 years
At a CAF Surgery a Primary School Inclusion Manager discussed the initiation of a CAF for 10 year old Bradley with the TAC area manager.
Due to the deterioration in his behaviour and the school based strategies having made little impact; alongside concerns of his mother's possible alcohol related issues and recent broken arm; it was agreed that the school would seek consent from Bradley's mother for a CAF to be completed, in order to request both family support worker and CAMHS early intervention worker allocation.
Later that week, the school received a telephone call from social care advising them that a Schedule 1 Offender was living with Bradley's mother and enquiring if they had any concerns for Bradley's younger sister, eight year old ‘B'. The school had no concerns for ‘B', but passed on their concerns about Bradley noting that the escalation in his unmanageable behaviour linked to the date the Schedule 1 Offender had moved into the family home. Social care informed the school that they had visited the offender at the address, but neither the mother nor any children were there at the time.
The inclusion officer sent the completed CAF to the TAC area manager noting their daily escalating concerns and also sent copies of the CAF to social care in place of the multi-agency referral form and to CAMHS as soon as they were aware of the Schedule 1 Offender living with the family.
The head teacher attended a Locality Management Group meeting a few days later and informed the TAC area manager of the call from social care . Due to safeguarding concerns and the limited information the school had in relation to Schedule 1 Offenders, the TAC area manager introduced the head teacher to the social inclusion safeguarding manager and the social care deputy team leader after the meeting.
A strategy meeting was held the following week attended by two social workers, Probation Officer, Inclusion Manager, TAC area manager and form teacher from the special school attended by Bradley's elder sister, 17 year old ‘A'.
It was agreed to initiate a Section 47 Enquiry for all three children in light of the information shared at the meeting. It was also agreed that the CAF Action Plan for Bradley was acted implemented on with a re-integration plan developed as soon as possible with high level intervention from a family support worker to get Bradley back into school rather than being at home in the current circumstances. This fits appropriately with Section 47 Enquiry guidance, ‘Where necessary and appropriate, interim services and support must be provided to safeguard and promote the child's welfare until the Child Protection Conference is held.'
The TAC area manager also suggested to the form teacher from the special school that serious consideration should be given on initiating a CAF for ‘A's boyfriend ‘L' who attended the same school, and was also closely linked to the Schedule 1 Offender. Both these young people were clearly evidencing significant additional needs and would benefit from multi agency support.
The inclusion manager, family support worker and TAC area manager met a few days later and agreed the re-integration process for Bradley following the half term break. Due to the specific needs in this case, it was agreed that the FSW would attend school (The Schedule 1 Offender had made threats to social workers following their visit to him. It was therefore agreed that the FSW would not be placed at any risk by attending the home) every morning for the first week to support Bradley and engage with his mother if she came into school to spend some time with Bradley, as this had been a positive engagement for them both previously. The FSW liaised with the CAMHS early intervention worker during the Half Term break to arrange an assessment and intervention sessions at the school.
The inclusion manager, as the initial lead professional, liaised closely with the social worker during the investigation stage of the enquiry to ensure they were working in partnership and sharing information whilst sharing the lead professional role at this transitional stage.
The current case study shows a school initiating a CAF with a significant escalation then occurring within a few days, causing the CAF Form to be used as a referral into social care .
The development of the Team around the Child ran parallel to the social care initial investigation/assessment; it assisted and supported that process rather than duplicating it.
The CAF/TAC process offered a valuable support for the child in what would otherwise have been a hiatus whilst social care undertook background checks/investigations. It kept the mother onboard with the school and the FSW during a critical time when she was articulating a lot of negative views of involvement by social care, and it facilitated a flow of information to social care to support their Section 47 enquiry.