Keeping Children Safe in Blackpool
Keeping Children Safe in Blackpool - the Blackpool thresholds document, early help assessment and referral forms
All children in Blackpool have the right to live and grow up in a safe environment in which they are protected from harm, nurtured to build their resilience to any adversity that they may face and supported to achieve their aspirations. Some children will need additional help and protection to achieve this and this document provides the multi-agency framework by which all practitioners who work alongside children and families provide the right support, at the right time and in the right place.
Central to this approach is the provision of effective early help, rather than reacting later when more harm has been caused. Early help is everyone’s responsibility and typically best provided or co-ordinated by the organisations already working with the child and their family. Support delivered by practitioners with established positive relationships will always have greater chance of engaging children and families and maximising positive outcomes. Practitioners should make use of conversations within and outside their own organisation to ensure that their assessment is accurate and clearly reflects the voice of the child and family. Any subsequent action plan should be co-produced, with the child and family at the heart of discussions, to ensure the best chance of success.
The Blackpool approach is underpinned by Resilient Therapy. This recognises that every child and parent or carer has the ability to overcome adversity and flourish, given the right environment. It is centred on a resilience framework that strategically sets resilient moves that practitioners can make to build the resilience of children and families. A key principle is for practitioners to work alongside children and families, accepting their starting point, conserving and building on existing strengths, making a commitment to stick with them for as long as is needed and enlisting the help of others where appropriate. In this way, children and families become part of the solution and not just a problem to be solved. The model actively seeks out the potential positive influences in a child and family’s life and builds their capacity to provide sustainable support in the longer term.
The following documents all form part of this approach:
- Keeping Children Safe in Blackpool (including the pan-Lancashire Continuum of Need)
- Early Help Assessment Form
- Early Help Meeting Record
- Multi-Agency Referral Form
- Additional child and family member sheet
Please note that all referrals for statutory intervention in respect of neglect must be made in accordance with the Neglect Protocol.