Team Around the Child (TAC)

Team around the child (TAC) Guidance

1 TAC overview

1.1a The TAC model has been developed in a response to the need for joined up services and to provide a more integrated approach within existing resources. The aim is to reduce duplication and support a common service delivery approach which continues from the CAF process. A TAC aims to plan actions around the child/young person’s identified unmet needs through an agreed written TAC plan. The actions can be agreed in a variety of ways.

1.1b Practitioners may be involved in TAC meetings in a number of ways, for example:

 as the original author of the common assessment  lead professional is not always the practitioner that completed the common assessment  a new lead professional can be identified at the TAC meeting  as a practitioner involved with the child or young person and/or parent(s)  for information, consultation and advice  delivery of services.

The TAC meeting brings together relevant practitioners and/or parent(s) to address the needs of the child or young person. The team works together to plan coordinated support from agencies to address problems in a holistic way. It can be an evolving team of practitioners who see the child or young person and/or parent to provide support to work with them as appropriate.

Parents should have an active role in the TAC meetings, if the young person is agreeable and their contribution should always be recognised as they have a central role in meeting the needs of the child or young person. Some parents may need to be supported to achieve this due to their own unmet needs.

Practitioners involved in the TAC must consider solutions, which should include family strengths, universal children’s services, as well as statutory services, voluntary sector, informal support services, friends or neighbours.

1.1c It is important to be creative to find needs-led solutions. The function of the TAC includes:

 reviewing and agreeing information shared through CAF  planning and agreeing actions with timescales  identifying solutions, allocating tasks and appropriate resources  agreeing lead professional  monitoring and reviewing outcomes with timescales  reporting, as required, to other review meetings or resource panels  identifying gaps and informing planning and commissioning.

The membership of the TAC meeting will inevitably change as the needs of the child or young person and/or parent change. pa2 The TAC model operates as a supportive team, rather than just a group of practitioners. In this way there is direct benefit for parents who have new opportunities to discuss their child with key practitioners all in one place and to practitioners who might otherwise feel isolated and unsupported in their work with the child or young person and/or parent.

The planning and reviewing of the action plan does not always have to be conducted at the TAC meetings. What is important is that there is a lead professional and an agreed plan of action and engagement. It is paramount that the child or young person and/or parent can relate to the practitioners involved.

1.1d The ideal TAC meeting:  is encouraging, positive and supportive to all members  gives all members an equal voice  arrives at a collective agreement and identifi es a clear plan of action which  must be reviewed regularly until need(s) met.  acknowledges difference of views and negotiates workable solutions.

1.1e The role of the lead professional with the TAC includes:  chairing TAC meetings/discussions  distributing a copy of the TAC plan after each meeting  reviewing and tracking outcomes for the child or young person  generally supporting the child or young person and or parent through the process.

1.2 Team around the child process

1.2a The TAC process begins at the point at which a child or young person has been assessed, using the CAF, as requiring a multi-agency response.

The TAC process is based upon need and early intervention and is therefore focused on children and young people before they reach the threshold for social care intervention.

1.2b Underlying principles of the TAC process and meeting:

 the child’s needs must come first  the young person and/or parent should always be present at a TAC meeting  meetings follow the same format, see below  TAC plans are provided so action plans are clear, understandable and  provide consistency  it is equitable  the child’s or young person’s welfare is everyone’s responsibility  all organisations must work together  the child or young person and / or parent(s) views must be considered.

1.2c TAC meeting

A range of tools have been developed to assist agencies wishing to convene and chair a TAC meeting:  TAC meeting check list (Appendix 1)  Standard letter of invitation (Appendix 2)  Charing and agenda for TAC meeting (Appendix 3)  TAC multi-agency action plan to review, record and monitor progress (Appendix 4)

These tools have been produced so that a consistent approach is maintained across Redbridge. It also means that families have a clearer understanding of the process and know what to expect.

If a professional undertakes a common assessment and identifies that a number of different agencies are already involved in providing services to a child or young person, the professional should contact the lead professional and work together to meet the holistic needs of the child or young person.

