Information Guide for Independent Assessors

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1 Contents

2 About the Family Fund

Who are we?

• What we do

• How often can we help?

• What we can help with

• What we cannot help with

• How do families find out about the Fund?

3 Applying

• The journey of an application

• After applying

• Checking progress of an application

4 Assessing Eligibility

• Once you have accepted an assessment

• During a home visit assessment

• During a telephone assessment

• Completing the report

• What happens next?

7 Awarding Grants

• Unusual requests awarded

• Family Fund Travel Insurance

8 Child Eligibility Criteria

• General indicators

o The physical environment

o Education

o Communication

o Access to social activities

o Personal care, supervision and vigilance

o Specialist resources required

o Medical or therapeutic treatment and condition management

12 Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

• Safeguarding policy

• Notifying the Family Fund about safeguarding issues

• Definition of risk category

• Useful contacts and information

16 Data Protection

• Purpose

• Use of computers and printers at home

• Families’ records

17 Keeping Families Informed

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About the Family Fund

The Family Fund was formed in 1973 by Sir Keith Joseph, former Secretary of State for Social Services, in response to the Thalidomide crisis. Since then, the Fund’s reach to families has grown and we now help any family raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person aged 17 or under, providing they meet the Fund’s eligibility criteria.

Who are we?

The Family Fund is a registered charity covering the whole of the UK and receives grants from private donors and the four governments of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

We are the UK’s largest independent grant-giving organisation helping low income families raising a disabled or seriously ill child. We support families by providing grants that relate to the needs of their disabled child or young person.

The Family Fund works within an annual fixed budget and there is no automatic entitlement to our help. Grants are discretionary and dependent on available funding. As well as being a registered charity, the Fund is also a company limited by guarantee.

What we do

The Family Fund helps families raising disabled or seriously ill children or young people to have choices and the opportunity to enjoy ordinary life. We give grants for things that make life easier and more enjoyable for the disabled child and their family, such as washing machines, hospital visiting costs, computers and family breaks. We give grants to families on the lowest of incomes to help relieve the stress of everyday life.

We have a team of Regional Development Managers (RDM) who attend events and keep in touch with local organisations to let more families know about the Family Fund.

The RDMs also manage the assessment process for families applying to the Fund for the first time. This includes deciding which families will receive a home visit or telephone assessment.

How often can we help?

We can consider an application every 12 months from the date the last grant was awarded. The Fund understands that sometimes the need for help can be greater, especially if there is an emergency or critical situation relating to a disabled or seriously ill child or young person. Applications outside of these parameters may be reviewed by a panel of grant makers who will decide if there are exceptional circumstances that require additional help from the Fund’s limited budget.

What we can help with

We will consider any grant request that will make a difference to the lives of a disabled or seriously ill child, young person and their family. Families can apply for family breaks, kitchen appliances, laptops, hospital visiting costs and many more items and experiences.

We encourage grant requests from young people that have particular meaning to their age group such as laptops and equipment for college.

What we cannot help with

The Family Fund is unable to help with items for which there is an underlying statutory requirement.

Our policies also state that we will not help with grants towards adaptations or alterations to the home, building works, medical treatment, therapies or equipment, household bills or debts, childcare, the purchase of a car, reimbursement for an item already purchased or any item where a statutory agency has a responsibility to pay for the item needed.

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How do families find out about the Fund?

The Family Fund helps over 65,000 families a year with grants that can often be a lifeline. Each year the Fund works hard to reach new families and remind those who have applied before that they can apply again for help.

Families tell us that they find out about the Fund through friends, family, schools, hospitals and professionals supporting families. It is important that the Fund continues to reach new families and helps those on the lowest of incomes. We promote the Fund across the UK and also use sector colleagues, website, local and national press, printed materials and social networking sites to reach families.

Applying

If a family are applying for the first time they can download an application form from our website www.familyfund.org.uk or contact the Fund’s office in York for a copy by using the online contact form (on our website) or emailing info@familyfund.org.uk. Families can contact us by telephone 08449 744 099.

If a family has applied before, they can apply for a grant online by setting up an online account, using their Family Fund number, which is quoted on all correspondence from the Fund.

