Collaborating with community partners to assess risk
The child’s community is an important part of risk assessment and case planning.
The child’s community may include extended family, neighbours, friends, school networks and other professionals. Children who are marginalised and disconnected from their community are at greater risk. A child who is valued and supported by their community has a greater chance of thriving.
Who supports this family?
Talk to the parents about their safety and support networks. Ask them who is in their network? Who can help them? If the family, parent and child are feeling isolated help them strengthen networks, build new relationships and reconnect with family.
Work with other services
Be specific when you engaging with service providers — tell them what areas need help and how to best work together. Explain the harm and the worries identified. Get their opinions and experience of working with the family. Invite the services to case discussions and/or practice panels, have joint family visits and share relevant information.
Learn more about working collaboratively with partner agencies in the Case planning part of this kit.
Parental mental health and child protection
Watch this video from the Social Care Institute of Excellence on how practitioners see parental mental health when working in child protection.
Parental mental health and child welfare – the practitioners’ perspective
00:14
this film brings together professionals
00:17
from Health social care and education to
00:20
discuss some of the situations
00:21
highlighted in two parental mental
00:24
health case studies featured on social
00:26
care TV Wendy a mother story and Kate a
00:30
young person's story each professional
00:33
has experience of dealing with parental
00:35
mental health issues in the voluntary
00:37
sector in education in community mental
00:40
health and in family centers the
00:43
discussion is mediated by rows to pay
00:45
strong head of strategic development at
00:48
Family Action a charity that supports
00:50
disadvantaged families throughout
00:52
England she's joined by Paul Taylor
00:55
assistant head teacher with
00:56
responsibility for safeguarding young
00:58
adults at Belle Reve fcj Catholic
01:01
College in Liverpool Allen O'Leary
01:04
community mental health team manager
01:06
with Mercy care who works with adults
01:08
with mental health issues and Ruth hake
01:11
Ferguson who manages a number of
01:13
children's centres in central Liverpool
01:15
they begin by reviewing the story of
01:18
Kate whose mother has mental health
01:20
problems my name's Keith I'm 18 years
01:25
old and I care for my mum who has am a
01:28
few mental health problems
01:31
kate has been caring for her mum since
01:34
the age of seven and over the years as
01:36
her mum's mental health deteriorated
01:38
Kate's responsibilities grew when
01:40
affairs started happening we used to
01:43
live in a flats and we had a balcony I
01:44
should want to go outside try go over
01:47
the balcony basically she's waking me
01:49
off and we just sit there talking trying
01:51
to distract her from like the voices and
01:53
a head and sometimes I should go to
01:56
sleep at about 4,000 more and I like to
01:59
stay away and I can't go round to my
02:01
house where or something because I
02:05
always feel awake by then to go back to
02:07
sleep
02:07
brought about by six o'clock maybe seven
02:11
I've been a fence again and I have to
02:12
sleep in it'll either make me late for
02:15
school or if he's don't wear the right
02:17
chair for that day and ask who consoles
02:19
usually how their mentor
02:21
she was there to be a proper counselor
02:22
she used to say things I here just acted
02:24
out to get attention of stuffin Oh miss
02:28
Lee I was poor not for the reasons she's
02:31
thinking I'll she even knew don't mean
02:33
my my mental health problems because she
02:34
asked me what was happening at home and
02:35
then she said well don't bring it to
02:37
school goes well what was the point in
02:39
me telling you if we should pause there
02:43
cos Kate was just saying quite a lot
02:44
about some of the issues for her I
02:46
wonder if the same would be true for
02:48
Kate today if that was happening to her
02:50
no as opposed to happening a few years
02:52
ago what I would hope would happen if
02:54
there was a case of my school was the
02:57
person that she felt confident enough to
02:59
open up to would have had the necessary
03:02
input to realize that there were certain
03:06
textbook signals about Kate's lifestyle
03:08
you know and straightaway realize not
03:11
everything is good for this child I need
03:14
to get someone else involved rather than
03:17
say to her we've that sort of stuff at
03:19
the school gates when you come in that
03:22
was a story that was crying out for a
03:24
common assessment framework to be done
03:26
and quite frankly as a teacher I
03:29
