The South Tyneside Threshold Guidance, Right Conversations, Right Help, Right Time (2023), supports practitioners across all agencies to make consistent, informed decisions about how best to respond to the needs of children, young people and families.

All professionals who work with children have a responsibility to safeguard and promote their welfare. This guidance helps ensure that children receive the right level of help at the right time, based on a shared understanding of need, risk and appropriate intervention.

Our ambition is that all children and young people in South Tyneside are safe, healthy and supported to achieve their full potential.

Using a strength-based approach

In South Tyneside, all practitioners are expected to work in a strength-based way when supporting children and families.

This approach is based on the following principles:

• Recognising and respecting the rights, dignity and values of children and families
• Understanding that families are experts in their own lives and experiences
• Working alongside families to identify strengths, build resilience and develop solutions
• Ensuring the voice of the child is central to all assessment and decision making

The focus should always be on what is working well, as well as what needs to change.

Understanding thresholds

A threshold is the point at which professionals consider the level of need or risk for a child and determine whether additional support or intervention is required.

Understanding thresholds is essential to ensuring that:

• Children receive timely and appropriate support
• Services are proportionate to the level of need
• Multi‑agency responses are coordinated and effective

Threshold decisions are not based on a single factor. They require careful consideration of:

• The child’s needs
• The level of risk or harm
• The protective factors within the family and wider network
• The impact on the child’s wellbeing and development

Support should be provided in a flexible and responsive way, with children able to move between levels of need as their circumstances change.

Using professional judgement

The threshold guidance provides indicators to support practice, but it does not replace professional judgement.

Practitioners should:

• Use the guidance to inform discussion and decision making
• Apply professional curiosity and critical thinking
• Draw on evidence, experience and relevant research
• Consider the child’s lived experience and wider context

Decisions should always be based on a balanced assessment of risk and need, supported by clear rationale.

Levels of need

The threshold framework describes different levels of need to help practitioners identify the most appropriate response.

While cases will vary, the broad levels include:

Universal

• Children whose needs are met through universal services such as education, health and community provision

Additional needs / Early Help

• Children who may benefit from additional support to improve outcomes
• Multi‑agency Early Help may be appropriate to prevent escalation

Child in Need (Section 17)

• Children who require statutory support due to more complex or persistent needs
• Led by Children’s Social Care with a multi‑agency plan

Child Protection (Section 47)

• Children who are suffering or at risk of significant harm
• Requires formal child protection processes and multi‑agency intervention

Movement between these levels should be fluid, with no gaps in support.

Ensuring the right response

When concerns are identified, practitioners should consider:

• What is the level of need or risk?
• What support is already in place?
• What additional help may be required?
• Is there a need to escalate or step down support?

Where concerns meet the threshold for statutory intervention:

• A referral should be made to Children’s Social Care using the Multi‑Agency Referral Form
• This may lead to a statutory assessment or a strategy discussion
• If there is immediate risk of harm, urgent action must be taken

Making a referral

Where there are safeguarding concerns:

• Complete a Multi‑Agency Referral Form to request a social work response
• Ensure all relevant information is included to support decision making
• Continue to support the child while the referral is being progressed

If a child is at immediate risk of harm:

• Contact the police on 999
• Notify the Integrated Safeguarding and Intervention Team (ISIT) immediately
• Follow up telephone referrals with a written referral within 24 hours

The local authority has a duty to make enquiries where there are concerns that a child may be at risk of harm.

Key principles for practice

• The child’s safety and wellbeing are paramount
• Early support can prevent escalation
• Decisions must be informed by evidence and professional judgement
• Information sharing is essential to effective safeguarding
• Transitions between levels of need must be timely and coordinated

For full detail, practitioners should refer to the complete guidance document:
Right Conversations, Right Help, Right Time (South Tyneside Threshold Guidance 2023)