The journey of an application

All applications received are checked and information is input into our grants system by the Grants Services team. Application forms that have information missing are sent back to the family at this stage to avoid unnecessary delays later in the process.

After applying

If a family are applying for the first time we need to check that the family’s household income is within our limits and that the child or young person falls within our eligibility criteria.

To do this we require an application form completed in full, with proof of income from employment or benefits and to see DLA confirmation for the child if the family receive this. In addition we may arrange an assessment to establish eligibility.

The information from the application form is sent to the RDM team. They decide whether an assessment is required or not. If an assessment is required, then the assessment is offered to an Independent Assessor (IA). If an assessment is not required, the form is sent back to York and processed accordingly.

It can take up to three months for us to complete a first application and we contact the family in writing to let them know the decision. For families making further applications, we may ask for up to date information so we can confirm they are still eligible for help. It may take up to eight weeks for us to make a decision on a subsequent application and we will write to the family to let them know our decision. If a family applies online this timescale may be reduced.

Checking progress of an application

Families can check the progress of their application by logging on to their online account via the website. If they have not already done so they can set up an account using their Family Fund number.

If they cannot find their Family Fund number, or have not yet been given one as they are a first time applicant, they can request this through the online contact form: www.familyfund.org.uk/about-us/contact-us. All first time families should have been allocated a Family Fund number within 3 weeks of sending in their application form. Although the Family Fund has a dedicate team to answer telephone and email correspondence from families, funding restrictions mean this team is very small. The Fund receives over 200,000 phone calls every year to the main contact number and over 52,000 emails.

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We try to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible but there can sometimes be a delay, particularly during busy periods. The most reliable way for a family to ensure we receive their communication is to use the online contact form on the website: www.familyfund.org.uk/about-us/contact-us and we will respond as quickly as possible.

Assessing Eligibility

The Family Fund will offer assessments to IAs from time to time and we require that they are accepted or declined within 3 days of the offer date. The following information sets out the standards we expect IAs to adhere to.

Once you have accepted an Assessment

Upon accepting the Home Visit or Telephone Assessment, the IA phones the family to arrange a convenient

time for both parties to complete the assessment. For telephone assessments this may be right away.

If you are unable to contact the family by phone or email you may wish to send the family a letter to offer a

time and date for the assessment to take place. This letter should contain your contact details so the family

can confirm their availability. A suggested template letter is available for use on the IA’s Portal.

If you have not received confirmation from the family within 15 days of receiving the offer of work, you

must return the assessment to the Fund using the “Unable to Contact Family” option. The Family Fund will

then issue a letter to the family stating that their application is closed until contact is made with the Fund

directly.

During a Home Visit Assessment

On arrival at the family’s home, you should show the appropriate identification.

Once in the home, you should explain what is going to happen during the assessment to put the family at

ease. You should also make sure the family are fully aware of what the Family Fund does. After this, the full

assessment can begin and as part of this you should meet the child.

It is important that you are familiar with the report questions you are required to complete after the visit

has taken place so you can gather the correct information. The Family Fund likes a visit to be more informal

than some agencies and suggests allowing conversation to flow between the family and yourself. Although

direct questions from the report may be asked, it is our experience that more information can be gathered

and a greater overall account given if families are more engaged. Comprehensive note taking will aid the

writing of a detailed report following the assessment.

You should gather specific examples from the family to help illustrate the child or young person’s

behaviour, care needs et cetera, as this can often give vital detail that is otherwise hard to explain.

Observations (factual and not assumed) included in the report may also be helpful.

Where possible, the child or young person should be encouraged to give their own views. However, the

Fund realises this may not always be appropriate particularly with sensitive issues.

You should ensure that all the necessary information required to answer all the questions on the report has

been gathered. This may involve reviewing any available reports from professionals involved with the

family.

If the family have not already confirmed they are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and /or

Carers Allowance (CA) for their child this should be confirmed during the assessment. If they are not

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receiving DLA and/or CA you should, as appropriate, signpost the family to relevant organisations who can

help them investigate this.

Signposting is a key area of the Family Fund visit process. While assessing the child and family you may wish

to highlight local Parent Carer forums or support groups that the family may be interested in.

Grant requests should be discussed after all the necessary information relating to disability eligibility has

been gathered. This will help manage expectations should you find the child does not meet the Fund’s

eligibility criteria.