Equally, if the professional finds on concluding the assessment that the child has multiple needs which require a service from many agencies, then they should convene a TAC meeting. The TAC meeting will bring together the child (if old enough) or young person and/or the parent and practitioners from the various agencies to deliver the services identified for the child or young person.

1.2d Virtual TAC meeting On occasions the TAC may take the form of a virtual meeting of practitioners and/or agencies, for example:  it may be agreed the presence of a multi-agency group of practitioners/agencies will be too overwhelming for the child, young person and/or parent  practitioners and/or agencies involved can forward comments, reports or updates on actions to the LP prior to meeting. These are feedback, by the LP to the child, young person and/or parent and the TAC plan is updated.

The standard letter of invitation should be used to request agencies’ attendance at the meeting. A copy of the CAF form should be sent with the invitation letter so that the practitioner is aware of the need of the child or young person.

The meeting should discuss the contents of the common assessment and clearly identify the child’s or young person’s needs and agree details of how, when and where services will be delivered to meet those needs.

This will be recorded on the TAC plan and everybody present at the meeting will be provided with a copy. A copy of the TAC plan will also be sent to the CAF co-ordinator. A date within 12 weeks of initial meeting should be set to review the plan to ensure services are meeting the needs of the child or young person.

At the review meeting, consideration should be given as to whether the services outlined in the initial TAC plan have met the child’s or young person’s needs, whether they need to continue, or whether new needs have been identified and additional services are now required. This will be recorded on the new TAC plan. age 4 1.2e Non-attendance at the TAC meeting

The underlying principle of the TAC process is that the young person and/or parent of the child must be present. If the young person and/or parent(s) are not in attendance then the TAC meeting does not proceed.

The group must then consider how best to engage the young person and/or parent in the process. Consideration may be given to:  agreeing a plan of engagement and make recommendations. This is known as a professionals meeting. The lead professional must then communicate the recommendations back to the young person and/or parent(s) for them to consider and also obtain their consent to the engagement plan.

 set a new date to reconvene a TAC meeting, if applicable.  what actions can be put in place in the meantime to mitigate the concerns.

 if the concerns are increased by the young person’s and/or parent non-engagement then consideration should be given to invoking the LSCB procedures immediately.

Where a young person and/or parent do not attend a TAC meeting and an engagement plan has been agreed, a copy should be forwarded to the CAF coordinator in order for it to be monitored.

1.2f Recording

The purpose of the TAC plan is for agencies to have a consistent method of recording and reviewing plans for children/young person and/or parent to have a clear understanding of the agencies involved with their child / children and their roles and responsibilities.

All recordings should be held on the child’s or young person’s personal file, within the lead professional’s agency.

Copies of the TAC plans should be forwarded to all agencies involved in the TAC process as well as the CAF coordinator, where a file will be created for each child and/or parent being supported within the TAC framework. 5 1.2g Recording of information on TAC plans for siblings

You do not need to have more than one TAC plan even if there is more than one child discussed. However ensure each child’s identifying CAF number is on the TAC plan. You will also need to photocopy the TAC plan and place a copy in each of the child’s individual file for record keeping purposes.

1.2h Database

The CAF co-ordinator will record specific information for the purpose of:

 a basic record/reference point.  a means of collecting data to evaluate the impact and outcomes of the common assessment and TAC meetings.

1.2i The CAF co-ordinator maintains a comprehensive database and it is therefore extremely important that the following information is sent to the CAF coordinator or [email protected]:

 a copy of the common assessment  a copy of the team around the child plan(s)  name of the lead professional  if a Multi-agency referral (MARF) is made to the child protection and assessment team.

1.2j The CAF coordinator will keep a record of each child on the database including:  name  address  date of common assessment  date of TAC meeting  name of lead professional  child’s or young person’s needs - met and unmet  outcome of assessment  outcome of TAC meeting

Agencies requiring information about a child or young person will need to contact the CAF co-ordinator to determine whether a common assessment already exists, whether a TAC meeting has been held and a plan is in place and the name of the lead professional. Appendix 1

Team Around the Child (TAC) Meeting Checklist

The following tasks should be considered in planning, chairing and managing a Team Around the Child (TAC) meeting:

Completed CAF Form shared with family and a copy sent to professionals prior to the TAC meeting

Appropriate room booked

Invitations to all relevant agencies sent

Parents/carers and children/young people invited, involved and supported to attend, is there a named person to do this?

