Specialist
Safeguarding Children - Children in Care (CiC)
Aim of Service
The key aim of the NHS Haringey Children in Care Health Team is to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Children in Care. Our strategy is developed from the feedback we get from Children in Care; that Looked After young people want to use existing accessible health services such as General Practice, health visiting and school nursing. Our core work consists on helping CiC access universal health services, and on helping develop the quality of universal health services so that they can better meet the needs of CiC.
However, we know that some CiC have extra special health needs that can benefit from specific and specialised health provision. In these cases we work to facilitate the young persons access to these services in a fuss free way as possible. We also provide direct work for CiC. This is particularly for situations when a young person is refusing or finding it hard to approach existing health services. The work we do includes information sharing with and between colleagues both in Haringey and out of borough; ensuring statutory CiC health assessments are completed and immunisations are up to date; and conducting health promotion and training.
We work as part of a collaborative partnership with other health colleagues including a Designated CiC Consultant Paediatrician, Social Workers from Leaving Care, Unaccompanied Minors, Fostering and Permanency Teams and Sexual Health and Family Planning services.
Mental Health Needs of CiC
The numbers of CiC identified with a mental health problem or disorder vary widely. Meltzer et al (2002) in a mental health survey of CiC found 45% of 5 to 17 year olds were assessed as having a mental health disorder. We work closely with members of the Tavistock-Haringey Service (THS). As well as meeting regularly with the (THS) team, a joint monthly surgery has been set up at the District offices to offer social workers an opportunity to talk through health issues and support relevant referrals. The monthly sessional surgeries are set up at Hornsey district offices for Social Workers to be able to talk through health issues of CiC on their caseloads, including physical health, mental and emotional health and behaviour issues and referrals may be made as appropriate. This stemmed from discussions with a senior team manager and THS project co-ordinator at a CiC information sharing group. A CiC Nurse and identified member of the THS offer this surgery one Friday morning in the month. This has been running for over three years. The surgeries have been reviewed positively by Senior team managers at Hornsey. It also appears to be having a direct impact on the care we all offer the children in care; facilitated thinking time for professionals enables them to provide better thought through and effective care plans which are more likely to lead to improve health outcomes.
CiC Health Assessments
All CiC have an initial health assessment within a month of coming into care. In Haringey, fitting with our strategy, it is usually offered by GPs except where a CiC has existing medical conditions under the care of another Consultant. We facilitate the use of BAAF Health Assessment forms. We conducted various audits over the last two years in order to help us focus and improve in our outputs of health assessments. We have just completed an audit examining the possible issues and solutions around the 19 CiC that did not receive a CiC health assessment in 2005/2006.
Work with residential homes
We provide a systematic CiC health input to the Local Authority CiC residential homes. This includes support and input directed at staff, around issues such as medicine management, specific health matters such as safe practice in regard to HepB. It also included direct input with the young people, particularly around sexual health, physical wellbeing and tailored individual packages of care. Our team specialises in and are particularly successful in engaging young people who have previously refused to access and use existing health services. Within the two Local Authority homes all CiC are offered a health consultation and health referrals are made. This also allows for the opportunity to discuss nutrition, growing up, sexual health, drugs education, emotional health, school progress, friends and support systems.(a proformer of areas covered is enclosed). We also work closely with the THS team and with the boroughs young person sexual health service 4YP in providing specific input to the homes.
Leaving Care
Leaving care usually starts at age 16 with semi-independent living, a new social worker and a key worker. The CiC Specialist Nurse has contact with a significant number of CiC between 16 to 18 years with complex health needs, for health assessments where young people refuse to see a doctor and for pregnant teenagers who are not engaging with relevant health services. We provide support and input to the team, and help signpost young people leaving care into the universal health provision.
CiC information management system
Our team has a full time administrator who takes the lead in ensuring health staff both within and outside of the Haringey border are kept up-to-date with the CiC placements. When a child moves placement all relevant health professionals are informed of change of placement. When notification forms are sent out of borough a copy is sent to the designated CiC nurse for that area. Notification forms of new and changing placements are systematically sent to CiC health team from placement officer in the Local Authority. A notification form is then sent to the relevant HV or SN with a ‘movement form and reply slip’ to be returned to CiC health team with any new additional health information such as immunisations. This information is passed on to the TPCT department of child health to be recorded on to our child health information system. The CiC health team are informed when a child moves to another placement by the placement team in the local authority. Our team then infoms the previous HV/SN by sending a new notification form with updated information to where the child has moved to and who the new SN/HV is.
Team Base
Bounds Green Health Centre Gordon Road, Bounds Green, London N11 2PA
t: 020 8889 0961
f: 020 8881 6362
Children in Care (CiC) Health Team Contacts
Designated CiC Nurse
Elizabeth Skinner
t: 020 8889 0961
e: elizabeth.skinner@haringey.nhs.uk
Monday - Wednesday/Thursday 10am - 2pm
Specialist CiC Nurse
Marian Parks
t: 020 8889 0961
e: marian.parks@haringey.nhs.uk
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
Administrator
Catherine Paton
t: 020 8889 0961
e: catherine.paton@haringey.nhs.uk
Monday - Friday 8am - 5.30pm
Further health contacts
Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Manager of Tavistock-Haringey Services
Paula Conway
Tavistock Clinic and Bounds Green Health Centre
t: 020 7435 7111
Nurse Consultant for Child Protection
Vacant
Safeguarding Children Service NHS Haringey
t: 020 8489 3133
The CiC Health Team work in a variety of ways together with a number of colleagues, including Health Visitors, School Nurses, Social Workers and Educationists to promote and improve the health well being and life chances of children and young people in care.
Please feel free to contact us for information, support and referrals.