The family can request whatever items they feel would help them and these should all be recorded. If you

are aware that the Fund is unlikely to help with certain items, you should advise the family accordingly, but

the request should still be noted on the report. It is important that the Fund knows about all the requests

the family wishes to make even if it is unlikely it will be unable to help with all of them.

You will provide information and guidance to manage expectations in respect of grant requests, but the

final decision on what the Fund can and cannot help the family with is the responsibility of the team in

York.

All Family Fund Home Visit Assessments should be conducted in a professional manner throughout and be

a positive experience for the family regardless of the outcome.

During a Telephone Assessment

The principles outlined above should also be applied to a Telephone Assessment. You should introduce

yourself to the family and provide a good introduction to put the family at ease.

Although it is easy to fall into asking a list of questions while on the telephone, the best reports come from

a fuller conversation where the family feel more involved. Time should be allowed to explore answers and

listen fully to any examples given.

Using an Interpreter at Home Visit Assessments

When required to use an interpreter to conduct a Home Visit Assessment, you must ensure that the Family Fund is not committed to any costs without prior approval in line with the terms of our Agreement with you.

The Family Fund will have a list of Approved Providers but currently does not have a service that can operate in all areas and regions of the UK. If using an Approved Provider from this list, you will not need to seek prior authorisation to book these services if the requirement of an interpreter is highlighted in the file provided for a specific assessment.

In these circumstances, you should contact the Approved Provider to book the relevant service and the agency involved will invoice the Family Fund directly.

If no suitable Approved Provider is available, you will be responsible for sourcing a suitable interpreting agency in the area. A quote must be provided from the agency and sent to the Fund’s RDM for approval before confirming the appointment.

Once approval has been obtained you will be able to book the interpreter, proceed with the visit and request that the provider invoices the Family Fund directly.

Previous acceptance of an interpreting agency does not mean that they become an Approved Provider. Any future use of the same agency will require the same process of authorisation before the service is booked and confirmed.

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Completing the Report

The report should be completed and returned to the Fund within 5 days of the Home Visit or Telephone

Assessment.

Full and comprehensive answers should be provided for all appropriate questions, using any relevant

examples given. All sections of the report should include the date of the assessment so new information

can be identified from old.

It should be made clear on the report if any questions are not relevant to a particular child, with a comment

of, for example, “not applicable”. This evidences to the Fund that there was no relevant information

relating to that question as opposed to relevant information not being obtained.

All reports must include an “Outcome Recommendation” based on the Fund’s eligibility criteria: Eligible,

Not Eligible or Unable to Make a Recommendation. The RDM team will review all reports where you have

been unable to make a recommendation before the family’s application is progressed further.

All grant requests should be listed on the report with the reason the family would like to request them. This

will assist the team in York to efficiently make a decision on how the Fund can help.

Once the report has been completed on the portal, you should complete the relevant fields to generate an

invoice, which should include all related fees and expenses. One invoice should be submitted for each

assessment completed.

What Happens Next?

The submitted report will be reviewed and approved. Should the report not meet the standards required

by the Fund it will be returned to you, with an explanation of where it requires improvement and no

payment will be made until a satisfactory report has been submitted.

Outcome Recommendation - Eligible:

The team in York will review the recommendation and where appropriate make an award to the family.

This may require further consultation with the family about how the Fund is going to help or to request

further information about what they are requesting. Once a grant is awarded the family will be contacted

to inform them of the Fund’s decision; what they have been awarded and how to access their grant.

Outcome Recommendation – Not Eligible:

The team in York will review the recommendation and where appropriate contact the family to inform

them they are not eligible at this stage.

Outcome Recommendation - Unable to make a Recommendation:

The team in York will review the report and decide if the family are eligible or not. This may involve

contacting third parties or requesting further information from the family. It may be passed to a review

panel to make a decision. Once a decision has been made the application will be processed appropriately.

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Awarding grants

All of our grants are awarded, by experienced staff in York, on the basis that they are used only for the purposes for which they are given. Depending upon what a family has asked for, the Fund will award grants in a number of different ways:

• A payment card

• A product delivered to the family’s home direct from a supplier

• A direct payment or voucher from a supplier

• A payment may also be made into a family’s bank account for items where the Fund does not have an arrangement with a supplier.

