Consultation is the act of sharing information to obtain the perspective of another practitioner. It is not a referral to another service unless, during the consultation, it is decided that a referral would be the best course of action. Consultation may take different forms, from a telephone call to a series of meetings between two or more practitioners. Consultation is best undertaken by speaking to each other and not just by email.
Whenever consultation takes place, it is important that practitioners follow the principles of information sharing, parental consent and confidentiality. If the consultation is internal (between practitioners in the same organisation) practitioners should ensure that they follow their own agency’s procedures for information sharing.
If the consultation is external (between practitioners from different organisations) you should use the flowchart (below) to decide whether information should be shared. In most cases, unless the child would be at significant risk, the child and their family should give consent to the consultation taking place and where appropriate, be given the opportunity to be involved.
Principles of consultation:
A Team Around the Family approach to involve agencies working alongside children and families provides an opportunity for practitioners to share information and consult with each other.
“Information can be shared legally without consent, if a practitioner is unable to, cannot be reasonably expected to gain consent from the individual, or if to gain consent could place a child at risk.” Information Sharing Guidance July 2018
Those who know the family through working with them will be invited to Child in Need Meetings, Child Protection Conferences and Strategy Discussions (where necessary).
Practitioners invited to these meetings should be identifying support and services that their agency can provide for the child and family to recommend at the meeting and if they are unable to attend, send a written report and a representative who can discuss what support the agency can give.
[1] Consent must be unambiguous, freely given and may be withdrawn at any time
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2. Why is an understanding of your personal values important in developing your frontline leadership?
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3. Can you describe two aspects of your work that are strongly influenced by values that you have identified that are important to you?
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4. Are there any personal values that you find are easy to stand up for? Are there any that you find difficult to stand up for?
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5. Now that you have a clear idea of your own values, how would you go about helping your colleagues to do the same?
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