wouldn't have been able to know all of
03:32
the different things and for me what
03:34
pops up there is that whole issue about
03:35
training what I would like to see is
03:37
that every member of staff at some level
03:40
of training so that if they are the one
03:42
who can pick up on the little nuances
03:44
that suggested this is a child crying
03:47
out for help
03:48
and while the person might be the one to
03:52
address all her needs they will turn to
03:55
someone within the organisation who does
03:58
know the contacts and the other agencies
04:00
and has got the confidence to ring those
04:02
agencies and start the dialogues that
04:05
will lead to support for Kate and I
04:08
think so often what you come across
04:10
these parts on Children's Services side
04:12
the fear of mental health issues and
04:14
then sometimes on adult size the fear of
04:16
you know and kind of dealing with
04:17
children's
04:18
you know I'm just thinking through the
04:19
how we can actually work collaboratively
04:22
with colleagues in Children Services
04:24
because those of us who work and focus
04:26
on adults with mental health problems
04:28
you know the issue for us is that's who
04:30
were focusing on and that's where our
04:33
skills and expertise
04:34
is lie it's not where the needs of the
04:37
children so there is that apprehension
04:39
and anxiety about treading into areas
04:42
that we've got no expertise in it's the
04:44
joint training isn't it so that the
04:46
staff from the different teams as we do
04:48
fairly well with safeguarding we need to
04:50
do it more I think with more skills
04:52
sharing so that's the adults workers can
04:55
relate to workers with children and
04:58
share their skills and knowledge and
05:00
understanding what they all do doing the
05:02
joint training yeah would be really
05:04
beneficial but again it's about
05:06
releasing staff members to do that when
05:09
it's not their core work perhaps we
05:11
could have a champion within each team
05:13
that could go off and do that joint
05:16
training who could then be you know the
05:19
spokesperson within the team to keep it
05:20
on the agenda for those of us who work
05:22
specifically with them I think named
05:24
individuals in both to do that liaison
05:26
work is really good because obviously
05:28
there are practical issues that that are
05:30
difficult because the other elements are
05:32
fear a thing can be that actually I
05:33
might ask a question that I almost don't
05:35
want to hear the answer to because it's
05:37
gonna open up such an enormous area and
05:39
I as a practitioner I'm afraid of how to
05:41
deal with that I'm afraid of what might
05:43
be involved and particularly perhaps of
05:44
practitioners who already have a rather
05:46
bulging caseload and perhaps on a bad
05:48
day it can just feel like one thing too
05:50
many but it's I think it's it's also not
05:52
to say to each group of worker that
05:54
we're actually taking over your work
05:56
what we're doing we're still just doing
05:58
our own but we're going to ask for your
06:01
expertise and seeing that in a concrete
06:03
example that for Kate I think it would
06:06
have helped if if the school worker
06:08
would have been able to have access to
06:10
adult mental health services to ask
06:12
their advice but if Kate was happy with
06:14
that worker
06:15
you wouldn't want Kate overwhelmed with
06:17
three or four different workers so I
06:19
think it's it's how that's done yeah but
06:21
it's just sharing that the the expertise
06:23
and then no no I can call on them you
06:25
helped me breaking down those personal
06:28
barriers I think sometimes and it's
06:30
interesting that isn't it because if
06:31
once you know someone then it obviously
06:32
makes it easier doesn't it either to
06:34
drop by the office or pick up the phone
06:36
one of the things raised by
06:38
practitioners is that sometimes with
06:39
staff turnover in teams you might get to
06:42
know
06:43
you know sue and she's the person that
06:46
you link with but then maybe in six
06:48
months goes by and you've not had much
06:50
contact for whatever reason and then you
06:52
pick up the phone and all that she sues
06:53
golden and again I think is there
06:56
something wrong confidence to then
06:57
continue and not just say all fight and
06:59
forget it but actually say oh well sorry
07:02
you know Sue's not there but actually is
07:03
there someone else I can talk to that
07:04
builds the confidence of the
07:06
practitioner or an either side to be
07:07
able to say well actually I do need to
07:09
talk to someone I think before we move
07:11
on from Kate's story it's very important
07:13
that when Kate finally has the courage
07:16
to disclose well this is what's going on
07:18
in my life if the member of staff even
07:22
gives away the slightest hint that
07:23
they're making some judgments they Kate
07:26