The Fund strives to achieve the best value for families and funders alike. By using supplier contracts, families receive quality products with a wide choice of brands and styles.

Nearly 90% of grants are awarded through pre-paid cards from high street retailers, vouchers or direct payments to suppliers. By exploiting new technology and negotiating hard with suppliers, the Fund can make our funding go further to help even more families.

As an example, instead of cash, families will get a higher value washing machine with a five year guarantee.

The Fund is always looking for new contract opportunities and is under increasing pressure from trustees and funders to reduce cash grants.

Unusual requests awarded

The following will give you some idea of the unusual kind of requests that the Fund has responded to:

A goat was requested because the child had severe allergies. It would not only enable the family to

have fresh milk, but also make many dairy products for the child.

A pet can be helpful to channel the energy of a child with challenging or hyperactive behaviour.

Children who have little contact with school friends and are unable to join in with their peers, may

benefit from having their own pet.

Sky diving lessons were awarded for a child with cystic fibrosis who always had restricted ability for

sports activity due to their disability.

A vibrating chair was granted for a child with Cerebral Palsy, enabling her to relax while listening to

her music.

A wheelchair accessible tent and camping equipment were awarded for a child who loves camping,

and helped her make friends.

Any request for a grant made by the family should be detailed on the report so our team in York can consider it.

Family Fund Travel insurance

It can be difficult to find affordable travel insurance for families with disabled or seriously ill children or young people. Sometimes the cost of the travel insurance alone can mean that a family break away is unachievable.

Families can get a quote by going to the Family Fund website www.familyfund.org.uk/travelinsurance. The policy is available for families raising a disabled or seriously ill child aged up to 18 years old. It is also available for families with a disabled or seriously ill young person aged from 18 to 23 years who is going on a family break and is in full-time education at the time of travel.

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Child Eligibility Criteria

To meet the Family Fund’s eligibility criteria, children and young people must have:

A severe disability with additional complex needs or, a serious or life threatening illness;

And

There is evidence that the child’s additional needs impact on family’s choices and their opportunity to enjoy

ordinary life. The degree of planning and support required to meet their needs are much greater than that

usually required to meet the needs of children;

And

They require a high level of support in three or more of the following areas:

The physical environment

Education

Communication

Access to social activities

Personal care, supervision and vigilance

Specialist resource is required, including information and communication technology (ICT)

Medical or therapeutic treatment and condition management;

And

The child’s condition is long term or life limiting. By long term we mean lasting or likely to last 12 months or

more.

General indicators relating to the specific areas detailed in the Child Eligibility Criteria:

This information is intended to act as a guide to the indicators of severity of disability for all children and young people irrespective of their specific condition. These indicators show what the Fund means by high support needs. Since provision/practice vary in different geographical areas, it is not possible to list indicators of severity that will always be applicable. You will have knowledge of practice in your area and should take this into consideration when making recommendations. When considering whether a child has high support needs in three or more areas, it is important to note that there may be overlap within some areas, e.g. use of an alternative communication device is relevant to both Communication and Specialist resources; this would only count as one area when considering eligibility. PLEASE NOTE: These are guidance notes designed to assist the Family Fund to decide whether applicants meet the Fund’s criteria. They should not be reproduced or used without prior permission of the Family Fund. The physical environment A child or young person is likely to be regarded as eligible within the physical environment where:

A wheelchair, major buggy or other movement aid is needed to support mobility.

Direct supervision is required to manage safety issues in the home or garden environment beyond

the normally expected age.

A level of direct supervision is needed for all outings outside the garden environment beyond the

normally expected age.

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Household/other items require repair, refurbishment or replacement related to exceptional

damage caused by behavioural or other aspects of the condition.

There is a need for the provision of safety equipment such as gates, locks, safe space, etc.

Education A child or young person is likely to be regarded as eligible within the area of education where:

The child has a Statement or Special Education Needs – England, Wales and Northern Ireland or a

Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) in Scotland, in place or in progress. (Of Record of Needs opened

prior to September 2005, Scotland).

The child has a placement in a special school/unit.

The child has one to one classroom support and the hours allocated are in excess of half of the time

attended.

