Children’s Social Care Single Assessments

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“Please supply me with the following information, please provide for the last 5 financial years:-

Q. 1) Number of social care single assessments carried out, in year:

Q. 2) Number of children in need, snapshot end of year:

 Answer to Q.1 and Q.2:

Please note that this information is already publicly available on the Department of Education’s website – link provided below.

Note: Single Assessments (also known as ‘Continuous Assessments’) were introduced from 2014 and so there is published data available for 2013/14; 2014/15 and 2015/16.  There is no data available prior to this.  All Local Authorities are currently in the process of preparing their 2016/17 Annual Statutory Return on Children in Need (CIN Census) due to be submitted to the Department of Education (DfE) by 31 July 2017. The DfE will then collate this data and publish on the same link later in the year – usually around October time.

Link to full published CIN Census Data – https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need

 

Q. 3) Number of children in integrated care services (Virgin Care) that are in need, snap shot at end of year:

Answer to Q.3:

Please Note that:-

  • At Devon County Council we define “Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)” as Children who are allocated to Disabled (ICS) or Finance Only Teams

The number of Children in Need categorised as ‘Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)’  (snapshot as at 31st March) over past 5 years are as follows :-

  • As at 31/03/2013 = 1,306
  • As at 31/03/2014 = 1,207
  • As at 31/03/2015 = 1,259
  • As at 31/03/2016 = 680
  • As at 31/03/2017 = 609

Q. 4) Number of social care single assessments completed by integrated care services (Virgin Care), in year:

Answer to Q.4:

The Single Assessment process was introduced in 2014  and the first Single Assessment authorised at Devon County Council was on 10 February 2014 .

Please Note :

  • At Devon County Council we only count a Single Assessment once it has been authorised i.e. signed off by the Social Work Team Manager
  • At Devon County Council we define “Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)” as Children who are allocated to Disabled (ICS) or Finance Only Teams

On that basis :

  • The Number of ‘Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)’ Single Assessments during 2013/14 (from first SA authorised on 10 Feb 2014 to 31 March 2014)  = 7
  • The Number of ‘Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)’ Single Assessments during 2014/15 (from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015) = 264
  • The Number of ‘Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)’ Single Assessments during 2015/16 (from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016) = 257
  • The Number of ‘Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)’ Single Assessments during 2016/17 (from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017) = 209

Q. 5) Number of children in need for at least 12 months who have not had a social care single  assessment within the previous 12 months, in year (broken down by ICS children and other):

Answer to Q.5:

Please Note that:-

  • At Devon County Council we define “Integrated Care Services (Virgin Care)” as Children who are allocated to Disabled (ICS) or Finance Only Teams
  • Single Assessment dates used are date authorised.
  • Single Assessments (also known as ‘Continuous Assessments’) were introduced from early 2014

The number of Children in Need as at 31st March and had been a Child In Need for more than 12 months and who have not had a social care single  assessment authorised within the previous 12 months are as follows (broken down by ICS cases and other):-

  • As at 31/03/2013:
    • Note – Single Assessments (also known as ‘Continuous Assessments’) were introduced from early 2014 therefore no figures exist for 31/03/2013
  • As at 31/03/2014:
    • ICS cases = 1099
    • Other cases = 1757
    • Note – Single Assessments (also known as ‘Continuous Assessments’) were introduced from early 2014 therefore limited figures exist for 31/03/2014
  • As at 31/03/2015:
    • ICS cases = 950
    • Other cases = 1287
  • As at 31/03/2016:
    • ICS cases = 321
    • Other cases = 1121
  • As at 31/03/2017:
    • ICS cases = 341
    • Other cases = 1154

 

Q. 6) Number of children returning from a period of care, in year (broken down by ICS children and other).

Q. 7) Of those children returning home, number who had a social care single assessment completed  within the prior 2 months of them returning home, in year (broken down by ICS children and other).”

 Answer to Q. 6 and Q. 7:

Unfortunately, Devon County Council (DCC) is unable to supply you with this information under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act.  Under the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 public authorities are not obliged to comply with requests which exceed the cost limit of £450 (equating to 18 hours of time).

Please note that it has taken DCC in the region of 18 hours to locate, retrieve and extract the information provided above in response to the first five questions within your request.

Whilst the information you have requested within questions 6 and 7 does sit within our electronic and paper filing systems, these systems are not set up to easily provide us with the type of information you have requested.   To locate, retrieve and extract this data, a new report would need to be created and interpreted, which would take us over the 18 hours public authorities are required to spend responding to FOI requests.  We estimate that to create this report, produce the requested data and extract the relevant information would take in the region of an additional 8 hours to complete.