Agenda set  Introductions (nominate note taker to record actions on TAC Action Plan)  Purpose of meeting  Identification of needs / goals (start with family members)  Identification of further assessment  TAC Action Plan  Delegation of Lead Professional role (who and how)  Summing up  Review Date

Following the meeting:

Post meeting support and information for the family

Inform CAF Co-ordinator Team of Lead Professional details call 020 8708 3150 or Email: [email protected]

CAF Form and Multi-Agency Action Plan updated

Updated CAF Form and TAC Action Plan circulated

Inform CAF Co-ordinator Team of CAF closure call 020 8708 3150 or email: [email protected] Appendix 2 Example Letter: Invitation to Team Around the Child Meeting Name Address Date

Re: Invitation to form part of Child name and D.O.B Team Around the Child

Following on from my liaison with you about Child’s name , you are invited to attend a Team Around the Child (TAC) meeting on:

Date: Time: Venue:

As members of Redbridge Children’s Trust all agencies and service areas have a responsibility under The Children Act 2004 to work together to promote the welfare of children and young people.

The TAC is made up of professionals currently working with or have previously worked with Child’s name and any other professional that might be able to offer services or contribute to discussion of her/his strengths and needs to form part of their multi-agency action plan.

Please find attached Child’s name common assessment which you will need to have read before you attend. The young person/parent/carer has consented to sharing this assessment with you and it should not be shared with others unless you have checked whether there is consent to do so.

The next steps are for you to:  Please let me know if you are able to attend.  If you are unable to attend, please would you consider sending a colleague in your place.  If you are unable to attend and cannot send a colleague, please could I have a statement of what you would have said to the family and other professions if you had been able to attend. You can either send this to me in writing or tell me over the telephone, as you prefer.

Also attached is a model structure of the TAC meeting. This describes what you can expect during the meeting, and any specific responsibilities to be undertaken e.g. charing the meeting, taking brief notes or becoming a lead professional.

Yours sincerely Name Job Title Agency

Appendix 3 Chairing and agenda for Team Around the Child (TAC) Meeting

The role of the Lead Professional with the TAC includes:

 chairing TAC meeting/discussions;  distributing a copy of the TAC plan after each meeting;  reviewing and tracking outcomes for the child or young person;  supporting the child or young person and/or parent(s)/carer(s) through the process.

Agenda for (TAC) Meeting

1 Welcome, read out the lead professional’s introductory statement.

2 Apologies.

3 Confirmation of basic factual details about the family.

4 Outline reason for the meeting explaining the concern(s), need(s) and intended outcomes. Refer to the action plan of the CAF form or TAC plan. 5 Each organisation to present their information in turn and the child (if appropriate) or young person and/or parent(s) to be given the opportunity to respond following each practitioner’s information.

6 The wishes/feeling of the child or young person to be clarified.

7 The child (if appropriate) or young person and/or parent(s) to be invited to provide further information.

8 Remember to consider strengths and need(s) of the child or young person.

9 Summarise discussion.

10 Record recommendations on the TAC Action Plan – who will do what and when, including family members, informal support structures, as appropriate.

11 The lead professional role is reviewed. If a new lead professional is identified then record this on the TAC plan.

12 Next TAC meeting date and time to be set, if required and venue arranged.

13 TAC plan circulated (or copied and sent immediately) to all present at the meeting and relevant practitioners, including the CAF coordinator.

Lead Professional’s opening statement

. My name is (state) and I am (state your professional role) based at (state organisation) and I would like to thank you all for attending.

. Before we begin, if you have a mobile phone with you, please it switch off or put on silent.

. I have received apologies from (state name of practitioners).

. The purpose of today’s meeting is to share information and any concerns about (name of child or young person) and/or for the parent and practitioners to agree a plan of action which will support (name of child/young person). . You will have a copy of the agenda for today’s team around the child meeting, which explains how the meeting will progress.

