Halton Children & Family Service

integrated Contact and Referral Team (iCART)

iCART is the integrated front door to children and families’ services.  The team is comprised of multi-agency staff, including social care, early intervention, education, health and Police, therefore there is access to a wide range of information.  The team accept safeguarding referrals and early intervention requests

Early help/early intervention

If families wish to make a self-referral the process is to contact iCART ​which is Halton’s integrated front door to children and families’ services, your referral will then be triaged from there

Children’s Social Care can help and advise you on:

  • 0151 907 8305 (Mon-Thurs 9am–5 pm, Fri 9am–4.30 pm)
  • 0345 050 0148 (out of office hours and throughout weekends)
Drugs and alcohol substance misuse support/referral

All referrals and requests for information or support for a young person needing support for substance misuse please contact iCART available 9am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Friday, call 0151 907 8305

If you have an urgent (safeguarding) concern outside these hours, please call the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0345 0500148​

iCART will screen the request, then based on the circumstances/information will then refer on to the appropriate service

A family member can get in touch with Halton Borough Council Contact Centre Tel:  0303 333 4300 or email hdl@halton.gov.uk who will pass the referral on, please note that all referrals must have consent from the parent/carer with Parental Responsibility (PR)

Children in Care

Children in Care Health Services for those in the care of a local authority

Together for Adoption

Together for Adoption provide support to all our adopters from the initial enquiry through to each stage of the process. We will also be there once your adoption is complete to offer support and advice on the next chapter of your journey.

Kinship - National Kinship Charity

Kinship is the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales and work with all kinship carers – the grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and family friends – who are caring for children when their parents can’t.

Halton Virtual School

Halton Virtual School provide support and advice and/or signpost you to other help available as needed 

Adult Social Care

Adult Social Care information 

Transition Team to help 16-25 year olds

The team work with colleagues and partners across Social Care, Health and Education to support young people aged 16-25 with complex needs going through transition.

If you have any problems referring, please email Transition.team@halton.gov.uk with all the relevant information regarding the young person.

New Online Referral Form for the Transition Team

Useful Documents

Halton's Multi Agency Plan Guides for children, parents and carers

MAP is a short way of saying Multi-Agency Plan. A MAP is a type of form that tells the story of you and your family and what life is like right now. It involves listening to you and your family to find out what your needs are, and what is working well in your family’s life. You and your family may have a MAP because one or more of your family need a little extra help or support.

Young Carers Right to an Assessment

Young carers have a right to an assessment of their needs separate from the needs of the person they care for (Care Act 2014 and Children and Families Act 2014) this includes:

  • All young carers under the age of 18 regardless of who they care for, what type of care they provide or how often they provide it.
  • A young carer has the right to an assessment based on the appearance of need – which means that young carers will no longer have to request an assessment or be undertaking a ‘regular and substantial’ amount of care.
  • An assessment can still be requested but should also be offered.
  • Local authorities must take a whole family approach to assessing and supporting adults so that young carer’s needs are identified when undertaking an adult or adult carer’s needs assessment.

How would an assessment would be carried out?

Through a Multi-Agency Plan (MAP) using the Halton Levels of Need Framework unless they already meet the threshold for Social Care involvement in which case it would be included in the Single Assessment Process. All Halton schools should have nominated member of staff to assist with young carers issues

If you would like to register with Halton Carers’ Centre, complete the online form using the following links:

Understanding Your Rights for Young People

The Council for Disabled Children and the National Children’s Bureau have developed two new websites to support children and young people to understand their rights.

  • Get Your Rights helps to explain to children and young people their rights when using the NHS
  • Information, Advice and Support Services Network is to help disabled children and young people with SEND to understand their rights for accessing information, advice and support across education, health and social care

Halton Carers’ Centre Services and Support

If you would like to register with Halton Carers’ Centre, complete the online form using the following links:

Advocacy Services
Private Fostering

Professionals working with children and young people have a shared responsibility to work together to ensure that all privately fostered children are well cared for and are safeguarded from harm.

Professionals can play an important role in helping to identify private fostering arrangements and providing information to carers and parents who may be unaware of their responsibility to notify the Local Authority.