will either think right well I need to
07:28
protect my mum from there or we'll
07:31
communicate that judgements and and the
07:34
parent themselves will think right well
07:36
I'm not going to involve myself with
07:38
someone who's already made the judgments
07:41
on me and therefore if you try to
07:43
instigate a calf because it doesn't need
07:46
parental involvement then it's gonna go
07:49
nowhere because right away all those
07:51
things start to kick in about well if I
07:54
admit to my problems there's a chance my
07:56
children will be taken away I think
07:58
that's something you're right I think it
07:59
takes us into that whole issue of stigma
08:01
and a like sort of brought in the
08:02
conversation so we start thinking about
08:04
things more from the parents side and
08:07
which was you know thinking about the
08:08
other film and Wendy's story so I wonder
08:12
whether it'd be helpful just to have a
08:13
look at that briefly yep I was married
08:16
for 18 years had three children and the
08:20
marriage broke up we've just basically
08:22
grew apart I met somebody else and
08:25
meeting that somebody else I got myself
08:27
pregnant
08:28
with my son I had to fight for my
08:33
children had to go from a house where I
08:35
had absolutely everything security in
08:38
tuganda living with someone else in one
08:39
bedroom and in that relationship just
08:43
before I gave birth to my son I found
08:47
out the partners wolf was cheating on me
08:50
then he started hitting me all the money
08:53
was going because he was gambling
08:54
everything but i bottled everything up
08:58
kept it to myself and when I gave birth
09:00
even then when they just give you the
09:02
baby I didn't want him people were
09:04
coming he was just laying there crying
09:05
because I just think when I hold him and
09:07
when family come over I put on a front
09:09
for them and I've done what I had to do
09:11
looked after him and done what I had to
09:12
do but completely rejected him I
09:14
remember the health visitor coming round
09:17
and she got me to fill in this form
09:19
which are filled in and she said that
09:22
there's signs of postnatal depression
09:24
did I feel fine I told her I did
09:26
obviously I did and I said yeah I'm fine
09:27
it's fine and then because the way I was
09:30
feeling I didn't like going out so I
09:32
never took Dominic to the health
09:33
visitors for checks I need to go for his
09:36
jabs where they where before with my
09:37
four kids I took them every two weeks to
09:40
get weighed but we've done that I didn't
09:41
do that
09:42
okay well that's some pause Italy I
09:45
think we heard quite a lot from Wendy
09:47
about what the issues were for her I
09:50
think again at the senator Kate in some
09:52
ways there seem to be a lot of missed
09:53
opportunities of the early intervention
09:56
for example children Santa's could have
09:58
had that have they been made aware from
10:01
say that the midwives and the house was
10:03
just an early stage could have got in
10:05
there sorted out some of that the
10:07
housing problems the kind of benefit
10:09
problems looked at the issues with some
10:11
of the older children and why she was
10:13
feeling as she did giving her more
10:16
support at that stage even prenatally
10:18
there's a lot of things that could be
10:19
done and with our relationships I think
10:21
with with midwives and house visitors we
10:23
know that people will say things are
10:26
okay but actually we need to probe a
10:28
little bit deeper and one of the things
10:29
that we're asking it within the Women's
10:32
Hospital and the early antenatal visits
10:34
is to ask the right questions I know she
10:37
was asked but I think it's asking was
10:39
you know
10:40
an increased awareness if you like I
10:43
think for me it's also being mindful of
10:45
the situations that some people are in
10:47
in the alarm bells would have been going
10:50
off for me
10:51
in terms of her living in one room with
10:54
four children hmm yeah that's and you
10:57
know it's also the her pride in trying
11:01
to keep everything together and she said
11:03
she wasn't sharing that with with family
11:04
members but she was clearly struggling
11:07
again that's bound to have be having an
11:09
impact on her general well-being as well
11:12
as a mental health yes and it's how we
11:14
engage those people who were involved in
11:17
her life significant others because it's
11:18
not just about family but significant
11:20
people in that person's life you know
11:23
within the community mental health teams
11:25
we were to attempt to engage them
11:27
because it's about their degree of
11:30
understanding and what the issues might
11:31
be it's a fine balancing issue around
11:35
the service users are agreeing to that
11:39
and also being very clear around what
11:41
information we may share with them you
11:44
know within Liverpool we will provide
