Reviewing to keep people safe in case supervision – low risk
Content
Case summary
Inspector’s comments
Reviewing should focus sufficiently on keeping other people safe. Practitioners should:
- identify and address changes in factors related to risk of harm, and make the necessary adjustments to the ongoing plan of work
- be informed by information from other agencies involved in managing the service user’s risk of harm
- involve the service user (and, where appropriate, key individuals in their life) meaningfully in the review of their risk of harm
- be supported by a formal written record that evidences the changes made to the management of the service user’s risk of harm.
Case summary
Toby is a 27-year-old male sentenced to a community order with rehabilitation activity requirements and unpaid work requirements for an offence of assaulting two paramedics in the course of their duties. It was initially believed to be an isolated offence that took place following the consumption of vodka and cocaine, and was Toby’s first conviction.
Toby was assessed at the pre-sentence report stage as posing a low risk of causing serious harm. The report author believed Toby to be remorseful. He had apologised to the two paramedics by writing a letter to them and also felt, in light of the offence being his first conviction, that there was a low likelihood of repeat offending. At the time of the offence Toby resided with his parents. He said he had one son who he saw at weekends and was not in a relationship.
After eight weeks of supervision the original responsible officer in this case transferred to a different office and Toby’s case was reallocated to another officer. At that point he was attending fortnightly supervision appointments and attendance at unpaid work was taking priority. The previous responsible officer had recorded on the case file that all offence-focused work had been completed.
On reading the case file, the new responsible officer noticed that the details of Toby’s son had not been obtained and safeguarding checks were therefore not carried out. On explaining this to Toby during their second meeting, the responsible officer became concerned about his resistance to providing his son’s name and date of birth. They also noted the derogatory way in which Toby referred to his ex-partner during their first meeting. Despite some reluctance, Toby eventually provided the necessary information and, after leaving the office and having had some time to reflect, telephoned his responsible officer to explain that children’s social care was involved with his son and that contact on a weekend had to be supervised. The responsible officer thanked Toby for the disclosure and explained that they would talk in more detail at their next meeting.
A safeguarding check was undertaken and information from children’s social care and then the police confirmed that Toby’s six-year-old son was subject to a child protection plan under the category of emotional abuse, as a result of domestic abuse perpetrated by Toby. Although there had not been any incidents in the past four months, there had been seven domestic abuse call-outs to his ex-partner’s address in the past two years. Although there had been no convictions, these incidents included threats to kill and hair-pulling, and on one occasion Toby is alleged to have threatened to burn the house down. Children’s social care were relatively positive about Toby, however. He had been complying with them, and their observations of his interaction with his son had raised no concerns.
- The responsible officer had an initial discussion with their line manager to explain their concerns, relay the information and agree next steps.
- In the next meeting with Toby, they explained the reasons for the review and the information that had been received from children’s social care and the police regarding domestic abuse call-outs. In this meeting the responsible officer explained how the supervision process would need to change and the reasons why. The responsible officer encouraged Toby’s positive engagement by outlining the advantages of them working together to help him develop fulfilling relationships in the future.
- The risk of serious harm assessment was updated to include the details regarding domestic abuse and concerns relating to Toby’s son. In this new assessment, the risk of serious harm level was increased to medium.
- A detailed risk management plan was constructed, which emphasised the multi-agency communication needed in order to monitor Toby and the situation with his ex-partner and child.
- Frequency of contact was increased to weekly and sessions would commence in relation to relationships, responsible parenting and the impact of domestic abuse.
- A joint home visit was made to Toby’s address with the social worker. Although the responsible officer did not plan on visiting Toby’s ex-partner, this action was set for the social worker and regular case discussions were planned between the two.
- Once the risk management plan was completed, a copy was shared with children’s social care and the police.
Inspector’s comments
The new responsible officer in this case did a fantastic job in responding to previous deficiencies in practice. There had been an over-emphasis at the pre-sentence report and initial sentence planning stage on the index offence, Toby’s remorse and the absence of any previous convictions. The fact that Toby had a son and was having weekly contact should have automatically resulted in safeguarding checks. Had this occurred, the risk of harm could have been managed much sooner.
Nevertheless, the professional curiosity and investigative way in which the most recent responsible officer went about their work was great to see. Explaining the reasons for the safeguarding checks to Toby and also outlining how the review would happen, the implications for supervision and the need to start work focusing on his relationships was impressive. The responsible officer quite rightly encouraged Toby’s engagement by emphasising how the new approach would benefit him. What was clear from the case record and information from the social worker was how much Toby respected his new officer. Despite his initial resistance and fear of providing information about his son, his attitude changed as a result of the responsible officer’s openness and general approach.
This case provides an excellent example of reviewing to keep people safe.
This case summary is intended for training/learning purposes and includes a fictional name.
