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1.6.2 Emergency Duty Team Procedure

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was reviewed and updated in March 2011.


Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Service Objectives
  3. Team Structure and Roles
  4. Hours Covered
  5. Referrals and Responses
  6. Specific Issues


1. Introduction

The EDT will respond to situations arising outside normal working hours   which require the intervention of a social worker and cannot or should not wait for a resolution the next working day.


2. Service Objectives

2.1

To meet all the council's statutory responsibilities, within the context of out of hours emergency duty, as they relate to both Social Care and Housing.  The service will provide prompt, sensitive, client focused and professional response to the following categories of referrals:

  1. Child Protection and Child in Need;
  2. Vulnerable homeless individuals / families under the Housing Act 2000;
  3. Other vulnerable groups / individuals such as the elderly, people with disabilities, special needs / learning difficulties, or any other vulnerable group;
  4. Asylum seeking children and families;
  5. Children or adults requiring an Appropriate Adult Service under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, 1984 and the series of associated guidelines subsequently issued.
  6. Children Remanded to Local Authority Accommodation
2.2 In operational terms, this includes responding to emergencies first referred to the department earlier on that same day and going on into the evening (that is beyond 5pm) and the provision of appropriate guidance and support to operational staff in the department, whose work extend beyond office hours.


Boundaries of Service Provision
2.3 The EDT undertakes essential work, which is required immediately to protect a client. It will not provide an in-depth service and it is not a 24 hour service.  It will not, for example, undertake visits for a Social Worker who is on annual leave.  Such arrangements need to be made by case responsible Operational Managers.


3. Team Structure and Roles

3.1 The operational service will be provided by a team of Senior Duty Social Workers. These staff will work a shift pattern and one will be on duty each shift. The service will be managed by a Team Leader and an Operational Manager. There will be a duty manager on call at all times.
3.2 In addition there is a team of specifically recruited standby Duty Social Workers, one of whom will be on duty each shift, to assist with assessments.
3.3 There will also be a specifically recruited Appropriate Adult available each shift to respond to all Appropriate Adult requests within Croydon (unless the Police advise there are exceptional circumstances).


Duty and EDT Operational Manager
3.4

The EDT Team Leader or Operational Manager will be available on call to the Senior Duty Social Worker as the manager of the service.  They will be available for management decisions on cases and the authorisation of resources.
3.5 There will also be an on call senior manager who will be contacted if there is a need for a senior management decision.


Senior Duty Social Worker Role
3.6 Throughout the year three full time equivalent posts are dedicated to a Senior Duty Social Workers' Rota.  The Senior Duty Social Worker will be supported by a standby Duty Social Worker for all emergencies for the period up to midnight, on all days; both weekdays and weekends and on public / Council holidays.
3.7 The Senior Duty Social Worker will be on duty up to midnight and then will be available on an 'on call' up to 9am.


Duty Social Worker
3.8 In addition to the Senior Duty Social Worker, the Duty Social Worker will be on standby from 5pm until midnight during weekdays and 9am until midnight both weekends and on public / Council holidays.
3.9 The standby Senior Social Worker's primary role is to undertake assessments of referrals allocated to them by the Senior Duty Social Worker and provide feedback to the senior and appropriate worker during the day.  They will be called on depending on the demand on the service and this will be authorised by the EDT Manager.


Appropriate Adult
3.10 An Appropriate Adult will be available from each shift from 5pm until midnight weekdays and 9am until midnight both weekends and on public / Council holidays.
3.11 The Appropriate Adult will directly receive calls regarding requests for their service.  They will be responsible to respond to calls and provide the appropriate service.  Should there be any dispute that cannot be resolved by this worker, then they should contact the Senior Duty Social Worker.
3.12 After midnight any request for this service will be directed to the Senior Duty Social Worker on call.  Only in serious cases will a vulnerable child / adult be interviewed after midnight.  However, there may be a need for the prisoner to receive their rights, during this period of time. This should be addressed by the Senior Duty Social Worker on call.


Remands to Local Authority Accommodation
3.13 To provide a response to the Magistrates Court on Saturdays and Bank holidays when a child aged 10 to 16 is Remanded to Local Authority Accommodation.
3.14

The following arrangements apply:

  1. EDT will firstly contact the "In House" Remand Foster Carer to check if there is a vacancy;
  2. Failing that, the EDT social worker will identify a placement and make arrangements to collect and transport the child to the placement from court;
  3. Social Worker to complete Placement Information Record;
  4. If the child remanded is not from Croydon, EDT will liaise with the relevant home authority's EDT service;
  5. Inform parents of outcome.


