Prescot Drive Short Break Service Workflow.
Referral:
 A referral request for short breaks is sent via email by the Social Worker
to [email protected].
• The personalised resource coordinator will forward to the panel members
prior to short breaks panel who meet once a month. Panel either approve
or don’t approve referral. Panel will also sign post to other services.
 Parents and carers are notified of decision from panel.
Allocation and subsequent action:
 Young person will be allocated a number of nights across a year. This
could be from fourteen to fifty six nights a year.
 The young person will be allocated to a Link worker who will make
contact with the referring Social Worker to arrange initial meeting to
gather further information about the young person.
 Prior to the initial meeting with the Social Worker the Link Worker will
go onto Liquid Logic to gather further information about the young
person.
 Link Worker will complete an Essential Information Record to ensure
that they are in receipt of all relevant information about the young person.
Any gaps in available information will be addressed during the initial
meeting with the Social Worker.
Short Breaks Risk Assessment:
The Social Worker will identify any known risks within their initial
referral to the service.
The initial meeting with the Social Worker provides a further opportunity
to understand and explore any risks specifically relating to young person
accessing short breaks.
The Link Worker will develop a placement risk assessment and an
individual crisis management plan (ICMP) with these documents being
ongoing.
As the Link Worker gets to know and work with the family, further risks
may become apparent, these risks will be shared and recorded as
appropriate. The Link Worker will also remove any risks that no longer
exist.
Link Workers must discuss any further identified risks with their line manager
and ensure the Social Worker and other relevant professionals are informed of
the risk as soon as possible.
Parents are responsible for notifying the home and the social worker prior to
their child’s stay if they are going to be away from the city or not available
during their child or young person’s short break stay.
There may be times when in the best interests of young people we will need to
refuse admission or return young people home. The list below is not exhaustive
and other exceptional circumstances may need to be considered.
Circumstances in which young people may be refused admission or
returned home: If young people arrive without prescribed medication.
 If young people’s medication and administration of this medication is not
clear and cannot be clarified by expert opinion i.e. Doctor within a
practicable time frame.
 Young people present as unwell and being at home is in their best
interests.
 Young people refuse to get out of transport within a reasonable timescale
dependent on how young people manage transition. A timely and
reasonable decision in the child’s best interests will be made by the staff
in consultation with the parent or person transporting the child.
Emergency Admission
The home has the facility to accommodate in an Emergency after assessing risks
and needs, however the Disabled Children’s Team would need to make decision
to cancel or shorten another young person’s stay if either full occupancy is in
place or assessed risk dictates at time of emergency request.
Young people already accessing the service can gain access to the services
immediately where there is a clearly defined need for it in exceptional
circumstances
Examples of this would be: Parent/carer hospitalisation.
 Child Protection.
Managing emergency placements: There will be a plan for the length of the
access to the Emergency placement whenever practicable; however, when
circumstances dictate that this cannot be so, then an emergency planning
meeting must be held within 72 hours to further examine the situation. Any
outstanding documentation is to be ready for this planning meeting.
Emergency admissions must take into account the needs of the individual young
person and the needs of the other young people who already have a break
planned. The nature in which the young person is to be transported to the home
should be considered when risk managing and decision making around
admission.
Emergency placements will initially only be approved for a maximum of 14
days. Where, following assessment of the home situation during that 14 day
period, it is clear that it will take longer to re-introduce the young person back
home, then an extension may be agreed in consultation with the Service
Manager.
Emergency admission of young person not previously known to service:
When this situation occurs the home requires that the “All About Me” document
is completed in order to allow for a Placement Plan to be established. We would
also require a risk assessment, medical consent and confirmation of medications
prescribed prior to admission.
All identified risks must be discussed with Short Breaks line manager who
will ensure that all practical control measures are in place.
There must be a clear objective to the placement with regular reviews to ensure
that the focus is maintained and to ensure that if the plan needs to change, it is
done so without delay to ensure the young person is afforded appropriate and
consistent care, and so that any movements are appropriate and planned with
that young person’s best interests at heart.
Prior to planned Short Breaks
 Rota for short break stays is done 6 months to a year in advance
 Consent forms to be signed by parents and carers.
 Parents and Carers of young people will receive dates for their child’s
stays along with a feedback form six month in advance via post.
 Two weeks before young person’s short breaks parents/carers will be sent
relevant documents and paperwork to be signed before stay. This includes
clothing/items list, medication and change in circumstance documents.
 A few days prior to their child’s stay, parents and carers will receive a
call from a member of the residential staff to check on any updated
information and confirm the short break stay.
 Parents and carers are to notify social worker of any, cancellations,
changes to allocated nights and requests for additional or emergency
stays.
Social Worker will be expected to outline and clearly identify any specific areas
of work they want the service to undertake in order to support or meet care
needs. We should ensure the placement plan is aligned to the overall objectives
of the Child in Need Plan/ Child Protection Plan /EHC plan.