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Contents

1. Guiding Principles
2. Procedure for Transferring of Cases between Teams
3. Transfers from Referral and Assessment and Hospital Teams
4. Transfers from Family Support and Child Protection
5. Transfers from Children Looked After
6. Transfers to the Children with Disabilities Team

1. Guiding Principles

• Case transfers should only happen when the focus of the work moves from the remit from one team to another
• They should be carried out in such a way as to minimise disruption to the child and the family
• Both the family and the other professionals in the network need to be informed about the transfer
• It should be clear at all points in the transfer process who is responsible for the case. The electronic file should record this
• Inability of the incoming team to allocate is not a valid reason not to accept a case
• Disputes about case transfers should not be allowed to delay the process. If Heads of Service are unable to agree the transfer, then the matter must be escalated to AD’s, DD’s and, if it really proves impossible to resolve the issues, to the DCS

2. Procedure for Transferring of Cases between Teams

• The transfer meeting will be held weekly and chaired by a Head of Service. This will be the only forum that can sanction the transferring of cases. The only exception will be when Heads of Service agree that it is in the best interests of the child/children or of the service for cases to move between services with immediate effect. Following this agreement, the case should be taken to Transfer Panel retrospectively for ratification
• In most situations requiring transfer this forms part of the planning process for children and Social Work intervention. Therefore notification via the transfer meeting of an intended transfer must be made at least two weeks prior to the requested date of transfer. The incoming team must in that time identify a Team, Manager and Social Worker for the case
• It is the clear responsibility of the outgoing Team Manager and incoming Team Manager to arrange the detail of the transfer (as a minimum this should include a handover visit and notification to interested parties). This should consider ‘good practice’ as a primary factor so that the children, their families and involved partner agencies are fully informed of the process. If the case does not transfer on the agreed date, it remains the responsibility of both the outgoing and receiving Team Managers to negotiate a new date for the transfer of the case
• The child/children’s file and Framework must be in a fit state at the point of transfer. Attached is an audit tool for the purposes of the paper file. The outgoing Team/Deputy Manager must ensure that there are no outstanding episodes/ outcomes on Framework
• Once the date of transfer is agreed, the outgoing Team/Deputy manager will end the relationship on Framework and enter either the named worker or manager of the incoming team
• Any issues that relate to outstanding tasks or the quality of work will be resolved by Heads of Service
• All service areas must ensure that a manager represents their service at the transfer meeting. If attendance is not always possible, the manager must ensure that non-attendance does not delay the transfer of a case
• Managers attending the transfer meeting must have either named workers or an identified team that a case will transfer too
• The Head of Service who is chairing the Transfer Panel will designate which service that will hold case responsibility for a case where there are sibling groups with different presenting needs
• There should only be one social worker allocated to a sibling group who are resident in the same household unless input from more than one service is has been agreed as being in the best interests of the children concerned by the respective Heads of Service
• Cases should not transfer on a Friday where possible, unless hand-over arrangements/meetings have already taken place and the receiving Team Manager is accepting of these arrangements
• When an agreed transfer date is not kept the case should not transfer if there as a review/ court date within two weeks of the proposed new date

3. Transfers from Referral and Assessment and Hospital Teams

3.1 Children in Need

The point of transfer is at the Children in Need meeting following the completion of the Core Assessment. The CIN meeting should take place within 10 days of the completion of the Core Assessment. Notification should be made of transfer at the completion of the Core Assessment or earlier.

CIN cases will transfer to Family Support & Child Protection.

3.2 Child Protection Cases

The point of transfer is at the first core group. Notification of Case Conferences when dates are confirmed should be the alert to the transfer meeting.

CP cases will transfer to Family Support & Child Protection.

3.3 Children Looked After

The point of transfer is at the 1st Review. For those children subject to proceedings then the point of transfer will be the 1st ICO court hearing. Given the complexity of children Looked After early notification is paramount. Particularly around cases that are entering proceedings it will be essential to involve CLA teams at the early stages of the legal process to ensure that both services are in agreement with the proposed protection/Care Plan. Minutes of legal planning meetings must be sent to the Head of Service for CLA

All Children Looked After must be dealt with by the Children Looked After service, unless there is an agreed plan of imminent rehabilitation i.e. within 8 weeks at the point of transfer.

