Level indicators
Overview
| Level of need | Support required |
|---|---|
| Level 1 |
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| Level 2 |
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Level 3 Early help plan |
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Level 4 Social care family assessment Section 47/14 enquiries |
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- The continuum of need is intended to provide practitioners with a shared understanding and common language around needs and risks surrounding children and their families
- It is to be used alongside the continuum of need indicators which provide descriptors of need for each level
- The continuum doesn't replace professional judgement or assessment and planning tools
Level 1 - achieving expected outcomes (Universal)
Development needs of unborn child, child and young person
Health
- physically well
- balanced healthy diet, good hygiene and clothing
- developmental checks and immunisations up to date, health appointments kept, including ante-natal
- all physical health needs met
- speech and language development appropriate
- dental and optical care as required
- sexual activity and awareness appropriate for age
- good state of mental health & emotional wellbeing
- no use or exposure to substances
Learning and education
- success and achievement, reaching educational potential
- regular school attendance and good punctuality
- age appropriate cognitive development. Positive and stimulating environment
Emotional and behavioural
- feelings and actions demonstrate appropriate responses
- good quality attachment with caregivers
- behavioural difficulties well managed
Identity
- positive sense of self and abilities. An ability to express needs
- no young caring responsibilities within family network
- good relationship with siblings
- positive relationships with peers
- family support child in development of self-identity
Social presentation
- appropriate dress for different settings
- good level of personal hygiene
Self care skills
- growing level of competencies in practical & emotional skills such as feeding, dressing and independent living skills
Parenting capacity
Basic care
- Provide for children's physical needs; food, drink, appropriate clothing, medical and dental care
- Parenting history supporting positive parenting
- Parents meeting own health needs
- No parenting issues identified
Ensuring safety
- Able to protect from danger or significant harm in the home and elsewhere
Emotional warmth
- Shows warm regard, praise and encouragement
- Able to develop positive relationships
Stimulation
- Facilitates cognitive development through interaction and play
Guidance and boundaries
- Appropriate guidance and boundaries consistently in place
Stability
- Consistent parenting leading to secure attachment
Family and environmental factors
Family History
- Good relationship with family, including where parents are separated
Wider family
- Sense of larger family network. Good relationships outside the family
Housing
- Accommodation has basic amenities and appropriate facilities
Employment
- Parents are able to manage the working or unemployment arrangements and do not perceive them as unduly stressful
Income
- Reasonable income over time, with resources used appropriately to meet individual needs
Social Integration
- Family feels integrated into the community
- Good social network exists
Community Resources
- Good use of available universal services in the neighbourhood
Level 2 - Children with additional needs (Universal Plus)
Development needs of unborn child, child and young person
Health
- Susceptible to minor health problems
- Adequate diet
- Slow in reaching developmental milestones. Starting to miss appointments
- Minor concerns regarding diet, hygiene or clothing
- Emerging speech and language difficulties
- Missing dental and optical appointments
- Emerging concerns around sexual activity and awareness
- Emerging concerns around mental health and emotional wellbeing
- Exposure to substances which impact on health and development
Learning and education
- Not thought to be reaching educational potential. Some identified learning needs that require school-based support
- Pattern of regular school attendances
- Reduced access to books or toys. Not always engaged in learning, for example poor concentration, low motivation and interest
Emotional and behavioural
- Some difficulties with relationships, both peer group and with adults. Evidence of inappropriate responses and actions
- Disrupted attachment due to parental or child factors. Can be over friendly or withdrawn with strangers
- Emerging difficulties around managing challenging or disruptive behaviour
Identity
- Some insecurities around identity expressed, for example low self esteem for learning
- Some appropriate responsibility for providing care
- Has some difficulties sustaining relationships
- Has some difficulties sustaining relationships with peers
- Family struggling to accept child's self-identity
Social presentation
- Frequently inappropriately dressed for setting
- Level of hygiene causing concern
Self care skills
- Appears to be lacking appropriate self-care
Parenting capacity
Basic care
- Inconsistent meeting of child's needs by parent
- Parental history beginning to impact on care of own children
- Parents failing to attend to own health needs
- Parent requires advice on parenting issues
Ensuring safety
- Some exposure to dangerous situations in home or community. Parental stresses starting to affect ability to ensure child's safety
Emotional warmth
- Inconsistent responses to child by parents. Emerging attachment difficulties
- Parent appears to be isolated in the community
Stimulation
- Limited development and failure to access universal services
Guidance and boundaries
- Appropriate guidance and boundaries lacking or inconsistent
Stability
- Parents not prioritising child's needs due to parental stresses
Family and environmental factors
Family History
- Child not able to access full range of family relationships
Wider family
- Family has poor relationship with extended family or little communication
Housing
- Poor state of repair, temporary of overcrowded
Employment
- Parents stressed due to overworking or unemployment
Income
- Poor allocation of funds and resources that impact on child. Poor debt management.
- Lack of take-up of benefits and available resources
Social Integration
- Some tension exists preventing the family feeling fully integrated into the community
- Lack of support network
Community Resources
- Good use of available universal services in the neighbourhood
Level 3 - Children with Multiple and complex needs (Universal Partnership Plus)
Development needs of unborn child, child and young person
Health
- Severe or chronic health problems
- Problematic diet for example obesity, faltering growth
- Slow in reaching developmental milestones. Non attendance for appointments
- Escalating concerns regarding diet, hygiene or clothing
- Failure to access or engage with some speech and language services
- Dental and optical concerns not being met
- Increasing risk of vulnerability from sexual activity and awareness (including teenage pregnancy)
- Significant concerns not being met. Failure to access support and services
- Exposure to problematic alcohol or drug use. Experimental use by adolescent
Learning and education
- Identified learning needs that are not being met. Evidence of non-engagement with appropriate support
- Some fixed term exclusions. Permanent exclusion. High percentage of non- attendance
- No access to leisure activities or stimulation. No interests or skills displayed
Emotional and behavioural
- Difficulty coping with anger, frustration & upset
- Disruptive or challenging behaviour by parent or child linked to poor attachment
- Challenging or disruptive behaviour impacting on daily life, achievement and relationships etc
Identity
- Subject to discrimination for example racial, sexual or due to disabilities. Demonstrates significantly low self esteem
- Caring responsibilities impacting on daily life, achievement and relationships.
