1.2.5 Sibling Referrals |
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1. Opening Sibling Referrals
Referrals may be received in relation to families where there is only one child or where there is a sibling group. The referral may also connect to siblings living in other households/families. In all cases, a decision will need to be made as to whether a referral should be opened in respect of any or all of the siblings.
Sibling referrals must be opened at the point of the initial referral being made in all cases where the concerns relate to child protection, neglect or domestic violence and when the concerns impact on other children/young people.
Sibling referrals do not need to be opened in cases where the concerns are specific and limited to an individual child or young person, e.g. teenage pregnancy or learning disability. Consideration should be given in all cases to the impact of the concerns on other children/young people in the household or extended family.
In some cases where the decision at the point of the initial referral was not to open sibling referrals, a decision may be made at a later stage to open them retrospectively. In these cases, the sibling referrals need to be opened as a new referral from the date the decision is made to open the referral. The sibling referral should include the new information which has informed the decision to open the new referral and should also include information relating to the original referral.
2. Cloning Documents to Sibling Referrals
Cloning of complete file information from one child to another is not permitted and is in breach of confidentiality and data protection legislation.
The only exception with regard to information being cloned is a received 'contact' which contains relevant information about a sibling group. All other reports and documents should be attached to each sibling referral and not cloned
In all cases where an Initial Assessment or Core Assessment is completed in respect of siblings, a separate assessment should be opened and completed in respect of each sibling with an open referral. Whole assessments must not be cloned. Where appropriate, relevant information can be cut and pasted from one document /assessment to another.
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