3.4 No Recourse to Public Funds

These cases should be viewed in the same way as CIN and CP stated above.

3.5 Private Fostering Cases

Private fostering cases should transfer upon completion of a Core Assessment and when the case has been agreed by the Team Manager/Deputy Team Manager of the Private Fostering Team as appropriate for the Private Fostering Team.

4. Transfers from Family Support and Child Protection

4.1 Children in Need

These do not transfer out once with FSCP. Should the case re-refer within 3 months of closure FSCP will resume case responsibility for the family/young person.

4.2 Child Protection Cases

These cases do not transfer out of the FSP Service. Should the case re-refer after de-registration/ closure within three months then FSCP will resume case responsibility.

4.3 Children Looked After

Children who become looked after whilst with FSCP will transfer to CLA. The point of transfer is at the 1st Review. For those children subject to proceedings then the point of transfer will be at the 1st ICO Court Hearing. Given the complexity of children looked after early notification is paramount. Where proceedings are being considered it is essential to involve CLA teams at the early stages.

Cases that transfer in from other local authorities such as Supervision Order renewal applications and Family Assistance Orders should go directly to FS&CP.

5. Transfers from Children Looked After

5.1 Children in Need

These will be cases where CLA have returned home. Support should be offered for up to 3 months by CLA after returning home. After this 3 month period the case should be prepared for transfer to FSCP, providing that the placement is stable and the plan is for the young person to remain within their family/wider family. If this is the case then

the point of transfer is at the CIN meeting following the completion of a Core Assessment. The CIN meeting should take place within 10 days of the completion of the Core Assessment. Notification should be made of transfer at the completion of the Core Assessment or earlier.

5.2 Child Protection Cases

If there are child protection issues on a child Looked After these will be dealt with by CLA to include children returning home and being supported by CLA in the following 3 months.

5.3 Children Looked After

Children Looked After will only transfer out of CLA when they have been home for a period of 3 months. See 5.1 Children in Need.

Children Looked After will transfer to the Leaving Care Team upon completion of Year 11 subject to eligibility under Leaving Care Act. The LCT will attend the CLA review prior to the YP‘s leaving school, or the appropriate educational establishment. Young People should not transfer in the YP’s GCSE year.

5.4 Pre-birth Assessment

Pre-birth assessment will be completed by the CLA service for any children / young people looked after who become pregnant while allocated within the children looked after service. For children placed outside of the local authority pre-birth assessments will be completed in conjunction with the social care team in the area in which the child / young person lives and in accordance with the resident local authority's pre-birth procedures. 

The Children Looked After service will also complete any pre-birth assessments on the parents of children looked after allocated to the service where the parent is resident in Lambeth and becomes pregnant within a year of the CLA service having completed court proceedings in relation to a sibling.

Where a parent who is resident in Lambeth and has a looked after child already allocated to the children looked after service, is confirmed as pregnant and previous court proceedings have been concluded for over one calendar year and one day, the pre-birth assessment will be completed by the hospital social work team. 

For children who are looked after and have not been subject to court proceedings, the children looked after service will complete the pre-birth assessment on the parents of those children, resident in Lambeth, if the parent of a child already looked after and allocated within the service becomes pregnant, up to 1 year of the case having been allocated within the children looked after service. Any parent who is confirmed as pregnant after a calendar year and one day of allocation of a looked after sibling to CLA, the pre-birth assessment will be completed by the hospital social work team.  

6. Transfers to the Children with Disabilities Team

The Children with Disabilities Team currently works with children who have severe or profound disabilities within the terms of the ‘I Count’ Disabilities Register.

Any proposed transfer should be discussed between the current Team Manager and the CWD Team Manager in order to confirm that these criteria are met. It is important that there is clear evidence of the nature and extent of the disability.

A minimum of an Initial Assessment is required in all cases. Core Assessments and all relevant Child Protection and Looked After Child documentation are required as appropriate.

Where transfer is agreed in principle it can then be ratified through the next Transfer Panel.

here agreement cannot be reached the matter will be discussed and resolved between the respective Heads of Service.

The CWD Team will become responsible for case management following the completion of the necessary Framework actions by the outgoing Team Manager.

The transfer of cases can only be successful if there is clear communication between services. Introductions and notifications to children, their families and partner/involved agencies should form part of the transfer process.

End