The child has an Individual Education Plan (IEP)/ Special Education Programme/exemption or

amendments to parts of the curriculum/provision of specialist equipment, e.g. Braille machine.

The child’s school attendance is affected, that is, absent for cumulatively one third or more of the

school year – but other factors will need to be considered, e.g. school refusal, over caution.

The child is receiving home tuition, instead of attending school due to the child’s condition.

The child is receiving specialist pre-school intervention, e.g. early support SEN teacher, Portage, etc.

The child is excluded from school either long-term, or has frequent exclusions in excess of two days

each time. Knowledge of local practice will be important when assessing this issue.

Communication A child or young person is likely to be regarded as eligible within the area of communication where:

The child attends a specialist school for speech and language disorders, a resourced unit based

within a mainstream school or a CDC offering intensive speech therapy intervention.

An alternative and augmentative communication system is needed in order for the child to

communicate, e.g. Electronic aids, symbol systems (e.g. PECS) and sign systems (e.g. BSL, Makaton).

The child’s condition or diagnosis means that they are unlikely to develop intelligible spoken

language.

The child is unable to understand language used around them without direct support.

The child is unable to take part in social activities independently without direct supervision and

support.

The child displays abnormal speech or language patterns, e.g. use of echolalia, very disordered

speech as occurs in severe verbal dyspraxia.

The child receives intensive speech therapy input, e.g. more than once a week and for a period

greater than 2 months.

Access to social activities A child or young person is likely to be regarded as eligible in relation to accessing social activities where:

The child needs physical support to access social, leisure and recreational activities and/or where

additional equipment or specialist access is required to facilitate activities.

The child requires supervision for safety issues beyond that needed for a child of a similar age, e.g.

a child who has limited understanding of the danger or a young person who may be vulnerable to

other children and adults.

Support is vital to facilitate friendships and personal contact with the child’s peers or where family

relationships are replacing peer friendships due to the child’s disability.

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The child’s leisure activities (and perhaps the whole family’s) are limited to the home environment

due to some or all of the above.

Personal care, supervision and vigilance A child or young person is likely to be regarded as eligible in relation to personal care, supervision and vigilance where:

The extra care required to support the child becomes an accepted and often unrecognised part of

the routine of family life.

The child needs assistance to administer drugs, oxygen, physiotherapy, giving injections, using

medical equipment, complementary medicine, etc.

The child’s carer is learning or using BSL, Makaton, PECS, etc.

The child needs lifting and carrying.

The child needs help with toileting, bathing and dressing.

The child creates extra washing, cleaning and clearing up.

The child’s sleep is affected on a regular basis, such as late nights, early mornings and interrupted

sleep.

The child has to attend frequent hospital appointments and the carer has to liaise with many

professionals, e.g. school, cardiac nurses, social workers, etc.

The carer has to advocate on the child’s behalf and cope with professionals visiting at home.

The carer needs to constantly monitor the safety of the child’s environment and assess potential

hazards.

The carer and the child have to make hard decisions about the child’s welfare and future.

The carer has very few people apart from themselves who can look after the child.

The carer has to be on call to deal with any problems when the child is at school, including

secondary school.

The carer’s/family’s employment, finances and health are affected by the care needs of the child.

Specialist resources required (including ICT) A child or young person is likely to be viewed as eligible in respect of the provision of specialist resources required where:

The child receives regular and ongoing support and intervention from a professional therapist, such

as a Physiotherapist, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Psychiatrist or Psychologist.

The child requires the use of specialist ICT equipment to be provided, e.g. touch screens, adapted

keyboards, switches for scanning and selecting, etc.

The child communicates using an augmentative communication system.

The child requires specialist input from a wheelchair service to support and aid mobility.

The child requires adaptations to their family home, either via funding from a DFG or elsewhere, in

order to promote and enable access, mobility, independence and privacy.

The child requires either adaptations to a car or specialist car seat or harness to facilitate safe

travel.

Medical or therapeutic treatment and condition management A child or young person is likely to be viewed as eligible in respect of the therapeutic treatment where:

The child receives regular and ongoing intervention from a Physiotherapist, Speech Therapist,

Occupational Therapist, Psychiatrist or Psychologist. There may be occasions where the child

receives less frequent input than has been recommended due to the lack of resources locally.

