Who Gets Help?
Information for Families
Duties and Responsibilities
The Government requires Cheshire Social Services to provide
services for children in need in their area. Children in need are
children with disabilities and children whose health and
development may suffer significantly without support. Social
Services, along with other agencies, have a duty to protect
children from harm.
Children in Need
Children may be in Need or vulnerable in many different ways.
The majority of children will have their needs met by their
families, friends, and services in the community, such as Health
and Education. Most families experience problems in their lives,
sometimes these can be overwhelming and families need all the help
they can get. Families that Social Services become involved with
will also have different needs. Some may be helped with
information, advice or practical services. Sometimes families can
experience problems that are complex, serious and require a more
detailed assessment in order to plan the services that are
needed.
Who can get help and when will they get it?
As Social Services' resources are not unlimited, decisions have
to be made about who will receive a service and how quickly a
service will be provided.
To help us decide who gets a service we assess the needs of
children and families:
- There may be situations where families are generally coping but
need help with specific problems. For example, where a child's
health or development may be impaired. In these situations, Social
Services may offer advice and information and/or direct families to
other services.
- There may be children, including many disabled children, whose
health or development is suffering significantly. The difficulties
may be caused by a particular crisis, or the complex needs of the
child or family.
Where Social Services are aware of families in these sorts of
situations, they will involve the family and other agencies in an
assessment to understand the needs of the child and the family.
From this assessment a decision will be made about what services
are needed and who will provide them.
- Social Services are sometimes given information that may raise
concerns that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant
harm. This may include situations where there is concern about
serious abuse to a child, or that a child is not being cared for
properly.
There will be an immediate response from Social Services along
with other key agencies. An Assessment will be done, involving the
family and other agencies to consider the impact of any harm, the
needs of the child and any action or services that are
required.
If you are at all unsure about whether Social Services may be
able to help you, please contact your local Access Team.
Your views
Information, views and comments from children and families are
important at all stages. They help in making the best assessments
of children in need and they help to improve the quality of
services that we provide. So tell us what you think.
If you are not satisfied about services you receive, try and
sort it out with the people you are dealing with first. If you are
still unhappy, Social Services have a formal complaints procedure.
Links to Social Care and Health