11:47
significant others where the carers
11:50
assessment and that's about you know
11:52
what their needs may be in caring for
11:54
them for that individual yeah absolutely
11:56
and I think practical things that can
11:58
help actually working directly both with
12:00
them sort of parents and and children
12:04
young people the working in people's
12:05
homes is sometimes it might be something
12:08
as simple as actually just sort of going
12:10
through a drawer full of bills which are
12:11
piled out port unopened envelopes so
12:14
firstly the fact that some you know
12:16
that's showing all that parent has the
12:18
confidence to let you into their home in
12:20
the first place I mean that isn't always
12:21
a straightforward and easy thing as I'm
12:23
sure many practitioners will recognize
12:26
but just about establishing a
12:28
relationship of trust and then being
12:30
able to have offer quite practical help
12:31
as well as the emotional help that goes
12:34
along with that but I wondered if you
12:35
have other other thoughts about some of
12:38
the sort of practical helps it you know
12:39
that you know well it's rare that
12:42
somebody are thinking when his position
12:43
will walk through the door of a
12:44
children's and she needs to be guided
12:46
and learned but once that relationship
12:48
has been made and the trust is that she
12:50
could introduce her to a peer group of
12:52
people
12:53
in a similar position and then maybe
12:55
colleagues even from extended school for
12:58
the older children can come into the
13:00
Children's Center where she is she is so
13:01
she doesn't need to do all that running
13:03
around practically yeah that's one of
13:05
the things they can do is bring in and
13:07
contact those people see someone from
13:09
within a community mental health team or
13:11
anything else can be done in the one
13:12
place kind of one-stop-shop thing one of
13:14
the practical things I do when I'm
13:16
meeting people for supervision
13:17
staff members is ask are there any
13:21
children how are the children
13:23
how would you know you know just keeping
13:25
that prompt and making sure that it's on
13:27
the agenda clearly getting it right it's
13:29
hard because you know otherwise I guess
13:30
we'd have done it by now
13:31
we saw them but I just wondered whether
13:33
you've got any thoughts about you know
13:35
what do you think the real barriers are
13:36
that gets in the way because we've we've
13:38
probably identified some of them around
13:40
some of the sort of fear that can be
13:42
around or perhaps their need for
13:44
confidence but I wondered whether
13:45
there's anything else that you know from
13:48
your own experience that even you would
13:49
like to add we're all very busy
13:51
practitioners aren't we try to remember
13:52
that there are you know a need to just
13:56
make those links I think I think
13:58
sometimes it's not delivered it's just
14:00
another awareness and a time factor and
14:02
it's just making that extra effort I
14:04
think there's an issue for me in terms
14:07
of how we deliver services now because
14:10
when I originally trained as a social
14:11
worker 25 years ago I trained as a
14:13
generic social worker so I worked with
14:15
with children with with families with
14:18
adults with physical health problems
14:20
older people people with mental health
14:22
problems and you carried a generic
14:25
caseload and over over time you know
14:27
we've moved into specialist teams
14:29
because we wanted to deliver the best
14:31
service but people don't fall into neat
14:34
categories and yes and it's it's really
14:38
encouraging to see these Skye guidelines
14:41
come out because it's getting us back to
14:43
think family think parent to think child
14:46
and with the guidelines as well it's
14:48
it's challenging some of the stigma
14:50
that's around with mental health it's
14:52
getting mental health up onto the agenda
14:54
again yeah yeah absolutely and I think
14:57
that you know having that framework
14:58
there I think it's you know what you
15:00
were saying both in terms of different
15:01
disciplines it brings people together
15:03
and it probably in terms of
15:05
from you know within organizations
15:07
actually recognition that you know
15:08
there's a role for senior management to
15:10
make sure that they're engaged and
15:12
making sure that messages are
15:13
communicated you know as well as
15:15
actually on the ground practitioners
15:17
linking up with you know sort of
15:18
colleagues from different different
15:20
disciplines I think I think the
15:22
guidelines give gives all the senior
15:24
managers that the kind of backing to put
15:27
that message across and then is that
15:29
there's a kind of reason and a reference
15:31
point for why they're that they're
15:33
giving it to their staff the manage it
15:35
is I think it is filtering down yeah
15:46
you