Making a referral:

Referrals are accepted nationwide from the Court, Local Authorities, parents’ legal representatives, Solicitors and Children’s Guardians. The parents undertake an assessment of their ability to care for and protect their children.

 

Parents with children of all ages will be considered, and careful discussions will take place with the referring agent and other relevant professionals as to whether Sheltered Family Services will be an appropriate service for each individual family.

 

All parents referred to Sheltered Family Services for assessment are referred due to concerns for the safety of their child (ren) outside of a supervised, protective environment. In some cases, the parent will be considered to present some level of risk to the environment. In these cases, the full details of referral history are discussed with the referring agent.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

Consultation and Referral:

Sheltered Family Services welcomes initial enquiries and referrals to Blake Mews by telephone, in person or by email. At the point that a placement enquiry is made, the Registered Manager will endeavour to obtain the following information from the person making the enquiry.

 

• The referrer’s name, agency and contact details including email and telephone number

• Details of the family and baby

• Reason for the referral

• Who made the decision and when it was made

• Whether or not the child/ren are subject to care proceedings

• Likely timescales that the placement is required

• Who holds parental responsibility for the Child(ren).

 

We are happy to have an initial conversation by telephone or review the local Authority’s own referral form/family profile form. However, we cannot formally accept a placement without the necessary information. The placing authority should return a completed Referral form together with any other appropriate documentation to the Manager. Supporting documentation should include:

 

• Referring Social worker’s assessment report (stating clearly the objectives of the referral or a copy of the Care Plan)

• Medical History

• Social History

• Psychological /Psychiatric reports

• Court Proceedings, (prior and outstanding) also previous convictions

• Any other reports, which may be suitable/required

Referrals must in the first instance be discussed with our management team and admissions are usually pre-planned. All referrals are given thorough consideration.