Across both the City of London and the London Borough of Hackney, the expectation is that safeguarding partners and relevant agencies work together to identify children with additional needs and provide support as soon as a problem emerges.

Under the statutory guidance issued in Working Together 2018, the CHSCP has approved and published guidance for all professionals and volunteers working with children and young people that covers the process for early help and the criteria when a case should be referred to Children’s Social Care for a statutory assessment under the Children Act 1989.

National guidance on what to do if you’re worried a child is being abused can be found here.  Further information on responding to concerns of abuse and neglect is available in the London Child Protection Procedures.

Hackney Child Wellbeing Framework

The Hackney Child Wellbeing Framework focuses upon the needs and risk of harm to children and families within their environment or context. It is intended to support discussion about the levels of harm and the most appropriate response, rather than a threshold for particular services. The framework is displayed in two parts:

1. Hackney Child and Family Wellbeing Framework – this relates to needs or risk of harm as they relate to individual or familial situations, and

2. Hackney Contexts Wellbeing Framework – this relates to needs or risk of harm within contexts – i.e. a peer group, school or location.

The City of London Thresholds of Need 

This document offers guidance on a multi-agency, whole-system approach to assessment, prevention and intervention for children, young people and their families across the City of London. The guidance supports the Common Assessment Framework (CAF).

This City of London Thresholds of Need is based on a ‘Continuum of Need’ model.  This gives consistency for professionals, sets out a dynamic and needs-led framework which, when used effectively, can match the child or young person’s needs with the appropriate assessment and provision.  This makes sure that the right help is given at the right time.