essa experiences
Reflections and ruminations on life in an emergency social work service.
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A day in the life of Lancashire EDT
“The following takes place between 08.00 and 17.00, Saturday day shift”;
By 08.00 the Duty Manager will have arrived at the office in order to go through
the previous evening’s referrals and prioritise those which need to be followed up
by the incoming staff on the day shift.
The Duty Manager is there to offer professional advice and support, to ensure
referrals are dealt with appropriately and recorded correctly. Given the geo-
graphical size of the County, the Manager must ensure that staff and other re-
sources are efficiently deployed.
In addition, those young people who may have been detained by the police, to
appear in Saturday Remand Courts, will need to be considered, as a Social
Worker presence may be required in Court. Close liaison will take place between
the Manager and the Y.O.T Bail Support Officer in order to ensure any young
person who needs to be represented is, and by the most appropriate person.
The day shift starts at 08.30 and any work that needs to be followed up will be
allocated to the most appropriately skilled staff member.
There are 4 Social Workers on this shift along with a Court Officer who works
until 12.30.
At busy times there is the possibility of calling on additional staff from the casual
list we hold. This list is comprised of day time colleagues and is used to facilitate
urgent visits or to maintain a staffing level that can manage incoming call vol-
ume.
Lancashire EDT has separated out certain pieces of work which, whilst urgent
and necessary, do not require a qualified Social Worker response.
We have a “Support Worker”, drawn from our casual staff list, who arranges
Appropriate Adults for young people being interviewed by the police, makes
slight adjustments to Care Plans for Adults/Older People, investigates instances
where Adults/Older People haven’t appeared to be at home when a carer has
called and arranges for critical equipment, stairlifts for example, to be repaired.
This split in work enables the qualified staff to concentrate on addressing urgent
social care business across all service user groups.On this particular day there
are 3 Remand Courts sitting – the EDT has access to the Y.O.T computer system
which can assist in decision making about vulnerability and risk.
Investigations need to commence into 4 child protection issues, one of which was
passed to the EDT by the child’s own Social Worker the evening before, (the
child having been made safe in the early evening.) The team has good working
relations with PPU.
Placements need to be found, risks assessed and communicated with regard to 2
young people who, following police interview, have been refused bail. The police
have asked for them to be detained by the Local Authority rather than in cus-
tody. The EDT has access to a specialist Foster Carer, trained and registered to
meet the more demanding needs of such young people.
10 further requests were received for Appropriate Adults to attend whilst young
people were interviewed. Paperwork needs to completed and faxed to local Y.O.T
offices for their attention on Monday.
A further 6 visits need to be made to assess Older people who have experienced
crisis. These result in support being provided from domiciliary crisis carers, and,
in one case, admission to residential care on a temporary basis. Commissioning
paperwork and initial assessments need to be completed in all cases. EDT staff
are able to “approve” such interventions from a financial aspect.
A carer rang expressing concern that an Older Person who she was visiting to
assist, was trapped in her home, unable to open the door and appeared to have
fallen. Police were quickly summoned, as was a Paramedic. Computerised re-
cords indicated she had significant care needs. Police gained entry and the serv-
ice user was taken to hospital for medical assessment and subsequently admitted.
6 further investigations have been undertaken where service users have not re-
sponded to a carer when visited.
Whilst all have been “found”, extensive enquiries had to be made with hospitals,
next of kin etc, before police may be asked to break into a person’s home.
A lengthy discussion takes place between the Duty Manager and a Custody Sgt
where a young person is interviewed, refused bail and a request is made for a
“secure” PACE placement. We are concerned that the young person, aged 13, is
being detained in custody until Monday and the Sgt’s interpretation of the risks
that he may pose to the community.
Despite our intervention the young person remains locked up!The Court Officer is
utilised to attend court for a young person who may be remanded to the care of
the Local Authority. In conjunction with the Bail Support worker, bail options are
considered and put before the court. Despite this, the young person is actually
remanded to custody.
In another court we have more success and the young person is bailed with a
supportive package.
The remaining young person does not need our intervention as there is no oppo-
sition to bail. This was ascertained through discussion with the Court Clerk.
A request is made for an Appropriate Adult to attend for the interview of an
adult detained by the police who was suffering from a mental illness. A Social
Worker had to be provided for this. The detained adult was later released.
Visits are made to 3 different families where advice and discussion enable crisis
situations to be diffused.
At 16.30, the Duty Manager assimilates work that needs to be progressed by the
incoming evening shift, in the same way as at the shift start.