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The child receives daily input of therapy by family or school following programmes devised by

professionals. Some therapies may be followed throughout the daily routines, whether the child is

playing, learning or moving around, such as in Conductive education or Bobath Therapy, a Portage

programme or use of a communication system.

A child or young person is likely to be viewed as eligible in respect of medical treatment/ intervention where:

The child is on 24 hours oxygen.

The child is tube fed.

The child has had or about to have major surgery with a lengthy recuperation period and long

periods off school.

The child is receiving invasive therapy for conditions such as cancer, e.g. Chemotherapy,

radiotherapy, bone marrow transplant.

The child has frequent hospital admissions/emergency medical intervention for unstable conditions

such as asthma or epilepsy.

The child has frequent daily, or phrases of daily, treatment that have to be administered by others,

e.g. children with severe eczema.

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Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults The Family Fund is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Over its 40 years, the Family Fund has developed robust procedures to ensure the protection of vulnerable children, young people and families. These processes have continually evolved over time in response to good practice in safeguarding standards. As part of its commitment to safeguarding, the Family Fund is required to ensure that all of the contractors and suppliers that Family Fund commissions, adhere to the same high safeguarding standards as the Family Fund. As such, this section of the Information Guide details the processes through which Independent Assessors should engage with the Family Fund with regard to the undertaking of safeguarding procedures in line with clause 7.7 of the Independent Assessors contract: 7.7. The Independent Assessor shall adopt and update as necessary a child protection policy containing

child protection procedures reasonably acceptable to the Fund.

Safeguarding Policy In line with the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004 for England and Wales, the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, you will be expected to fulfil your responsibilities in relation to the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults whilst fulfilling your assessment work on behalf of the Family Fund. It is expected that you will have your own Safeguarding Policies which are consistent with accepted good practice in children’s safeguarding. Information and resources for developing your Safeguarding Policy can be found on page 15. Notifying the Family Fund about Safeguarding Issues The Family Fund expects you to notify us with regard to the identification of safeguarding issues discovered as part of any Family Fund commissioned assessment. You should adopt the following processes for informing the Family Fund of any safeguarding issues that are identified as part of the home assessment visit or telephone assessment as well as the actions that you have taken in investigating and reporting the issues, if necessary, to appropriate statutory authorities (i.e. Local Child Protection Services, CAMHS, and GPs).

STEP 1

Within 24 hours of witnessing or identifying a safeguarding concern complete the Safeguarding Reporting eForm in the IA Portal. The Safeguarding Reporting eForm is easily identifiable within the portal as the

following icon appears at the top of the page immediately after you have logged in;

If the safeguarding concern is high risk (see following pages) it is expected that you will also have contacted local social care services within 24 hours of the assessment.

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Step 3 – Update High Risk Case

Within 7 days of notifying the Family Fund of the concern, you will be expected to log back into the IA Portal to:

Provide an update of the actions undertaken

since reporting the case by completing the

Safeguarding Update eForm in the IA Portal.

Detail the names and contact details for any

statutory or non-statutory third parties you

have contacted or informed about the case.

Detail any actions still to be taken or

outstanding and advise on the likely timescale

for completion.

STEP 2

Complete the Safeguarding eForm with the following;

1. Risk level priority (see page next page for risk definitions).

2. Details of concern – be clear about the nature of the safeguarding concern and how / when you identified it.

3. Record any immediate actions that you have taken.

Step 3 – Update Medium Risk Case

Within 7 days of notifying the Family Fund of the concern, you will be expected to log back into the IA Portal to:

Provide an update of the actions undertaken since reporting the case completing the Safeguarding Update eForm in the IA Portal.

Detail the names and contact details for any statutory or non-statutory third parties you have contacted or informed about the case.

Detail any actions still to be taken or outstanding and advise on the likely timescale for completion.

Step 3 – Update Low Risk Case

Within 14 days of notifying the Family Fund of the concern, you will be expected to log back into the IA Portal to:

Provide an update of the actions undertaken since reporting the case Safeguarding Update eForm in the IA Portal.

Detail the names and contact details for any statutory or non-statutory third parties you have contacted or informed about the case.

Detail any actions still to be taken or outstanding and advise on the likely timescale for completion.

