Reviewing to keep the child safe in case management

Case summary
Inspector’s comments
Important learning
Take-away learning

Back to keeping the child safe homepage Next chapter: Keeping other people safe

This case sample illustrates where case reviews showed a good understanding of keeping the child safe. We expect reviewing to:

identify and respond to changes in factors related to safety and wellbeing
be informed by the necessary input from other agencies involved in promoting the child’s safety and wellbeing
lead to the necessary adjustments in the ongoing plan of work to promote the child’s safety and wellbeing.

Case summary

Mason is an 18-year-old male sentenced to a nine-month referral order for an assault on a police officer. Mason was in college and living at home with his family, and this was his first offence.

At first, Mason engaged well with his order. He was attending college and had stopped seeing the friends he had been with when the offence happened. After a couple of months, however, he started to miss appointments and his case manager struggled to get in touch with him. The case manager sent the first warning letter and Mason attended the appointment. He looked visibly upset and disclosed to the case manager that he needed help. He had suffered recent bereavements, was not getting along with his family and was worried that people were “after” him. She recognised that he was experiencing a mental health crisis and immediately spoke to the YOT mental health worker, who instigated a rapid review. Within 24 hours the YOT mental health worker, a specialist CAMHS worker and the case manager visited Mason and his family at home. A referral was made to Mason’s GP for further assessments and the family were helped to manage the deterioration in Mason’s mental health.

Over time, the case manager and mental health worker developed a good relationship with the family, which helped them to monitor Mason’s mental health. The case manager understood Mason’s specific needs and did some effective, proportionate work around offending behaviour, taking account of his mental health issues. She worked hard to sustain Mason and his family’s engagement with the order. She involved them in the frequent reviewing process, which included reflecting their needs and wishes for the future.

As Mason turned 18 years old, the case manager carefully considered what adult services were available and how Mason and his family could access them. Discussions about transition to the probation service were ongoing, as Mason remained vulnerable and there was only a limited time left on his order. The YOT mental health worker led the transition to adult mental health services and, alongside the case manager, kept both Mason and his family updated.

Inspector’s comments

The case manager developed a good relationship with Mason and his family, which enabled them to discuss and monitor his mental health. The case manager constantly reviewed Mason’s circumstances, what was happening for him and what measures were in place to keep him safe. She adapted the interventions accordingly as more information became available regarding his mental health, recent bereavements, associations and family relationships.

The AssetPlus reviews were in-depth and contained relevant, up-to-date information regarding Mason’s safety and wellbeing. The case reviews identified that Mason’s family was a positive pro-social factor, whereas his relationships with his peers were negative. The reviews included the views of other professionals and work carried out by the mental health worker and the GP, without compromising confidentiality and with Mason’s knowledge.

Reviewing in this case was particularly good because the case manager identified how well Mason responded to the interventions and how his responses impacted on his safety and wellbeing. It included feedback from partner agencies, and from Mason and his family. The case manager explained the changes in risk and how the level of risk was being determined and made clear how risk would be monitored.

Important learning

Mental health issues, including depression, are very common among children in the criminal justice system.⁷
Case managers in the youth justice system identified safety and wellbeing, specifically mental health, as significant in 71 per cent of assessed cases.⁸
It is important to enlist the professional support of CAMHS via the primary care route. These specialist health professionals should be engaged in the review of progress throughout the order.

Take-aways – applying the learning

For further information on this subject, please see:

Centre for Mental Health. (2018). Briefing 53: Social media, young people and mental health.

Kate Aubrey-Johnson, S. L. (2019). Youth Justice Law and Practice. Legal Action Group Education and Service Trust Ltd. Chapter 3.

Will you make any changes to your practice, such as involving specialist services when reviewing whether the objectives in your plan have been achieved?
How can you develop further your understanding of reviewing for safety and wellbeing? Do you undertake reflective learning with other agencies?

[7] Kate Aubrey-Johnson, S. L. (2019). Youth Justice Law and Practice. Legal Action Group Education and Service Trust Ltd. Chapter 3.

[8] The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. (June 2020). Assessing the needs of sentenced children in the Youth Justice System 2018/19. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/assessing-the-needs-of-sentenced-children-in-the-youth-justice-system

This case summary is intended for training/learning purposes and includes a fictional name.