North Romford Consortium multi-agency referral panel

The work of the North Romford Consortium’s multi-agency referral panel (MARP) has led to speedy and successful resolutions for children who were previously deemed to be a ‘cause for concern’.

Key learning

There has been a reduction in child protection referrals. A total of 23 cases have been heard and only two have needed to be referred. Some 10 cases have now been closed.
Schools now feel that they have somewhere to go for help with children who are causing concern.
School leaders are developing closer relationships with local professionals and they feel that solutions are being found ‘sooner than later’ to help vulnerable children and their families.
The referrals team say they have benefited from working together. They have a greater understanding of each other’s roles and they enjoy opportunities for joint training.
There have been real ‘wins’ for children. For instance, in one case, a child with significant special needs made a successful transition to a secondary school on the other side of the borough.
Information sharing has led to a more efficient use of resources in the borough.

Background

North Romford Consortium’s multi-agency referral panel (MARP) consists of a team of local professionals from a variety of backgrounds. The panel includes:

a health visitor
a social worker
a school attendance officer
a school nurse
a psychologist
a youth worker

The panel was set up according to Havering’s Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda and its key theme has been ‘early intervention’. It meets monthly.

Key challenges and issues

The challenges facing the multi-agency referral panel include:

children in the locality with behavioural problems
children at risk of offending
children engaging in ‘risk-taking’ activities such as smoking and drinking
families in ‘chaotic’ circumstances – children failing to attend school regularly and children ill-equipped for school
children ‘failing to thrive’ after referral to a single agency

High levels of domestic violence in the locality also have an impact on the lives of children.

Solution

The following practices have led to the successful resolution of challenging cases faced by the MARP:

The panel works together to produce a holistic solution to an individual child’s circumstances.
Because each individual has different needs - and possibly a variety of issues - different agencies agree to take the lead on different aspects of a case.
No case is closed unless everyone is happy with the outcome.

Next steps

Havering’s first children’s centre is due to open soon and will work closely with the North Romford Consortium and the multi-agency referral panel.

Multi-agency teams are being developed in other localities in Havering. Although they do not receive referrals, they are building relationships and getting to know each other’s roles.