J O I N T
Quick reference guide
PROTOCOL
To use from April 2006
County Durham Joint Protocol for homeless 16 & 17 year olds
The joint protocol is an agreement that establishes the roles and responsibilities of different agencies towards homeless 16 and 17 year olds and promotes an effective assessment and meeting of the individual’s needs. For full procedural guidance, please refer to the Agency Guidance Notes. This quick reference guide enables front line staff to see at a glance the procedures for taking a young person through the protocol and clarifies which section of the paperwork they should complete at each stage. Agencies involved in the joint protocol are: • • • • •
An overview of the joint protocol process
Social Care and Health Children in Need Teams Housing departments Connexions Youth Engagement Service DISC/Moving On/SHAID
Initial assessment by one of the named partners
Complete monitoring form and return to CP
Lead Responsibility with initial agency
Initial agency responds to needs identified
Initial agency calls panel meeting with relevant partners (support providers must be present)
Contact family
Referral to mediation service
Arrange emergency accommodation (as necessary)
Monitor use of emergency accommodation
Support providers review cases
Support providers take coordinating role*
Support package put in place Other services put in place (e.g. referral to Mediation service)
Homelessness assessment by housing dept.
Intentionally homeless
Homeless
Not homeless
SCH work in partnership with support provider agency
Support / Accommodation provided
Support Provider offers advice and assistance
Review of case and process
* Unless a more appropriate lead is agreed upon
© 2006 Centrepoint on behalf of the County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership
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Stage one – Initial assessment – Lead with the initial agency Wherever the young person presents as homeless, that agency takes overall responsibility for coordinating the involvement of other relevant agencies at the initial assessment stage. Social Care and Housing Health 1.
Take referral and complete initial form
9
9
2.
Make contact with family to explore return home options
9
9
3.
Arrange emergency accommodation
4.
Help to claim benefits
5.
Living expenses for immediate use if benefit claims unsuccessful and no other sources of finance available.
9
Call panel meeting with agencies needed (identified on initial assessment form)
9
6.
9 Liaise with Connexions
DISC / Moving Youth On / SHAID Engagement service*
9 9 With YP permission
9
9
Liaise with Connexions
Liaise with SCH
Liaise with SCH
9
9
9
9
9
Liaise with local housing dept or vol. sector
9
Connexions
Liaise with local housing dept or vol. sector
9 Liaise with SCH
9
9 Liaise with SCH
9
9
9 Indicates agreed responsibility by agencies. * Youth Engagement Service works with existing clients only. 1. Referral and initial assessment form Action
Paperwork
Inform young person of process
YP information
Explain confidentiality and sharing of information
YP guide
Complete form as comprehensively as possible
Initial assessment
Young person signs consent form
Consent form
Complete monitoring form and return to Centrepoint
Monitoring form
Copy the initial assessment form and send to VCS provider
Initial assessment
2. Contact family Action
Paperwork
You should contact the family to explore options for a return home, where no risk to the young person is present. 3. Arrange emergency accommodation Action
Paperwork
Contact family (where safe) to explore options for temporary stay Contact other family members/friends to explore options Contact the housing department for any vacancies in their homelessness units Only if no other options available ring emergency accommodation providers Telephone named contacts in Housing and Social Care and Health to gain authorisation for the placement
Contact telephone list
Arrange for young person to get to the emergency accommodation Arrange for young person to complete a housing benefit form
Housing benefit form
Arrange follow up contact with young person Contact the housing department/SCH to inform of placement © 2006 Centrepoint on behalf of the County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership
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4. Help to claim benefits Action
Paperwork
To make a claim for Severe Hardship Allowance, Connexions will complete ES9 form and make an appointment with Job Centre Plus. They will accompany the young person to interview if required
ES9 form
To make a claim for Income Support the young person, or any organisation working with them, should request a New Claim pack from Job Centre Plus for all County Durham claimants Housing Benefit should be claimed from the local housing department
Housing benefit form
Education Maintenance Allowance for young people in education should be claimed through their college or sixth form
EMA claim form
A Crisis Loan may be available from the local Social Security office, but claims must be made through Income Support or Job Centre Plus 5. Living expenses Action
Paperwork
If the young person is without any money or income contact Social Care Direct. They will forward the request for funding to the relevant team and respond as swiftly as possible Arrange for a young person to collect the living allowance 6. Call panel meetings Action
Paperwork
Invite young person to the panel meeting Initial agency identifies others who need to be involved
Initial assessment form
Copy of initial assessment form sent to agencies invited Initial agency convenes a panel meeting (At this meeting, agencies will decide on which of them should take lead responsibility from this point forwards. Unless there is a more appropriate agency, the default arrangement will be that the lead responsibility will pass to the voluntary sector support provider.) Invite parents to the panel meeting as appropriate Record outcome of panel meeting
Panel meeting record sheet
Copy meeting record sheet and send to all invited parties Attached a copy of the panel meeting record sheet to the initial assessment form Out of hours If a homeless 16 or 17 year old person presents as homeless outside normal working hours they should be referred to the Emergency Duty Team or the local housing department via their out of hours emergency number. The EDT team are contactable via Social Care Direct after 5pm or at weekends.