. I would ask that everybody listens to the points of view of others.

. Disagreements must be presented in a respectful manner and threatening or abusive language or behaviour is not acceptable.

. When presenting information to the meeting we must be able to distinguish between fact and opinion and to make clear which is which.

. All practitioners will receive a copy of the TAC plan, which will record the actions agreed.

Appendix 4 TAC Multi-Agency Action and Review Plan

When completing a TAC Action Plan it is important to firstly establish an overall aim/goal. On the plan this is described as the ‘desired outcome’. You then need to identify the actions that will support the achievement of the outcome, in some cases there may be several different actions required to ensure the outcome is achieved.

It is essential that you identify these actions in a logical way, name the person who will complete them and when they will complete them by.

If you are working in a sequential and flexible way the actions may change with each TAC as you work towards achieving your goal but the desired outcome remains consistent. New outcomes can be added if appropriate as the work of the TAC develops. If you have several desired outcomes it may be necessary to prioritise which you work on first to make it a manageable process. It is important that the TAC work with the family and young person to ascertain what their priorities are.

It is also essential that parents and carers as well as children and young people have goals, in addition to those identified for professionals. If a child is very young the TAC can still identify what the outcomes should be for that child, e.g.

 to be happy & settled in an appropriate nursery environment, or  to be able to make friends in school, or  to increase or reduce weight by specified amount, or  to be able to manage my behaviour in school better, or  to have 90% attendance by the end of the school year.

Many of these will overlap with professional and parental aims but that is appropriate and can be seen in the example below in relation to the bullying.

Example - desired outcomes: Young person (Darren) To join a football team To see dad more often To feel safe in school and not be bullied Parent (Cheryl) Darren not to be bullied at school Darren to stop using drugs Darren to be in school and not excluded again Practitioners Goals Darren to be supported to avoid further exclusions Darren’s health needs to be addressed Darren to receive support re: substance use Darren to receive support re: experiences of Domestic Violence Parenting support for Cheryl to be considered (to be addressed at next review)

Agreed Actions* (At least one action must be entered) (in order of priority list the actions agreed for the people present at the assessment)

Desired Outcomes Action Who will do this? By when? (as agreed with child, young person and/or family) Darren to join a football a) identify a suitable Anne Bestwood and 25/09/11 team local team Darren b) make contact and gather info on the Anne Bestwood joining process 01/10/11 c) set an agreed time for introductory visit and Anne Bestwood and 05/10/11 accompany Darren Darren d) seek funding for football boots through 05/11/11 charity application Jo Smith e) explore other sport 10/10/11 activities available Lesley Smith

For bullying to stop a) Darren to allocated a Mr Jones to identify 22/10/11 safe place if he is feeling and inform Darren threatened (Yellow card to be given to Darren) b) Darrent to report all incidents of bullying on the Darren day it occurs to Mr Jones Ongoing c) Fortnightly telephone Mr Jones and contact from Mr Jones to Start w/c 28/09/11 Mrs Herriot for information Cheryl Herriot exchange, agreed day and time to be set. e) Peer support group to indentified for Darren or Mr Jones – in Peer Mentor to be discussion with At next TAC meeting considered pastoral care lead in 11/11 school

f) Darren to be given option Mr Jones to set-up of using library during 25/09/11 lunch-times

Agreed review date* cont’d……Appendix 4

Effective Action Planning

The effectiveness of an action plan will be determined by the quality of the assessment; good action planning requires a through holistic assessment of needs and strengths as well as an analysis of the situation, it should build on strengths.

It requires a methodical process that clearly identifies the components and steps needed for improved outcomes. This process should be:

Comprehensive – considering all significant options and impacts.

Efficient – not wasting time or resources.

Inclusive – the child or young person, their parent/carer and other people affected by the plan must be involved and encouraged to take on actions themselves where appropriate.

Informative – decisions are understood by the people involved.

Focused – short-term decisions support long-term goals.

Logical – each step leads to the next within a broad strategic framework of SMART objectives and solution-focused outcomes, states clearly what’s to be done, by when and by whom.

Transparent - everybody involved understands how the process works.

SMART objectives: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound