Lydia's week. Family Support Team
Lydia is a member of one of three Family Support teams within a local Social Services Department. There are 10 social workers in the team, and at any one time they have a caseload of about 100 children and families. Referrals are managed through a separate assessment team who respond to new cases as they occur.
This is Lydia’s diary for a typical week:
Monday
9.00am Supervision meeting. Kate.
Meeting with Lydia’s team manager to review her current cases. This provides the opportunity to discuss options, share concerns and agree how best to move forward with each case.
11.00am Sandra and David. Office
A session with a mother and her 4 year old son. David has previously spent time in foster care. Lydia is working with Sandra to offer practical support and advice to try and prevent future separations.
1.30pm Home visit. Sam.
Sam is a toddler who has recently gone to foster parents. He’ll be living with them until the issue of his long-term placement is resolved though the Family Proceedings Court. Lydia wants to check that the fostering is going well.
4.00pm Write ups
It’s vital that accurate records are kept on the progress of each case, and information shared with other professionals, families and carers. Lydia protects time to update her files after the morning’s supervision meeting
Tuesday
9.30am Home visit. Drysdale
Amy is 13 and lives with her mother who is a drug user. She has started to miss school quite regularly so Lydia (having been advised by the school) needs to try and find out the reasons.
11.30am Allen. Core Group meeting.
Meeting to assess developments in a case on the Child Protection Register. The child’s parents, a health visitor, a teacher and someone from the Family Centre will attend the meeting to discuss progress on the plan made at the Child Protection Conference. The results of the meeting will feed into the next Conference - held every 6 months to decide whether the case should stay on the register.
2pm Cathy
A young mother with mental health and drug use problems - whose child is in foster care - comes in to talk about difficulties where she is currently living.
4pm Follow up
Contact with different agencies and providers involved in Lydia’s caseload of service users.
Wednesday
Training day
Lydia is taking a Post-Qualifying course in Childcare - a combination of seminars, lectures and individual study to increase further her theoretical knowledge and practical skills. "The course informs my decision-making with evidence-based research: a deeper understanding of why we do what we do."
Thursday
9am LAC Review. Kevin
LAC = ‘looked-after child’. An LAC review for each child in care takes place every 6 months. The review meeting will include at least an independent reviewing officer, a foster carer and a family member. Kevin can choose who is invited to attend the review and where it takes place.
1pm Kelly. Guildford
Kelly lives away from her mother and has been placed with her grandmother some miles away. Lydia’s makes occasional visits is to monitor the placement, talk to Kelly and her grandmother about how things are going, and to check they are happy with contact arrangements for Kelly’s mother.
Friday
9am Rio. Directions hearing
A review of care proceedings for a 7 year old who has been in foster care for 6 months whilst assessments are made on his home circumstances. The hearing is conducted by magistrates at the Family Proceedings Court, with submissions by his parents’ solicitor, a statement and care plan from Lydia, and assessment from the Family Centre. Subject to this review, the case is on track for a final hearing and Rio’s return home, but Lydia has to have alternative plans ready in case this is not possible.
pm Write ups
If the hearing finishes on time, Lydia will catch up on paperwork for the week. She also needs to prepare a report for an upcoming Core Group meeting on the case of another young girl on the Child Protection Register.
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