In total, 94 referrals are logged.
home | regional contacts | documentation | vacancies | conferences | essa experiences | news log
A day in the life of Lancashire EDT
“The following takes place between 08.00 and 17.00, Saturday day shift”;
By 08.00 the Duty Manager will have arrived at the office in order to go through
the previous evening’s referrals and prioritise those which need to be followed up
by the incoming staff on the day shift.
The Duty Manager is there to offer professional advice and support, to ensure
referrals are dealt with appropriately and recorded correctly. Given the geo-
graphical size of the County, the Manager must ensure that staff and other re-
sources are efficiently deployed.
In addition, those young people who may have been detained by the police, to
appear in Saturday Remand Courts, will need to be considered, as a Social
Worker presence may be required in Court. Close liaison will take place between
the Manager and the Y.O.T Bail Support Officer in order to ensure any young
person who needs to be represented is, and by the most appropriate person.
The day shift starts at 08.30 and any work that needs to be followed up will be
allocated to the most appropriately skilled staff member.
There are 4 Social Workers on this shift along with a Court Officer who works
until 12.30.
At busy times there is the possibility of calling on additional staff from the casual
list we hold. This list is comprised of day time colleagues and is used to facilitate
urgent visits or to maintain a staffing level that can manage incoming call vol-
ume.
Lancashire EDT has separated out certain pieces of work which, whilst urgent
and necessary, do not require a qualified Social Worker response.
We have a “Support Worker”, drawn from our casual staff list, who arranges
Appropriate Adults for young people being interviewed by the police, makes
slight adjustments to Care Plans for Adults/Older People, investigates instances
where Adults/Older People haven’t appeared to be at home when a carer has
called and arranges for critical equipment, stairlifts for example, to be repaired.
This split in work enables the qualified staff to concentrate on addressing urgent
social care business across all service user groups.On this particular day there
are 3 Remand Courts sitting – the EDT has access to the Y.O.T computer system
which can assist in decision making about vulnerability and risk.
Investigations need to commence into 4 child protection issues, one of which was
passed to the EDT by the child’s own Social Worker the evening before, (the
child having been made safe in the early evening.) The team has good working
relations with PPU.
Placements need to be found, risks assessed and communicated with regard to 2
young people who, following police interview, have been refused bail. The police
have asked for them to be detained by the Local Authority rather than in cus-
tody. The EDT has access to a specialist Foster Carer, trained and registered to
meet the more demanding needs of such young people.
10 further requests were received for Appropriate Adults to attend whilst young
people were interviewed. Paperwork needs to completed and faxed to local Y.O.T
offices for their attention on Monday.
A further 6 visits need to be made to assess Older people who have experienced
crisis. These result in support being provided from domiciliary crisis carers, and,
in one case, admission to residential care on a temporary basis. Commissioning
paperwork and initial assessments need to be completed in all cases. EDT staff
are able to “approve” such interventions from a financial aspect.
A carer rang expressing concern that an Older Person who she was visiting to
assist, was trapped in her home, unable to open the door and appeared to have
fallen. Police were quickly summoned, as was a Paramedic. Computerised re-
cords indicated she had significant care needs. Police gained entry and the serv-
ice user was taken to hospital for medical assessment and subsequently admitted.
6 further investigations have been undertaken where service users have not re-
sponded to a carer when visited.
Whilst all have been “found”, extensive enquiries had to be made with hospitals,
next of kin etc, before police may be asked to break into a person’s home.
A lengthy discussion takes place between the Duty Manager and a Custody Sgt
where a young person is interviewed, refused bail and a request is made for a
“secure” PACE placement. We are concerned that the young person, aged 13, is
being detained in custody until Monday and the Sgt’s interpretation of the risks
that he may pose to the community.
Despite our intervention the young person remains locked up!The Court Officer is
utilised to attend court for a young person who may be remanded to the care of
the Local Authority. In conjunction with the Bail Support worker, bail options are
considered and put before the court. Despite this, the young person is actually
remanded to custody.
In another court we have more success and the young person is bailed with a
supportive package.
The remaining young person does not need our intervention as there is no oppo-
sition to bail. This was ascertained through discussion with the Court Clerk.
A request is made for an Appropriate Adult to attend for the interview of an
adult detained by the police who was suffering from a mental illness. A Social
Worker had to be provided for this. The detained adult was later released.
Visits are made to 3 different families where advice and discussion enable crisis
situations to be diffused.
At 16.30, the Duty Manager assimilates work that needs to be progressed by the
incoming evening shift, in the same way as at the shift start.
In total, 94 referrals are logged.