Referrals

Summary

A request for detailed statistics on children's social services referrals and child protection plans in the Isle of Man for 2016/17 was partially fulfilled, with some data withheld because it was not held in the specific format requested.

Key Facts

• The Department of Health and Social Care could not provide data strictly limited to new referrals for Section 46 enquiries as their reporting covers all enquiries in a year.
• 319 Section 46 enquiries were undertaken by the Initial Response Team, which typically handles new referrals.
• There were 508 single assessments and 80 initial assessments conducted regarding referrals received in 2016/17.
• Of the 508 single assessments, 179 required a Strategy Discussion, 245 received short-term support, and 74 received longer-term planned services.
• The response included caveats that provided data covers all service activity rather than just new referrals as specifically requested.

Data Disclosed

• 319
• 508
• 80
• 179
• 245
• 74
• 4
• 6
• 36
• 2016/17
• 2017-04-13
• 2017-05-04
• 18 April 2017
• 04 May 2017

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held or cannot be produced after reasonable steps

Data Tables (6)

Full Response Text

Department of Health and Social Care

Rheynn Slaynt as Kiarail y Theay

Page 1 of 6 FOIA/DHSC/1718/01

Chief Executive: Malcolm Couch

Freedom of Information Team Department of Health & Social Care Chief Executive’s Office Crookall House Demesne Road Douglas Isle of Man, IM1 3QA Tel: Email: Website: Date: FOI Reference: (01624) 642621 foi.dhsc@gov.im www.gov.im/dhsc 04 May 2017 IM84-756i

Dear REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2015 (“the Act”) Thank you for your request to the Department of Health and Social Care, dated 18 April 2017 Your request You asked for: Question 01: “In respect of all referrals to Children and Families Social Services in the last 12 months –
a) How many led to the identification of a child suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm as defined in section 12(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 2001; b) How many led to the identification of a child in need as defined in section 23(2) of the Children and Young Persons Act 2001; and c) of the children identified in (b) above, how many were provided with a service listed in section 23(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act 2001; and” Question 02: “Of the number of children subject to a Child Protection Plan –
a) how many children had previously been subject to a Child Protection Plan or listed on the child protection register, or were previously known to Social Services; b) how many children were on the child protection register or subject to a Child Protection Plan at the end of each month; c) how many families with children on the child protection register or subject to a Child Protection Plan there were at the end of each month?”

Page 2 of 6 FOIA/DHSC/1718/01 Question 03: “In respect of all contacts and referrals to Children and Families Social Services in the last 12 months to list, broken down by case type –
a) how many times there was a log of concern about a child or children from an agency or member of the public; b) how many contacts resulted in a referral to Social Services; how many referrals warranted a more detailed investigation; and
c) how many initial assessments warranted a more detailed investigation?” Response to your request The Department of Health and Social Care (“the Department”) is pleased to be able to provide a response to your request with answers to some of your questions; while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested. The reasons and statutory exemption sections are shown as part of the corresponding answers below. Please note the caveats provided with the answers below as you have specifically stated that you require the data with respects to the new referrals received in the year 2016/17. To best help you we have provided data published that is in respect of all activity undertaken by the whole service regardless of when the referral was received. Question 01: “In respect of all referrals to Children and Families Social Services in the last 12 months –
a) How many led to the identification of a child suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm as defined in section 12(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 2001; While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, produce the information that you have requested as Children & Families normal data reporting identifies all the enquiries made under section 46 of the Children & Young Persons Act 2001 during a year rather than just those related to new referrals received within that reporting period. However, to best assist you we have provided the section 46 enquiries undertaken by our Initial Response Team who, in the normal pathway, would deal with new referrals into the service: Section 46 enquiries undertaken by Initial Response Team - 319. You may also benefit from the information to be published in the Isle of Man Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report – please refer to the IOMSCB website at: http://www.isleofmanscb.im/. Publication is anticipated in July 2017.
You may also find the Children & Families Annual Report of interest – this is being collated and will be published on the Department’s website in due course.

