 Integrated Practice and Contact Point
ContactPoint Updated
August 2010 - Decommissioning of ContactPoint
Ministers have now confirmed arrangements for the closure and decommissioning of ContactPoint.
Tim Loughton has laid a Written Ministerial Statement informing Parliament that ContactPoint will be shut down on 6 August. The Government is continuing to consider the feasibility of a more proportionate approach to supporting frontline professionals to help protect vulnerable children from harm, and we will update you on this as soon as we have more information.
ContactPoint will be switched off at noon on Friday 6th August 2010. This will be switched of in a managed, secure and controlled way by central Government. From the time it is switched off ContactPoint will no longer be accessible for users or data administrators. Decommissioning will take slightly longer and will be done in compliance with Government security and operational standards.
All users of ContactPoint within Hertfordshire should have received an e-mail advising them of the steps they need to take to comply with the closure. If you are a user of ContactPoint and have not received the e-mail, or are unsure of the steps that you need to take then please contact Joella Scott on 01992 28451 (Comnet 28451).
Please also be advised that the above does not effect National eCAF which has full ministerial backing, and will be available in Hertfordshire from later this year.
For more information on any of the above please contact Joella Scott: joella.scott@hertscc.gov.uk
Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire
The new 'Meeting the Needs' handbook is is now available. This is the new IP (Integrated Practice) tool which is being introduced as part of the current CSF roadshows about the new arrangements to support vulnerable children in Hertfordshire led by David Ring, Head of Early Intervention.
All schools will have received an initial delivery of the handbook in February (ten copies for secondary schools and five copies for all other school types). Additional copies can be requested by sending an email to meetingtheneeds@hertscc.gov.uk.
Alternatively, copies can be downloaded from the Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire pdf below.
To support the “Right Response” programme, and our efforts to promote early intervention and offer preventative solutions to addressing families’ needs, there is a new interim contact list available, to find out more visit:
 Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire
Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire – DVD
A DVD which has been designed to support all those working with children and young people in Hertfordshire is now available.
This DVD has been developed to help embed a shared and consistent understanding, and application, of the Hertfordshire threshold framework for accessing services for children and families, as set out in the Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire handbook.
The DVD is intended to aid understanding of the threshold framework and its application by practitioners through discussion in groups including team meetings, training or workshop events etc.
It includes an overview of Hertfordshire’s threshold framework within the revised continuum of needs – universal, targeted and specialist needs. It also includes four case studies to help professionals/practitioners understand the different levels of needs, as well as information on further support and guidance.
A copy of the DVD is being sent to all maintained schools in Hertfordshire, including Education Support Centres and to Children’s Centre Managers and Extended Schools Co-ordinators.
A copy of the DVD or handbook can be requested by emailing: meetingtheneeds@hertscc.gov.uk
 What is Integrated Practice?
The way we deliver services to children and young people in Hertfordshire has changed. Integrated practice means that professionals in the Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership work together in a more coordinated way, to share information and deliver services more effectively.
By working together we can make sure that a child’s additional needs are assessed in a more holistic way.
Integrated practice includes introducing new ‘tools’ to help us communicate more effectively. These tools include the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), Lead Professional role, ContactPoint and an electronic version of the CAF. Additionally, the Integrated Children’s System (ICS) is being rolled out to social care staff in CSF.
To help Common Assessment Framework practitioners to call together a Team Around the Child, a contacts directory has been developed on Connect. The directory is arranged by District and Extended School Consortia areas, Descriptions of job responsibilities are being included and County-wide specialists. We hope this will be particularly useful to staff in schools.
The directory can be found on Compass (the HCC intranet accessible from within Hertfordshire Schools)
Guidance for practitioners is available on the Herts Direct web site:
For queries on integrated practice please email caf-enquiries@hertscc.gov.uk
Single Service Request Form
The new Single Service Request form replaces the current CAF pre-assessment checklist. This form prompts practitioners to consider the Every Child Matters outcome areas and, if more than one area of need is identified, the practitioner should then complete a Common Assessment Framework.
For CSF, the Single Service Request form also replaces the current referral form CSF 3155.
In addition, significant changes have been made to the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) form. These changes have been made in response to feedback from practitioners who have been using the form over the last year.
To dowload the forms and guidance, please visit:
Advice on generating the Single service request form from sims.net can be found on the SITSS web pages at:
Integrated Practice Bulletins
For news on integrated practice, please read the integrated practice bulletins which can be downloaded from Herts Direct at:
Integrated Practice - Training and Awareness
A series of half-day (morning) only modular training sessions are available until July 2010. All courses are based at New Barnfield in Hatfield. To view dates and book on line visit Herts Direct:
District meetings and events are held regularly for IP trained practitioners, for dates and venues visit:
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