Framework for decision-making: Right help, at the right time by the right person

Framework for decision-making: Right help, at the right time by the right person

The North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP) is currently undertaking a review of its Threshold Document to ensure full alignment with the emerging Families First Partnership Programme guidance.

The Partnership recognises and welcomes the significant reforms being introduced across the children’s safeguarding and wellbeing system. These changes represent a positive shift towards a more integrated, family-centred approach, designed to ensure that children receive the right help at the right time and that safeguarding responses are proportionate, timely, and effective.

During this transition period, North Yorkshire’s Safeguarding Children Partnership is working with partners across the county to reflect the new national expectations, strengthen multi-agency collaboration, and embed a shared understanding of thresholds. This work will support improved identification of need, more consistent decision-making, and better outcomes for children, their families and their networks.

An updated Threshold document will be published once this review is complete. In the meantime, partners should continue to apply professional curiosity alongside existing guidance, while remaining mindful of the direction of travel set out in the national Families First reforms.

The “Framework for decision-making: Right help, at the right time by the right person” has been developed to help and support practitioners working with children across all agencies and organisations, when faced with a decision about the safety and wellbeing of a child or young person. It is a collaborative approach to support and drive our shared ambition of the right help, at the right time from the right service and, importantly, from the right person.

The guidance sets out which agencies and which levels of intervention may be needed to keep children safe, support families, build on their strengths, promote resilience and overall outcomes for children, young people and their families.

The Framework should be used by practitioners to aid decision making and identify next steps but not replace the conversations when concerns about a child or young person are raised. All practitioners should use their safeguarding leads and Early Help Consultants for support, guidance and reflection.

The Framework supports practitioners with thresholds and also embeds the North Yorkshire’s relationship based model of practice using a Signs of Safety methodology to understand past and potential harm, along with safety and strengths to develop what needs to happen next (see Signs of Safety One Minute Guide)

This document sits alongside, and is complimentary to, existing NYSCP Procedures which can be found at www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/professionals/procedures-practice-guidance-and-one-minute-guides and the Early Help Strategy.

Framework for Decision Making