Assessment process
Assessments
An assessment will be carried out by either Early Help or a social work team looking at the overall needs of the family. Short breaks may or may not be recommended following this assessment.
Referrals for additional support
If you feel that a child’s needs cannot be met by universal services alone, you can make a referral for additional support.
Referrals are received by social workers in First Response Children’s Duty, working with the Triage Team in Family Help. All requests for support are screened first for any safeguarding issues, i.e. where a child may be at risk of harm. Thresholds are applied to decide whether a request for support should be provided by a social work service or a targeted early help service. At this point you may be contacted by the Triage Team to participate in a pilot self-assessment process.
Reviews by the Short Breaks Panel
We have established a Short Breaks Panel that routinely monitors and reviews provision to ensure fairness in the allocation of resources to children, young people, and their families, with services that are needs-led and fit-assessed.
The panel considers the information provided in the assessment that has been completed by either a Family Help Worker or a Social Worker. In reaching decisions, the panel looks at the needs of the individual child, alongside the wider needs of the family, and what additional help is required to meet the child’s needs.
Decision-making factors
We have a panel process to help us apply some consistent responses to the requests made. However, it should be noted that we are working towards a social model of disability, rather than a medical model, that in turn gives us greater flexibility dependent upon family circumstances. Packages can increase or decrease at the point of review.
This means that children who appear to have the same level of need will not always get the same level of short breaks because we have also factored in our assessment the family’s capacity to respond to all children in the household and their own needs, for example children that have a Child Protection Plan.
If a Continuing Care assessment by health has taken place and an award has been given, the Short Break package will be reviewed to see if the level of support is still appropriate.
Transfers between Children’s Disability and Family Help Service
Sometimes, families will initially receive support through the Children’s Disability Service and will have an allocated social worker who will work with the family to ensure the correct support is in place. When it is felt that the package of support is working well, we will look to transfer your package to Family Help. Support will be available to you if needed regarding any issues or if your circumstances change. Regular reviews are undertaken with you to make sure the agreed support continues to meet needs, the frequency depending on the size of the package of support you have in place.
As your child turns 14, they will aim to attend EHCP reviews wherever possible, to support thinking about your child’s pathway to adulthood. If they are unable to attend in person, they will ensure they contribute written updates to the review process.
From time to time, if risk or more complex issues are identified, there will be a transfer to Children’s Disability Service. This will always be discussed with the family.
Self-assessment pilot
We have listened to feedback from parents/carers and have been working with the SEND Hub to develop a self-assessment process. This has included updating the eligibility criteria for a Short Break and developing a series of themed statements. This is currently in a pilot phase and we'll provide more information about it shortly.
To help implement a self-assessment process, some families may be offered the opportunity to take part in a manual pilot to test out the statements before the introduction of an online self-assessment process. If families don't feel that the outcome of the self-assessment meets needs, there is still the option to request an assessment that would go to the Short Break Panel to be considered.
- Level 1 assessment - offer for a Summer Direct Payment card short break
- Level 2 assessment - year-round package of support, split based on age:
- 5 to 12 year olds - 103 hours, equivalent payment for 2024 to 2025 of £1,445.09
- 13 to 17 year olds - 181 hours, equivalent payment for 2024 to 2025 of £2,539.43
These figures are based on the percentage uplift of welfare benefits and so will change annually to reflect government changes.
If it is felt that the Short Break offer will not meet your needs, there is the option to request an assessment by a Family Help worker or a Social Worker to consider your needs more fully.
Once we have worked through and evaluated the pilot, we will be able to share the statements, once these have been agreed.