The Lead Professional:
During childhood there may be circumstances where children, young people and families require the support of a child’s plan. This is where a lead professional will be needed. The lead professional is an agreed, identified person within the network of practitioners who are working alongside the child or young person and their family.
In most cases, the professional who has the greatest responsibility in coordinating and reviewing the child’s plan will undertake this role. Throughout a child or young person’s journey, this person may change depending on the child or young person’s needs, but there should always be a lead professional identified when there is a multi-agency (see glossary) child’s plan. All decision-making about support and the child’s plan should seek and act on the views of the child or young person and their family, where appropriate, in accordance with their best interests and in consideration with their full spectrum of rights.
Who Should be the Lead Professional?
Any practitioner or professional providing support to the child or young person could be identified as the lead professional. This includes any person working across the universal services of health, social work and education (including early years), as well as a person from a third sector organisation or specialist service. The named person, who may have previously overseen a single agency plan for the child or young person and their family may become the lead professional if they are the most suitable person to fulfil that role. The lead professional should remain in this role for as long as it is appropriate and this should be reviewed regularly.
What is the Role of the Lead Professional?
The lead professional should have the appropriate skills and experience to coordinate all agencies involved in supporting a child and young person’s wellbeing, taking a cohesive approach in the coordination and management of the multi-agency plan for the child or young person. They should:
- support children, young people and families to fully participate in discussions about what is happening in a child or young person’s world, where this is in their best interests and in consideration with their full spectrum of rights;
- ensure as far as possible, that the child or young person and their family understand what is happening at all times and support them to participate in decisions being made;
- act as a main point of contact for all, particularly to ensure the child or young person and their family are not required to tell their story multiple times to multiple professionals;
- oversee the implementation of the child’s plan and check that it is reviewed, accurate and kept up-to-date;
- ensure that targeted support is helping to improve agreed outcomes for the child or young person;
- promote teamwork between agencies, and work in partnership with the named person;
- support the child or young person and their family during key transition points (see glossary), particularly any transfer to a new lead professional; and,
- have an awareness and understanding of the working practices of other agencies.
The lead professional is accountable to their own agency for:
- meeting individual professional tasks; and,
- achieving the responsibilities which the lead professional role entails as above.
The lead professional is responsible to make sure other practitioners are clear about the different roles they have and the contributions they make to implement the child’s plan; they are not responsible for the actions of other practitioners or services. Practitioners taking on the role of lead professional should be provided with appropriate support and professional development.
Choosing the Most Appropriate Lead Professional
A lead professional should be able to provide confident leadership and should be familiar with the remit of different agencies to be able to coordinate the help needed. It is important that, as far as possible, children, young people and families are supported and enabled to fully participate in any decisions about who is to be the lead professional. An example of a lead professional could be a Health Visitor, Community Children’s Nurse, Pupil Support Teacher, Head Teacher, Social Worker, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Professional, Community Child Health Professional, Allied Health Professional, Family Nurse, Youth Worker, Early Years practitioner, Young Carer Support Worker or Third Sector practitioner. This list is not exhaustive.
Therefore, choosing the lead professional should be influenced by:
- the child, young person and/or family’s needs;
- the best interests of the child or young person;
- the child, young person and family’s full participation in decision-making;
- previous contact or positive relationship with the child, young person and family; and
- any statutory obligation defined in law towards a child or young person, for example when a child or young person needs a Coordinated Support Plan under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.
Once it has been agreed that there is a need for a lead professional, choosing the lead professional should be influenced by the type of support being offered; the strength of existing relationships; and any statutory responsibility to coordinate support, for the child, young person or their family. Where no agreement can be reached on who should assume the role, it should be escalated to the GIRFEC lead officer for the local authority or Children’s Services Planning Partnership.