STEP 4

Notify the Family Fund of the outcome

Once you have taken the appropriate actions which may have included (but is not limited to): reporting to local social care services, informing statutory professionals, making a referral for support services or concluded that the risk is being managed by parents or carers, you should log back into the IA Portal and complete the

Safeguarding Update eForm to notify the Family Fund that you have closed the case and there is no further action required by the Independent Assessor.

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Definition of risk category for the purpose of Family Fund Safeguarding procedures

High risk

A high risk concern is where you witness or identify the immediate risk of harm to a child or vulnerable adult.

The following examples are actual incidents reported within the last 12 months. They are for guidance purposes only. You will be required to make your own evaluation of ‘immediate risk of harm’.

Parent asking for help towards funding a hysterectomy for her 14 year old daughter. Parent

feels it is in her daughter’s best interests for her to have this operation as she has many

disabilities and coping with her monthly cycle is very hard for her.

Young person discloses harming himself and others.

Disclosure that child is spending time with his estranged parent who is a registered drug

addict and is using drugs.

Parent reporting their teenage daughter’s behaviour has deteriorated; truanting, fighting,

drug using and associating with older men; parent worried she is being groomed.

Medium risk

A Medium risk concern is where you witness or identify unmet needs for a child or vulnerable adult.

The following examples are actual incidents reported within the last 12 months. They are for guidance purposes only. You will be required to make your own evaluation of ‘unmet needs’.

Observe child or young person living in poor living conditions, child is dirty, sparsely dressed

and showing signs of neglect.

A family requests a computer and we have information that the child has been subject to

internet grooming and his previous laptop has been removed by the police.

Low risk

A low risk incident is where the Independent Assessor witnesses or identifies additional support needs to prevent escalation to a higher risk category.

The following examples are actual incidents reported within the last 12 months. They are for guidance purposes only. You will be required to make your own evaluation of ‘additional support needs’.

Isolated single parent struggling to cope with the child’s aggressive behaviour and verbal

abuse towards them and towards the younger sibling. Parent distressed by demanding

argumentative behaviour and totally overwhelmed by managing the general family

situation.

Home environment with haze of choking tobacco smoke; parent smoker recently made

redundant feeling very low, irritable and vulnerable. Child has chronic lung disease.

Family have recently fled due to domestic violence; there are no family, friends, social

workers or health professionals involved at the new location. It is clear that they are very

isolated, the parent is depressed and struggling with her own mental health difficulties, the

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child is not coping in a main stream school due to her disability and the change in

environment.

Useful Contacts and Information

Social Care team or Duty Social worker can be sourced from the links below.

The following are links to Government directories for local safeguarding teams in each Local

Authority in the UK.

England http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedirect/Start.do?mode=1

Scotland http://www.cosla.gov.uk/scottish-local-government

Northern Ireland http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/local-councils-in-northern-ireland

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/protecting-children-and-vulnerable-adults

Wales http://wales.gov.uk/topics/localgovernment/?skip=1&lang=en

The following are links to tools and resources that can help you to develop your Safeguarding Policy.

http://www.protectingchildren.org.uk/cp-topics/child-themes/disabled-children/

http://www.safenetwork.org.uk/resources/Pages/writing_policies_and_procedures.aspx

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/briefings/writing-cp-policy_wda93825.html

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/protecting-children-and-vulnerable-adults

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Data Protection

The Data Protection Act 1998 is legislation that aims to ensure that any personal or sensitive data held about an individual is accurate, relevant, held securely and used for purposes that the individual is aware of and has consented to.

Purpose

IAs are contractually responsible for confidentiality of data that they become aware of during the course of their assessment work. The following guidelines are based on Family Fund best practice with respect to confidentiality and data protection. You are expected to use your own professional judgement in interpreting and applying these guidelines.

Use of computers and printers at home

Work relating to the Fund should not be stored on hard drives of computers or any portable storage device. There is a risk to data if the computer is stolen or if that data can be accessed when the computer is disposed of. Hard disks should be completely erased if they have been used to store confidential information, prior to disposing of computers.

All computer passwords should remain strictly confidential and must not be shared with any other person. Confidential information displayed on screen or printers should not be left unattended.

You should be aware that all web-based email addresses, including Gmail and Hotmail, are not as secure as those from internet providers such as BT.