Page 3 of 6 FOIA/DHSC/1718/01 b) How many led to the identification of a child in need as defined in section 23(2) of the Children and Young Persons Act 2001; and The Department can confirm that there were 508 single assessments and 80 Initial Assessments undertaken by our Initial Response Service with respects to referrals received within the year 2016/17.
c) Of the children identified in (b) above, how many were provided with a service listed in section 23(3) of the Children and Young Persons Act 2001; and” The Department has provided the following as the outcomes of the assessments, as defined in Question 01b:

Of the 508 single Assessments, 179 identified a requirement for a Strategy Discussion under IOM Safeguarding Board procedures (which may then have led to enquiries under section 46 of Children & Young Persons Act); 245 were provided with immediate short term supportive services and then closed at the end of the assessment period; 74 provided with a longer term period of planned service provision by Children & Families; 4 referred to other agencies; and 6 with other actions. Of the 80 Initial Assessments, 36 identified a requirement for a Strategy Discussion under IOM Safeguarding Board procedures (which may then have led to enquiries under section 46 of Children & Young Persons Act); 8 went to Core Assessment with 31 no further action; 2 were referred on to alternative service provision by another agency; and 3 with other actions.
Question 02: Of the number of children subject to a Child Protection Plan –
a) How many children had previously been subject to a Child Protection Plan or listed on the child protection register, or were previously known to Social Services; While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, produce all the information that you have requested, we do not produce the information regarding how many were previously known to Social Services. However, the Department can confirm that 10 children had previously been subject to a Child Protection Plan (or listed on the child protection register).

b) How many children were on the child protection register or subject to a Child Protection Plan at the end of each month; Please find the Department’s response to Question 02b in the following table: April 2016 77 May 2016 70

Page 4 of 6 FOIA/DHSC/1718/01 June 2016 60 July 2016 57 August 2016 49 September 2016 49 October 2016 52 November 2016 57 December 2016 59 January 2017 66 February 2017 69 March 2017 76

c) How many families with children on the child protection register or subject to a Child Protection Plan there were at the end of each month?” Please find the Department’s response to Question 02c in the following table: April 2016

37 May 2016
35 June 2016

32 July 2016
29 August 2016 25 September 2016 24 October 2016 25 November 2016 29 December 2016 30 January 2017 31 February 2017 34 March 2017 38

Question 03: “In respect of all contacts and referrals to Children and Families Social Services in the last 12 months to list, broken down by case type –
a) How many times there was a log of concern about a child or children from an agency or member of the public; While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, produce some of the information that you have requested as Contacts are not ‘broken down by case type’; we do not produce the data regarding the source of the contacts (see below for Referral breakdown by type and source); for clarity the Department does not locally use the ‘Log of Concern’ process used elsewhere.

Page 5 of 6 FOIA/DHSC/1718/01 However, to assist you the Department can confirm that there were 1,989 Contacts made to Children & Families in the year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.
b) How many contacts resulted in a referral to Social Services; how many referrals warranted a more detailed investigation; and
There were 989 Referrals to Children & Families service in the year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017. The breakdown by case type is listed below. Referral by CIN Category
No. N1 - Abuse or neglect 584 N2 - Child's Disability 39 N3 - Parental illness or disability 14 N4 - Family in acute stress 71 N5 - Family dysfunction 202 N6 - Socially Unacceptable Behaviour 27 N8 - Absent Parenting 45 N9 - Cases other than children in need 7 Total 989

The breakdown by source of Referral is as follows:

Agency (includes all professional sources of referral not just statutory agencies) 757

The public (includes self and inter-family referrals, those classified as ‘Other’ and ‘Anonymous’) 232

There were 508 single Assessments, 80 Initial Assessments and 319 Section 46 enquiry Assessments completed by our Initial Response Team within the year.* See answer to question 01c for the outcome of these assessments.
Note: Children & Families moved to a single assessment process in May 2016.

*Children & Families normal reporting covers all Assessments completed within the Service during the reporting period. That number would include those completed as a re-assessment on cases already open at year end therefore outside the scope of your request. To assist you the Department has isolated those Assessments completed within our Initial Response Team as they would in the normal course of events be those completed on new referrals into the service. c) How many initial assessments warranted a more detailed investigation?”

Page 6 of 6 FOIA/DHSC/1718/01 See above information.
Initial and Core Assessments were discontinued at the beginning of May 2016 and replaced with a single assessment process (see figures above). Your right to request a review
If you are unhappy with this response to your Freedom of Information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post to the FOI Co-ordinator, Department of Health & Social Care, Chief Executive’s Officer, Crookall House, Demesne Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3QA. An electronic version and paper version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website www.gov.im/about-the-government/freedom-of-information/how-to-make-a- freedom-of-information-request/ . Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.
If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on:

1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act; or
2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
   In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision.
   Further information about Freedom of Information requests can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at: www.inforights.im/information-centre/freedom-of-information. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours Sincerely

Freedom of Information Team Department of Health and Social Care