- Some level of risk to or from siblings
- Isolated from peers. Peers also involved in challenging behaviour. Missing school or leisure activities
- Family very negative about child's developing self-identity
Social presentation
- Presentation leads to isolation from peer groups and is impacting on development
- Poor hygiene manifesting in physical difficulties (for example sores)
Self care skills
- Carer expectations or living circumstances not age or developmentally appropriate.
- Inappropriate young caring responsibilities
Parenting capacity
Basic care
- Parent failing to engage and sustain engagement with services that could assist in meetings child's needs. Parent consistently not meeting basic care needs. Parent resistant to change
- Parental history impacting on ability to care for child
- Parents' failure to attend to health needs impacting on child or unborn child
- Parent is struggling to provide adequate care. No improvement despite provision of adequate early help services
Ensuring safety
- Perceived to be a problem by parent
- Family coming to the attention of agencies due to risk
- Parents not acknowledging risk or responding to advice and support
Emotional warmth
- Erratic or inconsistent care leading to negative impact on child. Parental instability affects capacity to nurture
- Inability to retain positive relationships
Stimulation
- Not receiving positive stimulation - lack of new experiences and activities
- Engagement with support unsustained. Not attending pre-school setting
Guidance and boundaries
- Absence of appropriate guidance or boundaries putting child at risk. Child experiencing difficulties or putting themselves at risk in other settings
Stability
- Frequent change of care-giver leading to instability. Lack of focus on child
Family and environmental factors
Family History
- Acrimonious dysfunctional relationships between family members
Wider family
- No effective support from extended family
Housing
- Physical accommodation impacting on child health and parents taking no action.
- Family at risk of becoming homeless (intentionally or other)
Employment
- Chronic unemployment that has severely affected child and parent's aspirations and engagement with education and employment.
Income
- Serious debts or poverty impact on ability to have basic needs met
Social Integration
- Family socially excluded and or vulnerable in the community, for example are experiencing frequent or persistent anti-social behaviour or hate crime
- No supportive network
Community Resources
- Lack of access to universal services impacting on family
Level four - children with acute needs, including protection (Safeguarding)
Development needs of unborn child, child and young person
Health
- Severe or chronic health problems and appropriate services not being accessed. Life threatening health problems
- Severe health effects from problematic diet
- Developmental milestones unlikely to be met. Non-organic faltering growth
- Regularly unfed. Very unclean or dirty, clothing smells
- Significant impact of not accessing or engaging with speech and language support
- Severe impact from dental and optical concerns not being met
- Sexual exploitation and or abuse
- Serious mental health issues. Serious risk to self or others. Sustained bouts of depression and or self-harm. Threats of suicide
- Problematic and chaotic use of substances which impact significantly on the health and wellbeing of the child. Class A drug use or daily use of any substance by an adolescent
Learning and education
- Repeated permanent school exclusion. Permanent school exclusion with other risk factors
- Denied access to stimulation
Emotional and behavioural
- Regularly involved in anti-social and or criminal activities
- Dysfunctional attachment between parent and child leading to significant harm
- Challenging and or disruptive behaviour putting others or self in danger
Identity
- Experiences persistent discrimination for example based on ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability. Alienates self from others
- High level of caring responsibility impacting on life chances and emotional wellbeing
- Family breakdown related to child's behavioural difficulties
- Isolation affecting development. or increasing risk of exploitation. No access to appropriate peer group
- Family's negative response to child's self-identity impacting significantly on child's wellbeing
Social presentation
- Presentation is significantly impacting on development or leading to severe isolation
- Experiencing significant issues or clear impairments. No engagement with services to address concerns
Self care skills
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- Child or young person neglects to use self-care skills due to alternative priorities or parental factors such as mental health or substance misuse
Parenting capacity
Basic care
- Parents unable to provide "good enough" parenting that is adequate and safe
- Parental history impacting significantly on ability to care for child
- Unmet health needs of parents seriously impacting on child or unborn child
- Parents unable to care for previous children. Parenting significantly impacting on child's wellbeing
Ensuring safety
- Instability and risk in the home continually
- Parental lifestyle exposing child to significant risk
- Lack of response to early help intervention leading to increased risk
Emotional warmth
- Parents inconsistent, highly critical or apathetic towards child or pregnancy
- Parental isolation impacting significantly on child's emotional development
Stimulation
- Child development adversely affected by lack of stimulation and support
Guidance and boundaries
- No effective boundaries or guidance set by parents placing child at significant risk. Beyond parental control
Stability
- Parent not prioritising child's needs above their own, significantly impacting on child
Family and environmental factors
Family History
- Significant parental discord for example persistent domestic violence, or serious divorce or separation physical or mental health
Wider family
- Destructive or unhelpful involvement from extended family
Housing
- Poor state of repair, temporary of overcrowded
Income
- Extreme poverty or debt impacting on ability to care for child. Family requires emergency financial assistance. No access to public funds
Social Integration
- Family experiencing frequent or persistent anti-social behaviour, hate crime or racists incidents which is having a significant impact on family wellbeing