© 2006 Centrepoint on behalf of the County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership
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Stage two – Support – lead responsibility will now pass to the VCS provider * *Or the most appropriate lead agency as identified at panel Action
Paperwork
The identified lead agency will work with the young person and other identified agencies to co-ordinate services and reach a satisfactory outcome for the young person Where identified as the best option for the young person, arrange for a homelessness interview. The lead agency accompanies the young person to interview. Decisions Where a homelessness assessment has been necessary, the local housing authority can reach three possible decisions. The decision reached will determine the level of service that the local housing authority has to give to the young person. An applicant can appeal the homelessness decision following the legal procedures set out in law. The Homelessness Officer involved in the case should inform the young person of the process. If, after reaching a decision, the Homelessness Officer identifies the need for a further panel meeting, (s)he will convene the meeting.
Intentionally homeless
Homeless
Not homeless
SCH work in partnership with support provider agency
Support / Accommodation provided
Support Provider offers advice and assistance
Referrals to the mediation service The Homelessness Action Partnership in County Durham has commissioned a mediation service to help prevent youth homelessness through family relationship breakdown. Agencies can make referrals at any point through the protocol process to the service provided by NCH (Support2Talk) where a possible reconciliation with the family will help improve the outcomes for the young person, even where a return home is not an option. Stage three – Review – lead responsibility rests with the VCS support provider or the other identified lead Action
Paperwork
The support provider will review the case after an agreed length of time and provide feedback to the countywide Joint Protocol Monitoring Group
Concerns Where disagreements occur about referrals, service provision or the conduct and behaviour of staff from another service, the individual staff member should discuss these in the first instance with their own line manager. The manager will then determine an appropriate course of action in the context of the disagreement, from a range of options.
• • •
Providing effective supervision and support to the staff member to re-establish good working relationships or negotiate a compromise acceptable to both services Organising a meeting between line managers to re-establish good working relationships or negotiate a compromise acceptable to both services Discussing concerns with senior management to explore strategic solutions or compromise.
© 2006 Centrepoint on behalf of the County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership
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Contact list Social Care and Health
You must make initial contact via Social Care Direct. Indicate the young person is via the Joint Protocol arrangements. They will then put you in contact with the local team or pass on the details of the referral.
Social Care and Health
Social Care Direct
0845 8505010
Social Care and Health
Emergency Duty Team (after 5pm)
0845 8505010
Housing
Chester-le-street Homelessness Department
0191 3872043 (Out of hours:0191 3887588)
Housing
Derwentside Homelessness Department
01207 218000 (Out of hours:01207 218642)
Housing
Durham City Homelessness Department
0191 3018481 (Out of hours: 0191 3018499)
Housing
Easington District Council Housing Options
0191 5270501 (Out of hours: 0800 0320835)
Housing
Sedgefield Borough Council Homelessness Department
01388 816166 (Out of hours: 01388 721822)
Housing
Teesdale District Council
01833 690000 (Out of hours: 01833 690000)
Housing
Wear Valley District Council Homelessness Department
01388 742101 (Out of hours: 01388 720588)
Youth Engagement Service North
0191 3895940
Youth Engagement Service South
01325 372808
Connexions
Youth Engagement Service East
0191 5186301
Consett
01207 502795
Connexions
Bishop Auckland
01388 603468
Connexions
Peterlee
0191 5867551
Connexions
Chester-le-Street
0191 3883019
Connexions
Durham City
0191 3849766
Connexions
Sedgefield
01388 724100
VCS provider
SHAID (Derwentside and Chester-le-street only)
01207 218850
VCS provider
Moving On (Durham City only)
0191 3831559
VCS provider
DISC (Easington, Sedgefield, Wear Valley and Teesdale)
0191 3783718
© 2006 Centrepoint on behalf of the County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership
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