Targeted Services

Targeted Services, Children and Families is made up of a number teams, these include: -

• An Assessment Team known as ‘Triage’. This team, as the name suggests, deals with all social care contacts or referrals to Children’s Services and determines priorities for action. The professionals provide information and advice to parents and children and other agencies, offer consultation on what to do if you are ‘worried about a child’, complete needs led assessments on children aged 0–18 and families, and offer initial help whilst they determine what action should be taken.

• Child Protection Team. This team undertakes assessments and manages cases where a child or young person  is subject to a  child protection plan. The team also manages children through court processes and has time limited involvement with children who become Looked After by the Local Authority.

• Children Looked After Teams and Leaving Care Teams. These teams are made up of the following professionals:

Social Workers, Leaving Care Workers (Personal Advisors), CAMHS Senior Practitioner and Children & Family Workers. The team provide oversight for the delivery of all plans whilst a child is living away from home.
Adoption and permanence planning
Leaving care planning and support services

• Children with Disabilities Team. This team made up of Social Workers and Children & Family Workers. The services they provide include short and long term assessment, support and oversight of the delivery of plans for disabled children with significant and complex needs and their carers. They work closely with local multi agency networks responsible for the provision of short breaks.

The Targeted Service for Children and Families is arranged on a 3 District footprint – Carlisle and Eden, Barrow and South Lakes, and Allerdale and Copeland . The teams are managed by a District Manager for Targeted Services.

Useful links

• Department for Education
• Cumbria Local Safeguarding Children Board