The Role of The Senior Social Worker
3.15

The role of the Senior Social Worker is to collate initial referral information, undertake any background checks needed, liaise with other agencies / individuals within the community and directly assess the needs of the client.
3.16 Depending on the client group, assessments will either be Child In Need, Child Protection, Housing Assessment or a Risk Assessment of a vulnerable adult.
3.17

Specifically the Senior Social Worker's tasks are:

  1. To receive the referral and make initial assessments over the telephone to determine its priority;
  2. To directly assess clients that present at Taberner House or need an assessment within the community;
  3. Ensure clear lines of communication with professionals and service users;
  4. Exercise professional skills to prevent families breaking down and the accommodation of children;
  5. To act as senior on shift and advise the Duty Manager of any concerns;
  6. To allocate work to the Duty Social Worker on duty and support them within their role.
3.18 When confronted with a complex and / or sensitive matter, the Senior Social Worker should obtain management advice and consultation from the Duty Manager on call.
3.19 The Senior Social Worker will ensure that any work undertaken within that shift is handed over to the appropriate team / individual.
3.20

The Senior Duty Social Worker will be based within the Duty Office at Taberner House.  Should they need to undertake an assessment within the community, then they should follow the appropriate health and safety procedure.  They should leave a record of their visit at the office and page the information to the duty manager.
3.21 The Senior Social Worker will complete all relevant forms when conducting an assessment.  All assessments will be either hand written or entered directly on SWIFT.


4. Hours Covered

The EDT provides cover from:

  1. 5.00pm to 9.00am Monday - Thursday
  2. 5.00pm Friday to 9.00am Monday
  3. 24 hour cover on Public Holidays


5. Referrals and Responses

5.1 There will always be an out of hours Duty Senior Social Worker.
5.2 The Operational Manager will be available for consultation / advice on sensitive cases or major issues / incidents.  She/ he can contact senior managers in the Department.
5.3 Referrals are made to the out of hours social work staff via Taberner House Security (Tel: 020 8686 4433), who will contact appropriate staff.
5.4 Should day staff wish to alert the EDT to a situation or make a request, then an EDT Referral Form should be completed and sent to EDT via Security.  Security will then distribute it to the Senior Duty Worker. They can also email referrals to EDT via SSD-EMERGENGENCY-DUTY-TEAM@croydon.gov.uk


Urgent Referrals

5.5

If day staff need to make an urgent referral they should either:

  1. Check with the EDT office at Rees House before 2.00pm and they will be told who is on duty; or
  2. After 5.00 speak directly to the Duty Senior Social Worker;
  3. They can also email referrals to EDT via SSD-EMERGENGENCY-DUTY-TEAM@croydon.gov.uk


Planned Work
5.6 The EDT may undertake some planned work on behalf of daytime colleagues.  However, fixed appointments cannot be agreed and work is prioritised by out of hours workers who have an overall perspective.
5.7 All planned work should be discussed with the Operational Manager for the Intake and EDT.


Out of Hours Response
5.8

On receiving a call the Senior Duty Social Worker will:

  1. Check SWIFT and the Red Flag System;
  2. Record all available information from Security;
  3. Check any other information source;
  4. Assess the need for telephone response / call-out / priority relative to other demands on the service;
  5. Develop a plan of action;
  6. Contact the EDT Manager if they wish to contact the Duty Social Worker on call:
  7. Once accepted, the referral is managed by the EDT who will prioritise the work and allocate in accordance with resources.


Feedback to the Daytime Service
5.9 All Children's Service responses will be logged on SWIFT and in urgent cases E Mails will be sent, with an additional telephone call to ensure the worker will be available.  This will be completed between 09.00am and 10.00am.


6. Specific Issues


Requests for Accommodation
6.1 EDT has limited access to emergency accommodation for children.  Before a child is accommodated, an assessment will be undertaken to establish whether the child requires an emergency placement and if so, whether there are friends or relatives with whom the child can safely remain until daytime services can undertake a more in-depth assessment.
6.2 A child may only be accommodated with the agreement of the Senior Manager.


Absconders from Care
6.3 Croydon Looked After Children who abscond from care may be returned home, sometimes with the assistance of the Police. The EDT will not be in a position to transport children placed by other local authorities in Croydon, or Croydon children who have run, or are placed in non neighbouring other local authorities.


Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
6.4 If Looked After by Croydon, an out of hours worker or representative must attend when questioning is undertaken, consistent with good child care practice.
6.5 In all other cases involving an adult with some form of mental health difficulty or learning disability, the EDT will make every effort to provide a responsible adult if asked by the police and use the Appropriate Adult rota.


Homeless Families
6.6 A protocol has been agreed with the Housing Department that the EDT be provided a daily list of B&B vacancies and access to travel warrants.  EDT will undertake all Emergency Housing Assessments.


Children With Mental Health Problems
6.7 Where an assessment is required for a child with Mental Health problems, EDT and the Mental Health Teams will jointly assess the child.
6.8 Where the Mental Health Teams are assessing an adult and there are children in the household, EDT will become involved if children need to be Accommodated.  Apart from this, EDT staff will receive information and pass it onto the daytime services, if appropriate.


Children not Collected from School
6.9 Please see the Children not Collected from School Procedure.

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