Find out more about Private Fostering here

Halton SENDIASS

Halton SENDIASS Helping children, parents, carers and young people to take part in decisions that affect their lives.

Free confidential and impartial information, advice or support is available

Tel 0151 511 7733 or email SENDpartnership@halton.gov.uk

Easy Read Guides

Keeping Safe

Are you worried about a friend, child or family member?

If you suspect a child is being abused and you are a child, parent or member of the general public, Children’s Social Care can help and advise you on:

  • 0151 907 8305 (Mon-Thurs 9am–5pm, Fri 9am–4.30 pm)
  • 0345 050 0148 (out of office hours and throughout weekends)
Housing advice
Complaints, Disagreement Resolution and Appeals

Children Social Care Complaints information

Complaints specific to Children Social Care can fall under the below procedure, (this excludes complaints in relation to Section 47 of the Children Act – Child Protection). More information on the process can be found on the Council’s website for Social Care – Children and Young People  

SEND or EHCP Complaints 

These are most commonly made on behalf of a child or young person by their parent, carer or a representative. However, children and young people can make comments and complaints in their own right.  Free confidential and impartial information, advice or support is available through Halton SENDIASS Tel: 0151 511 7733 or email  SENDpartnership@halton.gov.uk 

Please see Complaints, Disagreement Resolution and Appeals for more details

Statutory Duties

Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (CSDPA) 1970

The CSDPA places a duty on local authorities to make arrangements for the provision of assistance for an eligible disabled person for adaptations to the home, or the provision of any additional facilities designed to secure greater safety, comfort or convenience. This also includes the provision of equipment.

There is no age distinction under the CSDPA so it applies equally to adults and children. The National Service Framework also relates to Disabled Children and devotes one of its themes to ‘Equipment and Adaptations’ subsequently this also sets a number of standards.

Disabled children and young people should have:

  • The equipment and housing they need for their health, well-being, development and social inclusion; and for their families’ health and well-being;
  • Access to the equipment they need in all the settings in which they find themselves.

Children’s Services have responsibilities for ensuring that assessments of needs which might best be met by the provision of equipment and/or adaptations are carried out under the CSDPA. These assessments are usually undertaken by the child’s Occupational Therapists (OTs) on behalf of Children’s Services.

How can the CSDPA help me?

Section 2 of the CSDPA gives Local Authorities a duty to assist disabled people (as defined by Section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948) with the provision of a whole range of services including equipment, adaptations, home helps, meals on wheels, etc. For example:

  • Practical assistance in the home;
  • Provision (or assistance to obtain) radio, TV, library or other recreational services;
  • Provision of lectures, games, outings, recreational or educational activities outside the home;
  • Provision of services or assistance in obtaining travel to and from the home to participate in any of the activities mentioned;
  • Assistance in arranging adaptations or provision of additional facilities to promote “safety, comfort or convenience”;
  • Provision of meals in the home or elsewhere;
  • Assistance in obtaining a phone and any special equipment necessary to use it.
Children Act 1989

The Children Act 1989 (CA 1989) remains the statutory framework underpinning the local authority’s responsibilities and involvement with all children and their families. Disabled children can and should access services through Part III of the CA 1989. All disabled children are children ‘in need’ for the purposes of section 17 (s17) of the CA1989.

The duty on local authorities under s17 of the CA 1989 is to provide a range and level of support services for children in need in their area, where possible to support them in the context of their families.

All work with disabled children and their families in the context of the Children Act should be based on the following principles:

  • The welfare of the child should be safeguarded and promoted by the provision of services;
  • A primary aim should be to promote access for all children to the same range of services;
  • Disabled children are children first;
  • Recognition of the importance of the parent and families in children’s lives;
  • Partnership between parents and carers and local authorities and other agencies;
  • The views of children and parents should be sought and taken into account.
Children and Families Act 2014 fact Sheets

The Council for Disabled Children have produced useful factsheets to provide additional information to IAS Services, practitioners, parents and young people that meet both the letter and the spirit of the Children and Families Act 2014.

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