Child in Need

A child in need is defined under the Children Act 1989 as a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable level of health or development, or whose health and development is likely to be significantly or further impaired, without the provision of services; or a child who is disabled.

Child in Need social work intervention should always be informed by a determination to actively promote and create conditions for families to change, drawing on the families’ own resources underpinned by the belief that they are their ‘own experts’ and to be able to step down statutory involvement at the earliest possible opportunity. (CIN Practice Guidance 2023) 

Child in Need Reviewing Service

The Child in Need Reviewing Service (CINRS) dedicates itself to supporting Children & Families in Essex to consistently deliver good and outstanding practice to Children in Need as well as providing independent overview, scrutiny and supportive challenge to the most complex Child in Need (CIN) cases. Requests to the CINRS for a service can only be made from Essex County Council Children & Family Teams but can be influenced and motivated through multi-agency discussions.

This Child in Need Reviewing Service offers a range of services, which include:

• Designing and delivering workshops to Children & Families staff and Partner Agencies to continue to promote good & outstanding social work practice
• Assisting with the identification of practice trends with the most complex Child in Need cases to inform learning and develop practice
• Providing independent chairperson(s) for the most complex Children in Need cases to ensure the right support and challenge is applied to achieve the very best timely progress and outcomes

• Supporting robust step downs to level 2 & 3 services, which ensure plans and contingency plans are well understood and support families to sustain positive changes

Complexity in CIN practice is understood in the context of both practice features that present challenges and also relationships that aid or inhibit work being progressed. The below criteria aims to help in identifying complexity in CIN cases and is not an exhaustive list:

1. Repeated Patterns of Social Care Involvement
2. Step Down from Child Protection Plans (where there is an identified need)
3. Pre-Birth Work
4. Where Professionals/Family may feel ‘stuck’ with case direction
5. Where drift is noted
6. Conflict/Difficulty evident with the Professional or Family Network
7. Large Sibling Groups
8. Parents who are CIC/Care Leavers
9. Where Robust Exit/Sustainability planning is required for example where Neglect is a feature
10. Where a Supervision Order has been granted
11. Emerging thematic practice themes, for example - Criminal Exploitation, Working with Parental Learning Difficulties or Mental Health)
12. When there are Transient Families & work across LA Boundaries is required
13. Oversight of CiN plans where children and young people are subject to inpatient care, admitted under s2, s3 and entitled to s117 After Care Rights.

Child in Need Reviewing Officers

The Child in Need Reviewing Service is delivered by 7 Child in Need Reviewing Officers across Essex (1.75 per quadrant), who are qualified and experienced social workers located within the Professional Standards and Audit Service. They are supported by Donna Fellowes, Child in Need Reviewing Service Team Manager, who can be contacted at donna.fellowes@essex.gov.uk should you require any additional information.

Effective delivery and best standards

To ensure that Child in Need meetings/reviews are delivered effectively and to achieve the best standards, CINROs will:

• Undertake a detailed review of the child and family background via the case record, considering past and present factors impacting upon the family and capture these visually using tools such systemic genograms and timelines. This brings additional value to practice thinking and analysis
• Facilitate a Case Consultation with the allocated Social Worker, to explore and examine the impact of past and current practices, to inform the future direction of travel
• Actively engage mothers, fathers (including absent/non-resident parents), Children and Young People in the Child in Need process to ensure their views inform realistic activity and outcomes
• Facilitate a strengths-based approach to chairing the CIN Meeting/ Review
• Produce family accessible and focused SMART report and plan recommendations guided by CIN review activity and participation