Families’ records

Under the Data Protection Act, families have a legal right to access all computer and manual files containing personal information and data held by the Family Fund. This includes any notes held by IAs. Any information included in a report should be factual and appropriate, and all recommendations given should be your professional opinion relating to the Fund’s eligibility criteria.

Where information is held in paper or printed form, care should be taken and it should be stored securely. Once a report has been submitted and approved, any papers relating to that report should be shredded.

Paper information should not be kept with laptops in case the laptop is stolen.

Interpreters should not have any of the family’s information.

Information regarding a family must not be discussed with a third party without the family’s consent. Please note – the only exception to this would be where you have concerns regarding safeguarding and child protection issues.

The Family Fund does not recommend that you take documents from families. If this is necessary, only copies should be taken, not originals. They should be transported and stored securely until which time they are destroyed effectively.

Appropriate steps should be taken to avoid wherever possible conversations/voicemails about families’ circumstances being overheard by people who should not be party to these conversations.

Mobile phones should be PIN protected.

Confidential information relating to any of the Fund’s activities should not be discussed with any other person, including family and friends, even after termination of the Agreement with the Fund.

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Keeping families informed

Many of the families the Fund helps have not received information about, or signposting to, other sources of help. The organisations listed below are not grant making, but can direct to appropriate organisations that are. They are also helpful advocates and listeners.

Where a family is not in receipt of DLA or Carers Allowance or has not applied for them, you should provide advice and signposting through:

Contact a Family (CAF) is a national charity supporting families of disabled children.

Freephone Helpline: 0808 808 3555 Minicom: 0808 808 3556

Email: info@cafamily.org.uk Web: www.cafamily.org.uk

CAF Wales Tel: 029 2039 6625 Email: wales.office@cafamily.org.uk

CAF Scotland Tel: 0131 659 2930 Email: scotlandoffice@cafamily.org.uk

CAF Northern Ireland Tel: 028 9262 7552 Email: nirelandoffice@cafamily.org.uk

CAF offers families confidential advice including:

Benefits and sources of financial help

Education advice for additional needs

Sources of support, including groups set up by parents

Services families may be entitled to such as aids and equipment

Local parent run support groups

Turn2us is an independent charity that helps people access the money available to them – through welfare benefits, grants and other help. Their free, accessible website is a comprehensive and invaluable resource that helps find sources of financial support, quickly and easily, based on needs and circumstances. In some cases, online enquiries can be made to grant-giving charities listed on the site.

Confidential information is given by trained professional advisers on welfare benefits entitlement and applying for grants.

Helpline: 0808 802 2000 Web: www.turn2us.org.uk

Other organisations which families might find helpful are:

Grandparents Plus is the national charity which champions the vital role of grandparents and the wider family in children’s lives.

Tel: 0300 123 7015

Email: advice@grandparentsplus.org.uk Web: www.grandparentsplus.org.uk

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Grandparents Association works with government, local authorities and campaigns key charities to raise awareness of the needs of grandparents.

Tel: 0845 434 9585 Email: advice@grandparents-association.org.uk

Web: www.grandparents-association.org.uk

Sibs is the only UK charity representing the needs of siblings of disabled people. Siblings have a lifelong need for information; they often experience social and emotional isolation and have to cope with difficult situations.

Tel: 01535 645453 Email: info@sibs.org.uk Web: www.sibs.org.uk

DIAL UK has advice centres throughout the UK run by and for disabled people of all ages. They provide advice and information on all aspects of living with a disability, for example benefits, mobility, equipment, community care, and holidays.

Tel: 01302 310 123 Web: www.dialuk.info

National Autistic Society champions the rights and interests of all people with autism and aims to provide individuals with autism and their families with help, support and services that they can access, trust and rely upon and which can make a positive difference to their lives.

England: Tel: +44 (0)20 7833 2299 Email: nas@nas.org.uk

Scotland: Tel: +44 (0)141 221 8090 Email: scotland@nas.org.uk

Wales: Tel: +44 (0)2920 629 312 Email: wales@nas.org.uk

N. Ireland: Tel: +44 (0)2890 687 066 Email: northern.ireland@nas.org.uk

Citizens Advice helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice.

Web: www.citizensadvice.org.uk